

MARSHFIELD MATTERS
Superintendent's Newsletter: 2/28/2025 #WeRMarshfield
EDUCATOR OF THE WEEK
This week, we celebrate Mr. VanBuskirk — better known as "Mr. VB" as the Marshfield Public Schools Educator of the Week! With many years of teaching excellence in Marshfield Public Schools, Mr. VB has made a lasting impact on his students, especially in math and science. His sharp wit and great sense of humor make learning fun, and there’s always something exciting happening in his classroom.
Recognized by the state of Massachusetts as a Blue Ribbon educator, Mr. VB’s dedication to his students' success as learners and problem-solvers is unmatched. He truly loves his students and goes above and beyond to create meaningful experiences for them. As the creator and facilitator of the Pinewood Derby, he brings hands-on learning to life. He also gives 5th graders a taste of entrepreneurship as managers of the EWS School Store, teaching them valuable real-world skills. Beyond the classroom, Mr. VB is also a talented musician. It’s not uncommon to hear the sound of one of his acoustic guitars echoing through the halls as he shares his love of music with students and staff.
Above all, Mr. VB makes learning fun. He is a treasured member of the Eames Way School community, and we are so lucky to have him! Congratulations, Mr. VanBuskirk!
MOSAIC
Registration is OPEN! Please register here by March 14, 2025. We are VERY excited for this new community event!
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Kindergarten Registration for the 2025-2026 school year is now open! Children entering Kindergarten must be five (5) years old by August 31, 2025. Click HERE to visit the Kindergarten Registration webpage. Parents have the option to register online or in-person at their child’s school.
Please be sure to complete your child’s registration no later than Friday, February 28, 2025.
FBMS OPEN HOUSE
PARENTS' NIGHT DYSLEXIA INFORMATION SESSION
Thank you to Jen Spaulding, Ellen L'Italien, Jana Murphy, Nicole Silva, students Piper M and Cooper M, and everyone who came out to this week's Parents' Night for Dyslexia Information, The evening was excellent! Please see the attached slides below.
DISTRICT-WIDE BELONGING TEAM
Our second Belonging Team Meeting took place Monday, January 27, 2025. We looked more deeply at defining belonging, looking at partnerships for our work, considering obstacles and contributing groups, and the role of students within our work, and began to look at what is happening with belonging initiatives throughout the district. Here is the second presentation that guided our work. Each building is also in the process of creating Building Based Belonging Teams . We will continue to update the community on our progress. Here are some images from the second meeting:
Essential Questions and Goals for the year:
Essential Questions:
How do we establish our social-emotional learning (SEL) practices to include engagement and education of the community, staff, students, and families on the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)?
What are the intersections between DEI and SEL?
How can our District-Wide Wellness Team inform and support our work in DEI and SEL?
What do we need to do to have an interdisciplinary approach to SEL that includes DEI throughout the school system?
How do we create a safe environment for having difficult conversations?
Goals of Year 1:
Establish a District-Wide Belonging Team
Establish a Building-Based Belonging Team at each building
Create Mission, Vision, Theory of Action, and Community Agreements for the District-Wide Belonging Team
Conduct Equity / SEL Audits
Engage in Community Dialogues as part of Audits, including discussion of use of social media and Wellness (Digital Wellness)
Organize and Run Mosaic Event (March 27)
SUPERINTENDENT'S STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL (SSAC)
Student voice in everything we do at Marshfield Public Schools is important and valued. To further student voice throughout the district, I am happy to announce the formation of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council (SSAC). The SSAC meets with ​the Superintendent monthly, and Assistant Superintendents and other leaders (when they are available) to advise, to provide feedback, and to present viable solutions on District initiatives and programs.
Our first two meetings were wonderful. We began to formulate a student voice survey, created community agreements for our work, got to know each other better, and looked at the role of this important team. In our third meeting, with the high school and middle school students, we talked about our cell phone policies and the current implementation of those policies at the middle and the high school. In our fourth meeting, we talked about school pride and safety.
