West Bridgewater BuzzAround

January 19, 2025



~ Building Community One Positive Story at a Time.

Spring Street School Kindergarteners Rock the 80s for Their 80th Day of School!

Spring Street School’s kindergarteners took a totally tubular trip back in time to celebrate their 80th day of school — 80s style! Decked out in neon colors, leg warmers, and other throwback fashion, the students and faculty brought the spirit of the decade to life with enthusiasm and creativity.

Photos from the school’s celebration show smiling faces, bright outfits, and plenty of energy as everyone embraced the theme.

Spring Street School continues to find creative ways to keep learning exciting, and this celebration was no exception!

Source & Photo Credit:

Spring Street School FB Page

Historical Tidbit: Hayward Homestead

Hayward Homestead, 151 East Center Street, was built by Daniel Hayward, born in 1752, on the land his great-grandfather acquired from the Duxbury Land purchase. Daniel was a Revolutionary War veteran. The main building, a large square structure, was extended northwood and the original central chimney still serves 8 fireplaces, said to have been built from brick baked on the land. Its base Is so large as to fill almost entirely the full cellar under the house. Another small wing was added on the west in 1880, and a third addition, breezeway, and a small garage, some 50 years ago.

With the rise of new-style merchandising and supermarkets, it became increasingly difficult to run a profitable small dairy with door-to-door delivery of milk. The 10th generation of Haywards on this land most regretfully sold the 90 acres in 1974.



Source & Photo Credit: Charles Millet, 1982 on Massachusettes Cultural Resource Information System

Edited by J. Rose

Town Hall

  508-894-1200

WestBridgewaterMa.org

WB Public Library

508-894-1255

westbpl.org

Council on Aging

508-894-1262

COA

Food Pantry

Proof of residency is the only requirement.

1st & 3rd Wednesday each month

1:45 - 3p & 5:30 - 6p

457 rear, South Main St., Suite #1

508-510-5274  westbridgewaterfoodpantry@gmail.com

Congratulations!

Nick Modes

won

a free full day of doggie daycare at Angie' Pet Care

in-home custom pet daycare in Middleboro

Value $45

Bee sure to play our Historical Tidbit Trivia Game at the bottom of this newsletter.

Enter for this week's prize of

a free 1.5 hour class at

Bliss Through Yoga!

Rotary of the Bridgewaters' 2025 New Year’s Day Polar Plunge!

Frances Jefferies, Janet Dye, Wing-kai To, Ismael Michael Kibiro Kahiu, Mike Kryzanek, and Laurie Lesser from Rotary of the Bridgewaters' and Jason McAvoy and Karen Iolli from Brockton Rotary jumped in New Year's Day to the freezing waters off Onset Beach.

Rotary of the Bridgewaters beat their goal of raising $10,000 for Shelterbox. ShelterBox provides emergency shelters and supplies to families devastated by conflict or disaster through generous donations from individuals and organizations wanting to make a difference. To direct your donations toward sheltering people in war-torn areas like Gaza, and natural disaster areas like Los Angeles, see below:

Annual Polar Plunge

Please Sponsor and Support food and housing security for local and global neighbors

DONATE TODAY

1. Online: www.paypal.com/donate. 

2. Checks payable to Rotary Club of the Bridgewaters, 

PO Box 266, East Bridgewater, MA 02333

Reposted from: Brockton Rotary FB page and

Rotary Club of the Bridgewaters' FB page

WB Water Commissioners Meeting

January 6th 2025

Video Courtesy of WBTV

Old Colony Safe Streets for All Interactive Map and Data Dashboard

As part of the Old Colony Planning Council’s (OCPC) “Safe Streets for All” (SS4A) initiative, the OCPC has posted an interactive website – “Where Do You Want To See Safety Improvements in the Region”. Residents and other interested parties and place pins on the map showing a location with walking concerns, accessibility for people with disabilities concerns, biking concerns, driving concerns, or general concerns and leave comments and photographs (if they have them). Visit experience.safe streets to do so.

West Bridgewater’s Plans to Address Overcrowding:

New School or Expanded Facilities

Why is Action Needed Now?

West Bridgewater is currently experiencing overcrowding in its schools. Each year, the town has had to add grade-level classrooms to accommodate “bubble” populations—unexpected surges in student numbers within certain grade levels. With new and planned home and condo construction in town, the need for additional classroom space is expected to increase further. If nothing is done, the town will not have the classroom space to support the needs of the town population.

Exploring All Options

The town is actively considering three main options to solve the current and anticipated overcrowding:

Renovating an Existing School: One possibility is to renovate an existing school building to better utilize space and upgrade facilities to meet modern standards.

Adding to an Existing School: The second option involves renovating and constructing an addition to one of their current schools, expanding capacity and creating new spaces for specialized learning.

Building a New School: A brand-new school would provide West Bridgewater with the opportunity to design state-of-the-art facilities from the ground up, incorporating modern technologies, sustainable features, and flexible learning spaces.

