West Bridgewater Wildcat PRIDE

WB Students, Staff, and Families,

It is so great to welcome our students, staff, and families back as we begin the 2026–2027 school year. There is always a sense of excitement and anticipation as we begin a new school year, and we are looking forward to all that this year will bring.

So much work takes place behind the scenes to prepare our schools for the return of our students. We want to extend a sincere thank you to our maintenance and custodial staff for all of their hard work throughout the summer to make sure our schools were clean, safe, and ready for the new year. We also appreciate the many staff members who worked throughout the summer with our Extended School Year (ESY) program and other summer programs and activities.

As we begin a new school year, we are reminded that it is a fresh start and a new opportunity for everyone. It is an opportunity to set new goals, build new relationships, try new things, learn from challenges, and continue to grow. We encourage all of our students, staff, and families to embrace the opportunities that come with a new year and to approach each day with the spirit of Wildcat PRIDE.

Our goal is for every student to have a successful, rewarding, and enjoyable school year. We know that challenges and questions will arise along the way, and we want you to know that you are not alone. If you have a question or are experiencing a difficulty, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or another member of our school team. We are here to support our students and families and to work together to make this a great school year for everyone.

Here’s to a wonderful 2026–2027 school year!

Mark Bodwell
Superintendent

A reminder that starting in October the Principals school building newsletters will come out the first Friday of the month and the district newsletters the 3rd Friday of the month.

Here are the September Building newsletters:

MSHS https://app.smore.com/n/hnyv9

Howard School https://app.smore.com/n/0b8u9

Rose L MacDonald School https://app.smore.com/n/tnfb8

Spring Street School https://app.smore.com/n/zsjnp

At the May 11, 2026 Town Meeting, the FY27 school budget was approved by the Town. The budget had previously received unanimous recommendations from both the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee.

Thank you to Business Manager Kathy Grant, our Administrative Team, and the School Committee for their work throughout the budget process, and to the residents of West Bridgewater for their continued support of our schools. The FY27 school operating budget represents a 4.54% increase over FY26. The total operating budget is $22,493,868, with $19,454,393 approved at Town Meeting. The remaining $3,039,475 comes from school-generated funds, including grants, Circuit Breaker, revolving accounts, and School Choice.

Capital Budget Update

In addition to the operating budget, all three of the School Department's FY27 Capital Budget requests were approved at Town Meeting. The district has developed a five-year Capital Improvement Plan that is reviewed with the School Committee. Each year, potential projects are presented to the Town's Capital Budget Committee before moving through the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee and, ultimately, to Town Meeting for approval. Thank you to the Safe Schools Committee for supporting all three projects and, most importantly, thank you to the residents of West Bridgewater for investing in our schools.

Here is an update on the three projects:

1. Secure Entry/Sallyport Feasibility Study – Rose L. MacDonald School and Spring Street School

The Town approved a feasibility study to explore the potential construction of secure entry vestibules at the Rose L. MacDonald and Spring Street Schools. Secure entry vestibules are already in place at the Howard School and Middle/Senior High School.

Throughout the summer, school and town officials worked collaboratively with the design team to evaluate both schools, conduct site visits, and develop potential plans and cost estimates. School representatives included the Superintendent, Building Principals, Director of Building and Grounds, Business Manager, and Director of Curriculum and Instruction. Town representatives included the Town Administrator, Fire Chief, Police Chief, School Resource Officer, and Building Inspector.

The feasibility study was completed in August 2026. Information has been shared with the School Committee during open meetings and will now be shared with the Board of Selectmen and Finance Committee.

It is important to note that the feasibility study does not approve construction of the projects. Any future construction project would require additional review and ultimately approval by Town Meeting. Before any Town Meeting vote, the district and Town plan to provide the community with detailed information, informational sessions, and opportunities for site visits.

2. Intercom Systems – Rose L. MacDonald School and Spring Street School

The new intercom systems at both schools were completed in August 2026. These systems represent significant upgrades and provide a much more reliable way to communicate throughout the buildings.

The previous system at Rose L. MacDonald was original to the building, which opened in 1968. At Spring Street, the previous system relied primarily on the telephone system and did not allow communications to reach all areas of the building.

The new systems improve our ability to communicate with students and staff throughout both schools and are an important addition to our overall safety and security efforts. Now there are speakers in every space where there are students or staff including in all hallways which was not the case with the old systems.

3. Fire Alarm Panel – Howard School

The replacement of the fire alarm panel at the Howard School is currently underway and remains on schedule for completion in the fall of 2026.

Thank you again to the residents of West Bridgewater for supporting our FY27 school operating budget and capital projects. These investments allow us to maintain and improve our schools while continuing to provide safe, supportive, and effective learning environments for our students and staff.

