2026-06-09 - School Committee

0:00Good evening everyone and today is

0:02Tuesday, June 9th. I call the MPS school

0:05committee meeting to order. Like to

0:07remind everyone that we are being taped

0:09and streamed on WMCTV.

0:12Going to have you all rise for the

0:13pledge of allegiance

0:20of the United States

0:22and to the stands. One nation under God,

0:27indivisible, with liberty and justice

0:29for all.

0:30>> Thank you everyone.

0:35Kick it off with presentation. So Malro

0:38High School Student Advisory Committee.

0:40Step on up.

0:43Please state your name. And here we are.

0:46>> Hi guys. Uh my name is Maggie Morsy. I'm

0:48the junior SEC representative. And today

0:51I'm going to present on our uh my team's

0:53experience at the VEX Worlds Robotics

0:55Championship. Uh this year our team had

0:57the opportunity to compete at VEX

0:59Robotics Worlds where teams from around

1:01the world come together to showcase

1:02months of hard work, problem solving,

1:04and teamwork. It was an incredible

1:06experience to meet students from

1:07different countries, see the variety of

1:09approaches teams took to the same

1:11challenge, and learn from each other. Uh

1:13throughout the competition, we worked

1:14really hard and were fortunate to have a

1:16really successful outcome. We ranked

1:1820th out of the 86 teams in our division

1:20and advanced to our division's

1:21quarterfinals. This was the farthest we

1:24have ever made it in the M robotics

1:25program and it was such a proud

1:26achievement for us. During the

1:28elimination rounds, we partnered with

1:30the team from Mexico, which was one of

1:32the highlights of our trip. Getting to

1:33work with teams like our alliance

1:34partners from Mexico, but also teams

1:36from Vietnam, China, Australia, and then

1:39teams just from all across the country

1:40from California. We had one from Alabama

1:42and then we also had some closer ones

1:44like we had like a main team, too.

1:46Getting to meet and collaborate with

1:47people from all over the world was such

1:49an eye-opening and amazing experience

1:50for the me and the rest of my team.

1:52Beyond the results, this experience

1:54taught us a lot. Robotics requires a lot

1:56of collaboration, communication,

1:58resilience, and the ability to adapt to

1:59when things don't go as planned. At

2:01Worlds, there was plenty of those

2:03moments where we had to think on our

2:04feet and work through challenges. And

2:06those experiences helped us grow as both

2:08a students and a team. Out of the 17

2:11teams from Massachusetts, we were one of

2:13only three teams that made it to the

2:14quarterfinal rounds of our division.

2:17After being overloo overlooked in

2:19Massachusetts throughout our like

2:22throughout season uh as a public team

2:24school team that does not have the same

2:26time and resources as pirate school

2:27teams, it was amazing to still end up

2:29doing better than them and gain more

2:31respect from ML bro. I also want to take

2:33a moment to thank the school committee

2:34for supporting opportunities like this.

2:36Experiences such as the world

2:38championship gives students opportunity

2:39to build important skills to connect

2:41with peers from around the world. We are

2:43very grateful for the opportunity that

2:44help and the support that made this

2:46opportunity possible. Thank you for

2:48allowing me to share our experience this

2:49evening and I would love to take any

2:50questions.

2:51>> Thank you Maggie. Good. Thank you.

2:55Appreciate the update.

3:04>> Hello.

3:06Good evening, school committee. My name

3:07is Sophia and I'm the freshman SACE

3:10representative for the 25 to 26 school

3:12year. My topic today is the benefits of

3:15being in a music program here at the at

3:17Malber High School. Music in in the MPS

3:20system begins in fifth grade. There the

3:22students can choose to pursue an

3:23instrument, sing in a coral group, or

3:25choose not to participate at all.

3:26Additionally, being in a musical program

3:28provides great benefits such as

3:29leadership opportunities,

3:31self-development, developmental skills

3:33and and can also improve mental health

3:35within students. Leadership

3:37opportunities present themselves through

3:39basic rehearsals all the way to the

3:40music honor society triumph. Not only

3:42does it promote collaboration within the

3:44musical groups, it also builds

3:45confidence and teaches discipline. From

3:48my experience in the program, the

3:49conductor assigns roles, section

3:51leaders, concert master, and so on. The

3:53assigned rules give students leadership

3:55within their section. The students given

3:57these roles become role models and

3:58mentor and mentors of those around them.

4:01It can it provides students under the

4:03section leader a place to go for help

4:04and guidance. It also pushes each player

4:07to work harder and provides each member

4:08the ability to adapt to skills and for

4:13for skills needed for stronger

4:14confidence in leadership. Additionally,

4:16the honor society provides electable

4:18roles that aid with student leadership.

4:21These positions, such as president, vice

4:23president, secretary, historian, and

4:24treasurer, all require students to take

4:26on greater responsibility. Within these

4:28roles, these leaders learn to manage

4:30tasks, meetings, have stronger

4:32communication skills, and help oversee

4:34the program's activities and overall

4:35experience. This heads learning

4:38experience regarding leadership further

4:40develops their decision-making skills

4:42and helps foster stronger senses of

4:44accountability.

4:46Um, another factor that is beneficial to

4:48students in the music program are the

4:50concerts and the competitions.

4:53Some examples are Micah, the winter and

4:55spring concerts and some outside

4:57performances from the district. These

4:59are only some examples. When these

5:01events comes when these events come up,

5:03it pushes students to um participate

5:06harder. It builds confidence and not

5:07only does it benefit themselves but also

5:10um others in the sorry others in the

5:14program. Occasionally these performances

5:16let students perform in places away from

5:18the schools and um and in competitions.

5:22It gives them inspiration from hearing

5:24other ensembles perform for a more

5:25diverse learning experience. Afterwards

5:28bronze, silver and gold placements are

5:30um given. Each is a learning

5:32opportunity. The feedback given from

5:34these competitions tells tells the

5:36conductor and the players what went well

5:38and what needs improvements. This is

5:40crucial because it lets the students

5:41self-improve and enhance their musical

5:43skills. Not only that, but studies have

5:46shown that being in a music program have

5:49been proven to improve brain power. It's

5:52essentially improves long-term memory

5:53and lower stress levels. An article from

5:55BBC News explaining the results from

5:57studying Bob states, "People would per

5:59into different groups. One group learned

6:01piano and the other percussion and other

6:03listened to music. Over a four-month

6:04period, each group practiced for 30

6:06minutes daily. In groups where people

6:08played an instrument, there were

6:09improvements in working memory. The

6:11segment read above highlighted how

6:12engaging in music consistently can

6:14improve long-term energy. It shows how

6:17doing music can help people adapt and

6:19improve um cognit function. This

6:22connection is further extended into a

6:23performance me into a performer's mental

6:25health. It assists with emotional

6:28regulation by providing an outlet, but

6:29it can also aid in lowering stress and

6:31anxiety levels. A study from Merit

6:34School of Music states that music has a

6:36calming effect on our brains, which in

6:38turn reduces cortisol,

6:40reduces cortisol, a stress related

6:42hormone that impacts a wide variety of

6:43responses such as inflammation, blood

6:45sugar, and your body stress response.

6:47Lower cortisol levels counteract the

6:49effects of chronic stress, promoting

6:51lower blood pressure, proper sleep

6:53regulation, and thus a healthier daily

6:54cycle. The segment the segment

6:57illustrates that the fact that music

6:59aids to soo the body by reducing

7:01cortisol levels that contribute to

7:03stress and anxiety. Additionally, it

7:05improves physical health and healthy

7:08methods for mental health improvement.

7:10Participating in a musical program

7:12offers numerous approaches to a

7:14student's development. It provides

7:15valuable leadership opportunities

7:16through electable roles. It lowers

7:18student stress levels by reducing

7:20cortisol to better improve their

7:22well-being and physical self and

7:24physical health of the user.

7:25Furthermore, more more the experience

7:28exper the experience experience from the

7:30performances serve as hands-on learning

7:32experiences and allows the player to

7:34develop and grow as a musician. It

7:36allows them to become more well-rounded

7:37just by participate just by

7:39participating in a musical program.

7:41That's all I have for you tonight and

7:42thank you for your time.

7:44>> Thank you. Any questions?

7:49Thank you Sophia. You're

7:51>> Thank you, Sophia.

7:59>> Good evening, school committee. My name

8:01is Jonango and I am the sophomore

8:03representative on the student advisory

8:05committee. Tonight, I'm going to be

8:07doing a reflection or more so of a

8:09wrap-up of my very first presentation of

8:11the year. So just to jog everyone's

8:13memory, I had presented on the

8:15separation of CP and honors classes for

8:17underassmen here at MHS. For those

8:19watching who may not know what our

8:21classes looked like previously, honors

8:23and CP were being taught the same

8:25content in the same classroom. The only

8:27difference for the honor students is

8:29that they may receive homework, a bonus

8:31question on a quiz, or maybe even

8:33slightly altered schoolwork. This was a

8:36problem because honors shouldn't just

8:37mean answering four questions on a

8:39worksheet while CP only had to answer

8:41two. This creates a false idea of what

8:44it means to be in a truly advanced

8:46class. And students are signing up for

8:48APs and not being able to keep up with

8:50the pace. The most evident difficulty in

8:53transitioning from a mixed honors class

8:55to a true honors class was the jump from

8:5710th grade geometry to algebra 2. My

9:00peers struggled not being able to keep

9:02up with the speed or being used to the

9:04structure of what an honors class was

9:06supposed to look like. Honors is

9:08supposed to prepare you for AP, but I

9:10just wasn't doing that. But now, after

9:12taking in all this feedback from our

9:14student body, classes have been

9:15reshaped. Going handinhand with the

9:18accelerated program being implemented in

9:20the next year, CP and honors have been

9:22separated. Now, you're probably

9:24wondering what these are going to look

9:26like and how we're going to

9:27differentiate the two courses. The two

9:29courses will cover the same curriculum,

9:31but with distinct differences that

9:33weren't previously present.

9:36CP classes will cover what is needed to

9:38graduate. What's needed to get credit

9:40for the class. CP classes will provide

9:42that extra support for students, helping

9:44to improve knowledge and skills, and

9:46students who do well in their CP courses

9:48will be adequately prepared to move on

9:50to honors classes. and switching or

9:52moving up in the courses is still

9:54possible except now it would require a

9:56schedule change and potentially a change

9:58in a teacher as well. Honors classes

10:01sole purpose is to look at the future of

10:03students. Yes, the curriculum is being

10:05covered but at the same time students

10:07are being prepared to go beyond above

10:10the standard. Honors does not just mean

10:12a faster pace or stricter deadlines. The

10:15goal is not simply more work, but a more

10:17rigorous and engaging learning

10:19experience that better prepares students

10:21for future AP advanced and college

10:25coursework. This will also help to ease

10:27the transition into these classes. I

10:30also spoke to some of the teachers at

10:31MHS wanting to know what their thoughts

10:33on these changes were. Many of them see

10:35it as a very positive alternative to the

10:37current struggles they face, trying to

10:39find an awkward in between for their CP

10:41and honors classes while trying to

10:43accelerate some students while at the

10:44same time trying to provide extra

10:47support needed for others. Now teachers

10:49will be able to get over that gray space

10:51that made it so difficult to accommodate

10:53all students without letting anyone get

10:55left behind or anyone feel as though

10:57they aren't learning. In conclusion, the

11:00restructuring of our mixed classes is

11:01going to have a positive impact for our

11:03students, easing those transitions and

11:06making sure all students are prepared

11:07for that next step. As I begin to wrap

11:10things up, I just want to thank Mr.

11:12Henry and Mrs. Casey for all their help

11:14in making this change and help in the

11:16creation of this presentation.

11:19This presentation is proof that your

11:21voice really can make a change. Now,

11:23before I finish up, unfortunately, this

11:25will be my last time speaking to you all

11:27as the student advisory committee

11:29representative as I'm going to be

11:30stepping down to take on other

11:32leadership roles within our school. But

11:34that doesn't mean you won't see me

11:35again, continuing to advocate for change

11:37and serving as a student voice. Thank

11:40you so much for continuing to listen to

11:41me talk over the past two years about

11:44freshman orientation, botchi, and one of

11:46my more boring presentations, recycling.

11:49I'm so grateful for this experience and

11:51I'm sure you'll see me around. And if

11:53there aren't any questions, that's all I

11:54have for tonight. Thank you again and

11:56have a great rest of your evening.

11:58>> Thank you.

11:59>> Any questions for you?

12:01>> No, I I appreciate you coming back and

12:03giving it. Sometimes we hear about

12:06things, but we don't always hear what

12:08the end result was. So, it was great

12:10that you

12:12>> came back and filled us in on how things

12:14went. So, appreciate it.

12:16>> Thanks for all your hard work.

12:17>> Thank you.

12:18>> Of course. Don't be a stranger. Huh?

12:30>> Hello. Um, I'm Ala Gracia and um, this

12:33is my last presentation actually since

12:36I'm the senior class rep and my

12:38partication is about our school culture.

