Our newsletter is back, at least for this week…. We have not meant to abandon you, but other obligations have made getting the newsletter out an extra challenge. We have been doing our best to keep the website up to date, so please check there if you are looking for news, events or information.
Please remember that masks are required in public places, both indoors and outdoors, where social distancing is not possible. The Wayland Board of Health has posted signage on the Rail Trail requiring both masks and as much social distancing as possible (i.e., please go single file when with others and passing by other users). This applies to all users, even bicyclists. Also, please remember that the point of the mask is to cover both your mouth and your nose.
If you use the landfill, new stickers are available (the sticker application form is online here)
Town Meeting has been scheduled for September 12 (and 13 if needed). It will be held outdoors at Wayland High School.
Mission: The Town of Wayland has established the COVID-19 Relief Fund to collect financial donations and will use the funds to purchase grocery items from Wayland’s Donelan’s and Stop & Shop. Weekly deliveries to residents start the week of April 6th. Any Wayland individual or family with a self-identified need will be included. The Town is also coordinating with the three food pantries in Wayland.
Waylandenews Executive Director Kim Reichelt is a member of the Wayland School Committee
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Wayland News
News in the past few weeks
* Wayland plans outdoor Town Meeting for Sept. 12-13. Selectmen have unanimously voted to hold Town Meeting from 12:30-5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the high school stadium, with the following day from 1-5 p.m. as either a rain date or extra day if more time is needed to finish the warrant.
* Concerns raised about reopening Wayland Public Schools. A local pediatrician told the School Committee last week that surgical masks for staff would offer significant protection from COVID-19 by filtering out more than 99% of respiratory particles, following concerns raised by parents and staff about reopening schools.
* One hundred days battling COVID-19. Frank Cutitta never waited for his scheduled return flight home. The media consultant, whose work has taken him to nearly 100 countries — sometimes three in the same week — jumped at any opportunity to come back a day, or even an hour, early just so he could be reunited with his wife and two daughters.
* Potential plans to reopen Wayland Public Schools in the fall. Wayland school officials held a Zoom meeting on July 9 to present possible plans for the 2020-21 school year. The three plans are all-remote, with schooling delivered online; all in-person, a full return to school with proper precautions; and a hybrid model, rotating groups of students between in-person and remote.
* Wayland To Hold 4 High School Graduations. When you can’t have one graduation, you have to settle for having four. Wayland Public Schools will celebrate the high school class of 2020 next week by holding four small graduation ceremonies. The graduations are being spread out to allow families and students to stay socially distant amid the coronavirus pandemic.
* Mariachi band spotted at party for longtime Wayland resident. Anne Nawawi, a longtime resident of Cochituate, celebrated a special birthday in a unique way with a “socially distant” garden party and a surprise performance by the Boston Fiesta Mariachi Band. The party was attended by neighborhood friends and organized by her three daughters who reside in Austin, Texas, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Somerville.
* More than 100 Massachusetts school committees demand state pay for COVID supplies. More than 100 school committees across Massachusetts have passed resolutions in recent weeks imploring the state to cover all costs districts will incur next school year protecting students, staff, and others from the coronavirus. The school committees are passing identical resolutions seeking full state reimbursement for all COVID-19 related costs, including masks and other personal protective equipment and additional teachers, bus drivers, and other staffers who might be necessary so students can practice social distancing in small groups.
For those who are in need of basic food resources, please call 508-358-7701.
Blood Drive in Wayland, July 27. Wayland High School’s Red Cross Club is giving back to the community with a blood drive! This event will take place on July 27th, 2020, at the Trinitarian Congregational Church in Wayland from 2-7 pm. For more information or to make an appointment to donate, call 1(800)-733-2767 or sign up online at redcrossblood.org. Blood is routinely transfused to patients with cancer and other diseases, premature babies, organ transplant recipients, and trauma victims. Donations are particularly crucial during this time, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. We urge eligible donors to join us in the selfless act of giving blood. Donors of all blood types are needed, especially those with types O negative, B negative and A negative.
Announcing a Special Opportunity to Help Survivors of Domestic Violence During Covid 19. Your past support of the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable’s Shower for Shelters (SfS) has been very important to its success, and we greatly appreciate all of your past contributions of household goods. Now that we find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic, and it is not feasible to collect in-kind donations. Therefore, we are reaching out to our supporters in the hope that you are able to consider supporting SfS in a different way.
The current circumstances created by the pandemic are particularly difficult for many families affected by domestic violence, and our agency partners who deliver direct services tell us that the demand for services is at historic levels. Stay at home orders, closed schools and camps, and job losses present unique challenges and dangers for families struggling with domestic violence or trying to get free from an abusive relationship. This increased demand for services is expected to continue for some time and will exceed normal operating costs for these agencies.
The Roundtable has received a special donation from a generous donor which has enabled us to offer a challenge grant. We will match up to $2,500 in new contributions through Labor Day, September 7, 2020. All funds raised will be given to our agency partners to fund the most urgent needs of their clients during the pandemic. We respectfully ask that you consider a donation that will help save lives and provide for basic needs.
The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable
P.O. Box 543
Sudbury, MA 01776
We hope that everyone is staying healthy. We wish you the best and thank you for your consideration of our request.
Wayland Community Fund Needs Your Help! Please Donate!
