Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts - January 8, 2014
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday, Regular
January 8, 2014 in the City Council Chambers at City Hall. Present were Meeting
Mr. Paul Bregoli, Mr. Noel DiBona, Ms. Barbara Isola, Mayor Thomas Koch,
Mrs. Anne Mahoney, Mr. David McCarthy, and Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Vice Chair.
Vice-Chair
Presiding
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The Superintendent called the roll and all were present. Also present were:
Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk; Mr. Michael
Draicchio, Mrs. Mary Fredrickson, Ms. Beth Hallett, Mr. James Mullaney,
Deputy Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Mrs. Maura Papile, Mrs. Erin Perkins,
Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla, Ms. Judy Todd; Ms. Hayley Forbes, North
Quincy High School Representative to the School Committee; Ms. Lindsay
Schrier, Quincy High School Representative to the School Committee; Ms.
Paula Reynolds, Co-President, Citywide Parents' Council; and Ms. Allison Cox,
President, Quincy Education Association.
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There was a moment of silence in honor of those in service overseas.
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Regular Meeting Minutes Approved
12/11/2013
Mr. Bregoli made a motion, seconded by Ms. Isola to approve the Regular
Meeting minutes for December 11, 2013. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Organizational Meeting Minutes Approved 1/6/2014
Ms. Isola made a motion, seconded by Mr. McCarthy to approve the
Organizational Meeting minutes for January 6, 2014. On a voice vote, the have it.
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Open Forum
As no one wished to speak at Open Forum, School Committee moved on to the
next item on the agenda.
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Superintendent's
Report
Mayor Koch thanked those involved in the Inauguration held Monday, January 6
at Central Middle School. He thanked the event organizers, including Keith
Segalla, Kevin Segalla, and Kevin Murphy and especially the many students who
were an important part of the event, including the string musician ensemble,
tour guides, the Culinary Arts students who prepared and served, and the
combined high school chorus. Mayor Koch welcomed Mr. DiBona as a new
member to the School Committee, thanked Ms. Isola for two great years as Vice
Chair, and congratulated Mrs. Hubley on her election as Vice Chair
Dr. DeCristofaro then introduced the Inspire Quincy video featuring selections
from the recent holiday concerts, Drug Awareness Week presentations, and the
elementary school Parent Academy.
Mr. DiBona met with Dr. DeCristofaro and members of the Superintendent’s
Leadership Team on Monday, January 6. This orientation meeting was focused
on the Quincy Public Schools Budget, Special Education, Student Support Service,
and School Committee Policy.
January 6 through 10 is Substance Abuse Awareness Week, sponsored by the
Mayor's Office and Student Support Services. Presentations were held at each
high school featuring John Morello and Chris Herren.
The South Shore YMCA has received a grant from the USA Swimming Foundation
that will fund a Winter Learn to Swim program for Grades 3-4 students from
Lincoln Hancock and Clifford Marshall at the Lincoln Hancock pool. The Middle
School Competitive Swimming Skills program will again be held on the February
and April vacation weeks.
In the December 2013 issue of the DESE Educator Evaluation e-newsletter,
Quincy Public Schools was featured for the efforts to engage educators at all
levels to identify and develop District-Determined Measures. The
Superintendent is proud that the collaboration between teaching and
administrative staff is being recognized for this valuable work.
A Parent Academy was held January 7 at the Central Middle School. Parents
from Grades K through 5 were introduced to the Journeys Reading program and
then participated in education technology breakout sessions hosted by
elementary school principals. Parent evaluations were appreciative of the
information shared, particularly about the web-based technology that can be
used at home. On January 28, middle school parents will have the opportunity to
learn about the Aspen Student Portal. On March 18, an overview of Assessment
will be presented and transitions for Grades 8-9 students will be covered in a
subsequent workshop still to be scheduled. Dr. DeCristofaro thanked the
elementary principals and curriculum team members for their leadership.
Holiday Concerts were held at each school during the month of December. Dr.
DeCristofaro thanked the choral and instrumental teachers, participation levels
continue to increase at the middle and high school levels and the quality of the
performances is incredible.
