Monthly Archives: December 2021
Superintendent’s Weekly 12/17/2021
December 17, 2021
Hello HW Community,
I want to thank everyone for their trust and patience as we all focused on the recent TikTok issue. I appreciate the quick response by our police departments to be present at our schools today. For those of you who don’t know my feelings about school security, I take it very seriously. Our district has plans in place that help to guide us during emergency issues that may need a specific response.
HWRSD uses the ALICE emergency response protocols as a basis for any response requiring a lockdown, evacuation, and relocation. Each building has a process and specific locations within our communities to meet and reunite. We work in tandem with the police and fire departments to plan and train for response scenarios.
As an added layer, The North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (NEMLEC) and regional school officials have come together to ensure safe and secure school environments conducive to learning by creating School Threat Assessment Response System (STARS). STARS is composed of 60 plus departments of combined Police, Fire, Counselors, and School Administration that respond to school threats. This gives us access to state-of-the-art equipment, counselors, and first responders when any major emergency arises.
The information above is not meant to raise anxiety but I believe it is important for everyone to know that we do have plans for emergencies and continue to reexamine and update frequently.
On a lighter note, Monday I was able to visit Winthrop Elementary. Initially, I was in 4th-grade classrooms and observed the process of writing by telling a story. Students had chosen their own topics to write about. One young lady was writing about meditation and explained to me how she and her Dad meditate every night. In the 1st grade classrooms, we observed morning math. Students and teachers were using patterns (dice) and numbers to make combinations or sequences.
At Cutler Elementary, I was able to see a sound wall in action. The students were working on the sound the letter “P” makes. The sound wall has pictures of what the mouth looks like when making the sound. It also organizes the shapes of your mouth across the wall left to right. This allows teachers and students to focus on the articulation of sounds. In the K classroom, I was in, there were two sound walls, one for consonants and one for vowels. Pretty interesting stuff in the ways teachers are using sounds, listening, and how each sound feels to the lips and tongue.
On Tuesday night I attended the annual MRMS Winter Concert. It was a fantastic time. It is also only the second concert that we have held in over two years. The HS concert was last week. I am always amazed at the talents that are displayed by our singers and musicians while also amazed how smoothly the techies work behind the scenes to handle the lights, sound, and equipment moves.
FY23 Budget Presentation
Last night we presented the next iteration of the FY23 school budget which is a net 2.6% increase from last year.. You can find that presentation at this link.
Covid Cases are Up
We continue to see a steady rise in the number of Covid-19 cases in our pool testing. If your child is not feeling well, even if you think they only have a cold, please keep them home and have them tested. Many of the cases we are seeing are people who thought “it was just a cold”.
No Pooled Testing Week of December 19th
We will not be conducting pooled testing during the week of December 19th due to the shortened week. We will resume testing on Tuesday, January 4th.
104 HWRHS Students Qualify for State DECA Career Development Conference
Check out this post about how well our DECA students did yesterday at the local conference!
Did you know…?
There are several subcommittees of the School Committee. Currently, there are three including the Capital/Planning Subcommittee, Negotiations Subcommittee, and Policy Subcommittee. While they are not always active, they are integral parts of the work that is done outside of the regular school committee meetings.
Community School Budget Presentation and Q&A:
As stated earlier in the year, I want the budget process to be transparent. To this end, I would like to invite parents/staff to a budget overview of next year’s budget (FY23) on January 11, 2022, at the HS in the auditorium. Vincent Leone and I will present an overview of the budget and take questions.
Do You Need Holiday Meal Assistance?
If you or anyone you know is in need of meal assistance over the holidays, you can find a list of places offering free meals on December 25th HERE. In addition to these resources, families can contact Acord Food Pantry for assistance.
Transportation & Driver Shortage:
As most of you are aware, the driver of Bus #4 was injured and is not able to drive for the foreseeable future. The driver shortage is still a nationwide struggle and Salter does not have anyone to cover the route. They have combined routes to get the students who ride Bus #4 home but this has led to longer routes and later drop-offs. Salter is working tirelessly to recruit new drivers but I would like to thank all of you for your continued patience as we work through these issues.
Yes, we are still looking for help!
