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February 10, 2011 - 10:03am

St. John's St. John's Nursery School Currently Enrolling

by Dave Atkins

St. John’s Nursery School has space available in the two day program for the 2011 – 2012 school year.

Days and Hours:
Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00am – 12:00pm
Lunch Bunch Available (optional) each
Tuesday and Thursday until 1:00pm

For more information please contact Mal Tennihan, Director, at (781) 329-2032 or via email at registration@stjohnsnursery.org

St. John’s Nursery School
95 Deerfield Ave
Westwood, MA

***Children must be 3 years old by September 1, 2011***

St. John's Nursery School is a private, non-denominational preschool. St. John's is accredited by the National Accreditation of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and has served children and their families for nearly 40 years.

February 7, 2011 - 10:26am

Race to Nowhere Documentary to Show in Dedham

by Dave Atkins

The Dedham Community Theatre will show Race to Nowhere on February 26 and 27, at 9:30am, followed by a panel discussion of parents and educators. The documentary tells the stories of young people "pushed to the brink," in the pressure-cooker environment of an achievement-oriented culture. The movie is a conversation starter and "a call to mobilize families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens." Tickets are $5.

December 13, 2010 - 9:13am

Westwood Alumni Association to give away car

by Jason Lee

 

One lucky winner will drive away with a Honda CR-Z valued at more than $26,000 MSRP. 

The car, a sporty and economically-friendly Honda hybrid, is being offered up for raffle by the Westwood High School Alumni Association.

The raffle is intended to jump start the group’s new focus on the whole of the Westwood school system.

“We are growing and redefining the association’s overall mission and objective by expanding our scope beyond the high school,” said Jason Lee, president.

To do that, Lee says, the association will offer to partner with the elementary and middle schools as well as other town organizations on projects that benefit PTOs and students at each institution.

Lee stresses that the Alumni Association will not overlap with other groups already working with the town’s schools.

“We are not here to replace WEF or WESC,” he said. “We are offering to be a complementary and supporting vehicle to these organizations.

 “We are a registered non profit 501(c)3 that can provide many benefits for those organizations that are not registered non-profits,” Lee explained, adding that the first such affiliation is the association’s partnership with the high school PTO on its April 10th Bowling Bash.

Lee calls the Alumni Association’s expanded focus a win-win for the town, its school and the Alumni Organization.

“The goal is to further the success of the Westwood educational system.”

The group’s expanded focus calls for a larger panel of involved individuals. The association will start an Advisory Board for this endeavor and is seeking town officials as well as representation from the elementary and middle schools.

The Alumni Association will continue to provide scholarships to deserving high school students. Lee says that, in the past six years, the group has given more than $30,000 in scholarship money to deserving Westwood High School students.

Click here for full article

http://www.wickedlocal.com/westwood/news/x2012964645/Westwood-alumni-to-give-away-car

October 8, 2010 - 1:00pm

Launch of the new Westwood High Alumni website

by Jason Lee

The Westwood High Alumni Association is excited to announce the launch of their new website www.westwoodalumni.org

The Westwood High Alumni Association founded in 2005 fosters community awareness, provides scholarships and serves as a resource to all alumni, friends and family of Westwood High School, Westwood MA.

We are seeking volunteers and alumni to assist with the annual Westwood Golf Tournament to be held in the spring. Please visit us online for more information.

 

October 4, 2010 - 8:06pm

St. John's Nursery Open House and Registration

by Dave Atkins

St. John’s Nursery School, a private, non-denominational preschool for 3 year old children announces several key dates for the 2011-2012 school year. The school will host an Open House on Saturday, November 6, 2010 from 9:30 -11:30 a.m. and an Open House with Registration on Saturday, January 8, 2011 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Registration only will take place on Wednesday, January 12, 2011 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on the evening of Thursday, January 13, 2011 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. A closed Lottery will take place on January 13, 2011 at 8:15 p.m. Children who will be 3 years old by September 1, 2011 are eligible to attend the program in the 2011-2012 school year. Parents and their children are invited to join us at the Open Houses to meet the staff and learn about the curriculum and a typical school day. The school is located at 95 Deerfield Avenue, Westwood on the grounds of St. John’s Episcopal Church.

St. John’s Nursery School is a nonprofit school and does not discriminate in providing services to children and their families on the basis of race, religion, cultural heritage, political beliefs, national origin, disability, sexual preference, or marital status. St. John’s is NAEYC accredited and has served children in this town for more than 30 years.

For more information regarding the Open Houses and the Nursery School please call Mal Tennihan, Director at (781) 329-2032 or via email at registration@st.johnsnursery.org. You may also visit our website at www.stjohnsnursery.org

September 1, 2010 - 9:31pm

Westwood Schools Launch Student Information Management System

by Dave Atkins

Westwood parents received a letter today instructing them to logon to a website and enter emergency contact information for their children. The new online process eliminates the need for paper "emergency cards." Instead, parents will enter the information online in the "X2" system. Apparently, this is the first step in consolidating student information online. This link to Hingham-based X2 Development Corporation includes a video illustrating some of the more advanced features of the system.

