Walpole METCO Program

In the last few weeks it has been wonderful to see students as they have transitioned to full in person learning! Students are smiling, excited to see peers and more importantly thrilled to get back into in person learning safely. A zoom meeting was held for Walpole METCO Families on March 16th to go over the details of transportation and the guidelines of the full in person return. We will host one additional virtual meeting at the end of the year. It is my hope that you will find time during the April vacation break to do just that. Take a break! Please use this time to spend with family and friends and practice self care. Stay well and safe.

Best,

Ms. Castro

Foxborough-Walpole METCO Program Director

METCO HQ and Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition have teamed up to ensure our community has access to COVID-19 vaccinations! Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition will be scheduling appointments for individuals to receive their COVID-19 vaccination at the Reggie Lewis Center. If you are interested, please fill out this form. Must be ages 16 and older to sign up!

This past Wednesday (4/14) was our last diversity training session with Dr. Kalise Wornum. Walpole has committed to a year-long diversity training to provide both administration and staff throughout the district with the knowledge and competencies that are essential for working with our K-12 students. Members who have participated in this training are already sharing their knowledge with other colleagues in their schools and are finding ways to provide the same type of training to the greater Walpole community. We thank Dr. Wornum for her time and for instilling us with the knowledge and resources as we continue to make Walpole Public Schools a more inclusive and welcoming community!

We made it to April -- our hybrid and remote models of learning proved successful and on April 5 we transitioned our hybrid students to 5 days of in person learning. Currently we have 4 students in person and 3 students who continue as remote learners. With safety protocols in place, our hope is that we will finish strong. Our eagles continue to soar!

Learning has been in full swing, our fourth and fifth graders worked their way from whole number operations to fractions and decimals. Students are busy learning various strategies to compare, add, and subtract fractions and mixed numbers. Solving problems using line plots with fractions and working with decimals are other standards that are being worked on.

In writing, our students wrote personal narratives and “all about information narratives” and are now working on wrapping up their nonfiction writing. In social studies our fifth graders explored the American Revolution, thirteen colonies, French and Indian war and more. Fourth graders are focusing on learning about our 50 states, they have mastered states and capitals of the northeast and southeast states. Please talk to your children about the skills they have learned.

Remote & in-person students enjoyed staying in touch:

Before School Fun! :)

What a busy time it has been! Whether it’s been hybrid or remote staff and students have remained dedicated to learning. We were thrilled to be able to have all elementary students come back to school as of April 5th. Whether together or apart we have learned and grown. It is bittersweet that the final few months ahead will be the last to have our 5th graders in our building before they fly off to middle school. They are prepared and ready for the years ahead!

Here’s our current 5th graders spending time together.

As we transition into the return of full in-person learning, 3 staff members at OPR have been included as additional METCO support staff for our students: Miranda Tyszka, Sandi Lemieux and Linda Janowicz. On behalf of the Walpole METCO program, we thank you very much for all that you do for our students!

This has been quite a year for our middle school students at both Bird and Johnson Middle Schools! April 5 has been the start of our return to full in-person learning. Students have been doing a phenomenal job at adjusting to the new schedule and having 6 periods in a day. Despite all these changes, JMS and BMS students still found ways to have fun! In March, students and staff had the opportunity to shoot 10 free throws if they donated $5 and/or received a shirt if they donated $10. This was a part of March Madness fundraiser with all proceeds going to #GoalsforGreyson, a funds campaign started for Greyson, a JMS student who was involved in a critical ATV accident last fall and sustained permanent injuries following the accident.

We are excited to have our students back in the building and start their 4th and final Quarter strong!

With inspiration from the diversity trainings that were led by KW Diversity, along with student feedback from a survey sent out earlier in the school year, the staff at JMS have decided to create a group that promoted diversity and equity that includes both staff and students! The group chose the name: JMS United. This group meets 1-2 a month to discuss ways in which we can create opportunities in our community to learn more about each other's cultures. In addition, each week a staff or student volunteers to share a recipe that is personal to them and their culture and its significance. Their recipe is also shared in the JMS newsletter. Be on the lookout for future weekly JMS newsletter issued every Sunday by Mr. Morgenweck to view more recipes!

We are about a month away from the Middle School Tenacity Challenge on May 15! Our Walpole team has been meeting once a week to gear up for two events: the Leadership Action Project and the Math Quiz Bowl. As of this week, we have bumped up our meetings to 2x/week to get all the work that needs to be done before the event! By request of the team not wanting to "give away" what they are working on just yet, we will say that April 30 will be a special day for our team who will be doing something big on that day. Stay tuned! :)

Hello 8th grade students and families! We are almost at that time where we start to begin the transition from middle school to high school! Be on the lookout for any information regarding physicals, course selections, etc. from your teachers and/or school counselor via email or the BMS/JMS newsletter. If you have any questions along the way, feel free to reach out to Ms. W (lcummingswatanabe@walpole.k12.ma.us) or any other staff member!

