Superintendent's Update

Dear Medway families, 

As we move into March, and the days get longer, there are many exciting activities taking place throughout our schools.  Please find below many updates on a wide variety of topics below.  As we move closer to a pre-pandemic normal, it is important that we take some time to assess our communication practices.  We strive to provide information that families are looking for in a timely way.  Your feedback is important and essential as we review and revise our practice.  Please see below for more information on how to share your feedback through ThoughtExchange. 

Be well,

  

Armand Pires, Ph.D.

Superintendent of Schools

 

Reminder:  Early Release Day:  Friday, March 11, 2022

Just a reminder that Friday, March 11, will be an early release day for all students in support of professional development for our faculty and staff.  Students will be released at the following times:

Medway Middle: 11:02 a.m.

Burke-Memorial: 11:30 a.m.

Medway High:  11:34 a.m.

McGovern: 12:00 p.m.

Communication Practices:  How are we doing?  ThoughtExchange

Transparency and frequent, ongoing communication are high values to the leadership team of the Medway Public Schools.  We recognize that over the last couple of years, as we navigated the complexities of pandemic, while the frequency and content of our communications remained consistent, the circumstances required a shift in some of our more traditional practices.  

With the recent decline in COVID prevalence and a return to a more “normal” school year, we are looking forward to taking stock in our practices connected with communication.  To that end, we are facilitating a ThoughtExchange to better understand from our community:  How are we doing and what could we do better related to communication?   

Please take a few moments to share your thoughts by clicking HERE.  We will keep this ThoughtExchange open until Friday, March 25 and will send a few reminders over the next couple of weeks.  

For those not familiar with how a ThoughtExchange works…

  1. This Exchange is confidential. Your thoughts will be shared with other participants, but not your identity.
  2. After sharing a thought, you will be able to see and rate thoughts that others have shared on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. 5 stars = strongly agree, 1 star = strongly disagree.
  3. You do not need to rate all thoughts, though it's recommended to rate at least 20.
  4. Once the ThoughtExchange has been closed, a report is generated to see emerging themes and highly rated thoughts and this allows for an analysis to take place. This report will be shared with the community and used to support our communication practices moving forward. 

We hope that you will take the time to share your thoughts and rate thoughts shared by others.  The ThoughtExchange will close on March 25, 2022 and we will send reminders to participate between now and then. 

Weekly COVID Testing Pooled Testing Discontinuing Effective March 21

We are pleased to share that we continue to experience declines in student COVID-19 cases since returning from February break.  Over the same period, we have also experienced a 50% decline in COVID-19 pool testing participation.  As a result of this decline in cases and testing participation, and due to increased enrollment in the at-home rapid antigen testing program, we have made the decision to discontinue the pool testing program for the remainder of the school year.  The last week of COVID-19 pool testing will be next week, March 14-18. Families may still opt into our bi-weekly rapid antigen home testing program.  Families interested in signing up for this program must opt-in by completing the Opt-in Form.  The next test kit distribution will take place on Thursday, March 17. In order to receive a test kit in this distribution, families must opt-in by Monday, March 14.  

Mask Optional Transition and COVID-19 Case Count

We have been monitoring the transition to mask optional since the return from February vacation.  As of today, most staff and students have opted to not wear a mask.  Principals have reinforced the importance of respecting individual choice and will address issues, as necessary.

As we have communicated, we have moved to a live data dashboard that provides information on the number of COVID-19 cases.  Families can now access real-time data which is available for viewing via our website:  COVID interactive dashboard.  During the discussion of moving to mask optional, there was concern expressed about making masks optional when we return from vacation.  As of this afternoon, we have had 4 COVID-19 cases since Monday, February 28.  This is good news and continues to represent a significant reduction in the number of cases.  

FY23 Budget Activities

FY23 Budget Presentation

On Thursday, March 3, at 6:00 p.m. Dr. Pires and Mr. Aicardi, Director of Finance and Operations, presented the FY23 Recommended Superintendent’s Budget to the School Committee. The complete presentation and draft budget book can be found here. 

