• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Wellesley Square
  • Deland, Gibson Insurance Athlete of the Week
  • Camp
  • Private schools, sponsored by Riverbend
  • Business index
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Kids
  • About us
  • Events
  • Natick Report
  • Seniors
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Live government meetings
  • Raiders sports schedules & results
  • Fire & police scanner
  • 2023 Town Election
 
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Help chart the course for Wellesley Public Schools (no pressure, though)

February 2, 2023 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

We just helped the Wellesley Public Schools chart a course for its future and you can, too, by taking part in the WPS Strategic Planning Survey. Access the survey here.

The  WPS Strategic Planning Survey will be open until Friday, Feb. 10, 5pm.

Wellesley High School
Wellesley High School

The Strategic Planning Survey is open to all those invested in the future of the Wellesley Public Schools including parents and guardians, teachers and staff, current 8-12 grade students, alumni, and Wellesley residents. It is available in five languages.

It takes about 15 minutes to complete multiple choice questions on about a dozen topics such as academics, communication, diversity, equity, school bus use, the MCAS test; extracurriculars, residents’ feelings on exploring the concept of adding universal preK to the Wellesley Public Schools, the importance of school rankings (such as those put forth by national news sources and ranking services), and more.

Most sections include room for respondents to elaborate on their bubble-filling choices with a few sentences.

The survey is part of the WPS Strategic Planning process that has been underway since fall 2022. The results from the survey will help guide the vision and direction for the district for the next five years.


Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Filed Under: Education, Embracing diversity, Kids

Advertisements:

Linden Square, Wellesley
 
EXPLO, Wellesley

Wellesley School Committee reviews $100k Diversity Audit; anti-bullying policy; and more

January 23, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

By contributing reporter Jennifer Bonniwell

The Wellesley School Committee discussed supporting a $100,000 diversity and equity audit sought by the town’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force, and reviewed changes to the district’s anti-bullying policy during its Tuesday, Jan. 17 meeting.

The School Committee also considered removing the district’s pre-employment requirement that all school employees submit proof of a physical examination. All three initiatives will be voted on during the Committee’s next meeting on Jan. 24.

$100k Diversity and Equity Audit

In the fully online meeting held on Zoom, DEI Task Force representatives presented an Anti-Bias and Anti-Racism Resolution to be presented to Town Meeting in April. The resolution includes a request for $100,000 for an equity audit to “help us undertake this work,” said Meghan Jop, executive director of the DEI task force. (See beginning at 20:00 of meeting video.)

The DEI Task Force has asked the Wellesley Select Board and School Committee to co-sponsor the Anti-Racism Resolution. (The Select Board already voted to support the Equity Audit during its Dec. 20,2022 meeting.)

The task force seeks to hire a third-party consultant to perform the audit. The audit is expected to include a review of town policies and procedures; an evaluation of services; identification of barriers to access; and an assessment of the community climate, said Amy Frigulietti, assistant executive director of the DEI Task Force. She expects the audit also will call for the use of focus groups and a community survey.

“The first stage will be to see where we are today and then see what actions we want to make to hopefully make Wellesley a more equitable community,” said Donna Stoddard, a member of the DEI task force audit subcommittee.

The task force struggled with whether to seek a targeted audit of racial equity only, or to expand the scope to “look at DEI from a broader perspective” that includes religion, sexual orientation and people who are differently abled. The task force ultimately opted for the broader scope to appeal to more town residents, Stoddard said.

School Committee member Melissa Martin said she agreed that the town’s diversity mission and focus of the audit should include “equity and inclusion in the broad sense of the word; making sure each person is able to be accepted and participate to the absolute best of their ability and desire.” 

School Committee student representative Armita Hamrah asked if students and teachers would be interviewed as part of the audit—something that was done in a recent diversity survey by the school district. 

Frigulietti emphasized that the audit was intended to build on the diversity work that has already been done. 

“Because Wellesley is so decentralized, there has been a lot of [diversity] work that has been done, we’ve just never pulled it together in one document,” Frigulietti said. 

