Quincy Public Schools

QUINCY SCHOOL COMMITTEE

TEACHING & LEARNING SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING ~ January 11, 2022

 

A meeting of the Teaching & Learning Subcommittee was held on Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 6:00 pm in the Coddington Building.  Present were Mrs. Tina Cahill, Mr. Doug Gutro, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mr. Frank Santoro, and Mrs. Emily Lebo, Chair.  Also attending were Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Assistant Superintendent Erin Perkins, Ms. Sarah Anderson, Ms. Christine Barrett, Mr. Richard DeCristofaro, Jr., Mr. Michael Draicchio, Ms. Susan Foley, Mr. Daniel Gilbert, Mr. Derek Lakey, Ms. Kathy Mahoney, Ms. Maura Papile, Ms. Kimberly Quinn, Ms. Madeline Roy, Ms. Aliza Schneller, Mr. Keith Segalla, Mr. Edward Smith, Ms. Bridget Vaughan, Ms. Heather Wojcik, and Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk.

Principal Aliza Schneller presented the Atlantic Middle School Improvement Plan, reflecting on the challenges of the last school year, teachers re-invented their profession by becoming proficient in online tools to make learning as engaging as possible for students whether remote, hybrid, and in-person.  Administrators and staff made videos to keep the students engaged in the community, student recognitions, current trends, diversity topics, building a foundation for the return to school this past fall.  Many staff volunteered to take part in Restorative Practices training over the summer of 2021, implementing community circles with the start of the school year.  This focus on social-emotional learning has benefitted the school community when incidents arise.

The MCAS data reflects the disruptions of the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 school years, action steps for this year address skills gaps and increasing home-school communication through in-person and remote events

Mr. Santoro asked about the Grade 8 Civics projects, hopes that if COVID-19 restrictions allow for outside visitors, inviting City staff (i.e., Mayor Koch, Commissioner of Public Works) to come in to meet with the students.

Mrs. Lebo asked about the surveys that are part of the social-emotional goal.  Ms. Schneller said the survey was generated in-house and staff are completing the survey now and will discuss at Professional Development meeting tomorrow.  Students and staff will be surveyed twice, mid-year and end of the year.

Mrs. Lebo asked about the extracurricular activities, only the Dungeons & Dragons Club has a waiting list. 

Mrs. Lebo noted that the all of the school pages on the QPS website need to be updated.

Mrs. Lebo made a motion for Atlantic’s Facilities Needs to be moved into Facilities, Transportation & Security Subcommittee, seconded by Mrs. Cahill.  On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Mrs. Hubley asked for detail on sources of evidence for novel reading completion, Mrs. Schneller said all students will complete a common assessment.  Mrs. Hubley asked about virtual author visits, each grade has completed one to date.

Mrs. Hubley asked about Astronomy Night, Ms. Schneller said the Science teachers are coordinating based on optimal astral viewing so the date is still to be determined.

Mrs. Hubley asked about SADD and Project 351.  Project 351 has an Ambassador who will attend the upcoming virtual launch day.  SADD is not currently running as a separate activity, but Student Council has taken on some of the initiatives.

Mr. Gutro complimented the Principal’s message and the SMART Goals contained in the SIP.  Mr. Gutro asked how the School Improvement Plan is shared with parents, Ms. Schneller said School Council was part of the SIP development; once approved by School Committee, it is shared at a PTO meeting.

Mr. Gutro asked about difficulties around grading, Ms. Schneller agreed that last year the typical ways of assessing and grading were more difficult.  Homework was limited and teachers are continuing to modify how they assess students, not just tests and quizzes.

Mr. Gutro asked about staff absences and issues with substitute coverage.  Ms. Schneller said that it has been a challenge that has been made workable because teachers have been able to provide lessons for substitutes on Google Classroom.

Mr. Gutro asked about an increase in incidents or students acting out.  Ms. Schneller said there are not more incidents, the school is being more proactive in publicizing the serious incidents.

Mr. Gutro suggested adding the handicap accessibility issue raised by students last year to the Facilities Needs page.

Mr. Gutro noted that the QPS website school pages do not provide much information although it seems a logical place to post the regular communications to families.  Ms. Schneller said the School Messenger and email is the most common means of communication.

Mrs. Lebo suggested a stipend for a staff member at each school to update the school website pages.

Mrs. Cahill suggested thinking about the website differently, maybe one person based in IT works with the principals to coordinate the postings.