12:41Um we have a music culture, we have a

12:43art culture, we have athletic culture

12:45and we have the general culture of our

12:46school which consists of traditions that

12:49are done for years. Um starting with our

12:51music culture. Um our music culture is

12:54very big in our school. As you guys all

12:56know our school is very big in music and

12:58band, orchestra and chorus. And I was

13:00really able to see how much impact the

13:03music department was was um impacted the

13:06students when I went to the banquet um

13:08to the music banquet um a few weeks ago

13:11and I was listening to the speeches of

13:12the students and how they were thanking

13:14the teachers and the music department in

13:17general for how much impact how much you

13:19have impacted their lives and how

13:21without the music department they would

13:22have not been who they are today. And

13:25that was that was a really like it was

13:27really beautiful to see how much music

13:29has impacted their life and how much our

13:31musical the music culture at our school

13:33is very important. We also have the art

13:36culture which um we have the fashion

13:38design class where the students we have

13:40a fashion show. The students are wearing

13:42the clothes and being able to see your

13:43clothes going down the runway and just

13:45seeing the kids wearing it with proud is

13:47very beautiful to see. We have the

13:49engineering department. And there's the

13:50robotics club which they win at their um

13:53competition which is amazing. Um they

13:55have the art show which portrays the

13:57pottery the different drawings of our of

14:00the students which make them proud and

14:02the parents proud and it's really

14:04beautiful to see. We also have the

14:05general culture of our school which is

14:07where we hold most of our memories from

14:09high school. Um, we have spirit week,

14:12which is a week that everybody always

14:14looks forward to. Me specifically,

14:16dressing up and having this week is just

14:18the week to look forward to because we

14:20starting school over again, but we're

14:22not starting fully on academics. We're

14:24having some fun in the beginning as

14:25well. Um, everybody's dressing up and it

14:28really puts all of us together because

14:30it's a thing where it's like the whole

14:31class has to participate for us to win.

14:33So it really put the whole class

14:35together like dressing up in the same

14:36color, the pep rally, band involved, the

14:39athletics involved, everybody's

14:41involved. And that's what I like about

14:43our school culture is with all those

14:45different traditions and different

14:46activities, there's never it never

14:49excludes somebody out because even

14:51though we I each have our own little

14:52groups, friend group friend groups,

14:54those activities helps us all being

14:56involved within our small group but also

14:58participating in the activity. Just as a

15:00week, everybody can participate with

15:02their own group. They're having making

15:03memories and having so much fun. We also

15:06have the football games and dressing up

15:08in theme like everybody has to wear

15:10white, everybody has to wear orange and

15:12just screaming for our teammates. And

15:15even though we don't understand

15:16football, I don't understand football,

15:18but I still go I still go as much as I

15:20can just to be there and just

15:22participate and just feel the vibe and

15:24just being there with my class. And

15:26that's where I I hold the memories of my

15:28high school years. Um there's also

15:30homecoming. Um we find the having those

15:33activities, those cultures, those

15:34traditions, we also change them

15:36sometimes. Um as the years are changing,

15:38homecoming was last year, the last few

15:40years it's been in the football in our

15:42gym, but this year it was um at the

15:45elementary school at Good Now. So things

15:47are changing. It was great at GoodNow,

15:49the garden, the view, everything. It was

15:51new and everybody kind of loved it. Um

15:53we also have Fall Fest. Before it was

15:55spooky um festival, I think. And it was

15:58mostly associated with Halloween and the

16:00kids coming and having candy and having

16:02this haunted hallway, but we changed it

16:04so more people could feel involved,

16:06people that maybe don't want it to be

16:07associated with Halloween. So we change

16:09it um until Fall Fest so that it can be

16:12more inclusive so everybody can come so

16:14all the little kids can come and

16:16participate. That's another way that we

16:18shown that we can change the traditions,

16:20we can change the different cultures and

16:21activities that we're making and make

16:24them better as the years are changing as

16:26well. Um, we also have step up day which

16:28was amazing but I feel like it can be it

16:31can be um can be different because it

16:33wasn't as fun as we were hoping for it

16:35to be but I believe each class every

16:37year is going to change it and add

16:38something to it and spice it up and make

16:40it even more fun. We had um our senior

16:43spirit week um the different um clothes

16:46the different themes that we have every

16:48single day and the end of this that's

16:50senior spirit week was decision day. It

16:53was really nice to see everybody the

16:54next step after high school, whether it

16:56was college or a trade school or

16:58whatever it was. It was really nice to

17:00just see everybody just having a plan

17:02and basically announcing it to

17:04everybody. Um it was really nice. We

17:06have this thing the um senior sunrise.

17:08We had senior sunset where we're leaving

17:11now. And as an immigrant, I came here 6

17:13years ago. Um this high schools from

17:16different countries are definitely

17:17different and high school in in from

17:19where I come from is different from high

17:21school here. But I was really proud to

17:23be able to be in a high school, an

17:25American high school, having the

17:26traditional American high school

17:27experience and participate in all those

17:30activities and all those traditions that

17:31I usually heard from from TVs, but I was

17:34actually able to participate in them.

17:36And I really thought about our school

17:38culture when we interviewed the two

17:39candidates for our principal, Miss Casey

17:42and Mr. Henry. And Miss Casey said

17:44something within those lines of those

17:46cultures that we have apart from the

17:48academic culture of our school is what

17:50will attract others to come to MHS. It

17:53shows our attitude and spirit and make

17:55us look more interesting and different

17:57than other schools. And I do think that

17:59it's important to keep those cultures

18:00and those traditions. Even though we're

18:02changing them, it's still good to keep

18:04them up because those are the things

18:05that we hold on as memories when we

18:07leave. I know me personally, I will hold

18:09on to all those activities and all those

18:11memories I made with my friends in those

18:13all those activities and that's what I'm

18:15going to keep on as memories of my high

18:18school. And that is something I can also

18:20brag about. It's like, oh my gosh, my

18:21school have this, but yours doesn't. And

18:24even though ours our school might not be

18:26the biggest, it might not be the the big

18:28the best school, but I know I can brag

18:30about that and say this is what we have

18:32that your school doesn't have. And I

18:34really love it. And I had a great

18:35experience at my high school. So, it's

18:37really sad for me to leave, but I can't

18:40wait for the next chapter of my life.

18:41So, thank you for welcoming me every

18:44time um for my presentations. Thank you.

18:46If you guys have any questions, you guys

18:48welcome.

18:49>> Yes.

18:49>> I just actually wanted to say to all of

18:51you, thank you so much for the time and

18:53effort that you guys have all put in. Um

18:56it's been an absolute pleasure to get to

18:58kind of know you guys a little bit here

19:00and then see you out and about. And um

19:03to those of you graduating and having

19:06graduated, congratulations and and don't

19:09be strangers. We look forward to seeing

19:12you all. and and those of you that

19:14aren't necessarily staying as um student

19:17reps here, um please though still use

19:20your voices and and you know us. So,

19:22please reach out still to let us know

19:25things that we should be aware of

19:26because the we're only as good as the

19:29information provided and your voices

19:32really do count. We're all here because

19:34of students. So, thank you for all you

19:37do.

19:38>> Thank you.

19:38>> Thanks.

19:42I am not a student. Um, good evening. My

19:45name is Marilyn Klein and I serve as the

19:47adviser to MHS student council and by

19:49extension the student advisory

19:50committee. Um, and I'm going to echo um,

19:54Miss Hennessy's comments. I just wanted

19:56to take a moment to recognize the

19:58efforts of this group throughout the

19:59year. Um, each presentation is a product

20:01of their own independent planning,

20:03research, interviews, emails, data

20:06collection, and ultimately writing. I am

20:09only a sounding board, a resource to

20:11brainstorm with, but ultimately these

20:13presentations belong to the students and

20:15they do it on top of their schoolwork.

20:16So I thank each one of them for their

20:18hard work this year. I would be remiss

20:20if I did not extend a special message to

20:23of appreciation for student

20:24representative at Modor. He has been a

20:26part of the student advisory committee

20:27for four years. He started out small but

20:30has grown quite comfortable in his role

20:32and has left his mark.

20:34Maybe literally, but

20:38Um he is the first student

20:39representative on school committee to

20:40serve two years in the time that I have

20:42been advising. Um throughout his time he

20:44has earned the respect of every adult he

20:46interacts with in his in this role and

20:48his opinions are taken to heart. When it

20:50comes time to speak on behalf of the

20:51student body he is poised, composed and

20:54succinct. Most recently he acted as a

20:56guide for the other SAC students

20:58building their confidence or making

21:00suggestions about presenting but never

21:01once telling them what to say or what to

21:03talk about. a tool. We appreciate all

21:06you've done over the past four years.

21:07Next year, we'll see some new faces.

21:10Felicia Lwanga, Nate Saj, Jennifer Loha,

21:13Kaguana, and Lucy Lawrence. And finally,

21:15the elected board selected Maggie

21:17Morrisy to be student representative for

21:19the 2026 2027 school year. I look

21:22forward to supporting them next year.

21:24Thank you.

21:33Excellent.

21:49Whatever works for you.

21:57Sure.

22:00>> I'm gonna I'm gonna cover you.

22:12short girl.

22:15>> What? So we like we like each other.

22:32Thank you.

22:36>> Thank you.

22:42>> And Miss Klein, thank you for all your

22:43work with the students.

22:44>> Yes, Miss Klein go unnoticed. So, thank

22:47you. Thank you.

22:48>> Can All right.

22:49>> Can we ask what they're doing? The ones

22:52that are graduating.

22:54>> Okay.

22:56>> I know what they're doing.

22:59>> All righty. Let's move on to the

23:01superintendent report.

23:03>> Great. Thank you. Uh good evening, Mr.

23:05Mayor, members of a school committee. Uh

23:06good to see everyone tonight and to our

23:09friends in the audience. Um lots of

23:12celebratory things this evening and lots

23:14of opportunities to highlight the

23:16incredible work that have that has

23:17happened and is happening still

23:19currently across uh Malber public

23:21schools. Uh the first um I have the

23:24distinct pleasure of uh sharing um this

23:28year's Masonic uh teacher of the year

23:31actually um went to uh not you Mr.

23:34Thomas but your other half. I keep

23:37looking at you across the way

23:39to uh Nicole Thomas who is a grade 8 ELA

23:43teacher at Wickcom Middle School. Um and

23:45it was really awesome being there to

23:47surprise her. I know many of you were

23:49there. Um and really just celebrate and

23:52congratulate her incredible efforts uh

23:55and all that she puts into our students

23:57and our school system each and every

23:58day. Uh tomorrow, uh we are excited to

24:01be recognizing uh Miss Thomas and the

24:04other nominees at the Masonic um lodge,

24:08if I'm saying that right. Good.

24:10>> Um where there will be a dinner and a

24:12recognition ceremony. So um

24:15congratulations um to your other half

24:17and to you as well and your whole

24:19family. Uh it was great um great being

24:21in her classroom that morning and I love

24:23seeing the surprise on

24:25>> her face. It was awesome. And fun fact,

24:26it's actually Marielle and Klein's

24:29sister.

24:30>> There it is. All right. This is the

24:31family matter.

24:33>> It's a family affair.

24:35>> That's fantastic. I will say the kids

24:38students came like flying in from every

24:42>> from the other classrooms, the hallways,

24:45the It was pretty cool to

24:47>> They They love her and that's what it's

24:49about. So, um I'm very excited about

24:52that uh to share that this evening. Um

24:56along celebratory lines, we're going to

24:58hear a few important presentations

25:00tonight. Uh I'm not sure they will be

25:02able to follow in the shoes of our

25:03advisory committee, but uh we have this

25:06evening with us um Mr. Pete Jones who is

25:09our athletic director and he is going to

25:12do a year in review of our athletics

25:14program here in Malber. Uh lots to

25:16celebrate for our scholar athletes and

25:19the incredible work um that they have

25:21done this year. So thanks Mr. Jones for

25:22being here.

25:23>> Thank you very much. Thank you for

25:24having me.

25:27Just hope I can figure this part out.

25:35All right.

25:40Beautiful.

25:42All right. Uh thank you again for having

25:45me. And uh in the future if I could go

25:47before the students that would be uh

25:48much better. You guys did an awesome

25:50job. Congratulations. You guys were

25:52awesome. Uh so Dr. Defalco just asked me

25:54to be here tonight to to give a little

25:55bit of a year and review um on our

25:57Malbor High School athletic department.

25:58So, I'll begin with our with our fall

26:00sports offerings. Um we had varsity and

26:03JV football. We had varsity JV and

26:05middle school cheerleading. We had

26:07varsity and middle school cross country

26:09for boys and girls. Uh same for boys and

26:11girls soccer. We had uh varsity JV and

26:14middle school. We had varsity golf. Uh

26:17varsity and JV baseball. Uh excuse me,

26:19volleyball. Uh varsity and JV field

26:21hockey. and our outstanding unified

26:23basketball offering. Um I'll go through

26:25a couple of the highlights from the

26:26fall. We had a couple outstanding

26:28seasons from the fall sports teams. Um

26:30our football team really set the tone

26:32with an outstanding season. Um we

26:34actually got off to a six and one start.

26:36We played on Halloween night against

26:37Shepherd Hill for the league

26:38championship. Um unfortunately lost that

26:40game, but we did qualify for the MIA

26:42playoffs round of 16 where we lost to

26:44North Reading. Um but it was a great

26:46start to the school year for our

26:47athletic department. Uh they were an

26:49outstanding team and we actually had uh

26:50not only do we have seven league

26:52allstars and three Central Mass

26:54all-stars, but uh senior Frank Johnston

26:56was the defensive MVP for both our

26:58league and um Central Mass Division 4.

27:01Um so a great a great season for our

27:03football team. Field hockey team was one

27:05of the most outstanding teams around. Um

27:08great season. We had the league MVP. Uh

27:10junior Casey Horn is a division one

27:12commit. She she'll be attending

27:13Providence College. She'll be returning

27:15to Malbor High School next year for her

27:16senior season. Um, we had a great

27:18season. We were poised for a deep run.

27:21We just ran into a buzzsaw. Oxbridge is,

27:23and it's not, I'm not being hyperbolic

27:25saying it, they are legitimately one of

27:26the best teams in the country. And we

27:28ran into them in the second round. So,

27:30as

27:31>> five states, this was their fifth state

27:33championship in the year, like in five

27:36years. Just they're good.