We still have a large number of positions open. Please pass the word and this link to anyone who may be looking for a part-time or full-time position and wants to work in a great district! We have positions available in the areas of classroom support, math tutoring, food service, HR, IT, speech pathology, special education, substitute nurses, and classroom substitutes.
On a good note, we were recently connected to the Mass Unemployment System. This may help us to connect to people across the state looking for jobs.
Welcoming Gina DeNapoli to the HWRSD:
If you see her in the halls, make sure to say ¡hola! – that’s because she is a 7th and 8thgrade Spanish teacher at MRMS. Gina first started teaching in Spain and worked in the Spanish public school system of Medina del Campo and Madrid before returning to the U.S. to teach history and Spanish. As a graduate of the HWRSD, she is thrilled to be back in a familiar space. Gina’s top priority is building and continuing to grow as a multifaceted community member and she looks forward to getting to know everyone this year.
Elementary Holiday Skate:
The HWRHS Boys Hockey Team is hosting a free Holiday Skate at the Pingree rink on Thursday, 12/23 from 5:00-6:00 pm. Bring your skates and come join the team and enjoy games, cross-ice, candy canes, and holiday music. Helmets are required.
104 HWRHS Students Qualify for DECA State Career Development Conference!
Superintendent’s Weekly 12/10/21
Hello HW Community,
I hope none of you were waiting for the usual 4:30 PM drop of the weekly. We had a phone issue at the central office that distracted me for a bit.
On Monday, I was able to attend an instructional walkthrough with the Buker Principal and the Director of Elementary Teaching and Learning. It was great to see consistent alignment within each grade level. This is clear evidence that our teachers are working, designing, and sharing with each other for great student outcomes.
The first four classrooms we visited were all involved in writing by telling a story. It was great to see how different things were from kindergarten to grade 1 but also fascinating to see how students build their skills along the journey. The kindergarten writers are learning how to write sentences while first graders are linking their sentences together with transition words and putting together stories. We finished our visits in a fifth-grade classroom where students were writing complex informational pieces independently, another example of the impressive progression of learning throughout the elementary years.
In many classrooms throughout the district, we see word walls as students build their vocabularies and word knowledge, which is not uncommon for many schools. I was especially excited to learn about a sound wall that one of our Kindergarten teachers is learning to use this year, a tool that is used to teach students how each sound of our language is formed, an important building block to reading and spelling.
On Thursday evening, as I entered the HS library, I heard the very familiar voice of one of our coaches. Upon further investigation, coach Mike DiMarino had gathered in a classroom with his basketball players. At first, I assumed they were reviewing strategy, film, etc., but was delighted to learn that he was training his players to recognize implicit bias.
Quintuple Board Budget Discussion
On Wednesday evening I was a member of a 5 board meeting that included the Finance Committees, Select Boards from each community, and the HW School Committee to discuss the school budget. This first of two meetings allows for full transparency and creates an opportunity for each board to gain perspective and to learn about priorities that the two towns and the school department have for the FY23 budget. We will be presenting the next refinement of the FY23 school budget at the next school committee meeting on December 16th.
The Increase We Expected
As you may know, we immediately experienced an uptick in the number of COVID-19 cases in our schools and communities the week after the Thanksgiving break. We ask that everyone continue to follow the mitigation strategies that are in place and please keep your child home if they are not feeling well or have symptoms of COVID-19. In a couple of cases, students were sent to school with cold symptoms but tested positive for COVID-19 when they were at school. If you are unsure if your child should come to school, please reach out to the school nurse first.
Speaking of nurses, they continue to go above and beyond, working nights, weekends, and holidays. This week alone, we have 45 test and stay cases at one school and over 20 at another. When a student qualifies for a test and stay, they must be tested and have a negative result before heading into classes. Having over 40 cases makes it difficult for nurses because they are also servicing the general medical needs of our staff and students right at the beginning of the day and in some cases, also expected to pool test the students in the school. I truly appreciate the consistent level of professionalism our nurses display each and every day, even under high levels of stress.
No Pooled Testing Week of December 19th
We will not be conducting pooled testing during the week of December 19th due to the shortened week. We will resume testing on Tuesday, January 4th.
MS Winter Concert
The annual middle school Winter Concert will be held in the auditorium at the HS on December 14th at 7:00 PM. Take some time to come out to support our techies, singers, and musicians. It’s a great way to get into the holiday spirit.
