Amesbury Public Schools Update

Email: bartlettc@amesburyma.gov
Website: schools.amesburyma.gov
Location: 5 Highland Street, Amesbury, MA, USA
Phone: (978) 388-0507
Facebook: facebook.com/amesburyschools
Twitter: @amesburypublic1

I hope that this newsletter finds that you and your family are doing well. I cannot believe that we are just about to turn the calendar page to February! Time definitely goes more quickly when the students and staff are in the building.

I realize that this year has been very challenging for all of us, both in school and outside of school. I would like to thank all of our families for their patience and support as we navigated the transitions between models around the holidays. As our COVID numbers begin to head in the right direction, we hope that we will build momentum and keep our students in-person more consistently.

The work to build a school budget began right after the holiday break. Ms. Liporto, our Business Manager, and I have met with all of the cost center managers to discuss their current budgets and their anticipated needs. Our conversations have been very productive thanks to the preparation and reflection of our principals and central office members. We look forward to beginning our workshops with the School Committee on Monday, February 1st.

As an additional piece of information, the School Committee will now meet twice a month, typically on the first and third Mondays of each month. At times, holidays or vacations may result in the need to change a meeting date. All of the agendas and packets are posted on the city's website a few days prior to each meeting.

With February vacation only three weeks away, I would like to remind families to adhere to all Massachusetts rules regarding out of state travel. Information about travel can be found at this link: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order. Following these expectations helps to keep our community safe and our students in school. We appreciate all that you can do to help us with this.

In this newsletter, you will find some important information about the Superintendent Selection Process. The search will be conducted by MASC, the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. MASC has conducted many Superintendent searches and Dorothy Presser, a long-time member of Lynnfield's School Committee and MASC Field Director, will be facilitating our search. There are several opportunities for staff, parents, and community members to participate in the process. Please see the sections below for more details.

Again, I would like to extend my appreciation to our entire school community for the continued support.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth McAndrews

Acting Superintendent

Due to the impact of the pandemic, DESE has made some changes to MCAS testing for this school year. DESE has significantly reduced the amount of time that students in grades 3-8 have to test. As we get closer to the testing window, principals will provide families with specific details.

The link below provides the timeline for each step in the selection process for the next Superintendent of Amesbury Public Schools.

https://schools.amesburyma.gov/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=13731&dataid=19397&FileName=SAMPLE%20TIMELINE.pdf

The Amesbury School Committee Superintendent Search Subcommittee invites APS parents, guardians, and community members at large to participate in a series of focus groups as part of the search process for a new school superintendent. Focus groups are currently scheduled for the following days/times:

Parent/Guardian and Community:

• 1/25 at 9am (Parent/Guardian)

• 1/28 at 6pm (Parent/Guardian)
• 2/2 at 7pm (Parent/Guardian)
• 2/4 at 7pm (Community-wide)

Teacher/staff focus groups (Elementary, middle, high):

• 1/25 at 3pm

• 1/28 at 3:30pm

• 2/3 at 3:30pm

• SEPAC focus group – 2/3/21 at 7pm

• Administrators focus group – 2/2 – 4:15pm

• Municipal board & staff focus group (Dept. heads)– 2/1 at 1pm

If you are interested in participating in a focus group please follow the link below to fill out a brief registration form. These focus groups will be conducted virtually and only those who have pre-registered will be sent a link to participate.

Focus Group Registration: https://forms.gle/5ogkHCiZVJwpRrMH8

The survey below provides an opportunity to share your thinking about the needs of the district, as well as the qualities and attributes that you desire in a superintendent.

Survey Link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DVQ3SJG<https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DVQ3SJG?fbclid=IwAR1JENtIhBpmuity31Dws_q4A9_u2PXq87jrdXQsSvDP4TdikwMtogBy7g0>

Interested in being part of the Screening Committee? Please review the timeline above to ensure your availability, then complete the application below.

Invitation to Apply for Screening Committee: https://bit.ly/3o7SJ0b

If you are interested in following along with the selection process, please check the website below for updates.

Search Committee Website: https://schools.amesburyma.gov/Page/8358