COVID Case Report
On Monday, November 22nd, DESE Commissioner Riley held a conference call with superintendents. During this call, he advised us that we should be expecting a spike in cases between Thanksgiving and the holiday break. He also reminded us to continue to follow the COVID protocols issued by DESE and the Department of Public Health and to consult with the DESE’s Rapid COVID Response Team if we felt it necessary.
At Masconomet, we have been experiencing this predicted rise in COVID cases since the beginning of November. We have had a total of 43 positive cases since the beginning of school in September. The following chart tracks the number of cases by week and shows the trend of increasing cases:
The following chart shows the case counts by school and month. We are seeing an increase in the number of positive cases at the Middle School relative to the number of total cases. Six of the 13 (46%) positive cases in November were Middle School Students. We will continue to monitor this situation.
District Vaccination Rates
Our District Vaccination Rates have increased slightly over the past month; however, we still have not reached the overall 80% rate needed to apply for a mask waiver from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Masconomet Vaccination Rates, November 2 – November 30, 2021*
| November 2, 2021 | November 9, 2021 | November 16, 2021 | November 30, 2021 | |
| MS Students1 | 69.24% | 69.24% | 69.41% | 69.75% |
| HS Students1 | 79.64% | 79.62% | 79.87% | 80.12% |
| All Staff2 | 88.41% | 88.41% | 88.78% | 89.14% |
| Total | 77.82% | 77.81% | 78.05% | 78.35.% |
Masconomet COVID Cases by Vaccination Status
We have also seen a 50% higher proportion of COVID Cases from individuals who are not vaccinated:
| Vaccination Status1 | Number of Positive Cases |
| Unvaccinated | 26 |
| Vaccinated | 13 |
| No Data | 4 |
| Total Positive Cases | 43 |
The clear message in this table is to get vaccinated. Unvaccinated individuals account for twice the number of positive COVID cases at Masconomet. Vaccinated individuals are also exempt from needing to quarantine if they are a close contact of a COVID-positive individual. Vaccines are now available for anyone ages 5 and over. To find a vaccine appointment near you go to https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/
Delayed Opening on Monday, December 6th
Both the Middle and High Schools will be starting at 10:00 on Monday, December 6th. Teachers will have a professional development program on this morning from 7:35 to 9:45. Teachers will choose from a menu of activities for this morning. The list of options includes:
- “Anxiety and School Performance,” presented by the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth.
- “Introduction to Newsela,” presented by Newsela staff. Newsela is an online teaching resource.
- “Newsela and Culturally Responsive Teaching” presented by Newsela staff.
- “Newsela and Guided Inquiry,” presented by Newsela staff.
- “Introduction to Formative,” presented by Ben Hodges and Ryan King. Formative is an online assessment software package.
- “Strategies for Struggling Students,” presented by Meg Smith from our Student Services Department.
- “Rethinking Grading” presented by Dr. Carabatsos and Dr. McManus
- “Co-Teaching Pair Meetings.” Classroom teachers and special educators who co-teach will use this time for planning instruction.
Search Process for Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Position
As I announced on November 17th, Assistant Superintendent Patty Bullard has announced her retirement. We will follow the process listed below to identify her successor:
- Advertise position beginning December 6, 2021 with applications due January 7, 2022.
- Interview Team developed during December and January. Interview Team will be co-chaired by Dr. Carabatsos and Dr. McManus.
- Resume screening will be done by Executive Leadership Team from January 11 through January 14, 2022.
- Initial Interviews will be conducted by Interview Team during the week of January 24th.
- Interview Team will forward at least two finalists to the Superintendent.
- Second interviews and visits to Masconomet for finalists held during teh week of January 11, 2022.
- Masconomet visit includes:
- Meeting with faculty and staff.
- Public meeting with parents in the evening.
- Meeting with students during the school day.
- Meeting with Department Heads, Executive Leadership Team and other key staff members at Masconomet.
- All individuals meeting with the finalists will be asked to provide written feedback to the Superintendent.
- The Superintendent will conduct a second interview with each finalist.
- Masconomet visit includes:
- The Superintendent will conduct site visits and reference checks for finalists during the week of February 7, 2022.
- Superintendent selects site visit team and leads each site visit.
- The position will be offered to preferred candidate by February 18, 2022.
- The Superintendent presents his recommendation of the preferred candidate at to the School Committee at the March 9, 2022 School Committee Meeting.
- The new Assistant Superintendent for Student Services will begin at Masconomet on July 1, 2022.
News from the Masconomet Superintendent 
Can you please post the dates for the Masco Chorus & Band Concerts this December?
Are they open to the public?
What time are they?
I could not find them on the calendar.
Thank you so much
Alice Tierney
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