Turf Field Committee
On Monday evening I met with the Turf Field Committee Group. The group includes a number of people from the schools, the community, local boards, and representatives of youth sports. As you may know, our field, track, and outdoor facilities at the HS have been an ongoing issue that negatively impacts our students. They have also been identified as problematic in our NEASC accreditation studies. This group is working towards the possibility of installing a turf field, new track, a turf softball field, turf practice field, and tennis courts at the HS so that our students can compete at home without having to worry about field/track conditions. Lately, because of the condition of our fields, we have had to pay to practice/play at other places, basically negating the home-field advantage.
Portrait of the Graduate Working Group
The POG working group met for the third time this week to continue discussions and decisions related to the process. We:
- reviewed hopes, dreams, and aspirations that we determined earlier in the process.
- reviewed the results of individual submissions and rankings for competencies.
- reviewed the group submissions and rankings for the competencies.
- compared the competencies by individuals and then groups to determine the draft set of competencies.
- took time to localize the competencies by adding our own descriptors and additions to the initial definitions.
We have one more meeting where we will finalize our competencies and review some final graphic designs that we can use to represent our work.
Holiday Assistance & Donations:
During the holidays some of our HWRSD households may find it difficult to provide for their children and families due to circumstances beyond their control. In the spirit of the holiday season, HWRSD is collaborating with a group of community members who are collecting donations and gift cards for anyone who is in need of assistance. Please see this flyer for more information and ways to make a donation via Venmo.
If you would like to donate a gift card, you can drop off attention to your student’s school counselor. Examples of gift cards that work best are: Amazon, Target, Walmart, Visa. We will be collecting donations until Wednesday, December 15th.
If you are a family in need of assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Director of School Counseling, Kristen Lazzaro. We are here to support you!
Yes, We Still Need Heeeelp!
We still have a large number of positions open. Please pass the word and this link to anyone who may be looking for a part-time or full-time position and wants to work in a great district! We have positions available in the areas of classroom support, math tutoring, food service, HR, IT, speech pathology, special education, substitute nurses, and classroom substitutes.
Welcoming Missy Gula to the HWRSD:
Missy joined the staff this fall as a Speech-Language Pathologist for grades 6-12. Prior to working for the HWRSD, Missy worked for early intervention services to support children and their families through home-based speech and language therapy. In addition, Missy has worked for the Beverly School for the Deaf, and a private practice named Peer Projects-Therapy from the Heart. She has experience working with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, receptive and expressive language disorders, social pragmatic deficits, and articulation disorders. Missy is looking forward to helping more children communicate effectively, sharing her knowledge and skill-set with others, and gaining new knowledge and experiences. Missy lives on the North Shore with her husband, Luke, one-year-old daughter, Willa, and dog, Buoy. She enjoys reading, visiting coffee shops, walking on the beach, and exploring the outdoors with her family. Favorite quote: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
Since I woke up to a little snow on Wednesday morning, my new angst is constantly tracking the weather.
Thank you for your support and patience.
I hope you have a great weekend!
Superintendent’s Update 12/3/2021
Hello HW Community,
Tuesday was fun, as I served lunch at the HS and was able to see and chat with our students and staff. If anyone asks, the hardest part of my new position is not being on the front lines. It’s hard for me not to connect with students every day. No excuses though…now I have to go to them!
Wednesday I spent some time at the MRMS observing students and teachers in class. There was such a wide variety of experiences for our students. In one class kids were experimenting with dry ice. It was great to watch them wrestle with their curiosities as they wondered why? And how? When you add dry ice to water. I have to admit, it was pretty cool to see how frozen CO2 turns quickly to gas when added to water. You can see a quick video here. The reaction on the student’s faces when they figured out that they could pour the gas out of the container was priceless. In another MS class, students had to apply all they have learned in previous classes to design a brochure to advertise their own cave. Specifically, they had to design a trifold brochure either digitally or on paper that will include locations of the caves, scientific explanation of cave formation, and an itinerary of the trip to caves and itinerary. This was a great, interactive way for students to show what they know without a paper and pen quiz or test.
