West Bridgewater Students, Staff and Families,

Last week we celebrated Staff Appreciation Week at all the schools in West Bridgewater. Thank you to ALL the staff in West Bridgewater who continue to do an outstanding job. We are so fortunate to have such a dedicated and hard-working group of educators working with our students. Thank you to the PTO and all who helped to recognize our staff this week! As Superintendent I consider myself so fortunate to work in a district with so many talented, focused and caring individuals who care about our kids!

The School Committee FY24 Budget was approved at the Town Meeting on May 8th. Thank you to all who reached out with questions or looked for more information.

Below is an email that was sent to all WB Families and Staff on May 9th:

Good morning WB Staff and Families,

I wanted to inform you that at last night's Town Meeting, the fully funded School Committee Budget was passed. We appreciate the town's support of the School Committee budget. This budget was a 7.78% ($1,186,586) increase over the FY23 budget. It should be noted that the state Chapter 70 funding for West Bridgewater increased this year by $1,203,723 which is a 22.6% increase. The state proposed amount of Chapter 70 for FY24 West Bridgewater is $6,518,384. The increase was determined by the state for a number of reasons including an increase in resident enrollment and an increase in our high-needs population. The Chapter 70 program is the major program of state aid to public elementary and secondary schools.

I would like to thank the Town Administrator for collaborating with me, the School Committee, and the Board of Selectman to work together to create a joint statement to support an amendment at the Town Meeting that would fully fund the School Committee FY24 budget. The School Committee unanimously supported the amendment as did a majority of the Board of Selectmen supported the amendment.

Moving forward it is our intent to work collaboratively with the Finance Committee, Board of Selectman, and Town Administrator as we work through the budgeting process to address the needs of the schools. We also want to make sure all staff and families are informed and we hope that if you have any questions or concerns you reach out to me or any of the School Committee members. Your presence is always welcome at School Committee meetings or at any of our budget meetings. We have posted all budget presentations and information such as the FY24 Budget Book (28 pages of information) on our website, in district newsletters, and on social media. We hope that you find this information helpful and informative.

Due to the fully funded budget being approved, we have rescinded all Reduction in Force (RIF) notices to staff.

As always it is our goal to provide our students with the best education possible. We appreciate your support!

Sincerely,

Mark Bodwell

Congratulations to our newly inducted members of NHS and our Class of 2023 members!

Once again it was amazing to see the 3rd grade students at the Rose L MacDonald School participating in the Wax Museum. Great job by everyone!!

WB Athletics:

Welcome Cats!

Weekly rundown for those of you who couldn’t make this week's games. V Boys baseball defeated Holbrook 13-3, next game away at Bishop Connolly, Thursday, 5/11 @ 3:30PM. JV Baseball picked up their second win over Old Colony this week, 18-8. They play again this Friday, 5/12 vs Diman at WB, 3:30PM. V Girls softball lost in a close game against Holbrook 6-5, Next game is f Thursday, 5/11 vs Bishop Connolly at WB, 3:30PM. The JV softball defeated Holbrook 18-0 and they head to Norton on Thursday, 5/11. Boys and girls track teams competed in the Mayflower Athletic Conference Championship on Tuesday, May 9th. Both teams placed 3rd overall. WB will host the MAC JV meet on Thursday 5/11. Our Boys tennis team defeated Westport 3-2 and the Girls tennis team lost to Westport 3-2. They both get back on the courts vs Norton on 5/11. The boys are at home while the girls are on the road. Stay tuned for some of next week’s results and remember-”Get out there and support your Cats!”

It was a great day at the Girls and Women in Sport Day at Faneuil Hall on Friday, April 28th! Thank you to Coach DeCastro, Coach Maloney, Abby Matta, Grace Polen and Allie Edgerly for attending!

WB Boosters Annual Golf Classic! Sign up now!

Monday, June 19th, 2023

West Bridgewater Country Club

Registration link: https://wbathleticboosters.square.site/

Mattress Fundraiser - The West Bridgewater Athletics Department's inaugural “Mattress Fundraiser” is coming up Saturday, May 20th at the MSHS from 10am - 4pm and we would really appreciate your support if you’re in the market for a new mattress to wait until then. There will be a FANTASTIC lineup of luxury pillows on the day of the sale as well. Cool gel sleeping pillows, and several essential oil-infused pillows like lavender, chamomile, and peppermint as well as premium sheets, Mattress Protectors, weighted blankets, convertible bean bag chairs, body massagers, Adjustable Power bases and frames are also available. So even if you don't need a brand new mattress right now - there are several other products for purchase and every purchase will help the kids!

Check out the most up to date Power Rankings for Spring Sports:

https://miaa.net/power-rankings/

*Check out spring sports 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

Good Luck to all of our Wildcats and stayed tuned for tournament information!

We are so excited that all of the elementary classrooms will be getting the Interactive Touchpanels next year. We are planning on having them installed in the classrooms over the summer. Please take a moment to look over the Interactive Touchpanel overview for more information. If you have any technical questions about the devices, please contact jcollins@wbridgewater.com

The next Coffee Hour with Mr. Bodwell will be June 2, 2023 at 9:15 am at the Spring Street School. All are invited to attend. This will be the last meeting of the school year.

The 1st annual Pledge Walk for Childhood Cancer held at the track at the Middle/Senior High School theyraised over $13,000! Great job by organizers Sarah and Nala! Check out the pictures in the link below.

