May 24, 2023 Community Update
Dear Medway families,
This time of year is always filled with lots of activity. On Monday, May 8 Town Meeting was held. Thank you to the Medway community for supporting the 2023-2024 (FY24) Medway Public Schools budget, which was approved at the Town Meeting. We anticipate the next few years will bring with it new fiscal challenges. We appreciate the continued partnerships among the school district, Town officials, and our families to ensure ongoing discussions of the budgetary needs of our schools.
On Tuesday, May 16, Town Elections were held. Congratulations to Melissa Greenfield and Preston Gales for their election to the Medway School Committee. Also, congratulations to Cindy Sullivan, who was elected as chair, and Melissa Greenfield, who was elected vice chair. We thank Susan Dietrich for her service on the committee over the past six years.
Finally, this time of year is filled with numerous exciting events for our students and families. We are delighted to witness our students engaging in unique and enriching learning experiences. Recently, they participated in the Innovation Showcase and Financial Literacy Fair at Medway High School, Grade 8 Civics community conversations at Medway Middle School, and memorable trips to the Medway Community Farm and the Plimoth Museum for the students at the Burke-Memorial School. Additionally, McGovern School hosted opportunities for families to come together to learn about and celebrate their students' learning in their particular classes - to name a few! These events showcase our students' talent, creativity, and dedication, and we encourage you to attend any upcoming events to show your support and celebrate their achievements. We hope to see you at an upcoming event.
Please find other vital updates below.
Be well,
Armand Pires, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Updates/Information Items
2023-2024 APPROVED School Calendar
The 2023-2024 School Year Calendar has been approved. The School Committee also approved the 2024 Medway High School Graduation date. Click here to view.
Transportation Registration for the 2023-24 School Year
As shared during the May 18 School Committee meeting, new for the 2023-24 school year, parents and guardians must register students who wish to be transported and qualify for transportation per the district's policy.
To qualify, students must live at or beyond the following home-to-school distances:
- Kindergarten - All students except those residing in immediate proximity to McGovern School
- Grades 1 - 4 - Students who live more than 1 mile from their school
- Grades 5 - 12 - Students who live more than 1.5 miles from their school
The transportation registration form allows up to 5 students in a family to be registered with one entry.
To further facilitate the implementation of this new process, the district will hold a webinar on Wednesday, May 31, at 5:30 pm. Registration for the Zoom webinar is required and can be found here. This event will be recorded and shared following the webinar.
Equity Steering Committee: Progress Report/Focus Group Update
During the Thursday, May 18 Focus Group, our facilitator, Ed Byrne, guided Focus Group members through each of the DRAFT Action Plans connected with the three priority areas:
- Develop a professional climate where adult and student diversity and perspectives are valued.
- Support a student/learner climate where diversity and perspectives are nurtured and valued.
- Establish standard instructional practices that improve equity and inclusion.
We have the following steps planned as part of this process :
- Between May 19-June 6: Review of feedback, more additions/formatting to the DRAFT Action Plan
- June 7: Representatives from Steering Committee gather to put together the School Committee Presentation of Equity Action Plan (first three priorities)
- June 15: Presentation of Equity Action Plan (first three priorities) to School Committee
- Summer 2023: Work with the leadership team to map out the "how" and the "when" of the plan - timelines, who's responsible, etc.
- Fall 2023: Sharing of Equity Action Plan with broader community, faculty, and staff
- Beginning Winter, 2023/24: Kick-off following MPS Strategic Planning Process (2025-2030) embedding the work of the Equity Action Plan into the conversations and development
Grant Received to Extend Social and Emotional Support at Medway Middle and Medway High Schools
We're pleased to share that the Greater Milford Community Health Network has awarded Medway Schools a grant of $56,000. Grant funds will be used to hire a mental health counselor to provide services and support to students in grades 5-12. The counselor will focus on supporting students insured by MassHealth through group counseling interventions.
Safety and Security Debrief
Earlier this week, we hosted a debrief of the event at Medway High School two weeks ago. We are thankful to our partners in the town and within the fire and police stations. Town Manager Mike Boynton, Sandy Johnston, Communications Director, and the police and fire chiefs and representatives all participated. These efforts are crucial to the continuous improvement and refinement of our practices.
Mural at Burke-Memorial Elementary
Burke-Memorial Elementary art students in grades 2-4 worked with local artist-in-residence Josh Winer on their mural "Me on the Map." It was recently completed in the school cafetorium. The mural features paintings of lanterns, open windows, and mirrors to represent diversity, community, and acceptance in Medway. The Medway Education Foundation generously funded the project to provide a new piece of art for students to see other races, cultures, customs, and themselves through the artwork.
