Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts - March 20, 2013
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
March 20, 2013 at the Quincy High School. Present were Mr. Paul Bregoli,
Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Mayor Thomas Koch, Mrs. Emily Lebo, Mrs. Anne Mahoney,
Mr. David McCarthy, and Ms. Barbara Isola, Vice Chair.
Vice-Chair
Presiding
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There was a moment of silence for Mrs. Ann Widman, former Special Education
Aide at the Snug Harbor Community School for many years.
The Superintendent called the roll and all members were present. Also present
were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk;
Mr. Kevin Barrett, Mr. Jeff Bretsch, Mr. Michael Connor, Mr. Michael Draicchio,
Mrs. Mary Fredrickson, Ms. Ellen Garofalo, Mr. Matthew Gibbons, Ms. Kerry
Ginty, Mr. Edward Holmes, Mrs. Ellen Hunter, Mr. James Mullaney, Mr. Kevin
Mulvey, Mr. Kenneth Panaro, Mrs. Maura Papile, Mr. David Parry, Assistant
Superintendent Colleen Roberts, Mr. Frank Santoro, Ms. Gina Scanlan, Mr.
Robert Shaw, Mr. Edward Smith, Ms. Judy Todd, Mr. Paul Tully; Ms. Allison
Cox, President, Quincy Education Association, Mrs. Tracey Christello, Citywide
Parents’ Council Representative, Ms. Jill Gichuhi, President, Quincy Parent
Advisory Council to Special Education; and Ms. Lindsay Schrier, Quincy High
School Student Representative to the School Committee.
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Regular Meeting Minutes Approved
3/6/2013
Mr. McCarthy made a motion, seconded by Mr. Bregoli, to approve the Regular
Meeting minutes for March 6, 2013. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
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Open Forum
Mrs. Tracey Christello thanked the School Committee for adding the topic of Media
Specialists to the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee. Mrs. Christello shared
research on the effect of librarians on test scores and student achievement.
.
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Superintendent’s Report
Superintendent DeCristofaro began his report by noting the many high school students
present at the meeting to be recognized for academic and athletic achievements. He
introduced the two high school principals, Mr. Robert Shaw from North Quincy
High School and Mr. Frank Santoro from Quincy High School. Mr. Santoro
welcomed the Mayor and School Committee to Quincy High School and
introduced Engineering Technology Teacher Mr. Paul Tully to present the
Outstanding Career and Technical Education Student, William Malas. Mr. Malas
is second in class rank with a 4.8 GPA, is a double major in Engineering
Technology and Information Technology, is a member of the National Honors
Society and a SkillsUSA leadership team member. He has the distinction of
having been nominated for this award by two teachers, Mr. Holmes and Mr. Tully.
Mr. Malas addressed the School Committee and expressed his thanks for the
opportunities presented to him at Quincy High School, noting that teacher
encouragement was an important part of his success.
Career and Technical Education Department Chair Mrs. Gina Scanlan spoke about
SkillsUSA, the partnership of students, teachers, and industry with 13,000 school
chapters nationwide. Quincy High School has participated in the SkillsUSA
competition for the last five years in the areas of Information Technology,
Graphics, Business, Welding, Early Education, Fashion, Health Care, Freshman
Seminar, and Protective Services. SkillsUSA Coach and Advisor Mr. Holmes
introduced the fourteen students who medaled in nine different fields at the recent
district competition: James Abundis, Bronze Medal, Electronics Technology;
Amy Chen, Silver Medal, 3D Visualization and Animation; Tyler Chen, Bronze
Medal, Technical Computer Applications; Dan Cunningham, Silver Medal, 3D
Visualization and Animation; Liam Fitzmaurice, Silver Medal, Digital Cinema
Production; Lok Yin Fung, Silver Medal, Criminal Justice; Ellis Hampton, Silver
Medal, Digital Cinema Production; Wei Feng He, Silver Medal, Photography;
Elizabeth Le, Gold Medal, Criminal Justice; Mary Ly, Bronze Medal, Advertising
Design; William Malas, Silver Medal, Computer Programming; Kayla Neuman,
Bronze Medal, Criminal Justice; Jessica Siders, Gold Medal, Advertising Design;
Bryan Stoker, Gold Medal, Computer Maintenance Technology.
