Masconomet Participates in the Addressing Hate in Sports Initiative
On Friday and Saturday April 28 and 29, Athletic Director John Daileanes and I will be participating in the Addressing Hate in School Sports Training at UMASS Lowell. The Addressing Hate in School Sports initiative was created as a joint initiative between the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, the Massachusetts School Administrators Association and the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents. The training is based on our shared belief that school sports have the potential to build leadership and teamwork skills in our young people, foster diversity and inclusion, and bring communities together. In December, approximately 450 school and athletic leaders from all across Massachusetts, including Masconomet, met at the Addressing Hate in School Sports Conference to learn best practices for building positive culture in school athletics and effectively addressing incidents of hate and bias.
The next phase of this initiative will allow school and athletic leaders to dive deeper and learn how to effectively apply best practices in their own districts through 13 Regional Trainings provided by the Northeastern Center for the Study of Sports in Society.
Middle School Play This Weekend on Friday and Saturday
This weekend, Masconomet Middle School’s Drama Club will be performing Frozen, Jr. Performances will be on Friday April 28 at 7:00 PM and on Saturday April 29 at 2:00 PM in the Masconomet Auditorium. Tickets are $10 and will be available at the door.
Class of 2026 Walk on May 17th
Throughout the year, our Peer Leading program has focused not only on assisting the Freshman class in transitioning to high school but also on creating a sense of community. As a culminating experience, the Freshman class will be participating in the Freshman Walk, our annual 6-mile charity walk, on May 17, 2023. This year, all money raised through this fundraiser will be donated to the Charcot-Marie-Tooth Association (CMTA).
If you are able to provide operational support (water station, donation of goods, etc) for the walk, please follow this link.
Masconomet Hosts Credit for Life Fair on May 23rd
On May 23rd, Masconomet will again host the Credit for Life Fair on May 23rd. The event will be attended by over 130 Masco juniors participating with over 800 area high school students. In the Credit for Life Fair, students will simulate the life of a 25-year-old professional and navigate the many challenges that face young people in a quest to balance their budgets and live within their means. Participants choose their professions, are assigned monthly take-home salaries and then navigate checkpoints to make “purchases” of necessities such as housing, transportation, clothing, and healthcare, utilizing imaginary cash, credit or savings. There will be over 200 volunteers from the Institution from Savings in charge of these various checkpoints around the field house. This is the seventh year that Masconomet has hosted the Credit for Life Fair and the 10th year that we’ve participated. Thanks to the members of our Business Department and Business and Digital Learning Department Head Ben Hodges for their work in organizing this event.
High School Principal Search Update
The Principal Interview Committee is in the process of interviewing candidates this week. I plan to announce the names of finalists by the beginning of next week. Finalists will be invited to Masconomet for a series of public interviews during the week of May 15th. Part of the public interviews will entail an online session with parents and interested members of the public held in the evening via Zoom. More information on these sessions will be sent out with the finalist announcement.
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Office of Language Acquisition Audit
During the week of May 15, 2023, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE’s) Office of Language Acquisition (OLA) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of the Masconomet Regional School District. The Office of Language Acquisition reviews each district’s and charter school’s ELE program every six years to monitor compliance with federal and state English learner education laws and regulations. Areas of review will include English learners’ student assessments, identification of English learners; what programs English learners are placed in, parent and community involvement, curriculum and instruction, student support services, licensure requirements for faculty, staff and administration, program plans, and evaluation and recordkeeping.
In addition to the onsite visit, parent outreach is an important part of the review process. The district will send a survey to the parents of students whose records the review team examines. The survey focuses on key areas of their child’s English learner education program. Survey results will be reviewed by OLA and they will contribute to the monitoring report. Parents and other individuals may call Samantha Kodak, Office of Language Acquisition Review Chairperson, at (781) 338-3561 to request a telephone interview. If an individual requires an accommodation, such as translation, to participate in an interview, DESE will make the necessary arrangements.
Within approximately 60 business days of the onsite visit, the review chairperson will provide the district with a report with information about areas in which the district meets or exceeds regulatory requirements and areas in which the district requires assistance to correct or improve practices. The report will be available to the public at https://www.doe.mass.edu/ele/cpr/.
News from the Masconomet Superintendent 