Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts – October 5, 2016
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
October 5, 2016 at the Coddington Building. The Superintendent called the
roll and present were Mr. James DeAmicis, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley,
Ms. Barbara Isola, Mayor Thomas Koch, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mrs. Anne Mahoney,
and Mr. Paul Bregoli, Vice Chair.
Vice-Chair Presiding
Also present were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens,
Clerk; Mrs. Rita Bailey, Mr. Michael Connor, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Mr. James
Mullaney, Deputy Superintendent Kevin Mulvey, Mrs. Maura Papile, Mrs. Ann
Pegg, Mrs. Erin Perkins, Mr. John Rogan, Mr. Keith Segalla, Mr. Robert Shaw,
Mr. Lawrence Taglieri; Quincy Education Association President Allison Cox;
North Quincy High School Student Representative Ryan Fiasconaro; Quincy
High School Student Representative Owen Doherty; and Citywide Parent
Council Co-President Courtney Perdios.
§
There was a moment of silence for members of the armed forces serving
overseas and at home.
§
Regular Meeting Minutes Approved
9.21.16
Mr. DeAmicis made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Hubley, to approve the Regular
Meeting minutes for September 21, 2016. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
§
Open Forum
As no one wished to speak at Open Forum, School Committee moved to the next
item on the agenda.
§
Superintendent's
Report
Dr. DeCristofaro opened the Superintendent’s Report by recognizing the
National Merit Scholars from Quincy High School and North Quincy High School.
These seniors were of the top 50,000 of the 1.5 million students who took the
PSAT across the country; 34,000 are selected as Commended Scholars and
16,000 as Semi-Finalists. This year’s Commended Scholars are: Alexander Cox,
Tianettie McKee, Amanda Ngo, Tara Nguyen, Ethan Sit, and Sandra Zhen from
North Quincy High School and Yaseen Alkhafaji, Liam Rogers, Kristen Tran, and
Rachel Zisk from Quincy High School. Quincy High School's Lisa Barros is a
Semi-Finalist and scored in the top 1%.
North Quincy High School Junior Nicholas Andrade was recognized for being
the Gold Medalist at the USA Fencing National Championship in the Division 1-A
Mens Foil.
The Merrymount Elementary School was recently named as a National Blue
Ribbon School. Given by the US Department of Education to 329 public and
private schools across the United States, Merrymount is one of three schools in
Massachusetts recognized this year. Principal Ann Pegg, Assistant Principal
John Rogan, and the staff were recognized for academic excellence and progress
closing the achievement gap. Mrs. Pegg cited the teamwork of Merrymount
Elementary School staff and the Assessment team. Mrs. Pegg recognized two
recently recognized teachers, Mrs. O’Malley and Mrs. Santoro (former Assistant
Principal), for their impact on the school. Mrs. Pegg also recognized Ms.
Hammerstrom, finalist for the Presidential Award for Excellence in
Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) in Massachusetts.
Mrs. Lebo said the leadership team at Merrymount has been a joy to watch as a
grandparent of students at the school. Mrs. Mahoney congratulated the staff of
the school, their hard work is being recognized and we are all very proud. Ms.
Isola said that the Merrymount teachers are not thinking about awards when
they work so hard every day, so this is a very special recognition. Mr. DeAmicis
was glad to hear about the teamwork and the efforts of the teachers being
rewarded. Mr. Bregoli said as a 22-year veteran of the Merrymount Elementary
School, can attest to the positive feeling there from administrators to teachers.
This happens every day in all of our Quincy Public Schools. Mayor Koch said
that the high school graduation ceremonies are a favorite event of the year,
those students success begins at the elementary level. Mayor Koch thanked
Mrs. Pegg and the Merrymount staff for serving families of Quincy.
Dr. DeCristofaro said he is proud to be the Superintendent of Quincy Public
Schools, so many strengths and positives in our school system. Every year,
graduating seniors from Merrymount go on to higher education based on the
foundation of thir elementary school education. The school staff works
together so very well due to the curriculum leadership of Merrymount's
Principal and Assistant Principal.
After a brief recess, Dr. DeCristofaro introduced Inspire Quincy, featuring
highlights of the Quincy Public Schools including Peer Leaders at Sterling
Middle School; the Sterling Middle School 5K Walk/Run; food tasting at
Atherton Hough; North Quincy High School Science Teacher Cara Pekarcik’s
webinar from the Antarctic; the City of Presidents 5K Walk/Run to benefit QPS
Health & Wellness activities; and interviews with Kindergarten students at
Montclair Elementary School.
