The 2016-2017 school year continues to move at a very fast pace! This blog entry highlights Medfield 2021-A Vision for the Future, the Fiscal Year 2018 budget, and a reminder about our winter weather procedures.  

Please remember to follow MPS staff on Twitter to see the many positive events happening in our schools.  Search #medfieldps for interesting "tweets" about the district.  I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and all of the best in 2017!

Medfield 2021-5 Year Strategic Plan

School Committee Chairperson Maryanne Sullivan and I are pleased to release Medfield 2021 to the entire community. The strategic plan development was a community effort that included 9 focus groups, a survey that gathered 800 responses, a goal setting retreat, many meetings, and a public comment period prior to the vote of adoption. Special thanks to subcommittee members Anna Mae O'Shea Brooke, Tim Bonfatti, and the Medfield Leadership Team for their work on this project. We are excited about this thoughtful 5 year road map and we want to thank everyone that participated in this important process. The final version can be seen here. 

FY 2018 Initial  Budget

 Although it is not even January, we are currently working on the budget for the next school year. The town charter requires the School Committee to adopt a budget by January 31st. The initial budget presentation requests an increase of 6.75% over the previous year's budget. The budget development process is far from over. 
Our budget subcommittee of Chris Morrison, Eileen DeSisto, Director of Finance and Operations Micheal LaFrancesca and I will continue to work with town officials throughout the next few months leading to our Annual Town Meeting in April.
The School Committee will hold a public hearing on the budget on January 23rd at 7:30 PM in the Lowell Mason Auditorium at Medfield High School. Please click here for the presentation from the 12/19 School Committee meeting. Watch for more budget information as it becomes available.

Winter Weather Procedures

The MHS Choir once again provided festive entertainment
at the annual "Spaghetti with Santa" fundraiser.

We were fortunate enough to make it through December without a snow day, but the next three months are often the most problematic in New England. We will once again utilize the Blackboard-Connect System to notify parents if school is closed, delayed, or dismissed early. The phone call will be sent to each household and parent cell phone number that is currently on file with the district.

In addition to the phone call, the announcement will appear on:

• Twitter @JeffreyJMarsden (I actually do this first...so follow me!)
• Television Stations: FOX  25, WBZ 4, WCVB 5, and WHDH 7
• Our district website: www.medfield.net

Please remember that there will be times when school is not cancelled, delayed, or dismissed early and the weather is still inclement. Those days will feature slower travel for buses and cars, but will not necessarily require a change in the normal schedule. Please remember if you feel it is unsafe for travel, you always have the option to keep your child home.

Congratulations to our student-athletes that recently signed their
 letter of intent. Chris McGrory (Baseball-Harvard), Jack Cahill (Lacrosse- Holy Cross)- Andrew Garfield (Lacrosse-Quinnipiac), and Elizabeth Keleher (Crew-Holy Cross). Missing is Addison Chung (Gymnastics-Iowa)

September 2016 Post

Class of 2017 Senior Cruise!

It is great to see our schools filled with students again after just an incredible summer!  A lot of preparation takes place during the summer as we gear up for the new school year. This summer was especially busy with over $2 million of projects taking place in our district. New boilers were installed at the Wheelock School. These boilers replaced the original boilers from 1969. This project was supported by the Mass School Building Authority, so the taxpayers of Medfield will be reimbursed up to $180,000 on this project. The first reimbursement check for over $113,000 was received last week. Our other big project was the renovation of our turf and track at the Medfield High School. The field was ready for use on August 30th our students love it!  The resurfacing of the track, our new scoreboard donated by Needham Bank and items on the punch list will be completed in the next few weeks. Thank you again for supporting these important projects for our kids.

Reminder-Twitter Highlights The Positive!

Please don't forgot to follow our teachers, principals, and me (@JeffreyJMarsden) on Twitter to see the endless examples of positive news coming out of our schools!

Medfield 2021- Our Vision for the Future

Our strategic plan is nearing completion and once it is approved by the Medfield School Committee, it will be posted on our website. A special thank you to everyone that supported and participated in this important process. During the development of this plan, we had over 130 people attend our focus groups and over 800 people participate in the survey. This was a great representation of our entire school community!

 The feedback we received from the focus groups and survey were the basis of our five overarching goals.

Goal #1  Medfield Public Schools is committed to a collaborative learning culture of continuous improvement for students and staff.

Goal #2   Medfield Public Schools is committed to supporting and developing the health and social emotional well-being of all students and staff.

Goal #3   Medfield Public Schools is committed to developing the whole child, recognizing the contributions and needs of all students

Goal #4   Medfield Public Schools is committed to contributing to a vibrant community by fostering a collaborative, communicative, and consistent education for all students.

Goal #5  Medfield Public School is committed to continued investments in the facilities and equipment to optimize student learning.

Medfield Talks- Our Parent Speaker Series for 2016-2017

Medfield Talks is a collaboration among MCPE, PreK-8 PTO, MHS PTO, SEPAC, Medfield Foundation, Medfield Music Association and the MPS Leadership Team. Our first speaker is Michael Thompson, PhD  on October 26th in the Lowell Mason Auditorium at MHS. Michael is a best selling author and entertaining speaker who will share his thoughts about "The Pressurized Child". Student stress was an area identified as a "challenge" during our strategic plan process.  MCPE has graciously sponsored this event. To learn more about Dr. Thompson please visit http://michaelthompson-phd.com/

There will be two other speakers in this year's series. Michael Delman will be here in February to discuss how we can help our kids with executive functioning and Dr. Ruth Potee will be here in May to speak about the effects of alcohol and drugs on a developing adolescent brain. Exact dates will be released in the coming weeks.

