Superintendent's Update dated May 31, 2022

Dear Medway families, 

This week is marked with celebration as we enter into our Class of 2022 week festivities.  Congratulations to our graduates and families who have remained committed to learning and hard work and who have reached this incredible milestone together.  We have greatly valued the opportunity to partner with you over the last up to thirteen years and have been honored to be a part of your stories.  We wish our graduates a safe week of celebration and are so excited to join them in their Commencement exercises on Sunday, June 5, 2022.

Please find several additional updates and informational items below,

Be well,

  

Armand Pires, Ph.D.

Superintendent of Schools

No School:  Monday, June 20, 2022

This is a reminder that there will be no school on Monday, June 20, in observance of Juneteenth.  

Last Day of School

Our last day of school for the 2021-2022 school year will be on June 22, 2022.  This is an early release day with dismissal times as follows:

Medway Middle School: 11:02 a.m.

Burke-Memorial: 11:30 a.m.

Medway High School: 11:34 a.m.

McGovern: 12:00 p.m. 

2022-2023 School Calendar

The approved calendar for the 2022-2023 school year can be found here

Equity Assessment Update

A separate, extensive communication has been sent to families regarding the Equity Assessment Process and the ways that families and our students can participate.   Families are asked to indicate interest to participate in Family Focus Group by Wednesday, June 1 @ 4:00 p.m. by clicking THIS FORM.  Depending on the level of interest, we hope to be able to accommodate all requests, but it will depend on the level of interest.  We will confirm participation by the end of the day on June 3.

Family Surveys and the Grade 3-8 Student Survey completion will take place through Friday, June 10.  Medway High School students will be participating in the survey during school hours unless families opted out last week. 

Questions about the Equity Assessment process should be directed to Jay Adams, SchoolWorks Managing Director of Quality Reviews, at jadams@schoolworks.org.  

COVID-19 Update

As we have seen in the news, there has been a state-wide increase in COVID-19 cases.  Medway, like other communities, has also seen an increase in COVID cases.  As we have shared with the community, data about the number of COVID-19 cases is available on our website.  The recommendation from the CDC encourages individuals to wear masks in areas with high rates of infections, like Norfolk County.   

Reporting Student Cases

To report a student COVID-19 case please reach out to your school nurse and email us at covid@medwayschools.org. To better understand your student’s return to school timeline and requirements after testing positive for COVID please click here.  

COVID-19 Home Testing Program

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.  Please note the last week of distribution of these kits will be the week of June 6.  

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.  

New Director of Facilities

We are pleased to welcome Paul Visconti to the Director of Facilities role for the Medway Schools.  Paul comes to us from the MA Department of Corrections where he served as Director of Facilities from 2013 until joining Medway. Paul supervised overall maintenance operations including staff and inmate worker supervision.  Prior to that Paul was the Director of Food Service for the DOC.   We wish Paul well in his career here with us.  

K-8 English language arts / Literacy Curriculum Adoption Decisions Finalized

We are pleased to share that our educator and administrative teams have finalized their review process, and decision associated with our K-8 English language arts / literacy comprehensive, core curriculum resource adoption process.  Medway will be adopting Savvas MyView for our K-5 students and Amplify for our Grade 6-8 students.  We are incredibly appreciative of the time, attention, professionalism, and expertise that our educators devoted to this time intensive process.

In the Fall, families will be provided with information about the literacy approach for their K-8 students during curriculum events that are part of our Fall schedule.

Best Buddies Prom

Medway Public Schools hosted the Best Buddies prom on Friday, May 13, 2022 at the Burke-Memorial Elementary School. Each year, Best Buddies has a supplemental prom that is small and quiet, with the goal that all members have a unique experience. It is not in place of the Medway High School prom; rather it is an additional event for the students. The students who attend are members of Medway High School Best Buddies Club, as well as clubs that have collaborated to plan the event. Also invited are other students who live in Medway and attend out-of-district schools, and occasionally we invite 8th grade students as a way to bridge into the high school experience.  

Special Olympics:  Medway 2022

Medway Special Olympics has just finished their town-based games and a video of the athletes may be found here. Community members may recall that the Special Olympics School-based Games were canceled this year and Medway asked for special permission to hold town-based games sanctioned by Special Olympics of Massachusetts (SOMA).  The student athletes were tremendous, and received their medals in a ceremony held in the Medway Middle Schools Presentation Room on May 24, 2022.  They received a police escort to the middle school, where they participated in a walking parade through a crowd of well-wishing peers throughout the school and on their way to the Presentation Room.   There they received their medals surrounded by family members and their peers.  

A special thank you to Jessica Bartha, Physical Therapist for the district, for all her work in planning for this  and to T.C. Scoops for supplying the student athletes and their families with an ice cream celebration!

International Thespian Society Induction 

Last week, Medway High School inducted seventeen new students to the International Thespian Honor Society.  

From the International Thespian Society website:  "The International Thespian Society is the only theatre honor society for middle and high school students in the country. ITS recognizes, rewards, and encourages student achievement and celebrates the work of students in all aspects of theatre—performance and production. Each student is honored on a national level and gains access to opportunities and resources beyond those of their school."

As students participate in theatre activities at the high school (in both cast and crew), they earn "Thespian Points." One point is roughly equivalent to ten hours of work/rehearsal time. When students reach fifteen points, they are eligible to be inducted.  ITS offers many fantastic resources to students, including an invitation to the Massachusetts Thespian Festival, held every February. 

A list of 2022 student inductees can be found here. 

Medway Middle School Spring Concerts

Congratulations to our middle school band and choral students and to middle school educators Erin Cronan and Nori Von Jena for their hard work to prepare for last week's spring concerts.

 Grades 3 and 4 Concerts

It was terrific to join the Grades 3 and 4 teams and the whole staff of Burke-Memorial Elementary School for their Spring concerts which featured the learning that they have been doing in their performing arts classrooms.    Congratulations to our Grade 3 and 4 students and educators on a job well done!

Senior Prom

Last Friday night, Medway High School hosted their prom at the Lakeview Pavilion in Foxboro.  Students left from Medway High School and spent the evening dancing with their friends.  It was a beautiful night and lots of memories were made. 

Technology Update

The Medway Technology Department would like to remind eighth grade students that we intend to collect the student devices [Chromebooks] beginning June 13. Please be sure to bring your device and charger into school that week for collection. We will supply a new device to all 9th grade students in September.

Medway Library: Student Focus Group

The Medway Public Library is looking to gather student feedback as part of its strategic planning process.  The library would like interested students to join a Zoom focus group with Barbara Friedman on June 10 from 7-9 PM.  If your student is interested in participating please if your student would like to participate in the focus group please email Barbara at bibliogal@gmail.com.  

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

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 6, 2022

MEPTO Meeting, Library, Burke-Memorial, 6:30 p.m.

June 7, 2022

Burke-Memorial Arts Festival, Burke-Memorial Elementary School, 6:00 p.m.

Medway High School Athletic Advisory Meeting, Virtual, 6:00 p.m.

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

June 9, 2022

Medway High School Underclassmen Scholastic Awards Night, Auditorium, Medway High School, 6:00 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 20, 2022

No School: Juneteenth

June 22, 2022

Last Day of School: Early Release: All Schools

Dismissal times as follows:

Medway Middle School: 11:02 a.m.

Burke-Memorial: 11:30 a.m.

Medway High School: 11:34 a.m.

McGovern: 12:00 p.m.

June 23, 2022

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