Parents create new Waltham Parents of Performers and Presenters group; Waltham Family School provides annual recap

Waltham’s award-winning student musical ensembles have a new group of champions making their shows possible: their parents.

Members of the new Waltham Parents of Performers and Presenters organization presented their origin and goals to the School Committee at its Wednesday night meeting.

The group supports the city’s more than 2,500 students in after-school lessons, the band program, dance theater and other musical opportunities by helping plan trips, raising money and sustaining Waltham Public Schools’ musical programming. WPOPP joins similar organizations in surrounding towns such as Belmont and Wellesley. 

“We have a fantastic program here,” said Kristen Size, WPOPP’s vice president. “It’s the envy of a lot of the towns around here, and as a parent whose kid does a lot of different arts, it’s been really special to be part of it.”

Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa agreed, saying that she has been “mesmerized” by the student performances.

The parent group started in the fall and grew from there, said Yuan Kwan, WPOPP’s secretary. Early members met with Blake Siskavich, the school district’s director of fine and performing arts, and invited more parents and caregivers from all over the city to help.

This summer WPOPP plans to file for 501(c)(3) nonprofit status.

School Committee member Elizabeth AlJammal noted that the choir has The Waltham Choral Parents Association and asked if the two groups will work together. Siskavich said WCPA did not want to be involved at the beginning of the school year when he approached them about it.

Waltham Family School recap

Also at the School Committee meeting, Waltham Family School program coordinator Jackie Herrera provided an overview of the program’s recent school year.

WFS supports adults and their young children with high-quality learning and leadership opportunities, which aim to set children and parents up for educational and career success.

“It’s not just about the children. [It’s] not just about the parents. It’s about the dual relationship that exists and the power of really strengthening the connection between parents and their children” and the school and community, Herrera said.

Herrera highlighted some of the programs WFS ran this year, saying its literacy fair included a book fair, bilingual bingo and book raffle baskets, and its annual kindergarten family resource fair drew big crowds with 64 families attending.

WFS also provides high school students with scholarships for their post graduation plans. Herrera pointed to recipient Anthony Lucero Montoya, a former WFS student who graduates this year and will attend Lasell University in the fall. Montoya also worked on a mural for the school, an initiative developed in partnership with Brandeis University students.

WFS has served more than 600 families since its founding in 2003.

In other action, the School Committee

• approved 22 knox boxes to be placed at the front and rear doors of schools. The knox boxes will allow the police to enter the locked doors in case of emergency.
• heard Mendonsa’s review of the inaugural Learning Walk with the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Board. Students in grades five through 12 toured Plympton Elementary School, MacArthur Elementary School and Waltham High School to observe student engagement. “I’ve always said that students see far more things in the classroom than adults do, and so it’s really interesting to have their perspective with a lens on students,” Mendonsa said.
• celebrated the 12 graduates of the first Valor High School senior class.
• encouraged high school students to pay close attention to their finals schedule as their last exam will be June 16 or 17, depending on individuals’ schedules.
• approved an updated student handbook. New entries include AI guidelines and a ban on food deliveries from apps such as DoorDash and Grubhub. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is working on an updated handbook, but WPS has yet to receive any details on it.
• approved The Joseph and Harriette N. Kingsbury Temperance Scholarship. During the scholarship cycle, students may submit an essay or poster about substance use and abuse. Scholarship Selection Committee members select the awardees.
• approved the three-year contract for Susan Conley, the district’s new assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction. Conley in her first year will earn a $188,000 annual salary.