WHCIS BUILDING UPDATES

School Year 2024–2025 Information

All WHCIS classes (grades PK–8, and AIM and Newcomer Programs) will be located in the former Edgerly Education Center at 8 Bonair Street. The City completed additional, smaller renovations to allow grades PK and K to move from the Capuano Early Childhood Center to the Edgerly. 

Parking and Entrances to Edgerly

There are four entrances to Edgerly. This table shows when to use each entrance. 

Name of Entrance

Location

When to Use

Main Entrance

8 Bonair St.

Bonair St., further from Cross St. (no ADA ramp)

For visitors and for students who arrive late.

(Those needing accessible entrance should use the entrance closest to Cross St. That entrance is also close to the indoor elevator.)

ADA Entrance

4 Bonair St.

Bonair St., at Cross St. intersection

Students being dropped off by special education buses.

This is also the accessible entrance for the building.

Otis St. at Cross St.

Otis St., at Cross St. intersection

Mainly used for 7th and 8th grade student entrance.

Cafeteria Door

Otis St., through outdoor recess yard.

For breakfast arrival.

Primary arrival and dismissal location for grades PK–6.

Drop-off and Pickup

  • Parents/guardians may park in the neighborhood 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. on weekdays.
    • The City does not ticket for resident parking and street sweeping violations in school areas between 7:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. on school days. 
    • Vehicles do not need a Resident Parking Permit to park in on-street resident parking spaces during this time period. 
    • If you park in spaces marked “no parking,” or “pickup / drop-off only,” or if you are blocking a fire hydrant, an accessible ramp or parking space, or residents’ driveways, you will be ticketed. 
  • There are accessible spaces located on the Bonair Street side.

We strongly recommend taking advantage of rolling drop-off on Otis Street beginning at 7:45 a.m. Parents/guardians who are dropping off their students but not walking with them to the play lot or entrance should use this rolling drop-off site. Parents / guardians using this option may not leave their vehicle, and must drop off students and continue driving.

Walking and Biking to School

City staff work hard to make sure that students and families can safely use Somerville’s walking, bus / train, and bike options. Visit these links for maps, resources, and details: 

Consider creating a walking school bus or bike train with other families: Learn how.

 

BACKGROUND

Edgerly Renovations (Summer 2024)

The City renovated some additional spaces at Edgerly to allow PK and K classrooms to relocate to join the rest of the Winter Hill community. Renovations included:

  • Relocating or renovating some classrooms and spaces to accommodate new PK and K classrooms and facilities.
  • Adding an ADA-accessible ramp from the Otis St. play lot into the building, and improving exterior stairs.

Until early 2024, the City planned to renovate the former Boxing Club space at Edgerly to increase square footage and add new classrooms. However, this memo from the City provides details on why these renovations are no longer possible.

Spring 2023

The Winter Hill Community Innovation School at Sycamore Street was permanently closed in Spring 2023, after a piece of concrete fell onto a stairwell inside of the school while the building was unoccupied. PK and K students were temporarily relocated to the  Capuano Early Education Center for School Year 2023-2024, while grades 1-8 and the AIM and Newcomer programs were relocated to the former Edgerly Education Center on Bonair Street. In School Year 2024–2025, all WHCIS grades will be reunited at the Edgerly. WHCIS students and staff are expected to remain at the Bonair Street location until a new school building is constructed. 

The City and SPS are currently in the process of building a new school, with support and funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. For project details visit www.somervillema.gov/msba. 

Please email questions at any time to communications@k12.somerville.ma.us.