We are expecting the Corona virus to present unusual challenges to our funding. With so many people out of work, it will become difficult for local residents to pay bills such as rent, utilities, and food purchases. The Wayland Community Fund (WCF) continues to help families in need during the Coronavirus epidemic and we continue to need your support! Please Donate! WCF provides short-term emergency financial assistance to Wayland residents who have lived in Wayland for at least one year. WCF provides funding for basic needs such as utilities, rent, food, medical bills, and other living expenses. The current epidemic has affected everyone in one way or another. Many of our neighbors have lost jobs, have no oil left in their tank, little food and/or are challenged with family care.
“Requests for help increased sharply this past year and donations continue to be down” according to Wayland Community Fund Chair, Lynn Dowd. WCF receives no public funding. It relies primarily on contributions from Wayland residents and a few businesses, supplemented by a small trust fund created 20 years ago. Managed by five appointed volunteer professionals, it has no overhead or administrative expenses.
Please consider supporting this vital Wayland community organization by sending a charitable donation to: The Wayland Community Fund, ℅ Treasurers’ Office, 41 Cochituate Road, Wayland, MA 01778 or Donate online. Residents must apply with a formal request for assistance and if eligible, payment is made directly to the vendor or supplier of service. If you know a Wayland resident who needs financial help, please ask them to call 508-358-3624. More information can be found on the Town of Wayland website.
Join the MRC! New Medical Reserve Corps Volunteers are always needed! We have a great group of volunteers, however, we would love to recruit new members. If you are interested in helping out your community and would like to volunteer please contact the Health Department at Health@wayland.ma.us.
Upcoming Meetings
Meeting Schedule for The Week: See the Town Website’s Calendar online here. Please check the online calendar for the latest updates, as meetings noted below could have been updated (change in date, time or location) since we captured them. Also, some meetings could have been added since we collected the calendar information.
Please check the Town Calendar to confirm meeting times, locations and agenda. There can be updates from when we capture the schedule below.
The call-in number for public comment during board and committee teleconference meetings is 508-358-6812
Transportation for Wayland Seniors. Under a new, grant-funded program, the Wayland Council on Aging (COA) can now arrange for free taxi rides for seniors who have no other way to get to non-emergency medical appointments or other essential errands such as grocery shopping, visits to food pantries, or to pharmacies to pick up prescriptions. The program is funded by a Metropolitan Area Planning Council/ MassDevelopment grant designed to offer short-term support to communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wayland residents age 60 and over who find themselves without transportation options may contact the COA to request a ride. COA staff will review requests for compliance with the grant’s guidelines. For those who qualify, staff will make arrangements with either Tommy’s Taxi and JFK Transportation, who are partnering with the COA under the terms of the grant. Ride requests must be made at least one full business day in advance. The program runs through December 31, 2020, or until the funds are depleted. If you have questions or would like to ask about a ride, call the COA at 508-358-2990 or email coa@wayland.ma.us
The latest from the Wayland Library (full newsletter online here)
* Weekly Facebook Live Storytimes (Tuesdays at 10:30am)
* Weekly sing-alongs and programs on Facvebook (Fridays)
* Storytime moves to Zoom (Thursdays)
* Kids Yoga moves to Facebook (Thursday, August 13)
For Elementary School:
* Weekly Craft programs posted on Facebook (Wednesdays)
* 4th and 5th Grade Book Group on Zoom (August 11)
For Teens:
* Teen Paper Rose (July 23)
* 6th Grade Book Club on Zoom (August 5)
* Comic Drawing Workshop on Zoom (July 30)
Summer Reading:
* This year’s Summer Reading Program for children in grades pre-K to Grade 5 Imagine Your Story started on June 22. We are celebrating fairy tales, imagination and reading! Children keep track of their reading online and earn virtual badges for reading and completing fun craft and STEM challenges. Our youth services librarians have lots of great activities posted for you to do at home with your children. We also have a new themed booklist each week!
* Our Teen Summer Reading Program will also started on June 22. Teens keep track of their reading online and earn badges for reading, writing reviews, and completing activities. Every teen who writes 3 original book reviews will win a $10 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble. All participants in our teen summer reading club will be entered into a lottery to win a free Kindle Fire. Programing for teens, includes virtual crafternoons, a zoom class on drawing comics, and a virtual Escape Room.
Listings from Prior Newsletters
Free tutoring to help you learn English or improve your English available online or by phone. English for Speakers of Other Languages – ESOL Sponsored by the Wayland Free Public Library (not connected with the U.S. government) The Wayland library, located near Wayland Center, provides tutors to work one-to-one with learners. While a tutor cannot work with you in person at this time, you could still have tutoring by phone or with your computer or other digital device. You can get an application form online here while the library is closed because of the coronavirus. Fill out the form and send it to: Jane Albert, 22 Hillside Dr., Wayland MA 01778 or email it to: Jane-esol@cohen-family.org. When there is a tutor available, someone will phone you. For more information call Ginny Steel at 508-358-7517 or email her.
Wayland Garden Club. The Wayland Garden Club continues to maintain gardens and planters throughout Wayland. While social distancing, Wayland Garden Club members continue to tend gardens at the Wayland Settlement sign on Boston Post Road, the Wayland Free Public Library and a pollinator garden on the Rail Trail. The Club also maintains planters at the Town’s public and historic buildings, as well as several traffic islands in town. For more information about the Club and membership, you can visit waylandgardenclub.org.
Would you like to serve on a Town Board or Committee? Many appointment opportunities, ranging from A-Z (literally! from the Audit Committee to the Zoning Board of Appeals) are posted online here.
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