Superintendent's Start of School Bulletin #3

August 26, 2022

Countdown to School Year 2022 - 2023!

All Staff Report: Monday, August 29th

Grades 1 - 12: Wednesday, August 31st

Kindergarten: Wednesday, September 7th

Dear Mustang Community:

With less than a week to go before we begin the academic journey that will be the 2022 - 2023 school year, it was great to see the smiling faces of our incoming 6th and 9th grade students at the orientation sessions held at Medford High School as well as McGlynn and Andrews Middle Schools this past week. Our hard-working, dedicated and student-focused staff will be returning to work this Monday, and we cannot wait to welcome students shortly thereafter.

In this third back-to-school bulletin, I wanted to share with you several updates that may be helpful pieces of information for students, staff and families.

MPS is still Hiring:

Like all school districts, the Medford Public Schools is still looking for talented individuals to join our team. If you or members of your friends and family are interested in joining the Mustang Team, please review our job postings or contact our Human Resources Department at humanresources@medford.k12.ma.us.  We have teaching, paraprofessional, school support and building/cafeteria monitor positions available as we get ready to start another great year educating Medford’s children and young adults.

Technology Distribution for Students in Grades 6 - 12:

MPS has made considerable investments in instructional technology to benefit our students in recent years.  Earlier this summer, school administrators notified students and families of outstanding dues owed for missing or broken Chromebooks and related accessories. While we will of course continue to work with families individually to ensure students have all of the resources they need to learn, a part of our 1:1 middle and high school technology plan is the learning opportunity created by students taking responsibility for the technology in their possession.  For that reason, absent specific accommodations developed between parents/caregivers and your school principal, it is the expectation that students will resolve any outstanding dues owed as the result of lost or damaged technology before receiving new devices.  Please contact your school principal or assistant principal with questions about this policy.

Limited COVID-19 Protocols Remain in Effect:

While we all hope and believe that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is well behind us at this point, we know the responsibility to maintain our vigilance will be with us for the foreseeable future.  First and foremost, individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should not come to school. While we will not be conducting surveillance testing this year, each school nurse’s office will have rapid COVID-19 testing available to students who develop symptoms while at school, provided an updated permission slip is on file with the Health Services Department. These forms can be returned to the school principal’s office or your child’s homeroom teacher. Additional protocols with respect to quarantine and isolation for individuals who test positive for COVID-19 are available here.  Masking will continue to be optional in the Medford Public Schools for the time being, except for anyone visiting the nurse’s office or returning from a post-positive isolation period, where masking will continue to be mandatory at this time.

New Leaders and New Leadership Structure:

Over the last couple of months, our leadership team has been bolstered by several individuals stepping into administrator roles with the Medford Public Schools. These leaders include Dr. Laurie Hodgon, new principal of the Curtis Tufts High School and Andrew O’Brien, formerly assistant principal of the Robert Elementary School, now serving as principal of the McGlynn Elementary School.  In addition, we are excited to welcome John Bruno as the new assistant principal of the McGlynn Middle School and Dr. Jill Story, the newest assistant principal of Medford High School.  MPS teachers Katherine Fiumara and Michael DiClemente have stepped up to serve as interim assistant principals at the McGlynn and Roberts Elementary Schools, respectively. Similarly, we are welcoming into the administrator ranks MPS teachers Suzanne Fee, our new coordinator of Fine Arts, Hayley Rello, coordinator of Performing Arts, and Kathryn Cook and Julie Santos, who will be serving as coordinators of Special Education.

As part of our district’s commitment to continuous improvement, we used these summer months to reflect on how best to advance the goals of our strategic plan, and to maximize the talents of our leadership team.  Earlier this month I announced a reorganization of my senior staff to reallocate portfolios and to position each of us to better support our school communities and serve the interests of students.  As part of that restructuring, Suzanne Galusi will take on the role of Assistant Superintendent of Academic & Instruction, and Dr. Peter Cushing will take on the role of Assistant Superintendent of Innovation & Enrichment.  Our team will continue to be rounded out by David Murphy, Assistant Superintendent of Finance & Operations and Joan Bowen, Director of Student Services. This revamped leadership structure is captured here in our organizational chart. 

Next Step in the Future of Medford High School:

While a determination as to the future of the deteriorating infrastructure of Medford High School will not be made for some time, we recently received some encouraging news about efforts to seek support and guidance from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. That news is available here in a joint statement being issued by the City of Medford and the Medford Public Schools.

Additional information related to transportation:

As detailed in the mayor’s recent communication, the MBTA’s temporary shutdown of the Orange Line is likely to result in an increase of traffic in and around Medford. For that reason, we strongly encourage staff and families to plan ahead in order to arrive at school on time. If you plan for your child to take the bus to or from school this year and you have not already signed up for a bus stop, please contact transportation@medford.k12.ma.us.

I wish for you and your family a restful final weekend of the summer of 2022!

Yours in Partnership for Children,

Dr. Marice Edouard-Vincent, Superintendent