In its 25th year of publication, Atlantic Middle School’s 2013 edition of the Young
Writers magazine was awarded First Place with Special Merit by the American
Scholastic Press Association. Dr. DeCristofaro thanked Principal Maureen
MacNeil, Assistant Principal Adam Wolf, Advisor/Teacher Patricia Dunne, and
the three student editors: Brigham McKee, Tianette McKee, and Dalia Sadaka.
Dr. DeCristofaro noted that School Committee had received a copy of the
upcoming Partnership Events Calendar, a flyer for the Family Literacy event at
Lincoln Hancock on January 16, and Aspen Publication #9 which focused on the
Curriculum and Learning module. Examples of Home-School Connections
include the Atherton Hough and Wollaston Monthly Newsletters and the Broad
Meadows and Montclair Curriculum Newsletters. Dr. DeCristofaro concluded his
report by thanking the principals for their tremendous efforts to share
information with parents about their schools and citywide programs.
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Old Business
Facilities Dedications
(Vote)
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to dedicate the Quincy High School Custodians' Office
in honor of Thomas Orseno, 20-year veteran of the custodial staff. Mayor Koch
seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it 7-0.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to dedicate a portion of green space on the site of the
former Quincy High School building to former teacher and English Department
Chair Bruce McDonald. Mayor Koch seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the
ayes have it 7-0.
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New Business
Professional
Development Plan
Presentation
The Professional Development Plan for 2013-2014 was presented by the
Curriculum & Assessment Management Team. Senior Curriculum Coordinator
Madeline Roy opened the presentation, noting that each School Committee member
received a copy of the Professional Development Plan, which is organized by
program, school, and master schedule (organized sequentially by date). This plan is
posted on the website, informs staff and community members of the priorities of
collaborative goals and team planning; the plan overview summarizes the goals and
priorities for the year. The emphasis is on sustaining and improving best practices,
connecting to district and state initiatives around academics, school culture, and
school safety.
Curriculum Coordinator Erin Perkins then spoke about the Professional
Development Team, Pre-K through 12 staff and administrative members. Goals
are: collaboration and representation; building capacity with high-quality
professional development; and evaluation of effective professional development.
Internal and ongoing Professional Development for Quincy Public School initiatives
includes Curriculum Pacing and Alignment, new Core Resources, Common
Benchmark Assessments, Data Analysis, the ASPEN Student Information system,
and the inclusion model for Middle School Mathematics.
Curriculum Coordinator Beth Hallett noted that the majority of professional
development is focused on connecting to state initiatives: to support the Common
Core, WIDA, RETELL, Educator Evaluation, and District-Determined
Measures. Career and Technical Education standards are in transition (a year
behind Common Core). In addition, we are investigating grant funding to reinvigorate school-based data teams, increasing capacity for analysis and use of data.
Mrs. Mahoney complimented the huge undertaking that creating the Professional
Development Plan entails and asked whether professional development is
videotaped. Ms. Roy agreed that it could be in the future and that the Curriculum &
Assessment module for Aspen will be useful for sharing these videos.
Mrs. Mahoney asked about utilization of Aspen and whether all teachers are using
the online gradebook. Mr. Keith Segalla clarified that while attendance, interim
report, and report card posting in Aspen are required, using the online gradebook is
optional. Mrs. Mahoney suggested surveying staff and also asking if additional
training would assist with the transition. Mrs. Mahoney complimented how much
has been accomplished in a very short time in terms of implementing Aspen.
Director of Data Analysis Mary Fredrickson outlined the Assessment Calendar,
which has been updated; additional items in red relate to District-Determined
Measures and PARCC field tests. Pilot PARCC field test will be administered at all
middle and high schools, plus half of elementary schools. These will not be for
record of individual student assessment, so the randomly selected students will take
both the PARCC and MCAS testing.
Ms. Isola asked about the PARCC field tests and whether the same classes will take
both the March and May assessments. Mrs. Fredrickson said we are still waiting for
clarification on this issue. The length of time for each test varies for each
grade. This is a technical and administrative field test, along with item
norming. Ms. Roy said while there are prescribed start and end times for the tests,
this may be part of what is being field tested.
Superintendent DeCristofaro thanked all of the members of the Superintendent’s
Leadership and Principal Teams and the Quincy Education Association and Allison
Cox. An unprecedented level of Professional Development is needed to support
these many initiatives.
