West Bridgewater Students, Staff and Families,

Once again the newsletter has lots of valuable information as well as some great pictures of our students. We hope you enjoy reading the newsletter and have a wonderful day!

It is budget season and it is our goal to make sure all families are as informed as possible about our needs in West Bridgewater. This past week there have been 2 School Committee meetings where we discussed the budget. These were on WBTV Channel 9.

I also encourage you to review the FY24 Budget Book. This is a new document this year that hopefully helps to provide important information about our budget and our needs. This document is lengthy but a lot of time was spent creating it so we hope you find it useful and informative.

We have also done presentations at both School Committee Meetings last week. Both can be found on the link below. I would suggest looking at the March 9th bc it is the same information plus a few additional slides.

If you have any questions about the FY24 Budget please do not hesitate to reach out to Mr. Bodwell. This budget was designed to meet the needs of all students and staff in our district.

Save the Date - Friday, March 17th from 2:15-3:45 at the MSHS.

Self Defense and Awareness Class with a focus on situational awareness and preparedness through mindset training. Physical skills to include defensive posture and hands-on techniques, some with striking pads and partners. I will provide the equipment. The MSHS will be sending out more detailed information early next week. This is open to MSHS students only. The instructor is a local police officer Dana Smith who also owns his own dojo Budo Karate Academy for 30 years, is a DARE officer in Plympton and has worked with WB students in the past. There will be a sign-up sheet in the office.

FLOWER POWER FUNDRAISER

March 1-March 17

Help the Middle School! Pick a Posy or Two!

Think Spring!

Planting…Gardening…Be sure to order your flowers and veggies to help our students.

Please help the Middle School Students defray the cost of the end of the year field trips and field day. Pick a posy or two and watch your garden grow, as we watch the middle school treasury grow, too. This is strictly an online fundraiser. Click the link below and start your order.

Flower Power Fundraiser

All orders will be shipped directly to your home.

Please spread the word and share the link with family, friends and coworkers and post to your social media pages: Facebook, Twitter, etc.

If you’d prefer to not place an order, but still want to help, a check can be made out to WBMSHS and in the memo section please write “MS Fundraiser''. This can be dropped off to Mrs. AJ in room 108.

Thank you for your support in advance!

The Middle school Teachers and Students

Attention Parents and Guardians,

Just a reminder that when there is a forecast for inclement weather (this year more wind and storms than snow) please make plans with your family that could include a delay, cancellation or school opening on time. If it is possible we can let families know the information the night before, but often we will wait until the morning to make a decision. When a weather-related decision is being made it is done with consultation with WB DPW, WB school maintenance staff, and WB Safety (police and/or fire) It is always our goal to have students and staff in school as long as it is safe. Please remember that if at any time you as the parent/guardian do not feel it is safe to send your child to school you can keep them home for the day. The safety of all our students and staff is always a priority for us. Any questions or concerns please reach out to Mr. Bodwell

The WB Unified Basketball team started their season this week with an amazing game vs. Pembroke. All of the student-athletes competed hard and had a great time. So proud of our WB players and coaches as well as all those from Pembroke. Looking forward to their next game on Monday. Come out and support them!

The World Language Department in conjunction with the Global Citizens Club, Model UN, and World Language Honor Societies are happy to announce that The World Culture Night is returning to WBMSHS this year. On Thursday, March 16th beginning at 5:30 pm, we will host this incredible community event filled with lots of food, music and entertainment. Students and families from the community will set up tables in our cafeteria, each representing a different country of their choosing. On each table, students or families will create a dish to serve as the community eats around the world! During this event, there will be several cultural workshops to participate in as well, such as African drumming, Chinese lettering, and Zumba to Brazilian music. If you and your family are interested in representing your culture with a table, we would love to have you! Please reach out to Sarah Oliveira at soliveira@wbridgewater.com . Cost of attendance is $5 per person with a $25 family cap. Come help us celebrate all of the great culture and heritage that our community has to offer!

Check out the link below for information on the Summer Surround Care Program

Summer Surround Care 2023

Registration is now open. Come join the fun!

Summer Surround Care will be available from June 26 through August 11 2023 at the Middle Senior High School. The program will run Monday through Thursday. Daily and weekly rates are available to best fit your schedule. Open to students who are entering grades 1-6.

Activities will include: Arts & Crafts, Indoor and Outdoor Free Play, Music, Games, Waterplay & Sports. We will take walking trips to local places such as Friendship Park and Town Park. Registration and more information at: 2023 Summer Surround Care Registration

We will once again be having an Academic Showcase at the MSHS this spring. This annual event is much anticipated and we have students and staff from all 4 schools showing off the great things that are going on in the WB schools. Date and time will be set soon!