27:37>> Yep. So, we we were deserving of a

27:39deeper run, but ran into uh the Spartans

27:41of Oxbridge, unfortunately, sooner than

27:43we we had hoped. Um, but but a great

27:46season and the boys soccer team was was

27:48excellent as well. I think their their

27:49season was a lot better than their

27:50record would indicate. Uh, but we did

27:52have two all-state players, seniors,

27:54Luis Campos and Xiao Victor Dilva. Um,

27:57we had five league and three Central

27:58Mass All-Stars and and they also

28:00advanced to the uh the division uh round

28:02of 32 in the MI playoffs. Um some

28:05individual success for our golf team.

28:07Jake Matro is an outstanding sophomore

28:08student athlete for us. Great leader,

28:10three sport athlete, golfer, hockey

28:12player, baseball player. He was actually

28:13our individual league champion um for

28:15the Midwatch B uh um league

28:18championship. So it was a tremendous

28:19individual achievement for Jake and a

28:20great achievement for our for our golf

28:22team. Um cheerleaders were outstanding.

28:25Um I they were the division 2 central

28:28runners up. I I went to the state

28:30championship at Worcester State. Uh I

28:32don't know how they finished eighth.

28:33They were outstanding. They absolutely

28:34nailed their routine. They were

28:36deserving of a much better uh final

28:37rating, I think, than eighth in the

28:39state. Um, but they were a really

28:40outstanding cheerleading squad. Um, we

28:42had not had winter cheerleading for a

28:44number of years. We brought that back

28:46this winter. Um, not a competitive

28:48cheerleading team, but more of a

28:49sideline spirit team, and it made a

28:51difference for our basketball team in

28:53the winter to have them in the gym. The

28:54atmosphere that they provided, the

28:56spirit that they brought, I thought it

28:57was a great addition to our our

28:59basketball offering. So, we look forward

29:00to having them back next winter and I

29:02think eventually they'll start to

29:04compete in the winter um as they once

29:05did. But outstanding cheerleaders. Um

29:08couple more highlights for the fall. Uh

29:11our volleyball program of which Jade is

29:12a member. Um a little bit of a program

29:14reset this year. Our boys coach Chris

29:16Low who's had a enjoyed a ton of success

29:18with our boys program. He took over the

29:20girls program just for one year just to

29:22help us out just to to get us to a point

29:24where we could bring in a coach to

29:25rebuild. Um that process is nearing an

29:28end. I'm super excited about the coach

29:31that I think we have. I think you're

29:32going to hear from our girls program uh

29:34very very shortly. We're bringing in a

29:36coach who has proven success building

29:38programs and we're super lucky to get

29:40the the coach that we got. So, um it's

29:42not official yet. There's some some

29:44stuff we got to go through, but we're in

29:45the process of hiring an excellent girls

29:46volleyball coach. Um participation

29:49numbers in girls soccer went up. Uh we

29:51were unable to have a standalone JV team

29:53the year prior. We did have a standalone

29:54JV team this year, which was great. They

29:56narrowly missed the postseason. Um, we

29:58did have two Central Mass all-stars and

30:00junior Emma Reynolds and senior KJ

30:01Denine. Um, in cross country, we have

30:04five of our top six runners returning

30:05next year for boys cross country. We're

30:07a top 25 team in the state. Um, so boys

30:09cross country is definitely a team to to

30:11look out for next year as well. So,

30:13quickly, uh, fall at a glance, uh, 28

30:16league allstars, two league MVPs, as I

30:18said, Casey Horn for field hockey and

30:19Xiao Victor Dilva for boys soccer and

30:21coach Jerry Padilla was the league coach

30:23of the year for girls soccer as well.

30:25So,

30:26>> um, that's the fall. Moving on to the

30:28winter. U, winter's a little unique. We

30:29have some cooperative programs offered

30:31in the winter. So, gymnastics, we're the

30:33host. We co-op with Hudson, AMSA,

30:36Nishoba. They were an outstanding team,

30:38one of the best teams in the state. They

30:39were so fun to watch. Um, boys ice

30:41hockey, we co-op with AMSA. They had an

30:43outstanding season. We have two student

30:45athletes competing on the Algangquin

30:46girls ice hockey co-op. They were one of

30:48the best teams in the state. They were h

30:50legitimately ranked the top team in the

30:52state for most of the season. Um they

30:54did get knocked out of the playoffs a

30:55little bit earlier than we thought, but

30:56they were bar none one of the best teams

30:59in the state. Um we saw great uh

31:01participation numbers up in boys and

31:03girls indoor track. Um we offered boys

31:05and girls JV basketball. Wrestling team

31:08had an outstanding season and as I

31:09mentioned, we brought back cheerleading

31:11uh this winter. Um so as I said,

31:13outstanding seasons for our boys hockey

31:14and our gymnastics teams. They were both

31:16league champions. Um the hockey team

31:19hosted the round of 16. We lost to Essex

31:21Tech, but the the the the the barn was

31:23packed at Naven Rink. It was a great

31:25atmosphere, a great game. It was a

31:26snowstorm outside. Um but it was it was

31:28a great night. They had a great season.

31:30Um and they they had a league MVP.

31:32Thomas Mski was the league MVP from our

31:34hockey team. Um gymnastics, unbelievable

31:38season. It seemed like every week their

31:39their best score, our our our best

31:42program score in the history of the

31:43program. They just kept bettering it

31:44each week. They got better and better

31:45and better. Um they finished second at

31:47the sectional, fourth at the state

31:49championship. We had a great following.

31:51Uh both both of those meets were at Al

31:53Gangquin, so locally held. We had a lot

31:54of people there supporting those girls

31:55and they were really really incredible.

31:58By far the the best season in program

31:59history. Their scores just kept getting

32:01better and better. Um and they finished

32:02fourth in the state uh for and it was

32:04their first time qualifying for the for

32:05the state championship.

32:07Um wrestling, we had an outstanding

32:09wrestling season. You'll see the the

32:10young man on the left is our one of our

32:12senior captains, Jackson Cat. Um his

32:14name is now hung in the banner. He is

32:16sixth all time at Malbor High School

32:17with 117 career wins. Um Jack's a great

32:21uh student leader for us and and we'll

32:22miss him a lot. Um we had 10 wrestlers

32:25from our team qualify for the division

32:27uh division 3 north sectional. We had

32:29three third place finishes and two

32:31fourth place finishes. The young man in

32:33the center is uh junior Sam Wilcox. He

32:36finished first at the sectional at 157

32:38pounds. So he moved on to the division 3

32:40state championship and as you can see in

32:42that graphic he was crowned a state

32:43champion um at his weight class which

32:46was which was awesome for our program.

32:47Um then he moved on to all states and he

32:49advanced all the way to the final match

32:51of the all state championship at 157

32:54pounds and he lost to a young man from

32:55Shasheen Tech who is the first fivetime

32:58state champion in Massachusetts history.

33:00So um Sam lost to arguably the best

33:03wrestler in the history of our state.

33:04So, um, and Sam's a junior, so he'll be

33:06back back next year. And you'll see the

33:08graphic in the top right. Um, the kids,

33:10the the program fundraised in November.

33:13Um, they they hosted a youth wrestling

33:15tournament and they used the proceeds

33:16from that to purchase a mat light. And

33:18as you can see, um, it was really cool.

33:21Uh, Mrs. Klein was there. I think I

33:22think she took this picture. Yeah, it's

33:23your picture. Um, the mat light hangs

33:27right above the mat. We shut the lights

33:28off in the gym and it was such a cool

33:30experience. That was our senior night

33:31against Algangquin. The gym is just

33:33pitch black except the light above the

33:34mat. Uh, Mayor Dumis helped get green

33:37light that project and get that mat

33:39light hung. So, thank you very much for

33:40your support. It was truly a memorable

33:42night for the the wrestling program.

33:44>> They moved mountains to get that done.

33:45So,

33:46>> they did. They worked awful.

33:47>> I was there that night and it actually

33:48it set a tone. So,

33:49>> absolutely. Yes. Thank you. So, we look

33:50forward to using that mat uh for our

33:52dual our dual meets next year.

33:55>> Um, couple quick highlights from the

33:57winter. Our uh our boys basketball team

33:59won the Ashlin Clocker Invitational

34:01tournament in December. Um our girls

34:03basketball program had such a great

34:04season. They just missed the playoffs by

34:06one game. They they had a a key injury

34:08at the beginning of the season, a key

34:09injury at the end of the season, and

34:10they just missed by by one game. Um and

34:12as I mentioned, the co-ops are we had

34:14four swimmers for the Nshoba regional

34:16swim and dive team, and we had two girls

34:18on the ice hockey team at Alangquin

34:20Regional, which again was one of the

34:21best teams um in the state. um indoor

34:24track and field. Um a couple league

34:25allstars. Again, big participation boost

34:28on the indoor track teams, which was

34:30great. And we had our 4x400 team on the

34:32boy side um recognized as uh an all-star

34:35in the league as well. So, winter's

34:38definitely our our smallest offering in

34:40terms of student athlete participation,

34:41but as you can see, we still had great

34:43representation on the Midwatch all-star

34:45teams. Uh we had a league MVP in Thomas

34:47Masowski from the the hockey team, and

34:49we had a coach of the year and Samantha

34:50Kelly from the gymnastics team. So, it

34:52was uh it was a lot of fun this winter.

34:55Um and then we moved on to our most

34:56recent uh season, the spring. Um we

34:58offered varsity baseball, varsity and JV

35:01softball, varsity girls lacrosse, our

35:03boys, we had eight boys competing for

35:05the Hudson boys lacrosse team. That's a

35:07cooperative program um that we compete

35:09on. Uh boys and girls outdoor track,

35:11boys and girls tennis, and our

35:12outstanding boys volleyball team. they

35:14had another banner year um in our

35:16unified track and our outstanding

35:18unified track and field team um

35:20participated in the spring as well. Uh a

35:22couple more league championships.

35:23Pictured there on the left is our boys

35:24volleyball team. As I mentioned, I think

35:26as I wrote this presentation, it was we

35:29were still we were still up and running.

35:30Um we advanced to the Elite 8 of the MIA

35:33Division 2 tournament for the second

35:34year in a row. Uh we lost to Westfield

35:36last Thursday. They are a state power.

35:39Um they've won five state championships

35:40in recent years. Um they had beaten us

35:433-0 just a few weeks prior and we went

35:45down out there and pushed them to the

35:47brink. We won the first set, battled

35:49back to win the fourth set and they

35:50overcame us in the fifth set. Um but but

35:53coach Low is uh very plugged into the

35:55volleyball community in the state and he

35:57received a lot of calls from coaches

35:59around the state complimenting Malber

36:01High School on uh on taking one of the

36:02best teams in the state to to the brink.

36:04Um so an outstanding season for for our

36:07boys. We had the league MVP and senior

36:09Nick Andred. um a fun season that I

36:12think uh we're all really sad that it

36:14ended, but but uh and and they are a

36:15wonderful representation of Malra High

36:17School. Fine young men. Uh Dr. Defalco,

36:20Mayor Dumis came to a few games uh last

36:23month and they really appreciated that

36:24support, but they are an outstanding

36:26representation of our school and our our

36:27community.

36:29Um as I mentioned, we had eight uh boys

36:31playing lacrosse over at Hudson. Um Max

36:34Godet pictured there, number two, was a

36:35league all-star from Malbor High School

36:37and they won their first league

36:38championship in program history. They

36:39were 7-1 in the league. Uh 16-2 overall.

36:42They qualified for the MIA playoffs. Um

36:44and it was it was the best year in

36:46program history. Uh the first time that

36:47Hudson had won the league championship.

36:50Uh boys and girls track and field. Uh a

36:52lot of individual success. We had three

36:54state qualifiers on the girls side, one

36:56state qualifier on the boys side. Um a

36:59ton of top 10 finishers at the league

37:00championships. Uh each had two league

37:02all-stars. Excuse me. Girls had three

37:04league allstars. Um and we did have two

37:06league champions. Uh Sammy Mahoney is a

37:08sophomore. Uh she won the league

37:10championship in the discus and Yianiraa

37:12Yuribe Rosa is a junior. She won the

37:14league championship in the javelin.

37:16Um and then the spring at a glance

37:18again, you know, in the mid20s with

37:20league allstars. Uh we had the league

37:21MVP in Nick Andred. Uh for boys

37:24volleyball, we had the boys volleyball

37:25coach of the year in Chris Low. Um

37:29and that was our spring at a glance. Um

37:31our unified program, it remains an

37:34incredible source of pride for our

37:35school. We're a unified champion school

37:37as designated by Massachusetts Special

37:39Olympics. Um, coach Chenisa Samson does

37:41a fantastic job with both unified

37:43basketball and unified track and field.

37:45Um, we had over 25 participants

37:48consistently through the year. That's

37:49the participants and the partners. Um,

37:51and she's done a great job increasing

37:53the amount of of partners that are that

37:54are helping in those programs. So, um,

37:56we're really fortunate to have Coach

37:57Samson at the head of our unified

37:59program. She she does an outstanding

38:00job.

38:02I went really long. and I apologize, but

38:05uh there was a lot of good things this

38:06this year. Uh I'm a Malra High graduate.

38:09I'm I'm very proud to be back at Malbor

38:10High School. Um so it's a nice

38:12opportunity to brag about the stuff that

38:14went on this year. So thank you all so

38:16much for uh for listening to me for a

38:17few minutes. Thank you.

38:18>> Thank you.

38:19>> Thanks.

38:19>> And it's an incredible program. So thank

38:21you for sharing.

38:22>> Thank you very much.

38:24>> Um I just wanted to say thank you so

38:26much. You did not skip a beat on hopping

38:30into this role and not that I would have

38:33expected that, but your enthusiasm is

38:36really infectious. You can tell how much

38:38you love the program. You want to build

38:41the program. you're excited about the

38:43participation and the coaches and and I

38:46love it as being someone that um all

38:49three of my kids were involved in the

38:51athletics here and we were listening to

38:54students talk about those activities

38:56also you were you know giving that nod.

