In case you missed it, the recently finalized 2023-2027 District Strategic Plan will guide us as we move forward to carry out what will ignite our passions to ensure that each student succeeds by a shared commitment to our mission and steadfast dedication to their growth and well-being.

The School Committee has begun working with the Massachusetts Association of School Committees to conduct the Permanent Superintendent search with the selected candidate to begin no later than July 1, 2024. More information on the process, including community input, will be shared soon.

On the agenda for September 6 includes:

• Planning Committee Update on Alternative Programming/Education to Serve Overaged Under-credited Students
• Meet the New Administrators Across the District
• DESE CVTE Application Process

* Please note, agenda items are subject to change

For further information, please see the School Committee web page here.

Aspen is Waltham Public School's Student Information System (SIS). Aspen allows students, teachers, and parents to access data, including class schedules, school events, student grades, and more.

All Families with an email address in Aspen are able to view current information in the Aspen Student Information System.

Elementary school families should receive information about their child's class assignment by end of day tomorrow.

Visit our web page on Aspen here.

Transportation updates with bus routes can be found here:

https://www.walthampublicschools.org/page/transportation-updates

Please contact the PIC with any questions at 781-314-5524 (English) 781-314-5668 (Español).

As we navigate the excitement of a new school year, the safety and well-being of our students, especially our youngest learners, remains our top priority. We understand that many of our families are new to school or to our community and the experience of using a school bus, so we want to take a moment to clarify the district's school bus policy for the benefit of our families.

Adult Presence is Mandatory: If your child is in kindergarten or grades 1 and 2, an adult must be present at the school bus stop when they are dropped off in the afternoon. This ensures your child's safety and provides peace of mind for both parents and our bus drivers.

Red Luggage Tags: To assist our bus drivers, especially with the introduction of new routes and students, we're providing red luggage tags. These tags should be fastened visibly to your child's backpack to signal the bus driver that an adult must be present at the bus stop to greet the child. If an adult isn't present at the afternoon bus stop The bus company and your child's school will try to contact the parent or guardian on file. If we are unable to reach you, the student will be safely returned to their school by the bus driver. In such cases, it is crucial that the child is picked up from the school immediately. We kindly ask for your cooperation as with new and returning drivers, and students on board, the tags will act as a helpful reminder, ensuring that our young learners are safely handed over to a responsible adult. Furthermore, it's essential to avoid situations where students need to be returned to school as the school staff is heading home, making it a challenge to provide supervision. We value your partnership in ensuring the safety and smooth operations of our school transportation system.

Thank you for your understanding and adherence to this policy.

Macarthur Elementary - September 20

Northeast Elementary - September 21

McDevitt Middle - September 26

Fitzgerald Elementary - September 27

Kennedy Middle - correction, September 26

Stanley Elementary - September 28

Dual Language - October 4

Plympton Elementary - October 5

Whittemore Elementary - October 12

APPTEGY

Waltham Public Schools has a new alert system and you can download the app to receive notifications right to your phone.

1. Go to the Apple or Google Play App Store

2. Download the Waltham PS App

3. Tap the Schools icon on the bottom right

4. When the list of schools comes up, check off which schools(s) you would like to receive alerts from. (You may want to also subscribe to Waltham Public Schools to get district wide announcements)

5. Then tap the 3 horizontal lines on the bottom left to bring up this screen.

6. Click Notifications

7. Click Settings on the bottom right

8. Push Notifications

9. Select what schools you would like to receive Push notifications from.

Here is a quick video tutorial to help. You can also go to our home page and download from there (bottom right).

Please contact your school's principal or assistant principals for further information about the start of the school year!

Waltham High School: Principal Darrell Braggs darrellbraggs@walthampublicschools.org

Kennedy Middle School: Principal Kevin Gildea kevingildea@walthampublicschools.org

McDevitt Middle School: Principal Scott Lipman scottlipman@walthampublicschools.org

Dual Language School: Principal Ricardo Dobles ricardodobles@walthampublicschools.org

Fitzgerald Elementary School: Principal Jenn Santillo JenniferSantillo@walthampublicschools.org

MacArthur Elementary School: Principal Kevin Kmiec kevinkmiec@walthampublicschools.org

Plympton Elementary School: Interim Principal Adrienne Norris adriennenorris@walthampublicschools.org

Northeast Elementary School: Principal Mary Ellen Tenaglia maryellentenaglia@walthampublicschools.org

Stanley Elementary School: Principal Jennifer Hacker jenniferhacker@walthampublicschools.org

Whittemore Elementary School: Principal David Sweder davidsweder@walthampublicschools.org

Waltham Family School: Jackie Herrera jacquelineherrera@walthampublicschools.org

For further information or other events and resources, please contact:

Jodi Levin

FAMILY ACCESS Community Connections

Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) Program Coordinator

jlevin@familyaccess.org

O (617) 969-5906 x114

www.familyaccesscommunityconnections.com