Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Boston officials recently attended a ribbon cutting for the Charlestown elementary school's new playground and outdoor learning space.
On a beautiful, sunny Friday morning—the kind that seem tailor-made for outdoor fun—Harvard-Kent Elementary School in Charlestown celebrated the grand opening of its new, improved schoolyard. At a ribbon cutting ceremony held outside the school’s renovated Bunker Hill Street entrance, Harvard-Kent Principal Jason Gallagher, Boston Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Carol Johnson, Mayor Tom Menino and Boston Schoolyard Initiative representative Kathy McHugh thanked the many people who made the project possible and spoke about the great things happening daily at Harvard-Kent and throughout the public school system. “I want to thank everyone for joining us on this special day, a day that we celebrate the revitalization of the Harvard-Kent …
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Harvard-Kent Elementary School
50 Bunker Hill St, Charlestown, MA
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The outgoing Boston leader cautioned residents not to focus too much on the negative as the mayoral race heats up.
Mayor Tom Menino cautioned Boston residents not to focus on negative portrayals of the Boston Public School system as the city’s mayoral race heats up. Speaking at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new playground at Harvard-Kent Elementary School in Charlestown on May 10, Menino touted the progress public schools have made in recent years and asked residents not to allow anyone to “tear this school system down” in the coming months. “We’ve made a lot of progress in the Boston Public Schools in the last several years. It’s because of a lot of reasons—teachers, principals, the superintendent, the community—and I tell you, the graduation rate is up, dropout rates are down, more kids are going on to college,” Menino said. He spoke of how the …
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Harvard-Kent Elementary School
50 Bunker Hill St, Charlestown, MA
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Monday, April 22, 2013
Staff and students at the Charlestown building will celebrate their Boston pride and raise money for The One Fund.
Back in session after April Vacation Week, the staff and students at Warren-Prescott School in Charlestown will be celebrating their city pride during "Boston Strong Day" on Wednesday, April 24. Students are being encouraged to show their "Boston pride" by wearing a Boston team shirt or anything red, white and blue, according to an email newsletter from the school sent out Monday afternoon. In addition, the school is hoping to collect $1 from each student to donate to The One Fund Boston.
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Warren-Prescott Elementary School
50 School St, Charlestown, MA
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Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Superintendent Carol R. Johnson sent out a letter to staff and student families on Tuesday.
In the aftermath of Monday’s Boston Marathon bombing, Boston Public Schools Superintendent Carol R. Johnson sent a letter to staff and families of students titled, “Talking with Children about Tragedies,” that was shared via the Warren-Prescott School newsletter on Tuesday morning. In the newsletter, Warren-Prescott Principal Michele Davis wrote: “Our sincere thoughts and prayers go out to all of those affected by yesterday’s events. Our own Melissa Shea ran the Boston Marathon yesterday and her family was among the spectators. I am relieved to report that Melissa and her family are safe.” Davis asked that anyone with information about other Warren-Prescott families that may have been affected by the bombing to contact her at mdavis@boston…
Friday, March 15, 2013
The city will buy a building at 585 Commercial St., which will become the fifth school in an area that encompasses the North End, the South End and Chinatown.
The North End will be home to another public school after a city purchase of a site formerly used by the Mitt Romney presidential campaign. The city of Boston will purchase the property at 585 Commercial St. and convert it to a K-8 school which will take students from the North End’s Eliot School, Boston.com reported on Thursday. The building, which is subject to inspection by the Boston School Committee, will be used as a temporary school until Eliot is renovated. Once that project is completed, the 585 Commercial St. location, after renovation will be used for about 500 students in September 2016, according to Boston.com.
The new program will use a computer-generated list of six schools for parents to choose from based on a variety of factors.
The Boston School Committee adopted a new assignment policy that does away with a decades-old system in a landmark Wednesday night vote. The new policy will use a computer-generated algorithm to produce a list of six schools for parents to choose from based on distance to school, capacity and MCAS test scores, according to Boston.com. Four of the six schools listed will be of “medium to high quality,” Boston.com reports. The system will be implemented beginning September 2014. “Tonight’s historic vote marks a new day for every child in the City of Boston,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said. “A more predictable and equitable student assignment system that emphasizes quality and keeps our children close to home has been a long time coming for our …
Friday, March 8, 2013
Students will be counted as 'constructively absent.'
Boston Public School officials said that any student not in school on Friday, March 8 will be marked as "constructively present," meaning the absence will be excused. School officials did not close school on Friday because of the inclement weather and will dismiss on their normal schedules. School buses will complete all scheduled routes. But all extracurricular activites including athletic events have been cancelled. Boston Public Schools posted a message on its Facebook page about students being marked "constructively present" and noted that an automated phone call was going out to all families about the decision. “Our school staff, especially our facilities teams, have done an incredible job today keeping sidewalks and driveways clear …
It snowed throughout the night, making roads slick and dangerous, and many bus stops and sidewalks are still covered.
Boston Public Schools did not close school today despite the continued snowfall throughout the night and into this afternoon. With sidewalks, streets and bus stops all needing to be plowed, should Boston schools have been cancelled today? Boston Public Schools have already said they will forgive all absences today, according to WBZ's Beth Germano. Boston Public Schools posted that school was open today, and a message about buses: "Some school buses are delayed due to heavy traffic in the city. All of our school buses are on the road and will complete their scheduled routes this morning and afternoon. If you have school bus transportation questions, please call our Transportation Hotline at 617-635-9520." But some parents feel otherwise, …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Boston City Councilor Connolly says the public school options for Boston residents still fall short in several important areas.
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Monday, February 25
On Monday night the External Advisory Committee on Student Assignment is slated to recommend a new assignment model to the Superintendent and School Committee. After nearly a year of work, the models put forth by the district for the EAC's consideration still fall short in a several areas. In October, a coalition of six elected officials put forth the Quality Choice Plan as a comprehensive model that addresses the issue of uneven quality across the city as an integral part of the creation of a new assignment model. Over 7,000 Bostonians signed onto the plan and, as this process comes to a conclusion, their voices must be heard. There are a few key elements that should be included in the final recommendation to the School Committee. A long…
Monday, February 11, 2013
Boston crews are working around the clock to make all city streets passable, forcing public schools to be closed again.
[UPDATED Monday, Feb. 11, 6:41 p.m.] Boston Public Schools will be closed on Tuesday, Feb. 12 because of the continued cleanup of the Blizzard of 2013 that dropped more than two feet on Charlestown and around the city. Mayor Thomas Menino's posted the following from his official Twitter account on Monday evening: "Boston Public Schools will be closed Tuesday, February 12. #bosnow #bps" Shortly afterward, his office released a statement confirming the decision. “The safety of our students comes first, and schools will remain closed as our snow removal crews work through the night and tomorrow to clear side streets and widen bus routes,” the mayor said in the statement. Boston Public Schools are also closed next week for February break. All …
Matthew
8:39 pm on Friday, March 8, 2013
Maybe, maybe not. Too late now. But those who made it survived. A little crappy weather isn't the end of the world. more ›