Increasing COVID-19 safety in our schools makes our broader Wayland community safer. Wayland Public Schools (“WPS”) is implementing a COVID-19 surveillance testing program for students and staff to help sustain in-person learning and make our community safer by identifying and isolating carriers, including asymptomatic individuals. School families are encouraged to enroll their students, indicating any financial need. Greater participation increases safety for all.
The schools’ ability to have a testing program is dependent on our collective ability to fundraise to support families in need (estimated at 30% based on our recent parent survey) and WPS school staff (e.g. teachers, student support staff, custodians and food service workers).
Please join in this community effort to make this testing program viable and financially accessible to all students and staff. Visit the Wayland Public Schools COVID-19 Testing Website to enroll and to donate by January 14, 2021.
* Wayland student’s photograph selected for virtual exhibition. The Fine Arts Department at Wayland High School is proud to announce that Wayland High School Senior Aija Bowditch had her photograph, The American Man selected amongst over 2100 other entries representing 348 schools and from 39 states to be a part of the 20th Annual Drexel University High School Photography contest. 267 works were chosen representing 27 states to be a part of this virtual exhibition that can be viewed at https://drexelphotocontest.com/.
For those who are in need of basic food resources, please call 508-358-7701.
COA Flashlight Drive. Give the gift of light (and safety)! The Council on Aging is conducting a flashlight drive during December so we can help older residents be prepared for the inevitable winter power outages. Please drop off new flashlights (and batteries, if you can) in our box just inside the front entrance to the Town Building. You can also order a flashlight online and have it sent to us at COA, 41 Cochituate Rd, Wayland, MA 01778. Thank you for your help supporting Wayland’s seniors!
Wayland Winter Farmers’ Market seeks volunteers. The 2021 Wayland Winter Farmers’ Market will open on Saturday, January 9, with new hours: 11am-2pm. The market takes place at Russell’s Garden Center in Wayland. This season, most of the vendors will be located outdoors, in unheated greenhouses, under an overhang of a greenhouse, or using a vehicle or tent of their own. In other words: there will be lots of fresh air! Each week there will be approximately 30 vendors in these outdoor spaces. In order to help facilitate the market, we are seeking individuals who would be willing to volunteer outdoors for an hour and half to help us with customer counts and directing shoppers through the large footprint of the market to help them find their way to their favorite vendors. Please email pegm@russellsgc.com if you are interested in volunteering. For complete details on the market and the volunteer opportunity, click here
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.
The latest from the Wayland Library (full newsletter online here)
Adult Programs:
* The Library is (sort of!) open again! Appointments available for browsing
* Evening Book Group (December 7)
* Author Talk: The Language of Liberty (December 10)
* New tutors in Library’s ESOL program
* Holiday closings (Dec 24 at 12pm-December 25, and Dec 31 at 3pm-January 1)
Why Are Things I Returned Still On My Card? Because we quarantine everything for three days before we check it in. And if you returned them over the weekend, that could add a day. But never fear—we’ll waive any late fees generated by the delayed check-in.
For Families:Holiday Gift Guides. Looking for the perfect gifts for the readers on your list? We can help! We have book gift recommendations for children, teens, and adults. Request a print copy for your curbside pickup bag or download copies for children, teens, andadults.
Extended holiday hours for the Wayland Depot. Open Tuesday, December 15 through Thursday, December 24, 12-4pm. Shop uncrowded, small, local and unique! Enhance your virtual holiday gatherings with a new serving piece, or send a lovely handcrafted gift if you can’t attend yourself. Have a new baby to be thankful for? Give thanks with a special gift from The Wayland Depot. We have adorable and practical baby bibs, popular cloth books, and beautiful hand-knit sweater sets. Help us celebrate 40 years of volunteer service to the town. We are keeping volunteers and shoppers safe with all COVID protocols. Shop small, local, and uncrowded at The Wayland Depot. One Cochituate Road (Rte. 27). 508-358-5386 thewaylanddepot.com
Opening of 2021 Annual Town Meeting Warrant.. By vote of the Board of Selectmen on September 21, 2020, the 2021 Annual Town Meeting is scheduled to begin on Saturday, May 15, 2020 at time and location to be determined. The Annual Town Meeting Warrant opens on Wednesday, December 15, 2020 at 8:30am and closes Friday, January 15, 20201 at 4:30pm. To access the Petitioner’s Article Submission Form and other documents please visit the 2021 ATM webpage.
