October 6, 2023
Welcome back, adult education students!
Last Tuesday was the first day of classes for our adult students. Our adult education program, called SCALE (Somerville Center for Adult Learning Experiences), offers high school adult equivalency test preparation classes and English as a second language. This fall, they have four college and career readiness classes, including Introduction to the IT Landscape, Patient Experience, and Basic Accounting. Learn more about SCALE — and register for a class — at their website. Pictured below is the first day of a reading and writing high school equivalency class.
Student and Staff Stories
Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
The Somerville High School Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department hosted visitors from the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce, a county northeast of Atlanta, Georgia. Around 60 Chamber members had already attended an hour-long panel discussion with our staff. Later that day, a dozen business and education leaders toured the CTE programs. Pictured is Meaghan McDevitt, CTE Program Director for Community & Work Based Learning, answering questions in one of our CTE studios.
Kennedy Named 2023 National Blue Ribbon School
The Kennedy School was named a 2023 National Blue Ribbon School. Schools are chosen based on overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student groups on assessments. U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona says, “the honorees for our 2023 Blue Ribbon Schools Award have set a national example for what it means to raise the bar in education.” Congratulations to the Kennedy School educators, staff, students, and community! Read more in the press release.
Congratulations, Maura Mendoza
Congratulations to Maura Mendoza for being named an Aspiring Latino Leader Fellow by Latinos for Education! She is one of 25 leaders from across Massachusetts to be chosen. This 9-month program advances Latino leaders through culturally responsive professional development, while nurturing a strong local network of educators. Superintendent Carmona is an alumni of the fellowship as well as our MLE Assistant Director Gladys Valle. Ms. Mendoza is our Multilingual Services Coordinator, supporting SPS staff with translation and interpretation needs.
Congratulations, Dr. Ana Nieto
Congratulations to Dr. Ana Nieto for being selected to the 2023 Early Childhood Policy Fellowship by the Bank Street College of Education! She is one of 13 leaders chosen from across the United States who are working toward creating high-quality, equitable early childhood systems. Dr. Nieto is the Coordinator of Prenatal to School Entry Partnership Alignment and Grant Development at Somerville Public Schools.
Adda Santos Recognized in MassLive
Somerville High School history teacher Adda Santos was recognized by MassLive as an inspiring leader from the Hispanic community. Congratulations, Ms. Santos! You can read the article.
October is National Principals Month
October marks the celebration of a special group of leaders in our school community – our principals! These dedicated individuals play a pivotal role in shaping our students’ futures and the trajectory of our education system. Please join us this month in recognizing and thanking our principals for their unwavering dedication, exceptional leadership, and positive impact on student success.
Activities for Families and Students
Activities listed below are free unless otherwise indicated.
Somerville High School College Fair. October 19, 6:30–8:00 p.m. in the Somerville High School Cafeteria. More than 50 colleges and universities will send representatives and all grades and families are welcome.
Scrapheap Showdown. October 22, 12:00–6:00 p.m. It's time for Somerville High School students to sign up for the Scrapheap Showdown engineering challenge, run by the Somerville Mathematics Fund. Enjoy a day competing with other students for fun prizes in the Tufts University Gantcher Center. Teams of three must Preregister online before October 6.
Climate-Palooza. October 19, 5:30–7:30 p.m. at the Healey School. The Healey and Brown Schools are hosting a joint event for all families with students in kindergarten through fifth grade. Enjoy family-friendly climate activities and free pizza.
Powderhouse Teen Center. Mondays and Wednesdays, 6:00–8:00 p.m. and Fridays, 3:00–6:00 p.m. Drop-in teen center run by the Somerville Recreation Department is open at the Powderhouse Committee House, 850 Broadway. Teens ages 12–18 are invited to enjoy age-appropriate activities at this free resource. Students must register first. Find more information at the Somerville Recreation Department website.
Registration for Somerville Youth Hockey Learn to Skate/Learn to Play Hockey. Currently open. There is a significant tuition cost for these programs but financial aid is available and requests are kept confidential. To learn more and register, visit their webpage.
Information for Families
Donating to Athletics Department. Please note: The Somerville Public Schools Athletics Department does not accept sponsorship, though individual teams may do their own fundraising. If you are unsure whether someone is calling you on behalf of our SPS Athletics Department, please email or call (617-629-5250) and speak to an SPS Athletics Department colleague.
Personal Identification Numbers for Student Lunches. Please remind students that they will need their four-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) when they get their school lunch. School meals are free, but the Food and Nutrition Services Department (FNSD) uses the PIN to collect data that affect funding. Contact FNSD if your student does not know their PIN.
Health and Coronavirus Updates from School Nursing. Read the informative letter from the SPS Nursing Department about student health updates and the latest coronavirus information for the 2023–2024 school year in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole. Find your child's school nurse by visiting the nursing webpage.
Free COVID-19 Testing Kits. Free COVID-19 testing kits are available again by mail order from the federal government through this website. If you still have testing kits at home, you may want to check the FDA extended expiration dates list for many at-home COVID-19 test kits, including those provided to Somerville Public Schools.
Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) Job and Resource Fair. October 12, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Over 30 employer partners and educational enrichment organizations will attend. The Center for the Arts at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave. Register.
Survey about Planned Intergenerational Pop-Up Space in Union Square. Survey open until December. Non-profit CultureHouse is seeking community thoughts and ideas to help inform the goals of a five-month pop-up in Union Square through a survey available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole. They would like feedback from people of all ages.
Somerville Public Schools Jobs. Find the complete listing of SPS open positions, including an art teacher, automotive technology instructor, senior clerk, and more.
City of Somerville Jobs. Find the complete listing of City of Somerville open positions.