Summer Reading!
The most important activity that students of any age can engage in over the summer is reading! We hope you find the resources below supportive of your work to support your children to become more proficient and avid readers!
Medway High School Summer Reading Site
Medway Middle School Summer Reading 2023
Elementary families: What summer learning resources are being provided?
Read, read, read!
The research is clear that children who don't read during the summer can lose up to three months of reading progress, and that loss has a cumulative, long-term effect. If you only have time to do one thing, read!
- Medway Summer Reading Resources K-5
- Use this helpful booklist - check out books at Medway Public Library
- Summer Reading Tips for Families
- Reading Adventure Packs - scroll down on the website to see the different packs
SORA: Use this app to access books
How to log into SORA:
- Go to: https://soraapp.com/library/masslibma
- Select "Medway Public Schools" from the drop-down menu
- Click the green oval that says, "Sign in using Medway Schools."
- Type in your child's school email address
- Click next
- Type in your child's password
Review what your child has learned with fun Bingo Boards
Summer Bingo Boards have been created for children completing Grades K-4. These can be found here. The activities on the board are designed to review key concepts from the grade your child has just finished. You could use the board a few times a week over the summer. Keep it on your fridge & complete any activity when you can. After you complete the training, cross it off. If you get 5 in a row, you get bingo! Bonus if you meet the whole board. Extra copies of the panels will be available at the Medway Public Library.
Accessing Apps over the Summer
You could use your child's unique QR code to log in to Clever & access learning apps. Logging into Clever ensures that your child can access iReady and other apps used during the school year. To log in to Clever, go to https://clever.com/ on any device with a camera. Hold up your child's QR code, and they will be signed in. It's that easy! Once signed in, they can start using apps from their Clever homepage. QR codes will be provided in report card envelopes.
Do you need access to a Chromebook?
If your child requires a Chromebook over the summer, please complete this survey.
Medway Friends of Performing Arts NEEDS YOUR HELP for Memorial Art Festival & Band Concert
June 6th is the annual Memorial Arts Festival and Band Concert. The MFPA is excited to offer again the opportunity to purchase water or treats as you walk around and see the fantastic art or attend the 4th-grade band concert.
This event is vital, and we never seem to keep up with the treatment demand! We are seeking baked goods for our sale that are individually wrapped (based on size). Please use the link for the SignUpGenius if you can assist with providing baked goods.
Additional Summer Resources to Support Families
With the school year coming to a close, we want to share the many summer resources the Town of Medway offers families for food, family fun activities, and staying active. Please find the flyer here (English, Spanish) and follow the QR code for more details.
Summer Youth Leadership Academy
The Norfolk County Sheriff's Office invites Medway students, ages 10-14, to sign up for a two-week leadership academy. The academy will run at Medway High School from July 10-August 4. The cost is $199 per participant ($35 if the student qualifies for free or reduced lunch). For more information and to register, please click here.
Available Assistance
Extra COVID Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, known as SNAP Emergency Allotments, were created during the pandemic to help individuals and families buy food. Federal action ended the extra COVID SNAP benefits on March 2, but Massachusetts provided additional SNAP benefits at the beginning of April, May, and June. Households are encouraged to visit Mass.gov/ExtraCOVIDSNAP for more information, and the Department of Transitional Assistance also has outreach materials available in 16 languages.
'SUP Medway Coalition Encourages Celebrating Safely
Substance Use Prevention ('SUP Medway) Coalition wants to share the reminder that it is never okay to buy or supply alcohol for anyone under 21. Not only can alcohol have short- and long-term impacts on adolescents' bodies and brains, but it is also unlawful to provide alcohol to an underage person, according to the Massachusetts Social Host Law. Especially if your child is attending prom, graduating, or friends with those who are, please encourage youth to celebrate sober, communicate a safety plan with your teen if they find themselves in a risky situation, and make sure they know what to do if they see someone showing signs of alcohol poisoning.
MassHealth
Families with MassHealth need to renew their coverage this year to maintain coverage. Information is available at mass.gov/masshealthrenew. Another helpful resource is the MassHealth Renewal Help Guide.
Technology Updates
Device Collection and Disbursement: The Medway Technology Department would like to remind families with 8th and 12th-grade students that we intend to collect all Chromebook devices and chargers by the last day of school, according to our replacement lifecycle of four years. We thank 8th-grade families for preparing to return the device beginning June 12th, the last week of school.