Inclusion Matters' next webinar will be on Tuesday, March 14 from 6-7 p.m. via Zoom. Tiffany Goffer-Fitz of As I Am Learning will join us for Sexuality 101: How to Talk to Kids and Teens with Disabilities about Their Bodies, Healthy Relationships, and Safe Sex.

Tiffany will talk with parents, guardians, and caregivers about what they need to know to get the conversations started. Come learn how to start--and continue--conversations we need to have with our kids and teens with special needs about privacy, healthy bodies, healthy relationships, and sex.

Join via Zoom at https://bridgew.zoom.us/j/96663514586

More information is available on our event page at https://fb.me/e/4aNjKHnB2

We currently have openings in our Preschool program. Children must be 3 years of age to enroll:

• Tuesday/Thursday 9:00-11:30 am
• Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Friday 12:10-2:40

Please contact Mrs. Ellis at Spring Street School for more information!

mellis@wbridgewater.com or 508-894-1233

WB Athletic Update:

The WB Winter Sports season is winding down! Check out some updates from the week!

**The WB Boys basketball team lost to a tough Randolph team in the MIAA Round of 16 this week. Congrats to team on a great season and we wish the seniors the best of luck!

**The WEB Boys Ice Hockey season came to an end as they fell short against Abington with a 6-1 final. Congrats to the team on a great season and we wish all of the seniors best of luck!

**The WB varsity girls basketball team lost to Case last week in the MIAA Round of 32 to finish the season 10-11. Great season girls! Good luck to our seniors!

**Winter track girls were represented at the MIAA New Englands meet this Saturday in Boston at the Reggie Lewis Center By Aly Bassett and Ella Dunbury. These accomplished girls worked hard all year and season to earn themselves a spot there. Aly finished 10th in all of New England in the girls 55M hurdles, and Ella finished 19th in all of New England in the girls 2 mile. Congrats to both girls for these big accomplishments, and be sure to come out and watch them both in Spring Track!

**Good Luck to Lasadia Gurley, Hannah Smith, Ava Xyavong and Aly Bassett as they compete in the 4 X 55M Hurdle relay at the Indoor Track Nationals Meet @ the New Balance Track in Boston around 12:30 PM on March 11th!

***Please Mark your calendars for March 13 and let’s fill the gym for our first HOME Middle School Unified Basketball game of the season! They will face Pembroke at 3:30PM.

**It is National Athletic Training Month! A HUGE "THANK YOU" to our Athletic Trainer, Audra Roberts, for all she does for our student athletes. We are truly fortunate to have such a caring and dedicated Athletic Trainer. Audra, YOU ROCK!!

Check out more WBMSHS Athletic Info!

**WBMSHS Spring Sports are right around the corner! Sign up now! Please make sure your Athletic Fee is paid or you will NOT be able to participate in spring sports until this is taken care of. If you have any questions about the athletic fee payment or if you have a financial difficulty please contact me at jhammel@wbridgewater.com

Link to sign up for Spring Sports:

https://www.familyid.com/west-bridgewater-middle-senior-hs-activities-and-fees/west-bridgewater-2022-2023-west-bridgewater-athletics-registration

**You can find the athletic schedule on the Arbiter Live Website: https://arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=25160

Make sure to follow along on Twitter for all your athletic updates

WBMSHS Athletics (@WBMSHSAthletics) / Twitter

PCC is a program that is held over the summer at Stonehill College. Please click below to read information about this great opportunity for students. If you have any questions please contact the MSHS Guidance Office.

The next meeting is on Friday, March 17th at 9:15 am. The location is TBA (most likely Rose L MacDonald or Spring Street School). We hope to see you there!

March 6-10 is National School Breakfast Week- WB serves free breakfast at all schools either before the bell or midmorning at "snack" to prepare students for a successful day of learning. So far this school year, we have served almost 96,000 breakfasts to WB students!

Universal free school meals have helped support students and families the past two years. On average, 56,665 more Massachusetts children participated daily in school lunch in October 2022 compared to October 2019. Not having to pay for school meals could save families up to $1,200 per student per year (source: Project Bread). Legislation is being proposed in MA to make universal school meals permanent.

Adding funds to a student's lunch account. While breakfast and lunch continue to be offered at no cost, extra a la carte items such as bottled water, freshly baked cookies, ice cream and milk for students that bring lunch from home are offered for sale in the cafeteria. Students must have money on their lunch account to purchase any extra items. Cash and checks are accepted and electronic payments can be made through MySchoolBucks. You will need your child's 10-digit SASID# to register for a MySchoolBucks account.

