Dear Medway families,
During any typical year, the first six weeks of school represent a time for relationship building, connections with new students and educators, and learning who our students are as individuals and learners. This year, more than any other, after over a year of interrupted schooling, we have taken this time quite seriously. In June 2021, the School Committee supported district requests for funding “pandemic mitigation” needs totalling over $400,000. These requests were proactively identified based on our anticipated needs for students. This funding supported the Summer of Discovery Program, a district-wide social worker, a math interventionist at the high school, the re-engagement of the dean of students at MMS, and additional paraprofessionals. The presentation made to the Medway School Committee in June can be found here.
Over the last several weeks, we have come to better understand the academic and social/emotional needs of our learners. Most notably, we have seen elevated needs within our grade 6-10 students. In response, we are continuing to identify supports that we hope will prove successful in addressing heightened academic and behavioral dysregulation concerns. As has been shared by our middle and high school principals, these challenges are further complicated by some pressures of social media. One such concern is related to the Tik Tok Challenge which is encouraging students to engage in destructive, disrespectful behavior. We have seen evidence of its impact within our schools. We ask all families to please have a conversation with children about the danger of engaging in such behaviors, both inside and outside of school. We recommend Common Sense Media as a resource to support families with the ever changing landscape of social media and for guidance on how to help your child stay safe and monitor their use effectively.
We will continue to keep you apprised of our work to mitigate the impacts that we understand to be the result of a tumultuous time and hope that you will continue to keep us apprised of how we can best support you in partnership. Please find several important updates and informational items below.
Be well,
Armand Pires, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
TONIGHT! Parent’s Basic Rights Workshop
Please join us as our Medway Special Education Department comes together with the Medfield Public Schools to present a Parent’s Basic Rights Workshop. The workshop will be held tonight, Tuesday, October 19 via ZOOM.
Student COVID-19 Testing
We have begun to notice that, although our enrollment in our weekly COVID testing program is over 50% in our schools, student participation has been declining. Our goal is to utilize the information gained from our testing program to support our decision making about mitigation strategies. Families, we need your help! Please share with your children the importance of participating in this program.
If you have not already registered your child and you would like your student to participate in weekly testing, please complete this consent form and select Medway as your district as well as the appropriate school for your student. As previously communicated, consent forms completed this week will allow your student(s) to begin participating in routine COVID-19 safety checks the week of October 25. We encourage all students to participate in weekly COVID-19 safety checks, regardless of vaccination status.
Action Required: Parent Portal Update
The Parent Portal within Infinite Campus, our student management system, is a vital resource to help families stay up to date on students’ assignments, grades, and contact information. If you are a family that does not have an account, please email parent@medwayschools.org and we will forward a personal activation code to create one. ALL families are asked to please complete the Online Registration [OLR] option, better known as the “beginning of year packet,” within the parent portal system. This process allows parents to see the information we have on file and make updates if needed. We also require review and sign-off of our Responsible Use Policy and Handbook as part of this process. If you haven't already, please complete this process by selecting MORE (on the left menu) then Online Registration from the menu options.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this request
Technology Support Services
The opt-in window for device insurance is now closed and all student devices and policies have been matched within the claims portal. If your student device is in need of repair please email support@medwayschools.org for assistance.
Save the Date For an Important Parent Event: Lisa Damour: Under Pressure
Medway T.H.R.I.V.E. and Medway SEPAC are excited to host a virtual parent event on November 3, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Lisa Damour, Ph.D., the New York Times bestselling author of Untangled, returns with an urgently needed guide to the alarming increase in anxiety and stress experienced by girls from elementary school through college. Damour details the many facets of girls’ lives where tension takes hold and offers critical coping strategies that will help parents to reduce their daughters’ anxiety and address the toxic pressures to which our culture subjects girls and young women. To register for this event, please click here.
Spring 2021 MCAS and Fall Assessments
Our grade 3-8 and grade 10 families either have already or will be receiving MCAS reports in the mail. For those new to MCAS, this is an assessment facilitated throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts each Spring. The goal of this assessment is to understand how well aligned our student experience is to the expectations outlined in the curriculum frameworks in Massachusetts for math, english/language arts, and science/technology/engineering (i.e. are we teaching to the required standards AS OPPOSED to are we teaching to the test?). The information also helps us understand student learning trends and helps to inform decisions around intervention and enrichment opportunities.
