Please see the Student Registration page for information and document requirements. Families are encouraged to register as soon as possible. Kindergarten Orientation nights will be held at each school in April and May.

Child Find: Under federal and state special education regulations, the º£½ÇÖ±²¥ has a responsibility to locate, identify, refer, evaluate, and if eligible, provide a free, appropriate, public education to students with disabilities who reside in the town of Wellesley. Click for more information.

December 4, 2025 — º£½ÇÖ±²¥ extends its warmest congratulations to Wellesley High School Choral Director Dr. Kevin McDonald, who was has been named one of 10 finalists nationwide for the ! The GRAMMY honors educators who have made significant contributions to music education and the lives of their students.

Dr. McDonald has been a semifinalist for the award for the past four years, but this is his first time as a finalist. Most of this year’s finalists are high school teachers, elementary and university educators. The winner will be announced shortly before the February 1 GRAMMY Awards and will have the opportunity to attend the event and walk the red carpet. 

The 10 finalists were .

“I am absolutely ecstatic that Dr. McDonald has been named a GRAMMY Music Educator Award finalist,â€� said Lauren Saracino, interim WPS K-12 Director of Performing Arts. “For those of us lucky enough to know and work alongside him, this is no surprise – it is a thoroughly deserved honor. Dr. McDonald’s talent is immense, his contributions are remarkable, and his commitment to his students is the very definition of this award.â€� 

As a finalist, Dr. McDonald will receive a guaranteed $1,000 honorarium and a matching grant for the WHS music program. The winner receives a $10,000 honorarium and a matching school grant.

“I am honored and humbled to be on this list of incredible educators and want to emphasize that we are merely representatives of the amazing work so many music educators are doing every day to keep music education alive and providing beacons of light for all students,â€� Dr. McDonald said. 

“I also want to be sure to emphasize that this award is not an individual award!  It is recognition that has been made possible by my mentors, colleagues, family, community, and most of all students and musicians that I share my life with.â€�

McDonald is in his 22nd year as Choral Director at Wellesley High School, where he leads a thriving program consisting of 5 curricular choral ensembles and 4 extracurricular a cappella groups. The many highlights of Dr. McDonald’s career at WHS include:

• In 2023, he received the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Lowell Mason Award, presented annually to recognize members of MMEA who have been leaders in music education in Massachusetts.
• The WHS Rice Street Singers have earned a Gold Medal at the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Education Awards for 15 straight years.
• His choral programs have performed the national anthem at Fenway Park, most recently in September with the Keynote and Rice Street singers.
• His students have performed multiple times with the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall. Most recently, the Keynote Singers appeared with the Pops in the 2023 performance of .  
• The Rice Street Singers were twice in WGBH’s Sing that Thing competition, in Seasons 3 (2017) and 4 (2018).

In addition to his teaching in Wellesley, Dr. McDonald is the conductor of the Handel and Haydn Society Chorus of Tenors and Basses in Boston, Director of Music at Wellesley Village Church, and is an active guest conductor for State/District Festivals throughout New England. He frequently serves as clinician at many state/regional music conferences.

Dr. McDonald holds a B.M. in music education from the University of New Hampshire, a M.M. in low brass performance from the University of Idaho, and a DMA in music education with choral conducting emphasis from The Hartt School, University of Hartford.

WPS students need to complete coursework aligned to Massachusetts Frameworks in the following content areas: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science and Technology/ Engineering, and beginning with the Class of 2027, U.S. History. For more detail, please see the new, and updated, Graduation Requirements.

I hope you are enjoying the remaining days of summer and that these past few months have been restful and restorative for you and your families. We look forward to welcoming our students, staff, and families back for the start of the 2025-26 school year, which will begin on Wednesday, August 27th. 

We have been busy throughout the summer preparing for opening day and I especially want to thank the Facilities Management Department (FMD) for their incredible work to clean and prepare our buildings, which is a carefully choreographed sprint each year. We have also been busy completing our hiring for the new year, with exceptional new teaching and support staff joining us throughout the district, whom I hope you will join me in welcoming to our WPS community. In particular, I want to welcome back Dr. Stephen Goodwin, who previously served as our Sprague principal and who is returning as the interim principal of Schofield. I also want to welcome Dr. Midge Connolly, who is joining us as our interim Assistant Superintendent of Student Services. Welcome to all of our new colleagues! 

As you likely know, last year we formed a working group of students, parents, and staff to engage with the topic of cell phones and smart devices in schools. We explored the research on this topic, heard diverse perspectives from members of our own school community, and examined policies from other schools and districts. As a result of that work, we are instituting some new procedures at the secondary level in WPS. At Wellesley Middle School, if students bring a cell phone or other smart device to school, it must be locked in a pouch provided by the school throughout the day. At Wellesley High School, students must place cell phones in a holder upon entry to any classroom. At the elementary level, students should not bring phones or other smart devices to school. At home, we would value all of our parents/caregivers waiting as long as possible, such as until the end of middle school, before purchasing a phone or other smart device for their student(s).

