Superintendent's Report to SC 5.27.20

Superintendent’s Report to the School Committee

May 27, 2020

New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)

• In February, I reported to the School Committee about NEASC’s Collaborative Conference Visit to Swampscott High School
• Last week, Mr. Kohut, Ms. Cooper, and I received a letter informing us that at the April 16th meeting of the Commission on Public and Secondary Schools voted to award our high school continued accreditation
• Four of the six Foundational Elements in the Standards have been met
• Priority Areas for Growth
• The next step will be the development, submission, and implementation of the School Improvement/Growth Plan that needs to be submitted by July 15, 2020
• After that, the school is scheduled to host the Decennial Accreditation visit on November 14th - November 17th, 2021. The focus is to make sure the school has implemented the Priority Areas for Growth as included in the School Improvement/Growth Plan.

Rotary:

• Rotary reached out and asked how they could support the schools during these unprecedented times
• Ms. Mackey-Knowles attended a meeting on behalf of the district and explained our need for additional Chromebooks as we move forward with our plan to go 1:1
• At last Wednesday’s Rotary meeting, my fellow Rotarians voted to sponsor two Chromebook carts with a total donation in the amount of $12,000
• I am overwhelmed by their support and generosity

Director of Facilities:

• I’m pleased to report that Mr. Max Kasper has been appointed as the new Director of Facilities for both the school department and general government
• Max has the skills and relationships necessary to make this position work
• Support him with resources and personnel

Transitions, Celebrations, and High School Graduation:

• Elementary Principals are working with their teachers to come up with an appropriate celebration for 4th grade
• Mr. Calichman sent a message that the 8th grade celebration will occur when we are given the word by health agencies and the state that it is appropriate. 
• High School Graduation is very different
• Just prior to our meeting with representative parents of the Class of 2020 meeting last Thursday, Commissioner Riley came out with a memo providing guidance around HS graduation celebrations. That guidance allowed for parades to be part of the celebrations.
• The guidance also stated that if graduations are held after July 18th, they could be held in person with very detailed and outlined restrictions 
• The parent presentation gave us a lot to consider but two points were clear
• Our seniors want to celebrate in some way TOGETHER
• Our seniors would like their walk the stage moment to celebrate their 13 years of hard work
• Mr. Kohut and his team worked on their draft plan and he’s here to present the final graduation plan this evening

Superintendent's Report to SC 5.13.20

Superintendent’s Report to the School Committee

May 13, 2020

COVID-19 Updates:

Remote Learning Plan:

• At the end of April new guidance came from the state
• School is out for the remainder of the year and now entering “Phase 3” of our Remote Learning Plan
• We had already implemented “new learning” practices while many districts were following DESE guidance to go “deeper.”
• We’ve had two working groups - one on Curriculum - Dr. Bacon and Engagement - Mr. Norkun
• As expected, districts are going to be required to submit a document to the state explain our Remote Learning Plans and what exactly we’ve been doing
• Dr. Bacon will give further details in her report.

Phone Calls with Commissioner Riley:

• Monday, May 4th
• We may be hearing more about a remote learning summer program but we were told more information will be forthcoming
• The Governor is expected to provide guidance and a timeline for us to allow teachers and students to remove belongings
• Next call is tomorrow

Extended Closure Impact and Plans:

• Medication return - A letter went home to all families about a no-contact pickup of student medications on May 21st with a rain date of May 22nd.

• Reopening in the fall - I’ve received emails from parents inquiring about the plans for reopening school in the fall. It is premature to speculate what the fall will look like and the guidance that will be provided by the CDC and from the state.

In Other News

• Grade 4 Transition Planning at SMS
• Taping a Zoom with to review the SMS 101 Program
• Virtual tour of the building with the help of Joe D.
• Mr. Calichman, Ms. Sanborn, Ms. Powers, and Ms. Pappas are scheduling Zooms with every 4th-grade homeroom at the end of May to introduce themselves to the students and answer any questions they may have.

