Open-Source student data system offers near real-time information that helps schools provide timely, individualized interventions and student support

The Boston Foundation awarded a two-year, $200,000 grant to Somerville Public Schools (SPS) this summer to continue development of Somerville’s innovative, open-source Student Insights online student data software. The funding will be used to add new software features as the district continues to improve and expand the system, and to extend the software to other urban Massachusetts school districts. Under the guidance of SPS K-8 Curriculum Coordinator Uri Harel, Somerville has been working on Student Insights to centralize student data in order to give teachers a fuller and more timely picture of the interventions and supports students need to be successful in their classrooms.

Silent Films with live musical accompaniment from Jeff Rapsis are coming to the Somerville and Capitol Theatres.

Clara Bow in Get Your Man (1927) in 35mm will be shown on Sunday, August 27, 2:00 p.m., at the Somerville Theatre, Davis Square, Somerville. Richard Barthelmess in Tol’able David (1921) plays on Thursday, September 14, 8:00 p.m., at the Capitol Theatre in Arlington.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro

Project STAR, Somerville’s summer musical theatre camp, presented their original mini-musical on Thursday, August 17, at The West Somerville Neighborhood School. For 6 weeks, the talented Somerville teens rehearsed their play called Enough is Enough. The show addressed school bullying.

It’s an epic weekend on the road in “Girls Trip”– now playing at the Somerville Theatre.

By Dre Joseph

Have you ever been on your way to work or driving around town and a song comes on the radio or your music streaming device and you yell out, “Oh! That’s my song!”? You turn up the volume, blasting your speakers as the bass thumps and rattles your car that has now turned into a time machine transporting you back to when you and your crew use to “turn all the way up” on the regular?

By Joe Beckman

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Since Mayor Capuano’s Affordable Housing Task Force in 1998, people have talked about a 1% transfer tax. Some see it as an “admission fee” to buy and move into Somerville. Some see a penalty for speculators. It was then. At that time, it was designed to support an Affordable Housing Trust Fund to finance rentals.

~Photos by Claudia Ferro
The Ferro family hosted the Sunsetters on Tuesday, August 19 on Kensington Ave. Stop & Shop donated a $25 dollar gift card for snacks and Louie’s Ice Cream on Broadway gave all the Sunsetters free ice cream after their performance.

~Photos by Bobbie Toner

This past summer, MassDOT University conducted the 4th Annual MassDOT MBTA Intern Transportation Institute (ITI). The interns’ graduation celebration took place on Monday, August 21.

By Jim  Clark

A police officer assigned to Assembly Row last week was contacted by Saks OFF 5TH loss prevention personnel and alerted that Brandon Tracy, an allegedly known shoplifter who frequents Saks was in the store and had concealed two pairs of shoes in a brown paper bag.

By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

On Saturday, August 12, I – like many people across the country – watched in horror and disgust as the KKK, neo-Nazis, and other alt-right and white supremacist groups descended upon Charlottesville, Virginia, and three innocent people lost their lives. I was appalled that this was happening in the United States of America in 2017.

— Photo by Erin Wade

By Rob Carter

The Somerville Bicycle Advisory Committee (SBAC) plans to use traffic barrels to protect a new bicycle and bus lane created during the recent overhaul to Union Square’s traffic pattern.

“The No. 1 issue for cyclists is the Prospect Street bike lane being used as a parking lane,” said Mike Tremblay, Somerville’s senior transportation planner.