Due to the pandemic, the MCAS was not facilitated in Spring 2020. Additionally, the reality of school closures and interrupted schooling during the 2020-2021 school year resulted in our need to examine the results of these assessments in a different way. Teacher and administrative teams across the district have been examining the results of the MCAS in combination with our start of the year fall assessments (DIBELS and iReady, grades K-5; IXL, grades 6-10) through a diagnostic lens. The key question for inquiry has been: What impacts have the school closures and interrupted schooling had on the learning of our students? These analyses have concluded at the schools and building leaders are in the process of collating the data to share with our greater community through school and district communications.
Questions about assessment results are best addressed by classroom teachers as a first point on contact. Our educators have prioritized getting to know our students over these last seven weeks as both individuals and as learners and they have examined these assessment results to best support students. Please do not hesitate to contact educators with questions that you may have. Parent/teacher conferences are one format for these conversations and families should reach out anytime you have questions.
Medway Special Education Parent Advisory Council
Medway’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council recently held elections for officers for the 2021-2022 school year. Below please find their contract information. Officers may be contacted through the MSEPAC website (https://medwayspedpac.wordpress.com/) or sepac@medwayschools.org. We are thankful to the community members who attended the special election, and especially to these parents of students with disabilities who are giving of their time to lead this important organization.
2021-2022 SEPAC Officers
Co-Chair: Kathleen Morgan
Co-Chair: Kim Nixon
Secretary: Jessica Weber
Treasurer: Kevin Layton
The following future meetings are planned:
- October 19, 2021 @ 7:00 p.m. via zoom: General membership meeting and Basic Rights presentation (joint meeting with Medfield SEPAC and Medway and Medfield Offices of Student Services). The zoom meeting link can be found here. For your reference, the meeting ID is 881 8733 9993 and the passcode is 674048.
- November 3, 2021 6:30 p.m. : Board/Business meeting (followed immediately by)
- November 3. 2021 7:00 pm: General membership meeting and joint SEPAC/T.H.R.I.V.E. presentation (Under Pressure, with Lisa Damour, Ph.D.)
Thank you in advance for your anticipated support of these new SEPAC officers!
COVID-19 Mask Requirement
As you know, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) instituted a mask mandate in late August that was put in place, initially, through at least October 1. A couple of weeks ago, DESE extended the timeline and stated that the mask mandate would be extended to at least November 1, 2021 for all students, staff, and visitors to any school. Details can be found here.
DESE has provided the option for local districts to request an exemption from the mask mandate, for vaccinated individuals only, under certain conditions. To be eligible to make this request, a school, at a minimum, must have a vaccination rate of at least 80%. Our MHS student vaccination rates slightly above 80%. In addition to this minimum standard, local districts may add additional data points to support decision making. We are exploring the possibility of requesting an exemption. Due to the configuration of our schools and the ages that are allowed to have the vaccine, if we move forward, the only school that would be impacted would be Medway High School. This will be a discussion at the upcoming Medway School Committee meeting this Thursday, October 21
School Counseling Program Update Presented
Last week Dr. Bernklow and Dr. Sherman presented to the School Committee the progress of the recommendations of the 5-12 School Counseling Program, completed by Fredrickson Center for School Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation (CSCORE), of UMASS Amherst. The recommendations were presented to the district in 2019. The presentation can be found here.
Food Services: Supply Chain Disruptions
Due to national shortages of food and packaging materials, labor shortages, vendor delivery delays, and cancellations, our menus are subject to change based on availability. Please know that our team is working hard to provide meals every day, adjust on the fly, and provide timely updates. However, it is important to note that we may need to make quick menu substitutions based on what we have on hand, but we are trying to make comparable changes wherever possible. Thank you for your continued support and patience. Please contact Shawn Fallon (sfallon@medwayschools) with any questions or concerns.
Free Flu Vaccination Clinic: Tomorrow!
A free flu vaccination clinic will be taking place on October 20 from 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Medway Senior Center. The clinic is open to all Medway residents, ages 3+. For more details, please click here.
Dr. Ryan Sherman Named MIAA Wellness Coordinator of the Year
Congratulations to Ryan Sherman, Director of Wellness, who has been named the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association’s (MIAA) Wellness Coordinator of the Year.
This award recognizes an individual who goes above and beyond to promote wellness in their school community, is a positive role model, and whose students benefit as a result of their efforts to keep young people safe and substance free. We are honored to have Dr. Sherman serve as a vital member of our leadership team and district community.
