Wellesley Accepts $500K Federal Climate Grant Secured by Rep. Clark
WELLESLEY — The town and the Charles River Watershed Association have accepted a $500,000 federal appropriation secured by U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark to underwrite regional climate-resilience work, the town announced Monday afternoon.
TOWN HALL Wellesley and the Charles River Watershed Association will share a $500,000 federal grant for regional climate-change projects, according to a News Flash release posted Monday afternoon. The appropriation, secured by Congresswoman Katherine Clark, is designated for community-level work across the watershed aimed at climate mitigation and resilience. Specific project sites and timelines were not detailed in the announcement.
Town Meeting members are also being recruited for the General Bylaw Review Committee, per an updated volunteer notice posted Sunday. The committee handles ongoing review of the town's general bylaws; interested Town Meeting members are directed to the civic alert posted on the town website.
SCHOOLS The district is continuing to flag Fall 2026 registration for new K-12 students as open, with kindergarten eligibility limited to children who turn 5 on or before Aug. 31, 2026. Families can use the district's address lookup to find their elementary attendance zone. Wellesley Public Schools is also pointing parents to its newly approved Competency Determination policy (IKFE), adopted by the School Committee on Nov. 18, 2025, which replaces MCAS-based graduation requirements with coursework pathways in English, math, science and — beginning with the Class of 2027 — U.S. history.
ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS "🌱 Patch AM: Meet the Wellesley senior whose volunteer work earned a major service award" — Patch's morning roundup highlights a local high school senior recognized for community service, alongside an upcoming financial-literacy presentation on the Wellesley calendar, per Wellesley Patch. (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/wellesley)
"🌱 Patch AM: How Wellesley's shutout win keeps the Raiders' playoff hopes alive" — Patch recaps a Raiders shutout that keeps Wellesley's postseason path open, per Wellesley Patch. (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/wellesley)
"Bus Driver Facing Additional Charges In VA Crash That Killed 5 MA Residents" — Patch reports new charges against the driver in a fatal Interstate 95 crash in Virginia that killed five Massachusetts residents, including one from Worcester, per Wellesley Patch's regional feed. (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/wellesley)
No new Wellesley-specific coverage from MetroWest Daily News or The Boston Globe surfaced in this cycle.
COMING UP - Kindergarten and K-12 registration for the 2026-27 school year remains open through the district website; families are encouraged to register early. - Town Meeting members interested in the General Bylaw Review Committee can apply through the town's civic alerts page. - Plugged In Summer Session classes begin July 6, per listings on the Wellesley Patch community calendar.