The Swellesley Report

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

Wellesley Public Schools intros diversity director candidates this week

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Wellesley Middle SchoolThe Wellesley Public Schools system this week is giving the public an opportunity to meet 4 finalists for the new Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion position. The job listing was re-opened over the summer after the first round of finalists this past spring did not produce a hire.

The director’s responsibilities will include formulating a strategic plan to support district diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; deepen community awareness, understanding, and respect for diversity, equity and inclusion; oversee the METCO program; and work collaboratively with the A Better Chance program.

Each of the 4 new candidates will spend one-half day in the district to meet the staff, students, parents, guardians and community members.  The public is invited to attend the following meetings to be held at the Wellesley Middle School auditorium.

We encourage you to check out the cover letters and resumes linked via the candidates’ names below. Be forewarned that not all of it is pretty. Typos, grammatical errors, and one mysterious bit of experience about a job that runs from “Oct 2019 – Present.” While I wouldn’t be psyched about having my cover letters go public, I might suggest that those who do apply for jobs that require this hit up a writing expert.

Aug. 21,  8-9am – Rachel Deleveaux

Aug. 21, 1-2pm  – Jabian Gutierrez

Aug. 22, 9-10am – Melissa Patrick

Aug. 22, 1-2pm – Charmie Curry

A light breakfast will be served from 8-9am.

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Wellesley business spotlight: Fall 2019 music classes at Bach to Rock in Linden Square

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Bach to Rock music school is now registering students for Fall 2019 programs. Kids of all ages and experience levels are welcome to rock on.

Bach to Rock‘s music classes are a combination of music fundamentals, instrument instruction, performance, and of course FUN! Our method is learning through doing — not boring lectures. There’s no experience or instruments needed (everything is already here), just the excitement and ambition to learn something new or further develop as a musician.

Bach to Rock Wellesley
Bach to Rock is the place to find real music education for your young child.

Here are just some of  Bach to Rock’s programs:

Individual Lessons: The greatest hurdle in the study of music is its solitary nature. At Bach to Rock, we transform music and music lessons into a social experience, adding a strong group incentive to playing, learning, and practicing. Our methodology transforms music into a team sport, adding healthy competition and personal interaction.

Group Classes: Students learn how to play their instrument in a stimulating team-based environment. The healthy camaraderie and competition that results motivates students to practice and improve quickly. This approach leads to well-rounded musicianship and prepares students to perform in a variety of ensembles/bands or as soloists.

Ages 5 – 7: Bach to Rock is the place to find real music education for your young child. Through dynamic musical and movement-based activities, exposure to live instruments and musically inspired story-time, budding young musicians gradually develop the skills needed to read music, play simple rhythms and develop fine motor control skills.

Bach to Rock Wellesley
Bach to Rock’s teachers can even get Santa Claus to “ho, ho, ho” on pitch.

Bach to Rock
Linden Square
200 Linden Street, Unit A
Wellesley, MA 02482
Phone: 781-943-3944
Email: [email protected]

Stop by our Open House

Saturday, 8/24, noon – 2pm.

Stop in for a snack and get a tour of the studios, meet instructors, and find out which class is right for your musician.

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Morses Pond in Wellesley closes for season, Summer 2019

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Morses Pond officially closed for the season on Sunday, August 18 after a summer of sun, fun, and swimming.  Days pond was open for the business of fun: 70. Days closed due to high bacteria count: zero. Wellesley Recreation Deputy Director Brandon Fitts said, “Our water has been the cleanest it’s been this summer. If the bacteria count is 235 or higher we have to close the beach. Our water tests have come back from the lab with a count between 5 to 8 every week this summer except one when it was 84. It’s been a great summer for water quality. We’ve had no problems with algae blooms this year, and haven’t had to treat for them in eight or nine years. Water clarity has been incredible all summer, and the water is beautiful.”