38:59It really helps to round out the

39:01experience and um even though our

39:03participation numbers may be down in

39:06some areas your enthusiasm is going to

39:09help to grow it. I I mean it's just I I

39:13am sure um so I appreciate that.

39:15>> Thank you for all you've done um this

39:17first year and I cannot wait to see all

39:20that you're going to do coming down the

39:21road.

39:22>> Awesome. Thank you so much. Appreciate

39:23it. Very exciting time. Thank you.

39:25>> Thank you.

39:29>> Thanks uh thanks Pete. Um and running

39:32parallel to that uh we also asked uh for

39:36um Mr. Verdone to join us to talk a

39:38little bit about the incredible work our

39:40music department has done this year. Um

39:43we know that both uh Pete and Jimmy

39:45represent a significant number of um of

39:49adults, coaches and educators and

39:51musicians and athletes that really make

39:54all of this come to life. So we're

39:56appreciative of both of their um their

39:58presentations tonight. Uh but know that

40:01there are many people behind it. And so

40:03with that, Mr. Verdon, we'll turn this

40:05over to you.

40:07>> Thank you very much. I am going to go

40:10ahead and hope for the best here as

40:13well.

40:22Right. Cool. So, as many of you know,

40:25I'm very shy when it comes to public

40:27speaking. So, please bear with me as I

40:29slog through this presentation.

40:32Um, thank you to Dr. Dr. Falco for

40:34inviting me to be here tonight to really

40:36um be a champion for our kids and the

40:38the great things they've accomplished

40:40this year. Um we're going to go from

40:42kind of where the culmination happens

40:45down to the primary level. So talking a

40:47little bit about the high school this

40:48year. Uh the overall enrollment of our

40:51our performing ensembles made up 15% of

40:54our student body. We have six uh

40:57inschool class ensembles. the string

41:00ensemble, the concert band, jazz

41:01ensemble, wind ensemble, chorus and ac

41:03capella. The uh jazz ensemble, wind

41:05ensemble and ac capella choir are

41:07auditioned groups. Um whereas the string

41:10ensemble, the concert band and the

41:11chorus are really for anyone who wishes

41:13to pursue that. We have uh one

41:16co-curricular in the marching band and

41:17we have three after school in jazz lab,

41:20chamber ensemble, which is the strings

41:22and voices required. So looking at our

41:26numbers for based on request, we're

41:28looking to see a 29% increase in

41:31students moving forward. I I feel this

41:33is uh based off of the students really

41:36being the main ambassadors of our

41:38program. um and the work that we put in

41:41at the beginning of the year of this

41:43choose MHS choose MHS initiative where

41:46we have seen while it's still a smaller

41:49freshman class coming in we have seen

41:52that the number the percentage of

41:54students coming in is greater than it

41:56was last year. So meaning students are

41:59choosing to stay in district rather than

42:01going to pursue educational

42:03opportunities elsewhere. Uh we had five

42:05students who were selected to our uh

42:07central district ensembles. Two of those

42:10students went on and were selected for

42:11the allstate uh ensembles in chorus.

42:14That was Dylan Dupont and Sky Monahan.

42:17Um one of the things and you heard

42:19Sophia mention this earlier um is we

42:22really pride ourselves in student

42:24leadership. Two of our main goals this

42:27year as a district was uh meaningful

42:29discourse and meaningful feedback. And

42:32while we as teachers are providing that

42:34experience to kids, we also take it to

42:37the next level and we're teaching

42:38students how to have convers meaningful

42:41conversations with each other outside of

42:44the classroom in as it pertains to what

42:46we're doing inside the classroom. So

42:48I'll give you an example. Um I'm the

42:50director of the jazz ensemble. One of

42:52the um my expectations of my students is

42:55that they are not just worrying about

42:57what they're doing during the class

42:59period. They're taking it to the next

43:00level. I know um Catherine has had a

43:03daughter in the program and when she was

43:05section leader she would host sectionals

43:07outside of school time um where they can

43:11work on their craft craft. They can also

43:14build meaningful relationships with each

43:16other. Um we had a senior um Tyler

43:19Minnell who just graduated uh the other

43:22day. He was our Louisie Armstrong Jazz

43:24Award winner for this year. And he had

43:28three trumpet players who graduated over

43:30the past few years come back to be with

43:32him because he was a freshman when they

43:35were all upper classmen. And those

43:37relationships stayed, you know, stayed

43:40true. And we're just seeing that music

43:42is really bringing a lot of these

43:44students together. So we teach the

43:46students how to give feedback as we give

43:49feedback to them as well. Um, we will

43:53have our student leaders, our presidents

43:55or our, uh, concert master run

43:57rehearsals if we are out of the building

43:58or if we're at meetings. So, um, when we

44:01have like a teacher come in, if Mr.

44:03Thomas came in and subbed my band, it is

44:06the easiest gig in the building cuz he

44:08sits there as the responsible adult in

44:10the room and the kids just run the show.

44:13Um, so we train those students

44:15throughout their uh, four years to to be

44:19that. Um, there's a lot of times where I

44:21talk about how when you become an upper

44:24classman, you see you remember what it

44:26was like when you were a freshman and

44:28what you what what it was like to be

44:31part of that program and you remember

44:33the people who made it special for for

44:34for you. And when they get to be seniors

44:37themselves, they you know the freshman

44:40then they don't see the people that they

44:42saw, they see the people that they are

44:44because they've made such an important

44:46difference in their lives. And as You

44:49know, we my my friend over at Foxboro

44:51High School, Aaron Bush, always says we

44:53teach the kids to graduate. So, as much

44:55as we would love to have these kids

44:56continue once they've learned how to

44:58actually do this thing, um we we move on

45:02and we we start again. We're already in

45:04the middle of recruiting. Um so, those

45:06are some important things that we uh do

45:09with our performing ensemble high

45:10school. We were really busy this year.

45:13Um, not only did we do our standard

45:18winter and spring concert, we were in

45:19festivals all year. Um, we did events

45:23for the city. Um, we were a part of, um,

45:27festivals outside of the district. The

45:29jazz ensemble was adjudicated five times

45:32this year um, at different festivals.

45:34Our voices required uh program that

45:37Caleb runs is an outstanding um

45:40community be community of young people

45:42and they go to the Any Voices Festival

45:45and the ICSA um festival and for those

45:48who may not know about Caleb, he is one

45:51of the most sought out a capella

45:53educators in the country. He we are

45:56unbelievably lucky to have him um at the

45:59high school teaching our kids because

46:02he's just he's highly sought out. He

46:05he's really a gift to our program. Um

46:08and then we just you know finished up

46:10with our our graduation and again it

46:12goes to the fact that again the students

46:14are the ones who are leading the charge

46:16and they understand the magnitude of

46:18what they're doing. You know it's it's

46:20not as if if my drummer wasn't you know

46:22doing what they needed to do. I couldn't

46:24just go into the audience and grab

46:26another drummer to do that. they just

46:28understand what their responsibility is

46:30and they understand that it's really

46:32important for them to do these things um

46:35as as they move forward.

46:37If the students are not involved in our

46:39performance ensembles, we like to get

46:41them involved in our general music

46:42classes. At the high school, we have

46:44learn to jam, piano workshop, guitar

46:46workshop, band fundamentals, music prod

46:48one and two, and unified music. learn to

46:50jam, uh, band fundamentals and unified

46:53music are class offerings that have

46:55been, uh, instituted over the past

46:58probably five or six years. Um, and

47:00we've seen great success with them. One

47:02of the great successes we've had with

47:04band fundamentals, which is essentially

47:06beginner band at the high school level.

47:08When you have students who weren't

47:09necessarily given an access in the

47:11middle school level, if they were moving

47:12here from another country or they're

47:14coming from another district, but

47:15they're interested in being part of the

47:17band, they can learn how to play an

47:19instrument during the school day. We had

47:21initially added this right after CO to

47:24help um our numbers get back to what

47:26they were, but then it became a happy

47:28accident because we actually started

47:30creating access for students who

47:32normally wouldn't have that access. And

47:35um I've run this program and but without

47:38a doubt the greatest teacher who's run

47:39this is Mr. Rosenthal because he had the

47:42greatest success this year. 78% of the

47:44students who took it both first semester

47:46and second semester are joining the band

47:48next year. So that is great. We actually

47:51had a few students on Sunday graduate

47:54and they were part of the band for four

47:56years and they started in band

47:58fundamentals and then some of them ended

48:00up being our section leaders and our

48:02first chairs and sitting in some of the

48:04most important roles in our ensembles.

48:06Um we also have um we we pride ourselves

48:10in teaching all students um creating

48:13curriculum that is accessible to

48:14everyone. U I'm going to show you a

48:16little video here of our friend Matas.

48:19Mr. Rosenthal teaches uh the piano

48:21workshop class. He does a great job with

48:23that. He's truly a gifted teacher. Um

48:26and he

48:28looked at uh Matas and said, "Okay,

48:29well, you want to play piano, but you

48:32can't read the music right now cuz

48:33you're blind, but we're going to make it

48:34work." And so he worked with the OT uh

48:37department, and all of Matas's music is

48:40in Braille. They found ways to kind of

48:43figure out how to um equate numbers to

48:46the letters. And here's a little proof

48:48in the pudding. Our guy Matus.

49:10So, what you can't really see here is

49:12this is the Braille that he was

49:14learning. Um, and he's done a great job.

49:17he wants to be part of the band next

49:19year. So, we are working on that piece

49:21of how we're going to make that work.

49:23Um, but we are very excited that he

49:25wants to continue on in music. And his

49:27brother is also coming up and is a

49:29violin player. So, he'll be with you

49:30guys next year in strings. Um, music

49:33production. Mr. Weldon again does a

49:35great job with this program. This is one

49:37of the best uh music production programs

49:39in the state. the students are using

49:41industry level software um that they

49:44will be using if they pursue this as a

49:46career. Um we had a student Isaac Lattis

49:49who's done all of the um pro all of the

49:53uh music prods here and did an

49:54independent study this year. He ended up

49:57um working and producing his own album.

49:58And so I wanted to play you a little bit

50:00of that.

50:17So he works with the programs and he

50:19records the vocal. Uh I can't I can't

50:22think of many high schools in the state

50:24that have have at least one um sound

50:27booth to um record and we are fortunate

50:29enough to have two. So, a little bit of

50:32that and then um our workshop classes

50:36where students are primarily working on

50:38a solo level. Uh Garrett Ramsey who has

50:42been part of our voices required program

50:43is going to be part of our jazz ensemble

50:45next year. A little bit of guitar for

50:47you. Oops.

50:56So regardless of where you join the

50:59guitar class, if you are a beginner or

51:01if you've had experience that you start

51:04at where you need to start in the

51:06curriculum.

51:08So Garrett has had some experience um

51:11mostly by ear and by tab. So where Caleb

51:13works with him is through okay now you

51:16have these skills. Let's get you reading

51:17the music and working from there.

51:21Cool. That's about the high school

51:24Wickham. This is truly exceptional here.

51:28Um we have our band course and orchestra

51:32in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. Um

51:34the sixth grade 50 57% of fifth grader

51:38sixth graders are in one of those

51:39groups. 52 se 52% of the seventh graders

51:43are part of one of those groups and 52%

51:46of the eighth graders are part of that

51:48group. So more more than half of Wickham

51:51is doing a performance group and they're

51:53doing it by choice rather than what it

51:55was a few years ago where everyone was

51:57kind of mandated into doing that. The um

51:59Wickham school also has after school

52:02programs for jazz band from out of

52:04nowhere which is their contemporary ac

52:06capella group and the chamber uh group.

52:09Seven students were selected to the

52:11central mass junior district which is

52:13the highest number we've had in quite

52:15some time. Um, six of those students

52:17were middle school students. Um,

52:19freshmen are also allowed to audition.

52:21We had one freshman make the jazz

52:23ensemble as well. And Wickham actually

52:25hosted the junior district concert.

52:27Basically from up to Oakmont all the way

52:29down to Shephard Hill uh, and

52:31Bellingham. Uh, students came here to

52:34Wickcom and got to experience our

52:35auditorium and we had some of the finest

52:37educators in the state working with

52:39those students here in Malbor.

52:42um the ensemble directors um Miss

52:45McDonald, Miss Wilmington, and Miss

52:46Pentingel do an outstanding job with

52:48these young people. Um and we're very

52:51lucky that um due to some of our

52:54planning with Dr. Defalco, we're adding

52:55a staff member at the middle school to

52:57help the general music side, allowing

53:00more time on learning for the ensemble.

53:03So, ideally, it's looking like it's

53:05going to be that band chorus and

53:07orchestra will meet three times a week

53:09next year. Um and we will be combining

53:12our seventh and eighth graders to have

53:14one ensemble experience together which

53:16is definitely going to help um our

53:18numbers coming to the high school but

53:20also create a sense of student

53:23leadership within those ensembles as

53:25well.

53:28They have general music classes at the

53:30high school as well for students who do

53:31not want to be part of um performing

53:33ensemble. All students in general music

53:35get to experience music ensemble

53:37learning briefly through steel plant

53:39pans, uh, West African jump drumming

53:42circles and ukulele. You can see that up

53:44here. So, we're giving performance

53:46opportunities on a smaller scale similar

53:48to how we do at Learn to Jam at the high

53:50school. Um, and then the middle school

53:54staff has been busy over the past few

53:56years really developing a comprehensive

53:58uh curriculum that will follow the

54:00students who who wish to stay in general

54:03music their three years um going from

54:05sixth to 8th grade. So I have a couple

54:08videos in sixth grade. This is actually

54:10what they're working on right now. It is

54:12um the Broadway uh unit where they learn

54:16about Broadway musicals. And in this

54:18video, you're going to see a bunch of

54:19sixth graders uh doing actual Broadway

54:22choreography that obviously they're

54:25killing here. And you'd probably see

54:27this on the Tony's uh like it was a few

54:30few days ago. So, check this out.