The task force did not explain how the $100,000 price tag was determined. However, during its presentation, Stoddard said that Brookline’s Racial Equity Audit took eight to 10 months and cost $100,000; and Newton’s Equity Audit took six to seven months and cost $135,000. 

School Committee members seemed supportive of the audit. A later vote will reflect whether they will co-sponsor the Town Meeting article. 

Superintendent David Lussier voiced his support for the equity audit and said he hopes it will lead Town Meeting to adopt a broader mission statement relating to diversity. (See at about 48:00)

“It’s no secret that not everyone agrees with our focus on equity in Wellesley Public Schools. We have been in the trenches here for a number of years on this,” Lussier said. “My hope would be that the town could emerge from all of this with a clear sense of core values that could help guide this work going forward.”

Revisions to the anti-bullying policy

The School Committee continues to revise the district’s anti-bullying policy to match not only procedures implemented in Wellesley at the end of last academic year, but to match new state requirements. (See at about 55:00 in the meeting video.) 

The School Committee’s updated policy includes edits to the definitions of bullying and cyber-bullying and additional explanation as to when principals are required to alert parents about bullying. You can see the most recent changes to the policy online here.

Although no schedule was set for the next review, School Committee member Craig Mack reiterated that the committee remained committed to finishing the policy and voting to approve it. “We’re not trying to push it down the road. We want to make sure it will serve our students and our community well,” Mack said.

Pre-employment physicals for school staff

Continuing its review of district policies, the School Committee’s Policy Subcommittee recommended removing the requirement of pre-employment health examinations. Pre-employment health examinations are no longer common practice across school districts for school staff who do not have a high level of physical activity requirements, said committee member Monica Visco. The town still requires pre-employment physicals, however Visco said that wouldn’t conflict with district policy. And the school district could still require physicals for specific positions that require more activity, she said. (See discussion at about 52:01) 

The School Committee will vote on these issues at the Jan. 24 regularly scheduled meeting. 

Adding Westborough to ACCEPT Collaborative

The School Committee also voted to approve the application of the Westborough School District to join the state-wide ACCEPT Education Collaborative of which Wellesley is a member. The Collaborative allows member districts to combine resources ranging from special education placements to professional development, Lussier said. The state requires school committees of all member districts to approve adding a new district as a member. About a dozen other districts are part of ACCEPT including Dover-Sherborn, Natick, Medfield, and Sudbury.

“We don’t see a downside,” Lussier said. “Another member district only strengthens the collaborative with more districts and more colleagues.”

The School Committee usually waits at least a week before voting on requests for action to allow for public comment. The committee, however, decided to vote during the same meeting because this action was determined to be procedural. The School Committee vote was unanimous in favor of Westborough’s application to join ACCEPT. 

How to be heard during School Committee meetings

Residents who want to submit comments during the Jan. 24 School Committee meeting must email school_committee@wellesleyps.org prior to the meeting to obtain the Zoom link and instructions for participating.

Filed Under: Education, Embracing diversity

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley
Wellesley Lacrosse

Letters-to-the-editor day in Wellesley—important election-time updates

January 21, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

The Swellesley Report accepts letters to the editor. Letters must be of general local community interest and must be signed. Community shout-outs are also accepted and encouraged. For example, a non-profit may thank an organization for a donation received.

How to submit your letter to the editor

The deadline is Wednesday at noon for letters to appear on Friday EXCEPT the week before the Tuesday, March 7, 2023 Town election.

The week before the Town election, the deadline for letters to the editor is Friday, Feb. 24. Those letters will run  Tuesday, Feb. 28.

No letters to the editor will run on Friday, Feb. 24 OR Friday, March 3.

Submitting a letter to the editor does not guarantee that your letter will be posted on The Swellesley Report.