North Quincy High School Principal Mr. Shaw and Acting Science Department
Chair Mr. Panaro introduced the recent Science Fair Winners, noting that they,
along with a number of other students, competed at the South Shore Regional
Science Fair and qualified to go to the upcoming Massachusetts State Science Fair.
The North Quincy High School Science Fair winners were Eirene Moutsopoulos
(1
st place); Boriana Tzevetkova (2nd place); and Yi Fung (3rd place). Quincy High
School Principal Mr. Santoro, along with Science Department Chair Mr. Smith
then presented their Science Fair winners and noted that there were similar
qualifications for the regional and state Science Fairs. The Quincy High School
Science Fair winners were Kun Yi Li and Anna Nguyen (1st place); Marisa
Abundis (2nd place); and Sophia Mac (3rd place).
Mr. Shaw then introduced the North Quincy High School Girls Varsity Basketball
coaches and captains; their 13-8 record earned them a 2
nd place finish in their
Patriot League division and qualified them for the MIAA tournament. Mr.
Santoro introduced the Quincy High School Girls Varsity Basketball coaches and
captains; their 11-11 record earned them a 2nd place finish in their Patriot League
division and qualified them for the MIAA tournament. Mr. Shaw introduced the
North Quincy High School Boys Hockey team who finished with a 9-9-4 record
and qualified for the MIAA tournament. Mr. Santoro introduced the Quincy High
School Boys Basketball captains and coaches who finished with a 14-10 record
and qualified for the MIAA tournament. The team received a Team
Sportsmanship award from the Patriot League. Mr. Shaw introduced the North
Quincy High School Boys Basketball team, also a recipient of a Patriot League
Sportsmanship award. The team played in several rounds of the MIAA
tournament, reaching the sectional finals, and scored more points in the season
than any team in North Quincy High School history. Mr. Santoro then introduced
the Quincy High School Boys Soccer team, who despite suffering several
tragedies, finished with a10-6-4 record and qualified for the MIAA tournament.
Mr. Santoro concluded this part of the student recognitions by speaking about the
link between sports and academic achievements; he thanked School Committee for
their support of student athletic and academic endeavors.
Mrs. Mahoney spoke about enjoying seeing the many student students
achievements for both high schools and how the students support one another,
evidenced by the community spirit at the North Quincy High School basketball
game at UMass Boston. Mrs. Lebo noted how proud she was of all of the students
for taking advantage of the many opportunities afforded to them. Mr. McCarthy
congratulated the students for their maturity and integrity; both principals have
done great work instilling sportsmanship in their school cultures. He
complimented the SkillsUSA and Science Fair winners on their academic
achievements; the students are a credit to the city. Mayor Koch expressed his
pride in the students’ individual and team achievements, thanked teachers,
coaches, guidance counselors, principals, and wished the graduating seniors
continued success. Mr. Bregoli thanked the parents and coaches and noted that
both high schools provide the highest quality education and athletic opportunities
for our students and families. Ms. Isola reiterated how much she and the School
Committee enjoy seeing all the different types of student achievements and
thanked the parents for all their support.
Dr. DeCristofaro noted that Athletic Director Mr. Rendle was absent this evening
because he was accepting one of four statewide awards for Athletic Directors from
the Massachusetts Secondary Schools Athletic Directors’ Association. Dr.
DeCristofaro concluded by reflecting on the opportunities for Quincy Public
Schools students in terms of academics, athletics, and the arts; he thanked the
students for taking advantage of the opportunities presented in the Quincy Public
Schools. He is very proud of the students and thanked the high school principals
for their hard work every day, many nights, and weekends.
