Dear Early Steps Families and Staff Members,

Welcome to the 2025 - 2026 school year! 

We’re so excited to kick off the new school year and welcome back our returning students as well as meet our new ones!

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday, September 8 for your scheduled School Visit Day. During the visit, you and your child will have a chance to meet some of their peers, explore the classroom and school, and connect with their teacher.

It’s a wonderful opportunity for students to become more familiar with their learning environment before the first official day of school on Tuesday, September 9!

While our Preschool and PreKindergarten (PreK) share the goal of preparing 3-5 year olds for kindergarten, more importantly, the experience helps shape students’ view of themselves as successful learners and playful partners, and to realize their individual value within our school community. The staff at Early Steps have created a thoughtful, student-centered community!

The Early Steps Early Childhood Center is connected to Hosmer School (See photo above) and includes both our Integrated Preschool and our Universal PreKindergarten (UPK) programs. This school year, we are excited to be part of your child's learning experience for over 200, 3-5 year old students in Preschool and PreKindergarten at Early Steps. In PreK, there are two classrooms located at Early Steps, and six satellite PreK classrooms: two each at Cunniff School, Hosmer School, and Lowell School. All Preschool classrooms are located at the main building in Early Steps @Hosmer.

You should have received an email with information on your child's teacher, class assignment, and basic information about Early Steps as well as information about School Visiting Day on September 8. If you did not, and believe that you should have, please notify our Administrative Assistant, Tricia D'Amelio @ tricia.damelio@watertown.k12.ma.us. 

As we prepare for the fall semester, we are thrilled to announce the addition of several new staff members:

You can expect another newsletter from me next week with more details - including information about arrival and dismissal procedures, as well as other helpful tips to help you and your student get off to a smooth start.

Until then, enjoy every bit of the summer break!

Warmly,

Christine M. Gibelli

Principal

Quick Resources: Early Steps Website (Under Construction)

WPS 2025 - 2026 School Year Calendar

Upcoming Dates:

You won’t need to worry about school supply shopping this year. Our district will be providing all the necessary materials for students, and we’re happy to continue this helpful tradition. We hope this makes the back-to-school season a little easier for you and your family!

All your student will need to bring is:

Please be sure to label your child's belongings.

That’s it! We’re looking forward to a great year ahead!

Tuition payments are due on or before the first of every month - September through June. 

Caregivers have the following options for making a payment: 

Parents/Caregivers will receive an email with an invoice attached approximately 10 days prior to the start of school.

Tuition Costs:

3-days a week 8:00AM - 12:00PM - $425/month

5-days a week 8:00AM - 1:00PM - $885/month

5-days a week 8:00AM - 12:00PM - $707/month

For more information, contact: Administrative Assistant, Tricia D’Amelio @ Tricia.DAmelio@watertown.k12.ma.us

terri.stafford@watertown.k12.ma.us

Watertown Public Schools

@Phillips Building, Third Floor

30 Common St.

Watertown, Ma. 02472

617-972-4216 X 37291

Fax 617-923-1234