School safety guidance in Massachusetts emphasizes the importance of controlling access to school buildings. A secure entry vestibule provides an additional layer of protection by allowing a visitor to enter a controlled area without immediately gaining access to the rest of the school. With a two-door system, visitors can enter the first set of doors but cannot proceed into the school until they have been identified and authorized by school personnel. This allows staff to better control who enters the building while maintaining a welcoming and accessible entrance for students, families, and visitors. Having these systems in place will tremendously reduce the number of people who gain entry into the school buildings each year.

There are currently secure entries at the Middle/Senior High School and the Howard School.

The goal is to provide an additional layer of security and controlled access, not to create a barrier between our schools and the families and community members we welcome into our buildings each day.

Students from the MSHS and Howard School walked over on 9-11 to the memorial at the WB Public Safety building. Thank you to all who have worked so diligently over the years to make this such a special and honored space in our community. A special thanks to Mr. Kovatis who was once there giving out American flags to the students. There was a very moving ceremony in the morning led by Fire Chief Thibeault.

Each month, Superintendent Bodwell will host parents and community members for an opportunity to meet with me and discuss what is happening in the WB schools. The meetings will be held in person at Spring Street School, with a virtual option available through Google Meet: meet.google.com/cex-vkbp-vvb

The first meeting of the school year will be held on Friday, September 18th, at 9:30 a.m. All visitors will need to check in at the main office. Topics will include back to school information, curriculum nights, and updates on the Secure Entry/Sallyport Feasibility Study at the RLM and SSS. There is always time for Q and A at the end of the meeting.

The October Coffee Hour is tentatively scheduled for Friday, October 23rd at 9:30 am at the Spring Street School.

We wanted to share information that has also been posted on the West Bridgewater Police Departments Facebook page. We greatly appreciate the collaborative working relationship with have with the WBPD. It is our collective goal to keep kids safe. We need the assistance of the families to help enforce the rules to keep kids safe. Any questions you can reach out to WB School Resource Officer (SRO) Chris Packard at cpackard@police.westbridgewater.gov

Fire Drills - we have had a fire drill at each of the schools within the first 3 days of each school opening. Thank you to Fire Chief Thibeault and his department. They always do an outstanding job when responding to the schools.

Bus Evacuation Drills - we hold an annual training for all students. It has tentatively been scheduled for September 21st. Thank you to Lucini Bus Company and SRO Packard for their assistance.

Lock Down Drills - we will continue the practice of having these drills during the year. No date has been set. After the drill we share results with our administration team as well as our safe schools committee.

Beginning Friday, August 14, families had access to the MCAS Family Portal. This portal will have important information about your child's MCAS results from Spring of 2026 as well as previous years.

In order to login to the MCAS portal, you will need a unique, character code, which you will find in the Aspen Portal. Full instructions are available below

Please follow the established traffic procedures at each school. These procedures are in place to ensure the safety of all students, families, and staff entering and exiting our school properties. We ask that everyone follow these guidelines consistently. This includes MSHS families not using the Spring Street School parking lot for student drop-off or pick-up. When MSHS families use the SSS area for drop-off or pick-up, it creates an unsafe environment for our Spring Street School students and buses. Thank you for helping us keep all of our students safe.

We also ask that you do not use the Town Library parking lot for drop off or pick up. Their parking area is for their patrons who are visiting the library.

As we start this new school year, one of the district’s top priorities is understanding where students are starting academically so we can support their individual growth. To do this, students in grades K-8 participate in brief fall diagnostic assessments.

Unlike traditional tests that measure what a student has learned at the end of a unit or module, diagnostic assessments like STAR and DIBELS are screeners that are used at the start of the school year. They help us:

• Identify students’ strengths and areas for growth

• Guide classroom instruction

• Track growth over time - we repeat the screeners in the winter and spring

These assessments are not graded, and students do not need to “study”. The goal is to get a snapshot of what your child knows today. Teachers administer these tasks in low-pressure settings. Star is on a Chromebook; DIBELS is a quick one-to-one reading assessment. Our teaching teams use the results internally to inform instruction. We will share reports with families during fall parent-teacher conferences.

You can help your child at home by reminding them that these screeners are tools that help their teachers learn about them. Remind them to try their best. Emphasize that finding something challenging during the test is completely normal and helps us to know what to teach them next.

After our fall benchmarks, our team analyzes student performance data. Title l services may be offered as a supplemental assistance program if assessment data indicates your child may need additional reinforcement in foundational reading or math. If your child is noted as needing additional support, you will receive a Title l Permission Form. Please review, sign, and return the form as soon as possible so our Title l staff can begin providing these additional learning supports to your child. Title l services are designed to complement, not replace, daily classroom instruction.