The West Bridgewater River Walk will be held on Sunday, June 4, 2023 from 10:00am-2:00pm. We are looking for student volunteers who might like to earn community service hours, or just be a part of a fun community day. We need help running activities (games, crafts, bouncy house, music, raffle/silent auction), setting up/breaking down, and with other odds and ends jobs. Students can earn up to 6 hours for their time. If you are interested, please see Mrs. MacMillan in Guidance to sign up or find out more information.

Wildcat Pride Breakfast

The first annual Wildcat Pride Breakfast was held in April. Students were nominated by staff for showing their WILDCAT PRIDE through their positive actions. It was great to hear all the nice things our students do on a daily basis, often times when no one is looking!

Join us for our sixth annual STEAM Camp for one or two glorious weeks--

July 10-13 and/or July 24-27, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Open to rising first graders through sixth graders. Participate in creative painting and art projects, science experiments, team relays, math fun, clay, sewing, group challenges, theater improvisation, outdoor games and more! Spots are filling so sign up to secure your child's enrollment! Make some amazing memories this summer while realizing how fun learning can be!

STEAM Camp Summer 2023 Signups (google.com)

Friday May 5th was School Lunch Hero Day, a day to recognize the amazing individuals in our school cafeterias that work so hard and care so much. Since school started, WB Nutrition Staff have served over 130,000 breakfasts and 145,000 lunches to our students, supporting their growing bodies and minds!

Field trips- With Spring comes student field trips. Whether your student is in elementary school or in high school, the WB Food Nutrition staff can pack their lunch! Look for the links to google lunch order forms along with permission slips. These lunches are FREE!

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. Money left in a student's lunch account will roll over to the next school year.

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

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

30 hour/week position available for next school year! Interested individuals should contact Ann Marie Grinder, Food Service Director at agrinder@wbridgewater.com or (508)894-1220.

May 2023

The objective of the Policy Subcommittee is to regularly review the 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 May 1, 2023, the following policies were reviewed and revised as indicated:

• BDFA - School Councils

• BDFA-E-1 - School Improvement Plan

• BDFA-E-2 - Submission and Approval of the School Improvement Plan

• BDFA-E-3 - Conduct of School Council Business

• CHA - Development of Procedures

• CHC - Procedures Dissemination

• CHCA - Approval of Handbooks and Directives

• CLB - Administrative Reports

• KDB - Public’s Right to Know

• KHB - Advertising in Schools

Additionally, the following policies were opened and are scheduled for review at the next school committee meeting on June 5, 2023:

• BDE - Subcommittees Of The School Committee

• BDF - Advisory Committees To The School Committee

• BDG - School Attorney

• BEDG - Minutes

• BGD - School Committee Review Of Procedures

• JJF - Student Activity Accounts

• JIB - Student Involvement In Decision-Making

• JRA - Student Records

• JRD - Student Photographs

• JJE - Students Fund-Raising Activities

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.

Sponsored by Inclusion Matters

SAVE THE DATE - Monday, June 19th at West Bridgewater Country Club

Check out the link below to see the School Committee-approved calendar for next year 2023-2024

Students and staff from the MSHS had a great time in Europe over April Break. They traveled to Switzerland, Italy, France, Monaco and Spain!

On Wednesday, May 3rd we held our Academic, Technology, and Fine Arts Showcase. It was a great time and was wonderful to see our students and teachers from Kindergarten to grade 12, showcase all the amazing things happening in the West Bridgewater Public Schools. A big thank you to all the students and teachers who participated in the evening - great job!!

Join Inclusion Matters on Thursday, May 18 from 7 - 8 p.m. for our final webinar of the school year. Dr. Joanna Christodoulou, associate professor at Mass General Hospital, will help us learn more about dyslexia and how we can support kids with dyslexia at home and at school. Our webinars are free and open to the public; no registration required. To join, use this Zoom link: https://bridgew.zoom.us/j/99013142814

Are you a parent with a child with a 504 or IEP? Would you like to be involved in supporting disability awareness and special education in WB Schools? Come join the Inclusion Matters Board and provide leadership to future Inclusion Matters efforts! Learn more and join online at bit.ly/JoinIMBoard

Police Officer Dana Smith is offering more training for WB students and families. He recently did a free training for our MSHS students. Officer Smith owns his own dojo Budo Karate Academy for 30 years. and is a DARE officer in Plympton and has worked with WB students in the past. The target audience is students close to graduation (Juniors and Seniors) and parents. The tentative dates are June 9th and 16th (Fridays). These dates will be confirmed in the very near future.

• 6:30- -8:30 pm
• Training held at MSHS
• $60 per person for the 2 sessions
• Situational awareness and preparedness
• Hardening the target
• Expanding awareness through daily observation
• Understanding the approach and interview of the potential attacker
• Using the surroundings to one’s advantage
• Hands-on proven self-defense techniques
• Defensive posturing and body language
• Grabbing and restraint defenses
• Effective striking
• Explanation of less-than-lethal tools and the legal consequences of pepper spray/TASER/stun guns
• This is a basic overview and he will open the discussion to concerns and ideas

Please contact the MSHS office at 508-894-1220 if interested in signing up

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

Check out this unique fundraiser for WB Athletics. This is open to anyone from anywhere so if you need a new mattress come to the MSHS on May 20th to check it out!

Check out the latest newsletters from each of the schools in the district by going to their website. They are also sent via email to all families. 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. The pay is $100 for the day.

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