This is a very busy time of year for everyone. We hope that you can take some time to do the things that make you happy. We want to thank our students and staff in the West Bridgewater schools who continue to do an outstanding job in and out of the classrooms. As we approach our Holiday Break we hope you all have a wonderful, safe and enjoyable holiday season.

Here is an update on where we stand in the MSBA process for our elementary school building project.

On Wednesday, December 13th Superintendent Mark Bodwell and School Building Committee Chair Gary Keith attended (virtually) the MSBA Board of Directors Meeting. Last year on December 21, 2022, at the Board of Directors meeting West Bridgewater was invited into the MSBA's Eligibility Period along with 9 other cities/towns. Over the past year, we have provided the MSBA with all of the deliverables that they requested culminating with the local vote authorization at the Special Town Meeting in October. The Eligibility Period concluded on November 27, 2023.

At the Board of Directors meeting this week West Bridgewater was unanimously approved to collaborate with the MSBA in conducting the Feasibility Study. West Bridgewater was the only community voted to move into Feasibility at the meeting today. Other communities will be voted on at subsequent meetings. Thank you to all those who helped move us quickly and efficiently through the Eligibility process.

Our next steps include posting and hiring an Owners Project Manager (OPM) and a Designer. Our School Building Committee (SBC) will work closely with the OPM and Designer as we go through the Feasibility Phase. We will have a full SBC meeting as well as a Selection Subcommittee meeting in January.

As always if you have any questions please reach out mbodwell@wbridgewater.com .

As was announced earlier this year, the School Department was awarded $92,000 in a grant this past June for security enhancements in our schools. Work has been underway the last few weeks to install security cameras at the Howard School, Rose L MacDonald School and the Spring Street School. Cameras were added in the buildings and outside the buildings. In addition, new door Intercom systems will be installed at Spring Street School and Rose L. MacDonald School.

We are very excited to have this project near completion. Our goal is to keep all of our West Bridgewater Students and Staff safe at all times when in school, and we feel these cameras will provide a safer school environment for all.

The next Morning Meeting (formerly known as Coffee Hour) with Mr. Bodwell will be at 9:15 am at the Spring Street School on Friday, December 22nd. All are invited to attend and we hope to see you there!!

Preschool continued their science and engineering explorations this month by helping Problem Panda build a habitat for his friend Sally Squirrel. After learning all about what squirrels need in their habitats, they set to work building one. Once the habitats were finished, our preschoolers made a model of the habitat (drawing) which they delivered to various offices in the building. Once they delivered their models, they were given Sally Squirrel who then joined them in their classroom and played in her new habitats.

Preschoolers also used their science and art skills this month to create gifts for their families for Thanksgiving. They explored what happens when you combine substances and talked about it using their 5 senses. After combining applesauce, cinnamon, and liquid glue they discovered you can make a dough. This dough as well as other craft materials were used to make a turkey. Making the turkey required the use of their fine motor skills, counting skills, and direction following skills. Their turkeys looked (and smelled) great!

Students in Mrs. Brogna's Anatomy and Physiology courses traveled to Boston to experience Body Worlds-The Anatomy of Happiness. This exhibit displays real human remains and is a fusion of art and science, depicting health, injury, repair and disease at many stages of the life cycle. While focused on the awe of the anatomical form, students were able to ponder happiness and choices pertaining to health and wellness. What an amazing experience!

Congratulations to Anthony DiMaggio who tied for first place for the middle school VFW Patriot Pen Essay Contest and Mckenzie Craig who won third place in the Voice of Democracy Contest. This is a great social studies department collaboration with the local VFW which allows students to write and share essays showing patriotism and the understanding of our country’s freedoms and government. We are very proud of Anthony and Mckenzie! Thank you to our Social Studies Department for their work in promoting this with our students.

Congratulations to the cast and crew of the WB Drama Club. They did an outstanding job performing Matilda Jr. this weekend. Great show and lots of fun! Thank you to Ms. Kendall for all of her hard work and dedication!

Check out the WB Principal Newsletters posted on December 1st

• MSHS https://www.smore.com/mpf6z9
• Howard School https://www.smore.com/t7dqw
• Rose L MacDonald School https://www.smore.com/cexn4
• Spring Street School https://www.smore.com/3h9zp

We are always looking for qualified persons to fill substitute teaching positions. If you are interested, please visit https://www.wbridgewaterschools.org/page/substitute-teaching for more information or contact one of the building principals for more information.

