Superintendent’s Report to the School Committee, 11/29/23

High School Open House for 8^th Grade Families

Masconomet High School will be hosting an Open House for families of current 8^th grade students on November 30 from 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM.  Families who attend will learn about the High School’s academic program, student services and athletic and extracurricular programs.  The program will begin in the Auditorium.

Middle School Parent Coffee on 12/1

I would like to welcome you to join us for our new once a month Friday coffee chat with the Superintendent as well as the building principal.  Our next Middle School Coffee will take place on Friday, December 1.  We hope that these sessions are a way for you to learn more about what is happening within the Masco community while also allowing you to ask questions.  All parent coffees will be held from 8:30-9:30 AM. We look forward to seeing you. 

Antisemitism: Educate to Stop the Hate and Build Community

On Tuesday, December 12, 2023 Masconomet will be hosting a free interactive program for students in Grades 7-12 and Staff in the Masconomet Middle School Auditorium from 2:20p.m.- 3:50p.m.  As this program is being held after school, late bus transportation will be available for students who choose to participate. The program is sponsored by the Lappin and Cummings Foundations and will be facilitated by Deborah Coltin, MEd., MA. Antisemitism:  Educate to Stop the Hate and Build Community is a supportive forum for students and staff to explore antisemitism and share experiences and concerns with the opportunity to build community by considering what students can do individually and collectively to stop the hate.  Thanks to Middle School Counselor Jessica Goldberg for organizing this event.

Masconomet Hosts Holocaust Photography Exhibit

In collaboration with Salem State Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies and supported by a generous grant from the Massachusetts Department of Education, the Masconomet Regional School District is pleased to host a temporary photography exhibit by artist Richard Wiesel, “Evidence and Artifact:  Documenting the Holocaust Through Images”.  

The exhibit showcases ten objects that were left behind after the liberation of the Ravensbrück and Sachsenhausen women’s concentration camps in Germany.  The objects tell the stories of the horror and atrocity of the camps, but also of the resilience and humanity of the prisoners.  Each object is carefully contextualized and allows the viewer to contemplate and reflect on the Holocaust and build historical perspective on genocide.

The exhibit will be available to students, staff and community members through the month of December.  Salem State University staff and professors will be conducting workshops around the images with 11th grade history students who will be studying World War II and the Holocaust, as well as students taking Stories of World War II, a popular elective in the Social Studies Department.

The exhibit is being generously funded by the DESE Genocide Education Grant received by the Masconomet Social Studies Department last year. Thanks to Social Studies Department Head Eva Urban Hughes for her work securing and directing the DESE Genocide Education Grant and arranging for this exhibition.

Pictured above: Eva Urban Hughes: Social Studies Department Head, The Salem State Center for Genocide and Holocaust Studies:  Mathew- Museum Studies Grad Student, Regina- Research Associate,  and Chris Mauriello- Center Director

Turf Field Design Update

On Tuesday, November 21, the Turf Field Design Team met with our architects from Stantec to discuss HVAC, mechanical and equipment needs for the press box and restroom/concession building.  The Design Team will be meeting again in December to review construction design drawings and to review and select the type of synthetic turf and infill.  We will also be holding a public session with the Team from Stantec, including their expert on PFAS chemicals in January.  Stantec also plans on providing us with detailed cost estimates during the last week in January.

Stantec is also working on permitting the project.  They plan on submitting the Notice of Intent and associated documents to the Boxford Conservation Commission in late December and will be attending meetings with the Boxford Conservation Commission and Boxford Planning Board in January.

For more school-specific info, please see the High School Principal’s Masco Memo and the Middle School Principal’s Weekly Update.