QUINCY SCHOOL COMMITTEE
TEACHING & LEARNING SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING ~ January
26, 2022
A meeting of the Teaching &
Learning Subcommittee was held on Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at 6:00 pm in the
Coddington Building. Present were Mayor Thomas P. Koch, Mrs. Tina Cahill, Mr. Doug Gutro, Mr. Frank Santoro, and Mrs. Emily Lebo, Chair. Also attending were
Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins, Ms. Diane
Babcock, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Ms. Marisa Forrester, Ms. Mary Hurley, Ms.
Janet Loftus, Ms. Margaret MacNeil, Ms. Renee Malvesti, Mr. Michael Marani, Ms.
Courtney Mitchell, Ms. Maura Papile, Mr. John Rogan, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr.
Keith Segalla, and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.
Principal
Janet Loftus and Assistant Principal Marisa Forrester presented the Beechwood
Knoll School Improvement Plan, reviewing the 2020-2021 school year where 50% of
students learned remotely. The
challenges of last year drove the staff to re-prioritize and align strategies
to start the school year positively while addressing learning loss and meet the
students where they are to support their growth and development. The school schedule was revamped to align
intervention blocks to support foundational skill development especially for
the youngest students. MAP and AMPLIFY
DIBELS data is being used to set goals and plan effectively, while setting the
standards high for student achievement.
Support for student social-emotional needs is so important, especially
community building for students who attended school remotely. “Beechwood Bedtime Stories,” videos of
teachers reading aloud were very popular and are continuing this year. For DEI, new initiatives include a
parent-staff book club.
Mrs. Cahill
thanked Ms. Loftus and Ms. Forrester for their efforts, complex
responsibilities running the school, including traffic management.
Mr. Santoro
complimented the goals, Ms. Loftus said that students have shown growth
already, some Grade 2 students are taking the higher level MAP Assessment. Typically the growth at Beechwood Knoll is
high this time of the school year, the expectations of the school community
support these goals. Mr. Santoro asked
about vertical teams, Ms. Loftus said the early release days are an opportunity
and is looking for common planning time during the school day.
Mr. Santoro
asked about the REACH pullout, Ms. Loftus said the Grade 5 students meet on
Mondays and the Grade 4 students will meet for 90 minutes once a month. Students were selected using MAP data, the
top 20% of each school.
Mrs. Lebo
complimented the differentiation between K-2 and 3-5 goals. Mrs. Lebo asked how communication is handled,
Ms. Loftus said the monthly newsletter is emailed and sent home on paper. Ms. Loftus said the School Messenger program
is user friendly and notifications are sent via text, email, and phone. Attendance is strong at PTO meetings, they
have continued to meet virtually.
Mrs.
Cahill made a motion to accept the Beechwood Knoll Elementary School
Improvement Plan and move the facilities issues into the Facilities
Subcommittee. The motion was seconded by
Mr. Santoro, and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Principal
Michael Marani and Assistant Principal Diane Babcock presented the Snug Harbor
Community School Improvement Plan on behalf of the staff, thanked the Mayor and
School Committee for the ongoing support, especially over the last two. Snug Harbor has 11 Special Education classrooms,
40% of student population, special thanks to Director Julie Graham and the Team
Administrators for constant support. The
pandemic affected families with economic issues disproportionately, the city’s
supports have been important. Building
connections between students and staff and between staff members is the focus
of this school year and ultimately connecting students to the curriculum. In the classroom, teachers are skilled at
differentiating instruction and are adapting to student’s needs, meeting
students where they are and providing the supports for their achievement. Afterschool programming has academic
component, many teachers willing to participate after school to provide these
opportunities, including unique soccer and basketball programs based at the
school.
On a daily
basis, Snug Harbor is continuing with PBIS skills and values and community
building through restorative circles to create an environment to learn about
respect for self and others. In addition
to these initiatives, the goals created for the School Improvement Plan are the
minimum expectation. Last year,
approximately 50% of the students attended school remotely and it is difficult
to analyze last year’s MCAS scores for meaningful information. The MAP scores for the fall were far more
applicable for individual goals and identifying areas of learning loss and
needed supports.
