Minutes
Quincy, Massachusetts – April 13, 2016
Regular Meeting of the Quincy School Committee
Regular Meeting
A regular meeting of the Quincy School Committee was held on Wednesday,
April 13, 2016 at the Coddington Building. The Superintendent called the roll
and the School Committee members present were Mayor Thomas Koch, Chair
Mr. James DeAmicis, Mrs. Kathryn Hubley, Ms. Barbara Isola, Mrs. Emily Lebo,
and Mr. Paul Bregoli, Vice-Chair.
Vice-Chair Presiding
Also present were: Dr. Richard DeCristofaro, Secretary; Ms. Laura Owens, Clerk;
Mrs. Rita Bailey, Mrs. Barbara Campbell, Mr. Michael Draicchio, Mr. John
Fagerlund, Ms. Danielle Fernandez, Mr. Ryan Herlihy, Ms. Kristin Houlihan, Mrs.
Joanne Morrissey, Mr. James Mullaney, Deputy Superintendent Kevin Mulvey,
Mr. Kenneth Panaro, Mrs. Maura Papile, Ms. Madeline Roy, Mr. Keith Segalla, Mr.
Robert Shaw, Mr. Edward Smith, Ms. Georgianna Sullivan, Mr. Lawrence Taglieri,
Ms. Judy Todd; and Quincy Education Association President Allison Cox; and
North Quincy High School Student Representative Steven Condon.
Mrs. Mahoney was absent.
§
There was a moment of silence for Mrs. Lydia Taglieri, mother of Quincy High
School principal Lawrence Taglieri.
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Regular Meeting Minutes Approved
3/16/16
Mrs. Lebo made a motion, seconded by Mrs. Hubley, to approve the Regular
Meeting minutes for March 16, 2016. On a voice vote, the ayes have it.
§
Open Forum
As no one wished to speak at Open Forum, School Committee went on to the
next item on the agenda.
§
Superintendent's
Report
Dr. DeCristofaro introduced Science Department Chairs Edward Smith from
Quincy High School and Kenneth Panaro from North Quincy High School. At the
schools’ recent Science Fairs, over 300 projects total were submitted in the areas
Chemistry, Biology, Environmental Science, Physics, and Engineering;
representatives from each school had projects at the Regional Science Fair and
seven will compete in the upcoming state Science Fair at MIT. The top three
projects from each school were recognized:
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North Quincy High School: Nassim Touil (1st place); Zhou Lun Guan (2nd
place); Aymen Sadaka (3rd place)
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Quincy High School: Rachel Shen (1st place); Joseph Amendolare (2nd
place); Yvonne To (3rd place)
After a short recess, Dr. DeCristofaro introduced Inspire Quincy featuring Beyond
the Bell activities, including the STEM Academy, Passport Club, Running Club,
Drama Club at Lincoln Hancock; Middle School Robotics, Drama Club, and
Brainiacs MCAS Prep at Point Webster; High School POC Student Union and SAT
Preparation at Quincy High School; and the Brain Boosters for Breaks Parent
Academy at Clifford Marshall.
Sixty School~Community Business Partners attended the annual Partnership
Breakfast where new partners DST Systems, South Shore Bank, and Brewster
Ambulance Service were recognized along with established partners the Quincy
Lions Club, the Peter Thompson Family, and Quincy Access Television. The 8th
Annual Credit for Life Fair was held March 24th for seniors from both high schools
supported by local business partners volunteering time to orient students to the
basics of credit and personal finance.
Upcoming Partnership Events in May include the Elementary & Middle School
Robotics Challenge on May 21 and the Community Service Learning Celebration
on May 24. Dr. DeCristofaro announced that Coordinator of School~Community
Partnerships John Fagerlund will be leaving Quincy Public Schools at the end of
May to move to a new position with the Quincy Chamber of Commerce.
Dr. DeCristofaro announced that the Picnic in the Park will be held on Saturday,
April 30 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Adams National Historical Park at 181
Adams Street. A collaboration of the National Park Service, the city’s Planning &
Community Development Department, and the Quincy Public Schools, the event is
also funded under the USDA Farm to School grant.