Here are some pics of the pond:

Morses Pond, Wellesley
Welcome to Morses Pond. Now that the season has ended, the yellow gate at the end of Turner Road will be closed and locked. At a recent meeting to discuss possible future changes at the pond, there was talk of possibly removing the locked gate to make the area a more accessible four-season recreation spot, officially. Currently people still use the pond and its trails in the off-season, and it’s not illegal to do so. It is, however, inconvenient to park on Turner Road and take the long walk down to the pond area and its trails.

 

Morses Pond, Wellesley
Morses Pond staffer Michael Ryan at the service road entryway to the pond.

 

Morses Pond, Wellesley
A young blue heron fishes at Ice House Pond. Back in the 1800s, Wellesley residents purchased ice blocks harvested from the pond and sold on Linden Street in the former Diehl’s complex. The biggest harvest potential at the ice pond now appears to be lily pads and weeds. One idea brought up at the Morses Pond meeting at Town Hall: tear down the fence around the Ice House Pond, remove the invasive species that have gained a foothold there, and add a boardwalk around the pond, with viewing platforms.

 

Morses Pond, Wellesley
MOPO beach fees generated $159K in revenue last year, and the area has attracted between 18,000 to 28,000 visitors per year in recent years. Wellesley Rec offers kayaks and paddle boards for rent, but takes in most of its revenue from the sale of seasonal and daily beach fees. As of July 18 2019, 2,633 resident MOPO tags were sold and 284 non-residents purchased tags, for a total of 2,917 tags sold.

 

Morses Pond, Wellesley
Some MOPO staff members. There were about 19 college students on staff this year out of a total of 40 staff members. Some of the schools the students are headed to this fall: Tulane, Bates, Springfield, Holy Cross, UMASS, Bryant, Fairfield, Colby, St. Michaels, Wisconsin, Pomona, and Gettysburg.

 

Morses Pond, Wellesley
The volleyball net got plenty of action over the summer, according to MOPO staff. Strangest thing to happen at MOPO this summer: “Lightning reportedly struck the point by the beach house and blew up the Comcast router,” Fitts says.

 

Morses Pond
One of the daily duties of MOPO staff is to keep the picnic pavilion raked and tidy.

 

Morses Pond
Morses Pond playground.

 

Morses Pond
Picture taken from the east end of the beach, looking west. Fitts says things were generally quiet at the pond. “There were approximately seven 9-1-1 calls made from the pond. Thankfully all of our emergencies have been false alarms, and any missing person was found very quickly on land. We did have one after-hours emergency early on in the summer involving someone on a skateboard near our parking lot. Our Park Rangers responded with professionalism.”

 

Tots Land, MOPO. Some of the activities offered at the pond this year for kids of all ages were Dad’s day, Council On Aging Day, The MOPO Miler (21 swimmers participated), a staff BBQ, and the Beach Tales with the Library.

 

Morses Pond, Wellesley
At the MOPO meeting at Town Hall, there was discussion about potentially tearing down the old bathhouse, above, and relocating it to the east end of the beach. The bathhouse is currently oriented toward the kayaks part of the pond because when it was built, that’s where the swimming area was located. Renovating the bathhouse is also under consideration.

 

 

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Wellesley Symphony and Wellesley Choral Society to hold open rehearsals

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The Wellesley Symphony Orchestra will begin its 2019-2020 season under Maestro Max Hobart with an open rehearsal on Wednesday, Aug. 28, at 7:15 PM at MassBay Community College, 50 Oakland Street, Wellesley.

The orchestra has openings for a tuba, bassoon, French horn, and in all string sections. Rehearsals are on Wednesday nights at 7:15 PM. The first concert on Sunday, October 6th includes Fetes from Nocturnes by Debussy, the Elgar Cello Concerto with retired Boston Symphony cellist Jonathan Miller, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.

For more information, visit www.wellesleysymphony.org. To schedule an audition, reach Maestro

Hobart at 781-263-1933 or [email protected]

Wellesley Choral Society will present its first concert of the season on Sunday, November 4.