John & Abigail Adams Scholarship winners from the Class of 2017 were recently
announced, 182 Quincy Public Schools students will receive tuition waivers for
eight semesters at Massachusetts state universities based on their high
performance on Grade 10 MCAS assessments (English Language Arts,
Mathematics, Biology). Students must score Advanced on at least one MCAS
assessment; Proficient or above on the other two; and have combined scores
from the three assessments that place them in the top 25% of students in the
graduating class in the district. The 97 students from North Quincy High School
will be recognized at a ceremony on November 7 and the 75 students from
Quincy High School will be recognized on November 1.
North Quincy High School: Alexander Bui; Samantha Caldwell; James Cannon;
Anthony Chan; Darren Chau; Andy Chen; Anna Chen; Calvin Chen; Jessica Chen;
Karen Chen; Li Chen; Gary Chi; Janelle Chin; Alexander Cox; Curtis DeBisschop;
Allison Della Barba; Abdelrahman Elhashash; Isabelle Flaherty; Anthony Fong; Jin
Hong Gan; Brendan Ganno; Hannah Gray; Amanda Hazelton; Johnny He;
Skerdilaid Hoti; Ami Huang; Jimmy Huang; Maggie Huang; Mandy Huang; Gary
Hui; Sacha Ivanov; Wendi Jiang; Zi Bin Kuang; Jason Kung; Bui Hin Lam; Helen
Lam; Man Ching Lam; Thuylan Le; Chia Chien Lee; Vincent Leung; Emily Li;
Nathan Li; Wayland Li; Larissa Liang; Li Bin Lin; Alex Liu; Jia Bin Lu; Nina Luu;
Priscilla Ly; Vincent Mah; Ryan Manning; Kayleigh Manton; Michelle Mark;
Brigham McKee; Tianettie McKee; Shane Mitchell; Declan Murphy; Morgan
Murphy; Timothy Ng; Amanda Ngo; Tara Nguyen; Charles O'Brien; Kishan Patel;
Linda Phung; Isabelle Pillone; Katarina Pollastretti; Margaret Powers; Dalia
Sadaka; Ethan Sit; Matthew Soohoo; Michael Soohoo; Ivy Tang; Allessandra
Toscanini; Nhi Truong; Maureen Valli; Leo Vivutanayucun; Quynh Vu; Alex Webb;
Magdalena Wierzbowski; Jonathan Wong; Kevin Wong; Raymond Wong; Wilson
Wong; Jason Xiao; Jonathan Yip; Tiffany Yong; Yawen Yu; Jun Shan Zeng; Devin
Zhang; Maggie Zhang; Mindy Zhang; Sandra Zhen; Charlie Zheng; Mona Zheng;
Suki Zhu, Joey Zhuo; Jennifer Zou; Jessica Zou; Karen Zou
Quincy High School: Yusra Ahmed; Yaseen Alkhafaji; Nooralbannein Aud Alsaad;
Priscilla Anjurthe; Emily Barker; Lisa Barros; Evan Bausemer; Lucia Buzzell;
Bailee Carey; Shirley Chen; Joanne Chung; Sammy Cordahi; Joseph Cristiani; Kelan
Curran-Cross; Brianne Dane; Owen Doherty; Julia Ford; Emma Fuchs; Leanne
Gough; Kania Grant; Eva Gurra; Grace Hall; Michelle Helam; Maeve Hernon;
Alexander Huynh; Marcus Johnson; Emilia Kapcia; Casey Kelliher; Maysoon Khan;
Tien Lam; Daniel Liang; Michelle Lun; Zhiyang Luo; Judy Luu; Vanessa Ly; Mei
Chang Ma; Maura MacDonald; Alexandra MacPherson; Jessica Mahoney; Brian
Maloney; Colin Maloney; Harold Marcheski; Shauna McColgan; George McGee;
Dylan McGowan; Theresa McMillen; Zhuo Feng Mei; Ali Mokalled; Alicia Murphy;
Kyle Murphy; Minh Thu Nguyen; Sophia Noble; James O'Leary; Danielle Parry;
Luis Pegueroisalguez; Ashley Philibert; Mario Ragusa; Michael Reardon; Joelle
Robinson; Liam Rogers; Jacqueline Ryan; Nicole Salvatore; Emma Smyth;
Stephanie Stalder; Danny Szeto; Mya Terry; Quan Thi; Eoin Tierney; Yvonne To;
Kristen Tran; Vincent Tran; Hillary Valenzuela; Hunter Weinberger; Andy Zhen;
Rachel Zisk
Dr. DeCristofaro updated on Quincy School~Community Partnership events:
the 3rd annual City of Presidents Road Race was held on Sunday, September 25
and supported by many partners, raising over $20,000 for the Quincy Public
Schools Health & Wellness initiatives. Thanks to Mayor Koch and the members
of his staff who planned this event, supported by the Quincy High School
Culinary students. Over 100 Educator Mini-Grants will be awarded on
November 3 at the Neighborhood Club.
