Dave Atkins's blog

Westwood parents received a letter today instructing them to logon to a website and enter emergency contact information for their children. The new online process eliminates the need for paper "emergency cards." Instead, parents will enter the information online in the "X2" system. Apparently, this is the first step in consolidating student information online. This link to Hingham-based X2 Development Corporation includes a video illustrating some of the more advanced features of the system.

The system is not without glitches. I entered my information multiple times because it appeared not to be saved when I examined my daughter's record. However, I later learned (through feedback on the WestwoodBlog Facebook page) that this is "normal" because the database is not updated immediately. Follow the instructions on each screen carefully and refer to the step-by-step guide including screenshots like the one below. (after you login, the magnifying glass below is clickable and is how you select your child's record)

A couple of hours after entering our emergency contact information (and starting this blog post), I returned to the X2 system and found all my information updated.

So try it out by going to http://x2dev.net/westwood. Parents have until September 13 to update the emergency contact information.

Welcome a Spanish speaking teen into your home!

Host families are needed for just 2 weeks--Sept. 8 - 23, 2010. This is a great program the entire family can enjoy!

What would be required of you?

• Any family, large or small, with high school age children
• Open to Quincy and Westwood families
• Homeschool families encouraged to participate
• Share your home and heart
• Provide meals and a bed (they can share a room)

Program Basics:

• Sept. 8-23, 2010
• Available students are from near Valencia, Spain and are 15-18 yrs old
• Students will shadow your son or daughter to their classes 2 days
• Students go on organized trips 3 days/wk
• Students are insured and have their own expense money
• Students do speak some English
• Working with school teachers and community
• Travel Opportunities possible

Let’s find these kids a home now!

For more information, please Call Jane Scorza 617-281-4545 or email jscorza@aol.com

What question would you ask Congressional candidates Stephen Lynch and Mac D'Alessandro to answer if you had the chance? The editors of community web sites from Milton (02186 MyTownMatters), Dedham (MyDedham), and Westwood (Our Westwood) are inviting you to submit your questions as comments below from now until August 31. We will select 10 questions and submit those to both campaigns, then publish their responses online before the September 14 Democratic Primary.

Please suggest questions both candidates can answer--don't try to debate/discuss the merits of the candidates under this topic yet. Save that for after they respond. Please follow the community guidelines as you make comments.

Over the past few weeks, I've seen a series of apparently futile efforts by Democratic challengers Mike Walsh of Westwood (running for State Senate) and Mac D'Alessandro of Milton (running for Congress) to draw their opponents into debate. It's no surprise incumbent Stephen Lynch doesn't want to elevate his opponent's campaign to an equal platform--he's got nothing to gain and plenty of money to spend to get his message out. Walsh's opponent has less advantage than a sitting Congressman, but having served as a state rep in West Roxbury, he appears to be following the same traditional political calculus to ignore the challenger.

Anyone running for public office should not be afraid to engage his opponents who have qualified for the ballot and are running substantial campaigns with support from thousands of residents. Those with differing opinions at least deserve the respect of seeing the candidates argue the issues. It's not just about whether you agree with a candidate or who's "right," but the quality of engagement we deserve. If these candidates won't even debate their opponents, and if they subsequently win, how can I expect them to represent me or listen to my opinions? They don't need me to get re-elected, so I don't matter?

Maybe a TV debate is not the right forum...but I don't see anything else happening either. I would be happy to moderate an online discussion here if the candidates would find that more appealing, but I'm not going to submit questionnaires and issue endorsements. My point is not that we should score or grade the candidates on their positions, but that we, as voters, deserve the opportunity to evaluate them as they interact so we can judge how truly representative they will be.

Dave Feyler is interested in talking to any parents that would like to help start a wrestling program in Westwood. Westwood's own Kenny Florian is the number 1 contender in the UFC in the 155 pld division. The most expensive part of starting a wrestling program is the mats, which run around $8,500. Wrestling is a very disciplined sport and builds great amount of self confidence. If there are any parents that would like to help out getting a wrestling program started in Westwood email Dave Feyler at Eyedtech@aol.com.

There is also a program called stance in motion that helps new wrestling programs get started with funding. This is only one way of raising funds for the mats. Once the mats are purchased, wrestling is one of the least expensive sports for students to participate. Neighboring towns including Dedham, Norwood, Needham have longstanding, successful programs.

Westwood has no shortage of grocery shopping options, but for many of us, convenience is not just about proximity; it's about hours. According to one resident who contacted me, until recently, the Stop and Shop locations in Dedham and Norwood were open until midnight, but have now cut their hours back to close at 11pm. It's only an hour, but if you work a 3-11 shift at Caritas or work out late at night, it makes a difference as to whether you can manage a trip to the grocery into your schedule. If you have comments or opinions and would like to contact someone at Stop and Shop, the District Manager, Tom Marshall, can be reached at (781) 320-5632 or through email via an assistant terry.defillippo@stopandshop.com.

GreatSchools, a national nonprofit that collects and publishes education data to inspire and guide parents towards improving their schools and strengthening their communities has featured Westwood as one of the top public school systems in small U.S. cities.

Year after year, Westwood students score in the top percentiles on national reading and math tests, and an overwhelming majority of high school graduates continue to college. But it’s not all work, no play: There’s an abundance of recreational areas, nature preserves, playgrounds, and ball fields.

GreatSchools is much more than just another U.S. News annual ranking. I worked with founder Bill Jackson in 1996 when we developed SmartVoter.org. He went on to create GreatSchools based on the idea that shared information would empower parents, teachers, and communities to look for ways to measure, analyze, and chart the improvements in their schools. Long before "No Child Left Behind" or, more recently the Obama administration's "Race to the Top" program came along, Great Schools was laying the foundation for local efforts to improve education. Being featured as a top school nationally is much more than simply having the highest MCAS/income-correlated pass rates--it reflects the comprehensive commitment to education in the town of Westwood and is a recognition everyone should be proud of.

A preliminary report by the Government Study Task Force (available on Town website), recommends the town charter be changed through a home rule petition but without changes to the number of selectmen, timing of town meeting, or limitations on terms of office. I blogged about the public hearing on related petition articles in February. Wicked Local ran a story last month on the reappointment of the task force and Patch reported on the preliminary report last week.

Sunday's Boston.com Your Town Westwood goes into greater depth, but I wanted to highlight a couple of key points from the report and see if anyone has any feedback here.

• A home rule petition will continue the inclusive process of discussion, leading up to a proposed warrant article for consideration by the Board of Selectmen and Town Meeting. A charter commission would require electing representatives which I think would insulate the discussion, overly formalize input, and delay everything to an eventual up-or-down vote.
• Regarding increasing the number of selectmen from 3 to 5, I'm disappointed the task force "did not find any persuasive rationale to support an increase in the Board’s size." Mike Walsh presented an argument back at a FinCom meeting in February 2009 in favor of some means to achieve greater representation and participation. It seems we agree that precinct representation would be a bad idea, but having more selectmen could be beneficial in many ways that deserve more discussion.

The Task Force has made a great effort to seek out and include opinions and suggestions. The report is preliminary. It does not report the pros and cons of any issues but simply lays out the next steps along with the initial recommendations--which establish a valid need to move forward and consider changes.

Westwood will soon begin installing bike racks obtained through the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission Regional Bike Parking program. Last Fall, the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Committee identified several locations in town that meet the program requirements and applied for the funding allocated to Westwood. The racks were delivered just before the first snowstorm. Now the town has marked the locations of the racks (white dots in the photo) and will install them in the coming months.