Wellesley Choral Society needs new singers

The Wellesley Choral Society invites new singers to our open rehearsals on Monday, September 9, 16, and 23, 2019, 7:30pm – 9:30pm at the Small Chapel of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Wellesley Hills, 309 Washington St.  This gives new singers a chance to “try us out” to see if they would like to join for the whole season or one of our concerts. Our first concert, War and Peace, will be on Sunday, November 10 at 4pm and features Haydn’s Mass in Time of War and Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem.  Our second concert, Songs of Levity, is a cabaret style concert held on January 25, 2020 at 7pm.  Our final concert, A Women’s Voice: A Celebration of Women Composers, will be on May 10, 2020 at 4 pm. All voice parts are welcome, but we particularly welcome new tenors and basses.

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Wellesley Business Buzz: LF closing; NRO hops from one square to another; basketball stars bounce into town; upcoming author visits; girls golf clinic

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Farewell to LF

lf stores, WellesleyFashionistas who dare to be different will have to to do their LF Stores shopping online, as the 7-year old Wellesley Square business is closing down its bricks and mortar location at 25 Central Street. Store manager Elise Rosen said, “We are closing on September 5 in Wellesley and will be focusing more on our online business. We have another location on Newbury Street, and that one will close sometime in October.”

NRO moves from Wellesley Square to Linden Square

North River Outfitters is Not Remaining Open at 35 Central Street in Wellesley Square, where it has had a presence since 2014, but have no fear. The shop that offers classic men’s and women’s apparel is hopscotching from Wellesley Square over to Linden Square, where it will continue to supply shoppers with all their preppy clothing needs. Look for the store to open soon in the storefront next to Magic Beans.

Basketball all-stars hoop it up at LINX

Former Boston Celtics player Brian Scalabrine, with LINX campers.

LINX campers got the all-star treatment this summer. Former Boston Celtics player Brian Scalabrine along with former professional player Justin Wingard were on hand to teach basketball fundamentals and have fun with the kids.

As Basketball Coordinator, Wingard focused on teaching every aspect of the game of basketball. “A key thing that motivates our campers is competition for spirit points and the bragging rights that you get from winning a drill or game. Everyone wants to be the best,” Wingard said.

LINX Wellesley, Basketball
Basketball Coordinator, Wingard focused on fundamentals and players’ mental development.

Scalabrine coached LINX campers for two fun, high energy summer camp weeks. His hands-on expert instruction, humor and enthusiasm for all things camp helped make him a favorite with both the kids and staff.

“Basketball camp is something that I look forward to every summer.” Scalabrine said. “I love working with kids who want to work hard and care about improving their skills. We work hard and play hard at LINX Camps. The counselors and I also have fun while teaching kids the importance of doing things the right way, on and off the court.”

Wellesley author visits

Wellesley Books will host the following authors in September:

9/5 Karl Marlantes – “Deep River” [TICKETED] 
9/11 Peter Zheutlin – “The Dog Went Over the Mountain: Travels with Albie: An American Journey” [RSVP]
9/12 Diane Stelfox Cook – “So Many Angels: A Family Crisis and the Community That Got Us Through It” [FREE]
9/13 Garrett M. Graff – “The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11” [FREE]
9/14 Nandini Bajpai – “A Match Made in Mehendi” [FREE]
9/21 Joan Cohen – “Land of Last Chances” [FREE]
9/28 Lisa Rogers – “16 Words: William Carlos Williams and ‘The Red Wheelbarrow'” [FREE]

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Girls gotta golf

nehoiden golf course caution signDo you know a girl who would be interested in learning, or enhancing, her golf skills? Nehoiden has been selected by the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) as an inaugural site for the Girls Golf Extravaganza on September 6 – 8.  Join us for this fun weekend designed specifically for girls. We will focus on game-based learning where girls will learn the FUNdamentals of golf organized around the LPGA’s Five E’s and get on-course to play golf. Learn more at NehoidenGolf.com/JuniorGolf (Sponsored content.)

MORE INFORMATION BELOW:

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