Congratulations to Emily Crosta, Leanne Gough, and Marcus Johnston who were
selected to perform at the All-State Music Festival on March 12. Elementary and
Middle School Art staff were recognized by the Massachusetts Creative Coalition
at a reception at the State House on April 13. May 14 will be the 2nd Annual Art
Show at the Art Spot.
Dr. DeCristofaro thanked Edward Smith for organizing the high school HYPER
Robotics team. At their most recent event on April 2-3 at Boston University, the
team was recognized for Sportsmanship. Quincy High School teacher Donald Long
was recognized for 21 years as a Robotics mentor.
The Citywide STEM Academy was held on Saturdays in March and April at
Bernazzani, over 100 students participated. The Middle School Swimming
Championship was held on Saturday, April 2 with teams from all five middle
schools competing.
Two Parent Academies were held in the last few weeks: Healthy Choices on March
24, thanks to the Student Support, Health and Physical Education, and Health
Services staffs. Brain Boosters for Breaks was held on April 5, over 400 parents
and students attended at Clifford Marshall, thanks to Erin Perkins, Madeline Roy,
Principals Nick Ahearn and Ruth Witmer. In addition, may individual schools have
had evening events, featuring Science & Math curriculum, Drama, Chorus,
Multicultural, Literacy, and Movie Nights, all great neighborhood school events.
The substance abuse education program “No First Time” was presented for all
Grade 8 students. All of these activities are coordinated by Student Support and
Health Services staff in partnership with the Mayor’s Drug Task Force.
Ms. Roy reviewed the activities for Digital Learning Week (April 11-15), a
collaboration of the Elementary and Middle/High School Digital Learning and the
Technology & Training Teams. On the Quincy Public Schools School Tube channel
– six new teacher and student videos highlighting digital learning in middle and
high school classrooms have been posted. The Digital Learning Library has been
launched on the QPS Staff Academy website, over 100 lessons and learning links.
Elementary lessons will follow with the goal of being available for Fall 2016. The
Technology & Training team offering a series of voluntary workshops after school
hours on Think Central, teleconferencing, Google for educators, flipping
classrooms. 86 staff members attended sessions given by 17 peer presenters.
At the May 2 Teaching & Learning, Leadership Team members will offer
reflections on initiatives: Elementary Report Card and Advanced Placement
Pathways. At the May 4 School Committee meeting, Mayor Koch will present on
FY2017 Budget and the High Needs ELL Team will present.
Dr. DeCristofaro noted Home-School Connections were shared with School
Committee from Atherton Hough Elementary School; Broad Meadows and Point
Webster Middle School; and Quincy High School. The Safety & Security
Department Newsletter was also shared.
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New Business
Food Services Team
Update
Food Services Director Joanne Morrissey gave an update on the Food Services
Team. The USDA is in the process of working on the re-authorization of the
Healthy-Hunger Free Kids Act and some of the updates include strengthening
Professional Standards according to the minimum hiring standards and training
requirements released in July 2015. Regular staff training requirements will be
on a sliding scale based on the number of hours worked. Training may come
from a variety of sources, including state and federal and the key areas are
Nutrition, Operations, Administration, Communication & Marketing. Local
districts are required to maintain records and will be audited.
All schools now have the online Point of Sale system which allows parents to pay
online mySchoolBucks.com. Free & reduced lunch information is centralized
through the online application and direct certification processes.
School cafeteria managers are members of the school-based Wellness teams.
Professional development included the Wellness Symposium and monthly
meetings for managers, webinars from the School Nutrition Association,
ServSafe procedures. PDP credits are offered through the School Nutrition
Association. John Stocker Institute at Framingham State University also
provides professional development – workshops on allergy awareness
(certification must be renewed every two years) and food prep for fresh fruits
and vegetables (part of Farm to School grant).