FY23 Public Forum on the FY23 Budget

On Tuesday, March 8, 2022 the School Committee and Dr. Pires hosted a webinar for interested community members regarding the FY23 budget. You can view a recording of this webinar here

Public Hearing on FY23 Budget

On Thursday, March 17, at 5:30 p.m. in the Medway Middle School Presentation Room, community members are invited to share public comments regarding the proposed FY23 budget with the School Committee.  This is the final opportunity for community feedback prior to the School Committee vote on the FY23 budget planned as part of the regular School Committee meeting agenda later this evening.  Feedback shared at the hearing will be acknowledged and noted, but there will not be a dialogue during the Budget Hearing.

FY23 Budget Vote

On March 17, at 6:00 p.m., the School Committee will vote to forward the FY23 Medway Public Schools Budget to the Town of Medway, to be included as part of the FY23 Town of Medway budget.  

Town Meeting

Community members are encouraged to attend Medway’s Town Meeting on Monday, May 9, 2022, at 7:00 p.m., at Medway High School, 88 Summer Street, when residents will be asked to vote on the Town of Medway FY23 budget, which will be inclusive of the FY23 Medway Public School’s budget to be used for the 2022-2023 school year.

Please Register:  School Safety and Security Webinar

We are pleased to invite families to join us for a webinar focused on Safety and Security on March 14, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. This event will highlight the district’s efforts to date and also provide a look forward as we continue to engage in efforts to maintain the highest level of attention on these vital practices.  This informational event had previously been part of our regular communication plan and the COVID-19 pandemic impacted our information sharing. To register for this webinar, please click here.  

Equity Assessment Update

As we have shared previously, the Medway School Committee has been engaged in an extensive process to identify a vendor to support the facilitation of an Equity Assessment for the Medway Public Schools.  This assessment will “examine our district strengths as well as potential disparities within our district practices (policy, curriculum, budget, personnel, etc.)  We are interested in a broad exploration of equity to examine differences in opportunities, treatment, and results as part of this assessment” (from Equity Assessment RFP, February 2022).  

During the March 3 School Committee meeting, and following an individual review of the proposals received following the Request for Proposals (RFP) process, each School Committee member discussed their preferred vendor and the rationale for this choice.  All members identified SchoolWorks as their preferred vendor.  As this was just a Discussion Item on the March 3 agenda, this choice will be finalized in the coming weeks.  Following confirmed selection, the Medway Public Schools and our greater community will begin an extensive process of data collection and conversation that will extend throughout the Spring.  We hope to have a finalized assessment this Summer which will allow us to then support the development of a strategic action plan to address the opportunities identified.   

It is our hope that our broader community will engage meaningfully in this process.  Opportunities to participate will be shared in subsequent communications.

DESE School and District Report Cards Shared

Each year, schools and districts across the Commonwealth are required to share DESE developed “report cards” which highlight performance under a number of criteria.  Building principals shared these reports with families this week.  A fact sheet on the “report card” can be found here and school and district report card information can be accessed here. 

Federal Grant to Support Adoption of High Quality Literacy Materials

We are pleased to share that Medway was recently notified that our competitive federal grant application to fund professional development and purchase of new, high quality instructional materials for literacy instruction was approved and fully funded.  This unique opportunity consists of $185,530 to purchase materials for all K-5 students and support the transition to new programmatic materials for K-8 educators.  Funds need to be fully expended by June 30, 2022 so the district is working hard to schedule dates and times for these professional experiences.  We are not scheduled to finalize our adoption decision until mid-late May so we will act quickly to ensure that these funds are best utilized to leverage student and professional learning.  A copy of the award letter from the Governor’s office can be found here. 

Human Development and Sex Education at MMS

As you may know, human development and lessons about sexually transmitted diseases are taught annually as part of the Medway Middle School health education curriculum.  Prior to teaching these lessons, our health education teachers provide families with the option to view the materials and/or opt their students out of these units of study.  Recently, we have received several public records requests from individuals without students currently enrolled at Medway Middle School related to the materials used within these lessons.  Although we have responded to these requests individually, we felt it best to broadly share the materials we currently use, which we have included below.  Principal Luizzi also shared this information with Medway Middle School families in her newsletter prior to February vacation:

1.  The grade or grades that sex education is taught.

  • Grade 5 and 8 (spring 2022), previous years sex education was taught in grades 6 and 8 

2.  The title, edition, and publisher for all books, videos, pamphlets, web-based materials, or other curricula involving human sexual education or human sexuality issues.