Fifteen Parent Academies are planned for this year; the first event will be held
on Thursday, October 6: An Evening with Maria Trozzi at 6:00 pm at Central
Middle School. Drop-In Information nights about Dual Enrollment are being
held for parents of high school students enrolled in these courses later in
October.
The Mentor Team met yesterday at Central Middle School for the first of this
year's meetings. Over 80 mentors and new professional staff members are part
of the team, chaired by Principal James Hennessy and Senior Curriculum
Director Madeline Roy and assisted by retired teachers and administrators.
The Career & Technical Education Advisory Board meetings will be held on
Thursday, October 20 at Quincy High School and then again in May 2017.
Professional Educator Status will be awarded to 40 Quincy Public Schools staff
members on October 13 at 3:00 pm. The Quincy Public Schools College Fair will
be held on October 13 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the Quincy High School
gymnasium. Student Support staff at both high schools have worked to plan
this event which will feature representatives from over 80 colleges and
universities. High School Open House events will be held for Grade 8 students
and families at Quincy High School on October 25 and North Quincy High School
on October 27
On Wednesday, October 19 Nobel Laureate Dr. Sheldon Glashow, 1979 Laureate
in Physics, will speak to 100 invited students from both high schools. There
will be a second visit from a different Nobel Laureate in the winter before the
Science Fair . Thanks to Eric Mason from the Mayor’s Office and Dr. Ed Shapiro.
Quincy Public Schools October 1, 2016 Enrollment information was shared with
School Committee. 9,442 students are presently enrolled, an increase of 101
students over October 1, 2015. For elementary schools, gains of over 20
students were seen at Lincoln Hancock, Montclair, and Parker. For elementary
class size averages, Kindergarten and Grade 5 average 20 students, while
Grades 1-4 average 19 students. Open Enrollment request trends were shared
for both Kindergarten and Grades 1-5.
For middle schools, Broad Meadows had an increase in population of 32
students. (A larger grade 6 entered replacing a small Grade 8 class departing
last June.) For class size, 94% of all middle school core academic classes have
24 or fewer students. High school class size is favorable with 88% of core class
sections having 25 or fewer students. Open enrollment trends for both middle
and high school have remained consistent, with 100% of high school requests
being granted. Dr. DeCristofaro suggested further review of this data in a future
Facilities & Security Subcommittee meeting.
§
Old Business
Concussion Policy (Vote)
Ms. Isola made a motion to approve the revised Concussion Policy as presented.
The motion was seconded by Mrs. Hubley and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it,
7-0.
§
Old Business
Medication
Administration
Policy Update (Vote)
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to approve the revised Medication Administration
Policy as presented. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Lebo and on a roll call vote,
the ayes have it, 7-0.
§
Old Business
Substance Use,
Education, and
Prevention Policy (Vote)
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to approve the Substance Use, Education, and
Prevention Policy as presented. The motion was seconded by Mr. DeAmicis and on
a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 7-0.
§
New Business
Health Services
Program Improvement
Plan
Coordinator of Health Services Rita Bailey presented the Health Services Program
Improvement Plan, reviewing 2015-2016 goals and achievements. Using the
Healthy Schools Framework, school Wellness teams completed their assessments
and set goals and action steps at the Health Symposium. The school nurses
collaborated on creating a Health Services page on Aspen to streamline
communication between school nurses and families. High School nurses
collaborated on student wellness about healthy choices, including the Pay It
Forward peer leader program and substance abuse awareness events.
For 2016-2017, Health Services is proposing a continuation of last year’s goals.
The Alliance for Healthier Generation grant has concluded, but online consultation
is still available. Nurses will continue to maintain their Health Information page
and communicate with families. In the area of Crisis Management/School
Emergency Triage Training, nurses have attended a disaster preparedness
program that provides knowledge, resources, and tools for providing effective
emergency care.
Health Services documented 88,000 student encounters and a 93% return to class
rate. Over 2,000 students with long-term health issues were supported. School
nurses collaborated on concussion management (51 during school sports, 59
outside of school) and over 9,000 prescribed dosages of medication were given.
