Community Information Session: Tuesday, June 6, 5-7 p.m. (virtual)

Please join in for updates from city and school staff and to have your questions answered. The meeting will be held in a Zoom webinar format, and interpretation will be provided in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole, and Mandarin. A Zoom link will be available on Tuesday morning, and will be posted here and emailed directly to Winter Hill school community members.

As of Sunday, June 4th, SPS and the City of Somerville have located sites that will temporarily host classrooms through the end of the school year. All Winter Hill classrooms will be relocated and classes will resume on Thursday, June 8th, as follows:

• AIM Classrooms will move to the Edgerly Building, 8 Bonair Street, 1st Floor. Please see below for additional information.
• Prekindergarten and Kindergarten will move to the Capuano Early Childhood Center, 150 Glen St. Please see below for additional information.
• Grades 1-8 will move to Tufts University’s Olin Hall, 180 Packard Avenue, Medford (on the Somerville line). While this site is in Medford, DESE has granted SPS a waiver to host classes in this building for the remainder of this school year. Please see below for additional information.

Between Monday, June 5th, and Wednesday, June 7th, Winter Hill educators and staff will work to move classroom materials, as follows:

• Monday 6/5: Staff will pack materials from Winter Hill that are needed for the school year. The City’s Inspectional Services Department has deemed the building safe for entry and use for staff, but the building cannot accommodate the full student population while the impacted stairwell is closed. Educators will also pack any student belongings that may be remaining in classrooms.
• Tuesday, 6/6: Classroom materials will be moved to the new temporary locations. Educators will use this time for planning and set up of their new temporary classroom spaces.
• Wednesday, 6/7: Educators will use this time to prepare and finalize their new temporary classroom spaces.
• Thursday, 6/8: Classes resume in new temporary locations.
   

BACKGROUND

During the week of May 29, 2023, outside of operating hours and while the school was unoccupied, a piece of concrete fell onto a stairwell inside of the school. Immediately after this was found by staff, the stairwell was closed to both students and staff and a structural engineer was brought into the building to conduct an immediate review. Somerville Department of Public Works staff also immediately responded and conducted minor repairs. Throughout the week, DPW staff continued to monitor the conditions inside the building.

While assessments continued, the Superintendent of Schools and the Mayor made the decision to close the school on Friday, June 2nd, while City partners conducted a more thorough review of the building. Based on further review and discussions, it was determined that the Winter Hill school could not be fully reoccupied by the end of the 2022-2023 school year. The district and the city worked to immediately identify off-site space for temporary classrooms to finish out the school year. Classes will resume on Thursday, June 8th.

SPS and the city administration are working collaboratively to identify and plan for both short- and long-term action items for the Winter Hill school. More information will be shared in the next few days and weeks. Please check back regularly for updates.
 

TEMPORARY CLASSROOM LOCATIONS + DETAILS

AIM Program: Moving to Edgerly Building

Why Edgerly?
All current AIM classes will move from the Winter Hill to the first floor of the Edgerly Building, located at 8 Bonair Street (on the corner of Cross Street). This location was selected for several  reasons:

• The AIM summer program will also be held at the Edgerly Building. In selecting a location, we wanted to minimize transitions for students in the program.
• The Edgerly Building has enough space on the accessible first floor to accommodate all of the current AIM classrooms, meaning that we will not need to split up any classes into other buildings.
• Other SPS schools cannot accommodate the number of classrooms needed in one location. Additionally, the classroom spaces that are generously being provided by Tufts University do not adequately meet the needs of our AIM program, nor are there enough available classrooms to accommodate all of the Winter Hill classes.

Transportation
Existing buses that bring AIM students to and from the Winter Hill will be rerouted to the Edgerly Building for drop off and pick up. There is no other change to students’ or families’ transportation plans, and no action you need to take.

Classrooms + Materials
Educators and staff will pack up and bring students’ belongings, communication devices, and other needed materials to continue through the end of the school year and into the summer. If you have questions about the learning environment or your students’ needs, please contact the Special Education Department or your students’ teacher.