  • Books
  • Decisions for Health (2007).  New York, NY; Holt, Rinehart, and Winston. 
  • Bronson, Mary, et. al. (2009).  Teen Health.  McGraw Hill. 
  • Web-based materials
  • Downshen, Steven, MD. (2015).  All About Puberty.  https://kidshealth.org/en/kids...

3.  The names of all individuals and organizations, other than district employees, who have made presentations involving the subjects of sex, sexuality, or bullying to students at the school from August 2017 to present.

  • Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center 
  • Subject: Bullying

Community Education

We are happy to share our latest brochure with the community highlighting upcoming programs.  Registration for Spring and Summer programs is now open on FamilyID.  Please be sure to take a look at the many new and varied offerings for all ages.  

Coaching Vacancies for Spring 2022

For the upcoming spring athletic season, we are still in need of a head boys tennis coach, head girls tennis coach, assistant track and field coach (throwers), head and assistant middle school track and field coaches.  If you know of anyone interested, please contact Jeff Parcells at jparcells@medwayschools.org or Kelly Culcasi at kculcasi@medwayschools.org.

Medway Public Schools State Assessment (MCAS) Schedule

Each year, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requires school districts to facilitate state assessments beginning in Grade 3 in the areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science, Technology, and Engineering.  These assessments are intended to provide districts and families with information about how our students are performing academically in relation to the state’s curriculum frameworks and standards.  The important information that is gained from these assessments each year - along with other district measures, and work with educators and families - helps the district to make decisions about curriculum, instruction, and assessment practices moving forward.  

We ask educators to support students’ participation in these assessments by encouraging them to do their best and show what they know.  Students should not feel the need to engage in any specific preparation for these assessments and we hope they don’t experience a great deal of stress - a good night’s rest and healthy eating should be what we aspire to do everyday.  There are make-up opportunities for students who are absent on the date of a scheduled assessment and we encourage families to please work to not schedule appointments or other out of school events during assessment dates so that students do not need to miss other school activities to participate in make-up testing.  

We have compiled a district MCAS testing schedule which we share below.  Should you have any questions about this information, please feel free to reach out to your child’s building principal.

Date

School

Grade

Subject Matter Test

March 22, 2022

Medway High School

Grade 10

English Language Arts (Session 1)

March 23, 2022

Medway High School

Grade 10

English Language Arts (Session 2)

March 29, 2022

Burke-Memorial School

Grade 3

English Language Arts (Session 1)

March 30, 2022

Burke-Memorial School

Grade 3

English Language Arts (Session 2)

April 5, 2022

Burke-Memorial School

Medway Middle School

Grade 4

Grade 5 and 8

English Language Arts (Session 1)

April 6, 2022

Burke-Memorial School

Medway Middle School

Grade 4

Grade 5 and 8

English Language Arts (Session 2)

April 12, 2022

Medway Middle School

6 & 7

English Language Arts (Session 1)

April 13, 2022

Medway Middle School

6 & 7

English Language Arts (Session 2)

May 10, 2022

Burke-Memorial School

Medway Middle School

Grade 3

Grades 5 and 8

Mathematics (Session 1)

May 11, 2022

Burke- Memorial School

Medway Middle School

Grade 3

Grades 5 and 8

Mathematics (Session 2)

May 12, 2022

Medway Middle School

Grade 6 and 7

Mathematics (Session 1)

May 13, 2022

Medway Middle School

Grades 6 and 7

Mathematics (Session 2)

May 17, 2022

Burke-Memorial School

Medway High School

Grade 4

Grade 10

Mathematics (Session 1)

May 18, 2022

Burke-Memorial School

Medway Middle School

Medway High School

Grade 4

Grades 5 and 8

Grade 10

Mathematics (Session 2)