In September, students entering 5th and 9th grade will receive new devices to support our digital curriculum and learning initiatives. Devices disbursement will require families to complete the Yearly Information Review and Policy Sign Off through the Parent Portal, Online Registration Module. This process will be available as of August 1st, 2023, and can be accessed by selecting More > 2023-24 Online Registration from the menu options.
Device Repair and Invoicing: We remind families that any device needing repair can be dropped off at each school's front office for review. Instruments covered under the optional insurance policy will be sent out for repair at no charge, uninsured devices will be repaired in-house, and an invoice for parts will be mailed to the family. We remind families that invoices are due within thirty days, and any outstanding charges and invoices can be found in the Parent Portal under the Fees menu option.
Community Education
The Summer Brochure has arrived, featuring many exciting Arts/Crafts, STEM, and Sports/Fitness programs to keep your children active and having fun all summer! Programs for high school students - College Essay Workshop, Speed & Strength Academy with Jason Shea, Field Hockey Clinic with Coach Hass, and Driver's Education with Teachers Driving Academy - are currently accepting registrations. Popular Adult Programs, such as Zumba, Molly's Apothecary, and Maplegate Golf, are also available. Families may register today using this link!
Community Education has begun plans for our Summer of Discovery Program, which will occur from August 14 - August 18. We are thrilled to be able to offer this program at no cost to the community and build on the last two years of success. If you want your child to participate in Summer of Discovery, please hold the dates in your family planning. Registration will open in June!
Student Highlights
YMCA Middle School Leadership Mental Health Summit
On Wednesday, May 17, Director of Wellness Ryan Sherman, Middle School Principal, Amanda Luizzi, Jonanna Cyr, and Kelsey Yim, school counselors, accompanied fourteen Medway Middle School students to the Hockomock YMCA in North Attleborough. North Attleborough, Millis, and Milford students joined Medway at the Summit. Students spent the day learning about the stigma associated with mental health, participating in self-care activities/seminars, and creating a plan to reduce mental health stigma at their school. These trained leaders will enact their program with the support of Kelsey and Amanda.
Medway Middle School Choral and Instrumental Music Performances
Congratulations to the musicians from Medway Middle School who showcased (and will showcase) their hard work and progress at this week's band and chorus concerts.
McGovern Allied Arts Events
Congratulations to our allied arts and specialist educators and Grade PK-1 students whose work was celebrated at the afternoon and evening program showcases at McGovern last week and this week.
Honors Recital
Congratulations to the vocal and instrumental students from Medway High School on a lovely night of student performances during their Honors Recital on Wednesday, May 17.
Music in the Parks Festival
On Friday, May 12, the Medway Concert Band and Concert Choir participated in the Music in the Parks festival. Both ensembles were performed for adjudicators at Westfield State University. The Concert Band and Concert Choir both received "Superior" ratings. Additionally, both ensembles placed first in their respective divisions.
Medway High School Art Walk and Pops Night
Congratulations to the extensive list of Medway High School visual and performing artists who hosted a phenomenal night of entertainment at their Spring Art Walk and Pops night. This night was made possible with continual support from the MFPA and our educators: Noelle Fiori-Jackson, Maureen Brodeur, Amanda Webster, and Ashley Nelson-Onschuk.
Innovation Showcase
On Friday, May 12, MHS hosted our annual Innovation Showcase. This event is a tremendous opportunity for students in our Engineering and Healthcare classes to show off their capstone projects and make pitches to industry professionals. It's also an opportunity for students across the school to show off their projects to professionals, staff, and parents. Thanks to our students and Jon Jasinski, engineering teacher, Innovation Pathways Coordinator, Alex Ferro, and Joan Hallett, science teacher, for organizing the event.
Grade 8 Civics Community Advisory Interview Panel
Congratulations to the members of the 8th-grade class who engaged in learning and collaboration with town, state, and school leaders this month connected with their Civics Engagement learning. We were excited to see these aspiring changemakers' hard work and thoughtful proposals.
Follow the Medway Public Schools on Social Media
Medway Public Schools: Twitter: @MedwaySchools Facebook: @medwayps Instagram: @Medwayschools
Medway High School: Twitter: @MedwayHighInfo Facebook: @medwayhighschool Instagram: @medwayhighschool
Medway Middle School: Twitter: @Medwaymiddle Facebook: @medwaymiddleschool Instagram: @medwaymiddle31
Burke-Memorial Elementary: Twitter: @BurkeMemorial Facebook: @burkememorial Instagram: @burkememorialelem
McGovern Elementary School: Twitter: @McGovernElem Facebook: @mcgovernelem Instagram: @mcgovernelem
Medway Community Education: Twitter: @medwayce Facebook: @medwayce Instagram: @medwaycommunityed
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