Petition urges Wellesley schools to adopt a hybrid, in-school model for September

August 3, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

An online petition has been circulating among Wellesley Public Schools families asking for signatures of support in exhorting the WPS administration to adopt a hybrid, in-person learning model for the fall. The goal: to get the town’s 1,500+ K-12 students and their teachers back into the classroom in September.

The petitioners start out by saying, “We implore WPS teachers to get back into the classroom at the start of school in September. Wellesley students’ education has been waylaid since March 13th, and every delay creates a wider and wider gap in their core and fundamental learning. We have seen the concerns about returning to school put forth by our teachers through Wellesley Educators Association. While we share the goals of safety and optimal learning approaches for our students, we strongly believe this can be accomplished in a hybrid back-to-school model. Fortunately, much has been learned about safety and health protocols with Massachusetts leading the charge, and we find ourselves in a strong position to move forward with school in the classrooms beginning in September. Wellesley parents believe this is the best approach for our students and our town.”

From there petitioners, who identify as Wellesley Public School Parents & Families, lay out their beliefs in the efficacy of a hybrid model; what they say is the need for students to have direct interaction teachers and peers; and their recognition that things may change at any time.

The petition has over 400 signatures.

The Wellesley Educator’s Association last month in a letter to the editors of The Swellesley Report agrees that a hybrid model is the way to go. However the Association maintains that the best approach is to start school in a remote setting and transition to a hybrid model after staff training, safety, and needs assessments.

Upcoming big dates:

August 6: WPS administration to present to School Committee three models: full in-person, hybrid, and full remote learning
August 10: Final draft of WPS SY20-21 reopening plans due to Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
August 13: WPS SY20-21 reopening plan shared with the community

Donations being accepted to fill Wellesley kids’ backpacks

July 20, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The new Kids Backing Kids nonprofit has kicked off its July/August donation drive to fill backpacks with school supplies for Wellesley elementary school children in need. Supplies requested include crayons, notebook, hand sanitizer and more (complete list embedded below), and monetary donations can be made through the charity’s website.

Kids Backing Kids will provide the backpacks and the volunteers to organize and stuff the backpacks with supplies. Backpacks then will be given to local K-6 schools, the Wellesley Housing Authority, and Wellesley Youth Commission for distribution.

Supplies can be dropped off at 165 Linden St. in Wellesley (next to Talbots in Linden Square) from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays July 29 through Aug. 26.

Download (PDF, Unknown)

Wellesley camps & programs 2020 — find a great summer experience

July 18, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

The Swellesley Report’s Summer Camps & Programs page lists over 75 camps and programs in Wellesley and beyond. It’s time to sign your child up for a great summer experience. Whether they’re into coding, arts and crafts, sports, drama, or nature, the perfect camp is out there for them.

Swellesley’s Summer Camps & Programs page is sponsored by iCode of Wellesley. iCode’s interactive programs for kids ages 6 – 18 are going on now. On-site and online programs available.

Please be aware that of the camps and programs listed, some are going forward, some have substantially re-worked their offerings, while others have canceled for 2020.

Contact Deborah to update your summer listing, or for advertising on Swellesley. Camp parents and guardians: Please let camps know that you found them here, if you did…thanks.

Beyond Wellesley: sneak peek at Riverbend School’s newest buildings in S. Natick

July 9, 2020 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Riverbend School the construction zone has made its final leap to becoming Riverbend School, the campus. Located at 33 Eliot St., the K – 8, 200-student Montessori-method institution has finished the Upper School building and the gymnasium, the last of three major building projects that kicked off in 2014. Let’s just say it’s been a busy six years at Riverbend, which has had a presence in South Natick since 1986.

Designed by Piatt Associates Architecture, the Upper School contains three purpose-built lower elementary classrooms, as well as dedicated design and art studios. A stand-alone, full-size gymnasium provides plenty of space for indoor recreation, and will also generate revenue through rentals of the space. Both new buildings are located on the field adjacent to the Middle School, which is part of the historic Peletiah Morse Tavern, on Rte. 16.

“All of the buildings for the campus were intended, as designed, to be respectful of the character of the John Eliot Historic District and I hope the new buildings will be seen that way as well,” says architect Jim Piatt.

The two previous building projects, both also designed by Piatt, were Children’s House, completed in 2014; and the Middle School, attached to the tavern, completed in 2017.