MaryEllen Hasenfuss Honored
Last week, the School Committee honored Medway Public Schools longtime Field Hockey Coach, MaryEllen Hasenfuss, for 50 years of service to the Medway Public Schools. MaryEllen coached many sports including Track, Basketball, Softball, and Gymnastics, to name a few. MaryEllen also served as a physical education teacher starting in 1972 and served as Assistant Principal at Medway Middle School. Congratulations!
News from the Medway Secondary Parent Teacher Organization
Welcome to the new school year! It’s great to be back! We need your support! Although school has looked vastly different from past years, what has not changed is the need for your support. Your donations ensure that MSPTO is able to continue supporting our students, parents, and teachers. We need everyone’s help in making the 2021/2022 school year a success. Any gift of any size is important and appreciated! Please realize that this is our ONLY fundraiser. We are happy to offer Venmo (@Medway_MSPTO) and PayPal (medwaymspto@outlook.com) as easy payment options. Thanks for supporting the MSPTO and Medway Public Schools. Our donation form can be found here.
We hope you will join us for our kick off MSPTO meeting on Wednesday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. in the Medway Middle School library. This will be an in person meeting and we are excited to see everyone in person. Our 2021/2022 meetings will be a combination of in person and virtual. We are also excited to bring back our annual Pop-up Shop! We will host this on Tuesday, November 30 at Medway High School, followed by our November meeting. We look forward to seeing everyone! Mark your calendars! Our 2021/2022 Meeting schedule is below:
Wednesday, October 27 room 202 (MS)
Tuesday, November 30 room 202 (HS)
(7th Annual Pop-Up Shop is Back! @ 6:00PM, followed by meeting@ 7:30 @ Medway High School)
Wednesday, January 26, 2022 (Virtual)
Wednesday, April, 27, 2022 (MS)
Wednesday, May 25, 2022 (HS)
The MSPTO is currently seeking volunteers! We need volunteers for the Middle School snack shack, Middle & High School Ski clubs, and teacher appreciations. We are also currently seeking Executive Board Members for 2022/2023 year. Please feel free to contact one of our Board members if you are interested in volunteering or learning more about the MSPTO. We look forward to connecting with new volunteers!
Co-President/MSPTO | Kathy Campbell & Stacy Hanbury | |
Co-Vice President/MS | Laura Connolly & Beth Levasseur | |
Co-Vice President/HS | Carolynne Benedetto & Jodi Leary | |
Secretary | Susan Rozak | |
Treasurer | Beth McHallam |
News from Medway Elementary Parent Teacher Organization
MEPTO wants to thank everyone who participated in our first Yard Sale. Our community donated amazing items for MEPTO to sell during the town wide event. All items not sold at the MEPTO Yard Sale were donated to charity. Thank you for helping make this fundraiser such a success!
We will be meeting on Wednesday, October 20 in the Burke-Memorial Library. The meeting will focus on literacy and Armand Pires, Superintendent of Schools, and Gabby Abrams, Assistant Superintendent of Schools, will be in attendance with some district information sharing and updates.
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 Public Schools In the News
Dr. Sherman Named MIAA Wellness Coordinator of the Year
Medway awarded $625,00 Drug Free Community Grant
Dr. Pires Elected to Suburban School Superintendents Group
400 Students Participate in Summer of Discovery Program
Upcoming Events
October 20, 2021 | MEPTO Meeting, Burke-Memorial Elementary School Library, 7:00 p.m. |
October 21, 2021 | School Committee Meeting, Medway Middle School Presentation Room, 6:00 p.m. |
October 24, 2021 | MEPTO Pumpkin Fair, Medway Middle School, 12:00 p.m. |
October 27, 2021 | MSPTO Meeting, Medway Middle School Library, 7:00 p.m. |
November 4, 2021 | School Committee Meeting, Medway Middle School Presentation Room, 6:00 p.m. |
November 9, 2021 | MFPA Meeting, Virtual, 7:00 p.m. |
November 11, 2021 | No School: Veterans Day |
November 17, 2021 | Tri-M Music Honors Society Induction Ceremony, Medway High School, 7:00 p.m. |
November 18, 2021 | School Committee Meeting, Medway Middle School Presentation Room, 6:00 p.m. |
November 19, 2021 | Tri-M Coffee House, Medway High School, 6:30 p.m. |
November 22, 2021 | National Honors Society Induction, Medway High School, 6:30 p.m. |
November 24, 2021 | Early Release: Grades PK-12 |
November 25-26, 2021 | No School: Thanksgiving Recess |