School Committee Meeting Summary

A moment of silence was held for former Walpole teacher Charles "Charlie" Cinto. Mr. Cinto was born in Walpole and attended Walpole Public Schools. He earned varsity letters in football, golf, hockey, baseball, and track. After college he taught science for 38 years, most of those years in the Walpole schools. Mr. Cinto also coached football, baseball, soccer and hockey, leading the Walpole hockey team to win state championships in both 1963 and 1965. Charlie was inducted in the Massachusetts High School Coach’s Hall of Fame in 1978. Sincere heartfelt condolences are conveyed to Charlie Cinto's family.

Mr. Charlie Ferro was recently named MIAA Coach of the Year for unified track. Mr. Ferro was present and recognized by the School Committee for this wonderful achievement. He noted that he is proud to work with a team who helped start this program and is humbled to be chosen for this honor. He said he shares this honor with many other deserving individuals who have helped to sustain and grow this program. Mr. Ferro thanked Principal Imbusch, Athletic Director Ron Dowd, assistants Courtney Nottebart, Paula Massarelli, Officer Tommy Hart, Lori Wilson, Transportation Coordinator Kim Poirier, volunteer Michael McCarthy and all of the nurses who attended the games.

Favor N., Walpole High School student representative to the School Committee, was present and reported as follows:

• Term one has come to a close as many students worked hard to start the new year off on the right foot.
• Parent-teacher conferences are in session this evening. The next set of conferences are set for Monday (4:00-6:30 p.m.).
• Timberwolf Wednesday will be hosted before Thanksgiving break where students will participate in various activities including the pep rally. The day will be broken into three hour-long blocks with the pep rally taking place during the last block.
• Fall sports are in the process of closing out their season. Both boys’ and girls’ soccer put up a strong fight in the playoffs. Football also gave their all in Friday's playoffs game. The field hockey team beat Wachussett to advance to the State Finals against Andover.
• Registration for winter sports is now open.
• Clubs continue to run successfully as the new term starts. The Speech and Debate team had three champions at this past Saturday’s tournament in Natick. The Community Service Club is hosting a food drive, which will run through November 21st. The Model United Nations met for the first time on Tuesday. The Music Honors Society, Tri-M, will be hosting its first coffeehouse on December 16th and would love to have a large attendance! Finally, Student Council continues to run smoothly. Fall Yard Clean Up was a successful fundraiser.

Out-of-State Field Trip Approval: The School Committee approved an out-of-state field trip for Walpole High School student to Cincinnati, OH from February 21 through February 26, 2023 to perform at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conference. Congratulations to Autumn Mathews who was selected to perform in one of the ACDA National Honor's Choirs. She will be recognized at a future School Committee meeting.

MCAS Presentation: Assistant Superintendent Dr. Bill Hahn presented 2022 MCAS results. Dr. Hahn's presentation can be accessed on the Walpole Media YouTube page here at time marker 24:10.

FY '24 Budget Timetable: The FY '24 Budget Timetable was presented to the School Committee. Public Budget Hearings are scheduled for January 10 (Goods and Services), January 17 (Personnel) and, if needed, January 19, 2023.

Dr. Gough reported

• School Committee Member Mrs. Gallivan and Dr. Gough attended the MASC/MASS Conference. This is the largest annual gathering of education leaders in Massachusetts, featuring a program of nationally known guest speakers, panel sessions offering professional development opportunities and in-depth discussion of the critical education issues of today.
• Langley Foundation: Throughout the school year, Maura Pastran, a board-certified licensed music therapist, will provide music enrichment to all students at Daniel Feeney Preschool. These 45-minute bi-monthly visits will incorporate not only music and instruments but gross and fine motor movements, social-emotional learning, listening skills, and self-regulation. This incredible opportunity is funded by the John D. Langley Foundation, whose mission is in part to, “support school initiatives that promote the social and emotional well-being of all children.” The Walpole Public School district is thankful for the support of the Langley Foundation, specifically Dianne and Jack Langley, for making this possible.
• Family Survey: Be on the lookout for an email asking WPS families to take a Districtwide Family Survey to learn more about your child’s experiences in our schools To administer this survey, we have partnered with Panorama Education to conduct this Family Survey. Panorama safeguards your privacy, keeping your responses confidential. Walpole Public Schools values your feedback, and we thank you for your continuing to be a valuable source of information as we work to create the best learning environment for our students.
• Snow Days: The Superintendent of Schools is ultimately responsible for the final decision to cancel school based on various weather-related factors and information received from the Department of Public Works. In the event of school cancellation or delayed opening, a recorded phone message will be sent to each family's primary phone contact, broadcasted through Channel 4, 5, 7, and Fox 25, social media, posted on the Walpole Public Schools website, and an email will be sent to all families. Please note the DESE will not allow any district-wide remote learning days to replace a snow day, and therefore, any snow days will need to be made up in June.

• WPS is always looking for substitutes. With the college semester break approaching, Walpole High School graduates in college may be eligible to serve as on-call substitutes. Please contact our Human Resources Coordinator, Laurie Sylvia @ lsylvia@walpole.k12.ma.us

Superintendent 2022-2023 Goals: The School Committee reviewed and accepted Dr. Gough's 2022-2023 Goals. Dr. Gough's goals include goals for student learning, district, and professional practice. These goals are aligned with the District’s Strategic Plan.

School Improvement Plan: The School Committee reviewed the School Improvement Plan (SIP). The SIP describes, illustrates, and explains school and district goals for the school year 2022-2023. The statement of goals is significant to ensure that structures, processes, and resources across the district are unified towards achieving these goals.

Wellness Policy: The School Committee voted to approve Wellness Policy ADF as amended. All district policies can be located here.

Mrs. Syrek informed the community that on Tuesday, November 15th a groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site of the new middle school. Mrs. Gallivan indicated that the School Building Committee also met Tuesday, November 15th and approved the Early Release Package #3 to be submitted to the MSBA. The SBC also performed value engineering for the submission of the 90% CD estimate package to the MSBA. A timeline and three-week look ahead schedule is on the middle school webpage. The community is encouraged to visit the webpage and reach out to the Middle School Project team with any questions or comments via email at middleschoolproject@walpole.k12.ma.us.

Mr. Ahern provided an update with regard to the high school renovation project. Updates will continue to be provided to the public.