Dear Medway families,
As we enter into the long Thanksgiving weekend, please accept our sincere gratitude and appreciation for your continued support and encouragement that you have continued to show. We would also like to thank the dedicated faculty and staff of the Medway Public Schools who continue to do their best work in support of our children. This year, in some ways, has felt even more challenging as we work hard to mitigate the impacts that are evident and that have resulted from school closures and interrupted schooling. We know that this work will only be successful in focused partnership.
Please find several updates and informational items from the district below.
Wishing you a wonderful and restful weekend ahead,
Armand Pires, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Fall Sports Post-Season Update
Congratulations to our Fall Sports teams. A major highlight of the season was the return to postseason play. Varsity Football, Varsity Girls Soccer, Varsity Boys Soccer, Varsity Field Hockey, Varsity Volleyball, and Boys and Girls Varsity Cross Country each found themselves competing late into the Fall. All of our JV and middle school teams also enjoyed competitive seasons. A special congratulations to Erin Shipos who participated in All States where she finished 41st of 185 runners and to our Varsity Volleyball Team who earned the spot of D4 Runner Up for the year.
Congratulations to all!
Medway SEPAC Survey
The Medway SEPAC board is seeking feedback from families about how we can best support you and your child(ren). Please take a moment to complete this brief survey to share your thoughts with us. The link may be found here.
Medway Middle School Students Recognized for STEM Achievements
Congratulations to Medway Middle School students Claire Mullen, Eva Miranda, and Colleen Layton and their teachers, Mrs. Gatewood and Mrs. Albertian for receiving recognition for their submission to Mass STEM Hub’s Student Industry Connects for Massachusetts STEM Week.
Grade K-5 Spring/Fall 2021 Academic Assessment Update
At last week’s School Committee meeting, Assistant Superintendent Gabby Abrams highlighted assessment information from the Fall and Spring of 2021, inclusive of MCAS and iReady. This presentation was a high level overview of these data sources. A copy of the School Committee presentation can be found here.
National Honor Society Induction Congratulations
On Monday 72 students were inducted into the National Honor Society at Medway High School. We wish to extend our congratulations to these students and their families for this noteworthy honor. A list of those students can be found here.
Tri-M Music Honors Society Induction Congratulations
Congratulations to the 5 new inductees of the Medway High School chapter of the national Tri-M Music Honor Society. Inductees are: Meray Khela, Alexandra Montana, Laci Santos, Emma Reardon, and Annabella Diamandis.
Medway High School: Movies Across the Decade
Congratulations to the cast and crew who supported the production of Movies Across the Decade staged at Medway High School over the weekend. It was wonderful to see the return of live theatre and we are all thankful for the hard work that went into this production.
Congratulations NESDEC Superintendent’s Award Recipients
At the November 18 school committee meeting, Medway High School Seniors Connor Gilmore and Carter Pomponio, were awarded the New England School Development Council Award for Academic Growth and Student Leadership in Learning. Congratulations to Connor and Carter!
Proof of Student Vaccination Request
As you may be aware the CDC recently recommended the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children age 5-11. As your elementary and middle school children become fully vaccinated we ask you to please share proof of their vaccination with our school nurses by completing this form: K-8 Vaccination Status Response. If your student attends Medway High School and we have previously reached out to you for proof of immunization and you have yet to respond you may share their information through the use of this form: 9-12 Vaccination Status Response.
Student COVID-19 Testing Update
We have begun to notice that, although our enrollment in our weekly COVID testing program is over 50% in our schools, student participation has been declining. This decline is coming at a time when we are starting to see an increase in cases across the state, region, and in Medway. Our goal is to utilize the information gained from our testing program to support our decision making about mitigation strategies. Families, we need your help! Please share with your children the importance of participating in this program.
If you have not already registered your child and you would like your student to participate in weekly testing, please complete this consent form and select Medway as your district as well as the appropriate school for your student. As previously communicated, consent forms completed this week will allow your student(s) to begin participating in routine COVID-19 safety checks the week of November 29. We encourage all students to participate in weekly COVID-19 safety checks, regardless of vaccination status.
