Message to Families - June 4, 2021

Dear Weymouth School Community, 

 

It’s hard to believe it’s already June, and our school year is beginning to come to a close as we honor our Weymouth High School Seniors tomorrow, and wish them the very best of luck in their future endeavors. 

 

The Class of 2021 began their celebrations this week with the Senior Gala, which would not have been possible without the help of our dedicated administrators, principals, staff members, maintenance and custodians, security, the Weymouth Police Department and SROs, community partners, volunteers, and of course our families, with their generous donations, who helped make this event free for all students.  It was a special evening, and one that will be remembered for years to come.  Our seniors were featured on WBZ - CBS Boston, and were radiating with positivity and promise.

 

As we say goodbye to the Class of 2021, we look forward to welcoming our newest class, the Kindergarten Class of 2034 in September. While plans continue to develop, we wanted to share an update related to full day kindergarten.  Thanks to a collaborative effort among Mayor Hedlund, the School Committee, and the Town Council; School Administration has proposed plans to fully fund full day kindergarten. This plan was presented to the Town Council as part of the FY22 budget last week.  Special thanks to Assistant Superintendent Brian Smith, and Chief of Staff Ted Langill, for their work in crafting this resourceful and viable funding plan. 

 

It is our expectation that a final announcement regarding full day kindergarten will be made after the June 21 Town Council meeting. Registration is currently open and accessible on the Weymouth Public Schools website.  We are excited to welcome our kindergarten class, and look forward to greeting them in September. 

 

There’s a lot of goodwill circulating right through our final days of school.  Abigail Adams Student Council recently completed a toiletry drive that collected items to be handed out at yesterday’s Weymouth Market, and for other groups in the Weymouth community. Special thanks to all those involved with this effort. 

 

We are incredibly proud to receive the news that Weymouth High School has achieved National Banner Recognition this year, the highest level of achievement in the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools movement, as a result of meeting ten national standards of excellence in the areas of inclusion, advocacy, and respect.  Please take a few minutes to watch the announcement from Special Olympics Massachusetts, and learn more about inclusion in our schools. 

 

Speaking of pride, June is Pride Month in our schools and across the country, a time when we celebrate, bring awareness to, and share the experiences of our LGBTQ community.  We are proud to support this effort all year long, not just in June, and stand with our LGBTQ students, their families, and the entire community as we work to build inclusive learning environments that support all students. 

 

Last month we extended a well-earned thank you to all our school staff for their efforts this year. This week, we think our families deserve some recognition for their support, and sacrifices, as we transitioned from remote learning, to hybrid learning, to in-person instruction.  We truly appreciate your efforts, and value your partnership.  As end of the year celebrations commence, we hope you'll take a moment to reflect on how much our school community accomplished this year, together.   

 

In closing, congratulations-- to our seniors, our inclusive community, our families, our student leaders, our exceptional staff, community supporters, the Town of Weymouth, and everyone who was involved in an unprecedented school year filled with extraordinary accomplishments.  Bravo Weymouth Public Schools, it’s (almost) time to celebrate! 

 

Best Regards,

Kathleen Smith, JD

Superintendent