• Tuesday Talks with the Superintendent
• Well-attended and great feedback (318, 242)

Superintendent's Report to SC 4.30.20

Superintendent’s Report to the School Committee

April 30, 2020

COVID-19 Update:

END OF YEAR DATES:

• Our last day of school on the 185th day remains June 22nd
• Seniors last day is May 29th
• Can be no more than 12 school days before what would have been our 180th school day (June 16th)

POTENTIAL CALENDAR CHANGE:

• September 14th - Tentative Marathon Monday - likely a state holiday, which would mean a potential change to the 2020-2021 school year calendar

STAFF RETURN TO WORK PLAN:

• Beginning Monday, May 4th, all custodians will return to work adhering to the guidelines set outlined in a Department of Labor Standards email this week: DLS email
• Projects and tasks have been outlined until we implement the picking up of student and teacher materials and belongings over the next several weeks.
• Every morning their first task will be to clean and sanitize the offices in each building. This will allow for my Leadership Team and Administrative Assistants to return to work in the buildings in their offices if they are comfortable doing so and also adhering to the guidelines.

EXTENDED CLOSURE IMPACT & PLANS:

• Medication return - Emily Cilley coordinating with school nurses and families
• Teacher and student personal item pickup - plans are in the works for grab and go bags with students’ names on them. However, we are holding until at least May 18th right now.
• Nursing and Cleaning Supplies are being ordered and stored through nursing and facilities including masks, thermometers, hand sanitizer, cleaning products, etc. We don’t want to wait and then struggle with availability.
• The Reopening Task Force is forming. We don’t know when or how yet, but in anticipation of some kind of opening we are convening a team to look at issues and concerns. We’ve started a Google document where we are parking our questions so far. Membership includes the Leadership Team, and representation from Facilities, Custodial, Nursing, Administrative Assistants, Faculty, Staff, and students. 
• High School Graduation plans are being worked on with the high school team. They will be forming a working group with Senior Class Advisors, class officers, and others. Will be reporting back sometime next week.

UPDATED GUIDANCE FROM DESE ON LOCAL REMOTE LEARNING PLANS:

• Remote Learning Memo 4.20
• Elementary K-5 Content Standards 4.20
• Secondary 6-12 Content Standards 4.20
• DESE Strengthening our Remote Learning
• K-5 Standards Google Sheet

ALL-DISTRICT TEACHER WEBINAR & LEADERSHIP TEAM

• Next week - review plans and where we are going from here

MSBA Accelerated Repair Program:

• We were not notified but because Ms. Sybert reached out to find out where we were in the process we learned that there were 90 submissions so they adjusted the criteria meaning our roof would have to be 30 years old, which it’s not, some parts 28 years old, therefore we are no longer being considered for this year’s projects as part of this MSBA Program.

School Building Committee Educational Program Plan:

• Spent the vacation week writing this plan and submitted it to our OPM on Monday for submission to the MSBA to meet our deadline: Hadley Educational Program Plan

Superintedent's Report to SC 4.2.20

Superintendent’s Report to the School Committee

April 2, 2020

COVID-19 Update

THANK YOU - EDUCATORS!

• Weekly meetings with Union Leadership and great collaboration and ongoing conversations
• Faculty meetings, curriculum meetings, Leadership Team Meetings, Central Office Meetings, Grade level meetings, etc.

• Remote Learning Plan

Technology Update

• Since the initial deployment of devices to families, the technology department has distributed approximately 350 additional devices to our families.
• In addition, the technology department is working countless hours to create, prepare, and provide training opportunities for our faculty and staff. 
• Platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet were offered this week with approximately 275 participants in total for the week.
• Next week trainings - Screencastify, Zoom 2.o, FlipGrid, Google Classroom, Websites, and general google (sharing, links, etc)

Elementary Report Cards

• Being mailed Monday

Special Education Update - Martha Raymond

• Attending DESE Meetings
• Meetings with every single special education staff member
• We do have to provide FAPE, good faith effort 
• Have to send out an N1 - notification that child’s services are not being provided
• Have to begin virtual team meetings. Only annual reviews, no new evaluations, can’t test

Vendors, Payroll, and Budget Impact - Martha Sybert

Good Friday and April Vacation
The Commissioner has received numerous requests from superintendents to allow districts the option of using the 4 days of April vacation week as part of their school calendar this year. ...continuity of homeschooling would be important given the current circumstances, families at home, and the interruption of learning.