Prekindergarten and Kindergarten: Moving to Capuano

Why Capuano?
All PK and K classes will move from the Winter Hill to existing classroom space at the Capuano Early Childhood Center, located at 150 Glen Street. This location was selected for several  reasons:

• The Capuano has available space to accommodate all Winter Hill PK and K classrooms, meaning that we will not need to split up any classes into other buildings.
• ​The Capuano is focused on early childhood and provides easy transition for younger students.

Transportation
At this time, no specific busing or transportation is planned for students between the Winter Hill and Capuano. If you have questions or concerns please contact your students’ teacher, or the school administration.

Classrooms + Materials
Educators and staff will pack up and bring students’ belongings and other needed materials to continue through the end of the school year. If you have questions about the learning environment or your students’ needs, please contact your students’ teacher.

Grades 1-8: Moving to Tufts University’s Olin Hall

Why Tufts?
All General Education classrooms in grades 1 through 8 will move from the Winter Hill to Olin Hall at Tufts University, located at 180 Packard Ave. in Medford. This location was selected for several reasons:

• Our preference was to keep as many classrooms together in one location as possible. Given the existing space constraints within the city and SPS, moving 20 classrooms into one location was a significant challenge. Very generously, our partners at Tufts University worked with us and made changes to their existing programs and operations to accommodate our students. We are incredibly grateful for their partnership.

Important Information about Olin Hall:

• Olin Hall is located in Medford, though it sits on the Somerville/Medford city line. DESE has granted us a waiver to have classrooms located at a Medford address through the end of the current school year. We are working closely with Tufts University and the City of Medford to be sure this is a smooth and safe transition for students and families.
• Olin Hall is a locked, secured building. SPS and Winter Hill staff will be given access to the building. SPS staff will be required to wear their ID badges at all times.
• Families will not be able to drive students to and from Olin Hall. Please see transportation options below.

Transportation

• Students in grades 1-8 will be transported by school bus from Winter Hill to Olin Hall at Tufts. Buses will depart from Winter Hill at 7:45 a.m. each morning. Winter Hill staff will be on site to facilitate transportation. Students will be picked up from Olin Hall at 2 p.m. each afternoon and will travel by school bus to Winter Hill.
• Families WILL NOT be able to drive students to and from Olin Hall.
• Families who choose to drive should plan to park in surrounding Somerville neighborhoods and walk to Olin Hall.
• More details to follow.

Classrooms + Materials
Educators and staff will pack up and bring students’ belongings and other needed materials to continue through the end of the school year. If you have questions about the learning environment or your students’ needs, please contact your students’ teacher.
 

FOOD ACCESS FOR WINTER HILL STUDENTS MONDAY-WEDNESDAY

The city and SPS have arranged for meals for Winter Hill students on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Students who are in need of meals (breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks) can access them in two ways:

• Grab & Go Food Pickup: On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, between 7:30 a.m. and 9 a.m., families can visit the City Hall Annex at 50 Evergreen Ave. to pick up meals (1 of each meal/snack per student). There will be a drive through option in the Annex parking lot, or a walk-up option in the front of the Annex on Evergreen Ave.
• Drop-in Recreation Program: On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the Somerville Parks & Recreation Department will have drop-in programming for Winter Hill students available at the Founders Memorial Skating Rink (next to Veterans Rink at 570 Somerville Ave.) from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Programming will include arts and crafts, movies, and games. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be available for all students who attend.
   

DROP-IN RECREATION PROGRAMMING FOR WINTER HILL STUDENTS MONDAY-WEDNESDAY

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, the Somerville Parks & Recreation Department will have drop-in programming for Winter Hill students available at the Founders Memorial Skating Rink (next to Veterans Rink at 570 Somerville Ave.) from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Programming will include arts and crafts, movies, and games. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be available for all students who attend.

 We will continue to share daily updates this week. Thank you for your continued patience.