Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts – January 14, 2015
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
January 14, 2015 at the Coddington Building. Present were 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; Mrs. Rita Bailey,
Mr. Michael Draicchio, Mrs. Mary Fredrickson, Mrs. Kristen Houlihan, Mr.
James Mullaney, Deputy Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Mrs. Maura Papile,
Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla, Ms. Judy Todd; Ms. Allison Cox,
President, Quincy Education Association, and Quincy High School
Representative to the School Committee Isabella Cobble.
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There was a moment of silence for Tomi Cheung, a student at Atlantic Middle
School who passed away last week.
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Regular Meeting Minutes Approved
12/10/14
Ms. Isola made a motion, seconded by Mr. McCarthy, to approve the Regular
Meeting minutes for December 10, 2014. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Open Forum
Ms. Danielle Neal asked for clarification on whether the new elementary report
card grading rubric will be used for Grade 5 students at Point Webster and
Sterling when it is implemented next fall. She asked if there was a date scheduled
for another Grade 5 Ad Hoc Subcommittee meeting and whether the Sterling
Grade 5 scheduling pilot would be extended to Point Webster.
Ms. Alexis Veith requested that the Grade 5 schedule pilot underway at Sterling be
extended to Grade 5 students at Point Webster and also requested that the Grade
5 Ad Hoc Subcommittee reconvene.
Ms. Courtney Perdios also requested information about additional meeting dates
for the Grade 5 Ad Hoc Subcommittee.
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Superintendent’s
Report
Dr. DeCristofaro began the Superintendent’s Report by introducing the Inspire
Quincy video, featuring system-wide Professional Development for elementary
and middle school teachers, the High Needs ELL/Special Education team, Aspen
training for Special Education Resource Room teachers, CPR training for Physical
Education staff, PBIS training for elementary & middle school staff; Quincy/North
Quincy High School Combined Band at the Christmas Parade; the Learn to Swim
program at the South Shore YMCA; Quincy/North Quincy High School Swimming
& Diving Meet (2nd annual); and a Lincoln Hancock Literacy Night preview.
Dr. DeCristofaro reported that both North Quincy High School and Quincy High
School have an 80% completion to date for this year’s Community Service
requirement for graduating seniors. A comprehensive update will be provided by
the high school Principals and Community Service Coordinators at an upcoming
Policy Subcommittee meeting.
The Massachusetts Life Sciences Technology grant is soon to be awarded and
details will be shared as soon as they are available.
A Varsity High School Coaches Summit will be held on Thursday, January 22. All
varsity coaches have been invited to discuss student participation, scheduling,
league issues, and other issues related to athletics.
The Title I program review was completed by DESE and we received a very
complimentary email about the program. DESE is requesting to use QPS
documentation as exemplars for other school systems.
Aspen Publication #14 was shared; voluntary training continues and the
scheduling process will begin in the next couple of weeks with refresher training
for key middle and high school staff.
The Sterling Middle School project is continuing to progress with Request for
Services for the Owner’s Project Manager being advertised beginning on
December 31, 2014. Candidates attended an informational meeting on January 7
and responses were due to the Purchasing Department on January 14, 2015. The
Building Committee will begin the review process on January 21 and meet on
January 28 and 29 to select finalists to interview on February 4. The
recommendation is due to the MSBA on February 9 in preparation for the March 2
OPM Selection meeting at the MSBA.
North Quincy High School, Wollaston, and Merrymount windows and doors will be
ordered in the next couple of weeks and are expected to deliver on schedule to
install over the summer. Information on schedule will be shared with staff,
parents, and neighbors as soon as it is finalized. Lincoln Hancock and Parker had
contractor walkthroughs today and bids are due by the end of January.
An MSBA Statement of Interest for Squantum Elementary School will be submitted
on or before the April 10, 2015 deadline. Proposed projects for the Accelerated
Repair Program have a February 13, 2015 submission date to the MSBA.
The North Quincy High School Quiz Show team is getting ready for the first round
of taping on Saturday, January 24, looking to repeat their success from two years
ago. The team members are Zach Erickson, Sam Grossfeld, Gary Hu, Joe Nelson,
and Olivia McEvoy, coached by Social Studies Department Chair Danielle
Fernandez and Social Studies teacher Mira Kriz.
Nicole Jorgensen (Quincy High School junior) and Remy Aucoin (North Quincy
High School sophomore) were both named Boston Globe Girls Basketball Players
of the Week for the first week of January, two of nine students selected statewide.
Both high schools sent teams to the regional History Bowl and qualified for
National Championship competition in Washington, D.C. in April
Several Quincy High School seniors recently took part in the Massachusetts Music
Educators Association Eastern District Concert: Lydia Culp, Erin McMillen, Jenny
Thi, and Marcus Johnson. High School Band Director Rich Kenneally and High
School Chorus Director Tim Carew represented Quincy on the Music Educators
panel.
Quincy High School senior Valerie Lioudinouskov won the regional Lions Youth
Speech Contest and will travel to District competition next.
Governor Baker’s Inauguration was held on January 8, 2015 and fifty Grade 7
students representing Quincy’s five middle school attended along with staff
members, thanks to State Representative Mariano and Mayor Koch.