Review of dates for letters to the editor during election season

  • Wednesday, Jan. 25, noon—deadline to submit a letter to the editor
    Friday, Jan. 27—letters to the editor run
  • Wednesday, Feb. 1, noon—deadline to submit a letter to the editor
    Friday, Feb. 3—letters to editor run
  • Wednesday, Feb. 8, noon—deadline to submit a letter to the editor
    Friday, Feb. 10—letters to editor run
  • Wednesday, Feb. 15, noon—deadline to submit a letter to the editor
    Friday, Feb. 17—letters to editor run
  • Friday, Feb. 24—no letters to the editor will run
  • Friday, Feb. 24, noon—deadline to submit a letter to the editor
    Tuesday, Feb 28—letters to editor run
  • Friday, March 3, no letters to the editor will run

Letters must be written for The Swellesley Report only—we do not accept form-type letters sent to multiple news agencies.

Please review detailed guidelines for letters to the editor here.

Send letters to the editor to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Election letter guidelines

Letters endorsing candidates; pro/con on ballot initiatives; “get out the vote” type letters; etc. are accepted.

As a general policy, if a sampling of letters on a particular issue has already been published, subsequent letters on that same issue may not be published.

Generally speaking, we are willing to run a few letters of endorsement per candidate as well as a few letters about any one issue over the course of the campaign. We would not run letters that are virtual carbon copies of each other.

What Swellesley wants to avoid is serving as a platform for a concerted campaign that is trying to shut out other voices by trying to flood our letters to the editor page with their own agenda.

Please limit the number of signers…we contact letter writers to confirm authenticity and don’t have time to reach out to multiple signers.

No election-related letters will be published the week before the election.

Please review detailed guidelines for letters to the editor here.

Filed Under: Education, Embracing diversity, Health

Sara Campbell, Wellesley

Beyond Wellesley: All were welcomed to Needham MLK Day celebration

January 17, 2023 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

In past years Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was celebrated in Wellesley at a community-wide breakfast sponsored by World of Wellesley (WOW), in partnership with other groups that varied year to year. Although remembrances in Wellesley for Dr. King were held virtually in 2021 and 2022, WOW took a pause on putting together an in-person event for 2023.

MLK Day 2023, Needham
Keynote speaker Michael D. O’ Neal and Odessa Sanchez, who attended the MLK Day event as a representative of the Wellesley Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Taskforce.

Since sticking close to home for an in-person program honoring the civil rights leader wasn’t an option this year, many Wellesley residents instead attended the Needham Diversity Initiative‘s observances of the national holiday at Needham High School. We heard the program was wonderful, which is unsurprising given that part of the grassroots organization’s mission is to create “positive and genuine relationships, friendships, and amity between individuals, communities, and institutions.”

The program featured keynote speaker and Needham resident Michael O’Neal. The Needham High School graduate is a professional life coach, and has served as director of the Young Fathers’ Program at the Urban League.

Also part of the MLK Day celebration: a dramatization of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, by the Eliot Elementary School chorus; music by the Plugged In Teen Band program; a reading segment by WOW co-president Rama Ramaswamy of MLK’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail;” and more.

Thanks to the Initiative for welcoming your neighbors.


More: Natick celebrates spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Filed Under: Beyond Wellesley, Embracing diversity, Holidays

World of Wellesley partnering with Needham on MLK, Jr. Day event; Town offices will be closed on holiday

January 11, 2023 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

World of Wellesley is partnering with the Needham Diversity Initiative on a Martin Luther King, Jr., Day celebration on Monday, Jan. 16.

Promised is a morning of music and inspiration from 10am-1130 at Needham High School, 609 Webster St., Needham. Registration info to come.

The event has not been held in person for the past 2 years.

Nearby, Natick is holding an MLK, Jr. Day celebration at Kennedy Middle School.


Town offices to be closed

Wellesley municipal buildings and office will be closed on Monday, Jan. 16 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The Recycling and Disposal Facility and the Wellesley Free Library will also be closed.


  • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
  • Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com
  • If you like what we do and want to help, please consider making a completely non-deductible contribution

Filed Under: Embracing diversity, Holidays

Deland, Gibson, Wellesley
Rick Cram, leader

Community makes strong case to add Lunar New Year to school calendar

January 9, 2023 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

While Lunar New Year didn’t make the official 2023-2024 Wellesley Public Schools calendar, there’s a good chance it will in coming years.