Mr. Santoro
asked about the Grade 5 REACH program, Mr. Marani said this is running
successfully and has been expanded to Grade 4 recently. The previous Grade 5 program was not
successful at Snug Harbor, the new program is expanding opportunity. Mr. Santoro noted that the PTO is not in a
position to be as financially supportive as other schools, School Committee may
need to look at leveling the funding.
Mrs. Cahill
asked about Special Education programming, how are push in and pull out
services determined. Mr. Marani said
that the MAP and DIBELS data and the review of the students at the Integrated
Learning Team meeting facilitate this planning and scheduling. Mrs. Cahill asked about the response to
extended day programs, Mr. Marani said there is high interest.
Mrs. Lebo
asked about the goal for this year, Mr. Marani said that these are achievable
goals and that there were challenges for last year’s assessments, so is
concerned about the data. Mrs. Lebo
asked about Extended Day activities for K-2, there are only academic
currently. Mr. Marani said many of the
Kindergarten students had no prior school experience and there were concerns
about extending their school day further.
In the spring, there may be opportunities to create additional extended
day programming for the younger students.
Mr. Gutro
asked about the challenges of access to technology last year with students
learning remotely. Mr. Marani said that
the school was proactive in delivering Chromebook, hotspots, and textbooks to
families as needed.
Mr.
Santoro made a motion to accept the Snug Harbor Community School Improvement
Plan and move the facilities issues into the Facilities Subcommittee. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Cahill, and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Principal
Renee Malvesti and Assistant Principal Mary Hurley presented the Montclair
Elementary School Improvement Plan, thanking the staff and families for their
support especially during the challenging past school years. In planning for this school year, it was
important to reflect on the lessons from the shifting learning models and the
50% of families who remained remote for the entire school year. Communication was key to making successful
transition to full-time in-person learning, the community still has concerns
about safety and socialization was so limited.
The high academic expectations at Montclair are tempered by the
realities of the learning loss from the pandemic, over 100 new students this
fall, and students from homes where 28 different languages are spoken. Teaching practices have been evaluated, along
with data from MAP and MCAS, and grade level goals aligned to the district
goals. Creative scheduling focused on
aligning services to provide for common planning time and student interventions
at common times.
Ms. Hurley
reviewed the integration of EDI and PBIS, the team was formed last spring. During remote learning last spring, teachers
utilized snack time as social time and this has carried forward to new school
year, students sharing cultural information about food and celebrations. Community circles have become a popular way
to share information and have been used for restorative purposes. Parents, staff, and Grade 5 students have
provided important information including the need for more representation in classroom
and school library. Ms. Malvesti said
that extensive Extended Day programming continues, including a gardening club
that includes students and parents, academic programs, and interest-based
clubs. Ms. Malvesti is proud and
appreciative of the staff for sharing their love of learning with their
students. Montclair has an active
Student Council, Grade 4 and 5 students, community service projects and
demonstrating and recognizing acts of kindness.
Ms. Malvesti is looking forward to working with the Family Liaisons to strengthen
family connections. Many of the school
initiatives are supported by the active PTO.
Mrs. Cahill
complimented the family engagement and the MAP scores above the national
levels. Mrs. Cahill asked how the
English Learner staff communicate with students with so many primary
languages. Mrs. Malvesti said that the
students assist each other, there are not staff members who speak all of these
languages, and Google translate is helpful to getting the students quickly into
the school routines, assisted by picture cues.
Mr. Santoro
asked about the REACH program, Ms. Malvesti said it is a great opportunity to
expand the program’s reach. Finding
separate space in the building is a challenge with the current enrollment at
the school. Mr. Santoro asked about the
May Festival, Ms. Malvesti said planning is underway for this year’s event .
Mrs. Lebo
noted that 54% of students come from homes where English is not the first
language and 57% are economically disadvantaged. Mrs. Lebo said the Garden Club was impressive
to see in person, so many students engaged.
