October Post

We have had a great start to the 2019-2020 school year! This blog post will feature an update on the Dale Street Project, a money-saving energy initiative and our new Director of Instruction and Innovation.  Please remember to follow me on Twitter@JeffreyJMarsden and follow #medfieldps to see all of the wonderful learning experiences happening in your schools! A special welcome to our families that are new to Medfield.

IMPORTANT- The Town's EEE curfew will be moved to 6:00 on October 15th

New App is Launched!

Dale Street School Project

The Dale Street Project continues to move forward. Next week School Building Committee Chair Mike Quinlan, School Committee member Leo Brehm, Principal Steve Grenham, Director of Finance Michael La Francesca and I will be attending a Massachusetts School Building Authority meeting that will decide a "shortlist" of architects. Please see the graphic below for more information.

Upgrade to Save Over $90,000

We are pleased to announce that the Medfield Public School District will save an estimated $91,000 per year in energy costs thanks to a project that will replace all of the light bulbs and several fixtures in each of the district's five schools.

In total, all 6,363 light bulbs will be replaced with ENERGY STAR Certified LED light bulbs at Medfield High School, Blake Middle School, Memorial School, Dale Street School, and Wheelock School. There will also be dozens of outdated light fixtures replaced as part of the project that began in early August and is expected to be completed by the end of October. Eversource in partnership with Illuminate Mass and Commonwealth Electric Company, fully funded the project, with no cost to the district.

LED light bulbs are said to use less energy and last longer than traditional light bulbs. In addition to funding the new bulbs and fixtures, Eversource is also paying for the recycling and disposal of all the old bulbs and fixtures that were replaced.

These new LED lights have truly made our schools brighter, not only aesthetically, but in our efforts to help make our schools as green and environmentally friendly as possible. We thank Eversource and its partners for their generosity in providing this tremendous service at absolutely no cost to the district. 

Through energy audits provided by Illuminate Mass, the district is estimated to save approximately $200,000 in equipment and labor costs due to the project. In addition, once all of the new fixtures and bulbs are installed by Commonwealth Electric, the district is estimated to save an additional $90,078 in annual energy costs. Special thanks to Director of Facilities Amy Colleran for spearheading this project!

Medfield Resident (and Parent) Christine Power hired as the Director of Instruction and Innovation

We are excited that Christine Power has been hired as the district’s new Director of Instruction and Innovation! Mrs. Power holds a Master of Education in Learning and Teaching from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is a PhD Candidate at Boston College with a focus in Curriculum and Instruction. The Director of Instruction and Innovation position has been open for the last year so we’re pleased to welcome Mrs. Power and the experience she brings to this important role. Bringing innovation into the curriculum is important in order for our district to keep up with the constantly changing environment of education.

In this new role, Mrs. Power will work directly with the district’s faculty and administrators to focus and reflect on curriculum development and teacher practice. This will include evaluating how assessments in the district impact curriculum and exploring meaningful initiatives for teacher professional development.

Prior to returning to Medfield, Mrs. Power was the Director of Practicum Partnerships and Professional Development at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education where she worked with pre-service and in-service PK-12 teachers to improve their practice.

"Through my previous position at Medfield High School, I know that I love the K-12 environment and the Medfield district," Power said.  "Since I’ve returned, I’ve been able to see Medfield’s increased focus on innovation and the expanded opportunities for teachers to think beyond what has been considered traditional curriculum and instruction. I was excited to be given the opportunity to return and make a difference and I hope to help the district build upon all the great initiatives I’ve seen since my return."

Mrs. Power has served on the boards of the Massachusetts Association of Colleges of Teacher Education and the New England Research Organization (NEERO). She participated in numerous Department of Elementary and Secondary Education task forces and presented and presented at several national and regional conferences on the topic of teacher development and assessment.

The first Superintendent Parent Advisory of the year is on October 16th at 9:30 in the Blake Middle School Library. All parents are welcome!