54:38The biggest thing is the kids are out of

54:40their chairs. They're not just learning

54:42or listening. They're moving. It's

54:44helping our students who uh are more

54:47kinesthetic learners. Um in the seventh

54:50grade they do a mood in music uh unit

54:53and they use the program band lab which

54:56is kind of like the programs we use at

54:58the high school but the light version of

55:00those that are web- based and they um

55:04create compositions and this is kind of

55:06an image of one of their capstone

55:08projects. And then in eighth grade they

55:10do wrap my story. So, um they will pick

55:14a story and then they will take um the

55:17lyrics and then they'll figure out how

55:19rhythmically they can make it work in

55:20the music. So, here's a little bit of

55:22that. This has been big in the state

55:24over the past few years.

55:40And then what they do is they will also

55:42put like instrumental tracks in to kind

55:44of help fill in some of the gaps,

55:48some higher level thinking that's

55:50happening um and thinking of the lyrics

55:53more in a rhythmic sense.

55:56in our elementary schools, our general

55:58music classes. Um we've had our second

56:01annual u music appreciation night at the

56:04Jar School. Um the JAR concert is coming

56:07up this week. Hopefully you will be in

56:09attendance. Um the good good now school

56:12with uh Mrs. McGrath who is our lead

56:14teacher for elementary music. Um they

56:17had the Memorial Day assembly uh a few

56:20weeks ago. Um on June 12th, the Kane

56:24School is having their interactive night

56:26of the arts. So that's going to be a

56:28really cool opportunity for our

56:29students. Um the staff has been working

56:33uh diligently together during PLC time

56:36um to kind of come up with a curriculum

56:38that again follows the students through

56:41um kindergarten through their time in

56:43fifth grade. Um where the the focus is

56:46think in music. How can we think about,

56:49you know, our academic side in music?

56:52How can we think about the um rhythmic

56:55and and the melodic nature of music and

56:58things like that? This is actually going

57:00to be uh worked on more this summer. Um

57:02I was part of the uh curriculum review

57:05committee with Dr. Scaza and Mr. Henry

57:07and we are going to be doing more work

57:10um uh K through 12 over the summer to

57:14really align start the aligning process

57:16of our um curriculum.

57:20So like I said before the high school

57:22and middle school had many um many

57:24festivals that we went to this year. um

57:27jazz ensemble was uh fortunate to really

57:31show growth through our festivals by get

57:33earning a bronze medal at the Norwood

57:35Festival, a silver medal with a state

57:38invitation at the state f uh at the

57:39district festival for Maj and then uh

57:42gold medal at MAJ states which allowed

57:45us to perform at um the hatch cell in

57:48Boston and shout out to Mayor Dumis for

57:50being there. Uh really meant a lot to

57:52our kids. Uh, and I got to really brag

57:54about that to other teachers who barely

57:56have other, you know, parents come to

57:58their performances and here we are the

57:59mayor coming. So, that was pretty dope

58:00on my end. So, thank you for that. I

58:02>> I will say the former mayor was also

58:03there was

58:04>> Yes. Yes. I guess the former Yeah, I'm

58:06just collecting mayors at this point.

58:08So, um I've got I got a whole list of

58:10them from the inauguration. I'll I'll go

58:12back in time, too. Um, obviously our we

58:15have a lot of silver medalist wind

58:16ensemble. It was our um top score in um

58:20probably about 10 years. We were two

58:22points away from a gold medal. Concert

58:24band was the top score in about 10 years

58:26as well. Um the middle school went to

58:30Micah for the first time since CO. Um

58:32and kudos to those three ensembles. Um

58:36and a special shout out to Mrs. McDonald

58:38and the eighth grade chorus who earned a

58:40silver medal. So what's great about

58:42these festivals is students are

58:44receiving valuable feedback from some of

58:47the leading names in the industry. So,

58:49we're very fortunate for that

58:50experience, those experiences for the

58:52kids.

58:53>> Some staff updates. Uh, Mr. Jonathan

58:56Rosenthal just is finishing his 32nd

58:58year in the district. He's only ever

59:00taught in Malboro and he's done it all,

59:02man. He's like he's been with the little

59:04kids, he's been with the big kids. He

59:06hired me. Uh, like he used to be our

59:09boss and like so he's he's truly done it

59:11all. And another gift to our department.

59:14Uh, Courtney Wilmington actually on the

59:16other side finished her first year in

59:17Malbor. was lucky enough to serve as her

59:19mentor this year and the students are

59:21very fortunate to have her. She's very

59:23kind and cares deeply about them. Um I

59:26was fortunate enough to present at the

59:28Massachusetts Music Educators uh

59:30association all state conference this

59:32year. I did a presentation on working

59:34with your working with EL students in

59:36your music classes and ensembles. Julie

59:38McGrath over at Good Now received her

59:40mers in music education from Gordon

59:42College. But the coolest one up there is

59:44we um I think we're actually, you know,

59:47one and a half staff members now because

59:49we just got a new staff member in Nathan

59:51Levit, Ben Levit. Um one of our

59:54elementary music teachers and his wife

59:56were uh fortunate enough to bring baby

59:58Nathan into the world. So he's been on

1:00:00paternity leave and uh I mean look at

1:00:02how happy he looks. Uh he's going to be

1:00:05even happier when he has to do PLC's

1:00:07meetings with us next year.

1:00:10Um, here's some opportunities for us for

1:00:12growth moving forward. We need continual

1:00:14work on retention from middle school to

1:00:17high school. I think we have put the

1:00:19pieces in place to make that happen and

1:00:22hopefully we can start collecting data

1:00:23on that to show that the decisions that

1:00:25we are making right now are the right

1:00:27ones. Um, we were fortunate enough to

1:00:29meet with Dr. Defalco back in January as

1:00:31a full music staff and kind of create a

1:00:33four-year plan um as to how to really

1:00:36with the end being how do we get

1:00:38instrumental music back into our

1:00:40elementary schools. Um how do and next

1:00:42year we're bringing back chorus into the

1:00:44elementary school. Um so we're

1:00:46definitely moving in the right direction

1:00:47there. We need to continue to develop

1:00:49the music culture uh at the middle

1:00:51school with the new staff members and

1:00:52the new schedule. So the students and

1:00:54some of the students here who were part

1:00:56of those ensembles and middle schools,

1:00:57they had a different schedule every

1:00:58year. So now if we can find a concrete

1:01:01schedule that works, the students can

1:01:02really start building that culture of uh

1:01:04and be proud of what they're

1:01:06accomplishing. Um this summer we're

1:01:08going to continue to work to align our

1:01:10curriculum and we will continue to work

1:01:12to embed the district initiatives uh

1:01:14within our music lessons.

1:01:17We are very fortunate here in Malbor to

1:01:19have uh 10 very dedicated educators who

1:01:23care deeply about the success of our

1:01:25district and our students. Um, so it

1:01:27would be I would be remiss if I didn't

1:01:29shout them out. Um, it's kind of a dream

1:01:31team for us. Um, so with that, I will

1:01:34take your questions or I can keep

1:01:37talking and yammering on about anything

1:01:39you want, but I think Molly wants a

1:01:41happy meal at this point. Catherine.

1:01:43>> Okay. My quick is

1:01:46just like I was saying to Pete, your

1:01:49enthusiasm is absolutely infectious and

1:01:53since the day you got here, you are all

1:01:55in and I love it and thank you because

1:01:59um Marorrow has been known for music and

1:02:03continues to be an absolute beacon as

1:02:05far as our music and um you and yes, all

1:02:09of these folks make it happen. But um

1:02:12thank you for all of it. A tremendously

1:02:16wonderful program. Um Voices Required. I

1:02:19would be remiss if I didn't say they've

1:02:22also been involved in external programs.

1:02:25Um I myself have been a recipient of

1:02:28seeing that because they came over to um

1:02:33our church kind of hosts a coffee house

1:02:36if you will. And so, um, 5:00 Shadow,

1:02:40which Caleb, our own Caleb is a part of,

1:02:43a professional ac capella group, um,

1:02:46came to sing and Voices Required, has

1:02:49been over, uh, at Common Street Concerts

1:02:52a couple times. And it's great because

1:02:54it gives them all different exposure.

1:02:57Um, so I love that. And then my other

1:03:01little question for you that maybe you

1:03:03could maul over is any potential just

1:03:06like you extended um cheerleaders for

1:03:08the winter. Any potential of maybe a

1:03:11little small pep band that might be able

1:03:14to help at you know a winter or a spring

1:03:18thing? I love the idea. Sorry throwing

1:03:20it out at you.

1:03:22>> Thank you for that. Uh, so, uh, it's

1:03:25interesting you say that. We were, um,

1:03:26I've worked with Rods in my time here

1:03:29and then, um, Pete and I have become,

1:03:31uh, decent friends over our time here.

1:03:33And, um, we played at the field hockey

1:03:37senior night. I saw,

1:03:38>> which I think we may be the first ever

1:03:41band uh, pep band in the country that

1:03:44has ever played at a field hockey game.

1:03:46Um, so that's cool. Um, we definitely

1:03:49tried, um, I've been trying for a few

1:03:52years now to play one boys game and one

1:03:54girls game for basketball. Um, schedules

1:03:57have not permitted that. Um, when we get

1:04:00into January and February, that becomes

1:04:01some of our busy time. Um, plus the

1:04:04kids, as you know, are doing 150,000

1:04:08different things. U, but it's

1:04:09definitely, we've been talking about

1:04:11that. I know Pete wants me to perform at

1:04:13different things such as like swim meets

1:04:15and and baseball games, but again, it

1:04:17just it doesn't if we are able to do it

1:04:20and we able to make it work within the

1:04:22rules of the sport, um we can do that as

1:04:24well because I don't necessarily think

1:04:26um you know, the gymnastics team wants

1:04:28me playing, you know, shipping out to

1:04:30Boston is there's not going to be a

1:04:31floor routine.

1:04:33>> And and thank you for humoring me by by

1:04:36considering that. I just think about um

1:04:39we were really impressed when we went up

1:04:41to UMass LOL to to ice hockey games

1:04:44where my my middle child went, right?

1:04:47And seeing how great their pep band was.

1:04:50And so I thought about as you talk about

1:04:54many of our lums, they don't always, you

1:04:57know, have those opportunities of maybe

1:04:59getting involved in like the marching

1:05:00band at college, but maybe the pep band

1:05:04might be something. And again, it's

1:05:05trying to expand um their interests and

1:05:08and futures. So, absolutely.

1:05:10>> Sorry. Had

1:05:10>> No, it's good. It's good.

1:05:12>> So, thank you.

1:05:14>> You any other questions?

1:05:16>> Hello.

1:05:17>> Not questions because I know what you

1:05:18guys go through all the time. I I am so

1:05:21impressed. I I'm so proud of this music

1:05:23program. Matter of fact, I'm so proud.

1:05:25I'm jealous because when I went to high

1:05:27school, we didn't do half of this stuff.

1:05:29>> And I'm jealous of you as a teacher

1:05:30because you're such great students. I'm

1:05:32jealous of the students because they get

1:05:33to get benefits of you and the rest of

1:05:36the music staff who I really really have

1:05:38a great deal of respect for. The last

1:05:40couple of times I spoke was about middle

1:05:42school concerts and I praise the kids

1:05:44and I praise the audience completely

1:05:46left out the most important people in

1:05:47the room with the teachers and I can't

1:05:49thank them enough for doing what they

1:05:50do. I've done that job. I know what it's

1:05:53like. They have to work three times as

1:05:55hard because they got three times as

1:05:56many things they have to do. They have

1:05:57concerts. They have performances. They

1:05:59have rehearsals. And it just amazes me

1:06:01sometimes. My favorite picture of all

1:06:03the things you had up on that board was

1:06:05your second slide with the football

1:06:07player playing the tuba.

1:06:08>> That's my guy Jonas.

1:06:10>> That is amazing that that that happens

1:06:12in schools a lot of school system.

1:06:14That's not a that's not we say a comp

1:06:15complimentary or a very they don't get

1:06:18along a lot of times between athletics

1:06:19and this and I've been impressed for

1:06:21years with the fact I remember I went

1:06:22down I was going to something else at

1:06:24the high school and I got out of my car

1:06:26and was walking to the high school and

1:06:27the football team came back and I saw

1:06:30several kids running right away to get

1:06:32instruments because you guys were doing

1:06:34a concert. They were just in time to get

1:06:35in for it. I mean that just impresses me

1:06:37and what you've done with that young man

1:06:38on the piano. Same thing.

1:06:40>> That was all Mr. Rosenthal. I mean, it's

1:06:42just accessibility is one thing, but you

1:06:44know, being able to put that much into

1:06:46it and get so much out of it for the

1:06:48kids is incredible. The one thing, the

1:06:50last thing I'll say because I've talked

1:06:51way longer than I should.

1:06:53>> Um, thank thank you, Mr. Fon, for

1:06:55teaching me how to do that, by the way.

1:06:56But anyway, um, what's impressed me more

1:06:58about anything between the concerts I

1:07:01went to, the music association's

1:07:02banquet, and watching the awards given

1:07:05out by you guys today and the seniors is

1:07:08the genuine genuine affection and

1:07:11respect you guys have for each other.

1:07:14Just

1:07:16sorry about tearing up, but it's just so

1:07:18hard to see that these days. And I'm

1:07:20just I'm just impressed every time I

1:07:23walk into a room with a kid with an

1:07:25instrument or a cap of the voice starts

1:07:26doing something in Malro. You got to

1:07:28stop and do it. You got to watch, you

1:07:29got to listen, and you got to

1:07:30appreciate. So, thank you so much for

1:07:32everything you do.

