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Dear Colleagues,

Happy Friday everyone, and I hope you have been enjoying some of our beautiful spring weather. In my travels around the district this week, I was delighted to see so many gestures of appreciation in our schools in recognition of Teacher Appreciation Week. As recent events have reminded us, our schools remain the heart of our community and you are on the front lines every day helping to support the growth of caring, compassionate, educated, and engaged learners.? This work can be exceptionally challenging at times, but I hope you know the difference you make each and every day.? On behalf of our community, let me join the chorus of those who honor your efforts!?

Of course, we are heading into Mother¡¯s Day weekend, and I would be remiss if I didn¡¯t give a big shout-out to all of our moms, who play such critical role in our lives.? Please be sure to appropriately recognize all the moms among us this weekend!

And on a more personal note, my wife and I are delighted that our son, Bejamin, will be home this weekend for the first time in nearly a year, after his extended military deployment to the Middle East.? Given the area of operations of his ship, we held our breath when the war started and we were so pleased when he left the war zone and returned safely to San Diego.? I can¡¯t think of a better Mother¡¯s Day gift in our family.

Thanks for what you do each day in support of our students and have a great weekend.???????

Best, David

May 19 – School Committee Meeting

May 25 – Memorial Day (Schools & Offices Closed)

June 2 – School Committee Meeting

June 16 – School Committee Meeting

June 19 – Juneteenth (Schools & Offices Closed)

WHS Choral Director Dr. Kevin McDonald who was selected to receive a Country Music Award, earning their distinction of Music Teacher of Excellence. The award was presented on tuesday by Jamie Chisum, Lauren Saracino, and members of the admin team along with members of Kevin¡¯s family. Kevin will travel to Nashville in October to be honored and celebrated as part of the CMAs. This is a tremendous honor, and Kevin is so deserving.

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Ruth Ortiz Collazo: On April 28th, Ruth Ortiz stood before the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and did something remarkable ¡ª she told her story. While others spoke in policy and data, Ruth spoke in images: a teacher who has spent eight years serving ÎÞ¾¡×ÊÔ´²É¼¯, waking up in the middle of the night thinking about an exam, and facing the uncertainty of DESE license non-renewal. Her testimony drew the room’s attention in a way that others did not, because it was personal and true. And because it reminded the Board that behind every policy are real people with real stories. The Board voted unanimously in favor of the Proposed Amendments to Regulations on Educator Licensure and Preparation Program Approval. We would like to recognize Se?ora Ortiz for her courage and advocacy, not only on her own behalf but also on behalf of all educators across the Commonwealth who face similar barriers to licensure.

Graduate credit courses offered through the Albion Center at Idaho State University will no longer be accepted for credit by ÎÞ¾¡×ÊÔ´²É¼¯. This decision follows a recent message from the Massachusetts School Superintendents’ Association indicating that the program is under review due to concerns about the rigor of its coursework. While Idaho State University courses may still be applied toward professional development points (PDPs), they will no longer count as graduate-level credit within WPS for lane changes. Please reach out to Sandy Trach, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, with any questions.

As we look toward the next school year, the district will be transitioning from Zoom to Google Meet as our primary video conferencing platform for general staff use. This shift, which will take effect this summer, allows us to be more fiscally responsible by fully utilizing our Google Education Plus license. In addition, Google Meet now offers several helpful new features, including Adaptive Audio, which eliminates echo when multiple staff members join a meeting from the same room, live translated captions in over 65 languages, and a picture-in-picture mode that allows the user to view the Meet and relevant documents at the same time.

This change won¡¯t happen until this summer, which will give everyone the remainder of the school year to explore the platform and receive assistance from the Tech Dept. Please visit the??to submit a Help Desk ticket or to find a member of the department assigned to your building.

In August 2026, there will be a three-week gap between pay periods. This occurs periodically due to how the school and payroll calendars align.

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To help ensure a smooth transition through this period, we are sharing this notice well in advance so that all employees can plan accordingly. Staff may wish to set aside funds during the year to help cover personal expenses during this short gap.

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Below is a summary of the upcoming schedule for the 2025¨C2026 school year:

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No paychecks will be issued between August 17 and September 8, 2026.

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If you have any questions about your individual pay schedule, please contact the Payroll Office for assistance.

The MTRS has many members who?do not?have a beneficiary on file. This Spring, these members will receive either an email or a mailed letter (if no email address on file) asking them to designate a beneficiary.

To designate or change a beneficiary, members must sign and mail the??to our Main Office.

If MTRS members have questions, please email?annstmt@trb.state.ma.us.

The Town of ÎÞ¾¡×ÊÔ´²É¼¯ offers an?Employee?Assistance?Program?(EAP) to support employees and their families.??Effective July 1, 2025, CMG Associates is the new?EAP?provider (see?).?Employees may want to access the?EAP?because of emotional difficulties, life stress, family difficulties, concerns about substance abuse or?other addictive behavior, legal or financial problems, or other personal issues.?The?EAP?is completely free,?confidential, and available at all times (day or night, weekdays, weekends, and holidays).?Employees may call CMG Associates at 888-851-7032, or they may visit?, click on the link entitled?EAP?Log-In, and use the User ID: WELL.

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May make changes throughout the year through the company.

Work directly through US Omni and the SMART Plan.

Email?AskHR@ÎÞ¾¡×ÊÔ´²É¼¯ps.org.?The Human Resources Department is happy to assist you.??

For all Internal Job Postings, please?go to ¡°¡± under the Faculty tab of the District¡¯s website.?