Science/Tech/Eng. (Session 1)

Mathematics (Session 2)

May 19, 2022

Medway Middle School

Grades 5 and 8

Science/Tech/Eng. (Session 1)

June 7, 2022

Medway High School

Grade 9

Biology (Session 1)

June 8, 2022

Medway High School

Grade 9

Biology (Session 2)

Winter Sports Updates

Our winter sports teams have completed their regular seasons and entered the postseason.  Our girls basketball, boys hockey, girls indoor track, and our swim and dive teams were TVL champions.  Our girls and boys basketball and hockey teams entered the MIAA tournament and two of our alpine ski team members will participate in the MIAA State Championship.  The girls hockey team lost to Falmouth in the playoffs. Our boys basketball team fell to Watertown in the second round of playoffs. Our gymnastics team finished in 8th place at the MIAA South Sectional meet. Our boys swim and dive team finished 8th in the MIAA D2 state championship and our girls swim and dive team finished 11th in the MIAA D2 state championship. Congratulations to Connor Gilmore who placed 16th out of 300 in all of New England for track. 

The following postseason schedule is currently known to us:

Boys Hockey vs Hanover,  March 12, 2022, 3:00 p.m., Gallo Arena, Bourne

Elite 8:  Girls Basketball vs East Bridgewater, March 11, 2022, 5:00 p.m., Medway High School

Track: Connor Gilmore, Nationals, March 18-20, 2022, New York

Congratulations to our Musicians!

Congratulations to Lucas Farlow and Olivia Dwyer, Medway High School students, on their performance at Symphony Hall this past Saturday, March 5, as members of the MMEA All State Chorus! 

Congratulations to five of our district musicians who were accepted into the Junior Central District Music Festival: Megan Calnan (vocalist), Amelia Dahlheimer (vocalist), Allyson Fagan (vocalist), Charlotte George (trumpet), and Vitor Chaudoir (Jazz Drums). We are very proud of these students for this recognition and appreciative of our educators who led these students to this opportunity.

2022-2023 School Calendar

At the January 20, 2022, School Committee meeting, the committee approved the 2022-2023 School Year calendar.  The calendar can be found here

Online Absence Requests and COVID -19

We would like to inform families that you can now enter absence requests online within the Infinite Campus Parent Portal system. Simply log in, choose MORE from the left menu then Absence Requests to complete the online request form. We have added two new absence request reasons to simplify our processing during the current COVID-19 surge. Please indicate if your child will be absent for COVID-T (tested positive) or COVID-C (close contact) to help us better track absences.

Kindergarten Registration Begins!

Kindergarten registration is open for the 2022-2023 school year.  2022-2023 school year kindergarten students must be 5 years old by August 31, 2022.  Registration information is available in the superintendent’s office, the McGovern School, and online.  You can find important information and events leading up to kindergarten in this document:  Road to Kindergarten. We will send more information out in the coming weeks, but wanted to share dates for planning purposes.  Finally, please mark your calendars for Kindergarten Camp which will take place from July 11-15, 2022. We will publish additional information as it becomes available.  We look forward to welcoming our Class of 2035 to the Medway Public Schools!

Tickets on Sale:  Medway High School’s Production of Footloose and Medway Middle School Performing Arts Presents Freaky Friday

Tickets are now on sale for the Medway High School Musical Footloose! The show will take place on March 18, 2022 at 7:30 p.m., as well as March 19, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. All shows will take place in the Medway High School Auditorium. Tickets are being sold before school at Medway High School next week, March 15 - March 17, 2022 and will be sold at the door prior to each performance.

Tickets are now on sale for the Medway Middle School Musical Freaky Friday! The show will take place on April 1, 2022 at 7:30 p.m., as well as April 2, 2022 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. All shows will take place in the Medway High School Auditorium. Tickets can be purchased here.

News from Medway Elementary Parent/Teacher Organization (MEPTO)

The 11th Annual MEPTO Shamrock Shuffle is this Saturday March, 12! Thank you to all of our sponsors and volunteers. Wishing all the runners, walkers and participants the best of luck!