The Summer Food Service program is served July 5-August 19, anyone age 19 or
younger at five open sites in partnership with Recreation Department. Funding
is provided by the federal government. Lincoln Hancock, Parker, Montclair,
Ward 2 Community Center, and Snug Harbor Community School.
Mr. DeAmicis thanked Mrs. Morrissey for her presentation and asked about
composting opportunities. Mrs. Morrissey said the Department of Public Works
is exploring options; NQHS is the food production site for all elementary schools
so this would be the target for a pilot program. Through the Farm to School
grant, we will be studying food diversion for composting. Mr. DeAmicis asked
about compostable utensils and Mrs. Morrissey said we are using compostable
trays currently.
Mr. Bregoli asked about staffing, there is a manager at each middle and high
school; each high school has ten staff members and middle schools have four to
six staff members. Mr. Bregoli asked about the guidelines for free and reduced
lunch. Mrs. Morrissey said 3,800 students are directly certified because of
participation in certain state or federal programs.
Dr. DeCristofaro thanked Mrs. Morrissey for her presentation, noting that she
will be retiring at the end of June. Mrs. Morrissey has demonstrated thoughtful
and creative management, especially for the summer lunch program and her
extraordinary leadership will be missed.
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New Business
Health Services Team
Update
Health Services Coordinator Rita Bailey introduced the collaboration that school
nurses facilitate between families and educators in order to ensure success for all
students. School nurses provide individual and group education, screenings for
vision, hearing, scoliosis; management of students with chronic illnesses; and
address and intervene to support the social emotional well-being of all students.
Clifford Marshall School Nurse Georgianna Sullivan presented on two initiatives:
Mass Screenings, a stress-free screening environment, where a team of health
services staff screen a whole school over several days. Information is
immediately entered into the SNAP system and referrals for follow up initiated.
Supported by the Quincy Lions Club, families who are unable to purchase
corrective eyeglasses for students are financially assisted. The Lions Club has also
purchased two Plus Optics screening machines that are portable and can be
shared by all schools. The New England Eye On-Sight Mobile Clinic provides
optometric follow up and glasses for students to keep at school.
The Aspen Health Services page is an initiative that will be school-specific and
accessible through the Aspen Student Portal. Forms will be available here, as well
as updates and information on screenings and prevention.
Point Webster Middle School Nurse Barbara Campbell spoke about the
importance of good attendance in developing fundamental skills. Chronically
absent students are classified as those missing more than 18 school days per year,
Students were closely tracked for 30 days, and for those missing more than two
school days in that time period, interventions were made for assisting in managing
chronic illness as well as referrals for mental health. School nurses worked with
the Attendance Officers, Principals, Assistant Principals, and Student Support staff.
In preparing for Safety & Medical Emergencies, school nurses are an integral part
of training on Epi pens, CPR, AED, choking, and other emergency responses. The
Health Services team is creating a quick reference flip chart on evacuation,
lockdown, CPR, and AED steps and responses to seizures, allergic reactions. This
visual tool will assist responders an emergency situations and will be placed
strategically in each school.
North Quincy High School School Nurse Kristin Houlihan reviewed the high school
Mentoring program. In collaboration with the SADD program, both high schools
planned this to ease the transition for students entering Grade 9. Juniors and
seniors are selected by guidance counselors to work with students in their
homerooms and some meet individually. Grade 8 students are surveyed on flyup
day to help match them with mentors; incoming freshmen set goals at the initial
meeting. Mentor Mondays are time for mentors and freshmen class members to
check in, get questions answered, introduce the school calendar of events, and
review Community Service opportunities.
Individual students are matched with mentors with similar interests as needed.
At the end of the year, the mentor program will be reviewed and Grade 9 students
will have the opportunity to suggest changes and celebrate the successes.
Mayor Koch mentioned the Smart911 service offered by Brewster Ambulance,
would like to see this information shared with all Quincy Public Schools families.