After a brief recess, Superintendent DeCristofaro resumed his report. Upcoming
Quincy Public Schools events include the Quincy High School Engineering
Technology Presentations on April 11; All Shook Up! presented by North Quincy
High School March 22 through March 24; the Quincy High School Artistry
Festival with events throughout the month of April, including a presentation of The
Wizard of Oz April 5 through April 7. A schedule of Spring Concerts was shared
with the School Committee, with dates for each elementary, middle, and high
school, plus the Citywide Band and John Adams Orchestra. The middle school
Science Fairs are ongoing through April, MCAS English Language Arts testing is
underway, and the Middle School Swim meet will be held on Saturday, April 6.
The QPAC Resource Fair will be held on March 25 at Quincy High School.
Due to the most recent snow day, Thursday, June 27 is now the last day of school.
An updated calendar has been posted on the Quincy Public Schools website. The
Superintendent concluded his report by noting that examples of home-school
communication, the Bernazzani and Wollaston Elementary School newsletters had
been shared with the School Committee.
Mayor Koch left the meeting at 8:15 pm.
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New Business
New Student Information System, Aspen X2
Mrs. Ellen Hunter and Mrs. Ellen Garofalo from the Instructional Technology
department presented the new Student Information System, Aspen X2. School staff,
district administrators, students, and parents will all have access to the new Student
Information System. The selection process began with establishing a selection team
who viewed product presentations from several vendors. Team members rated the
software presented to them and research was done about outside recommendations.
Aspen X2 is widely used in Massachusetts.
Mrs. Garofalo reviewed the attendance features for both daily and class attendance;
teachers can complete attendance online. Aspen’s scheduling functions are very
user-friendly and allow for online class requests for high school students; it will
allow scheduling to be finalized before the end of the school year. Aspen has the
capacity to map test data back to curriculum, create assessment definitions and
strands, and perform analysis. The Aspen Teacher Gradebook will give teachers
the opportunity to share grades throughout the term, allowing students and parents
to monitor progress.
For professional development, staff will be able to track their own professional
development points and register for local opportunities. For state reporting, Aspen
is a proactive developer and works to simplify the complex and shifting
requirements of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The
Curriculum module will allow for the sharing of curriculum maps and other
important Common Core implementation materials. For the student/parent portal,
information can be shared about assignments and projects.
Active involvement by the Superintendent’s Leadership Team and other teams,
(including Scheduling, Assessment, Professional Development, Curriculum,
Principal, and Secretaries) are critical to successful implementation of this system.
Mrs. Garofalo shared the implementation timeline and the tasks that need to be
completed. The go-live date is August 12, 2013. Training will begin before
school closes for the year and resume when school offices reopen in August.
There will be a business process review and suggested improvements for daily
workflows. Operational inconsistencies will be identified to improve workflow;
this work is already underway. Data validation will be completed between April
and June; all validation team members will receive training prior to the beginning
of their validation cycle. Implementation updates will be shared with staff via
email and posted on the website in Staff Academy. Information for families will
also be posted on the main page of the Quincy Public Schools website.
Mr. Bregoli asked about the schedule for training; Mrs. Garofalo said the majority
of the staff will be trained close to the go-live date, noting that Aspen has excellent
online support in the form of quick reference guides and videos. The IT
Department will be a resource for the school staffs during and after the transition.
Mrs. Mahoney is pleased that QPS is moving forward and asked about whether
parents will be able to access specific curriculum content, for example, access
Study Island, but this is not the case. She asked about the other companies that
had been reviewed and Mrs. Garofalo noted that in comparison, the vendor
selected had the most experience working with Massachusetts’s data filing
requirements. Mrs. Mahoney asked about the database mapping; Aspen is
mapping the data and matching Starbase fields to their fields. Mrs. Garofalo
stressed that FERPA is always observed; teachers only have access to their own
students; school secretaries and administrators have access to the entire school.
Security roles will be finalized before implementation.