Upcoming School~Community Partnership events include the middle school
Wellness initiative on heart health and CPR in partnership with Fallon Ambulance
Service and our Health teachers and School nurses. All Grade 8 students will
receive a hands-on lesson during the first week of February. On Saturday,
February 7, a free full CPR certification class is being offered to Grade 8 students
and parents at Central Middle School.
The Elementary Student Council Leadership Summit will be at the Tirrell Room on
Thursday, February 12. High school class officers will assist with the South Shore
YMCA staff on this new event to which over fifty Grade 5 peer leaders from all
elementary and middle schools will be invited.
On May 16, the Presidents Cup Robotics championship will be expanded to include
Grade 5 students at all elementary schools. A pilot afterschool program will be
offered in beginning in February and staff facilitators are being recruited at each
building.
Professional Development on Tuesday, January 13 involved 850 academic
teachers, program teachers, and support staff in over 100 workshops all over the
city. Principals and Leadership Team members served as facilitators, emphasizing
the connection and relevancy between professional development and classroom
practice. In addition, these events provide the opportunity to build leadership
skills among the teachers. Evaluations were incredibly impressive and reflected
the thought that went into the planning by the Professional Development team.
With the very cold weather last week, thanks to the collaborative work of
Transportation staff and mechanics, students arrived to school safely. Heating
issues were handled by th Maintenance Department swiftly, and the Custodial
staff stayed late and arrived early to ensure that school buildings were warm for
staff and students.
Curriculum Newsletters for the Broad Meadows, Central, Point Webster, and
Sterling Middle Schools were shared with the School Committee, along with the
Winter Safety Newsletter from the Transportation & Security Department.
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Old Business
2015-2016 School Year
Calendar
2015-2016 School
Committee Calendar
Mr. Bregoli reviewed that at the Policy Subcommittee meeting that was held just
prior to this School Committee meeting, the draft School Committee Meeting
calendar and draft 2015-2016 School Year calendar were reviewed and approved
out of Subcommittee. Both calendar drafts will be posted on the Quincy Public
Schools website and shared with Quincy Public Schools staff for review and
comment prior to being voted on at the January 28, 2015 meeting.
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New Business
Student Support/
Substance Abuse
Awareness Initiatives
Senior Director of Student Support Services Maura Papile introduced North
Quincy High School Nurse Kristin Houlihan and extended her thanks to the many
partners who made Substance Abuse Awareness Week possible. For the last five
years, there has been collaboration with the Mayor’s Office and many members of
the Quincy community that have made this a successful endeavor, starting with
the collaboration with the high school principals, who have welcomed these
programs into the schools. Several new members of the collaboration were
involved in this year’s programming, including Peter and Heather Thompson (in
memory of their son), who both extended their thanks to the Mayor and School
Committee for accepting the gift and making such significant programming
decisions. Baystate Community Services, the Caron Foundation (training and
referrals), Nancy Holler (in memory of her son Brendan) presented on her
experiences; Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) students at both high
schools for their creativity in making PSAs and presentations; Sheriff Bellotti
(sponsored Travis Roy at North Quincy High School); and School Resource Officer
Gregg Hartnett.
This year, the programming was expanded to the middle school level. Kristin
Houlihan found a grant with the Khan Foundation and secured the financing to
bring a theatrical troup, The Improbable Players, to perform for all middle school
students. After the performance, school Guidance Counselors worked with
students to process the information. Students’ responses encouraged continuing
an open and honest dialogue and recommended this type of relatable and
engaging presentations, rather than lectures.
Mrs. Houlihan reviewed that the SADD student assisted with the preparations for
Substance Abuse Awareness Week. Students created PSAs and before the holiday
break, visited classrooms to promote healthy decision-making. SADD promotes
peer to peer relationships, so students introduced the presenters, including Kathy
Meyers-Sullivan, Chris Sullivan, and Travis Roy. The message and the meaning of
these events will be carried forward throughout the rest of the school year.
Mrs. Papile then shared a video of highlightes from last week’s presentations.
Upcoming events include Chris Herren on February 11 (Quincy High School) and
February 25 (North Quincy High School); Michael Patrick McDonald, author of All
Souls, will be speaking at both high schools on March 12; Pay It Forward, a
mentoring program that will train high school students to present to middle
school students and then mentor incoming freshmen next school year. Hidden in
Plain Sight, an interactive presentation for parents, will be held on March 10 at
Central Middle School. The presentation is intended to raise awareness and
provide starting points for difficult conversations.
Copies of Open Your Eyes, a parental resource guide developed by the high school
nursing and health interventionists was shared. Mrs. Papile also shared the
Substance Abuse Awareness timeline, showing the full extent of planning and
events for this school year. Mrs. Papile extended her thanks to Mike Lorenzano,
Mary Lee, Kathy Torracco, and Kristin Houlihan for making this such a successful
and consistent message for all students.
Mrs. Hubley thanked the presenters and opened the floor up for comments. Mr.
DiBona said that he would like to see this addressed more frequently at School
Committee, the epidemic of drug and alcohol abuse is evident throughout the
community. Our students are at a susceptible age, the availability of prescription
pain medications is troubling; the message from all the speakers very timely.
