Waylandenews Executive Director Kim Reichelt is a member of the Wayland School Committee
If you would like to submit a post on our website, click here for information on how to add your post.
Wayland News
News in the past week
* Did you know Malcolm X lived in Boston?: Wayland students take unique tour. A diverse group of 60 METCO and Wayland students, parents and staff from Wayland Middle and High schools boarded three buses on May 8 for a tour of historic cultural sites in Boston neighborhoods. Just a few miles from tourists trekking downtown’s Freedom Trail, they visited the Boston places where history was made by people of color and their supporters — Malcolm X’s Boston home, Freedom House and Bethel AME Church.
* Climate activists demonstrate outside of Wayland banks on global day of action. Climate activists targeted the biggest banks responsible for the climate crisis on Friday, May 7 in a global day of action in over 100 locations in the U.S. and around the world in support of indigenous activists who are fighting against Enbridge’s Line3 pipeline expansion in Minnesota.
* Wayland HS Student Wins National Merit Scholarship. A Wayland High School senior is among 53 Massachusetts students awarded a National Merit scholarship this week. Senior Porter Moody will get $2,500 toward college from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). He plans to study psychology, according to the NMSC.
* For Wayland High’s Kevin Delaney, teaching history is about good storytelling. In the nearly 30 years that Kevin Delaney has worked as a history teacher at Wayland High School, he has never tired of young people’s zest for life and hunger for knowledge. He’ll miss it dearly next year, as he makes an exciting move of his own — a new career as a furniture maker.
* Tree worker hospitalized after cutting arm with chainsaw in Wayland. A worker cut his arm with a chainsaw while cutting trees in Wayland on Friday morning. Trooper Dan Cahill was protecting a tree cutting detail on Route 20 when the worker cut himself, according to state police.
Clothing Drive for Cradles to Crayons — deadline today. Eighth grader Jake O’Leary is Wayland’s 8th grade ambassador for Project 351, and their first Project 351 community service project is a clothing drive for Cradles to Crayons. This drive will help children who need clothing throughout Massachusetts. Until Monday, May 17, he is collecting the following items in the bin outside at 91 Claypit Hill Road: Clothing and coats (youth sizes 0–20 and adult sizes small & medium only), New socks and underwear, Pajamas (new or gently used)
Friends of the Parmenter Foundation Golf Tournament. Don’t miss the fourth annual Friends of The Parmenter Foundation Golf Tournament, June 21, starting at 7:30am at Wayland Country Club (121 Old Sudbury Rd, Wayland). All proceeds support summer camp opportunities for grieving children. Registration is available online here. Contact Ron Rokes with any questions
Wayland Community Fund serving Wayland residents temporarily in need of financial assistance. Please call us if you need help!
The Wayland Community Fund (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. Please call us if you need help with your bills, 508-358-3624 or go to the town website for an application.
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.
Links to join the meetings via zoom are posted on each agenda. The call-in number for public comment during board and committee teleconference meetings is 508-358-6812.
* Housing Partnership, 3:45pm. Agenda includes: Housing Production Plan, Updates on Projects including 81 W Plain, Launcher Way, River’s Edge, Windsor Place
* Cable Advisory Committee, 6pm. Agenda includes: update from negotiation, actions and recommendations to Board of Selectmen
* Happy, Sad, Mad, Glad? Storytime with Ms. Elise on Zoom (May 26)
* Outdoor STEAM TEAM (May 20)
* Outdoor Kids Craft: Patchwork Houses (May 25)
For Families:
* Pop-Up Parking Lot Library. Stop by the library on Wednesday afternoons between 1-4 p.m. for in-person browsing of popular and new materials, plus fresh air! Maintain 6 feet if there is a line. Wear a mask & hand sanitizer will be provided prior to browsing. Remember to bring your library card! Weather permitting.
* Curated Collections for Kids. Would you like a handpicked selection of books just right for your children? Call the Children’s Room at 508-358-2308 and we’ll pull together a bundle for you to pick up at your convenience. We’d love to hear from you!
Summer Reading. The theme for this year’s Summer Reading Program for children in grades pre-K to Grade 5 is Tails & Tales. We will be bringing you a blend of virtual and in-person (outside) activities featuring animals, real and imaginary. Highlights include a virtual magic show by Jungle Jim, virtual zookeeper chats with Buttonwood Park Zoo and Roger Williams Park Zoo, outdoor STEM and craft programs, scavenger hunts and take and make crafts. Children will keep track of their reading online or on paper logs and will earn virtual badges for reading and completing fun craft and STEM challenges. More info about this program, as well as our Summer Reading program for teens, coming soon!
