Superintendent's Update 02/12/2019

February 12, 2019 Community Update

Dear Medway families,

As you know, the weather resulted in the decision to release students early by one hour today. We always hope to avoid any school disruption with any storm but please know that the safety of our students, faculty, and staff is at the heart of all of our decision making. We remain hopeful that disruptions due to weather will be rare, but are prepared if they occur.

During this season of budget planning, a busy of month of student and district events planned for the month of March, and the excitement that comes during the second half of the school year, we hope that you will be able to find time to rest and reconnect during the upcoming February break. Please find many important updates below.

Sincerely,

Armand Pires, Ph.D.

Superintendent

No School Reminder

There will be no school Monday, February 18 - Friday, February 22 for February vacation.

FY20 Budget Process

The district’s FY20 Budget development process is well underway. The Medway School Committee has held a number of “Office Hours” so that interested residents could share input and ask questions related to budget development. Additionally, the Superintendent’s Budget Advisory Committee has met to engage in conversations with town officials about the FY20 budget development process.

At the Medway School Committee meeting on Thursday, February 7, Dr. Pires, Superintendent, and Ms. Gabrielle Abrams, Assistant Superintendent, provided an overview of the FY20 budget process through the lens of identified priority areas for improvement. Dr. Pires compiled a screencastify of this presentation so families are able to gain context and understanding of the identified priorities. You can find that here.

A Superintendent’s Chat, focused on the FY20 budget, will take place on Tuesday, February 26 at 6:00 p.m. in the School Committee Room (Door #7). Community members are welcome to attend to learn more about the budget development process and priorities for the FY20 budget.

At the February 28 Medway School Committee Meeting, Dr. Pires will share with the Committee, the Superintendent’s Recommended FY20 Budget.

Middle School Program of Studies Presentation

At the February 7 School Committee Meeting, Mr. Craig Juelis, Medway Middle School Principal, and Mr. Brian Menna, Medway Middle School Assistant Principal, presented the 2019-2020 Middle School Program of Studies. Approval of the 2019-2020 Medway Middle School Program of Studies will be on the February 28 School Committee Meeting agenda. That presentation can be found here.

Elementary Playground Project

We are pleased to report continued progress on the elementary Playground Replacement Project. The goal is to replace the playgrounds at both the McGovern and Burke-Memorial Schools. As you might imagine, this is a project with significant costs. We anticipate that replacement of both playgrounds will cost approximately $540,000. We continue to be appreciative of the Medway Elementary PTO’s commitment to fundraise for this project. Similarly, we appreciate funding commitments by MEDI, Inc., and Exelon. Finally, our collaborative relationship with Town officials has resulted in additional financial commitments toward this project.

Final approval of some of funding commitments will take place at an upcoming Town Meeting. We will share more information once details are available.

Women in STEM Club: Speakers Wanted for Medway High School Event

Once again, Medway High’s Women in STEM club will be hosting its annual, school-wide STEM Fair. The goal of the fair is to encourage exploration into the wide variety of STEM-based careers. This program aims to help students grasp the transcendence of STEM skills and knowledge into all aspects of our world.

We are looking for professionals willing to facilitate engaging STEM projects or share stories they are eager to showcase with high school students. The fair has three themes:

Women as Role-Models in STEM
The Variety of STEM Fields
The Power of STEM in Non-STEM Fields

Students will attend three sessions of their choosing. Each interactive session will be for 35 minutes. The event will run from 9:00-11:30 a.m. on March 15.

Interested presenters can email Dr. Shanley Heller (sheller@medwayschools.org) or Mrs. Kristy Macedo (kmacedo@medwayschools.org).

Upcoming T.H.R.I.V.E. Event: Celebrating Differences - Monday, February 25

Our next T.H.R.I.V.E. event will be presented in partnership with Medway S.E.P.A.C. and will be held on Monday, February 25 in the Medway Middle School Presentation Room from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. The evening will include an intimate discussion about what makes each of us unique and how we can embrace these differences. A flyer for this event can be found here. We hope you can join us!

Medway T.H.R.I.V.E. Community Book Read

Medway T.H.R.I.V.E., in collaboration with the Medway Foundation for Education (MFE), is sponsoring a community book read of iGen. Books have been made available, free of charge, at Medway businesses such as the Muffin House, T.C. Scoops, Starbucks, etc. and at the Medway Public Library from February 1 through March 31. A full list of the locations can be found here. The Book Read will conclude with two parent facilitated book discussions on April 2 and 3. For more information please click here.

February Wellness Newsletter In this month’s edition of the Medway Wellness Newsletter you will find information about Memorial’s “Souper Bowl,” how to talk about sexting, the T.H.R.I.V.E. Community Book Read, and more

Indoor Track and Field Award

Congratulations to Medway High School senior Ava Vasile, who was honored on Monday by the MIAA (Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association) for her outstanding performance, character, and citizenship in indoor track. she was also named MVP of the Tri Valley League last week.

