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If you want to stay connected to things happening around the district on a daily basis, feel free to follow me on my twitter account: @MarshfieldSuper.  My next goal is to reach 1,000 followers. 

MHS Fun Fest

Marshfield High School’s Student Council will be sponsoring the annual Halloween Fun Fest on Saturday, Oct. 24 from noon to 4 p.m. It will be held in  Marshfield High School Student Dining(Gym Entrance). The Fun Fest is geared toward children between the ages of 1 and 12, and all participants are encouraged to dress up.  Admission is $5 a child . All activities are operated by fully costumed members of the Marshfield High School Student Council. The Fun Fest will include games, prizes, picture taking, a haunted hallway, coloring, face painting, and other fun activities!  A costume parade will also be held, with prizes awarded for the best costumes.  For more information please e-mail Mrs. Jayda Vitez at jvitez@mpsd.org.

Elementary Standards Based Report Cards

Marshfield Public School District provides a Standards Based Report Card for elementary students in Kindergarten through Grade 5. The school district developed these report cards using the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.

 

The Standards Based Report Card allows us to identify students’ progress toward their mastery of the curriculum frameworks. The report card benefits students, teachers, and parents/guardians by providing detailed performance level expectations in each of the following academic areas: Literacy, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music and Physical Education. Visit www.mpsd.org for more information.
Standards Based Report Card for Trimester 1 will be issued on December 4. PLEASE NOTE: progress reports will only be sent home as needed.

Reminder to FBMS 7th Graders

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts requires that all 7th grade students must submit a copy of a recent physical examination with documentation of immunizations to include Tdap (tetanus/pertussis) and second dose of Varicella (chicken pox) vaccinations.  This documentation must be submitted to the nurse by Friday, October 23, 2015.

SC Accepts Donations

At this week's School Committee meeting, two organizations were recognized for their generous donations to the district.

The Pesko family and their company, Childscapes Commercial Playgrounds, were recognized for their donation of swings and playground equipment to the South River School. 

In addition, Mr. John White and the Marshfield Lodge of Elks #2494 were recognized for their generous donations of dictionaries to each third grade student in the district.  This is the 10th year that the Elks have made this generous donation to our students.

Thank you to the Pesko family and the Marshfield Elks for their continued support of the Marshfield Public Schools

 

MHS Project Recognized By US Green Building Council

Marshfield Public Schools and the Marshfield School Building Committee are pleased to announce that the new Marshfield High School project has been certified LEED Gold by the US Green Building Council.

LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a green building certification program that recognizes best-in-class building strategies and practices.  The LEED Gold is the second highest certification that can be achieved through the program. 

The project team included the Design Team lead by Ai3 Architects, LLC of Wayland, MA; the Owner’s Project Manager Compass Project Management, Inc. of Medfield, MA; and the General Contractor Brait Builders Ventures of Marshfield, MA.

The approximately $100 million dollar project which achieved its LEED Gold certification under LEED for SCHOOLS v2009 included the following notable elements:

·         Energy efficient heating and cooling systems

·         Energy efficient lighting systems

·         Regionally sourced materials and low VOC finishes

·         High efficiency glazing with operable windows for natural ventilation

·         Improved storm water management

·         Rainwater collection system

On the LEED matrix, the project received notably high marks for:

·         Water Efficient Landscaping

·         Innovative Wastewater Technologies

·         Water Use Reduction by 32%

·         Optimized Energy Performance (20% below code)

·         Over 96% construction waste diverted from landfills

·         Recycled Materials over 20%

·         87% FSC Certified Wood

·         Low-Emitting Materials

 

“This is a significant achievement for our town.”  Said Bruce Spilter, Co-Chairperson for the Marshfield High School Building Committee.  “In many ways, a high school is the centerpiece of a community, and in our case, this project is the largest capital project ever completed by the Town of Marshfield.  The new school certainly demonstrates our commitment as a community to education and to our youth.  This LEED Certification now validates our dedicated effort to thoughtfully improve our facilities when these opportunities arise.  We can all be very proud of this accomplishment.”

There will be a brief ceremony commemorating this recognition at 5:30 PM on Monday, October 26th in the front lobby of Marshfield High School.

