Dedham Public Schools Superintendent’s 30-Day Update

Hi Folks, Monday, January 29, 2018 Today, Monday, January 29, represents the 90th day of the school year. Tomorrow we will officially begin the second half of the year. We have already had all district schools cancelled due to snow on two days (Thursday, January 4 and Friday, January 5). In addition, Greenlodge Elementary School was forced to remain closed on Tuesday, January 2 due to a frozen water main that broke and required a substantial repair. Due to these closures, in accordance with DESE regulations, additional days will be added to the end of the 2017-18 school year calendar to make up this time and comply with our 180-day yearly obligation. For Greenlodge students and staff, this means the last day of school will be Thursday, June 21. All other students and staff will conclude their year on Wednesday, June 20 . Of course we still have many weeks of winter yet to come, and these dates are subject to any future cancellations that may occur.

Equity & Inclusion Task Force M.L.King Jr. Community Celebration

On Monday, January 15, over 400 people attended Dedham’s first ever Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration at Dedham Middle School. Organized by the DPS Equity & Inclusion Task Force, the event was coordinated by a group led primarily by Margaret Adams and Joseph Borsellino. The crowd was treated to entry music by a jazz group, then refreshments donated by Blue Ribbon Barbecue, Star Market, Café Fresh Bagel, Big Bear, The Salem Food Market, Roche Brothers, Starbucks and Dailey & Borsellino PC. Attendees then assembled in the auditorium to enjoy a program including poetry by Dedham resident Deana Tavares, a keynote address by Civil Rights Attorney Charles Walker, Jr., and speeches from DPS students in Grades 1-12. There were also performances by The Dance Center in Dedham as well as the Dedham High School Band and Chorus. The entire event was filmed by Dedham Cable, and you can view the festivities by clicking on this link. This event really showcased the broad range of residents in Dedham, and the commitment of the entire community toward celebrating the diversity and richness of our residents. Many individuals contributed to the success of this evening, and I look forward to many future events in the years ahead. Thank you to all who helped pull this together and attended with enthusiasm! Shown below on the next page are a few pictures of this inaugural event:

2018 M.L. King, Jr. Community Celebration

January 16 “State of the Schools” Address On Tuesday, January 16 the Dedham School Committee heard the 2nd Annual State of the Schools Address at their regularly scheduled meeting at Dedham Middle School. This presentation highlighted the accomplishments of the district over the past year by reviewing progress toward the 5-Year District Strategic Plan and the 2017-18 School Committee Goals. In particular, achieving School Committee goals of free, full-day Kindergarten and reductions to Advanced Placement exam fees and Athletic fees are significant accomplishments for the district. Also highlighted in the presentation are the impacts of last year’s Strategic Improvement ReStructuring plan and many embedded professional development investments occurring across the district. I encourage everyone to review the State of the Schools Address video, and the accompanying presentation slides . These are available by clicking on the embedded links, or by accessing them under the “NEWS” section on the main page of the Dedham Public Schools website (www.dedham.k12.ma.us).

Dedham Schools FY2019 Operating Budget Public Hearing On Tuesday, January 30, 2018 the Dedham School Committee will be holding its annual public hearing on the 2018-19 Proposed Operating Budget. This will take place as part of the regularly scheduled School Committee meeting beginning at 6:30 PM at Avery Elementary School. The public is invited to hear the presentation and provide comments and input on the proposal, and the School Committee will ultimately be voting their annual budget in the next few weeks. The presentation and supporting documents will be posted to the DPS website during the day on Wednesday, January 31.

Upcoming Dedham SEPAC Workshops On Thursday, March 1 , at 7:00 PM at Dedham Middle School, the Dedham SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) will host a workshop on Picky Eaters, presented by pediatric feeding expert and author, Melanie Potock. Picky eating in babies, toddlers, and even older kids is more common than you realize, and about 25% of kids do not simply “grow out of it.” So what to do? Come to this workshop to learn tried-and-true methods for raising kids to be healthy, happy, well-rounded eaters. Ms. Potock combines her real-life experiences with clinical know-how from her 15 years as a certified speech-language pathologist specializing in feeding challenges. Bring your questions!! On Tuesday, February 13, Dedham SEPAC will host the Federation for Special Needs (FCSN) workshop, Effective Communication. Sometimes, not everyone at the table agrees. What can

we do to bridge that divide? The Effective Communication workshop will focus on teaching effective communication and conflict resolution skills for parents/guardians in their roles as important IEP team members. This meeting will also occur at 7:00 PM at Dedham Middle School.

Dedham High School Guidance Department Website The DHS Guidance Department and their newly appointed dedicated Career Counselor Ashley Mansfield have been working hard to provide pertinent and up-to-date information for all parents. Their newly updated DHS website has information about the college admissions process, a convenient calendar, access to financial aid and other forms, NAVIANCE college search software, and much more. The site also has a quick link to their winter newsletter, and copies of previous presentations from Senior College Planning Night and MEFA College Financing. Please take a moment to review the information presented on this site. It is never too early to learn more about the resources available to guide your child’s post-secondary education plans, and our counselors and guidance department are eager to help you decide what options you wish to pursue.

