May 3, 2022 Community Update
Dear Medway families,
During this week we recognize Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week! We will take a little extra time this week to extend additional gratitude and appreciation to all of the faculty and staff of the Medway Public Schools. During this “return to normal year,” educators everywhere continue to bounce back from the impacts of the last two most unusual years. We believe that our educational and support team in Medway is second to none and we are honored to share tokens of appreciation with all of them. While expressions of gratitude are always welcomed, we hope that our entire community will take a little extra time this week to ensure that all of our educators, support staff, and administrators feel the appreciation of our community.
Please find many important updates and informational items below.
Be well,
Armand Pires, Ph.D.
Superintendent
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 tomorrow, 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.
Medway High School Innovation Pathway Approved
Congratulations to Medway High School for their recent approval of their Innovation Pathway submission. Commissioner Riley, of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, granted approval for the Innovation Pathway in Healthcare and Social Assistance. This opportunity will offer our students the opportunity to gain awareness of future career opportunities and support decisions on post-secondary education fields. This approval includes a five year performance contract with annual reporting requirements and a formal review after year three. We are really excited to support successful development and implementation of this Innovation Pathway at Medway High School. Please stay tuned for more information about this exciting designation.
Equity Assessment Update
As we have shared previously, the School Committee has agreed to partner with SchoolWorks 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 hope that many in our community will contribute their voice to this process. We will be sharing information about participation in the survey and focus groups in the coming weeks.
Communication ThoughtExchange Results Shared
During the School Committee meeting on April 28, the leadership team shared an overview of the results from the community ThoughtExchange that was facilitated over the last month. This ThoughtExchange sought to understand how the district communication processes were supporting information sharing with our community. A link to the report shared with the School Committee, inclusive of a report that shares all of the comments, can be found here.
Thank you to our over 500 families who shared these insights and reflections in service to our work to improve this crucial area.
This information will be used to support further improvement in the area of communication. Specifically, we will use this information to plan improvements to our website, and to launch an app this summer. Stay tuned!
Burke-Memorial Elementary School Shares Update on Social and Emotional Learning
During the April 28 School Committee meeting, John Kelley, Principal of Burke-Memorial Elementary School, and Amanda Grinberg, Social Worker/Adjustment Counselor, shared an update on their work to continue to improve support for students within the domain of social and emotional learning. Specifically, they shared the school’s work around their tiered system of support and their partnership with DESE, Boston College, and the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy. Their presentation can be found here.
Kindergarten Information Night
Principal Amy McDonald hosted a virtual Kindergarten Information Night for families of incoming Kindergarten students this past Tuesday. This event provided families with an opportunity to learn about the Kindergarten experience and all of the transition events involved in this exciting process. A copy of the Road to Kindergarten flier can be found here and Mrs. McDonald’s presentation slides can be found here.
COVID-19 Updates
We continue to monitor COVID-19 cases within the district. Since January we have logged over 600 COVID-19 cases of faculty or students. 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.
Best Wishes Medway Middle School Robotics Team!
We are excited to extend our best wishes to Team Bot Masters: Sophie Anderson, Ezra Anderson and Team Pinyachta: Lucas Bianco, Owen Broude, Jack Connolly, Dylan Taylor, all students at Medway Middle School as they compete at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas next week. The students will be traveling with their advisor, Maryann Tourkanatonis and chaperone Doug Herbst. Thank you to MSPTO, Constellation, and our greater community for supporting the funding for this exciting event.
Medway High School Ranked by US News and World Reports
Medway High School has been ranked within the Commonwealth and across the nation by US News in their 2021 rankings. These rankings are determined through their scorecard which takes into consideration
Advanced Placement participation and passing rates, Mathematics and Reading Proficiency, and Graduation rate. Congratulations to Medway High School which has been ranked #49 in the state and #1132 nationally. Please find more information here.
5th Annual Permanent Art Collection Gallery Opening
Congratulations to the 14 new artists selected to be included in the Medway Public Schools Permanent Art Gallery. One artist and piece, for each grade preK-12, were selected by our art educators to be a part of this collection. Our artists were joined by families and the greater community last week to share their work. We look forward to having the artwork displayed in the gallery found in the Superintendent's hall of the middle school. You can find a copy of the program that was shared at the gallery viewing here. Thank you to our art educators, Emma Wallace, Robin Hackett, Marc Davidson, Christine Moyer, Noelle Fiori-Jackson and Maureen Brodeur, for their continued support of Medway’s artists!
Student Mental Health: Parent/Caregiver Support Group Interest Survey
Due to the Pandemic, the prevalence of adolescent mental health concerns has reached new heights. This increase in youth mental health issues has outpaced the availability of support services, which has left parents/caregivers in a challenging position. For this reason, we are exploring the idea of creating a community-based parent/caregiver support group. As a first step, we are surveying interested parents/caregivers to understand how many people would like to join, how often the group should meet, and what time of day would work best for meetings. If interested, please complete this survey.
Nominations Sought: Burke-Memorial Plaque
Medway Public Schools is now accepting nominations for names to be placed on the Burke-Memorial School plaque. Nominations must be submitted to the Office of the Superintendent, Medway Public Schools, 45 Holliston Street, Medway, MA 02053, by May 31, 2022. Candidates for inclusion on the Burke-Memorial School plaque must have made a significant or memorable contribution to the town and/or school community. Through their behavior and character, the candidate can be shown to be/have been an excellent role model. This person, through service, volunteerism or dedication has made Medway school or town life better for those who follow. Residents, past or present, who have sacrificed their lives or freedom in service to their country, either as members of the military or as civilians contributing to military or peace efforts, may also be nominated. The Medway School Committee will vote on the nominations in June. The nomination form can be found here.
Community Education Summer Programming
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. All programming will be AT NO COST TO FAMILIES. Please mark your calendars and be on the lookout for information/sign-ups to be shared soon.
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.
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 |
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) |
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
May 4, 2022 | Pre-K Afternoon of the Arts, McGovern Elementary School, 3:15 p.m. Kindergarten Night of the Arts, McGovern Elementary School, 5:30 p.m. SEPAC Meeting: Speakers Lisa and Josh Dieker, Virtual, 7:00 p.m. Link to join can be found here. |
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. |
June 1, 2022 | Medway High School Senior Scholarship and Awards Night, Auditorium, Medway High School, 6:00 p.m. |
June 2, 2022 | School Committee Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 6:00 p.m. |
June 5, 2022 | Medway High School Graduation, Hanlon Field, Medway High School, 10:00 a.m. |
June 7, 2022 | Burke-Memorial Arts Festival, Burke-Memorial Elementary School, 6:00 p.m. MFE Board Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 7:00 p.m. Medway High School Athletic Advisory Meeting, Virtual, 6:00 p.m. |
June 9, 2022 | Medway High School Underclassmen Scholastic Awards Night, Auditorium, Medway High School, 6:00 p.m. |
June 14, 2022 | MFPA Board Meeting, Virtual, 7:00 p.m. |
June 15, 2022 | Medway Middle School 8th Grade Promotion, Medway Middle School, 6:30 p.m. |
June 16, 2022 | School Committee Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 6:00 p.m. |
June 22, 2022 | Last Day of School Early Release: All Schools |