Two former students, Olivia Church (WBPD) and Conor Duffy (WBFD), who are know our now West Bridgewater First Responders came to Mrs. Pankowski's LIfe 101 class to discuss their high school and college careers in sports along with their career paths. Thank you for coming back and talking to our students and thank you for your service to our community!

In partnership with the West Bridgewater Fire Department, West Bridgewater Public Schools and the West Bridgewater PTO, we are having a Toy Drive to gather toys and gift cards for local West Bridgewater families in need. (The ages of the children range from 5 to 17.) Last year, we assisted approximately 50 West Bridgewater families.

If you would like to donate, please drop an unwrapped toy or gift card to the police or fire station lobby. Or if you have a school-aged child, please have them bring the item to their school. There will be collection bins at each location. If you schedule a Santa visit in December through the West Bridgewater Police Department, please consider donating an item for Santa to bring back to the police department that night.

Any questions, please contact our School Resource Officer, Officer Pope at tpope@wbpd.com or 508-586-2525 ext 5119.

Please see the attached application for the FBI's Youth Leadership Program. Thank you to SRO Pope for providing this information. https://www.fbinaa.org/membership/youth-leadership-program/

The northeast sends one student to attend the national program at Quantico. For the last 5 years, the Northeast NAAA has offered a regional program at Dean College (Franklin, MA). Those not selected for the national program may be selected to attend the regional program, which is offered for one week in the summer(2024 dates TBD) and free of charge to students.

Massachusetts Department of Education has partnered with the nonprofit uAspire to provide free support to students and school staff to help seniors complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

For Students: uAspire will offer a FAFSA webinar for students three times: 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 3; 5:00-6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 30; and 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27. Registration is open online. In addition, FAQs are available in English and Spanish, and more resources are posted on uAspire.org/resources, uaspire.org/Checklist, and uaspire.org/FSAID.

Congratulations to Joan Eldridge on 25 years of service! After 25 years of cooking delicious and nutritious meals for the students of WB, Joan is retiring from the MSHS on 12/22 to start new adventures with her family, especially her grandchildren! We are so grateful for all her hard work and the kindness she has shown to her co-workers and the students. We'll miss you Joan!

Universal free school meals - Both Breakfast and Lunch are Free! We hope your student dines with us! Click on WB Food Services to find Monthly menus. Locally grown fruits and veggies are still being served each week.

The holidays can be a stressful time for families struggling to make ends meet.

Food Assistance- Project Bread Food Source Hotline and The West Bridgewater Food Pantry located at 457 Rear, South Main Street in WB, distributes to residents the first and third Wednesday of every month.

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.

Our seniors enjoyed stepping out of their comfort zone at Tree Top Adventure Park where they climbed, balanced on tight ropes, controlled obstacles like rolling logs and zip lined through the trees. It was a fun filled brisk day and all seemed to enjoy their accomplishments and hanging out with their friends.

Mr. Bodwell enjoyed being at the Middle/Senior High School on November 1st and 2nd and at the Rose L MacDonald School on November 28th and 29th. He is scheduled to be at the Howard School on January 11th and 12th. Being in the schools for two consecutive days from arrival to dismissal has been an educational and amazing experience. There is so much going on in each of the schools and it is a true pleasure to be with the students and staff for the entire 2 days. The students and staff have been great and Mr. Bodwell has really enjoyed living and working out of the buildings. There are so many great things going on every day in the schools. He hopes to continue this practice in the future as he finds it very beneficial and important.

As the weather is now beginning to get colder and we get into the winter season I wanted to be proactive and share some reminders with you. (This information has been previously shared in a district wide email)

• In considering delays or cancellations I am in constant contact with many people/organizations to get updates on conditions in town and around the schools including but not limited to: WB DPW, WB Fire Department, WB Police, school maintenance, weather service organizations, Lucini Bus Company, and local area Superintendents. These communications usually start the evening before and continue into the early morning hours.

• The West Bridgewater DPW does an outstanding job clearing and treating the roads in town and the school parking lots. Our school custodial and maintenance staff do an outstanding job clearing the school sidewalks and other areas around the schools. Thank you for your continued support and efforts!

• I will decide on a cancellation/delay when I feel I have sufficient information to do so. Sometimes this may be the night before but often it will not be until early in the morning. I do understand and appreciate that people like to know the night before but if I am uncertain I will wait to make a decision.

• When a decision is made students, staff, and families will be notified in a variety of ways. These include an email, phone calls, posting on the district website, social media, and news stations. A reminder that it is important that if there is a change in your email and/or phone number families communicate this with the office at the child's school.