The system is not without glitches. I entered my information multiple times because it appeared not to be saved when I examined my daughter's record. However, I later learned (through feedback on the WestwoodBlog Facebook page) that this is "normal" because the database is not updated immediately. Follow the instructions on each screen carefully and refer to the step-by-step guide including screenshots like the one below. (after you login, the magnifying glass below is clickable and is how you select your child's record)

A couple of hours after entering our emergency contact information (and starting this blog post), I returned to the X2 system and found all my information updated.

So try it out by going to http://x2dev.net/westwood. Parents have until September 13 to update the emergency contact information.

August 17, 2010 - 10:29am

Wrestling for Westwood?

by Dave Atkins

Dave Feyler is interested in talking to any parents that would like to help start a wrestling program in Westwood. Westwood's own Kenny Florian is the number 1 contender in the UFC in the 155 pld division. The most expensive part of starting a wrestling program is the mats, which run around $8,500. Wrestling is a very disciplined sport and builds great amount of self confidence. If there are any parents that would like to help out getting a wrestling program started in Westwood email Dave Feyler at Eyedtech@aol.com.

There is also a program called stance in motion that helps new wrestling programs get started with funding. This is only one way of raising funds for the mats. Once the mats are purchased, wrestling is one of the least expensive sports for students to participate. Neighboring towns including Dedham, Norwood, Needham have longstanding, successful programs.

August 11, 2010 - 8:43pm

Westwood on National Top 10 School List

by Dave Atkins

GreatSchools, a national nonprofit that collects and publishes education data to inspire and guide parents towards improving their schools and strengthening their communities has featured Westwood as one of the top public school systems in small U.S. cities.

Year after year, Westwood students score in the top percentiles on national reading and math tests, and an overwhelming majority of high school graduates continue to college. But it’s not all work, no play: There’s an abundance of recreational areas, nature preserves, playgrounds, and ball fields.

GreatSchools is much more than just another U.S. News annual ranking. I worked with founder Bill Jackson in 1996 when we developed SmartVoter.org. He went on to create GreatSchools based on the idea that shared information would empower parents, teachers, and communities to look for ways to measure, analyze, and chart the improvements in their schools. Long before "No Child Left Behind" or, more recently the Obama administration's "Race to the Top" program came along, Great Schools was laying the foundation for local efforts to improve education. Being featured as a top school nationally is much more than simply having the highest MCAS/income-correlated pass rates--it reflects the comprehensive commitment to education in the town of Westwood and is a recognition everyone should be proud of.

August 7, 2010 - 9:05pm

New Local Toy Store Delights Kids and Parents

by Dave Atkins
Marshall checks out the toy selection at stellabella

Stellabella Toys started out in Cambridge, but recently opened its fourth store at Dedham's Legacy Place. I had a chance to drop by last Sunday and again today in search of a birthday party gift. We also took advantage of the $5 off coupon (click below to download and print).

It's a fun store--very different from the big box world of Toys R Us with prices as good or better. They have many $10-20 toys with quality products ranging from "snap bracelets" and bug jars to Magna Tiles, Razor scooters, and Skuut balance/coaster bikes. It reminds me of what toy stores were like before everything got so big.

The biggest challenge for me was to keep the kids from going wild and knocking things off the shelves.

stellabella toys
Legacy Place, near City Sports
Phone: (781) 329-6290
Hours: Monday - Saturday 10am-9pm
Sunday 11am-6pm

coupon for $5 off stellabella toys at Dedham Legacy Place

August 6, 2010 - 9:53am

Westwood Seniors Aim High

by Dave Atkins

An article in Westwood Patch yesterday reports an amazing 93.8% of Westwood High School seniors plan to attend a 4-year college. That's based on a survey from 2008 conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (full data available here). I was curious to see what other districts were reporting, so I compiled this table of nearby school districts:

School District percentage of seniors reporting 4-year college plans
Dover-Sherborn 93.9
Westwood 93.8
Wellesley 93.2
Medfield 92.0
Needham 90.5
Sharon 88.5
Holliston 87.5
Brookline 84.9
Newton 82.8
Millis 82.0
Milton 78.2
Walpole 77.7
Canton 73.1
Norwood 69.3
Dedham 68.5

 

It's great to be at the top of a list like that, but many people are concerned about the crushing debt burden colleges can impose on young people (student loan payments like renting an extra apartment) and counsel students and parents to consider other options. The discussion in the link to the Chronicle of Higher Education article above is worth considering at least for many students who might choose a less traditional path to a happy and successful future.

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