Schools

Dear Wareham voters and homeowners...: Students say thank you for the new school

The new Wareham Elementary School opened on Jan. 4 for Wareham students in preschool through fourth grade. The students in Amanda Fitzgerald’s third grade class wrote heartfelt letters to the Wareham voters and homeowners to thank them for approving...

Select Board gives School Committee key to the new school

The Wareham Elementary School is now open, and the Select Board commemorated that accomplishment with a proclamation and the handing of a symbolic key to the school from Select Board Chair Judith Whiteside to School Committee Chair Joyce Bacchiocchi...

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School Committee supports assistance dog coming to the district

Bentley, a friendly, well-trained and easy-going labrador retriever, attended the Jan. 6 Wareham Public School Committee meeting, and he stole the show. Bentley is an assistance dog that works in Mansfield public schools. Bentley is partnered with...

High school softball field named after former coach

The Wareham High School softball field joined the ranks thoughtfully-named sports venues on Thursday night. During the School Committee’s Jan. 6 meeting, the board voted unanimously to name the field in honor of the late Lance E. Howlett , who...

District gets crafty about coverage in wake of staff illnesses

Students and staff returned to school for the first time in 2022 on Tuesday, Jan. 4 — a day later than planned. The delayed return to the classroom — which also delayed the opening of the new Wareham Elementary School building — was the result of a...

Breaking: Wareham schools closed Monday due to staff illnesses

Wareham schools will be closed Monday because of the number of staff members who are ill, Superintendent of Schools Kimberly Shaver-Hood announced on the school district’s Web site. “It is my hope we return on Tuesday, Jan. 4,’’ she wrote in the...

High school students build two ‘Wickets Island Skiffs’

This fall, eight high school students gathered at the Onset Bay Center twice a week. By December, they’d built two new skiffs that will be added to the center’s fleet. Dave Arnold, the woodshop teacher at Wareham High School, led the group with help...

Third graders tour new school

“Oohs” and “ahhs” filled the hallways at the new Wareham Elementary School as the third grade class got their first tour of the building they’ll start attending in the new year. “I didn’t expect it to be this cool!” exclaimed one student soon after...

Santa leads parade from Decas to Wareham Elementary School

On Tuesday afternoon, Santa Claus — along with Mrs. Claus, Wareham Fire, and many teachers — paraded from the Decas School to the new Wareham Elementary School on Minot Avenue. At the new school, Santa visited with some students and took a tour of...

Holiday celebrations 'around the world' at Decas Elementary

Second grade students at Decas Elementary traveled “around the world” without ever leaving their cafeteria on Thursday, Dec. 16. Decas staff — including paraprofessionals and literary specialists — and PTA volunteers facilitated 10 stations’ worth...

Wareham’s MCAS scores don’t tell the whole story, administrators say

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Andrea Schwamb spoke to the School Committee about the district’s 2021 MCAS results at the Dec. 15 meeting and emphasized that the results are not the most accurate way to understand students’ learning. Schwamb noted...

Covid cases high in Wareham Schools

The Wareham Public Schools were 47th in the state for reported covid cases as of Dec. 8, reported Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Shaver-Hood reported at the Dec. 15 School Committee meeting. Between Sept. 13 and Dec. 8, 168 students and 37 staff...

Turning Point to lease McDuffy Center from school district

The School Committee voted at its Dec. 15 meeting to approve allowing Turning Point, a charity devoted to helping the homeless and near homeless, to use the McDuffy Center. The charity will pay for the utilities at the McDuffy Center, and could move...

TikTok trend prompts added security at schools Friday

The Wareham Public Schools posted a message on the district website on Thursday, Dec. 16, related to a national trend on video social media app TikTok related to a threat to school safety at schools nationwide on Friday, Dec. 17. The district...

School Committee approves budget, talks new preschool program at Decas School

The School Committee approved a $32,076,796 budget at its Dec. 15 meeting, including a notable new source of revenue: new preschool classes to be held at the Decas School after current students move to the new Wareham Elementary School...

November students of the month

Each month, Wareham Middle School recognizes exceptional students in each grade. August Baptiste is the fifth grader of the month for November. “August is a sweet boy who takes pride in his work,” said one teacher. “He always raises his hand to...

