By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

The Simon Youth Foundation, a national nonprofit that provides educational opportunities for at-risk high school students, will award a college scholarship to one student from every community that is home to a Simon mall property, including the Watertown area.

Any high school student who will be graduating in the class of 2013 and lives within 50 miles of a Simon property is eligible. The program will award a one-time scholarship of up to $1,400 to students who plan to enroll in an accredited college, university, vocational or technical school.

The application period is open now through Friday, Jan. 11.

Students can pick up a copy of a scholarship application at the Arsenal Mall's management office. Applications also can be downloaded at the Simon Youth Foundation website.

The program has been awarding money for 12 consecutive years. In 2012, the Simon Youth Scholarships program awarded $1.2 million to 378 students nationwide.

“Our mission is to ignite hope for a brighter future in students, and our Foundation is proud to partner with Arsenal Mall to award scholarships that will remove some of the financial obstacles that would otherwise prevent a student from achieving the dream of a college education,” said J. Michael Durnil, the president and CEO of the foundation.

The 2013 scholarship recipients will be selected by Scholarship Management Services, a third-party administrator. Students are selected based on a variety of criteria, including financial need, academic performance, leadership skills and participation in school and community activities. Those students who are the first in their family to pursue a post secondary education will also be given close consideration.

The completed application, along with official school transcripts and parents’ most recently filed tax form, must be sent to Scholarship Management Services by March 1.

Simon Youth Foundation was established in 1998 and supports 23 Simon Youth Academies in 13 US states that give at-risk students the same education they would receive in a traditional classroom, while also offering the flexibility that their individual circumstances require.

The Education Commission of the United States has recognized the foundation with its Corporate Award for sustained and substantial investment in improving public education.

For more information, visit the foundation's website.

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Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent

iPads could soon be required tools for all fifth grade students in the Wellesley Public Schools, if the districts decides to go ahead with an expansion of a 1:1 Technology Pilot.

The district will hold a series of public meetings to discuss the proposal, beginning on Jan. 10.

In the fall of 2011, 5th graders at Schofield Elementary School were each assigned an iPad as part of a pilot program supported by the Wellesley Education Foundation, according to a website explaining the proposed expansion. The program has been so successful that the district is considering implementing it for all fifth graders in the 2013 to 2014 school year.

Teachers and students who participated in the Schofield pilot said that having personal iPads allowed children individualized learning experiences, fostered cooperative learning skills and helped children appreciate the iPad as a tool instead of a toy, according to the website.

The pilot also helps close the technology gap between students who do not have access to technology at home and those who do, according to the site.

A Frequently Asked Questions page set up on the site says that fifth graders who participated in the 1:1 pilot showed improvements in math scores on their MCAS tests, though the site notes that it is difficult to correlate improvements with a single factor.

Families would have to supply the iPads for their children. According to the district’s website, the iPads children use in school would have to meet minimum requirements, which have not yet been announced.

The district would offer two options for families to choose from: enroll an existing device that meets those minimum requirements, or lease to own.

Families that choose to enroll an existing device would have their iPad wiped and reconfigured with a standard suite of apps and a management profile. Parent training workshops would be available, as would be short-term loaner iPads, if the family iPad is temporarily unavailable. The district would charge families a $40 fee to cover the apps and management software license.

In the second option, families who lease to own could get an iPad through the district for $155 per year. Students would keep the iPad for four years, and would have an option to buy the unit for $1 at the end of that time.

The leased iPads would come with Retina Display, a standard suite of apps, a case, a management license, four years of repair and replacement, accidental damage coverage of up to two incidents, and access to short-term loaners. Parent training workshops would also be provided.

If the price tag seems steep, the district is willing to help, according to the website:

“The district is committed to an inclusive program involving all students, regardless of a family’s financial situation. A program will be in place to ensure that students from any family with a demonstrated financial need will be able to fully participate in the 1:1 program.”

The expansion will be funded through a partnership between schools, families and community organizations, according to the website.

The district will continue to investigate new ways to offset the costs to families, as officials are aware of the financial pressures that families already face, according to the website.

As part of the expanded pilot, the district will organize workshops for parents and a forum for students to discuss cyber bullying. Students will also have managed email accounts.

The iPads would not replace human interaction – according to the website, they actually improved it in the pilot program. Students often work in groups, and the iPad is not constantly in use.