Kindergarten Registration

Kindergarten registration for the 2019-2020 school year will take place on Tuesday, February 26, from 3:30-6:00 p.m. and Saturday, March 2, from 9:00-12:00 p.m. 2019-2020 school year kindergarten students must be 5 years old by August 31, 2019. Registration packets are available in the superintendent’s office, at the McGovern School, and online.

Athletic Advisory Committee (AAC)

The AAC met last week and included Dr. Armand Pires, Superintendent, Dr. John Murray, Medway High School Principal, Mr. Craig Juelis, Medway Middle School Principal, and school committee representatives, Mrs. Cindy Sullivan and Mr. Jeff Segarra. The agenda included an introduction of new Athletic Director, Mr. Jeff Parcells, discussion of the coach search process that is used in Medway, an overview of the fundraising policy, and discussion of fundraising for the new high school fitness center. This group continues to ensure open, transparent dialogue about concerns or questions related to athletics.

New 6-12 English Curriculum and Instruction Leader Appointed

We are pleased to share that Joanna D'Agostino, an experienced English educator from the Natick and King Philip Public Schools, will be transitioning into the role of Grade 6-12 English/Language Arts Curriculum and Instruction Leader beginning on Monday, March 11. As the community may be aware, the Curriculum and Instruction Leader roles were part of a teacher leadership reorganization effort aimed at providing more closely examined vertical alignment in curriculum, instruction, and assessment in specific content areas.

Special Olympics Fundraiser at Chipotle, Milford ~ February 26, 2019 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.

The 8th annual 5 Town School Day Special Olympics is scheduled for March 22, 2019 at the Holliston High School Field House. The theme this year is hockey, and we are excited to, once again, to partner with Chipotle/Milford to fundraise for this event. The date of the fundraiser is February 26 between 5:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m., and more information may be found here.

Medway Foundation for Education (MFE) Upcoming Events

MFE Trivia Bee

An annual event hosted by the Medway Foundation for Education, the trivia contest features a DJ emcee who uses music to provide clues for each question. Teams of 6 compete for the Trivia Bee Trophy in a 20 question contest. The event will take place on Wednesday February 27, 2019 at the Burke-Memorial School Cafeteria from 7:00-9:00 p.m. A registration form can be found here.

MFE Dodging4School

Back by popular demand, Dodging4School is scheduled for Saturday March 23, 2019 at Medway Middle School. Details on how to register can be found on our website and Facebook page. Medway Dodging 4 School registration now open

Kentucky Derby Party

Held at one of the most picturesque locations in Medway, Thayer Homestead, this event is scheduled for Saturday May 4, 2019 starting in the afternoon.

For more information about the Medway Federation for Education, please check out their website.

Substitutes Needed

Medway Public Schools is currently accepting applications for substitute teachers and substitute paraprofessionals for this school year. Interested candidates should submit a resume, college transcripts, and three letters of reference through SchoolSpring, our online application platform.

Medway Public Schools in the News

Over the last few weeks, the Medway Public Schools has received some terrific coverage connected to a few school and district events. Below, please find links to the articles that appeared since our last publication.

Upcoming Events

February 18-22, 2019	No School - February Vacation
February 23, 2019	Town of Medway Legislative Breakfast, Sanford Hall, 8:30 a.m.
February 25, 2019	T.H.R.I.V.E. Event: Celebrating Differences, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 7:00 p.m.
February 26, 2019	Kindergarten Registration, Library, McGovern Elementary School, 3:30 p.m. Superintendent Chat, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 6:00 p.m.
February 27, 2019	MFE Trivia Bee, Cafeteria, Burke-Memorial Elementary School, 6:30 p.m.
February 28. 2019	School Committee Office Hours, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 6:00 p.m. School Committee Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 7:00 p.m. MSPTO Meeting, Medway Middle School, 7:30 p.m.
March 2, 2019	Kindergarten Registration, Library, McGovern Elementary School, 3:30 p.m.
March 5, 2019	School Committee Office Hours, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School 9:30 a.m.
March 8, 2019	MHS Musical, Once on this Island, Auditorium, Medway High School, 7:30 p.m.
March 9, 2019	MEPTO Shamrock Shuffle, Medway High School, 9:00 a.m. MHS Musical, Once on this Island, Auditorium, Medway High School, 2:00 p.m. MHS Musical, Once on this Island, Auditorium, Medway High School, 7:30 p.m.
March 12, 2019	Burke-Memorial Open Mic Night, Cafeteria, Burke-Memorial Elementary School, 7:00 p.m. MFPA Meeting, Medway High School, 7:30 p.m.
March 13, 2019	Minorities of Medway and English Learner Program, Culture Fair, Cafeteria, Medway High School, 5:00 p.m.
March 14, 2019	School Committee Public Hearing on FY20 Budget, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School 6:00 p.m. School Committee Meeting, Presentation Room, Medway Middle School, 7:00 p.m
March 15, 2019	Early Release, all grades. McGovern - 12:00 p.m. Burke-Memorial - 11:30 a.m. Medway Middle - 11:02 a.m. Medway High - 11:34 a.m.
March 21, 2019	MEPTO Meeting, McGovern Elementary, 6:30 p.m.
March 27, 2019	MSPTO Meeting, Medway High School, 7:30 p.m.