• We may be able to have school but the conditions indicate we need a delay to the start of the school day. If there is a delay there will be no Surround Care. We will have either a 1 or 2-hour delay. This means that school will begin 1 or 2 hours after the regularly scheduled start time.

• If there is a delayed opening, Preschool will run as follows for the morning sessions: One hour delay: No Morning Prek, extended day (Mrs. Mattos' class) will run 10 a.m.-1 p.m. PM Prek will arrive at their usual time. Two-hour delay: No Morning Prek, extended day (Mrs. Mattos' class) will run 11 a.m.-1 p.m. PM Prek will arrive at their usual time

• At this time the state does not allow "work-from-home days" So if we do need to cancel school that will extend the school year.

• If there is any change due to weather (cancellation or delay) we ask that families have contingency plans for their child. It is our goal to be in school as long as it is safe. If as a parent you do not feel it is safe to send your child to school you may decide to keep them home.

I know and understand that not all will agree with the decisions that are made. Please know that when I make a decision it is my best judgement using all of the information I have available.

If you are able, please support a Sock Drive organized by Matthew Navin to help the homeless and those less fortunate. There is a sock drop in the MSHS lobby. Thank you in advance! @WBPSwildcats

As the holiday season approaches we are seeing an increase in influenza and other respiratory illnesses. Please consider the following tips:
Prevention:

• Good hand washing. Good hand washing. Good hand washing! Wash your hands often with soap and water. If not available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching and wash hands after contact with objects that are used by other people such as railings, door knobs, keyboards, etc.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
• Avoid contact with individuals who are ill.
• Vaccination is an option.

Symptoms:

• Fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue.
• Some may have respiratory symptoms without a fever.
• Some may have vomiting and diarrhea as well.

If you become sick:

• WASH YOUR HANDS
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
• Throw tissue into the trash immediately after using.
• If unavailable, cough or sneeze into crook of arm.
• Avoid contact with others in order to limit the spread of the infection.
• Drink plenty of fluids, eat nourishing foods as tolerated and get rest.
• Stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the help of fever reducing medicine.

Our School Nurses:

• MSHS/LEAD NURSE

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

• HOWARD SCHOOL

• Peggy Linskey 508-894-1250 x3115 or mlinskey@wbridgewater.com

• ROSE L. MACDONALD SCHOOL

• Lynn Moniz 508-894-1240 x4102 or lmoniz@wbridgewater.com

• SPRING STREET SCHOOL

• Sara Mando 508-894-1230 x2122 or smando@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

Inclusion Matters partners with families with children with special needs, including children with IEPs and 504 Plans.

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Inclusion Matters was begun by a group of parents in response to the school district's need for a SEPAC. As an official 501(c)3, Inclusion Matters now offers workshops for caregivers and families, IEP and 504 consulting, an annual conference (on hold due to the pandemic), and family events for families with and without special needs in communities across the South Shore of Massachusetts.

Congratulations to the Howard School Band and MSHS Band and Chorus for their performances at the Winter Concert. Thank you to band director Mr. LeMarier and choral director Ms. Kendall. A fun night was had by all!

Ed McMenimon proudly represented West Bridgewater at SEMMEA District Auditions for the band (11/18)

Happy Holidays from the Surround Care staff!

Just a reminder that Friday, December 22 is a half day of school. Surround Care will not have afternoon care available on this day. Morning Surround Care will still be available at the 3 elementary schools.

The winter sports season is here and off to a fast start for our WB Wildcat Athletes and coaches! Check out the scores, highlights and posts below! As always make sure to check out our coaches Twitter as well as @WBMSHSAthletics for updates on the schedule and highlights from games and matches.

Indoor Track and Field: WB Wildcats grades 7-10 completed in our first ever winter track meet in the South Coast Conference league at Greater New Bedford Voc Tech, the "freshman/sophomore scramble". The team had some very strong performances with stand outs from seventh graders Alana Fidalgo (first place in hurdles), and Emma Pope (first place in 1000m). Scarlette Marquez (8th grade) threw for a huge PR in the shot put with a throw of 25'8". Cole Seckinger (9th grade) placed 3rd in Shot put overall. The girls 4 x 400' A team of Chloe Gauthier, Kate Austrino, Emma Pope and Alana Fidalgo placed 2nd overall. The Boys 4 x 400m team of Andrew Perry, Cam Frates, Sean Hancock and Ryan Nunes also placed 2d overall. Girls had 2 brand new high jumpers, Mia Gunnison (8th) and Lauren Wallis (8th), clear 3'10, and 3'8. Sean Hancock (10) won high jump with an impressive jump of 5'6. Andrew Perry (9th) won his heat of the 1000M. Alex Noonan (9th) placed 3rd in the 1 mile.