The next MEPTO meeting is Monday, March 21 in the Medway Middle School Presentation room at 7:00 p.m. All are invited to join MEPTO for a community update and Q&A session with Dr. Ryan Sherman, Director of Wellness. The focus of this meeting will be wellness in our elementary schools. The flyer can be found here. Questions and Zoom link requests can be submitted in advance to medwaypto@gmail.com 

Attention McGovern & Memorial Parents! It's time to order your YEARBOOK! To order your yearbook, please click here, select ‘order yearbook,’ and enter the password BMYB2022. The deadline to order a yearbook is April 8, 2022. We are also excited to announce that Friday May, 6, the MEPTO Basket Raffle returns! More information to follow. 

Medway Friends of the Performing Arts (MFPA) Honors Music in Our Schools Month

For the second year, the Medway Friends of Performing Arts (MFPA) is excited to take part in the National Music In Our Schools Month this March.   Our theme is Music Connects Us.  Music has a way of connecting people and its importance has never been more prevalent than over the past two years.  To celebrate this, we will be showcasing all the wonderful work our teachers and students are doing in each of the Medway schools.  If there are students who are interested in submitting a short video sharing how music connects them or what music means to them, please email the MFPA for additional details at medwayfriendsofperformingarts@gmail.com. Stay tuned for the video release this month!

Medway Foundation for Education (MFE) Trivia Bee

Thank you to the MFE for hosting a wonderful return to the Annual Trivia Bee last Wednesday night.  Over 16 teams competed for prestige and bragging rights.  Congratulations to the “Medway High School Teachers” who took home the top prize for the event!

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 

Upcoming Events

March 10, 2022

MFPA Meeting, Virtual, 7:00 p.m.

March 11, 2022

Early Release: Grades K-12

Medway Middle: 11:02 a.m.

Burke-Memorial: 11:30 a.m.

Medway High: 11:34 a.m.

McGovern: 12:00 p.m.

March 12, 2022

MEPTO Shamrock Shuffle, Medway High School, 9:00 a.m.

March 14, 2022

School Safety and Security Webinar, Virtual, 6:00 p.m. Link to register here

March 15, 2022

MFE Board Meeting, Medway Middle School, 7:00 p.m.

March 17, 2022

Public Hearing on FY23 Budget, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 5:30 p.m.

School Committee Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 6:00 p.m.

March 18, 2022

Medway High School Spring Musical, Footloose, Auditorium, Medway High School, 7:30 p.m.

March 19, 2022

Medway High School Spring Musical, Footloose, Auditorium, Medway High School, 2:00 p.m.

Medway High School Spring Musical, Footloose, Auditorium, Medway High School, 7:30 p.m.

March 21, 2022

MICCA Festival Preview Concert, Auditorium, Medway High School, 7:00 p.m.

MEPTO Elementary Wellness Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 7:00 p.m.

March 22, 2022

Junior Parent Evening Program, Virtual, 6:30 p.m.

March 24, 2022

School Committee Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 6:00 p.m

March 25, 2022

Medway High School Ring Dance, Cafeteria, Medway High School, 7:00 p.m.

April 1, 2022

Medway Middle School Spring Musical, Freaky Friday, Auditorium, Medway High School, 7:30 p.m.

MICCA Band Performance, Hopkinton Middle School, 6:30 p.m.

April 2, 2022

Medway Middle School Spring Musical, Freaky Friday, Auditorium, Medway High School, 2:00 p.m.

Medway Middle School Spring Musical, Freaky Friday, Auditorium, Medway High School, 7:30 p.m.

MICCA Chorus Performance (Overtones), Westborough High School, 9:40 a.m.

MICCA Chorus Performance (Undertones), Westborough High School, 11:00 a.m.

April 7, 2022

School Committee Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 6:00 p.m.

April 8, 2022

Coffee House, Cafeteria, Medway High School, 6:30 p.m.

April 10, 2022

Medway Family Concert, TBA, 2:00 p.m.

April 12, 2022

MFPA Meeting, Virtual, 7:00 p.m.

April 15, 2022

No School: Good Friday

April 18- April 22, 2022

No School: Spring Vacation