Middle-Grades Author Festival at Dedham Public Library I recently learned that the Dedham Library Innovation Team, in conjunction with the Dedham Public Library and the Blue Bunny bookstore will be hosting a Middle-Grades Author Festival at the Dedham Public Library on Saturday, March 3, 2018. There are currently 15 authors who have committed to attend. The event runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. with three consecutive panel discussions (authors will be grouped: contemporary, sci fi, and fantasy), along with a meet and greet, book sale and book signings. There will also be small group writing workshops with a few of the authors prior to the event from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. for kids ages 10-14. Everyone is welcome and it’s all free, although there will be an online sign-up for the workshops. Authors already confirmed to be in attendance include:

● Monica Tesler - Bounders series

● Rob Vlock - Sven Carter and the Trashmouth Effect

● Jarrett Lerner - Enginerds

● Katie Slivensky - Countdown Conspiracy

● Bridget Hodder - The Rat Prince

● Lee Gjertsen Malone - The Last Boy at St. Edith's

● Erin Petti - The Peculiar Haunting of Thelma Bee

● Marcykate Connolly - Monstrous/Ravenous/Shadow Weaver

● Kara LaReau - Bland Sisters / Infamous Ratsos

● Tui Sutherland - Wings of Fire / Wings of Fire graphic novel

● Ammi-Joan Paquette – Princess Juniper, Two Truths and a Lie ● Anna Staniszewski - Dirt Diary series, My Very Unfairy-Tale Life series ● Susan Tan – Cilla Lee-Jenkins

Compulsory Notification Regarding Asbestos

In Dedham, some of our schools are older than others, and some of our older schools were constructed during a time when asbestos was used in various components of the building during construction as a standard practice. As most of us know, asbestos has been determined to be

carcinogenic under certain conditions, and its presence is now strictly regulated by federal and state law. Public schools are required to regularly inspect asbestos-containing areas in buildings and keep detailed records regarding inspection, notification, and reporting. In accordance with our obligations under the Asbestos-Containing Materials in Schools Rule, 40 CFR 763, Subpart E, commonly known as the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (“AHERA”), I am notifying all faculty, staff, and families that all Dedham Schools maintain a management plan on file on site at all buildings. This management plan is located in the main office of each school. This management plan must be updated annually and it must include specific locations of any asbestos-containing areas of the school. The management plan is available for review by building users at any time through the main office upon request. Facilities Director Denise Moroney has worked very closely with our maintenance staff to document these areas and appropriate manage the buildings in a manner that protects the health and well being of all students and staff. This notice serves as our annual notification about this requirement. Please feel free to contact your building principal if you wish to obtain more information or review any building’s management plan.

4th Annual All Dedham Trivia Night To Be Held On March 24th The Fourth Annual All-Dedham Trivia Night sponsored by the Dedham High School Alumni and Booster's Club will be held at the American Legion Hall on Saturday, March 24. Doors will open at 6:30 PM and tables of 10 are available for $250 and table sponsors are available for $250 per table. Individual tickets are $25. As of this writing, I believe there are only 10 tables left available. As has become an annual tradition, table teams will battle it out to become champions and have their names enshrined on the coveted All-Dedham Trivia Trophy. They will be also be vying for the more important bragging rights and glory afforded the victors. Tables must be reserved in advance. Please contact Bob Crisp by email at robert.f.crisp@verizon.net or Nancy Clement at njclement66@verizon.net to reserve your table

Continued Progress On New ECEC Building The General Contractor for the new Early Childhood Education Center ( H.V. Collins) continues to make great progress on the building despite the recent record-breaking cold. Most recently, the structural steel framing is going up and the exterior is beginning to come into shape (see pictures below). The kindergarten wing is fully framed, and the roof decking is rapidly being completed. The steel framing for the pre-school wing is next up and the foundations for the cafeteria and play space will be finished soon. The entire operation continues to be on schedule and it is hoped that the exterior will be closed in soon so that the interior work can begin. If you are interested in following the progress on this construction project you can view pictures and a detailed construction schedule

posted on the project manager’s website. The project is on track to be substantially complete by December 2018, and we hope to transition into the new facility shortly thereafter.

Mid-December, 2017 - Arrival of First Structural Steel

Structural Steel Installation on Kindergarten Wing - January 2018

New Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Selected Earlier this afternoon I learned that the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has selected Jeff Riley as its newest Commissioner of Education. The Board voted by an 8-3 margin to recommend him to the post following the untimely death of previous commissioner Mitchell Chester earlier this year. Riley beat out fellow finalists Angelica Infante-Green of the New York State Department of Education and Penny Schwinn of the Texas Education Agency. My next Superintendent’s 30-Day Update will be sent on the 120th school day of the year on Monday, March 19, 2018. Until then, as always, please feel free to send me your thoughts via e-mail at: mwelch@dedham.k12.ma.us, or follow me on Twitter at @MJWelchDedham. I would love to hear your feedback. Thank you for your ongoing support of the Dedham Public Schools! All my best, Michael J. Welch Superintendent

Dedham Public Schools