This week, elementary students have been observed tackling word problems requiring multiplication by tens, talking through their strategies with partners, and checking their answers to determine if they are reasonable. Younger students have been found practicing deleting sounds within blends, strengthening their phonemic awareness skills. In physical education classes, students are having fun playing floor hockey while they build their puck handling and passing abilities. Watching all of our students build their teamwork and interpersonal skills over their years within the district is one of the most meaningful results of our work.
I spent some time in HS classes as well this week. The first class I went into was working on a thought exercise called, “Would you join the Revolutionary War?” This immediately caught my attention but it was interesting to hear the students discuss if they would have joined the war if they were in different roles like a farmer, slave, woman, etc. For me, discussions were always about the war and the consequences of War. This conversation allowed students to look so much more deeply at the decisions people may have made during the Revolutionary War.
Winter concerts
The high school winter art show and Winter concert is next Wednesday, December 8th. The art show starts at 6 p.m. followed by the concert at 7 p.m.
The annual winter concert for the middle school will be held in the auditorium at the HS on December 14th at 7:00 PM. Take some time to come out to support our singers and musicians. It’s a great way to get into the holiday spirit!
Entry Plan
Last night I presented my entry plan to the school committee. This plan would usually be presented before my goals, but my October 1st start forced a change in the order. This plan is aligned with my goals and presents a clearer picture of the connections I hope to make throughout the next few months and also outlines the information I will gather. The follow-up report of my entry plan will be used to inform our future goals and actions.
Portrait of the Graduate Working Group
The POG working group made up of parents, students, staff, and community members will have the 3rd of 4 meetings on Wednesday, December 9th. At the last meeting, they discussed in small groups their top 7 competency descriptors that each group considered high leverage and critical. Then, they ranked them first, individually, and then in small groups. In this next meeting, we will look at the results of the rankings and discuss and define the most important competencies. If you are interested, here is a list of the competencies we discussed initially. Next week I’ll share the final list!
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee
This week we have started the process of gathering documents and data that will be used as part of the equity audit. This includes not only student and staff demographic data but also curriculum documents, professional development offerings, budgets, teacher and admin evaluation, district policies, and even community partnerships. Overall, there will be more than 40 data sources examined.
We Still Need Heeeelp!
We still have a large number of positions open. Please pass the word and this link to anyone who may be looking for a part-time or full-time position and wants to work in a great district! We have positions available in the areas of classroom support, math tutoring, food service, HR, IT, speech pathology, special education, substitute nurses, and classroom substitutes.
EdFund Christmas Tree Sale
You may have seen the Christmas trees being set up at Patton Park by the members and volunteers of the EdFund the day after Thanksgiving. Stop in and check out the sale: open Thursday & Friday, 4 PM-7 PM and Saturday & Sunday 9 AM-6 PM. As you may know, the EdFund is a HUGE supporter of the school district. We appreciate their consistent and generous support of our schools!
Friends of Winthrop Holiday Boutique
This Saturday, December 4th, The Holiday Boutique will be at the Winthrop School 9 AM – 3:00 PM. You can shop over 50 vendors, take part in a silent auction and purchase a craft for your child to make. Admission is $2.00. Check out www.friendsofwinthrop.com for more information.
High School Open House
On Wednesday evening, the high school hosted an open house. This was an opportunity for current 7th and 8th-grade students and their parents and guardians to learn about the academic, athletic, and extracurricular programs available at the Regional. Sixty-five families from Miles River Middle School and local private schools attended the open house. Teachers, current students, alumni, parents, and varsity coaches led presentations and were outstanding ambassadors for the high school. The open house was a great community-building event that highlighted the wide array of opportunities available at The Regional. I received lots of fantastic feedback the next day.
Welcoming Ashley Paquette to the HWRSD:
Ashley joined the High School faculty as a math teacher this year and has been teaching Geometry and Algebra 2. She is also the new head coach for the HW winter cheerleading team. Ashley grew up on the North Shore, and some of the things she loves are movies and spontaneous trips. She has a rescue Pomeranian named Pretty and a Bengal cat named Axel. Ashley has loved math since 4th Grade and hopes she can become the teacher that makes “math click” for her students.
I can’t believe it is already December. Thank you for your support.
I hope you have a great weekend!
5 School Street 