Dear Medway families,
We hope that this finds you well and that you are able to take some additional time over the upcoming April vacation to recharge, reconnect, and enjoy extra time with your families. We have continued to stay very busy within the district and are well into planning for the end of the year as well as the 2022-2023 school year. This planning requires the insights and feedback of many and we ask that you please be on the lookout for requests to participate in focus groups, surveys, etc. as the year winds down so that we can be sure to go into the summer with the most accurate pulse on our community needs and hopes for the future.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Please find many important updates from the district below.
Be well,
Armand Pires, Ph.D.
Superintendent
Reminder: No School Friday, April 15-Friday, April 22
There will be no school in Medway starting this Friday, April 15-Friday, April 22. We look forward to welcoming our students back to school on Monday, April 25.
COVID-19 Updates
We continue to monitor COVID-19 cases within the district. Since January we have logged over 500 COVID-19 cases of faculty or students. Over the past two weeks, we have seen an increase in cases. We will continue to monitor this situation. For updates on our prevalence rates, please find a link to our district dashboard here.
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.
COVID-19 Test Kit Opt Out
If you are currently receiving the At-Home COVID Test kits and would like to opt out of receiving them, please complete this short opt out form. Please note it may take a week to record your request which could result in your student receiving at least one more test kit. The opt out form can be found here.
Equity Assessment Update
As we have shared previously, the School Committee has agreed to partner with https://www.schoolworks.org/ to conduct an assessment of our practices and policies as they relate to equity. We will be seeking participation in focus groups and survey completion from a wide range of stakeholders throughout our district and greater community. SchoolWorks will also be seeking a great deal of data and documentation from the district in response to their assessment criteria. We are finalizing the details for focus groups and survey distribution later this week. We will be communicating broadly the dates and details immediately following the April vacation. We hope to many in our community will contribute their voice to this process.
SEPAC Meeting Featuring Josh and Lisa Dieker
Medway’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) in partnership with our Office of Student Services, will be hosting an informative webinar on Wednesday, May 4 at 7:00 p.m. during their regular meeting. Dr. Dieker is the Lockheed Martin Eminent Scholar Chair at the University of Central Florida. She will talk about her experiences as a parent of a student with Dyslexia and Tourette’s syndrome. Additionally, her son, Josh Dieker, will speak about his experiences as he moved through school and finally came out of the other end of college with a successful job. From preschool to college, they will share their personal journey with Tourette’s Syndrome, dysgraphia, and dyslexia. Join Josh and his mom as they provide practical advice and share their story through humor and heartfelt strategies - from the good, the bad, and at times ugly parts of the life of being a parent or a person with a disability.
Please join us for this event! The flier, with link, may be found here.
Grade 5 Educators Participate in State History/Social Sciences Pilot
During the April 7 School Committee meeting, Medway Middle School Principal, Amanda Luizzi, our Grade 5-8 Curriculum and Instruction Leader for Humanities, Rachael Barton, and Grade 5 teachers, Jennifer Lindsey and Jeannette Waugh, shared an update on their partnership with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education connected with a pilot of a new Grade 5 History/Social Sciences curriculum. The presentation that they shared can be viewed here.
Thank You! Communications ThoughtExchange Participation
Thank you to those who participated in our District Communications ThoughtExchange. We were seeking to understand our communication practices, specifically what our community finds effective and what could use improvement. Please find a detailed, interactive report here. We will use the information generated from this report to support improvement of our continued communication efforts.
Medway High School: Seal of Biliteracy
The Seal of Biliteracy is a distinction on a student’s diploma at graduation that recognizes students who pursue and demonstrate literacy in two or more languages. In order to earn the Seal of Biliteracy, students must:
- Demonstrate a high level of proficiency in English by satisfying one of the following:
- a score of 472 or higher on MCAS or a score of 455 or higher on MCAS and complete an Educational Proficiency Plan
- Demonstrate a high level of proficiency in a world language through one of the following: attaining a minimum score equivalent to an proficiency level of Intermediate-High on a state-approved assessment. For languages that do not have readily available assessments, students can qualify by completing a portfolio demonstrating Intermediate-High proficiency in speaking, writing, reading, and listening. Medway is utilizing the AAPPL and ALIRA assessments for this criteria’s assessment
We are pleased to share that we have 40 high school students in grades 10-12 participating in the Seal of Biliteracy process this year. Languages include Spanish, Mandarin, Russian and Portuguese.
Grade 2 Heritage Performances and Projects
It was terrific to join the Grade 2 team and the whole staff of Burke-Memorial Elementary School as they featured the learning of students through performances and projects connected with their heritage. Congratulations to our Grade 2 students and educators on a job well done!
Performing Arts Congratulations!
Medway Middle School Musical: Freaky Friday!
Congratulations to the cast and crew of Freaky Friday for three great performances. It was wonderful to see theatre performances return to our stage and audiences were entertained by an incredibly talented group of our middle school students. Thank you to directors and Medway Middle School staff members, Todd Swavey and Nori Von Jena and the middle school team members of Doug Herbst and Marc Davidson for your supporting roles
MICCA
Congratulations to the Medway High School chorus and band students on their performances at the MICCA festival. Medway High School Concert Band received a Bronze Medal, the Overtones received a Silver Medal and the Undertones received a Gold Medal. Gold medal recipients were invited to perform at the MICCA Gold Medal Showcase, this past Sunday, April 10 at Mechanics Hall in Worcester. Special thanks to performing arts’ educators Amanda Webster and Ashley Nelson-Oneschuk for their hard work to prepare our students.
Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizenship Award
Congratulations to Medway High School student, Connor Gilmore, on receiving the Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizenship Award! The DAR Good Citizen program and scholarship contest is intended to encourage and reward the qualities of good citizenship. The student selected as the school’s DAR Good Citizen must have the qualities of dependability (which includes truthfulness, loyalty, and punctuality); service (which includes cooperation, courtesy, and consideration of others); leadership (which includes personality, self-control, and ability to assume responsibility); and patriotism (which includes unselfish interest in family, school, community and nation) to an outstanding degree. Connor was nominated by Medway High School Staff and was selected as this year’s first place State Finalist. Congratulations Connor!
Medway Middle School Students Compete in Robotics Competition and Qualify for WORLDS
Congratulations to our Medway Middle School’s VEX IQ Challenge teams for qualifying for the World Competition! Congratulations to Medway Middle School educator, Maryann Tourkantonis, and a big thank you for her support and efforts to prepare the students for competition. All of our student competitors were quite impressive. Team Pinyachta and The Bot Masters tied for 6th place which qualified for the chance to showcase their skills at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas in May, the culminating event of the season that draws the best teams from across the country in an effort to be crowned World Champions. Planning and fundraising efforts are underway to support their participation. Please be on the lookout for more details soon.
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 |
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) |
Technology Update
The technology department would like to advise all families that we are experiencing a high volume of student device damage and repairs are taking longer than expected due to supply chain disruptions. Parts have been hard to acquire for internal repairs and external repairs for insured devices are taking two to three months. We encourage all families to discuss that student issued devices are School Property and must be respected and taken care of properly. Device repairs, not covered by insurance, are charged to the family and cost between $20 and $350. Please encourage your children to take care of these devices.
Community Education Spring and Summer Programming
We are pleased to share our Spring After School program offerings for students in grades K-8. The registration links may be found here: McGovern School, Burke-Memorial School and Medway Middle School. Classes are scheduled to begin the week of April 25.
We have continued our commitment to offer before and after school programs for students. While there are many options, some programs focus on supporting student learning as we continue to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. These programs, offered for free or very low cost, are targeted to specific students, or may be open to all students
Our final round of 2021-2022 support programs are scheduled to begin after the April Vacation break. We are excited to offer the before school Wake Up & Grow program at the Burke-Memorial School, with plans being finalized for the McGovern School. Our Spring WIN Support programs for grades K-8, as well as our Mustang After Hours program for grades 6-8, will help students finish their school year strong! Also, we are thrilled to offer the Success Circle program, which focuses on students' executive functioning skills. Plans are underway for an end of the year celebratory "Family Night" event for students, families and teachers that participated in our support programs throughout this school year.
If you are interested in an evening out, one-night enrichment classes or fitness programs for yourself, plus great program ideas for your children, be sure to check out our latest brochure. Online registration for Spring and Summer is open! The Summer Brochure, featuring additional youth and adult programs, will be in mailboxes and online in mid-May.
We are excited to announce the return of Summer of Discovery for all interested families of rising K-8 students! This program will take place from August 15-19 from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. with an extended day option from 2:00-4:00 p.m. The goal of this week-long experience is to support students’ successful transition back to school in the Fall. Daily activities include a combination of academic skills, social and emotional engagement opportunities, arts, nature, and fun. A light breakfast and full lunch are available for all participants. Transportation will be provided. Please mark your calendars and be on the lookout for information to be shared soon.
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
April 15, 2022 | No School: Good Friday |
April 18- April 22, 2022 | No School: Spring Vacation |
April 26, 2022 | McGovern Kindergarten Information Night, Virtual, 6:00 p.m. |
April 27, 2022 | MSPTO Meeting, Middle School, 7:00 p.m. |
April 28, 2022 | Permanent Art Gallery Viewing, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 4:30 p.m. School Committee Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 6:00 p.m. |
April 29, 2022 | Medway High School Sophomore Dance, Cafeteria, Medway High School, 6:30 p.m. |
May 4, 2022 | Pre-K Afternoon of the Arts, McGovern Elementary School, 3:15 p.m. SEPAC Meeting: Guest Speakers Josh and Lisa Dieker, Virtual, 7:00 p.m. |
May 5, 2022 | Kindergarten Night of the Arts, McGovern Elementary School, 5:30 p.m. |
May 6, 2022 | MEPTO Ice Cream Social & Basket Raffle, Medway High School, 5:45 p.m. |
May 10, 2022 | MFPA Meeting, Virtual, 7:00 p.m. |
May 11, 2022 | Medway High School Art Walk, Medway High School, 6:00 p.m. Medway High School Pops Concert, Auditorium, Medway High School, 6:30 p.m. |
May 12, 2022 | School Committee Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 6:00 p.m. |
May 18, 2022 | Medway High School Honors & Small Ensemble Concert, Auditorium, Medway High School, 6:30 p.m. First Grade Night of the Arts, McGovern Elementary School, 5:30 p.m. |
May 19, 2022 | School Committee Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 6:00 p.m. |
May 20, 2022 | Early Release: All Schools Medway High School Prom, Lakeview Pavilion, 6:00 p.m. |
May 24, 2022 | Medway Middle School Spring Band Concert, Auditorium, Medway High School, 6:00 p.m. |
May 25, 2022 | MSPTO Meeting, Guidance Area, Medway High School, 7:00 p.m. McGovern Elementary School Art Show, McGovern Elementary School, 5:30 p.m. |
May 26, 2022 | Medway Middle School Spring Chorus Concert, Auditorium, Medway High School, 6:00 p.m. |
May 30, 2022 | No School: Memorial Day |
May 31, 2022 | Medway High School Superlative Night, 6:00 p.m. |
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Portuguese:
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