April 5, 2023
Dear Medway families,
We hope that this finds you well as we enter into April. Last week was challenging for many in our community. The tragic school shooting in Nashville, followed by a “swatting” call impacting Medway High School the next day, created increased concern and worry for the safety of our students, faculty, and staff. We continue to be deeply appreciative of the ongoing and collaborative relationship we have with the Medway Police and Fire Departments, as well as other Town departments. These relationships are important to ensure we continue identifying and enacting improvements to our safety and security infrastructures. I wanted to reshare the School Safety and Security - District Update presentation that was delivered as part of a Webinar in March 2022. It provides a helpful overview of some of our work in this area.
I also wanted to congratulate our many performing arts students at Medway Middle School for their wonderful performances of Oliver, Jr. and our choral and instrumental groups at Medway High School for their “noteworthy” performances at MICCA this weekend.
Please find several updates and informational items below.
Be well,
Armand Pires, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Reminder: No School: Friday, April 7; Monday, April 17-Friday, April 21
There will be no school this Friday, April 7, or Monday, April 17- Friday, April 21, for spring break.
2023-2024 APPROVED School Calendar
The 2023-2024 School Year Calendar has been approved. The School Committee also approved the 2024 Medway High School Graduation date. Click here to view.
FY24 Budget Process
During the School Committee meeting on March 16, following the Public Hearing, the School Committee voted to approve the Superintendent’s FY24 Recommended Budget and forward this budget to be part of the FY24 Town of Medway Budget which will be voted on during the May 8 Town Meeting.
Thank you to the numerous community members who joined us throughout this process. We know that it has been a very challenging process.
May 8, 2023: Town Meeting
Community members are encouraged to attend Medway’s Town Meeting on Monday, May 8, 2023, at 7:00 p.m., at Medway High School, 88 Summer Street, when residents will be asked to vote on the Town of Medway FY24 budget, which will be inclusive of the FY24 Medway Public School’s budget to be used for the 2023-2024 school year.
BIG NEWS!!!! Town of Medway Support and Fundraising Match During the Month of April: 88 Keys for Kids Needs Your Support
We are so thankful to the Select Board for their generous vote to include an allocation towards the Medway Public Schools Performing Arts Department on the May 8 Town Meeting Warrant. We hope that many families in the community will show their support for this allocation at Town Meeting.
The Medway Friends of the Performing Arts will continue with their annual campaign through the month of April. This campaign will combine with the allocation from the Town of Medway to fund the purchase of a performance piano, risers, and choral shells in addition to MFPA’s typical fundraising efforts, which support visiting musicians to the schools, support of the plays and musicals, music lessons, transportation costs for performing arts events, and other needs that surface.
The Medway Foundation for Education (MFE) is hosting a dollar-for-dollar match of up to $5,000.00 during the month of April in support of the performing arts! Show your support and donate here. The $ for $ match by MFE will end on April 30, so let’s make it count!
RESPONSE REQUESTED: Grade 6-12 Mathematics Learning Survey
As has been shared, the impact of the school closures and unfinished learning over the last couple of years has been most notable in our students' mathematics' learning at the middle and secondary levels. As we continue exploring ways to mitigate these learning needs, we seek feedback from families, students, and educators regarding what has been working and what the district should consider moving forward. Representatives from the district will have an opportunity to partner with leaders from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education in early May, where about 50 districts will come together to explore ways in which to mitigate various instructional needs collaboratively.
We look forward to this opportunity and greatly appreciate having perceptual information from families, students, and educators to support this planning.
Please contribute your thoughts HERE.
Equity Steering Committee Update
On Wednesday, March 29, we held our 7th Equity Steering Committee meeting. The agenda was focused on working hard to maintain our focus on the strategic, big-picture ideas that will help shape our efforts to continue bringing more equitable practices in staff culture, student culture, and instructional practices.
As a reminder, our efforts this year are to map out a strategic action plan based on the identified priority areas:
- Develop a professional climate where adult and student diversity and perspectives are valued.
- Support a student/learner climate where student diversity and perspectives are nurtured and valued.
- Establish common instructional practices that improve equity and inclusion.
This plan will be woven into our work to develop our annual school and district improvement plans and our next Medway Public Schools’ 5-Year Strategic Plan, 2025-2030.
Mural Project Underway at Burke-Memorial Elementary School
Thanks to the generous funding support of the Medway Foundation for Education, all Burke-Memorial Elementary School students have been working in partnership with art educator Robin Hackett, and professional artist, Joshua Winer, to create a work of art that represents the wonderful diversity within their Medway community. Students contributed to the design ideas to conceptualize “Me on the Map.” We are pleased to see this project progress and serve as a daily visual reminder for students, faculty, staff, and families of the many individuals who make Medway a special place.