Head of School Whitney Slade took time out of his day to give me a tour of the campus, which he said is “geared toward our kids, Montessori kids, the way they’re taught and the way they learn. In the Montessori method, big open spaces are needed.” Here are a few pics of how that was achieved:

Riverbend School, Natick — Children’s House, completed in 2014, is what drivers-by would likely identify as the main building of Riverbend. The 13,000 square-foot building houses the approximately 100 students in the toddler-kindergarten program, as well as administration offices.

Riverbend School — Interior of the gym, which is air conditioned, as are all of the Riverbend buildings. “We’ll be renting out the gym to Natick Rec, Dover-Sherborn basketball, and others, so the gym is also a revenue opportunity for us,” Slade said.

All told, the school has put over $5 million into creating its new campus. The Natick-owned brick building the school worked out of for decades is now vacant. But with grades 4-6 located in Memorial Hall, Riverbend hasn’t completely crossed Eliot Street.

Slade is now focused on what September will look like for Riverbend. “We’re developing protocols to keep everyone separate,” he said. “We’re working with the Natick Board of Health with the goal of providing a safe learning environment for our students, their families, and our staff. We’ll miss out on field trips this year, unfortunately. Maybe we’ll go over to Elm Bank, since we can walk there.”

“And there’s always Forest Friday,” Slade said, pointing to the wooded conservation land the school abuts. “That’s very big here.”

Other sneak peeks:

Sneak peek: we get a look at the Babson College globe

Sneak peek: the renovated Hood Museum at Dartmouth College

Sneak peek: an early look behind Door No. 7 in Wellesley

Wellesley family launches Kids Backing Kids to aid children in need, engage those who can help

July 2, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

kids backing kids logo The new Kids Backing Kids charity, founded by Wellesley’s Rodrigue family and supported by a board and partners, supplies kids in need with backpacks stuffed with food, health products, clothes, toys and holiday gifts. But that’s only the start: The program is also designed to help kids who are hungry, homeless, living in poverty, or suffering trauma in part by educating other kids about their plight and training them to speak publicly about these issues.

The organizers—Dr. Jim Rodrigue (Wellesley Recreation Commission) and Dr. Kathleen MacNaughton, and daughters Grace (WHS senior), Olivia (WHS junior) and Simone (WMS 8th grader)—say they originally planned to supply kids with free backpacks filled with school supplies. When COVID-19 hit, and more families and children found themselves in worse or suddenly difficult circumstances, Kids Backing Kids took on its broader mission. Among the organization’s directors is Gerardo Martinez, principal at Wellesley’s Schofield Elementary School, which the Rodrigue sisters attended.

The Rodrigue sisters, all backpacked up, say they are operating Kids Backing Kids from their home

Exposed to kids in need

While the Rodrigues haven’t seen a lot in the way of poverty, food insecurity or homelessness locally, Grace says “we know there are a lot of kids who go to Wellesley schools that need more and are living in poverty.”

The sisters have been more directly exposed to children in need through their parents’ work in the health field and other volunteer efforts, including with the National Charity League, which brings moms and daughters together in community efforts, and the Red Cross food pantry in Boston. And they know that the COVID-19 crisis is making things much harder for many.

“COVID-19 has really impacted all the topics we’re focusing on. It’s made childhood poverty, homelessness, and food insecurity a lot worse,” says Grace, noting that she and her sisters love working with kids, including by babysitting. “With COVID-19 obviously being such a big thing right now we need to make sure the backpacks are delivered in a safe way, everything’s wiped down, and they have to be delivered with no contact. So it’s going to be trickier to deliver them, but we’ll probably also have more demand.”

The Kids Backing Kids organization’s name stems in part from the word “backpacks,” but Olivia adds that it also refers to “having kids’ backs.” The outfit has 75 backpacks ready for its first delivery in a week or so to a group that works with children who have been sexually abused. Another 200 backpacks will be prepped for delivery to schools at the start of the new school year, even if some kids won’t necessarily be lugging backpacks back and forth to school at that point.

The sisters say they have weekly meetings with their board and put in another hour a day on Kids Backing Kids (and two of them also work at Truly’s).

Getting the word out

To date, the group’s plan has spread through word of mouth, emails to friends, and social media.

The goal is for children to be referred for backpacks via teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, neighbors, friends and family, among others. The organization will then reach out to a parent or guardian to confirm the child is a good fit for the program and fill a backpack for the child within a few days.