What a year it has been! At the high school, we are now about 2 weeks done with being back in the building 5 days a week for full in-person learning! It has been quite an adjustment, but our students are doing great work and continue to excel! This has been a very busy spring for our high school students. From extracurricular activities to continuing their academics as most students transition from a hybrid (or full-remote) model to a full in-person learning model again, they have shown perseverance and resiliency throughout these difficult times of change. Nevertheless, the students are excited to be back in the school building! We have missed you and are thrilled to have you all back! :)

On Saturday, March 6, 2021, 3 of our students participated on a panel called, “The 'New Normal:' Experiences from Students of Color Learning in a Virtual Community” at this year's Alumni of Color Conference hosted by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Sara M. (12), Joy M.M. (10) and Zaniia Y. (10), along with two other students from Foxborough High School's METCO program, all engaged in critical discussions as they shared with educators from around the world their experiences as students in the METCO program and what it's like learning in a virtual world. In addition, they also offered suggestions to best educational practices to other educators on virtual learning and how to help students navigate the racial incidents currently happening in our communities and nation-at-large. Let's give a huge congratulations to our students for a job well done! :)

The Boston Equity Action Team (B.E.A.T.) is a paid after-school internship offered by METCO HQ for "Boston students at METCO partner high schools who are passionate about about civic engagement, curious about history, and vocal advocates for change." In it's second year, B.E.A.T. is offering two teams for our students: B.E.A.T.--Community and B.E.A.T.--METCO. Only a handful of students get selected to participate in this program and we are happy to announce that we have two students from WHS who will represent our district in this initiative! Congratulations to Joy M.M. (10) and Zaniia Y. (10), continue to keep up the amazing work! :)

As we are now officially in the spring season, we continue to hear from our students about the schools that they have been accepted to! Here are more schools that our seniors have gained admission:

- University of Massachusetts - Boston

- Plymouth State University

- Montserrat College of Art

- Fisher College

- Framingham State University

Another congratulations to Sara M. who has officially decided on attending Curry College in the fall!

Congratulations on a job well done for our seniors, we are at the home stretch!!

If you haven't done so, please turn in your senior dues ($140) ASAP! Not having your dues in means not being able to participate in the graduation ceremony. If you haven't turned in your senior dues, please contact me (lcummingswatanabe@walpole.k12.ma.us) or Ms. Culliton (lculliton@walpole.k12.ma.us) who is in charge of senior dues. Thank you!

City of Boston Scholarship

• Through the fund, the City of Boston awards new college-goers and continuing education students $2,500 per year to help pay for school.
  
• Deadline: 4/28/21

Massport Scholarships

• Massport offers several scholarship opportunities for graduating high school seniors. See the individual scholarships for eligibility and application materials.
  
• Deadline: 4/30/21

Barbara J. Dawson Book Award 2021

• The Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Delta Omicron Zeta Chapter is recognizing two outstanding high school seniors who will be attending college in the fall.
  
• Deadline: 4/30/21

Melvia Wright Patten Scholarship Fund, Inc.

• The Melvia Wright Patten Scholarship Fund assists five students wanting to further their education with a $1,000 scholarship.
  
• Deadline: Applications must be postmarked by 6/1/21

Be sure to also check the Walpole METCO's website for more updates!

Join METCO HQ and ArtsEmerson in a virtual reception with music, games, and prizes, and stay to meet the star of the show and talk about our diverse experiences with growing up in a changing culture. This event will be held Friday, April 16 from 6:45-8:30pm. Tickets are FREE for families from Boston and the METCO suburbs thanks to the support of BASI/Outside the Box Act Two. Recommended for ages 13+! Please visit https://metcoinc.org/event/brimful-of-asha/ to register. The first 100 people who register and attend the event will receive a free J.P. Lick's ice cream!

Join METCO and Dialogues on Diversity for a powerful performance followed by a discussion of the ongoing struggle for equal rights.

"Hellfighter" is a fictionalized story based on real-life people and events that shows how generations of African American soldiers fought not only the enemy on the other side of the battle lines, but against the hatred and bigotry of their own government, to obtain full acceptance into the American Dream. This screening is open to all Boston and suburban families and staff in METCO communities. Suitable for ages 13+.

6:30pm: Pre-show reception
7pm: Streamed performance
7:45pm: Post-show discussion

Click here to register!

Be sure to fill out this form to receive METCO HQ's newsletters for both students and families about the many resources and opportunities available!

Jesenia Castro, MSW

METCO Director

Walpole Public Schools &

Foxborough Public Schools

mailto:jcastro@walpole.k12.ma.us

Uma Valluri

METCO Tutor

Elm Street Elementary School

uvalluri@walpole.k12.ma.us

Noreen Ennis

METCO Tutor

Old Post Road Elementary School

Boyden Elementary School

nennis@walpole.k12.ma.us

Lokelani Cummings-Watanabe, Ed.M.

METCO Academic Advisor

Bird Middle School

Johnson Middle School

Walpole High School

lcummingswatanabe@walpole.k12.ma.us

Please join us in welcoming our newest member to the Walpole METCO family, Ms. Allison Cooper! She has started her new role with us as the bus monitor since the beginning of February. If you see her, give her a warm hello! :)

Email: acooper@walpole.k12.ma.us

We hope you all have a wonderful break! See you when you get back! :)