Web browsing will be limited in accordance with the Children and Internet Protections Act, both at school and at home.

Families who do not want their children to have their iPads at home will be allowed to opt-out of the take-home portion of the program.

A full list of the planned meetings can be found here. The first will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Jan. 10 in the Wakelin Room at the Wellesley Free Library.

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent

Sustainable Wellesley will host a climate reality workshop on Jan. 25 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to discuss local initiatives to help fight climate change.

Wellesley resident Quentin Prideaux will talk about what he learned this summer at The Climate Reality Project, which is an invitation-only training program in California led by former Vice President Al Gore, according to a release from Sustainable Wellesley.

The workshop will touch on the latest information about climate change, as well as the steps that residents can take to reduce their carbon footprints.

There will be a break-out discussion about topics such as reducing home energy consumption and speaking out.

There will be pizza and brownies from 6:30 to 7:00 p.m. and the talk and workshop from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. The event will be held at the Wellesley Unitarian Universalist at 309 Washington Street in Wellesley Hills.

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com

By Matt Rocheleau, Town Correspondent

Nicole Freedman this week returned to her old job as director of the City of Boston’s bicycle programming, city officials announced.

Freedman, a Wellesley native and former Olympic bicyclist, worked as director of Boston Bikes from the program’s launch in 2007 until last April, when she stepped down from the post to take a job as the executive director of Maine Huts and Trails.

“Over the past five years, the program has made tremendous strides, but there’s always more work to do,” said a statement from Freedman. “We’re looking forward to another successful year of cycling in Boston.”

As director of Boston Bikes, Freedman has worked to raise awareness about bicycling in Boston, in an effort to make it more popular and safe, city officials said.

She oversaw major initiatives, including the launch of the Hubway bike share system and the installation of about 50 miles of bike lanes and 850 bicycle racks.

Freedman helped welcome the first professional bicycle race to Boston in nearly two decades, city officials said. Under her leadership, city helped donate more than 1,000 bikes to low-income residents and provided on-the-bike training to nearly 8,000 youth.

“In 2007, we set out to make Boston a world-class bicycling city, and Nicole was the clear choice for a leader who both shared that vision and had the passion to make it a reality,” said a statement from Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “Since her departure, Boston Bikes has continued to thrive and improve access for all cyclists, and we’re thrilled Nicole has joined us again to keep that momentum going.”

Freedman left her City Hall post as the so-called “bike czar” on April 20; her first day back was Wednesday. During her nearly nine-month absence, Kris Carter served as interim director. He will now return to his advisor to the mayor.

“I’m so excited to be back in Boston, and grateful for the vision of the mayor, and the work of Kris Carter and the team of people who have continued to lead Boston Bikes on a successful path,” Freedman said.

Her key priorities moving forward will be to continue efforts to: improve bicycle safety, reduce accidents and to make infrastructure improvements, including cycletracks and expanding the Hubway program, city officials said.

“When Freedman started in 2007, Boston was perennially ranked one of the worst cycling cities in the country,” the city said in a statement. “Under her leadership, the City became a nationally-recognized biking city, receiving a Silver level award from the League of American Bicyclists.”

But, the growth of biking in Boston has not been well-received by all, including by some who say that cycling can be dangerous to those riding the bikes and others around them. Last month, a Boston University student became the fifth bicyclist killed in a crash in the city during 2012.

E-mail Matt Rocheleau at mjrochele@gmail.com.
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By Jaclyn Reiss, Town Correspondent

The Massachusetts Legislature last week unanimously passed a bill sponsored by state Senator Cynthia Stone Creem, a Newton Democrat, that would protect victims of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault.

Under the bill, a victim would be able to break a lease without undue financial penalty if his or her safety is in jeopardy or request a change in the locks on the unit.

The protections are already available under federal law to public housing tenants and the new law would extended the provisions to tenants in private housing, which is already the case in several states.

Tenants would be required to give landlords written notification of their situation in advance, within a reasonable period. Landlords could also request independent verification of their status as victims, though this information would have to be kept confidential. The bill also provides protection from discrimination against tenants, and forbids the waiver of these rights in any lease.

“Maintaining and securing safe and affordable housing is often one of the most difficult obstacles facing victims of domestic violence, rape and stalking,” Creem said in a statement. “Many victims find themselves in unlivable situations – either sharing a home with an abuser or living in fear from a stalker – yet hesitate to move, because they can’t afford to break a lease."