We know that air conditioning has been an important facilities conversation for our district, with four of our schools – Bates, Fiske, Schofield, and WMS – lacking the climate control that can fundamentally alter learning conditions at school during hot days in the fall and spring. Wellesley Town Meeting approved feasibility funds for this project in April, and as part of that process FMD is conducting a pilot study of window and ductless split solutions in specific classrooms in the coming year to assess elements such as temperature impact and noise.      

This summer, our Business Office has also been supporting our transition to a new food service provider, Chartwells, a company that is committed to using fresh, nutritious, minimally processed and locally sourced ingredients. As a reminder, all students are eligible for free school meals and we encourage parents to take advantage of this program. (Please note that families remain responsible for paying for a la carte items and second meal sales.) 

Of course our core mission of teaching and learning continues to be guided by and aligned with our Profile of a Graduate and district Strategic Plan. We strive to be a district in which our excellence and equity efforts support the success of ALL students. To better inform our community with respect to our outcomes, we restarted the publishing of  last year. Our progress report for SY2024-25 will be coming out later this fall.

I recognize that we are living in uncertain times, and that, at the moment, some members of our community feel particularly vulnerable. I want to emphasize that in WPS, we respect all individuals’ human and civil rights, regardless of race, color, sex, gender identity, religion, national origin or sexual orientation. For WPS to successfully meet its core mission, our school community must be a place where everyone – students, staff, and families – feels welcomed and valued. That theme of community and, more specifically, a community of learning, is one we want to highlight this year, as it both reflects the relationships undergirding our affinity as a school district as well as our role as a learning organization. As a community of learning, we are committed to student, adult, and organizational growth.         

As we move closer to opening day next week, please consider phasing in good habits to start the school year around sleep schedules, nutrition, overall organization and setting boundaries on the use of smart devices at home.  

Finally, if you haven’t already, please be sure to update your family information in the PowerSchool Portal, including your contact information, and provide the necessary permissions for the upcoming year. Upon completion, homeroom information for students in Grades K-8 is currently available in PowerSchool and schedules for students in Grades 9-12 will be available the afternoon of Wednesday, August 20. You also should have received an invitation to join our new communications platform, ParentSquare; please contact portal@wellesleyps.org if you have any technical issues. 

On behalf of the incredible team of educators and staff who serve the students of the º£½ÇÖ±²¥, thank you for putting your faith in us to provide your children with a world-class education. We look forward to partnering with you throughout the school year to ensure the success of all of our students. Let’s have a great year WPS!  

Sincerely,

Dr. David Lussier

Superintendent of Schools

Please note the following expectations for parking and behaviors for games at Hunnewell Track & Field. All attendees should make note of the available parking options for the regular-season night sporting events, four of them for varsity football. We strongly encourage carpooling!

1. Wellesley High School Lot
2. Track Lot: Limited spaces are available in the track lot along the Brook Path and adjacent to the high school.
3. Washington Street: This street offers ample parking space. Please ensure that you park in designated areas only, respecting any parking restrictions.
4. Paine Street: No parking on both sides, except in designated spaces along the traffic island that abuts the Wellesley High School parking lot. Please adhere to parking signage or parking regulations in the area.
5. Atwood Street: Parking is available on one side of Atwood.

See below map for guidance. Do not park on the sidewalks or in the loading zone areas around WHS. Attendees must abide by any No Parking notices to avoid receiving a parking citation and being towed. Please be mindful of local traffic regulations and any instructions provided by traffic control personnel.

For those who have limited mobility and may need assistance, please reach out to the WPS Athletics Department (​​athletics@wellesleyps.org or 781-446-6290 ext. 7) no later than the day before the game to request accommodations. 

At the end of each game, out of respect for the neighbors and the neighborhood, attendees are kindly asked when exiting the field to be mindful about keeping their noise level down and picking up any litter they see. Spectators walking or biking home are encouraged to wear a reflective vest. Students who attend these events are expected to conduct themselves respectfully and follow all behavior requirements of the . 

Let’s work together again this year to create a positive and enjoyable experience for all night games at Hunnewell Track & Field! 

Football night games this fall:

• September 5 vs. Framingham, 6 p.m.
• September 12 vs. Andover, 6 p.m.
• September 19 vs. Milford, 6 p.m.
• October 24 vs. Natick, 6 p.m. (Homecoming)

Field hockey and soccer night game schedules are to be determined.

Emergency Planning Guide

Emergency Planning Fact Sheet

In March 2025, the Attorney General’s Office published in Massachusetts. Direct links to all versions of the guide are below: