Following is a message from Arlington’s Superintendent of Schools sent to the Arlington Public School Community on January 4, 2024.
Dear Arlington Public Schools Community,
I am pleased to share that the AHS Building Project celebrated another milestone today with the opening of the new Menotomy Preschool. Construction of the preschool, the Town’s integrated program for 3-5 year olds, is included in the High School Building Project and partially funded by the state.
Menotomy Preschool is an integral component of the Arlington Public Schools because it provides state and federally mandated inclusion-based education for our preschool students who require special education services.
The fully accessible new school is specifically designed for the unique needs of Menotomy’s diverse students. The school currently enrolls 89 students, and also provides special education and related services for an additional 25-30 three to five year olds in the district. Features of the new school include:
- Eight classrooms filled with natural light.
- A two-story multipurpose room that serves as a gymnasium and space for physical and occupational therapy.
- Dedicated rooms for speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, counseling, private family meetings and other services.
- Two daycare rooms for children of Arlington Public Schools staff.
- One classroom where high school students enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program work in a hands-on environment with preschool students.
Previously housed at the old high school, the preschool has been operating out of the former Parmenter School on Irving Street for the past three years while the new preschool was constructed at the site of the new high school. During the design phase, the AHS Building Committee determined that the benefit to keeping Menotomy Preschool at the high school outweighed the ramifications of moving the program permanently to the Parmenter School. Benefits cited included:
- Ample space to support the preschool’s expected growth.
- Educational benefits to maintaining the preschool’s location at AHS, allowing high school students to experience hands-on work for Early Childhood Development courses.
- Inclusion of the preschool in the high school project resulted in partial state funding of the preschool’s construction.
For more information, please refer to the following resources:
- Menotomy Preschool website
- Press Release: Opening of Menotomy Preschool
- Blog: Welcome to the New Menotomy Preschool
- AHS Building Project website
The public is invited to tour Menotomy Preschool, the Phase 2 spaces of the new Arlington High School and the new district offices on January 20, from 9:00 a.m.- 12:00 p.m. Thank you for your partnership during this exciting time in Arlington Public Schools’ history.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth C. Homan, Ph.D.
Superintendent, Arlington Public Schools