Four health paraprofessionals assist with screening, data entry, and parent
interactions, thanks to the Mayor and School Committee for continued funding of
these positions. Vision, hearing, BMI, postural screenings are done annually. In
collaboration with the Department of Public Health, dental screenings and
sealants are offered to students in pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, Grades 2, 6, 8,
and 9.
Mr. DeAmicis thanked Mrs. Bailey for the wealth of information provided in the
Health Services Program Improvement Plan.
Mr. DeAmicis made a motion to accept the Health Services Program Improvement
Plan. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Lebo and on a roll call vote, the ayes have
it, 7-0.
§
New Business
Diversity & Respect
Initiative Update
Senior Director of Student Support Services Maura Papile, Quincy High School
Principal Lawrence Taglieri, and North Quincy High School Principal Robert
Shaw presented the Diversity Competency Initiative. The goal of the initiative is
to provide our students and staff with the tools needed to thrive in a diverse
world; communicate more effectively across differences; create a non-judgmental
atmosphere which allows for challenges and accountability without accusation
and blame; analyze complex issues regarding race, class, gender, and other
differences at the interpersonal, institutional, and cultural levels; and create
strategies for inclusion that allow for engagement of all students so they can
perform to their full potential.
Consultants from Visions Inc. will assist with creating environments where
differences are recognized, understood, appreciated, and utilized for the benefit of
all. Students are taught to hold a “both/and” perspective and to look at multiple
levels, while increasing empathy and the complexity of thinking-leading to
increasingly wise and effective action.
Mr. Taglieri spoke of professional development opportunities provided to Quincy
High School staff last spring about perspectives, which received overwhelmingly
positive response from staff. Many cited this as a good introduction and requested
more support in analyzing complex issues regarding race, class, gender, and other
differences at the personal, interpersonal, and institutional cultural levels. North
Quincy High School staff will receive the training on October 11 and the two staffs
will work together in November.
Mr. Shaw reviewed the presentation “You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me”
shared with students at both high schools in September, which focused on
messages of tolerance and respect for self and others. Follow up was with
students through written responses and roundtable discussion.
Mrs. Lebo said this is an incredible program, a great pre-emptive strike on an
important issue and a strong connection to social-emotional learning. Mrs.
Mahoney agreed this is something that makes Quincy Public Schools unique and
gives students the tools to handle difficult situations. Mrs. Mahoney recently
observed students standing up for other students in a situation where they are
made to feel uncomfortable.
Ms. Isola said so often these programs are instituted as a result of something bad
happening, thanked the presenters for being pro-active.
Mr. Bregoli asked how the initiative will be integrated into the curriculum. Mrs.
Papile said this is an area for exploration with the staff through professional
development. Enforcing listening and speaking carefully is integral to the success,
and explorations on extending this to middle school as part of PBIS are underway.
Dr. DeCristofaro said that the more our staff and students communicate, great
things will happen. The staff evaluations were very thoughtful and will encourage
further conversation.
Mayor Koch left the meeting at 8:00 pm.
§
New Business
Student Support
Services Program
Improvement Plan
Mrs. Papile then presented the Student Support Services Program Improvement
Plan. Student Support initiatives and goals are collaborative effort of guidance
counselors, school psychologists, physical & health education staff, the
homelessness coordinator, and the supervisors of attendance. Reflecting on last
year’s goals, the PBIS initiative for elementary & middle schools continued to be
implemented and high schools focused on program improvements for college and
career readiness and drop-out prevention. Mrs. Papile noted that once again,
Quincy Public Schools has one of the best graduation rates for urban districts in
Massachusetts.
Student Support goals for this year are focused on updating the Student Support
guidelines and procedures, continuing with PBIS site-based support, Substance
Abuse Prevention, the Diversity Competency Initiative, Career and College
Readiness. PBIS is a continuation goal because this is a cultural change and will
continue to evolve to ensure the acknowledgment of all children. Mrs. Papile
shared the timelines for Substance Abuse and Diversity Competence, highlighting
specific events. For middle school students, PBIS will integrate the concepts of
diversity and respect. The Health Educators focus on healthy decision-making for
students and families, pro-social skills, and building protective factors. The
Supervisors of Attendance have focused on attendance issues and the impact on
education, in addition to night visits to surface residency issues. The
Homelessness Coordinator assists with many issues around ensuring consistency
for students and integrating the facets of the Every Student Succeeds Act
Last year, 35 night checks were performed and 39 students discharged and 16
were not enrolled due to this check. 250 residency checks have already been
completed this school year, as each case goes through several visits.
