August 6, 2024

Greetings WPS Families:

I hope that you enjoy the last three weeks of August. Our campus is a busy place as we prepare to open our doors to students on Tuesday, August 27. I would like to extend my thanks to all who are hard at work getting things ready. From our maintenance, custodial, and grounds staff who are tackling a variety of facility projects, and our school and district office assistants who are completing a myriad of summer tasks, to our school and district administrators and curriculum and instructional leaders who collaborated to hire the best teachers and support staff for our children. It takes a unified and committed team during the weeks of July and August to make all of this happen.

Principals Kaddis, Falber, Doak, and Conetta will reach out to families this week to communicate specific information by school. WMS and WIS families may recall that at the end of the school year, Principals Doak and Falber informed you about changes regarding cell phones for this upcoming school year. They will share more specifics in their communications.

In my June 2024 update, I shared with you that, after the BOE voted (5-2) to move the Weston Middle School project forward on May 20, First Selectwoman Nestor “called for a pause” in this work. There were concerns that the plan was premature and only addressed one school and that there needed to be a better understanding of the scope of the work that the district and town face moving into the future.

I agree that a solid understanding of the district and town projects is needed. The state of the district facilities has been studied over the years, and these reports are posted on our district website. Information includes studies beginning in 2008. There are sites on campus that need to be considered in partnership with the town.

One project, in particular, includes the facilities that need to be prepared or relocated to accommodate state-mandated electronic buses within the next six years. Other projects include the shared office space at the annex, the Board of Education central office facility and the surrounding area, the shared Senior Center/HES space, the WMS/community pool, and the district maintenance facility. These projects will require ongoing collaborative conversations with the town in order to be successful.

This summer WPS Director of Finance and Operations Cross and Director of Facilities Del Mastro continue to review and refine the scope of work that will ensure the district buildings are maintained, safe and dry, appropriately heated or cooled, and mechanically sound. Mr. Cross and Mr. Del Mastro are actively working with our partners to develop a budget, accounting for both current and future costs, to ensure our students have the necessary resources for learning. This information will be shared with the BOE in early fall.

As we enter the 2024-2025 school year, it is my hope that we can forge a path forward that goes beyond fixing aging infrastructure to include supporting programmatic needs that impact teaching and learning. This will require specific funding. I encourage you to read the WMS Educational Specifications that we presented to the BOE last spring as it will give insight into this level of work. The district remains committed to this work in partnership with the Weston Town Government.

Sincerely,

Lisa R. Barbiero

Superintendent of Schools 

 

Back to School Dates

September 5: HES PreK and Kindergarten BTSN, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

September 10: WIS Grade 3 BTSN, 6:30 - 8:00 pm

September 11: WIS Grade 4 BTSN, 6:30 - 8:00 pm

September 12: HES Grade 1 BTSN, 6:30 - 8:00 pm

September 17: WIS Grade 5 BTSN, 6:30 - 8:00 pm

September 18: WIS Grade 2 BTSN, 6:30 - 8:00 pm

September 19: WMS Grades 6 - 8 BTSN, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

September 26: WHS Grades 9 - 12 BTSN, 6:30 - 8:30 pm