1:07:33>> Thank you.

1:07:33>> Yeah.

1:07:34>> Anything else?

1:07:35>> I think if I I think one of my

1:07:37highlights was to see every single band

1:07:39member and chorus all on one stage at

1:07:41one time.

1:07:42>> Oh. And did lay miz I believe.

1:07:45>> That was a massive undertaking, by the

1:07:47way. But I can't tell you. I had I

1:07:49personally took a picture and like it

1:07:51was extremely phenomenal where you all

1:07:53came together and did that and I want to

1:07:55make sure that's highlighted because it

1:07:56I'm getting goosebumps when I'm thinking

1:07:58about it because it was to see everyone

1:08:00on that stage all working together and

1:08:02coming together for something so

1:08:03beautiful. It was really impressive. So

1:08:04kudos to you.

1:08:05>> Thank you. I again for the record it

1:08:07should be stated that um we are very

1:08:10fortunate here in Malbor to have such

1:08:11support of our administration, school

1:08:13committee members and the city. We

1:08:15consistently have school committee

1:08:17members at performances. The mayor comes

1:08:18to everything. We have uh city officials

1:08:21coming to everything. Uh it's great to

1:08:23see that in the audience and it's

1:08:24honestly it's great for our parents to

1:08:26see how much you all care about their

1:08:29kids. Um because it makes our job a lot

1:08:32easier when we have that support.

1:08:35>> It's an incredible talent and an

1:08:37inexpensive night on the town, I like to

1:08:39say. So, or else would I rather be on a

1:08:41Friday night.

1:08:41>> Unless you have to buy a lot of uh

1:08:43chocolate from the music association and

1:08:44then that could run you off.

1:08:46>> I did popcorn and it cost me lit. I

1:08:48still have bags in my in my cupboard.

1:08:51But kudos to you and and the entire

1:08:53team. So,

1:08:53>> anything else?

1:08:54>> Anything else? If not, we move on.

1:08:56>> Thank you.

1:08:56>> Thank you.

1:08:57>> Yeah, Molly has been so good.

1:08:59>> Nice job, Molly.

1:09:00>> Nice job, Molly.

1:09:04So again, just uh before moving to the

1:09:07next item, a big thank you to our music

1:09:09and athletics department. Um I know

1:09:11sometimes we like to pretend that kids

1:09:13come to school for math and science

1:09:15class. Maybe some do, which we'll know,

1:09:16you know,

1:09:18>> um math again. We're backing on math and

1:09:21graduation.

1:09:23>> But this is so important. I mean, this

1:09:25is so important. It's not just, you

1:09:28know, that it kind of provides a

1:09:30well-rounded experience, but

1:09:32opportunities really help our young

1:09:34people grow into the individuals they

1:09:36become. Um I know I lost my uh high

1:09:39school cross country and track coach uh

1:09:42and I've been out of high school a very

1:09:43long time and I still I went to his

1:09:45services last fall. I mean you these

1:09:47individuals just they leave a mark. They

1:09:49help you become who you are as a human

1:09:52being and uh cannot thank you and the

1:09:54teams that you represent enough. So

1:09:57thank you so much.

1:09:58>> Thank you.

1:10:00Um, still riding the high from Sunday.

1:10:03Uh, just a couple of quick highlights on

1:10:05graduation. Um, it was, uh, my first

1:10:08Malber High School graduation and it was

1:10:12quite remarkable. Um,

1:10:15I am just constantly stunned by the

1:10:20sense of joy and camaraderie and

1:10:23community and pride that exists um, in

1:10:27our school system and in our city,

1:10:28frankly. and uh so grateful to be part

1:10:31of that. The uh speeches were amazing. A

1:10:34tool I've listened to yours multiple

1:10:36times and I giggle every time because of

1:10:39your like, "Hello, it's me again." You

1:10:41know, my name's a tool in case you

1:10:42forgot from 10 minutes ago, right? It

1:10:45was really great.

1:10:46>> They just were all so powerful and it it

1:10:49just really speaks to who we are as a

1:10:52community. Um we graduated about 250

1:10:55students between our um Malbor High

1:10:57School and then our evening programs. Um

1:10:59and we have some some scholars who are

1:11:02still working at it and we'll have uh we

1:11:04think about u maybe 12 or so uh August

1:11:08graduates. Uh so we got a few friends

1:11:10that are still plugging away that we're

1:11:11still um cheering on and helping and

1:11:13very proud of. Um, but uh really can't

1:11:17wait to see what happens next uh for so

1:11:19many of our of our graduates and um

1:11:22definitely need to give Mrs. Casey a

1:11:25tremendous shout out. Uh truly she

1:11:29started the role Monday uh of last week

1:11:32and in her first week was able to move

1:11:35through so many different important um

1:11:37events and uh milestones to celebrate um

1:11:40the class of 26. and is recent of this

1:11:44morning with the awards. Um

1:11:46>> she puts that, you know, big box out and

1:11:49steps up onto it so she can reach the

1:11:50mic. Um and just, you know, delivers,

1:11:53you know, in a just such a powerful way.

1:11:55So, uh big shout out to Mrs. Casey and

1:11:58to the entire MHS team. Uh there is so

1:12:01much time, effort, and energy that goes

1:12:03into making sure that we recognize and

1:12:05honor our graduates um the way that we

1:12:08should and the way that we do. So, uh,

1:12:11very proud moment for me on Sunday and

1:12:13feel very grateful to be part of that.

1:12:16Um, moving on to our student attendance

1:12:19and enrollment update. In your packet

1:12:21this evening, uh, you have our updated

1:12:23numbers. Uh, very pleased that we are

1:12:25still on target, uh, at almost every

1:12:28school to exceed the, uh, chronically

1:12:31absent numbers that, um, in terms of

1:12:34reductions of that the Department of

1:12:35Education set for us um, our attendance.

1:12:39We are still working very hard right up

1:12:41until the 22nd which is our last day of

1:12:43school and it's a early release day and

1:12:46it's a Monday so that might not be the

1:12:48best attendance day but if you're

1:12:51watching please be at school uh because

1:12:53every moment counts. Um and speaking of

1:12:57every moment counting, uh my last item

1:12:59on the agenda for this evening is to

1:13:01talk about our summer learning

1:13:03opportunities. So, I'm going to ask

1:13:04members of our office of teaching and

1:13:06learning to join us at the podium and uh

1:13:09talk the school committee in the

1:13:10community through what we know is going

1:13:12to be a blockbuster summer learning

1:13:14experience for all students.

1:13:16>> Thank you. Good evening. I'm Heather

1:13:18Russo. I'm the K to2 math supervisor and

1:13:21this is Jennifer Ryan, the K to2

1:13:22literacy supervisor. And we are very

1:13:25excited that all students in Malbor

1:13:26public schools will have the opportunity

1:13:28to engage in summer learning this year.

1:13:30Even our newest and youngest learners,

1:13:32those students entering kindergarten,

1:13:34will be receiving a welcome to

1:13:35kindergarten bag when they attend

1:13:37screening this spring. Um, that includes

1:13:40a bunch of activities and books for them

1:13:42to complete and read over the summer. As

1:13:45Dr. Defalco mentioned, the primary

1:13:46purpose of summer reading and summer

1:13:48math work is to prevent the summer

1:13:50slide, the decline in skills over the

1:13:52break. Summer reading maintains academic

1:13:54momentum and encourages independent

1:13:56reading, while summer math ensures

1:13:58foundational skills remain sharp and

1:14:00refreshes prerequisite skills. Both

1:14:02content areas are going to prepare

1:14:04students for their upcoming coursework.

1:14:06The summer reading portion will be

1:14:08incorporated into early ELA assignments

1:14:10in September, and math skills will show

1:14:12up in units throughout the year. If

1:14:14students don't finish their summer work

1:14:16over break, they will have an

1:14:17opportunity to complete it after

1:14:18arriving back to school in September.

1:14:20And additionally, any students attending

1:14:22summer school through the district will

1:14:24be assisted in completing their

1:14:26assignments while they attend summer

1:14:28school at all levels. Other

1:14:30opportunities to support students who

1:14:32need extra help, such as afterchool

1:14:33tutoring when we return in September,

1:14:35will be announced at a later date.

1:14:40All materials for this work can be

1:14:42accessed on our new new um portion of

1:14:44our summer work website. So that's what

1:14:46we have projected here, our regular MPS

1:14:48website. You can see here we have a new

1:14:51button for summer learning.

1:14:54And so our summer learning homepage

1:14:57looks like this. Um and

1:14:59>> thank you Chris Henry for making this

1:15:00for us.

1:15:02>> This was a massive collaboration effort

1:15:05um at all levels. So we do have a site

1:15:07here and I'll walk you through a few of

1:15:08our pieces. Um all the links are posted

1:15:11here by separate grade for the grade

1:15:13level that students are entering for

1:15:14both ELA and math. Um, so for example,

1:15:17at the elementary level, you can see we

1:15:20have our kindergarten screening bag. The

1:15:22kindergarten bag is actual physical

1:15:24materials. So there isn't really, you

1:15:26know, much here. Um, but they're getting

1:15:28books, as Heather mentioned, um, in

1:15:29other activities, but for example, in

1:15:32third grade, ELA,

1:15:35um, the elementary all look very

1:15:36similar. Um,

1:15:39they have a homepage. Uh, we have

1:15:42literacy tips for parents and things

1:15:44that parents can do at home. also

1:15:46practical questions they can use to

1:15:48support student comprehension. And that

1:15:50page is translated um in the packet for

1:15:52families.

1:15:54And then at every level, we have book um

1:15:57suggestions. At the elementary level, we

1:15:59partnered with the public library as

1:16:01well as use the Scholastic Summer

1:16:03Reading Challenge just to give different

1:16:04categories and genres of books to read

1:16:07as well as places to read. So, it's kind

1:16:08of a a mix there.

1:16:11And then students can earn their badges

1:16:13and color them in as they read and they

1:16:16can log which books they read over the

1:16:17summer

1:16:19on the math side for example

1:16:25looks very similar. they have their uh 0

1:16:28to 120 chart and then again tips for

1:16:31parents at home how to support that

1:16:32summer learning and that page again is

1:16:34translated um and for tips for parents

1:16:39and then also what are we calling this

1:16:40the

1:16:40>> this connect for activity board with the

1:16:43five challenges for them to complete

1:16:45over the summer. Um, so they have all

1:16:46different ideas um and ways that they

1:16:48can incorporate math into their

1:16:49activities that they're going throughout

1:16:50the summer. And so again, those pages

1:16:52are translated. And then in addition,

1:16:56there are actual skill pages that will

1:16:58lead into the um program that we're

1:17:00using, the into math program. Um, and so

1:17:02that exists at all levels um both again

1:17:06at the middle school level as well. We

1:17:08do have callouts for our accelerated

1:17:09pathway. Those students will be

1:17:11accessing the grade level work for the

1:17:12grade above where they are now. and then

1:17:15also at the high school as well broken

1:17:18into the grade that they're entering or

1:17:21the course that they're taking. Um so

1:17:23for all um of the PDFs are here online.

1:17:26They are also being printed as packets

1:17:28physically to go out to students early

1:17:30next week. Um the Malver public library

1:17:32is doing virtual visits at our

1:17:34elementary schools this week to tour the

1:17:35library and show and explain what's

1:17:36going on there. and the librarian, the

1:17:38teen librarian is coming to Wickcom next

1:17:40week or this week and next week um to

1:17:42talk to the kids about summer reading

1:17:44and accessing the library as well. The

1:17:46only exception to the printed packets is

1:17:48the high school math and high school

1:17:50advanced placement courses. All of that

1:17:52summer work is housed in Google

1:17:53Classrooms um so that students will be

1:17:55able to access that and comment and be

1:17:57able to um link and get support through

1:17:59their teachers over the summer.

1:18:02>> Thank you.

1:18:04Um, so your goosebumps and your tears,

1:18:08I'm about ready to like jump out of my

1:18:10skin.

1:18:11Literally

1:18:13amazing. Absolutely phenomenal. Amazing.

1:18:19I know you are representative of of a

1:18:22bunch of folks and and you too, Mr.

1:18:25Henry. I cannot even tell you. I don't

1:18:28have kids in the system anymore. And I

1:18:30am just like so thrilled about this. Um,

1:18:35as a parent, I can remember getting the

1:18:39eye of my children when I would hand

1:18:41them uh workbooks for the summer to try

1:18:45and stop the slide, you know, um, from

1:18:48myself.

1:18:51Absolutely amazing. I don't know other

1:18:54school districts that are this thorough.

1:18:58And I thank you from the bottom of my

1:19:01heart for getting this done. And I'm

1:19:03also going to look right across at you

1:19:05because this was one of our first

1:19:07conversations that we had was about

1:19:11summerslide and you said to me, "Not

1:19:14going to happen." Thank you. I I know

1:19:18that parents all over the community are

1:19:22grateful

1:19:23um for this. So phenomenal. Thank you.

1:19:31>> I think she said

1:19:32>> she says it all, but I I like I I was

1:19:35blown away really at at the

1:19:38comprehensive nature of what you put

1:19:40together and it's not what I was I like

1:19:42I didn't know what to expect and I was

1:19:44clicking on these and I was just like

1:19:46blown away. So I really great work. I

1:19:50really appreciate it.

1:19:53>> I think the badges are going to make it.

1:19:55The badges are great.

1:19:58As um

1:20:00parent of a rising second grader, the

1:20:03badges will be what gets this done in

1:20:06our house. So, thank you.

1:20:09>> Anything else?

1:20:13>> Thank you.

1:20:14>> Yeah, we're good with your report,

1:20:15right? I think it's the longest report

1:20:17we've ever had.