Mr. Santoro made a motion to approve the Atlantic Middle School Improvement Plan.  Mrs. Cahill seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Principal Rick DeCristofaro presented the Central Middle School Improvement Plan and thanked Acting Assistant Principal Kathy Mahoney for her flexibility in taking on this new role.  Central Middle School’s multiple programs for Advanced Placement, Advanced, and Neighborhood presented unique challenges last year and constant adaptation with a focus on maintaining consistency throughout the shifting learning models.  So many staff members worked tirelessly to make the school year as normal as possible, including the custodial, IT, administrative, and food services staff, and especially nurse Loren Catrambone.  VOCAL Survey results are positive reflection of respect between students, staff, and families.   As with most schools, MCAS data reflected the disruption of the school year, although Central’s scores were above state performance levels for most categories.  Each curriculum area has developed action steps to address student knowledge gaps.

Mrs. Cahill asked about Restorative Practice Community Circles.  Mr. DeCristofaro said it has been an incredible opportunity to connect with students.  Mr. DeCristofaro said there was an initial professional development over the summer and on the staff first day or school.  Additional training will be part of tomorrow’s Professional Development.

Mr. Santoro asked about the four sections with 26 and 28 students, these are Advanced class sections.

Mr. Santoro asked how the PTO funding is utilized, Mr. DeCristofaro said they often support facility needs.  For example, the wireless microphones for the auditorium already need replacement due to technology advances.

Mrs. Lebo asked how the Social-Emotional goal will be quantified, Mr. DeCristofaro said it is hard to measure and so the focus is on making sure students have the opportunity for multiple experiences. 

Mrs. Lebo complimented the Media/Civics project and Family Engagement, including the website page being updated and weekly School Messenger calls. 

Mrs. Lebo asked for the APC demographic data to be added to the SIP.

Mrs. Hubley asked about video cameras needed, these have been requested from Mr. Draicchio.

Mr. Gutro asked how the School Improvement Plan is shared with parents, Mr. DeCristofaro will present at the January PTO meeting.  Mr. DeCristofaro said each PTO meeting has a topic and the discussions feed the development of the SIP.

Mr. Gutro asked about difficulties around grading, Mr. DeCristofaro said this is an ongoing discussion with teachers, the impact of a failing grade on students and how can assessment support student growth instead.

Mr. Gutro asked about staff absences and issues with substitute coverage.  Mr. DeCristofaro said this has been a challenge, some days are a puzzle.

Mr. Gutro asked about an increase in incidents or students acting out.  Mr. DeCristofaro said that the beginning of the school year was a challenge, orienting students to being back in school full time and the rules and behaviors of the school.  Community circles have had a positive impact on these behaviors.

On the facilities list, Mr. Gutro asked about the digital clocks, this has been a problem since the building opened. 

Mr. Gutro complimented Mr. DeCristofaro for his updating the school website and exceptional communication skills. 

Mrs. Cahill made a motion for Central’s Facilities Needs to be moved into Facilities, Transportation & Security Subcommittee, seconded by Mr. Santoro.  On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Mr. Santoro made a motion to approve the Central Middle School Improvement Plan.  Mrs. Cahill seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Principal Derek Lakey presented the South~West Middle School Improvement Plan and thanked Ms. Foley for her support during the transition.  Guidance Counselor Ms. Kyranis and Mr. Abboud care so much for the families of South~West.  Quincy pride is evident, so many staff members grew up here and attended Quincy Public Schools.  Mr. Lakey investigated the school’s historical performance data as part of his orientation and has revamped the school schedule to align Grade 5 with Grades 6-8 schedules.  The new schedule has allowed for embedded teacher collaboration time and to focus on challenging all students while allowing time for enrichment and advisory time.  Ms. Foley said that working with Mr. Lakey and his vision for South~West has been amazing.  Having all of the students in the building and the new mindset includes relationship building.  Restorative Circles have been instrumental in creating a community among students, many of whom did not attend school in person for over a year.  Shifts in discipline theory are focused on keeping students in the classroom, addressing issues and providing supports in place. 

Mr. Santoro asked about class sizes, some of the larger classes are co-taught with English Learner or Special Education staff and others have inclusion students who are accompanied by staff.

Mr. Santoro complimented the schedule change, asked about the staff collaboration.  Mr. Lakey said that each grade level team has common planning time.  Currently these are being used as interdisciplinary RTI meetings.

Mrs. Cahill thanked Mr. Lakey for his detailed School Improvement Plan, asked about participation level for Extended Day programs.  Mr. Lakey said the staff support and the number of students interested is overwhelming, including the CARES students and their paraprofessionals.