Marshfield School Committee Votes on PARCC Resolution

I wanted to update you on a vote that was taken by the SC at this week’s meeting.  SC Member, Sean Costello brought forth a resolution related to the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education's (DESE) pending deliberation on whether to make PARCC the state’s official proficiency assessment for graduation.  The resolution called on  DESE to NOT move forward with PARCC and to keep MCAS in place.  There was  a great deal of discussion on the concerns that have come up with PARCC as well as on the merits of the current system and what we’ve been able to do with data we that has come from years of MCAS testing.  In the end, the Committee voted unanimously to support the resolution (see below) and it has been submitted to DESE for their consideration.

DESE will be voting on this matter in less than a month and if you did not see it, Commissioner Chester noted that he is now looking at a possible move that would use some aspects of PARCC to help create an “MCAS 2.0”.  Here’s a link to the Boston Globe article on this option:  http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/10/20/chang-other-superintendents-tout-new-parcc-test/RVFnwTEQwjPya5muMlWHeL/story.html.   This option will be discussed at the DESE board on November 16^th, before they vote on the 17^th.  We will update everyone once DESE makes their decision.

 

Resolution Opposing Implementation of PARCC Testing

 

WHEREAS:          the Marshfield Public Schools provide a safe, healthy and collaborative learning environment that fosters respect and responsibility, empowering all to achieve their maximum potential; and

 

WHEREAS:           the future well-being of our society relies on a high-quality public education system that effectively motivates and prepares all students for college, careers, citizenship, and lifelong learning; and

 

WHEREAS:          the Marshfield School Committee fully understands the obligation of the District to administer, with its very best efforts, a state-mandated proficiency test; and

 

WHEREAS:          school districts in Massachusetts and across the country have been spending increasing amounts of time, money, and other resources on high-stakes testing; and

 

WHEREAS:          student performance on standardized tests is used to make major decisions affecting individual students, educators, schools, and districts; and

 

WHEREAS:          concerns have been noted over the years on the over reliance of a single state assessment and the impact the pressure of said exams has had on students and educators across the Commonwealth; and

 

WHEREAS:          Marshfield has used the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) proficiency test as a tool to gauge student progress and adherence to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and has utilized this important data to improve curriculum, and enhance instructional strategies; and

 

WHEREAS:          the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) exam system is scheduled for review and a future implementation decision in the fall of 2015 regarding its use as a statewide assessment in all Massachusetts public school districts; and

 

WHEREAS:          the usage of MCAS testing in Marshfield Public Schools was reaffirmed over PARCC testing in a 2014 School Committee vote; and

 

WHEREAS:          the implementation of PARCC exams requires massive infrastructure expenditures in technology at every level, in districts across the Commonwealth, with no financial plan to support these costs in an era in which school budgets are strained with accelerated, decreasing state aid; and

 

WHEREAS:          initial findings from some districts administering PARCC testing raise concerns on whether it reliably tests skills in an age appropriate fashion; it puts too much of a financial burden on districts trying to meet the technology needs of the assessment; the extensive time needed to appropriately plan for and administer PARCC outweighs any potential benefits and negatively impacts the teaching and learning that takes place in those schools; and

 

WHEREAS:          the Marshfield Public Schools District 5-year Improvement Plan for 2013-2017, approved and adopted in 2012, set forth a goal to maximize the potential of students, staff, parents and community partly through providing sufficient time to assess the effectiveness of emerging practices; be it therefore

 

RESOLVED:          that the Marshfield School Committee and the Marshfield Public Schools District supports more time for educators to teach and students to learn; and be it further

 

RESOLVED:          that the Marshfield School Committee does not support the potential implementation of PARCC testing as an unfunded mandate; and be it further

 

RESOLVED:          that the Marshfield School Committee calls on state education policymakers to reject the implementation of PARCC testing over MCAS; and be it further

 

RESOLVED:          that the Marshfield School Committee encourages state policymakers to re-evaluate the practice of current and proposed future methods of standardized testing; and be it further

 

RESOLVED:          that the Marshfield School Committee affirms the aforementioned statements in order to encourage educators, parents, and other members of our community to work together to support our teachers, enhance positive educational practices, and better prepare students for lifelong learning.