Click on WB Food Services to find February's menus.

Food Assistance- Project Bread Food Source Hotline , West Bridgewater Food Pantry.

SUBSTITUTES needed! Interested individuals should contact Ann Marie Grinder, Food Service Director at agrinder@wbridgewater.com or (508)894-1220.

The Athletic Department wanted to share links to our Spring Sports Apparel Stores!

Softball

https://wbsoftball2023.itemorder.com/

Baseball

https://wbbaseball2023.itemorder.com/

Track

https://wbtrackspring23.itemorder.com/

Tennis

https://wbtennis2023.itemorder.com/

March 2023

The objective of the Policy Subcommittee is to regularly review policies of the West Bridgewater School Committee to determine if they are current, consider the interests of stakeholders, and are in line with guidance from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. At the most recent school committee meeting on March 6, 2023, the following policies were reviewed and revised as indicated:

• DA - Fiscal Management Goals

• DEC - Federal Funds Supplement Not Supplant Policy (Adopted)

• DKC - Expense Reimbursements

• GBEA - Staff Ethics / Conflict Of Interest

• GBEBC - Gifts To And Solicitations By Staff

• GBEBD - Online Fundraising And Solicitations - Crowdfunding

• KCD - Public Gifts to the Schools

Additionally, the following policies were opened and are scheduled for review at the next school committee meeting on April 10, 2023:

• DDA - Funding Proposals and Applications

• DID - Annual Inventory

• KHA - Public Solicitations in the Schools

• GBA - Equal Employment Opportunity

• GBEB - Staff Conduct

• GBEG - Workplace Weapons

• GBGE - Domestic Violence Leave Policy

• GBGF - Family and Medical Leave

• GBI - Staff Participation in Political Activities

• GBJ - Personnel Records

• GBK - Staff Complaints and Grievances

For any questions or to provide feedback, please contact the policy subcommittee at kmilton@wbridgewater.com and rdragonetti@wbridgewater.com. A complete listing of policies can be found in the WB Policy Index at https://www.wbridgewaterschools.org/page/school-committee.

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION - Please scan your shopping receipts! Every little bit helps our school! The program transitioned to a new digital format. You can now scan your shopping receipts from any store (like Market Basket, Trucchi’s, Target, Walmart, CVS, etc.) to earn money for our school. Download the app today or send your receipts to school. We are happy to scan them for you!

District-Wide

• Half Day - April 5th

• No School - April 7th - Good Friday

District Meetings

• Superintendent Coffee Hour - March 17th

• PTO Meeting - April 5th at 7:00 PM in the RLM Cafe

• Athletic Boosters - March 15th at 7:00 PM in the MSHS Learning Commons

• Music Boosters - March 20th at 6:00 PM in the MSHS Band Room

Spring Street School

• March 21st - Kindergarten field trip to Zeiterion Theater

• March 27th - Scholastic Book Fair

Rose L MacDonald

• March 9th - Magic of Books program for grades 1-3

• March 30st - 31st Scholastic Book Fair

Howard

• March 29th - Scholastic Book fair

• March 30th - Principal Coffee Hour at 8:30 AM

• March 31st - Albert Einstein Program for Grade 5

• April 4th & 6th - Grade 6 MCAS ELA

• April 10 - Grade 5 MCAS ELA

Middle/Senior High School

• March 9th & 10th - MS Spirit Week

• March 6th -March 10th - HS Spirit Week

• March 10th - Mr. WB 2023 7:00 PM in the Auditorium

• March 13th - Europe Trip Parent Meeting in the Auditorium at 5:45 PM

• March 16th - World Culture Night in the Cafe at 4:00 PM

• March 31st - MS is going to Franklin Park Zoo

• March 31st - Captains Breakfast

• March 31st & April 1st - Spring Musical

• April 6th - Unified BB game at 4:45 PM

Check out the latest newsletters from each of the schools in the district. Every 2 weeks they are also sending out newsletters. These are filled with great information!!

If you are interested or know someone interested in being a substitute teacher please click on the link below. If you are not sure and have any questions please feel free to reach out to the building principal and ask them any questions you may have about the position.

Mark Bodwell, Superintendent of Schools

Email: mbodwell@wbridgewater.com
Website: www.wbridgewaterschools.org
Location: 2 Spring Street, West Bridgewater, MA, USA
Phone: (508) 894-1230
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wbridgewaterschools
Twitter: @WBPSwildcats