The Wellesley School Committee has a bit of time to consider the addition of this important holiday for the Asian community locally and around the world, as its start falls on the weekend this year (Jan. 22) and next. Lunar New Year, along with other holidays such as Diwali and Eid al-Fitr, could all get consideration, as the School Committee and school system figure out how to balance the interests of various growing communities within the system while maintaining the state standard for 180 school days.

During citizen speak at the start of the Dec. 20 School Committee meeting (see Wellesley Media recording) members of Wellesley’s Asian community—including parents, the Wellesley Chinese Language School ‘s principal, and students—lined up online to make their case for Lunar New Year’s importance. More than 13% of the town’s population identifies as Asian, per Census data, and nearly 17% of the school population does, according to state figures.

Richard Wang said he and his wife usually take Lunar New Year off from work, and when their kids were younger, would take them out of school to celebrate in a traditional way, such as making dumplings at home.

“Now our kids are older and due to the study and school workload it’s not as easy anymore to take them out from school for one day,” he said.

Wang pointed out that a growing number of school districts, from San Francisco to Brookline, are adding Lunar New Year to their calendars.

chinese new year wellesley
Chinese New Year celebration at Wellesley Middle School, 2020. Photo by Alicia Talanian

Separately, resident Yi Wang said Lunar New Year “symbolizes the hope for a better future and also celebrates the value of family and community,” transcending cultures.

Among the students who spoke was Jocelyn Li, a Wellesley High senior who said that she and members of the Young Ethnic Scholars group proposed the addition of the Lunar New Year to the calendar last year to school administrators and they were receptive. Li said she wants students to be able to fully celebrate the holiday going forward. Junior Clementine Zei said her family celebrates Lunar New Year with big dinners and decorations, but often pushes activities to the weekend because of school commitments.

A broader discussion needs to take place on how the school system should think about religious and cultural holidays as the school community becomes more diverse, Superintendent Dr. David Lussier said. Directives have already been getting sent out for no homework and flexibility on assignments during such holidays, he said.

A short-term solution for Lunar New Year could be to at least acknowledge it on the online calendars published by the school system, as School Committee student rep Ivy Wang suggested.

The School Committee approved a calendar for the 2023-2024 school year, which is slated to run from Aug. 30 to June 20.

School Committee Chair Leda Eizenberg said there’s a plan to take a look at the calendar and the inclusion of cultural and religious holidays as part of the strategic plan, as well as a plan to consider adding another page of the calendar.

Related: The Wellesley Public Schools’ new strategic plan: is it an opportunity to add religious and cultural holidays to the academic calendar? (The Bradford, November 2022)


  • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
  • Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com
  • If you like what we do and want to help, please consider making a completely non-deductible contribution

Filed Under: Education, Embracing diversity

Wellesley High Pakistani exchange student to speak at Rotary Club meeting

January 9, 2023 by admin Leave a Comment

Wellesley. Rotary Club
Maria Qaiser on a visit to Colorado

Since she’s been in Wellesley on a student exchange program, Maria Qaiser has seen snow for the first time, learned how to ride a bike, and shared her Pakistani culture by cooking for her host family and the many friends she’s made in the community.

Learn more about this teenaged cultural ambassador at Maria’s presentation during the Rotary Club of Wellesley meeting on Tue., Jan. 17, 6:30pm-8pm at MassBay Community College. Maria will speak about her home city of Karachi, Pakistan, and how the YES Scholarship program and the AFS Intercultural program made it possible for her to travel to the United States and live with a local host family while attending Wellesley High School.

Maria has a variety of interests including journalism, astronomy, acting, art, and international relations.  She is very outgoing and has tried many new things since she arrived in Wellesley this August. Her swimming skills have improved, she’s visited Colorado with her host family, and is looking forward to experiencing a real Massachusetts winter.

Maria has made several presentations about Pakistan during International Education Week at Wellesley High School, and is available for other presentations in the community.