2022-2023 Permanent Art Gallery Opening
Community members are invited to join us as we celebrate the 14 most recent artworks to be added to the Medway Public School’s Permanent Art Collection. The event, which will take place on Thursday, April 27, from 5:00-6:00 p.m. in the Presentation Room at Medway Middle School, will allow families, friends, and art enthusiasts to meet the artists representing each grade level, PK-12. The casual setting allows attendees to converse about their chosen pieces with the artists. We hope that you will join us.
Best Buddies Prom
On Friday, March 31, over 50 students attended the annual Best Buddies Prom that was held at Burke-Memorial Elementary School. Students from Medway High School and those who attend Out of District placements sang, danced, and happily passed around beach balls as music and lights filled the cafeteria.
Medway T.H.R.I.V.E. Parent/Caregiver Survey
T.H.R.I.V.E. is a component of the Medway School’s Wellness Department that is committed to providing wellness-related parent/guardian enrichment opportunities. T.H.R.I.V.E. is looking to understand better how parents/caregivers would like to consume enrichment opportunities and what topics they would like to learn more about next school year. Please share your thoughts by completing this two-three minute survey.
Technology Updates
Device Replacement Cycle: The Medway Technology Department wants to remind families with 8th and 12th-grade students that we intend to collect all Chromebook devices and chargers by the last day of school, according to our replacement lifecycle of four years. In September, students entering 5th and 9th grade will receive new devices to support our digital curriculum and learning initiatives. We thank you for preparing to return the device within the last week of school exact dates to follow.
Device Repair Costs: We would like to remind families that any device needing repair can be dropped off at each school’s front office for review. Devices covered under the optional insurance policy will be sent out for repair at no charge to the family, and uninsured devices will be repaired in-house, and an invoice for parts will be mailed to the family. We will remind families of any outstanding invoices over the next month, expecting payment to be made within thirty (30) days.
Say Something Reporting System Enrollment
Medway Schools has been selected for the Say Something Anonymous Reporting System fall cohort group. This partnership will allow Medway High School and Medway Middle School students to anonymously report concerns about violence or self-harm to a team of mental health clinicians. These clinicians then will work with Medway Police Dispatch and school leadership to respond to the concern. This service will be provided at no cost through Sandy Hook Promise.
MA Fresh Program Grant Award
The Burke-Memorial School has been awarded just under $20,000 to further its ‘farm to school program’. The grant award will be used to build twelve raised garden beds, deepen their partnership with the Medway Community Farm, expand hands-on learning experiences as part of the science curriculum, and advance the cafeteria team’s skills in preparing fresh farm meals. The garden beds will be built in April, and student learning experiences will commence soon after.
Congratulations, Medway High School STEM Students!
Congratulations to the following students who participated in the MASS STEM Hub Industry Connect program this year:
1st Place High School Biomedical Science Project: Chandrika Rajkumar, Ellie McNeil, Kennedy Hamm, and Lauren LeClair
Connecting with industry professionals is a missing link to bringing learning alive to demonstrate how what is learned in the classroom is used to solve real-world problems. Additionally, Mass STEM Hub provides skills-based internships. Each of these 4 winners will be offered a paid internship this spring/summer through the Work-Based Learning Alliance (WBLA).
Community Education
We are so excited about our After School Enrichment programs that will be offered at the McGovern, Burke-Memorial, and Medway Middle Schools after the April Vacation break. Registration is open, and spots are filling quickly!
Our Spring Brochure activities have begun, and limited spots remain available for some classes. Please take a moment to view our beautiful Spring Brochure and see if anything interests you by clicking here!
Our Summer Day Care Program registration is now open, and registrations are coming in. If you have a 2.5 - 4.9 yr old and might be interested in this program, please check out the Day Care page Community Ed website for more information.
The Summer Adventures Camp is seeking counselors for this wonderful summer program. Anyone interested in becoming a camp counselor this summer should contact the camp director, Melanie Dawson, and fill out the application found here.
Community Ed has begun plans for our Summer of Discovery Program, which will occur from August 14 - August 18. We are thrilled to be able to offer this program at no cost to the community and build on the last two years of success. If you want your child to participate in Summer of Discovery, please hold the dates in your family planning. Registration will open in June!
Follow the Medway Public Schools on Social Media
Medway Public Schools: Twitter: @MedwaySchools Facebook: @medwayps Instagram: @Medwayschools
Medway High School: Twitter: @MedwayHighInfo Facebook: @medwayhighschool Instagram: @medwayhighschool
Medway Middle School: Twitter: @Medwaymiddle Facebook: @medwaymiddleschool Instagram: @medwaymiddle31
Burke-Memorial Elementary: Twitter: @BurkeMemorial Facebook: @burkememorial Instagram: @burkememorialelem
McGovern Elementary School: Twitter: @McGovernElem Facebook: @mcgovernelem Instagram: @mcgovernelem
Medway Community Education: Twitter: @medwayce Facebook: @medwayce Instagram: @medwaycommunityed