Superintendent's Report to SC 2.12.20

Superintendent’s Report to the School Committee

February 12, 2020

New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)

●       Collaborative Conference Visit - November 18 & 19, 2019

●       The report reflects the findings of the school’s Self-Reflection and the visiting team of four (Pg.42)

●       Five Foundational Elements/Standards:

Standards/Elements	Rating	Standard Notes
1.1a - Learning Culture	Meets	Safe Environment
1.1b - Learning Culture	Does Not Meet	No Vision of a Graduate; yes Core Values
2.2a - Student Learning	Does Not Meet	Written curriculum Maps
3.1a - Prof Practices	Meets	School Improvement Plan
4.1a - Learning Support	Meets	Interventions, District Accommodation Plan (DCAP), Student Support Team (SST) SWIFT, Harbor, & Co-taught classes
5.1a - Learning Resources	Meets	The facility, spaces, cleanliness, etc.

●       Five Priority Areas (Pgs. 34-42)

○       Goal: The school will develop a vision of the graduate that includes the attainment of transferable skills, knowledge, understandings, and dispositions necessary for future success and will provide feedback to learners and their families on each learner’s progress in achieving this vision.

○       Goal: There is a written curriculum in a consistent format for all courses in all departments.

○       Goal: Create a professional culture that demonstrates a commitment to continuous improvement through the use of research, collaborative learning, innovation, and reflection.

○       Goal: Develop a system of Multi-Tiered Systems of Support; incorporates social-emotional learning of students, and develop faculty, staff, and the student’s cultural competency.

○       Goal: All students receive library/information services that support their learning from adequate, certified/licensed personnel.

●       Numerous Commendations (Pgs. 37-38)

○       Highlight a few:

■       The safe, positive, respectful, and inclusive culture at SHS

■       The integration of a growth mindset in the culture of the school

●       In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.” ( Dweck, 2015)

■       The opportunity for learners to regularly engage in inquiry, problem-solving, and high-order thinking skills across all content areas

■       The opportunities for learners to regularly engage in authentic learning opportunities such as the Tech Ninjas, the Green Scholars, and the Senior Project

■       The multiple intervention strategies that support students’ personal, social, emotional, academic, career, and college counseling needs

●       Three Recommendations:

○       Ensure building leadership team members feel valued and important members of the school’s leadership structure

○       Develop and implement a plan to re-open the library for daily student use

○       Examine the leveling structure of the school in regards to access and equity for students

High School Library/Media Center (our vision)

●       Looking at developing the space into a Center for Innovation

○       The Classroom inside the Library used as a Makerspace

■        A makerspace is a collaborative workspace inside a school, library or separate public/private facility for making, learning, exploring and sharing that uses high tech to no tech tools. ... They provide hands-on learning, help with critical thinking skills and even boost self-confidence.

○       Students with 1:1 devices are working on schoolwork or working on projects in the Makerspace

○       All of this supported by a Digital Learning Specialist who also works with teachers and classes to integrate technology

○       Teachers could bring their classes to the back area of the library for lessons with the digital presentation board

○       There is a need to have an assistant to help with the print library and resources

○       Research skills were taught in Writing Across the Curriculum and social studies and the library was utilized because it had desktops but we have moved to Chromebook carts at the high school

○       Our new vision for the library would include making it a digital learning environment with students having the option to take out print materials and/or tuck away in a quiet space and read

Big Blue Network

●       Today this network was opened throughout the high school for students

●       Limiting to student phones only at this time

●       Stress testing the capacity/network/device traffic

●       Protected content limited by our filters

●       Not looking to bring other devices at this time for fear of potential virus transfer

●       Students waiting after school are able to work from their phones, teachers can utilize as an instructional tool if there are not ample devices