Join the Superintendents of Waltham Public Schools, Dr. Brian Reagan, Waltham City Councilor, Carlos Vidal, Congresswoman Katherine Clark, Senator Elizabeth Warren, local business owner Bob Marcou, and many others in supporting literacy and educational success in Waltham, by tuning in to the Readathon for the Waltham Family School on Saturday, November 7, at 4:00 PM. A collaboration between the Waltham Group at Brandeis, the Waltham Channel, and the Friends of the Waltham Family School, the Readathon will raise funds for the Waltham Family School (WFS), where English Learner families are empowered to be literate, self-sufficient and connected to the greater Waltham Community.
The WFS Readathon is a pre-recorded event airing on the Waltham Channel on November 7 at 4:00 PM. Due to copyright limitations, the Readathon is a one-time only broadcast. Catch it on WCAC or on the Readathon site, bit.ly//WFSreadathon. Beautiful children's picture books will be read by literacy lovers from Brandeis, the Waltham Public Schools, Bentley, the City Council, Waltham business, and the U.S. Congress.
The fundraiser was conceived of by two Brandeis student volunteers who want to make a difference in our community. Jess Daniel and Matt Bernstein worked with the Friends of the Waltham Family School all summer and fall to bring the Readathon idea into reality. The pandemic forced the Friends to cancel their big spring fundraiser, but it didn't stop Waltham's need for quality preschool and English instruction for families learning English.
At WFS, preschool children prepare for kindergarten, and the parents, many of whom had limited educational opportunities in their home countries, learn English. Waltham Family School's impact is visible in the community, where alumni parents serve as school volunteers, board members of organizations; are active members of PTOs; work as Parent Liaisons in 4 of the Waltham schools; and are leaders of the Latinx Family Leadership Workshop.
Since 2016, 34 former WFS preschoolers still living in Waltham 12 years later, have graduated from Waltham High School, all career and college ready! In the Class of 2020, for the first time, 3 of these alumni students earned the prestigious Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy on their diploma. For more Information about WFS and the Friends of WFS, visit www.walthamfamilyschool.org.
During the pandemic, WFS has much smaller in-person classes, and remote-learning for most WFS families. WFS Program Coordinator Britta McNemar said, "Thanks to donors, Waltham Family School continues its work with remote options, creating positive parent-child interactive learning experiences at home, preparing the entire family for kindergarten. The WFS Readathon is a testament to the WFS motto, Together We Learn, Together We Read, Together We Succeed!"
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