Mr. McCarthy thanked Mrs. Hunter and Mrs. Garofalo and noted that he had asked
questions and received answers that the Clerk will share with the rest of the School
Committee. Mr. McCarthy asked for clarification on the modules, which are
improvements over the current Student Information System. The Curriculum,
SPED, and Parent modules are all new with this Student Information System, but
beyond that, other modules such as Assessment and Grading will have more depth
and can be more fully utilized. Mr. McCarthy asked about state reporting and
whether direct reporting will be improved through the new system. Mrs. Garofalo
said that Aspen has been very successful in integrating with the state’s new
automated reporting process.
Mrs. Lebo thanked Ms. Garofalo and Mrs. Hunter for the presentation and noted
that she has experience working in Aspen and is pleased by their selection for the
Quincy Public schools. Ms. Garofalo confirmed that students should be able
access their GPAs and transcript information. Ms. Schrier asked about parents
with several students; parents will initially have a logon for each student, but
eventually, there will be an option to set up a family account to simplify access for
parents.
Ms. Isola thanked both Mrs. Hunter and Ms. Garofalo for the presentation; she is
especially pleased to hear that the scheduling process will be improved. Ms. Isola
suggested that parent information nights be held at different schools. Mrs.
Garofalo agreed that this will be done at the school level, perhaps at PTO. Mrs.
Lebo asked whether the nurse’s software SNAP will be integrated with this
Student Information System. Mrs. Garofalo said there is an Aspen Health module,
and this may be something for future consideration. Ms. Schrier asked about
translation; the software allows for translation of documents and parts of the site.
Mrs. Hubley noted that she had also sent questions about Aspen and received
answers and asked for the Clerk to share those with the School Committee as well.
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Out of State Travel
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the out of state travel of the Sterling
Middle School, Grade 6 students to Canobie Lake Park in Windham, NH on
June 20, 2013. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes
have it.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the out of state travel of North Quincy
High School AFROTC students to Gettysburg and Valley Forge, PA April 5
through April 9, 2013. Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the
ayes have it.
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Communications
Mrs. Mahoney reminded the School Committee that the QPAC Resource Fair will
be held at Quincy High School on Monday, March 25 from 6 pm to 8 pm.
Mrs. Mahoney announced that the next Special Education Subcommittee meeting
would be held on Wednesday, March 27.
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Reports of Subcommittees
Facilities and Security Subcommittee
Mr. McCarthy reported on the March 18, 2013 Facilities and Security Subcommittee
meeting. There were four major areas covered in the meeting: interior security
(classroom door locks), exterior security (access control, identification), cameras
and surveillance. Mr. McCarthy thanked Mr. Kevin Segalla and Mr. Draicchio
for all of the work gathering information and costs; he also thanked Mayor Koch
for moving the full appropriation before the City Council to address these Quincy
Public Schools safety and security concerns. Maintenance issues were also
updated, completed items noted and others where progress has been made;
additional items are still to be addressed and any concerns or priorities can be
forwarded to Mr. McCarthy.
Mr. McCarthy would like to have another meeting before the end of the school
year to address any remaining issues with Quincy High School, especially focused
on the heating system.
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the March 18, 2013 Facilities and
Security Subcommittee Meeting minutes. Mrs. Hubley seconded the motion and
on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mrs. Lebo announced that the Teaching and Learning Subcommittee meeting
originally scheduled for Tuesday, March 19 was rescheduled to Tuesday, April 2
at 5:00 pm.
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Executive Session
On a motion by Mr. McCarthy, seconded by Mrs. Lebo, the School Committee
went into Executive Session at 9:00 p.m. for Collective Bargaining. On a roll call
vote, the ayes have it 6-0. Mayor Koch was absent. The School Committee
will return to the Regular Meeting at the close of Executive Session.
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The School Committee returned from Executive Session at 9:15 p.m.
Approval of MOA Between Quincy School Committee and the QPS Custodians
Association
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to approve the Memorandum of Agreement between the
Quincy School Committee and the Quincy Public Schools Custodians Association.
Mrs. Lebo seconded the motion and on a roll call vote, the ayes have it 6-0.
Mayor Koch was absent.
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Adjournment
Mr. McCarthy made a motion to adjourn at 9:20 p.m. The motion was seconded
by Mrs. Hubley and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.