Nauset Public Schools
Community Newsletter - December 2021
A Message from Interim Superintendent Brooke Clenchy
Dear Nauset Families and Staff,
We are closing in on the beginning of our Winter Break and as we move into this season we wish you the best for a safe, relaxing, and healthy season.
We wanted to bring a couple of quick updates to you this month to keep you informed of district news.
Mask Wearing
We anticipate that we will hear in early January as to whether the current mask mandate will be extended beyond January 15th, 2022 or not. It is our understanding that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is receiving guidance on this topic from the medical community. There is still much unknown regarding the Omicron variant, and we have been told that more knowledge regarding that specific variant will be a factor in their decision making process. We will let you know of their decision as soon as we know.
COVID
COVID protocols will remain in effect for the foreseeable future. We anticipate some general advice regarding ongoing mitigation strategies from DESE. We want to extend a special note of thanks to our Nauset nursing team for their ongoing support and efforts to keep us all safe. They have implemented a Test and Stay process in each school that is working well as we collectively work to keep our students safe and in the buildings.
Finally
We wish you a season of peace and good health. May this be a time to re-connect with people you love and care for - friends and family. These last two years have taught us so much, and one of those key reminders was the importance of maintaining close connections with people who mean the most to us.
Enjoy the season and all that it brings to your family.
Yours in partnership,
Brooke Clenchy
Interim Superintendent
An Update: Office of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (Dr. Robin Millen)
Professional Development Update:
So far this year, NPS has hosted 4 early dismissal days, and 2 full day PD sessions, and we are currently planning for our next full day session on January 3, 2021. All half-day PD sessions are designed for the year and revolve around building-specific goals related to the strategic plan, schoolwide improvement plans, and current academic and social-emotional progress data. In addition, the district’s full-day sessions are designed to allow for staff to self-select sessions that connect with their student learning and/or professional practice goals.
In addition, all professional development offerings also focus on the four key strategic levers determined at the start of the year (a. Equitable Learning, b. Community Wellness, c. Goals, Progress, and Feedback, and/or d. Positive Relationships). In-district and out-of-district presenters have provided sessions on topics such as “leveraging the power of leadership in bullies” at the middle school (Kristen Geez, national expert), training in the science of reading offered across the elementary districts (LETRS, research-based experts), Introduction to Deeper Learning (Keith Gauley, Elementary Curriculum Coordinator and Principal and Robin Millen, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment), data-driven instruction offered across the district (Kristen Callahan, Director of Technology Integration), as well as self-driven, online topics such as Foundations for Inclusive Practices (on online course offered by DESE).
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Update:
Nauset believes…“Every Child Matters!”
NPS held our first Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force Informational session on December 6, 2021. Over 65 members of the community, including caregivers, community members, faculty, school committee members, and students came together for the session to determine an initial plan on how to move this work forward and the reasons why this team feels this work is important. In future meetings, the larger task force will first develop a shared vision for the district. Then smaller, steering committees will drill down into specific areas of the strategic plan to complete an equity improvement cycle. These cycles will help to determine if there are barriers to belonging, inclusion, diversity, and/or equity in those areas. These smaller teams will then report back findings and recommend/discuss action steps to the larger team, and this team will establish actions to be taken to remove these barriers and implementation timelines.
If you would like to join the DEI Task Force, please complete the DEI Interest Survey or contact Robin Millen, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (millenr@nausetschools.org)
An Update: Nauset High School Building Project (Tom Faris & Kathleen Tringale)
Nauset Regional High School has been fast-tracked by the Massachusetts School Building Authority to begin a $138M renovation of its architecturally significant campus. The building committee, administration, architects, and educational liaisons have been working to enhance the unique campus feel the original architects had envisioned for Nauset High School.
The new Nauset High School campus will carry our learning community into the 21st century with state-of-the-art science labs, classroom technology and community spaces that support our school mission.
Nauset High School is presently working to prepare for the start of phase one of this construction beginning at the end of the current academic year.
The eastern side of campus will undergo significant changes to the current campus.
The present N Building will be converted to a new Fine Arts Wing with well designed, subject-specific classrooms for Wood Shop, Ceramics, Arts Metals, Art, Drama and Music.
The current E building will be replaced by a new three-storey academic wing.
A state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center will also be part of the phase one construction to be located in the front of campus.
The gym will undergo significant changes to its current layout by adding additional spaces and facilities.
The present cafeteria will be relocated as we begin construction of a new cafeteria which will be a central feature of our new campus.
Plans include adding modular classrooms to house displaced classes during the two major phases of construction. These modular classrooms will be located on the northern side of C building. The common vision of everyone involved in this ambitious project is to minimize the disruption, to maintain programming, teaching and, most importantly, the education and campus life of our students.
A Message: From the Office of Student Services (Mary Buchanan)
As we navigate through this school year, Nauset Public Schools is committed to the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) of all students during this pandemic-driven stressful time. The district is using the CASEL's competencies to integrate SEL into classroom instruction. These competences address: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Nauset’s school adjustment counselors, guidance counselors and school psychologists continue to provide mental health support to students on a daily basis. Nauset has also committed to using the DESSA suite of SEL assessments to identify student need and routinely progress monitor student’s social emotional well-being. DESSA is an empirical, standardized social and emotional competence that supports students K-12, which provides a common lens and language for developing an SEL program that involves educators, parents, and students. Additionally, to support students, families and staff, Nauset Public Schools has partnered with Care Solace so families can quickly connect with mental health care providers and substance use treatment programs matched to their needs. Care Solace is available 24/7 in any language. To provide additional support to Nauset Regional High School and Nauset Regional Middle School the school district has also contracted with Gosnold Behavioral Health. Gosnold clinicians provide mental health and substance abuse counseling to students. The district is focused on reestablishing relationships in the classroom to help students cope with the stress and trauma of the past year.
There is a recommendation for an additional school adjustment counselor or Licensed Social Worker to support the social emotional well being of students at Nauset High School. There is an additional recommendation for a counselor at the middle school who would provide supports needed to implement a School Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). This is an evidence-based three-tiered framework to improve and integrate all of the data, systems. This position would also support the development and implementation of and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is a framework for how school districts can build the necessary systems to ensure that each and every student receives a high quality educational experience. It is designed to support schools with proactively identifying and addressing the strengths and needs of all students by optimizing data-driven decision-making, progress monitoring, and the use of evidence-based supports and strategies with increasing intensity to sustain student growth. The current blueprint more explicitly focuses on equitable access and universal design for learning (UDL) and fully integrates social emotional, behavioral, and academic learning. This is an evidence-based three-tiered framework to improve and integrate all of the data, systems.
We will continue to update you as we progress with our efforts in this area.
Nauset Public Schools
Brooke Clenchy
Interim Superintendent
Nauset Public Schools78 Eldredge Park Way
Orleans, MA 02653
Email: clenchyb@nausetschools.org
Phone: (508) 255-8800 ext. 7002
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@NausetSupt - Superintendent of Schools
@NausetLearning - Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment
@NausetAcadHS - Nauset High School
@NausetMS - Nauset Middle School
@NausetWES - Wellfleet Elementary School
@NausetEES - Eastham Elementary School
@NausetOES - Orleans Elementary School
@NausetStony - Stony Brook Elementary School
@NausetEddy - Eddy Elementary School
Email: clenchyb@nausetschools.org
Website: www.nausetschools.org
Location: 78 Eldredge Park Way, Orleans MA 02653
Phone: 508-255-8800
Twitter: @NausetSupt