Mrs. Cahill asked about the Community Circles, how are shy students encouraged to participate.  Mr. Lakey said that at the beginning of the school year, topics were light to get students to feel comfortable.  Mr. Lakey said sometimes circles are smaller and participation is easier, but has facilitated circles on serious topics.

Mrs. Lebo complimented Mr. Lakey’s analysis and the depth of his conclusions.  Mrs. Lebo asked about the survey, Mr. Lakey said this is a simple social-emotional self-evaluation.  The goal is to surface social-emotional needs and create lessons to meet the needs.

Mrs. Lebo asked if there are activities for Grade 5 only, Ms. Foley said that there are before school activities and the Walking Club is for Grades 5-6.  The Grade 5 students want to be part of the school and participate in the extracurriculars.  Ms. Foley said for intramural sports, they tend to group by age with Grades 5 and 6 in one group and Grades 7 and 8 in another.

Mrs. Lebo asked about the weekly newsletter, Mr. Lakey said this is sent out by School Messenger.  Mrs. Lebo asked about posting on the website, Ms. Foley said there is a need for website training.

Mrs. Cahill asked if the Grade 5 students participate in anything at Lincoln Hancock and they don’t.

Mrs. Lebo noted that on the School Council, there should be an equal number of parents and teachers. 

Mrs. Hubley asked about the School Psychologist, Ms. Perkins said it should say .4.

Mrs. Hubley asked about Grade 5 recess, it is part of the lunch block.

Mrs. Hubley asked about SADD and Project 351, Ms. Kyranis said it will be running SADD in 2^nd half of the year.  There is a Grade 8 Project 351 Ambassador.

Mr. Gutro thanked Mr. Lakey for the data analysis, complimented Mr. Lakey for instituting change and collaborative vision with Ms. Foley. 

Mr. Gutro asked how the School Improvement Plan is shared with parents, Mr. Lakey said data components were shared with the School Council during the development process. 

Mr. Gutro asked about difficulties around grading, Mr. Lakey said tiered interventions are the key, the highest performing students should be challenged along with the lower performing students.  Student growth is definitely a concern and he is looking forward to disaggregating the mid-year MAP data.

Mr. Gutro asked about an increase in incidents or students acting out.  Mr. Lakey said that in comparison to previous years conduct data, the trajectory is good, very low number of incidents.  Ms. Foley said there is a direct correlation to the way incidents are being handled in the classroom, there has been a transition for many students to reorient to the rules of being in school.

Mr. Gutro asked about facilities needs, there is increased enrollment of 50-60 students this year so there a shortage of lockers and other furniture.  Commissioner Hines is in the process of purchasing additional lockers.

Mrs. Cahill made a motion for South~West’s Facilities Needs to be moved into Facilities, Transportation & Security Subcommittee, seconded by Mr. Santoro.  On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Mr. Santoro made a motion to approve the South~West Middle School Improvement Plan.  Mrs. Cahill seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Principal Daniel Gilbert presented the Broad Meadows Middle School Improvement Plan, began by thanking the Superintendent and Leadership Team members for their support during the last school year and providing solutions that allow the focus to remain on the most important role of educating our students.  The pandemic has affected families disproportionately, the school serves many families who are economically disadvantaged.  The school supported families in many ways even though many students never attended school in person.  Tiered interventions are provided for students to address learning loss and students who are stalled at the top.  New MAP reports allow for analysis by classroom for skills and topics, multiple different learning levels in any classroom including Advanced.  The social-emotional component is even more important than ever before, students are aware of the challenges they face and the internal struggles that may not be evident to all. 

Mr. Gilbert said that weekly messages are sent out through School Messenger.  Broad Meadows has extensive extended day offerings, there is some decline of participation due to parent concerns about COVID.  The auditorium renovation continues, with electrical work and painting underway.

Mr. Santoro noted that many of the SIPs action steps are dependent on principal observation, understands the time and effort it takes to oversee the staff in this way. 

Mrs. Cahill asked whether there is evidence of student academic re-engagement and if this might be reflected in the upcoming MAP Assessment.  Mr. Gilbert said that testing students remotely was a huge challenge, having the students in school in person, there is a high level of investment and he expects to see this indicated in the results.

Mrs. Lebo asked about the Social-Emotional Learning Survey, the DEI team created a simple survey for students to determine their feelings about returning to school and needs for social emotional learning.

Mrs. Hubley thanked Mr. Gilbert for the SIP and the very detailed action steps.  Mrs. Hubley asked about SADD, which will begin in the 2^nd part of the school year and Project 351, which will be a remote launch this year due to COVID-19. 