Great News! Universal School Meals is permanent in Massachusetts. All students can choose to eat both breakfast (snack) and lunch at no cost to families!

Menus! Parents and students will soon be able to access menus and nutrition information online but while we wait for the launch of our exciting new electronic menu platform, menus are only available as PDF documents. Thank you for your patience! The Spring Street School menu is to the left and the other 3 schools are below. Click on them to expand and enlarge the images.

Eating Local! West Bridgewater is committed to expanding the amount of local food served to our students. We are partnering with C.N. Smith Farm, Vineyard Farm and Langwater Farm this year to purchase the freshest and healthiest fruit and veggies grown right in our community. All the lettuce served in the district is Little Leaf, grown in Devens, MA. We are looking for other local vendors for poultry meat and dairy. If you know a local producer that might be interested in working with the school, please have them contact me at agrinder@wbridgewater.com.

Adding money for a la carte items: While meals are free, students must have money on their accounts to buy extra items. Milk is available for students that bring meals from home for $.75 at all schools and Howard and the MSHS offer many healthy snacks and bottled water. 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.

Any questions or concerns, please contact Ann Marie Grinder, Food Service Director at (508)894-1220 or at agrinder@wbridgewater.com.

Our nursing staff is extremely committed to assisting students and families in achieving optimal health in both the school and home setting. We work closely with teachers and other staff members to ensure a healthy and safe educational environment for the students. Our nurses are very approachable and are great resources for both information and health related needs. We invite parents to call with any questions or concerns they may have.

At the beginning of each year our nurses are working diligently to update all health information. Please ensure that you provide all necessary documentation, forms and/or medication promptly so that your student is appropriately cared for!

OUR STAFF:

• MSHS/LEAD NURSE

• Julie Diedrichsen 508-894-1220 x1305 or jdiedrichsen@wbridgewater.com

• HOWARD SCHOOL

• Sara Mando 508-894-1250 x3115 or smando@wbridgewater.com

• ROSE L. MACDONALD SCHOOL

• Priscilla Dennis 508-894-1240 x4102 or pdennis@wbridgewater.com

• SPRING STREET SCHOOL

• Carissa Monize 508-894-1230 x2122 or cmonize@wbridgewater.com (currently on maternity leave)

• Interim Long Term Sub: Jesslyn Foster jfoster@wbridgewater.com

For more information about sick child guidelines, health related policies and state mandates, please visit the Health Services website at https://www.wbridgewaterschools.org/page/health-services

WBMSHS Athletics:

To access Hudl Livestream, Schedules, Go Fan Tickets, Sports Registration, Boosters or Gridiron information use the QR Code. Or go to the WB Athletics Website at the following link.: https://www.wbridgewaterschools.org/o/athletics

WB Athletics Apparel Store:

If you’d like to show your Wildcat pride, personalized West Bridgewater gear is available through our official Sideline Store.
WEST BRIDGEWATER, Massachusetts - Sideline Store

Our Wildcats are off to a great start this fall, and we are so proud of the way our student-athletes are representing West Bridgewater! Our Golf Team is setting the pace with an impressive 7–0 record and will face a tough Bourne team on September 16, so stay tuned for updates! Our Field Hockey Team is also off to a strong start at 3–0 and will travel to Fairhaven on Thursday, September 17. On the gridiron, our Football Team battled hard against the Falmouth Clippers, earning a 13–6 victory, and will travel to Dighton-Rehoboth on Friday, September 18. In the gym, our Volleyball Team is 2–1, with exciting victories over Norfolk Aggie and Seekonk, and will be on the road September 17 and 18 for matches against Greater New Bedford and Norton High School. Our Boys Soccer Team is battling hard with a 2–1 record and will finish the week with games against Greater New Bedford and Rockland, while our Girls Soccer Team is 1–1–1 and had an impressive comeback against Seekonk, scoring in the final minutes to earn a 2–2 tie. They will travel to Greater New Bedford to close out their week. On the trails, our Girls Cross Country Team opened the season with an impressive victory over Joseph Case, bringing their record to 1–0, while the Boys Cross Country Team is 2–0 after defeating both Joseph Case and Greater New Bedford this week. Both teams will travel to Somerset-Berkley next week. Finally, our Cheer Team continues to support our Wildcats at games while working hard and preparing for their competition in November. Way to go WB and we look forward to cheering them on throughout the season!

A recent graduate from the Class of 2026, Genesis Huezo, painted a Wildcat mural in the Blue Commons of the art wing. It looks amazing and it has completely transformed the entire space. A big thank you to Genesis for coming back over the summer to complete such a stunning and lasting artistic legacy for our community!

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