Welcome to Michelle Manganello- Our School Resource Officer

We are very pleased to welcome Officer Manganello to our team at the Medfield Public Schools. Officer Manganello's home base is MHS, but she is working in all of our schools. SRO's are common in most area school districts and this is the first year since the early 2000's that we have this position. In 2014, The Massachusetts Task Force Report on School Safety and Security highlighted the importance of having an SRO in Massachusetts' schools. Her responsibilities include working with younger students with "stranger danger" and DARE, as well as supporting families and students of our older students. She has been very busy over the past few weeks working with us to improve the elementary bus routes. Michelle is a positive role model and we are thrilled to have her in our schools! Thank you to Chief Meaney for advocating for this position in the Police Department's budget. You can contact Officer Manganello at  Mmanganello@email.medfield.net 

Medfield Teachers- Summer is for R and D not just R and R! 

Our teachers were busy this summer completing Research and Development projects that impact all five schools. Teachers wrote proposals in the spring and then projects were brought to the Leadership Team for approval. Some examples of projects include: Social Emotional Learning, stress management, curriculum development in Mathematics, Language Arts, Engineering, Science, Reading, and Standards-Based Grading to name a few.  A total of sixty-one R and D projects were funded over the summer. Thanks to the many teachers for working  to improve instruction and learning for our students!

April Update

Happy Spring to everyone!

 One of the most important nights each April is the Medfield Annual Town Meeting. The last Monday in April is when the citizens of Medfield help determine the short and long term direction of the Town. As former Selectman and  Medfield Town Historian Richard DeSorgher always says, "Democracy is not a spectator sport".

This year's Annual Town Meeting on April 25th at 7:30 PM at Medfield High School is especially important as we will seek funding for a new synthetic turf field and track at Medfield High School, as well as our operating budget for Fiscal Year 2017.

Also, please watch for an email in the next couple of weeks that will announce our plan for restructuring the elementary school day for 2016-2017.

Synthetic Turf Field and Track Project  FAQ

Our current turf field after rain.

Why is a new turf field and track needed?  

The current field has become a serious safety concern for our kids. The turf field is currently 12 years old. The life expectancy of the turf at installation was 10 years. The fibers have deteriorated which doesn’t allow the field to hold the infill. This infill provides the safety net against concussions and other injuries.  There are numerous depressions on the field and also significant drainage issues. This isn’t about aesthetics; it is about safety.

What type of synthetic turf field will it be? 

There have been incredible advances in turf technology over the past 10 years. These advances have improved safety and durability. The proposed field would incorporate a shock pad design to enhance safety and also use an acrylic coated sand infill instead of the traditional “black crumb rubber”.  The shock pad is guaranteed to keep the field at a lower risk for concussions than traditional synthetic turf fields.

                                                               

A cross section of the proposed field project shows the white shock pad and green infill

Isn’t  it already a “done deal” that we are getting a new turf field and track?

 No. In order for us to get a new field and track, it must be passed by a 2/3 vote at the Annual Town Meeting on Monday, April 25^th . ( The Monday after school vacation)

Is this another project that requires an 
override ? 

No, the field will be bonded for ten years. There is no override needed for this project. The school department has pledged $300,000 in revenue to offset the costs and our DPW will assist in the project to further reduce costs. The School Committee has requested $1.4 million for this project.

When will this project take place if it is approved at Town Meeting on April 25^th? 

The project will begin the day after graduation in June and will be completed in September. It will be completed in time for the 2016 football, soccer, field hockey, and marching band seasons.

A drawing of the proposed track and field.

Why not a natural grass field?  

The current turf field is used by 18 HS teams, youth sports, adult leagues, our marching band and MS/HS Physical Education classes.  A grass field could never stand up to that use.

Are there recommendations from the field study that are not a part of this project? 

Yes, the field study recommended the replacement of the field lights, scoreboard, perimeter fence and snack building. None of these items are a part of the project and the district has begun to fund-raise in order to complete the study's recommendations.

Fiscal Year 2017 Budget

We are pleased to present a budget of $31,577,149 or an increase of 4% . This budget was constructed by the School Committee, administrators and teachers over the past 7 months. After numerous meetings with the Warrant Committee and Town Officials, we were able to come to an agreement for the funding of our FY17 Budget.  I want to thank the Warrant Committee, the Board of Selectmen, and Town Administrator, Mike Sullivan for once again making education a budget priority.

Our budget accomplishes the following:

• Maintains most staff and programs
• Fulfills responsibilities of all four collective bargaining agreements
• Level funds technology district wide
• Level funds professional development initiatives/reduces research and development
• Eliminates 1 section of Grade 4 (Eliminated 1 section of  Grade 3  in FY16 and Grade 2 in FY15)
• Adds guidance support at each elementary school
• Creates a transition program with a full time social worker at the HS
• Creates robotics/engineering, civics and computer science at HS
• Increases English Language Learner support district wide
• Increases reading support and civics at the MS
• Increases the teaching assistant work year by 4 days

Please visit the following links for even more budget details and information:

Budget Mailer   http://www.medfield.net/images/docctr/fy2017_school_budget_mailer.pdf

FY17 Public Hearing  http://www.medfield.net/images/docctr/fy2017_public_hearing_post.pdf