Mrs. Lebo said that this is a very comprehensive and complete plan; it is
unfortunate that the DDM issue has detracted from other important issues for
these educators. Mrs. Lebo asked about high-risk students; there is a report due at
the end of the year, how is this analyzed throughout the school year. Mrs. Papile
said that these are ongoing conversations throughout the year, supports are
adjusted as needed. Mrs. Lebo said that the Student Support team is not giving
themselves enough credit for the work they do. Mrs. Lebo asked about middle
school goal relating to high school expectations. Mrs. Papile said that the middle
school guidance counselors are looking at student engagement and attitude
adjustment under PBIS as factors in contributing to successful transitions.
Mrs. Lebo asked whether there has been a decline in participation or SAT scores
since the school-day preparation classes have been eliminated. Mrs. Papile said
alternative opportunities for preparation are provided through guidance, and will
follow up with participation statistics. Mrs. Lebo asked about School
Pyschologists developing lessons, how are these implemented. Mrs. Papile said
the psychologists go into the classroom to teach about expected behaviors. Mrs.
Lebo would like to see Student Support Services statistics like those presented for
Health Services, everyone works so hard and wishes there was a way to quantify
their interactions with students.
Mr. Bregoli asked about the transition letters mailed to students entering Grades 6
and 9. Mrs. Papile confirmed that a residency check was performed on all families
with returned mail. Mr. Bregoli was pleased to hear that Drug Story Theater will
be performed for Grade 8 and would like to see more substance abuse education
at the middle school level. Mrs. Papile agreed and said the Improbable Players will
be presenting for Grade 7. Middle school SADD chapters are being created with
assistance from the high school counselors.
Ms. Isola made a motion to approve the Student Support Services Program
Improvement Plan. Mr. DeAmicis seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the
ayes have it, 6-0. Mayor Koch was absent.
§
New Business
Out of State
Travel (One Day)
Ms. Isola made a motion to approve the Out of State travel of Quincy High School
to the University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire on November 2,
2016. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Hubley and on a voice vote, the ayes have
it.
§
Communications
Upcoming meetings were announced: School Committee on October 19, 2016;
and November 9, 2016, both at 6:30 pm at the Coddington Building. On December
7, 2016, the School Committee meeting will be held at Central Middle School at
6:00 pm.
Upcoming Subcommittee meetings were announced: Policy on October 12, 2016;
Teaching & Learning on October 24, 2016; November 2, 2016; November 15,
2016; and November 16, 2016. Special Education on October 26, 2016 at 6:00 pm.
Budget & Finance Subcommittee will meet on November 14, 2016 at 5:00 pm,
followed by the Facilities & Security Subcommittee at 5:30 pm.
Dr. DeCristofaro announced that the Wollaston Elementary School Harvest
Festival will be held on Saturday, October 15 from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm.
§
Reports of
Subcommittees
Mr. Bregoli noted that minutes are available online on the School Committee page
of the Quincy Public Schools website: www.quincypublicschools.com.
Policy Subcommittee
Mr. Bregoli reported on the Policy Subcommittee held on September 26, 2016. In
addition to reviewing the three Policies voted on during Old Business, the
Technology & Training Program Improvement Plan was reviewed.
Ms. Isola moved to approve the Technology & Training Program Improvement
Plan. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0.
Mayor Koch was absent.
As there were no corrections, the meeting minutes for the September 26, 2016
Policy Meeting were accepted as presented.
§
Reports of
Subcommittees
Teaching & Learning
Subcommittee
Ms. Isola reported on the Teaching & Learning Subcommittee meeting held on
October 3, 2016. Three Program Improvement Plans were presented for the
Literacy, Title I, and Early Childhood programs.
Mrs. Hubley moved to approve the Early Childhood Program Improvement Plan.
Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0. Mayor
Koch was absent.
Mrs. Hubley moved to approve the Literacy Program Improvement Plan. Mrs.
Lebo seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0. Mayor
Koch was absent.
Mrs. Hubley moved to approve the Title I Program Improvement Plan. Mrs. Lebo
seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it, 6-0. Mayor Koch was
absent.
Ms. Isola also reviewed the process for the Superintendent's Evaluation. Dr.
DeCristofaro will present his self-evaluation on October 19. School Committee
will complete the evaluation forms by November 2 and the forms will be compiled
into a composite evaluation to be presented on November 9, 2016.
As there were no corrections, the meeting minutes for the October 3, 2016
Teaching & Learning Meeting were accepted as presented.
§
Adjournment
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to adjourn for the evening at 8:35 p.m. The motion
was seconded by Mrs. Lebo and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.