1:20:17>> I'm sorry.

1:20:19>> Sorry, not sorry.

1:20:20>> Don't be sorry, not sorry.

1:20:22>> So, let's uh What?

1:20:26Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know your

1:20:27evaluations do how fitting, right? Yeah,

1:20:29I know. Um, moving on. Shall we to

1:20:32assistant superintendent teaching and

1:20:34learning stuff?

1:20:36>> Extremely tough acts to follow this

1:20:39evening, but I'm going to try my best

1:20:41with a presentation around the end of

1:20:44the year data. And I don't feel as bad

1:20:47for myself as I do for Mr. Sadiki, who

1:20:50has to follow this presentation.

1:20:52Um, so as I get connected here, um, I

1:20:56just want to say a couple things. I want

1:20:57to thank the members of the Office of

1:20:59Teaching and Learning who are in

1:21:00attendance tonight because not only did

1:21:02they present, they're also here to

1:21:04support, uh, my presentation on the end

1:21:06of the year data, which I'm very pleased

1:21:08and honored to to uh, share with school

1:21:11committee members tonight

1:21:13and the public as well. I also want to

1:21:15mention that Mr. Verdone. He's not here

1:21:17any longer, but he failed to mention

1:21:19that I played guitar at the Tri. Um,

1:21:23gave it my best effort. I hadn't played

1:21:25in a year. Um, and received an honorary

1:21:28induction. I was very privileged.

1:21:33Mr. Cruso was there. He can attest.

1:21:40So, um, this evening I will be sharing

1:21:42student performance data in two areas,

1:21:44achievement and growth. Um, similar to

1:21:46how I did with the beginning of the year

1:21:48and the middle of the year data, uh,

1:21:50I'll be referencing the Northeast

1:21:52Evaluation Association, otherwise known

1:21:54as NWA assessment. And I will talking I

1:21:58will be talking about measures of

1:21:59academic progress with achievement and

1:22:02growth in both ELA and math,

1:22:04specifically growth targets as that is

1:22:06the goal that we have set as a district

1:22:08that I will bring your attention to in a

1:22:10moment. During the presentation, I will

1:22:12be referencing um these percentiles by

1:22:14grade as well as the percentage of

1:22:16students who met growth target by grade

1:22:18and I will highlight end ofear successes

1:22:20in areas focused of focus based on the

1:22:23most recent spring assessment period. I

1:22:26will conclude with current steps that

1:22:27Marbor Public Schools leaders will be

1:22:29taking as well as preliminary plans that

1:22:31the leadership team has identified uh to

1:22:34push instructional practices and student

1:22:36outcomes forward prior to the launch of

1:22:37the 2627 school year this coming fall.

1:22:41And then I just have have a caveat here.

1:22:44Um at the time that I created this

1:22:46presentation, we will we're still in the

1:22:48process of testing students. Uh grades

1:22:50eight and 10 were not yet finished

1:22:52testing. So you'll see incomplete data

1:22:53for those grade levels and there may be

1:22:56a couple of percentage points that will

1:22:57need need to be adjusted as we finalize

1:22:59the data. Uh and Dr. Defalco and I will

1:23:02present that information in an updated

1:23:04form to school committee. So as we move

1:23:07through um my presentation here, I also

1:23:10want to note that I received uh a

1:23:13commendation on the format of this

1:23:15presentation. It was Miss Ryan, I

1:23:17believe, and a couple others. So I um I

1:23:22refused the urge to beautify the slide

1:23:25and just kept it in a standard format

1:23:28here. So hopefully um it is easy to

1:23:31read. Again, the district goal is that

1:23:33at least 60% of students in each grade

1:23:35level K through 10 will meet or exceed

1:23:37their projected growth target as me

1:23:38measured by the NWA assessment. We're

1:23:40all familiar with that goal. Um and as

1:23:44you can see by this visual, hopefully it

1:23:46is clear to you. um in the audience and

1:23:49at home. We have with the data that was

1:23:52available at the time that this

1:23:54presentation was created, eight out of

1:23:56nine grades met or exceeded the 60%

1:23:59growth target with grades one and two

1:24:02making the most overall growth. And it

1:24:03you can see that grade six I will update

1:24:06that percentage as it could have moved

1:24:08one way or the other. Um, and then as

1:24:10noted in the bar graph, you do not have

1:24:13a percentage for grade eight or grade

1:24:1610, but every other grade level that was

1:24:19tested is either right at that 60% as

1:24:22you can see with grades three uh and

1:24:24four or above the 60% or higher um with

1:24:29the highest growth noted here in reading

1:24:32in grade one at nearly um 75%.

1:24:38Then you move on to math where you also

1:24:41have very remarkable outcomes with nine

1:24:44out of 10 10 grades who met or exceeded

1:24:46the 60% growth target in math. Um a lot

1:24:50of our principles who I've spoken with

1:24:52are really attributing some of this

1:24:54growth and achievement to the new math

1:24:56program at the uh elementary level in

1:24:58particular, but it should be noted that

1:25:00we introduced new curriculum to Whitcom

1:25:01recently as well. Um so if you look at

1:25:05um those data points, you have

1:25:07tremendous growth in a number of areas.

1:25:10Uh in particular, grades three, four,

1:25:12and five, right at that heart of the

1:25:15primary grades where you you typically

1:25:17see a slip in achievement and growth. Um

1:25:20we are getting kids at those very

1:25:22pivotal grade levels to to turn the

1:25:24corner and in this case this school year

1:25:27show some tremendous growth.

1:25:30uh grade 10 noted was not finished

1:25:32testing when this data was run. So that

1:25:3540% mark of uh growth in math is going

1:25:39to change there. There were a number of

1:25:41students who hadn't finalized their

1:25:43test.

1:25:46Moving on to the achievement comparison.

1:25:49So I have three graphs or sorry three

1:25:52visuals there from fall, winter, and

1:25:53spring. And you can kind of see how the

1:25:56percentiles

1:25:57uh moved. And I'm pleased to report that

1:26:01they moved in an upward direction with

1:26:07um most grades here. You have six out of

1:26:10nine grade levels that made an overall

1:26:14achievement growth um from fall to

1:26:17winter and then winter to spring. So, if

1:26:20you can just scale and I put those lines

1:26:22to just kind of help you with the

1:26:24incomplete testing. I had to kind of uh

1:26:27omit some of the grade levels, but you

1:26:28can see how they um track um side to

1:26:32side with K moving from winter to spring

1:26:3643rd to 47th percentile. Grade 1 jumping

1:26:40from 43rd to 48th and again this is in

1:26:43reading. Grade two jumping from 41st to

1:26:4654th.

1:26:47uh grade three increasing from 46

1:26:50percentile to the 48th. Uh we had a

1:26:53slight dip of one percentile point in

1:26:55grade four. Um a slight increase from in

1:26:59grade five of 40 uh sorry 54 percentile

1:27:03for fourth percentile to 57th

1:27:05percentile. Uh grade six a slight one

1:27:10percentile decrease of 44th to 43rd.

1:27:13Another slight decrease in grade seven

1:27:16of 51st to 48th and then uh a tremendous

1:27:20uh growth in grade nine of the 55th

1:27:23percentile in reading from winter to in

1:27:26the spring a 70th percentile ranking

1:27:29which is very high. Uh and again I will

1:27:31get you the grade 10 data for both

1:27:34reading and math when it becomes

1:27:35available. So we have a lot of great

1:27:37success here to celebrate.

1:27:40Moving on to the winter achievement

1:27:42percentiles. You can see that we kind of

1:27:45stayed even Steven here winter to spring

1:27:47with kindergarten but at a relatively

1:27:50high uh achievement percentile the 60th

1:27:53percentile. We increased in grade one

1:27:55from 50 uh sorry 40 the 46th percentile

1:27:58to the 53rd. We increased in grade two

1:28:01from the 52nd percentile to the 63rd.

1:28:05And grade three we had another increase

1:28:09of 50 the 51st percentile to the 59th.

1:28:12We had we continued to increase in those

1:28:15pivotal grades that I was talking about

1:28:16with grades um three, four and five in

1:28:20achievement percentile 47th in grade

1:28:22four winter and then 56 percentile in

1:28:25spring. That's a nice uh achievement

1:28:27percentile growth and as well as in

1:28:30grade five. And grade five has been a

1:28:32grade that we've really been targeting

1:28:35over the last handful of years because

1:28:37that's the grade I I hate to say but

1:28:40it's kind of like a make or break. like

1:28:41you really want to push them in the

1:28:42right direction before they head to the

1:28:44middle school. And for our grade five

1:28:46students across the board to be

1:28:48performing in the 65th percentile uh

1:28:50based on their spring assessment data,

1:28:52that is that's a good mark right there.

1:28:55Um

1:28:56continuing on into grade six with a

1:28:59slight increase, 41st percentile to the

1:29:0143rd, grade seven with a slight increase

1:29:03of from the 41st percentile to the 46th.

1:29:06And then you have to just omit grade

1:29:08eight. We didn't have the spring data

1:29:10yet. Uh grade nine uh slight decrease of

1:29:14from the 51st percentile to the 48th and

1:29:16no data was available for grade 10 at

1:29:19the time.

1:29:22So to wrap everything up here and then

1:29:24turn it over to Mr. Sadiki, uh we have

1:29:27some highlights. Uh 74% of students met

1:29:30their growth target in grade 1 reading.

1:29:33That's something very important to note

1:29:36because you hear about how important it

1:29:39is to get kids at a reading readiness

1:29:43state in that grade level. And with 74%

1:29:47of students making growth in that grade

1:29:49level, it's a good indicator that we are

1:29:50headed in the right direction. Grade

1:29:52nine is currently performing in the 70th

1:29:54achievement percentile in reading and

1:29:5675% of students in grades three, four,

1:29:58and five. again those very pivotal years

1:30:00right in the middle of their um their

1:30:03academic journey uh met the growth

1:30:04target in math. So kudos to those

1:30:07students and those teachers in grades

1:30:09three and four three four and five steps

1:30:11taken in and next steps each principal

1:30:13will be presenting school-based endofear

1:30:16data to the leadership team. What's

1:30:18today? Tuesday on Thursday. So we have

1:30:21um those presentations where the

1:30:22principles will get a chance to showcase

1:30:24some of their data by school um and

1:30:26really talk about uh the gains and

1:30:29successes uh by each school. We're

1:30:31looking forward to th those

1:30:33presentations and that will allow for

1:30:34some additional brainstorming and

1:30:36calibration around like what next and

1:30:38where to focus. Uh and then each

1:30:41principal will be meeting with grade

1:30:42level teams to review the grade level

1:30:44data with those individuals. It's a

1:30:46really nice moment for the teachers to

1:30:48hear about the fruits of their labor to

1:30:50celebrate their successes and then get

1:30:52ready to share those successes with

1:30:53their students and the students

1:30:55families. The Office of Teaching and

1:30:57Learning and the Office of Student

1:30:58Services is reviewing data by subgroups.

1:31:00We're starting those exercises very soon

1:31:02to look at specific subgroups such as

1:31:04English learners and special education

1:31:06students to determine any initial

1:31:08program uh considerations for next

1:31:10school year.

1:31:12And then finally, my closing remarks and

1:31:14questions. Um, save a little time for

1:31:17questions. After the middleofyear

1:31:19period, we were confident and I remember

1:31:21sitting in this seat and saying we're

1:31:22headed in the right direction to meet

1:31:24our district goal. And I am very pleased

1:31:27to announce that with the data that I

1:31:29had available to me at the time of the

1:31:31this uh the creation of this

1:31:32presentation, we are very close with 17

1:31:34out of 19 grade levels meeting or

1:31:36exceeding this target. So,

1:31:38congratulations to the Marvel public

1:31:39schools and our students. We'll begin

1:31:41identifying preliminary correlations

1:31:42between NWA performance ranges and

1:31:45projected MCCAST performance because

1:31:47ideally this data translates into um

1:31:51good student achievement and performance

1:31:53um that we are hoping for on the MCCAST

1:31:56uh standardized assessment. And then

1:31:59finally, we have put a lot of time and

1:32:01effort into strengthening our tier one

1:32:03core programs. Uh the people in the

1:32:06audience here from the OTL in

1:32:08conjunction with the principles and

1:32:09other members of the leadership team and

1:32:11their school staffs have really

1:32:13dedicated a lot of blood, sweat, and

1:32:14tears into making sure these programs

1:32:16were implemented with integrity. And

1:32:19tonight we get to see some of those

1:32:20results. So I'm very pleased um with

1:32:24performance and we will continue to work

1:32:26at making sure these core programs are

1:32:28accessible to all learners. With all

1:32:30that being said, I'll open it up to

1:32:32questions.

1:32:34um redirect those to a tool and then we

1:32:37can close.

1:32:41>> Amazing. I mean, tonight we're going to

1:32:45keep wearing out that word only because

1:32:47I mean, this is great. Teachers, thank

1:32:50you. This is fantastic. Um, and I know

1:32:55it hasn't come easy because there were a

1:32:57lot of different changes thrown at

1:33:00everyone and you guys all rose to the

1:33:04challenge which I'm not surprised about.

1:33:06But

1:33:08bless you. I mean, um,

1:33:12every single child, that's our job,

1:33:14right? To meet every single child and

1:33:17you're showing it right here. Um, so

1:33:20thank you literally. Um, I hope our

1:33:24community can really see this and hear

1:33:26this.

1:33:29This district is really showing we are

1:33:31here for every single child to help to

1:33:34get them to where they can be and help

1:33:36that potential. Amazing work. Thank you.

1:33:41>> Anyone else?

1:33:44No. Okay, moving on. All righty. So,

1:33:47school business manager, Mr. Muhammad.