Ms. Isola said that the presentation highlighted the importance of the school
nurses, looking at the whole student, the social emotional components that impact
student learning. Creative solutions to engaging parents, fabulous to see how the
professional staff collaborate at every level. Very lucky to have school nurses at
every school, not true in every school district.
Mr. Bregoli thanked the staff, holistic approach to students in QPS, monitoring
growth and development. Mr. Bregoli asked about vaccinations and whether we
have issues with new families lacking these. Mrs. Bailey said that in partnership
with Manet Community Health, we are assisting families in finding medical care,
receiving immunizations, and obtaining health insurance.
Mr. Bregoli asked if the new screening tools measure other things, such as
binocularity. Mrs. Bailey said it will and we will be primarily screening PreKindergarten through Grade 1 students.
Mr. Bregoli asked about whether there is a state law on absences. Mrs. Papile said
there is a mandate that allows no more than four unexcused absences per term.
Doctors’ notes, college visits, and a family death are the only excused absences.
Mrs. Papile said the Attendance Officers know the families and work with those
who exhibit continued issues.
Ms. Isola asked about BMI screenings, Mrs. Bailey said these are mandated at
Grades 1, 4, 7, and 10 by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Mrs. Lebo thanked the presenters, the collaboration with outside resources to get
so much support for the students is great to see, not easy to manage.
Dr. DeCristofaro said students face so many transitions during their education
careers. Quincy Public Schools loves and cares for all students, the Health Services
staff makes sure that students know there are adults who are looking out for
them, well beyond their job descriptions and he is very proud of the whole
Student Support Services team.
Mrs. Hubley asked about eyeglasses for school. At Clifford Marshall, there were 42
students referred for follow up. 20 students had parent follow up with a private
optician. The other 22 students were assisted by the mobile van and received a
free pair of glasses for school
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New Business
Out of State Travel
Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the Out of State travel of Wollaston
Elementary School Grade 5 to Canobie Lake Park, Salem, New Hampshire, June 15,
2016. Ms. Isola seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
Mayor Koch made a motion to approve the Out of State travel of Sterling Middle
School Grade 6 to Canobie Lake Park, Salem, New Hampshire, June 15, 2016. Mr.
DeAmicis seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.
§
New Business
Overnight Travel
Mrs. Hubley made a motion to approve the Overnight travel of the North Quincy
High School AFJROTC to the Highland Center, Crawford Notch, New Hampshire,
June 27-30, 2016. Mayor Koch seconded the motion and on a voice vote, the ayes
have it.
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Communications
Upcoming meetings were announced: Regular Meetings on May 4, 2016 and June
15, 2016 both at 7:00 pm at the Coddington Building; and May 18, 2016 at Central
Middle School at 7:00 pm; Subcommittee Meetings for Teaching & Learning on
May 2, 2016 and Special Education on May 25, 2016.
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Reports of
Subcommittees
Mr. Bregoli noted that all Subcommittee meeting minutes are posted online at
www.quincypublicschools.com.
Teaching & Learning
Mrs. Hubley reviewed the Teaching & Learning Subcommittee Meeting held on
March 28, 2016. Pre-Kindergarten Instructional Models and the new PreKindergarten Progress Report and Kindergarten Report Card were reviewed.
Budget & Finance
Mrs. Lebo reviewed the Budget & Finance Subcommittee Meeting held on April
11, 2016. The Budget Development Process for FY2017 was reviewed, along with
the Quarterly Report for FY2016 period ending March 31, 2016.
Special Education
As Mrs. Mahoney was absent, the Special Education Subcommittee Meetings
review was deferred to the May 4, 2016.
Subcommittee Meeting
Minutes Approved
As there were no corrections to the meeting minutes the March 28, 2016
Teaching & Learning Subcommittee Meeting minutes, the minutes were approved
as presented. The April 11, 2016 Budget & Finance Subcommittee Meeting
minutes were approved as amended.
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Adjournment
Mayor Koch made a motion to adjourn for the evening at 8:50 p.m. The motion
was seconded by Ms. Isola and on a voice vote, the ayes have it.