Superintendent's Report 9.12.18

Superintendent’s Report to the School Committee

September 12, 2018

Elementary Enrollment Update:

• We’ve continued to monitor the elementary class sizes during the last few weeks of this school year.
• Despite the difficult budget decisions last spring whereby class sections in grades K-3 were decreased by one, I am pleased to report that most class sizes have leveled out between 18-23 students as predicted. 
• There are a couple of outliers in 4 grade at Stanley, because they remained at 3 sections: two sections have 16 students and the third has 18. 
• In addition, third grade at Clarke currently has 25 & 25 however, there are students listed in that homeroom that are attached to other specific programs in that school. However, we are working closely with Mrs. Hunt to determine the additional supports that may be needed here, as well. 
• The third grade at Stanley School is our largest class with 25 and 26 students in each class.
• I think it’s important to note that through the appeals process with regard to student relocation assignments, several families appealed their placement and for a number of reasons those appeals were granted. 
• We are currently reviewing applications for general education ESPs to provide support in those third-grade classrooms. 
• It is also important to remember that with this decision of decreasing class sections, there is now available breakout space for use at Stanley School. My vision and expectation are that these spaces would be utilized by students in third grade often with the adult support that we will be putting in place. 

School Business Administrator Search

• The Interview Committee consists of Evan Katz, School Business Administrator, Joanne van der Burg, Budget and Finance Specialist, Martha Raymond, Director of Student Services, Julie DeLillo, Director of Human Resources, Carin Marshall, Chair of the Budget Subcommittee, and myself. 
• Of the nine resumes we received, we had narrowed the candidates down to 4 and were to be conducting 2 phone interviews and 2 in-person interviews next Thursday. However, 2 candidates have retracted their candidacy.

MSBA Update

• We submitted the next two deliverables to the MSBA in the Eligibility Period by the deadline of August 30th: The Educational Profile Questionnaire and Enrollment Projection. 
• I followed up with the MSBA this week to ask where the approval of our School Building Committee stood. I was told it is still being reviewed by legal but our liaison will investigate where we are in the queue. 
• Our next deliverable date is November 28th when the Enrollment Certification Executed and Maintenance and Capital Planning Information is due.

Boston Magazine - Best of Boston

• I have Tweeted and celebrated with our staff the fact that Swampscott High School ranked #31 in Boston Magazine’s most recent issue naming Best Public High Schools in 2018. In 2016, Swampscott High School was ranked #39.
• Criteria include: class size, student-teacher ratio, MCAS, SAT scores, AP scores, graduation rate, students attending college, and teacher evaluation ratings.
• Significant progress but not surprising. 
• Data Specialist and AP Teacher Training

The Opening of the School Year

• It was a challenging start to the school year with the extreme heat. We faced challenges as did every other district that started before Labor Day.
• The students and staff were troopers through this extreme heat.
• I want to thank the families for their flexibility during this period when last-minute early release days were called. 
• Fire Drills (4 per year) and ALICE Drills have been scheduled at all 5 schools.

Summer and Ongoing Maintenance Projects

Clarke School
Painting (3) offices
Patch wall & paint Art Room
Clean & paint Gym Vents
Coordination of plumbing repairs
Floor repairs in Portable Building
Fire Alarm Upgrade project - (ongoing)
Coordination and selection of Stage Lift
Demolition and Construction of walls, floor, and stage for lift - (ongoing)
Moved Library from Portable to Main Building
Repair shelving at Art Room
Patching of concrete stairs at Gym

Hadley School
Patch walls at Stair Landings
Classroom door repairs
Coordination of exterior door repairs
Patch walls in classrooms
Patch & paint Gym floor
Moving of classrooms
Repair fence at Playground

Stanley School
Paint (3) rooms
Paint Art Room floor
Paint (2) Bathrooms
Paint interior & exterior stairs
Moving of classrooms
Floor repairs in classrooms
Coordination of carpet installation in classroom

High School
Coordination of sprinkler repairs in Gym with Metro Swift and Fire Department
Paint room
Coordination of plumbing repairs
Floor repairs at 1st floor 8-Wing
Repair Science Room tables

Middle School
Coordination of plumbing repairs
Coordination of electrical repairs
Installation of Pre School Playground equipment
Cleaning of roof drains
Opened up the wall in HR File Room to access plumbing leak above Kitchen
Office - extensive brick removal necessary to access
Replace ceiling in Kitchen Office