1:33:50>> Right. Wow. What a positive night. I'll

1:33:53try not to drain all the positive energy

1:33:55out of this room. Um

1:33:59I have two items on my on my list today.

1:34:02Uh first one is uh transportation and

1:34:05the other one is um rel related to food

1:34:08services. So

1:34:11um I promise I'll end this on a positive

1:34:13note. So um uh so first of all um to

1:34:18give you an update on a current current

1:34:20transportation situation uh

1:34:22unfortunately there is no resolution yet

1:34:25and a while the negotiations between NRT

1:34:28and Teamsters Union um remain ongoing um

1:34:33transportation services continues to

1:34:35operate with uh substitute drivers and

1:34:38monitors. Um also I wanted to share that

1:34:42yesterday a consent order injunction was

1:34:44issued um um following uh prior

1:34:49inappropriate behavior related to a

1:34:52strike activity. So both teamsters and

1:34:55teamers and NRT have agreed to a court

1:34:58order uh which establishes clear

1:35:00expectations for conduct and um

1:35:04picketing activity. So while we're not

1:35:08involved directly in the negotiations,

1:35:11um we continue to encourage progress

1:35:13towards a fair resolution. Um district

1:35:18recognizes the impact the situation has

1:35:20had on students, families, and and

1:35:23appreciates the continued um patience,

1:35:26flexibility, and support of the Marro

1:35:29community. Um and and as always, we will

1:35:32continue to keep the school community

1:35:34and Mar community informed as additional

1:35:36information and updates become

1:35:39available.

1:35:40Um so second part of my transportation

1:35:43update is is related to our summer and

1:35:46fall planning that we have been doing.

1:35:48So, uh, to begin summer programming, we

1:35:51are on track to have majority of our

1:35:53students identified this week and we

1:35:56will turn that data over to NRT to start

1:36:00the the routing process. Um, and uh, we

1:36:03expect to have finalized summer bus

1:36:05routes by approximately um, June 27

1:36:0922nd, which is our last day. So right

1:36:12around that um time which gives them

1:36:14about 2 weeks to establish the routes to

1:36:17support our summer programs and also

1:36:21I've been um given updates on our fall

1:36:24planning um in the past in the past

1:36:27meetings and um in the past I've talked

1:36:30about

1:36:32um the locking zones being eliminated

1:36:35you know how the registration process

1:36:37and tonight I wanted to highlight um

1:36:40some um some uh we we're looking at some

1:36:45uh the routes and I wanted to share some

1:36:48timelines for the routes that that we

1:36:52are looking to um initiate. So initially

1:36:56we will submit the static data at the

1:37:00end of the school year around June 23rd

1:37:03and then shortly after that we will

1:37:05schedule

1:37:07um weekly meetings to check in with NRT

1:37:10to monitor progress and from there um

1:37:14after our summer program ends we will

1:37:17start working with the live data around

1:37:20August 4th and that week we'll uh review

1:37:24or we'll evaluate valuate the routes and

1:37:27uh we expect NRT to have a finalized

1:37:30routes and and be posted uh by August

1:37:3310th. So those are our timelines for the

1:37:37route um creation and posting and

1:37:40throughout this process we'll continue

1:37:42to share updates uh as enrollment data

1:37:45evolves and provide timely communication

1:37:48to families. Our goal remains to ensure

1:37:51accurate planning, clear communication,

1:37:54and smooth start to the school year with

1:37:56this proactive planning. So, um and

1:38:02and the second item on my list that I'm

1:38:05really excited to share about, you know,

1:38:08um to bring back that energy into the

1:38:10room is um you know, our summer food

1:38:14program. Uh we marro so we are expanding

1:38:18this program uh this year uh to provide

1:38:22great access uh to free um summer meals

1:38:26for uh children's ages 0 to 18. So this

1:38:31is a federally funded program that

1:38:33supports children families in um in

1:38:36incomequalified areas by helping address

1:38:40food insecurity during the summer

1:38:43months. So this year, Malro is adding

1:38:46three new public park locations in

1:38:48addition to uh Malro Public Schools,

1:38:51public library. There are no residency

1:38:55requirement. Any child aged 0 to 18 may

1:38:59receive a meal at an open public site.

1:39:01Meals will continue to be individually

1:39:04packaged and must be consumed on site to

1:39:09um in accordance with program

1:39:10requirement. And also our the the major

1:39:13supporter of this program is Project

1:39:15Bread and they have a website where

1:39:17families can go and and and um look at

1:39:22locations and and find um the service

1:39:26times across Massachusetts and Malboro

1:39:27is one of them too. Um meal service will

1:39:30be offered at both closed enrolled

1:39:34school sites which which serves only

1:39:36students enrolled in the in the programs

1:39:38and open community sites serving all

1:39:41children's ages 0 to 18 and uh for

1:39:45closed enroll school sites um locations

1:39:48are good now elementary uh Malbor High

1:39:52School Whitcom Middle School Kain

1:39:54Elementary and Aspet Valley for open

1:39:57public site

1:39:59um sites locations are Malboro Public

1:40:01Library, Ward Hill Park, Stevens Park,

1:40:05and Gillan Park. Um and I have the the

1:40:09um the timings and the dates which which

1:40:12will be listed on the Project Bread

1:40:14website for the families to um look at.

1:40:17And the expansion of location of of

1:40:20these locations particularly into

1:40:22community parks is intended to improve

1:40:24accessibility and ensure that children

1:40:28have access to nutritious meals

1:40:30throughout summer. And also um the SF SP

1:40:34summer application that we submitted

1:40:36into the portal has been approved by

1:40:38DESC.

1:40:40Um so so I'm very excited to share that

1:40:43news with everyone.

1:40:45>> That's great. Yeah,

1:40:47>> thanks to the recreation department for

1:40:49for opening the parks because there was

1:40:51a lot of collaboration with that as

1:40:52well. So,

1:40:53>> thank you.

1:40:54>> And kudos to all the all the people that

1:40:56put this together this year. So,

1:40:58>> that's great.

1:40:59>> Yeah.

1:41:00>> Good.

1:41:02Thank you.

1:41:03>> Thank you.

1:41:04>> Okay, we're moving on to the acceptance

1:41:07of minutes. Minutes of May 12th, 2026

1:41:10school committee meeting. A motion to

1:41:13accept the minutes of the May 12th, 2026

1:41:16school committee meeting.

1:41:17>> Motion on the table and seconded

1:41:18questions, comments, concerns regarding

1:41:20the minutes from May 12th, 2026. Seeing

1:41:23none, all in favor? Motion carries.

1:41:25Thank you. Favorite part. Public

1:41:27comment. Are there any public comment?

1:41:31Public comment going once. Seeing none.

1:41:34Any public comment going twice?

1:41:37Seeing none, last and final chance for

1:41:39any public comment. Seeing that, we'll

1:41:42close the public comment section. Moving

1:41:44on to acceptance of donations and gifts,

1:41:46we have a anonymous donation to cane for

1:41:51$300 for ice cream for cane grade one.

1:41:58>> Motion to approve.

1:42:00>> Thank you. Motion

1:42:01>> to accept.

1:42:02>> Seconded. Questions, comments, concerns

1:42:04regard any ice cream for the kiddos?

1:42:06Seeing none, all in favor? Motion

1:42:08carries. And we actually have a best

1:42:11buddies leadership conference that we

1:42:13need to vote on. So I don't anyone has

1:42:16any questions, comments regarding best

1:42:18buddies in the conference. It's all in

1:42:19your packet. Not we need a motion to

1:42:22approve and can go to the conference.

1:42:25>> Um I I does anybody know anything about

1:42:28it?

1:42:30>> Oh okay.

1:42:34>> Thank you.

1:42:36>> Hello. Good evening. My name is Marissa

1:42:38Ivonian. I'm one of the educational team

1:42:40leaders uh in the special education

1:42:41department at Malboro High School. Um

1:42:44yes, I do know about it. Um we um have

1:42:47had best buddies in the district um or

1:42:50at the high school for several years

1:42:52now. We've never had the opportunity to

1:42:54send a student to the leadership um

1:42:57conference, which is a national

1:42:58leadership conference. Um up until this

1:43:01year, there was a student that wanted to

1:43:03go. She was willing to pay for it at her

1:43:05own expense. Um, her name is Amy

1:43:07Wiscowska.

1:43:09And, um, I just wanted to say I did I

1:43:13have a little thank you. Um, I would

1:43:15like to extend my sincere gratitude to

1:43:16school committee for its continued

1:43:18support of our Best Buddies program and

1:43:20its commitment to creating meaningful

1:43:22opportunities for our students. This

1:43:25year, thanks to the generosity of Jod

1:43:27O'Brien and special education grant

1:43:29funding, Amy will have the opportunity

1:43:32to represent the national represent our

1:43:35district at the National Best Buddies

1:43:36Leadership Conference at Indiana

1:43:39University. Uh, attending this

1:43:41conference will provide Amy with

1:43:43invaluable leadership training,

1:43:45opportunities to collaborate with her

1:43:46peers from across the country, and a

1:43:49chance to bring back new ideas and best

1:43:51practices that will strengthen

1:43:53inclusion, friendship initiatives in our

1:43:56schools. Uh, thank you for investing pro

1:43:59in our programs and experiences that

1:44:01empower our students to become

1:44:03compassionate leaders and advocates for

1:44:05inclusion. Um it is a three and a half

1:44:08day um workshop in Indiana uh July 17th

1:44:13through the 20th.

1:44:17>> Terrific. And I I did notice that she

1:44:19got a number of awards this morning. So

1:44:21she's busy beaver. Um is she going by

1:44:25herself or like her parents are there?

1:44:27>> Yeah, she is. And that was a question

1:44:29that was brought up before we even um

1:44:32pursued this. similar to if anybody's

1:44:34been involved in um boy state or girl

1:44:38state.

1:44:39>> Yes.

1:44:39>> Um typically advisors don't go. It is a

1:44:43leadership opportunity for young people.

1:44:45>> Um

1:44:46>> when you do boys or girl state, it's

1:44:48actually in your own state. This happens

1:44:50to be in Indiana.

1:44:51>> Okay.

1:44:52>> Um yeah.

1:44:54>> Any further questions?

1:44:55>> Terrific.

1:44:57>> No. Move to approve.

1:45:00>> Move is on move to approve is on the

1:45:01table and seconded. Any other further

1:45:03questions, comments, concerns? Seeing

1:45:04none, all in favor?

1:45:06>> Motion carries.

1:45:07>> Thank you all very much. Thank you.

1:45:09Thank you for coming.

1:45:12>> Reports of school committee

1:45:13subcommittee.

1:45:16>> Oh, yes. Catherine,

1:45:17>> um we're going to have a policy meeting

1:45:20coming up. Um I haven't put out the um

1:45:25meeting information yet because we were

1:45:27trying to narrow down on dates and it

1:45:29looks like it's going to land on the

1:45:3217th um which unfortunately I think Mr.

1:45:35Gary was not able to meet but out of

1:45:38everyone I think we were kind of needing

1:45:40to land on that date. So I'll be posting

1:45:43that shortly.

1:45:46>> Thank you. Move on to members forum.

1:45:51Yes.

1:45:53>> Is this your last meeting or we you're

1:45:55going to come to the last one? Oh,

1:45:57awesome. Okay, we'll fetch you then. Uh,

1:46:01just a reminder, June 12th is Friday.

1:46:05I'll be looking for something from all

1:46:08of you in my inbox regarding the

1:46:10superintendent's

1:46:12evaluation.

1:46:14Thank you.

1:46:18>> Yes. Um wanted to say thank you so much

1:46:21um Jody and everyone that pulled

1:46:24together for the Special Olympics. Um

1:46:27absolutely phenomenal day. Um loved

1:46:32being able to be a part of what I could

1:46:34and um the smiles on the faces of not

1:46:37only the kids but the staff and the

1:46:40parents. Um really great. And I hope you

1:46:43walked around smiling from ear to ear

1:46:45too because um really really was

1:46:48absolutely fantastic.

1:46:50>> It was uh thank you and a special shout

1:46:52out to Nick Rolando and Michaela Mahoney

1:46:55who uh really took the the lead on on

1:46:58organizing all of the liaison from the

1:47:00schools. It was a great day and uh it's

1:47:04you know becoming that annual event that

1:47:06we wanted to get back to um postco uh

1:47:09pre-COVID.

1:47:10>> Yeah.

1:47:12phenomenal. And um the other thing was

1:47:15um this morning the underassman awards

1:47:18um was really really fun. Um I wish I

1:47:23had been able to take videos of two two

1:47:28of our uh unified students because if

1:47:32you had been there to see it and

1:47:35obviously a number of you all are uh you

1:47:38know you know what you saw. I mean, it

1:47:40just filled your heart with absolute

1:47:44pure joy. Um, thrilled for themselves on

1:47:48winning awards, if you will, but also

1:47:52hearing everyone cheering for each

1:47:54other. Um it just that's about the

1:47:58kindness and and I said to um Liz

1:48:02Horatio when we were de Horatio when we

1:48:05were talking right before um she had to

1:48:08quickly get up on stage that we didn't

1:48:10realize about or whatever. I loved like

1:48:12the core value awards. Um those were

1:48:17really meaningful. um you know,

1:48:21you guys put a lot of heart and effort

1:48:23into everything and um the kids being

1:48:26able to emulate um the kindness and the

1:48:29respect and the thing it's it really

1:48:31means a lot. So, um just was really

1:48:34great to be there. Thanks.

1:48:37>> Anyone else from members forum

1:48:41>> other than congratulations class of

1:48:422026? Yeah,

1:48:45>> said that there's nothing else.

1:48:48>> Move to adjourn.

1:48:49>> Move to adjourns on the table and

1:48:50seconded. All in favor of

1:48:54we are journed at 9:19. Thank you

1:48:57everyone. Have a great night.