Mr. Gutro asked how the School Improvement Plan is shared with parents, Mr. Gilbert said the completed plan will be shared at an upcoming PTO meeting.  Components related to data were discussed at previous meetings while the SIP was under development.

Mr. Gutro asked about difficulties around grading, Mr. Gilbert said that the learning loss has impacted the students who were behind further.  Mr. Gilbert said it has to be addressed through daily curriculum and has worked with the teachers to assess how they grade and keep the students circumstances in mind.  He urges teachers to think about how they frame what success looks like for individual students and give students opportunity to find success.

Mr. Gutro asked about an increase in incidents or students acting out.  Mr. Gilbert said the community circles have been important, half of the Grade 7 students had never attended Broad Meadows in addition to the Grade 6 students.  Incidents are consistent in type and number as in other years.

Mrs. Cahill made a motion for Broad Meadow’s Facilities Needs to be moved into Facilities, Transportation & Security Subcommittee, seconded by Mr. Santoro.  On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Mrs. Cahill made a motion to approve the Broad Meadows Middle School Improvement Plan.  Mr. Santoro seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Principal Christine Barrett presented the Point Webster Middle School Improvement Plan, the caring and dedicated staff has worked to support the students and families throughout the pandemic.  Last year’s MCAS scores reflect the obstacles of the pandemic, 58% of students were remote for the entire 2020-2021 school year.  There is no substitute for in-person learning and the MAP benchmarks give a more accurate indication of student growth and progress.  This year, they have been critical for identifying areas of student learning loss.  Despite all of the challenges, there was significant progress towards last year’s goals. 

Ms. Barrett is proud of the action steps, specifically focused on social-emotional goals, building relationships through community circles and peer groups, grade-level novels, extended day offerings such as Kindness Club, and community events.  Family engagement is encouraged through the weekly parent newsletters, and being able to have the winter concert in December was a joyful event. 

Mrs. Cahill asked about the RIT point goals, are these achievable.  Ms. Barrett said the staff identified these targets as achievable, growth is smaller at the upper grades.  In comparison, the elementary goals will be larger increase targets.

Mr. Santoro asked how the action steps will be monitored, Ms. Barrett said meeting in grade level teams, vertical curriculum teams throughout the year will allow for monitoring and adjusting.  Mr. Santoro asked for clarificstion, there is a schedule that allocates time for meetings during the Student Support Block.

Mr. Santoro asked about Grade 5 students adjusting to the middle school.  Ms. Barrett said that for these students, Grade 2 was their last full year in school.  Ms. Barrett said the structure of homeroom and daily checkins are important to support students.  The schedule is the same as in an elementary building, five sections with class sizes of 20 students or below.  Ms. Barrett has been principal of both middle schools with Grade 5, was principal of Sterling when Grade 5 moved from Lincoln Hancock. 

Mrs. Lebo complimented the SIP goals as being ambitious and asked about Grade 5-specific before and after-school activities, there are a number of options plus access to all of the extracurricular options.

Mrs. Hubley complimented the sources of evidence provided.  Mrs. Hubley asked about SADD and Project 351, the SADD chapter will be active in the 2^nd half of the year and Point Webster has a Grade 8 Ambassador for Project 351.

Mr. Gutro asked how the School Improvement Plan is shared with parents, Ms. Barrett said that plan components including facilities are discussed at PTO meetings and that PTO is involved in planning Family Engagement.  The approved SIP will be shared with parents at an upcoming PTO meeting.

Mr. Gutro asked about difficulties around grading, Ms. Barrett said she has addressed this with her staff, many are providing multiple options for assessment and assignments.  Some students are comfortable with paper and pencil, others are comfortable with computers.  Teachers are extending deadlines and allowing for makeup work within a term.  There is less emphasis on homework, as it may not be feasible given family circumstances.

Mr. Gutro asked about an increase in incidents or students acting out.  Ms. Barrett said social media is responsible for some of this year’s issues, there are always issues as it is part of the maturity process.  The community circles have been important to address issues as they arise.

Mr. Gutro asked about the Point Webster grounds, at the December School Committee meeting, Mayor Koch spoke of an outside funding source. Superintendent Mulvey updated that the state is the source of the funding, as far as he has heard, we are still waiting for confirmation.  He will ask Mayor Koch to update at the next School Committee meeting.

Mrs. Cahill made a motion for Point Webster’s Facilities Needs to be moved into Facilities, Transportation & Security Subcommittee, seconded by Mr. Santoro.  On a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Mrs. Cahill made a motion to approve the Point Webster Middle School Improvement Plan.  Mr. Santoro seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.

Mr. Santoro made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 pm.  Mrs. Cahill seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.