Superintendent’s Update on Administrative Positions

July 2017
Dear Weston Community,

I hope this communication finds you well and enjoying some time with family and friends.  I wanted to update you on some additional changes to our administrative team.

I am pleased to announce Joseph Russo as the Interim Principal for the Field School. Joe has most recently been in the role of interim Principal at the Taylor School in Foxborough and at the Greenlodge School in Dedham.  Prior to that Joe was the Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Schools in Newton and served as a long time Principal of the Horace Mann Elementary School also in Newton. Joe received his BS and his MEd. from Northeastern University. In order to hire Joe (a retired educator), the district had to apply for a Critical Shortage Waiver from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  The waiver request has now been approved. Joe will be around this summer and will soon send out his own communication to the community with a time to meet him very soon.

Anne Zernicke will be joining Weston as the Assistant Director of Student Services. Anne was the Assistant Principal of Student Services at the Woodville School in Wakefield for two years. Prior to Wakefield, Anne was a Learning Center teacher at Zervas Elementary School in Newton for eight years.  Anne has an extensive background in reading, having worked as a trainer at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.  Anne consulted with school districts as part of the Reading First/No Child Left Behind Initiative.  Anne received her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Special Education at George Washington University, her Master of Education  in Reading, Language and Reading Disabilities, at at Harvard University, and a Master of Organizational Management from Endicott College.

Many of you have already received this next announcement regarding the filling of the Assistant Principal of the Middle School position. Philip Oates has been selected as the Weston Middle School Assistant Principal. Phil has recently served as the Interim Principal at the Lowell Elementary School in Watertown in 2016-2017; prior to that he taught mathematics at Watertown Middle School.  He taught mathematics at the High School Extension Program in Cambridge and worked as a Title I Math Tutor at Watertown Middle School.  Phil received his Bachelor of Science from Tufts University in Mathematics; Master of Education in Secondary Math Education; from UMASS-Boston and a Master of Organizational Management from Endicott College.

We are very excited about these positions and feel that we are continuing to move in the direction that sustains the focus on the educational opportunities of all of the students of the Weston Public Schools.  I will continue to share any other news throughout the summer and will be in contact again as we complete our administrative team.  Thank you for your continued communication and support in this process.

Midge Connolly
Superintendent