Marshfield FACTs Schedule of Events

Marshfield FACTS Open Coalition Meeting Monday, February 26, 2018 3:00 PM at Seth Ventress Auditorium, 2^nd floor, 76 South River Street, Marshfield, MA on the agenda: Book discussion, PhotoVoice, Safety Day, Board of Directors Elections, SBIRT

Plymouth County Drug Task Force meeting Monday, February 27, 2018 9:30 AM at Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department training amphitheater, 24 Long Pond Road, Plymouth, MA – Julie Ferringer from the FBI will present on how teens access drugs on the dark web. Free, registration required – register by 2/23 with Jenna Faherty jmfaherty@pcsda.org

Marshfield FACTS Steering Committee Meeting Wednesday, February 28, 2018 7:00 PM

Afternoon Bus Incident

Dear MPSD Families,

At approximately 1:50 PM, the Marshfield Police and Fire Department stopped Marshfield Public School Bus #7 after reports of erratic driving along Rt. 139.  It appears, according to the Marshfield Police, that the bus driver suffered a medical incident and after a thorough review at the scene, was transported to the hospital for further treatment. There were no students on the bus at that time and no reports of any injuries.

The bus had just concluded the route for the Martinson Elementary School and was heading to Marshfield High School for the next route.  A replacement bus with a new driver completed the high school and middle school afternoon routes.

Prior to the Martinson run, the same bus was reported to have hit a street sign as it was concluding its route for the Governor Winslow School. Once contacted, the school reported this event to the bus company, the district’s transportation department and the Marshfield Police who were, at that time, already investigating the matter and were with the bus.  

If your child rides Bus #7 and you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your child’s school principal.    

Sincerely,

Thomas Miller

Asst. Superintendent of Business & Finance

& Transportation Director

MPSD: Superintendent Update

Dear Members of the Marshfield School Community,

Good afternoon.

We are heartbroken for the students, staff, first responders and families of Parkland Florida after learning of yet another tragic loss of life as a result of a school shooting. This has become far too common in communities across the nation and I hope that this tragedy will push those in positions of leadership, at the state and federal level, to take the appropriate action needed to get to the root cause of the problems which cause events like the one we saw yesterday. In the meantime, I am sure many members of our school community are asking two important questions: “How safe are our Marshfield schools?” and “How can we support our students as they learn more details about this most recent incident?”

The safety and well-being of our MPSD students and staff members is our first priority. The idea of safety is at the core of the district’s mission statement which notes: “Marshfield Public Schools provide a safe, healthy and collaborative learning environment that fosters respect and responsibility, empowering all to achieve their maximum potential.”

Our leadership teams at each building meet on a regular basis with representatives from public safety and staff at both the school and district levels to plan and implement training and protocols to keep everyone safe and plan how to respond in the event of an incident/emergency. We have a tremendous working relationship with both the police and fire departments in Marshfield and will continue to work them to ensure we are following the most appropriate safety protocols.  We also are fortunate to have a district-wide School Resource Officer, along with liaison officers who are assigned to each of our seven schools.  Parents or staff members with concerns about safety should feel free to contact building principals for school-specific questions.

Helping to ensure that our students are emotionally safe, in relation to news about yesterday’s shooting, is another important responsibility. As you are aware, each building has guidance and/or adjustment counselors, along with school psychologists who are always available to work with students in need.  Also, in relation to yesterday’s event, please refer to guidance from the National Association of School Psychologists for useful and practical help: 

Talking to Children About Violence: Tips for Parents and Teachers

Please reach out to any member of the administrative team if we can help support you in any way.

With respect,

Jeffrey W. Granatino

Superintendent

Thank You Korean War Veterans of Marshfield

At our most recent School Committee Meeting, the Committee accepted a $250 donation from the Korean War Veterans Association of Marshfield (KWVA).  Their very generous donation was graciously accepted on behalf of the Furnace Brook Middle School.

The KWVA has continually been a supporter of the Marshfield Public Schools.  The Committee thanked the entire Association, in particular their Commander, Mr. Robert Griffin.  We are honored to have the KWVA as a partner.

Spring 2018 MCAS Test Schedule- Elementary Schools

Here's a link to the MCAS testing schedule for our elementary schools this spring. 

Grades 3,4 & 5 MCAS Testing Schedule

MPSD Preschool Applications Available

Marshfield Public Preschool

Marshfield Public Preschool, (formerly known as Hand in Hand) applications are available for the 2018/2019 school year. Applications are available on the Marshfield Public Schools website under the schools tab, Early Childhood Programs.  They are also available at the front office of the Martinson or Daniel Webster Elementary Schools.

Integrated Preschool Programs

Marshfield Public Schools offer a variety of preschool opportunities for three and four year
old children. The preschool classes are half day sessions that meet two or four days per
week. The classrooms are currently located at the Daniel Webster and Martinson
Elementary Schools. The programs serve children with and without special needs. Children
participate in the programs through the open application/lottery or the evaluation process. Applications are available through February 28^th.  Children must be three years old by
August 31 of the year entering.

Tuition- 4 days- $2040 2 days-$1020

Please call the Early Childhood Office at 781-834-5048 for
more information.

Director of Special Education & Pupil Personnel Services Selected

Director of Special Education & Pupil Personnel Services Selected

I am pleased to announce that Ms. Amy Scolaro has been named Director of Special Education & Pupil Personnel Services pending successful negotiations. The position is open due to the upcoming retirement of Dr. Susan Dupuis, who has been in that role for the past 14 years.

For the past six years, Ms. Scolaro has been principal at the South River School and prior to that she served five years as a principal in the Abington school district.  Before becoming an administrator, she taught for sixteen years, with a focus on special education at the elementary level.