The Project Team hosted an informational Community Forum on Tue. Jan 14, 2025 @ 6:00

Here is the video courtesy of WBCAM

Next School Building Committee Meeting is Tuesday, January 28, 2025 @ 5:30 PM. 

wbesbuildingproject.com

West Bridgewater Library

January Activities

The WB library is starting 2025 off with a bang, and a schedule jam-packed with fun.

1/25 11a Masking Tape Painting- Learn a new way to let your creativity flow. Recommended for teens and adults. Registration is required.

Book and Author Events

1/21 5p The Book Club will be reviewing, Crying in H Mart the memoir by Michelle Zauner. Copies are available behind the circulation desk.

Author Talks will be 1/23 2p and 1/28 1p

Register for programs at westbpl.org

For more information January 2025 WB Library Newsletter

Article by Bethani Jerke, BuzzAround Intern, SNHU

Calling all Seniors for Senior Craft Night!

Tue Jan 21, 1p

97 West Center St. West Bridgewater

Sign up in the COA main office at 508-894-1262

For more information COA FB

Climate Can Do:

Doing our part to decrease Nano-plastics in the environment.

To do our part, we need to stop disposing of single -use plastics as much as possible. Our throwaway culture effects our drinking water. We often prioritize convenience over consideration of long-term impacts, leading to trash cans filled with plastic and roadways littered with single -use bottles. Thesse plastics break-down over time leaching nano-plastics into our drinking water.

Let's work together to make a change.

Here are some suggestions:

• Replace plastic water bottles with a refillable one.
• Bring your own take-out container for restaurant leftovers or frequent restaurants that use earth-friendly containers.
• Wash and reuse any plastic containers you get with purchases.
• Purchase drinks in cans or glass, not plastic. (That plastic bottle is leaching nano-plastics into your drink.)
• Purchase laundry and dish detergent in Pods or Sheets instead of plastic bottles.

Together, we can do it!

Climate Can Do written by Jacquelyn Rose.



Sources: National Institute of Health

Consumer Reports

Paint & Create for a Cause!

Sun, Jan 26

1p

St. Ann Parish Center

Join us for an afternoon of painting, creativity, and community as instructor Sandy Churchill guides us in creating our own unique masterpieces. This special event is limited to 20 participants, with a cost of $30 per person. All proceeds support the Disciples of Hospitality committee, which organizes social events that bring our community together. Advance sign-up is required. To reserve your spot, contact Matt Brady at 508-378-2002.

The Blue Envelope Project

The West Bridgewater Police Department, joined with the Bridgewater Police Department, has begun implementing The Blue Envelope Project. The project is designed to assist drivers and passengers on the autism spectrum during motor vehicle stops and other interactions with police officers.

Each envelope contains step-by-step instructions to help autistic individuals and helpful guidelines for police officers to foster safe and clear communication for everyone involved. The Blue Envelopes can also hold an operator’s license, registration, insurance card, and emergency contact card.

Some of the West Bridgewater police officers and former West Bridgewater Middle/Senior High School students came together to create a promotional video for the Blue Envelope Project.

Blue Envelope Video WB PD FB

Envelopes can be picked up at the front desk of the West Bridgewater Police Station or in the School Resource Officer’s office at the High School. They are free of charge.

Blue Envelope Project Lurie Center for Autism

Source: Bridgewater PD FB

Learn about the Taunton River Watershed

West Bridgewater is one of 43 cities and towns that are included in the Taunton River Watershed. This includes rivers that feed into it. Salisbury Plain River flows from the city of Brockton where it joins the Matfield River. This river system also includes many smaller streams and “headwaters” – the most upstream areas, often wetlands and springs where rivers originate. The Taunton River Watershed Alliance (TRWA) has been a voice for the Taunton River and its watershed since 1988.

They are an alliance of concerned residents, businesses, and organizations united to restore and properly manage the water and natural resources within the watershed. They advocate for environmental protection, sustainable development, and responsible stewardship of our precious and irreplaceable water resources.

The TRWA mission is:

*To protect and restore the Watershed’s natural resources for current and future generations.

*To build and support responsible stewardship of our fragile ecosystems, water quality, forests, farmland, and wetlands.

*To be an integral resource for environmental education that is so crucial to the continued health and enjoyment of the Watershed’s waterways, woodlands, meadows, marshes, wildlife, and open spaces.

*To be a voice for threatened land and water resources.

If you would like to participate in achieving the mission you could support by becoming a corporate sponsor, an activity sponsor, a member or volunteer. Whether you can give time or money your help would be greatly appreciated.

savethetaunton.org

Your BuzzAround supports the dignity of all human beings, is actively anti-racist, and supportive of good law enforcement policies. 

Copyright 2025 Buzz Around West Bridgewater. You have our permission to share and copy this issue in its entirety as much as you like. If you take it in part, please give credit. ("Buzz Around West Bridgewater 1/19/25")

Your BuzzAround supports the dignity of all human beings, is actively anti-racist, and supportive of good law enforcement policies.  At the Buzz Around, we promote community. The links provided are for informational purposes. BuzzAround is not responsible for the media content of other organizations.