Senator Keenan is working on legislation to limit pain medication prescriptions
and for state funding for parent-student education aimed at high school students.
Education is the key and finding the funding source.
Mrs. Hubley complimented the Open Your Eyes booklet and noted that it highlights
the prescription drop-off at the Quincy Police station.
Mr. Bregoli complimented the presentation and that our curriculum really
addresses the issues and should pay dividends with our students. The praise
should go to the staff on the front lines, the students, the teachers, nurses,
guidance counselors, and deans. It is a credit to Mrs. Papile and her staff. Mr.
Bregoli was proud to see his soccer players featured in the SADD video from North
Quincy High School.
Mr. Bregoli asked if we have any education programs focusing on dating and
relationship violence, especially given the event in the national news this fall. Mrs.
Papile said that both high schools do address this issue through the health
interventionists, DOVE has a presence in the schools, but it is not on the same
scale as the substance abuse awareness. Mr. Bregoli would like to see expansion
of the awareness and outside programming.
Mrs. Mahoney thanked the presenters and the hard work that goes into the
classroom. Drug and alcohol abuse touches everyone’s lives, the most important
thing that we can do is talk about the problems. Mrs. Mahoney agreed that social-emotional problems including relationship problems contribute to drug and
alcohol abuse. Mrs. Mahoney said the parent presentation on March 10 is very
important and praised the growing honest conversation at schools and School
Committee about these issues. Mrs. Mahoney encouraged Mayor Koch to talk
about Thursday’s community event, an open forum about Substance Abuse in the
Community.
Mr. McCarthy thanked the presenters and spoke of his relationship with Peter and
Heather Thompson. Peter Thompson is a childhood friend of Mr. McCarthy’s and
he is determined to make a difference in this epidemic. Mr. McCarthy said in the
last couple of weeks, he has gone to funerals for two men under the age of 25 who
were athletes and students. It takes a lot of courage for families to publicize what
has happened in their families. Mr. Thompson is very pleased with the speed in
which the planning and execution of these events have happened. Quincy Public
Schools is being proactive along with the City of Quincy and he is appreciative. Mr.
Thompson plans to continue to fund and expand these programs going forward.
Ms. Isola asked how many students participate in SADD, about 100 students at
each high school. Ms. Isola said that there is no typical profile of a substance
abuser, everyone knows someone who has been or will be impacted by this.
Mayor Koch thanked Mrs. Papile and Mrs. Houlihan for this presentation,
especially Mrs. Papile for her responsiveness and efforts. While the issue has to be
individually acknowledged, we as a community have worked hard to acknowledge
the depth of the problem. Many of our innovative programs are being
implemented elsewhere. The Mayor has been to too many wakes and funerals,
comforting parents and family members about lives lost to this epidemic. At the
state level and the new governor’s office, the issue is at the forefront. Mayor Koch
is proud of the community’s response.
Dr. DeCristofaro thanked the staff for their passion and focus, above and beyond
their regular jobs. This is a comprehensive program, no way to measure how
many lives have been saved. Parents and students are appreciative.
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Gift: $3,000 from the
Randy C. Wolfe Trust
Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the Gift of $3,000 from the Randy C. Wolfe
Trust to benefit the Quincy Public Schools music programs. Mr. McCarthy
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 North Quincy
High School AFJROTC to New York, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from
April 10 to April 14, 2015. Mr. McCarthy 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 North/Quincy
High School HYPER Robotics to Lewiston, Maine from March 12 to March 15,
2015. 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 Central Middle
School Grade 7 to Camp Wing, Duxbury, Massachusetts from June 9 through June
12, 2015. Mr. McCarthy seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Additional Business
Mr. McCarthy asked for a review of the Grade 5 issues to be on the next agenda or
the one following.
Mr. McCarthy thanked Kevin Segalla and the Custodial staff for handling the
extremely cold weather last week, along with the Maintenance staff. There were
no major issues, thanks to planning ahead.
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Communications
Upcoming meetings were announced: School Committee on January 28, 2015; and
February 11, 2015 and Subcommittee Meetings (Quarterly Budget & Finance on
Monday, January 26, 2015; Facilities & Security TBD; Special Education on
Wednesday, January 21, 2015; Teaching & Learning on January 26, 2015; and
Health, Transportation, and Safety on February 9, 2015.
Mr. McCarthy announced the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. breakfast will be held
at the Germantown Neighborhood Center on Monday, January 19 at 9:00 am.
Mrs. Mahoney asked for an update on the Quincy High School leak that happened
over the holiday break as an item for the next Facilities & Security Subcommittee
meeting.
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Reports of
Subcommittees
Mrs. Hubley noted that full Subcommittee meeting minutes are posted online on
the School Committee page at www.quincypublicschools.com.
Policy Subcommittee
Mr. Bregoli’s review of the Policy Subcommittee meeting minutes was deferred to
the January 28, 2015 School Committee meeting.
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Adjournment
Mr. Bregoli made a motion to adjourn for the evening at 8:25 p.m. The motion
was seconded by Mr. McCarthy and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.