Wayland Lived Experiences Project Launches on International Human Rights Day. December 10th was International Human Rights Day and in honor of it the Wayland Lived Experiences Project has launched. This is a grassroots story collecting initiative to understand identity-based bias that may be occurring in our community. If you or someone you know has been targeted due to race, ethnicity, spoken language, (dis)ability, gender, sexual identity or some other aspect of identity, please consider completing the survey or encouraging others to do so. We welcome responses from anyone living, working, studying, worshipping in or visiting town. The survey can be found online here. Thanks to the Lydia Maria Child Fund at First Parish, it will also be available in other languages and in paper with return postage. You can follow the LEP Facebook page for updates. This is an effort of the Human Rights Commission Study Group, a group of residents exploring the formation of a human rights commission, a new town committee, by petitioner’s article. The group includes Karen Blumenfeld, Steve Correia, Elaine Donnelly, Mei-Ling Ellerman, Adam Gutbezahl, Peg Ingolia, Doug Levine, Terrie Livingston, Mary Antes, Amruta Mudambi, Nora Noteman, Ingrid Palacios, Heather Pineault, Rachel Sideman-Kurtz, and Kim Winter should you wish to reach out with questions about the project or the petitioner’s article. You can also email the project at WaylandLivedExperiences@gmail.com
The Wayland Boosters’ Fall Newsletter is available online here.
Discovery Museum announces virtual 2021 Speaker Series; series kicks off with Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum on kids, race, and racism on January 27. The Discovery Museum Speaker Series kicks off its 9th year with Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, President Emerita of Spelman College who is widely known for her expertise on race relations and as a thought leader in higher education. “Talking to Kids about Race and Racism: A Conversation with Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum,” will be moderated by Tiziana Dearing, host of WBUR’s Radio Boston. For registration information and the complete speaker series schedule, click here.
Listings from Prior Newsletters
Remembering Lauren. 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of Lauren Dunne Astley’s murder in Wayland. Due to COVID concerns, a virtual memorial will be held on April 1, 2021, what would have been Lauren’s 28th birthday. Those organizing the event are reaching out to families who knew Lauren and have photos or memories they’d be willing to share in a slideshow. Submissions may be made to Lauren’s mother, Mary, at msmarykathryn@gmail.com. The organizing committee thanks you in advance.
Letters to Santa Mailbox at Public Safety Building. Santas mail box was dropped off the other day at the public safety building 38 Cochituate Rd. If you have a letter for Santa, please stop by to drop it off. Santas ride revised schedule will be out soon.
New tutors trained in Wayland’s ESOL Program. Immigrants in our area who want to improve their competency in English now have greater opportunities. Ten generous and enthusiastic people have recently completed a training course and are now certified to be tutors of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). These recent “graduates” include five from Wayland – Lois Galluzzo, Judy Goldberg, Britt Rjanikov, Maureen Tillett and Namrata Trehan; two from Sudbury – Cathy Pinto and Marie Taylor; two from Weston – Theresa Levinson and Ann Killeen; and one from Stow – Yvonne Yoneshige. These new tutors, like those who were trained last winter, and some who have been tutoring for years, work one-to-one with learners from various countries. Learners recently matched with our new tutors have come from Israel, Turkey, Syria, Guatemala, Venezuela and China. As all tutoring must be done remotely due to the pandemic, tutors are using whatever technology works for both tutor and learner, be it FaceTime, Skype, Zoom or simply phone and email. As usual, we can put all possible tutors to work with waiting learners. The next tutor-training course will be offered in the winter, probably starting in late February. Tutors do not need to know another language, nor do they need to know every detail of English grammar. For more information email Ginny Steel or call her at 781-541-4919.
Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund Calls for Mini-Grant Applicants.Announcing Mini-grant Funding for Projects in Effective Teen Relationships & Violence Prevention, the Arts, and Community Service
Following the success of past years, The Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Fund is offering an exciting program to fund small projects in three areas: Effective Teen Relationships & Violence Prevention, the Arts, and Community Service. In Lauren’s spirit and memory, grants of up to $2,000 are now available for individuals and groups with dynamic project ideas in any of the above areas. This year the LDAMF will especially value initiatives that aim to work creatively to make a difference even in these socially-distant times. Keep on sparkling! Interested parties are invited to complete an online application by January 31, 2021. New applicants encouraged! The application form can be found online at https://laurendunneastleymemorialfund.org/
It’s Girl Scout Cookie Time! We can’t go door-to-door just yet, but you can get all your favorite girl scout cookies shipped directly to you! Send cookies to the people you miss, treat yourself, or donate to our Community Caring program. And be sure to try our new Toast-Yay! cookie. If you are not contacted by a local girl scout (via text, email, or social media), order online at bit.ly/wgsCookies and your order will support Wayland Girl Scout troops. Still $5/box (plus shipping). Thank you for supporting Wayland Girl Scouts!
Music-making continues virtually. Wayland’s favorite senior singers continue to lift their voices together every week, and YOU can join the fun by (old-school) telephone or (new-school) computer, tablet or smartphone. After 32 years of music-making, we’re determined to stay connected and healthy with singing! Contact us at goldentones.org, or call 508-318-6318 to learn how to join our one-hour “virtual rehearsals,” weekly on Tuesdays at 10am, and Fridays at 2pm, beginning Sep. 15. There are no auditions and no attendance requirements, only a friendly group of music-lovers from all over MetroWest who enjoy singing, dancing and music-making to pop classics and show tunes.
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
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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