Gymnastics: The BR/WB gymnastics team has been working hard and preparing for their season opener on January 8th against Brockton at the Spectrum Gymnastics Academy with an 8:00 PM start. We wish them good luck in their up and coming season!!

Boys Basketball: The Boys Basketball team picked up a great win on the road at Holbrook.. The Wildcats played tough defense and hit the boards hard to secure an 83 to 76 victory. Hayden Razza, Armani Lloret, and Jag Garces played tenacious defense forcing many turnovers. Thomas Stapleton finished strong and shot the ball well from the outside hitting a three-pointer in each of the four quarters. Luke Destrampe and Aiden Maher played great defense with lots of energy. Noah Schneeweis, Ben Stapleton and Collin Baker had some nice drives to the hoop and distributed the ball well. It was a great team victory.

The Boys JV Basketball team picked up their first win of the season at Holbrook 60-27. Sam Popotte, Tommy Polidori, Ben Legrice, JJ Maclean and Quincy Huggins played tough defense creating a ton of steals for the Wildcats. Lamar Valentina, Cedrick Bien-Aime, Henry St. Risme, and Tyler Bullock were all over the glass, securing key rebounds. Charlie Mallett, Colin O’Neil, Hutch Curran and Colin Maher moved the ball well and set their teammates up for big buckets.

Frosh boys have been working hard for 2 weeks in preparation for our season opener v cross town rival EB. With a very talented group that shows up each & every day & puts in the work, we arrived ready to compete. With good sportsmanship & feisty defense, we

started strong & finished w class.Great first win for our squad. Looking forward to some of our own ESPN highlights this winter!

The Boys Middle School basketball started their season off with a victory over Beckwith Middle School of Rehoboth. It was a team victory that saw 12 boys score and all played well! Their next game will be on Wednesday, 12/20 starting at 5:30PM. Come on out and check out the game!

Varsity Cheer: Varsity Cheer is off to a great start for the winter season, we have 12 athletes on the squad who are ready to work hard. We had tryouts the first week of the season and I would like to say a big thank you to all the athletes who tried out. The squad has been practicing everyday working on more difficult stunts, tumbling and working hard perfecting their new halftime routine which they will be performing at the second home game the end of December. We will hopefully be competing at the end of February.

Girls Basketball: WB Varsity Girls Basketball kicked off their season at East Bridgewater. Great effort by the team! Ashley McAdam had 10 points, and Kayla DaSilva added 7 points of her own to lead the Wildcats scoring efforts. The team’s next home game is on Thursday, 12/21 vs Canton with a 4:30PM start. Come on out and support our Wildcats!

The JV Girls basketball team has been working hard preparing for their season! Lots of great energy. Tough loss at EB but they battle hard! They will travel to Seekonk to take on the Warriors on 12/19. Good Luck!!

The Middle School Girls team had their first game of the season playing Beckwith Middle School at West Bridgewater. Great effort and attitude from the team in a tough game. The team looks to bounce back with their next game on 12/18 at Randolph. Great work so far this season!

Girls Ice Hockey: The WEB team played back to back games winning one and losing one. The team kicked off the season with a 6-1 loss to a talented Pembroke team. The lone goal was scored by Abby Gropman with assists from Riley Bain and Kate Carabin. The team came right back the following night and beat Stoughton 6-0. The team had goals scored by Keira Sweeney, Kate Carabin, Abby Gropman, Emma Russo, Mackenzie Whitman and Lauren McPherson. The following players notched assists in the game as well. Grace Ogilvie with two, Keira Sweeney, and Raechel Spooner. Kourtney Spooner had her first Varsity shutout. The team also took part in the East Bridgewater Christmas Parade!

Boy’s Ice Hockey: The WEB Boys Hockey Team won their Home Opener by a score of 6-4 over Rockland. 2 Goals each by Tyler Henderson and Daniel Vaughn. Kyle Greeley and Christian Bates rounded out the scoring. Assists came from Jack Pimental and Kyle Greeley with 2 each, Tyler Henderson, Christian Bates, Aiden Baldner, and Evan Brew with 1 each. The team also took part in the East Bridgewater Christmas Parade!