The Rotary Club of Wellesley is one of Wellesley’s oldest community service groups and conducts local programs to benefit the Town of Wellesley. The public is always invited to any Rotary program. You can register for the Jan. 17 event at https://wellesleyrotary.org/event/copy-of-rotary-meeting-place-holder-8/


  • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
  • Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Filed Under: Education, Embracing diversity, Wellesley High School

Next Page »

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Advertisements

Wellesley Square, Wellesley Merchants
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Beacon Hill Athletic Club, Wellesley
Fay School, Southborough
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Wellesley Theatre Project
Volvo
Cheesy Street Grill
Mature Caregivers
Admit Fit, Wellesley
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Most Read Posts

  • Sign up now for summer camp in Wellesley (and beyond)
  • Before you dump that box of Pokémon cards at the Wellesley Give & Take...
  • Live music coming to Wellesley's Lockheart Restaurant
  • State to Wellesley: Not so fast on mediation over school contract
  • Rep. Peisch to address 1 of the great mysteries: How our laws are made

Upcoming Events

Feb 3
Featured Featured 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sara Campbell winter warehouse sale

Feb 4
Featured Featured 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Sara Campbell winter warehouse sale

Feb 4
10:30 am - 12:30 pm

League of Women Voters of Wellesley public meeting with State Rep. Alice Peisch

Feb 4
11:00 am - 12:30 pm

The Massachusetts Legislative Process: How Our Laws Are Made

Feb 4
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

The Wellesley Choral Society concert: “Music from the Silver Screen”

View Calendar

Popular pages

  • Wellesley’s 2023 Boston Marathon charity runners
  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads

Recent Comments

  • Deborah Brown on Hanging out at the Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility
  • Leslie on Hanging out at the Wellesley Recycling and Disposal Facility
  • Raiders2002 on Wellesley educators walk out of school as contract negotiations drag on
  • David B on Does Wellesley need a new traffic light? Slow down before you drive to any conclusions
  • LADY WELLESLEY on Wellesley police officer injured in crash at intersection of Grove and Benvenue

Links we like

  • Danny's Place
  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (24)
  • 2023 Town Election (3)
  • Animals (428)
  • Antiques (49)
  • Art (592)
  • Beyond Wellesley (52)
  • Books (376)
  • Business (1,559)
  • Camp (11)
  • Careers/jobs (53)
  • Churches (82)
  • Clubs (236)
  • Construction (300)
  • Dump (131)
  • Education (3,191)
    • Babson College (252)
    • Bates Elementary School (18)
    • Dana Hall School (36)
    • Fiske Elementary School (11)
    • Hardy Elementary School (47)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (46)
    • MassBay (57)
    • Schofield Elementary School (26)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (2)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (11)
    • Upham Elementary School (35)
    • Wellesley College (613)
    • Wellesley High School (996)
    • Wellesley Middle School (204)
  • Embracing diversity (85)
  • Entertainment (815)
  • Environment (773)
  • Fashion (144)
  • Finance (15)
  • Fire (173)
  • Food (358)
  • Fundraising (641)
  • Gardens (164)
  • Government (607)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
    • 2022 Town Election (15)
  • Health (866)
    • COVID-19 (203)
  • Hikes (6)
  • History (400)
  • Holidays (440)
  • Houses (162)
  • Humor (47)
  • Kids (868)
  • Law (8)
  • Legal notices (10)
  • Letters to the Editor (73)
  • Media (72)
  • METCO (4)
  • Military (13)
  • Morses Pond (109)
  • Music (581)
  • Natick Report (30)
  • Neighbors (280)
  • Obituaries & remembrances (86)
  • Outdoors (656)
  • Parenting (63)
  • Police (778)
    • Crime (395)
  • Politics (555)
  • POPS Senior Profile (10)
  • RDF (7)
  • Real estate (344)
  • Religion (138)
  • Restaurants (341)
  • Safety (155)
  • Scouts (2)
  • Seniors (127)
  • Shopping (163)
  • Sponsored (6)
  • Sports (1,013)
    • Athlete of the Week (12)
  • STEM (108)
  • Technology (165)
  • Theatre (397)
  • Town Meeting (23)
  • Transportation (240)
  • Travel (17)
  • Uncategorized (1,244)
  • Volunteering (350)
  • Weather (179)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (281)
  • Wellesley Holiday Gift Guide (2)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (20)

© 2023 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login