Ms. Scolaro graduated with a B.S. in Special Education from Bridgewater State College.  She also earned a Masters Degree in Education from Harvard University as well as a Masters in Education Administration from Eastern Nazarene College.

In her time in Marshfield, Ms. Scolaro has been a dynamic leader who works hard to develop a strong relationship with her students, staff, and SRS families.  She has played a prominent role in the development and growth of the Language Based Learning Center, which is housed at South River School.  In addition she has worked hard to develop Response to Intervention (RTI) strategies and enhanced the impact of the Student Teacher Assistance Team (STAT)  to better ensure that the needs of all students are met.  She played a key role in the development of the district’s current Strategic Plan and has served on a variety of committees throughout the district.  Most recently, she worked closely with Dr. Dupuis throughout the district’s recently completed Coordinated Program Review (CPR) process, where Marshfield’s practices around special education, civil rights, English Language Learners, McKinney-Vento homeless and vocational learning were assessed by the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE).

In her time at SRS, Ms. Scolaro has repeatedly shared one very important message with her staff:  “We believe all kids can learn...and we will work to help ALL students achieve high standards of learning.”

Prior to selecting Ms. Scolaro, a search committee headed by Assistant Superintendent Ellen Martin and consisting of parents, teachers, district administrators, and a school committee member reviewed all who applied for the position. They chose six candidates to interview and from that group they recommended two as finalists to meet with the Superintendent.  After meeting with the Superintendent, each candidate also met with the district’s leadership team.  I want to thank each of the search committee members for their hard work and attention to detail over the past month as they reviewed each of the seventeen candidates from across the Commonwealth who applied for this position.

Ms. Scolaro will have an opportunity meet with the School Committee and will begin her new role on July 1.

DWS' Wild Robot Is Spotlight on Excellence

At the February 6th School Committee Meeting, the Daniel Webster School and their One Book/One School read of The Wild Robot was the center of attention during the Spotlight on Excellence segment of the meeting.

Ms. Prouty, Ms. Jackson, along with Ms. McBride, Mr. DeRosa, Mr. Patota, Ms. White and Ms. Bergamesca all were slated to present various aspects  of the One Book/One School process.  We had numerous students in attendance, who were either showing off characters from the book or singing the National Anthem under the leadership of Ms. Butterfield.

It was a tremendous presentation in front of dozens of parents, a large segment of the DWS staff and the executive board of the Marshfield Education Foundation (MEF), who provided the funding for the program through one of the 16 grants they awarded to MPSD educators last spring.

Here are a few pictures from this special night.

Updated Last Day of School- Thursday, June 14, 2018

Due to Tuesday's school cancellation, the last day of school now stands at Thursday, June 14, 2018.

8th Annual Marshfield St. Patrick's Day 5K

Hi All - Registration is now open for the 8th Annual Marshfield St. Patrick's Day 5K on Saturday, March 17, 2018. Over the last seven years, over 19,000 runners, walkers, and crawlers have descended upon Brant Rock, raising over $480,000 for the Marshfield Education Foundation http://www.marshfieldfoundation.org , with every penny going to enhancing the Marshfield Public Schools.

Register today!  https://racewire.com/register.php?id=8004

Don’t delay in registering; everyone that registers by February 10, 2018 will receive the outstanding long sleeve race shirt free with registration!   

Please check out our race website: marshfieldstpatricksday5k.com , where you will be able to find all the information on the race.  Don’t forget to like our facebook page: www.facebook.com/Patty5k   for up to date race information and share our facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/143803729558136/    Please let everyone know you’re attending and forward to all your friends!  You can also follow the race on Twitter:twitter.com/StPatricksDay5K

Don't forget about team registration; create or join a team with friends and family!  Teams have also been created for all seven Marshfield schools (DWS, EWS, GWS, MES, SRS, FBMS & MHS)!

Not interested in running or walking?  Be part of the tradition!  We are always looking for sponsors, committee members and volunteers!  To find out more about these opportunities, please contact the Race Committee at stpatricksday5k@marshfieldfoundation.org .

Looking forward to seeing you on March 17, 2018!

Dir. of Special Education & Pupil Personnel Services Finalists Named

Good afternoon. I write to inform you that the Director of Special Education & Pupil Personnel Services Search Committee has completed their work and has forwarded two finalists to my office for consideration.

I am pleased to let you know the two finalists for this position are current South River School (SRS) Principal Amy Scolaro and Stoughton’s Administrator of Special Education, Heather Tucker.  Both finalists have tremendous academic backgrounds, with extensive teaching and leadership experience in special education settings.   

For the past six years, Ms. Scolaro has been Principal at the SRS and prior to that she served five years as a Principal in the Abington school district.  She has sixteen years of teaching experience, with a focus in the area of special education at the elementary level.

Ms. Tucker has been the Administrator of Special Education for the past eight years and prior to that she served for two years as the Assistant Administrator of Special Education in Stoughton.  Her classroom teaching experience for ten years was focused in special education in private and public settings.   

Both finalists have met with me and they had additional meetings with the District Leadership Team.  I hope to announce who the next Director will be by the end of next week.

I want to thank the members of our search committee for their hard work and the amount of time they spent meeting with the candidates.  They are:

Educators: Heather O’Neill, Meaghan Fitzpatrick, Meghan Wilkers

Parents:  Melissa Chiano, Amy Smith

Administrators: Kristin Brandt, Karen Hubbard

School Committee:  Kendra Stetson-Campbell

District Administrators: Tom Miller, Ellen Martin

Thank you and have a great day.

Sincerely,

Jeffrey W. Granatino

Superintendent