At this time, Kids Backing Kids is for children in kindergarten-6th grade in Framingham, Natick, Needham, Newton, Wayland, Wellesley and Weston.

The program hopes to expand its reach in the coming year, in part through spreading the word at various venues, from schools to faith-based organizations to government agencies to businesses and non-profits. Volunteer mentors will help to train youth volunteers to speak publicly about the causes that Kids Backing Kids addresses. So far, 20 teens, most from Wellesley, have volunteered.

While the original idea was to get these volunteers physically into the community to discuss food insecurity, poverty, and homelessness, they initially will be communicating through a video to be disseminated via social media and by Zoom calls. The sisters are angling for organizations to sign on their volunteers as guest speakers on web conference calls during classes and other meetings.

You can help by volunteering (including stuffing backpacks), donating, sponsoring, mentoring, inviting Kids Backing Kids to speak at your events, and more.

More: Wellesley charities & community groups

Summer Camp Spotlight: Creative Writing Workshop—Enrichment Program “Live”

June 23, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

SPONSORED POST: It’s time for your child to find out how fun writing can be at the Creative Writing Workshop. This engaging summer morning program will be brought to your child “live” in a small group, nurturing setting. Registration is open and space is available– our first session runs June 29-July 3, with later sessions available. Creative Writing Workshop is open to writers of all ability levels — boys and girls — ages 8 through 12…register now for this unique program.

Creative Writing Workshop, Wellesley — Students collaboration session, Summer 2019

This special writing workshop blends creativity and fun with the written word. Students will be “all in” on the writing process, doing what real writers do – having multiple works in-progress, getting individualized feedback and having choice as they develop their writer’s voice. The morning schedule includes mini-lessons to spark imagination. Genres include short stories, personal narratives, poetry, journals, fantasy and mystery. Young writers will hone important skills and gain confidence in their abilities, all while having fun with the process. All curriculum materials are included.

By infusing joy in the creative writing process, students become more independent and confident in their writing abilities and will discover how fun writing can be. Students receive individual attention and will benefit from the creative ideas shared by all. The group is limited in size to ensure a low teacher-to-student ratio.

Students will only need a writing device and internet access. Further details will be given upon registration.

Spaces are currently available for sessions:

June 29-July 3
July 6-9
July 27-30
Aug 3-6.

Convenient online registration at https://creativewriting4kids.weebly.com/online-registration.html

More information at www.Creativewriting 4kids.weebly.com

Or email [email protected]

Wellesley youth baseball & softball to spring back this summer

June 12, 2020 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Little League at Kelly Field — Summer baseball in Wellesley won’t look quite like this, but it should still be fun

Wellesley Youth Baseball & Softball held off as long as it could before nixing the spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it feels hopeful that its summer season will start as soon as June 29 based on the state’s phased reopening plan. Registration is open and the leagues will be formulating teams over the next week or so.

A good chunk of the families that had kids signed up for spring ball (more than 300) said in a survey they’d be interested in participating in summer action, as perhaps more families will be staying local than in years past.

“In light of the ongoing concerns about COVID-19, this summer season is going to look and feel a bit different than most other seasons,” says the organization’s president, Tom Ahern. “Wellesley Youth Baseball and Softball has developed a COVID-19 Safety Protocol Plan that draws heavily from recommendations from Little League International (which were developed in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control) as well guidance from the Commonwealth.”

What to expect:

No sharing of equipment_hat means bats, helmet, gloves, etc.
Players wear facemasks or gaiters when not in the field
All coaches wear facemasks and keep social distance when they cannot have a face covering
Umpires no longer behind the catcher, balls and strikes called from behind the mound
Teams at bat are spread out and there will be limits on players in the dugout, if dugouts are used at all
All players use hand sanitizer between innings, and baseballs are sanitized after every inning
For younger kids (K-2^nd grade), fielding “zones” will be used (think lines painted on the field to keep fielders from swarming a ball)

“Each team will also have one assigned “COVID Coach” whose job will be to make sure everyone is dong the right thing with the guidelines,” Ahern says.

The baseball program will be all in-town games, whereas the softball teams will be playing teams from other towns, in a limited fashion vs. prior years.

Everything is predicated on the leagues getting the go-ahead from the town, but optimism is in the air.