Zoom with Whom. Thursday, May 20, 1:30pm. Wayland’s Juliette Fay is the author of five award-winning novels, with a sixth due out in September. She will talk about what her writing life is like, what she’s learned about writing fiction and about the work of book publishing, and she’ll take your questions. Learn more at www.juliettefay.com and plan to join us for an interesting conversation. Contact the COA to sign up: coa@wayland.ma.us or 508-358-2990.
Functional Foods and Cognitive Health, Wednesday, May 19, 1:30pm on Zoom. Nutritionist Traci Robidoux, RD, LDN, from Baypath Elder Services returns to talk about foods that offer health benefits beyond their nutritional value, offering vitamins, minerals, probiotics and fiber. She will also talk about the association between food and mood, as well as some of the key ingredients in foods and beverages that have been associated with brain health. Contact the COA to sign up: coa@wayland.ma.us or 508-358-2990.
Listings from Prior Newsletters
Wayland High School Theater Ensemble presents Leonard Bernstein’s New York, May 20-22. The Wayland High School Theater Ensemble presents LEONARD BERNSTEIN’S NEW YORK. This musical uses songs from West Side Story, On The Town, and Wonderful Town to shape an original story about the magic and romance of New York City in the 1930s. Dozens of high school performers, designers, techies, and musicians are excited to bring you live musical theater in the WHS Courtyard! Performances are May 20, 21 and 22, and run from 7:45pm to 9:00pm. Seating in the Courtyard is limited due to audience size restrictions — but the public is very much invited to join us for this joyous event. Tickets are available at showtix4u.com; and further details are at whste.com.
May Member Exhibit @the W Gallery. Spring has finally sprung! The flowers are in bloom, the air smells sweet and fresh, and inspiration abounds. The art on display at The W Gallery in our May Member Salon is teaming with the life and energy of the season as well. Please visit The W Gallery on Saturdays from 1-5 or Sundays from 11-5 to see the new work of our talented member artists. The exhibit will be open for viewing in the gallery from May 1st through May 29th. You can also view the work online at: https://artswayland.com/collections/may-2021-members-salon. We can’t wait to see you soon!
Office Hours with Senator Rausch: Senator Rausch has shifted her monthly in-person office hours to remote, virtual office hours held on Fridays. Conversations with the Senator and her staff will take place via phone call or video conference. During these virtual office hours, residents from any part of the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District are welcome to share their questions and opinions on state issues with Senator Rausch and her staff. Any constituent may reserve a 15-minute appointment. Click here to sign up for a slot.
The Children’s Way Early Childhood Program connected to the Wayland Public Schools now enrolling for 2021-2022.Ages 2.9 – 5 years (or until entrance to Kindergarten). Three, four or five days, half days or full days. Applications available at https://tcw.wayland.k12.ma.us/home. Go to the “For Families” tab at top to find applications. (No application fee required)
The Wayland Depot is adding Sunday shopping hours, 12-4pm, starting May 2. Staff are happy to help you select the perfect present for any spring special event, or perhaps pick a creative piece of new jewelry for yourself. Locally crafted wooden boxes, pottery pieces, handmade face masks, adorable infant clothing along with Massachusetts maple products, local honey, books by local authors, framed bird photos and an assortment of Wayland Booster apparel can all be found at The Wayland Depot. A portion of the proceeds are donated to Wayland charities each year.
Native Plants, Climate Change, and Your Backyard. Renowned entomologist Dr. Doug Tallamy will present a MetroWest Climate Solutions (MCS) webinar on restoring biodiversity, one yard at a time, on May 19 at 7 p.m. To register, click here.
Native plants are a powerful tool to help fight pollution, floods, record breaking heat waves, sea-level rise, and mass extinction of species. Native plants have evolved to sustain the diversity of animals we need to maintain our ecosystems. Only native plants can support the insects that provide an essential food source for the hundreds of species of birds, bats, lizards, bears, foxes and other creatures that depend on them. These species and native plants are interdependent, and they are critical to our survival.
By saving wildlife with native plants, we also battle climate change. Our native grasses have deep roots that make them drought resistant, reduce soil erosion and flooding, filter pollutants from ground water and increase rainwater infiltration. These plants remove tons of carbon from the atmosphere and pump it into the soil, out of harm’s way. Nothing sequesters carbon and manages watersheds as well as native forests. For more information on Dr. Tallamy’s work, visit homegrownnationalpark.org.. More details available online here.
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
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 via the Board and Committee Vacancies link
Share this Newsletter: please feel free to forward this email to friends and neighbors. If you have suggestions or information to add to the website or future newsletter, please email us.