Scotty Monteiro Jr. Award Winner for November

Julian Castro is the Scotty Monteiro Jr. award-winner for the month of November. According to the Middle School, Castro is a positive, cooperative and hard-working student. “ He is always conscientious about doing the right thing and he strives to...

Wareham High to perform ‘Alice in Wonderland’

Ready for a “wild ride down the rabbit hole?” The Wareham Viking Theatre Company will perform “Alice in Wonderland” at 7 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10, and Saturday, Dec. 11. “We’re going for whimsical, colorful, very fun,” said Gabriela Andrews, the...

Town officials express concern about possible future school budget deficit

Although no Wareham residents turned up to express opinions or ask questions about the school district’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2023, town officials brought up several concerns about Wareham Public Schools’ budget during a Dec. 2 joint...

Superintendent Shaver-Hood announces July 2022 retirement

Wareham Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Shaver-Hood will be retiring, effective July 31, 2022. Shaver-Hood announced her upcoming retirement during a Dec. 2 school budget-focused joint meeting of the School Committee, Select Board and...

Parading the halls: Decas Elementary students show off their STEAM projects

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade might have more spectators, but the students at John W. Decas Elementary put on an impressive parade of their very own on Wednesday, Nov. 24. Groups of second graders marched the halls during the last half-day...

Decas Elementary students donate more than 60 boxes of food

In the run-up to Thanksgiving this November, the students at John W. Decas Elementary collected 63 total boxes of food to support the Church of The Good Shepherd’s community food pantry. Deanna Semple and Manny Borges, who work at the school,...

Wareham High School food drive collects more than 3,000 items for food pantry

As part of the school’s annual fall food drive, Wareham High School students collected more than 3,000 non-perishable food items for the Family Pantry at Damien’s Place. The drive ran from Wednesday, Nov. 17 to Tuesday, Nov. 23 — the same timeline...

Turkeys (in disguise) trot the halls at Decas Elementary

At John W. Decas Elementary, student-decorated “turkeys in disguise” line the halls — the continuation of a well-loved tradition that’s been upheld for 15 years and counting. “We read the story ‘Turkey Trouble,’” said Wendy Nault, a kindergarten...

Middle Schoolers collect more than 2,000 cans for food drive

Over the past two weeks, the Wareham Middle School’s Student Council ran a schoolwide canned food drive that brought in a grand total of 2,077 items. Classrooms competed to see which could bring in the most items. The winning homeroom was Mrs. Kim...

Key Club cleans up Minot Avenue

Minot Avenue got a much-needed clean-up on Friday afternoon, courtesy of the Wareham High School Key Club. Students worked together to clean both sides of the heavily-trafficked road from the new elementary school to the intersection with Indian...

Extra early release days for elementary school students in December

Elementary school students will likely be glad to hear they’ll have two extra early-release days in December to allow their teachers time to pack and unpack classroom materials for the new school. The early release days for elementary students only...

School budget shortfall to lead to staff reduction

Once again, it’s time for Wareham Schools administrators to put together an annual budget. And once again, the district is facing cuts: in supplies and five full-time positions will need to be cut. The initial draft of the budget came to a total of...

Superintendent Shaver-Hood given ‘proficient’ evaluation

Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Shaver-Hood has been rated “proficient” by the School Committee. Her evaluation was discussed at the Nov. 18 meeting. Committee Chair Joyce Bacchiocchi noted that no other town employee is evaluated in public like the...

Principals explore ways to implement district’s five-year strategic plan

During a Nov. 9 School Committee meeting, Wareham Public School administrators and educators outlined how the schools would be implementing the district’s five-year strategic plan. The plan, titled “Our Future Begins Here,” sets overarching goals...

Substitute cafeteria worker pay increased to $15

Substitute cafeteria workers in Wareham schools will be getting a bump in pay following a unanimous vote of the School Committee on Nov. 9. “We are having a great deal of difficulty finding cafeteria subs,” said Superintendent Dr. Kimberly Shaver-...

Wareham Middle School names October students of the month

Each month, Wareham Middle School recognizes an exceptional student in each grade. For October, the fifth grader of the month is Savannah Tripp. “Savannah is a curious, intrinsically motivated student who loves learning and embraces new academic...

Town takes ownership of ‘substantially complete’ new school

The town now officially owns the Wareham Elementary School, which was declared to be substantially complete on Nov. 5. That means that work on the building is 99 percent done. While crews worked on paving one of the final sections of the school’s...