Other Athletic News:

SCC Leadership Conference: The SCC hosted a Leadership Conference for athletes. This was an opportunity for athletes to get together in a setting outside the lines that would allow them to learn about what it meant to be a leader and how to show those traits on the playing field. These athletes are entrusted to bring those lessons that they learned back to share with other athletes from their schools! West Bridgewater was represented by Samara David, Colin Baker, Thomas Stapleton, James Sheedy, Mia Harrington, Neala Boyd, Ava Matta, Cassidy Perrault and Noah Schneeweis.

MIAA Leadership Conference: Abby Matta, Reese Bunker and James Harris attended the Becoming a Student of Leadership conference put together by the MIAA. This conference was set up for students who aspire to take on the responsibility of leadership within their teams, school and community. The goal is to give them formal training in order to make their leadership roles both meaningful and effective. Within the workshop our students were able to take part in forums where they received customized and intensive training that introduced and reinforced leadership and life skills.

Ms. Hammel is selling a sports student pass on Go Fan. Pass costs $50 for the year and will get you into all basketball season home games. You will need your SASID # to purchase the pass. Ms. Hammel will be sending more information.

**WB-CAM: A big thank you to the WB-CAM for live streaming our athletic events! They do an amazing job! Please follow them on Twitter to find out which athletic events are being live streamed. Let's Go Wildcats! Twitter: @WBCAM0998

**Game schedule: Please check out the WB game schedule on Arbiter Live! Link is below.

https://arbiterlive.com/Teams?entityId=25160

Avoid waiting in line! Please check out our online ticketing through Go Fan!

https://gofan.co/app/school/MA14770

We would like to take this opportunity to give a full list of Fall Awards winners. Congratulations to all of our athletes who have been recognized for their stellar performance during the Fall.

Brockton Enterprise/Patriot Ledger All Scholastics:

First Team

James Harris Football

Rachel Geniuch Soccer

Ella Dunbury Cross Country

Second Team

Christian Packard Football

Dylan Spadea Soccer

Kylie Fuller Soccer

Janella Jacobs Volleyball

Ava Harkins Volleyball

Honorable Mention

Ty Holmes Football

George Baroud Soccer

Aiden Delehoy Golf

Abby Matta Field Hockey

Boston Herald All Scholastics:

Ella Dunbury Cross Country
James Harris Football
Rachael Geniuch Soccer

SCC Team Sportsmanship Award
Boys Soccer
Golf
Boys Cross Country
Field Hockey
Volleyball

SCC MVP

Rachel Genuich Soccer

Ella Dunbury Cross Country

SCC All Star

Ella Dunbury Cross Country

Rachel Genuich Soccer

Kylie Fuller Soccer
Kerri Gomes Soccer

Alex Kelley Cross Country

Ryan Geniuch Cross Country

Abby Matta Field Hockey

SCC Honorable Mention

Dylan Spadea Soccer

Noah Schneeweis Soccer

Mya Hebert Soccer

Samara David Soccer

Ava Harkins Volleyball

Brooke Robichaud Volleyball
Aiden Delehoy Golf

Kenly Laime Cross Country

Viviana Morales-Wakin Cross Country

Emma Pope Cross Country

Allie Edgerley Field Hockey

SCC Individual Sportsmanship Award

James Sheedy Soccer

Samara David Soccer

Janella Jacobs Volleyball

Aidan Maher Golf

Kenly Laime Cross Country

Ella Dunbury Cross Country

Alexis Perez Field Hockey

December 4, 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 December 4, 2023, the following policies were reviewed and revised as indicated:

• FA - Facilities Development Goals

• FCB - Retirement Of Facilities

• FF - Naming New Facilities

• FFA - Memorials

• JEB - Entrance Age

• JF - School Admissions

• JFABC - Admission Of Transfer Students

• JFABD - Homeless Students: Enrollment Rights And Services

• JFABE - Educational Opportunities For Military Children

• JFABF - Educational Opportunities For Children In Foster Care

• JFBB - School Choice

Additionally, the following policies were opened and are scheduled for review at the next school committee meeting on January 8, 2024:

• ADF - School District Wellness Program

• JBB - Educational Equity

• JC - Attendance Areas

• JCA - Assignment Of Students To Schools

• JH - Student Absences And Excuses

• JHD - Exclusions And Exemptions From School Attendance

• JI - Student Rights And Responsibilities

• JIE - Pregnant Students

• JII - Student Complaints And Grievances

• JJ- Co-Curricular And Extracurricular Activities

• JJIB - Interscholastic Athletics

• JJIF - Athletic Concussion Policy

• JJIF-R - Athletic Concussion Regulations

• JK - Student Conduct

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 under the School Committee tab.

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!

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

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