Mrs. Lebo asked about the two new classrooms, Ms. Malvesti said that
these were created in the basement, the Public Buildings department moved mechanicals
and a brick wall to create a classroom and a Special Education space.
Mr.
Santoro made a motion to accept the Montclair Element Improvement Plan and move
the facilities issues into the Facilities Subcommittee. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Cahill, and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Principal
Courtney Mitchell and Assistant Principal John Rogan presented the Merrymount
Elementary School Improvement Plan, reflecting on the effects of the pandemic
on student learning and social-emotional.
Working collaboratively and creatively, the entire school staff adjusted
to the shifting learning models and supported students and families, especially
school nurse Mrs. Erlich. Technology
assisted with creating a sense of community, story times and assemblies that
would have been in person were hosted online.
Special attention to social emotional needs were the hallmark of the
start of the school year, implementing a blend of PBIS and restorative
practices. Revised scheduling allows for
a common intervention block and targeted skills practice for students to
address learning loss. The REACH program
for Grade 5 has provided an opportunity with students not in the program to experience
project-based learning. Communication is
improved through access to the on-call translation service. Instructional rounds are an opportunity for
staff to observe each other in the service of improving professional practices. Extensive extended day programs, dedicated
School Council and supportive PTO.
Planning to survey parents and students about school climate and culture
goals.
Mrs. Cahill
asked about Literacy Specialists, how are the staffing levels determined. Ms. Perkins said these are determined by the
number of cases at each school.
Mr. Santoro
complimented the family engagement and thanked the school staff.
Mrs. Lebo
asked about the REACH program, Ms. Mitchell said this is going very well. Mrs. Lebo asked about in person vs remote
learning last year, 20% were remote for the school year. Mrs. Lebo complimented the integration of
PBIS and DEI initiatives.
Mr.
Santoro made a motion to accept the Merrymount Elemenary School Improvement
Plan and move the facilities issues into the Facilities Subcommittee. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Cahill, and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Principal
Margaret MacNeil presented the Parker Elementary School Improvement Plan, so
wonderful to have the school community back in person this school year. The last two years have presented many
challenges and opportunities, Parker has long had high standards for
achievement and academic interventions are in place to address the learning
loss. Social emotional skills are
supported in a safe and caring environment.
Despite the challenges in administration, the assessments from last
spring provided a snapshot of the learning loss from the two years of
interrupted schooling. The school’s ambitious
but achievable goals are supported by carefully monitored action steps, a
school-wide emphasis on writing, and teachers working in grade level and
vertical teams. For Mathematics,
teachers are integrating the new curriculum with the individualized instruction
strategies of recent years, such as centers.
Science is inquiry based and hands-on at all grade levels. Social-emotional learning is supported
through community circles, staff DEI book group, One Book One School, guidance
check-in and check-out for students at risk.
Mr. Santoro
asked about the REACH program, Ms. MacNeil said that students love the program,
very engaging and accessible due to having the program at the school.
Mr. Santoro
complimented the School Improvement Plan action steps focus on re-engaging
students and addressing learning loss.
Mrs. Cahill
asked about class sizes for Grades 4 and 5, these are larger due to student
population growth. Ms. MacNeil said the
common intervention time reduces class sizes during the core ELA instructional
block (students receive EL and Literacy services).
Mrs. Cahill
noted how impactful the community circles have been for students, complimented
the positive outcomes and the natural implementation. Ms. MacNeil said the positive outcome from
the pandemic is the opportunity to focus on social-emotional learning.
Mrs. Lebo
complimented the One Book One School, Ms. MacNeil said there are common topics
with primary grades reading picture books and upper grades reading chapter
books.
Mr. Gutro
thanked Ms. MacNeil, the value of community circles illustrated by the anecdote
shared.
Mayor Koch
thanked all of the principals and staff for all of their efforts.
Mr.
Santoro made a motion to accept the Parker Elementary School Improvement Plan
and move the facilities issues into the Facilities Subcommittee. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Cahill, and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mr. Santoro made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:15
pm. Mrs. Cahill seconded the motion and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.