District
Central Office moves at MS including construction, moving & painting
Green Communities Grant kickoff meeting
Installation of AED cabinets at Athletic Fields
Purchasing and delivering of supplies and materials for Summer Cleaning
Moving of classrooms between buildings in the district
Coordinating of Outside Cleaning contractors at Middle and High Schools
Removal of downed trees and branches after the storm
Coordination of annual Fire Alarm & Sprinkler testing
Coordination of Annual Elevator Testing - (ongoing - rescheduled by State Inspector)
Coordination of the Hiring of new Custodial Staff
Coordination and finalization of numerous preventive maintenance contracts - Fire Alarm and Sprinkler, Emergency Generator and Metasys Controls
Heating system coordination walk-thru to determine the scope or needed work - (ongoing)
Removal of e-waste to HS loading dock for pickup

Municipal
Replaced the door at Fish House

Superintendent's Report 8.22.18

Superintendent’s Report to the School Committee

August 22, 2018

Elementary Enrollment Update:

Enrollment in classes at the elementary level has fluctuated throughout the summer.

We don’t consider any of the current data we have at this time to be “finalized” as historically, the data changes between now and our final report to the state due by October 1st.

At this time, our elementary class sizes range from 18 to one class of 26.

Classes were created with the academic and social-emotional needs of each student in mind.

We will continue to review class sizes and areas of needs during the first few weeks of school, as often times, we have not been notified of students who withdraw until school is in session.

We will be utilizing our targeted support funds to provide general education support where needed.



Fifth Grade:

Two exciting changes with fifth graders entering the Middle School this year.

The first day of school, fifth graders should report to the Middle School at 8:45 am instead of 8:00 am. This change gives Mr. Calichman and Ms. Sanborn time that is dedicated to our youngsters transitioning into their new school.

Locks on the fifth-grade lockers have been removed. Students should treat these like “cubbies” thereby alleviating the stress students experience when struggling with their locks and getting to class on time.


School Business Administrator Search:

The posting closed August 20th.

This morning we received 9 resumes from (NESDEC) the search firm who was conducting the search.

We are reviewing resumes, will establish an interview committee, and soon begin scheduling interviews.


MSBA Update:

We have submitted our School Building Committee to the MSBA and are awaiting their approval.

I want to thank all the community members who submitted resumes and qualifications to be part of this committee.

We are still in the Eligibility Period with the next deadline being August 30th for our Educational Profile Questionnaire and Enrollment Projection.


Extended Day Enrollment Update:

As of August 13th the current enrollment for the Extended Day Program at each school:

Clarke 90%

Hadley 100%

Stanley 108%

Teen Center 50% (already more students than last year)


Swampscott Public School Tagline:

In the last few weeks, the staff has been voting on a tagline for our District. I am leaving the voting open until the end of next week. Right now, the top three contenders in no particular order are:

Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow

Creating a Brighter Future, One Student at a Time

Every Student Matters, Every Moment Counts, Every Day is a New Beginning

Please note we narrowed leadership submissions down to 6 choices. Then we Googled each selection and found that these or versions of these have been used in other districts. As a result, whatever our final decision is, we recognize we will be sharing with another community.

Welcome Back Families 2018-2019

August 2018

Dear Swampscott Families,

On behalf of the Swampscott Public Schools I would like to welcome you to the 2018-2019 school year. A special welcome to those students and families who are joining us for the first time. The beginning of school is rapidly approaching and there is much to do as both you and the district prepare for the opening of school.

The first day of school for students in Pre-K and grades 1-12 will be on Tuesday, August 28th. Individual screenings will take place by appointment for our incoming Kindergarten students from Tuesday, August 28th through Thursday, August 30th. There is NO SCHOOL on Friday, August 31st, and Monday, September 3rd in honor of the Labor Day holiday. The first day for Kindergarten students is on Tuesday, September 4th. The school year calendar can be printed from our website along with a year-long calendar of events that is easily accessible for each of the schools. The calendar feature also allows filtering for those of you with students in more than one school: Calendar Link to SPS Website

Shortly after school begins, Curriculum Nights will be held at each of the schools for parents and guardians to meet teachers and learn about the curriculum expectations. Please mark your calendar as the dates and times of these events are as follows:


Clarke Elementary Wednesday, September 12th 6:30pm

Hadley Elementary Thursday, September 6th 6:00pm

Stanley Elementary Thursday, September 6th 6:00pm

Middle School (Grades 5 & 6) Tuesday, September 25th 6:00pm

Middle School (Grades 7 & 8) Wednesday, September 26th 6:00pm

Swampscott High School Thursday, September 27th 6:00pm


We continue to build upon the work we began last year in the following curriculum areas:

Pilots: - There will be several curriculum program pilots occurring throughout the district this year. Fifteen teachers in grades K-5 across the district will be piloting Math in Focus and our ESL department will be piloting Reach core curriculum. At the high school level a new Spanish curriculum will be piloted in Spanish I, II, & III and a Financial Literacy curriculum will also be piloted. Piloting programs allows the district to make program adoption decisions by the end of the year to keep our program materials current.

