District Digest June 2026 | Monthly newsletter for WPS families and staff | | |
|  | | 📝 Message from the Superintendent Last week, the district celebrated staff members who are celebrating milestone years of service with WPS, as well as soon-to-be retirees. As the school year ends, we would like to give another big congratulations to the following staff retiring from Westwood and thank them for their dedication to our students:
- Kristen Evans*, Principal, Sheehan - 18 years
- David Frederickson*, Guidance Counselor, WHS - 15 years
- Paul Grenham, Grade 2 Teacher, Sheehan - 27 years
- Ellen Hanley Nadeau, Nurse, Downey - 17 years
- Donna Harris, Extended Day Site Coordinator, Downey - 26 years
- Shannon Holbrook, Literacy Paraprofessional, Sheehan - 15 years
- Sandra Mack*, Administrative Assistant, Food Service - 11 years
- Kate Merten, Instructional Technology Coach - 2 years
- Emily Miller, Science Teacher, WHS - 15 years
- Beth Stebbins, Grade 5 Teacher, Sheehan - 14 years
- Bianca Terrenzi, Accounts Payable - 51 years
- Donna Tobin, SEL Director/Interim Sheehan Principal - 14 years
- Sidney Worthen, Literacy Specialist, Pine Hill - 25 years
(* retired earlier this school year)
To all of our staff and students heading off into summer, we hope you have a fantastic break and enjoy time with family and friends. We'll be ready to welcome students back on September 2nd!
- Tim | | | 2026 Grads The Class of 2026 graduated on May 31 in a wonderful ceremony out on Flahive Field, where the rain mostly held off and families, staff and students were able to celebrate this milestone accomplishment. Congratulations to all of our 2026 graduates! | Peers & Partners The Peers & Partners Program at the High School, created last year by alum Kevin Klaymeh and run this year by senior Dante Dionisi, is a true student-driven force for positive change. The program provides time in the school day for students in our sub-separate special education classrooms to get together with other WHS students to have fun and make new friends outside of academic classes. Dante exemplifies the concept of finding purpose and joy in service to others and improving conditions for all. Wishing you the very best in the future, Dante! | | | Jeanne Bylsma, Westwood Integrated Preschool Jeanne Bylsma, Administrative Assistant at the Westwood Integrated Preschool, has been the backbone of the preschool. This year especially, she is the first face that the children see in the morning and always starts their day with a smile. She knows the students, she knows the parents, and she works behind the scenes to communicate, organize and make sure everyone has what is needed. Jeanne does it all with kindness, resilience and enthusiasm. This year, without a program director, Jeanne has been the glue of the preschool community. Thank you, Jeanne, for all your hard work and commitment to the Westwood Integrated Preschool! | | |  | Go Sox ⚾ | Grade 8 students cheered on the Red Sox on a field trip to Fenway. |
 | Going Green ✅ | Pine Hill students watched as Principal Jones got slimed on Field Day. |
 | Festival Fun 🎉 | Sheehan families enjoyed food, music and games at the annual Cultural Festival. |
|  | Young Artists 🎨 | Downey put on its annual Art Show featuring work from the new kiln. |
 | Memory Lane 🚌 | WHS grads toured each elementary to wave goodbye to former teachers (📸 Here: Mr. K at MJ). |
 | PK Last Day 🍕 | Integrated Preschool families gathered for a pizza picnic and playground fun for the last day of Preschool. |
| | | Preschool Director/OOD Coordinator: Katy Dearborn We are happy to announce that Katy Dearborn will be our new preschool director and out-of-district coordinator! For the last year, Ms. Dearborn has been the Student Services Department Head at Westwood High School, and prior to that she was the Assistant Director of Elementary Special Education in the Newton Public Schools. We are excited that Ms. Dearborn has agreed to take on this new role and for the leadership stability that she will bring to the preschool. | | | New Website Coming Soon! We are excited to share that the Westwood Public Schools is launching a new website in the coming months. The new site will feature all of the same, important information you need as parents/caregivers and staff, while offering improvements to navigation, user friendliness, and the overall look and feel.
As part of this launch, WPS will also offer a mobile app, where community members can access calendar events, real-time updates, district communications and more right at their fingertips. Finally, you may notice that emails you receive from the district and schools will look slightly different due to our new back-end platform. We look forward to having the new website, app and messaging platform provide a seamless, intuitive and engaging experience for our families, students and staff.
- Steve Ouellette, Director of Technology
| | | 1. Last Day of School 😎 Early Dismissal times for the last day of school on June 22nd are:
- Middle School – 11:00 AM
- High School – 11:35 AM
- Elementary Schools – 12:10 PM (Extended Day closes at 3:00 PM)
| 2. Fall 2026 First Day 🎒 The first day of school for the 2026-2027 school year is Wednesday, September 2. We can't wait to see everyone back after the summer!
See the full 2026-2027 calendar here for your planning purposes. | 3. Bus Registration NOW OPEN 🚌 | 4. Coalition to Combat Hate Speech 💟 | | | - June 19: No School - Holiday
- June 22: Last Day of School (Early Dismissal)
- Sept. 2: Students' First Day
- Sept. 4-7: No School - Holiday
| | | Resources from around town: | | 📌 Career Opportunities | 💻 Stay Connected |  | Westwood Public Schools |
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