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School Committee
Clerk Appointment
Mr. McCarthy nominated Ms. Laura Owens for a second two-year term as School
Committee Clerk, thanking her for professionalism and organization of School
Committee matters. Mrs. Mahoney seconded the motion, recounting Ms. Owens’
experience that led to her position in the Quincy Public Schools. On a roll call vote,
the ayes have it 7-0.
On the motion, both Mayor Koch and Dr. DeCristofaro complimented Ms. Owens for
her work with the Superintendent and School Committee over the last two years.
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2014-2015 School
Committee Meeting
and 2014-2015 School
Year Draft Calendars
Mrs. Hubley introduced the draft 2014-2015 School Year Calendar and School
Committee meeting calendar and moved these to the Policy Subcommittee meeting
for further discussion. These drafts will be shared with all Quincy Public Schools
staff, the Quincy Education Association, Citywide Parents Council, Quincy Parent
Advisory Council to Special Education, and posted on the Quincy Public Schools
website and Facebook and Twitter for public comment.
Mr. Bregoli announced that these two calendars would be on the agenda for the
Policy Subcommittee Meeting scheduled for Monday, January 13 at 5:15 pm
following the Budget & Finance Subcommittee Meeting.
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Gift: Piano
Mayor Koch made a motion to accept the gift of a baby grand piano from Dr. Steven
A. Brustin for the Point Webster Middle School. Ms. Isola seconded the motion and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Gift: Multi-Lane
Timer/Scoreboard
Mayor Koch made a motion to accept the gift of a Multi-Lane Timer/Scoreboard
from the South Shore YMCA to the Lincoln Hancock Community School. Ms. Isola
seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Overnight
Travel
Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the Overnight Travel of the Quincy High
School Student Council to the Massachusetts Association of Student Councils
Conference in Hyannis, MA March 5 through March 7, 2014. Mr. Bregoli seconded
the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Out of State Travel
Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the Out of State Travel of the Point Webster
Middle School Grade 8 students to New York City, NY June 5 through June 6, 2014.
Mr. Bregoli seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Ms. Isola made a motion to approve the Out of State Travel of the Sterling Middle
School Grade 8 students to New York City, NY June 4 through June 5, 2014. Mayor
Koch seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the Out of State Travel of the North Quincy
and Quincy High Schools HYPER Robotics team to the FRC Regional Competition
March 5 through March 8, 2014. Ms. Isola seconded the motion and on a voice vote,
the ayes have it.
Mrs. Hubley requested a copy of the itinerary accompany any future Out of State
travel requests.
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Additional Business
Mrs. Mahoney announced that there will be a Special Education Subcommittee
meeting on Wednesday, January 15 at 6:00 pm at Quincy High School.
Mrs. Mahoney requested an update on the status of items on the Central Middle
School punchlist.
Mrs. Mahoney suggesting creating a Facebook event for the next Parent Academy.
She also suggested posting a video tutorial for the Aspen Student Portal.
Mrs. Mahoney asked whether Streetworks had fulfilled their financial committment
to the School~Community Business Partnership.
Mrs. Hubley announced updated Subcommittee assignments; the Quincy Public
Schools website has also been updated to reflect this information:
Budget & Finance: Mrs. Hubley (chair); all School Committee members
Facilities & Security: Mr. McCarthy (chair); Mr. Bregoli, Mrs. Hubley
Health, Transportation, & Safety: Mr. DiBona (chair); Mr. Bregoli; Mr. McCarthy
Policy: Mr. Bregoli (chair); Mrs. Hubley, Ms. Isola
Rules, Post Audit, & Oversight: Mrs. Hubley (chair); Ms. Isola, Mrs. Mahoney
Special Education: Mrs. Mahoney (chair); Mr. DiBona, Mr. McCarthy
Teaching & Learning: Ms. Isola (chair), Mrs. Hubley, Mrs. Mahoney
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Communications
Mrs. Hubley welcomed new Quincy Sun reporter Kris Kalabokas and wished former
reporter Emily Taft Armstrong the best in her new endeavors.
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Adjournment
Mrs. Mahoney made a motion to adjourn at 8:20 p.m. The motion was seconded by
Mr. Bregoli and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.