Decas students decorate dazzling pumpkins

Students at the John W. Decas Elementary School got to visit a sweet gallery of pumpkins they’d decorated to look like their favorite fictional characters on Friday afternoon, even though school hadn’t met that day. “Look at all these great pumpkins...

High school senior receives recognition from National Merit Scholarship program

Amaya Anderson, a Wareham High School senior, has been named a Commended Student in the 2022 National Merit Scholarship program. Nationwide, about 34,000 students earn the title of “Commended Student,” which recognizes exceptional academic promise...

Scotty award winner for September named

Re’chaun Alavache is the September Scotty Monteiro Jr. Award Winner at Wareham Middle School. “ Re’chaun is a role model student that embodies being a responsible, respectful, and thoughtful student ,” said the school. “ He is inclusive and...

Bethany Chandler named Wareham Elementary School principal

Bethany Chandler, who currently serves as principal at the John W. Decas Elementary School, will become the sole principal of Wareham Elementary School when it opens next year. Minot Forest Elementary School Principal Joan Seamans will step into a...

School Committee talks mandating weekly testing for unvaccinated staff

The School Committee discussed the possibility of mandating unvaccinated school employees to get tested each week at school — which would be at no cost to the district due to a state testing program. The discussion on Oct. 14 followed a tense...

School District offices to move to East Wareham School

The Wareham School District will be moving its central offices to the East Wareham School, located at 27 Depot St., at the request of the town, which wants to dedicate the Multiservice Center to the Council on Aging. “They want the space,” said...

Wage increase approved for bus monitors

The Wareham School Committee voted at its Sept. 30 meeting to raise the pay for bus monitors from minimum wage — $13.50 an hour — to $16 per hour. The raise is intended to help the transportation department fill the bus monitor positions it...

Wareham athletes shine academically

Wareham High School Athletics Director Ed Rodrigues gave his seasonal report to the School Committee on Sept. 30. Athletes in the spring and fall II seasons played earlier this year stood out academically, he reported, and students have been showing...

School Committee discusses possible covid vaccine policy for staff

The School Committee met on Sept. 23 to discuss a potential covid vaccination policy for staff. School Committee Chair Joyce Bacchiocchi made it clear that the committee does not have a policy written, and has not yet decided what such a policy...

MCAS scores reflect ‘disrupted school year’ during pandemic

The state released the results of the Spring 2021 MCAS tests on Sept. 21, and the impact the pandemic has had on students’ education can be seen in the scores to some degree — both within Wareham Public Schools and across the state. MCAS is a...

School bus blues: Bus and driver shortage cause student waitlist

Some students are struggling to get to school because there are not enough seats on Wareham buses for every student who wants or needs a ride. Administrators say that everyone who signed up by the deadline got a seat. At the Sept. 9 School Committee...

Sixteen students test positive for covid in first weeks of new school year

After just a few weeks of in-person learning, covid cases among students are higher than ever in Wareham schools. At least 16 Wareham students have tested positive for covid-19, and another 35 are in quarantine due to exposure. All told, the virus...

New school construction on track

Work at the new Wareham Elementary School on Minot Avenue is continuing apace, reported School Building Committee member Geoff Swett at the Sept. 9 School Committee meeting. The terrazzo stair treads have begun to be delivered, and furniture...

Principals give school year’s start high marks

The first week of classes has been exciting — and a little confusing — for students at Wareham schools, principals reported at the Sept. 9 School Committee meeting. Since a number of students have been learning exclusively remotely since the spring...

High school students recognized for academic honors

Several Wareham High School students received high academic honors, earning Advanced Placement exam scores that qualified them for various AP Scholar awards or scoring well on their International Baccalaureate Diploma exams and earning their full IB...

First day of school ‘felt like a homecoming’ for staff, students

Wareham’s students, teachers and other public school staff headed back to their classrooms on Monday, Aug. 30. Although students were required to wear masks per state regulations, most of the district’s principals viewed the first day of the 2021-...

Treats, games, school supplies at Onset Foursquare Church’s Back to School Bash

After the strangeness of the 2020-2021 school year, Onset Foursquare Church leaders decided that what school children in Wareham really needed was a bit of back-to-school fun to start the new school year off right. “I used to be a school teacher, so...

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