Creem said the bill's passing will provide such victims the ability to leave an unsafe environment, or to take necessary steps to secure their safety while remaining in their home.

The bill now is now before Governor Deval Patrick, who is expected to sign it into law.

Photo courtesy of Newton-Wellesley Hospital

Baby Ahaana, the first baby born in Newton in 2013

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent

Baby girl Ahaana could not wait for her Jan. 3 due date, and instead rang in the new year as the first baby born in Newton in 2013, according to a spokeswoman for Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Proud first-time parents Sameeta Bilgrami and Prem Ramasamy of Waltham welcomed Ahaana into the world at 12:08 a.m. in Newton-Wellesley Hospital. She weighs 6 pounds 15 ounces.

Ahaana beat Boston’s first official New Year’s baby by one minute. Sophanie Sejour delivered a little girl at 12:09 a.m. at Massachusetts General Hospital, according to a spokeswoman.

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent

Wellesley’s Planning Board will hold a public forum on Jan. 14 to discuss two cluster development zoning amendments that it plans to bring before Town Meeting for approval, according to Assistant Planning Director Ethan Parsons.

A cluster development groups homes closer together than a traditional development plan, allowing more development to occur within a smaller space. Cluster developments allow the town to preserve open space.

The planning board is proposing two zoning amendments: the Neighborhood Infill Cluster Development, that would allow for small subdivisions creating two to four residential lots; and the Natural Resource Protection Cluster Development, which would allow for larger subdivisions that would create five or more residential lots.

Residents will get a chance to learn about cluster and open space design concepts and discuss how they might be used in Wellesley.

The forum will be held on Jan. 14 from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Great Hall in Wellesley Town Hall.

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com

By Liam O'Kennedy, Globe Correspondent

By Deirdre Fernandes, Globe Staff

Former Wellesley Superintendent Bella Wong continues to remain active in local education circles.

Wong joined the school committee of Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Lexington last month. The regional school is made up of 16-member towns, including Weston, where Wong lives.

Wong said she decided to volunteer for the Minuteman School Committee after she saw an announcement that the town’s former representative John Blyzinskyj, could no longer attend the meetings because of his job.

Wong’s term will expire on June 30, 2014, according to Deborah Davenport, the Weston Town Clerk.

Wong ended her tenure in Wellesley at the end of last school yearr, after the district came under fire for uncollected lunch fees and a harsh audit of the business office’s practices.

Wong said she has also done volunteer work for superintendent groups. The Minuteman School Committee position allowed her a chance to do more in vocational education, said Wong, whose former school district, Wellesley was not a member of Minuteman.

Wong said she’s still learning about the vocational school and the regional school committee structure.

“I’m still catching up,” Wong said about her new role. “I’ve been doing a lot more listening.”

Deirdre Fernandes can be reached at deirdre.fernandes@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @fernandesglobe.

By Evan Allen, Town Correspondent

Wellesley High School has two confirmed cases of pertussis, or whooping cough, according to a letter sent out to parents on Wednesday by the school’s nursing department.

“While there is no cause for alarm, it is important for you to have this information,” the letter reads. “At this time, there are no recommendations for any other interventions among classmates or other students in the school, but parents and guardians should be aware of the symptoms of pertussis.”

Pertussis is spread person to person by sneezing, coughing, and talking. It is caused by bacteria, which live in the nose, mouth and throat.

Symptoms usually take about seven to ten days to show up after exposure, according to the letter, though some people don’t get sick for up to 21 days.

Pertussis can be mild to severe. It starts with cold-like symptoms, and after about two weeks, the cough gets worse. The second stage of pertussis is marked by uncontrollable coughing spells that may be followed by vomiting; this last from four to six weeks. Between spells, people appear to be well. There is usually no fever. Vaccinated children, teens and adults may have milder symptoms that seem like bronchitis, according to the letter.

Anyone concerned that their child is exhibiting these symptoms should have them tested by their primary care physician. The Wellesley Board of Health and the nurses are tracking the pertussis, so inform the school if your child has an illness.

Anyone with questions or concerns may contact:

Linda Corridan, RN 781-446-6210 ext.4110 Department Head for Nursing
Pam Sheridan, RN 781-446-6305 ext. 4611 High School Nurse
Shari Johnson, RN 781-446-6305 ext 4503 High School Nurse

Evan Allen can be reached at evan.allen@globe.com