Technology/Google (K-12) – This year we will be mapping out grade level Digital Literacy and Computer Science standards in grades K-12.

We also continue to focus on the priorities in our District Strategy: Social Emotional Well-Being, Educator Growth, Curriculum & Instruction, Assessment & Data, and Technology.

I have only scratched the surface of all the great things happening in our district. July and August are very busy months when countless facility and maintenance projects are underway, curriculum work occurs, interviews and hiring of new staff, all as we anticipate the arrival of the students and faculty. Each school year brings a renewed enthusiasm and excitement to our work and each September I am reminded of what a privilege it is to serve this community and an honor to be your Superintendent.

Superintendent's Report 8.8.18

Superintendent’s Report to the School Committee

August 8, 2018

NEW: Online Back-to-School Paperwork!

We are excited to announce that we are now offering the convenience of online back to school paperwork for all schools through FamilyID (www.familyid.com). Swampscott Public Schools Athletics Department already uses this service, so if students play sports for SMS or SHS, then families already have an account!

FamilyID is a secure registration platform that will provide families with an easy, user-friendly way to sign our school policies, such as handbook agreements, media releases, acceptable use policies, and medical agreements. We are even able to give the option to upload a copy of a physical (or it can be turned in to each office). This system will help us to be more administratively efficient and environmentally responsible. When families register through FamilyID, the system keeps track of your information in your FamilyID profile. You enter your information only once for each family member for multiple uses and multiple programs.

A HUGE Thank You to Ms. Mackey Knowles, Director of Digital Learning and Educational Technology, for all her work on this!

Leadership Retreat 2018!

Last week we had another intense and successful two-day Leadership Retreat. Attorney Janelle Austin from KP Law presented on HIPPA, FERPA, and Information Sharing while Director of Human Resources, Julie Delillo gave a Harassment Training and reviewed current issues in the workplace. In addition, we had several “workshop” presentations from colleagues including: Improving Your Workflow with Google with Ms. Mackey Knowles, Developing Your Leadership Skills by Following Your Passion with Mr. Katz, and some inspiration from our colleagues (Mr. Murphy, Ms. Mackey Knowles, Mr. Kohut, Ms. Cull, Mrs. Hunt, and Mr. Calichman) who all attended the three-day annual MSAA (Massachusetts School Administrators Association) Conference in late July. Ms. Mackey Knowles was also a presenter at this conference.

Superintendent's Report 7.18.18

 

 

Superintendent’s Report to the School Committee

July 18, 2018

Recognition of Retiring Staff

Tony Geraci

Tony has been with the Swampscott Public Schools since 2007. He joined our team when Campus Security Monitors were hired for Swampscott High School. Tony was much more than just a monitor he was a role model every minute of every day for our students. He was fair, consistent, and kind but could also be tough on our students when needed. He was part of the fabric that is SHS and his enthusiasm and positivity will be missed.


Michele Schultz

Michele has worked as an administrative assistant for the Swampscott Public Schools for the last 28 years. She has worked in Central Office, the Middle School, and most recently Swampscott High School. Michele has worked tirelessly in each of these roles and is the consummate professional. Her dedication and caring for the students and staff will be sorely missed. Her official retire date will be September 17th and I look forward to beginning another school year together. We wish her a happy and healthy retirement.


Director of Human Resources Update
On Monday, July 16th, we welcomed Mrs. Julie DeLillo as she officially began her new position as joint Director of Human Resources for general government and school department. The Town Administrator and I are very excited by the experience and talent she brings to this position and look forward to having someone to guide us through future human resource challenges. MOU to be signed by Superintendent and SC.


Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA)
My office received numerous resumes from members of the community who are interested in being part of the School Building Committee. We have to submit our School Building Committee team to the MSBA by July 31st, so we are right on schedule.


M.A.S.S. Executive Institute
Last week I attended the Annual Summer Executive Institute for Superintendents in Mashpee. As usual, it did not disappoint. Keynote speakers included the new Commissioner of Education, Jeff Riley, Dan Heath most recent co-author of Decisive a book about how to make better choices https://www.keynotes.org/speaker/danheath , and Scott McLeod author of Harnessing Technology for Deeper Learning (A Quick Guide to Educational Technology Integration and Digital Learning Spaces) https://www.massupt.org/2018/05/31/well-known-scott-mcleod-will-speak-at-this-years-executive-institute/.

Along with the numerous break out sessions, there were meetings and events with our colleagues from across the state and the networking and collaboration with area superintendents is invaluable.