Medway Community Education Early Release Programs for December 2 and 7
Our Department is pleased to offer students in Grades K-4 the opportunity to participate in after school Early Release Day programs on Thursday, December 2 and Tuesday, December 7, directly at the end of their school day. Children are asked to bring a lunch to enjoy before the start of their program. Click here for program information and to register on FamilyID.
Technology Update
If your child is in need of a chromebook repair, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at support@medwayschools.org. At this time of year, we would also like to offer an additional optional insurance window to our families. If you would like to opt in to our insurance plan, please complete this two question survey by November 26th to indicate you are interested. If we receive enough requests we will open the insurance window in December, through Worth Ave insurers. Click here to access the survey. The cost to insure a student device is approximately $22.00 and covers all accidental and malicious damage and is a great investment compared to repair costs that range from $15-$175.00.
Action Required: Parent Portal Student Information Update
Thank you to those families who have provided necessary updates to family information through the Parent Portal within Infinite Campus. Seventy percent of our families have completed this crucial process thus far and we will begin to send targeted communications to families in an attempt to reach our goal of 100% participation.
ALL families are asked to please complete the Online Registration [OLR] option, better known as the “beginning of year packet,” within the parent portal system. This process allows parents to see the information we have on file and make updates if needed. We also require review and sign-off of our Responsible Use Policy and Handbook as part of this process. Please navigate to the Parent Portal within Infinite Campus and select MORE (on the left menu) then Online Registration from the menu options to complete this process. If you are a family that does not have an account, please email parent@medwayschools.org and we will forward a personal activation code to create one.
MSPTO 7th Annual Pop-Up Shop
The 7th Annual Pop-up Shop hosted by our Medway Secondary Parent Teacher Organization will be held on Tuesday, November 30 from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m., in the Medway High School lobby. A variety of vendors will have booths selling their wares for your holiday gifts and more. The evening will end with our raffle of prizes donated by our vendors. Refreshments will be served
MSPTO will hold their regular meeting following the Pop-Up Shop at 7:30 p.m. in the guidance area.
Follow the Medway Public Schools on Social Media
Medway Public Schools: Twitter: @MedwaySchools Instagram: @Medwayschools Facebook: @medwayps
Medway High School: Twitter: @MedwayHighInfo
Medway Middle School: Twitter: @MedwayMiddle
Burke-Memorial Elementary School: Twitter: @BurkeMemorial
McGovern Elementary School: Twitter @McGovernElem
Medway Community Education: Twitter: @Medwayce Instagram: @Medwaycommunityed Facebook: @medwayce
Medway Public Schools In the News
Vaccination Clinic for Students ages 5-11
Light the Spark Community Award
MHS College Multi Year Success Award
NESDEC Superintendent’s Award Recipients
Unified Basketball Successful First Season
Upcoming Events
November 24, 2021 | Early Release: Grades PK-12 |
November 25-26, 2021 | No School: Thanksgiving Recess |
November 30, 2021 | MSPTO Meeting, Guidance Suite, Medway High School, 7:30 p.m. |
December 1, 2021 | MEPTO Meeting,, Library, McGovern Elementary School 7:00 p.m. |
December 2, 2021 | Elementary Early Release: Grades PK-4 Only |
December 2, 2021 | Tri-Board Budget Reconfiguration Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 5:30 p.m. School Committee Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 6:30 p.m |
December 7, 2021 | Elementary Early Release: Grades PK-4 Only |
December 8, 2021 | SEPAC Business meeting (virtual) 6:30-6:55 p.m, with an open Membership Meeting following from 7:00-8:00 p.m. |
December 8, 2021 | Medway High School Art Walk, Lobby/Atrium, Medway High School, 6:00 p.m. Medway High School Winter Concert, Auditorium, Medway High School, 7:00 p.m. |
December 14, 2021 | Medway Middle School Winter Band Concert, Auditorium, Medway High School, 5:15 p.m. |
December 16, 2021 | Medway Middle School Winter Chorus Concert, Auditorium, Medway High School, 6:00 p.m. |
December 20, 2021 | MFPA Meeting, Virtual, 7:00 p.m. |
December 23, 2021 | Early Release: Grades PK-12 |
December 24, 2021 - January 2, 2022 | No School: Winter Vacation |