Great Learning Happening Throughout the District
Our Learning Walks this year will revolve around Deep Student Engagement, Task Development, and Learning Environment for Students. The District Leader established look-fors are inspired by Amy Berry and her book Reimagining Student Learning, From Disrupting to Driving. This is a multi-year focus, which will involve all stakeholders.
In a nutshell, we will focus on those elements in the classroom that move students from disrupting to driving learning, while also focusing on the development of strong tasks to engage the students within a culturally responsive climate that promotes inclusion.
These lookfors are being unwrapped at staff meetings across the district. This week, we engaged in walks of South River, Governor Winslow, Furnace Brook Middle School, and Eames Way.
Grit Challenge at FBMS...Students set goals to improve and develop productive struggle skills
Fabulous Semester Student Awards for FBMS. Congratulations, Students!
Great Festival Showcase of The Children's Hour by MHS Drama!
ELE UPDATE
PTO UPDATE
MHS ATHLETICS
Our MHS Athletic Teams have been busy as we head down the homestretch of the Winter Seasons and have entered the State Tournament. Every Team was competing during February Break and finished their regular seasons up and begam postseason competition.
Congratulations to Senior Audrey Hannigan. Audrey is the Division 1 State Champion in the 100 Freestyle Swim. She and her teammates competed in the State Championships and finished off in fine style. Senior Addy Rhodes also competed and finished 19th in the State Championships in the 50 Freestyle. Junior Georgia Pearson finished 16th in the State in the 500 Freestyle. The Girls Team finished 11th out of 44 Teams. The Boys Team also had strong regular and postseason. Senior Aidan Parry was named a Patriot League All-Star. Freshmen Cameron Wong and Henry Hartwell had very strong first seasons for the Rams.
The Girls Hockey Team won their Round of 32 Division 2 Hockey Game against Hanover yesterday. Junior Morgan Murphy was outstanding in net for the Rams earning the shutout. Senior Kayla Leonard, who recorded her 100th career point last week, scored both goals for Marshfield. Senior Ali Melvin played a strong 2-way game for Marshfield in the win. The Rams next host Sandwich in the Round of 16 on Sunday. The Boys Hockey Teams’ season came to an end after their epic battle with Braintree in their Round of 32 match up in D1. The Rams lost 4-3 in Double OT. Marshfield trailed twice but came back to force overtime. After trailing 2-0, goals by Juniors Ben Berian and Jon Sullivan tied the game in the 2nd Period and a goal by Junior Brendan McLaughlin, tied the game again forcing overtime. Senior Liam Fullam played great in net for the Rams in defeat.
Girls Basketball ended up the regular season winning their last two games against Weymouth and Sharon. Unfortunately, the Rams ended up facing a tough Quincy Team in their Round of 32 game. Quincy defeated the young Rams ending their season. Sophomore Josie Ellwood and Freshman Caroline Arruda were named Patriot League All-Stars for the season. Senior Maddie Devin had a strong season for the Rams. The Boys Basketball Team will host Xaverian tonight (Friday) in their 1st Round match-up in D1. The Rams will be led by their trio of All-Stars on the year, Senior Jake Brilliant, Junior Noah Feldman and Senior Matt Ellwood. The Rams roll into the State Tournament with a 16-4 record on the season.
The Girls Indoor Track and Field Team wrapped up their season as well. The Girls had a strong season and will look forward to carrying it into the Spring. Seniors Eleanor Angeles-Whitfield, Ava Brunswick, Meredith Miller and Charlotte Perreault and Juniors Sarah Penney and Anna White were all selected League All-Stars. The Boys Track/Field Teams saw a tremendous amount of success during the regular and postseasons, led by Division 2 State Champion, Senior Graham Heinrich in the 1000M. Senior Nathan Looney was voted the Keenan League MVP for his performance all season long. Seniors Tom Bongiolatti and Matt McCabe along with Junior Tucker McNamee were also named All-Stars.
The Wrestling Team finished off their season with their best finish at Sectionals in the past 8 years. Finishing 4th out of 12 Teams in Division 2. The Rams had 10 Wrestlers who placed. To highlight a few, Sophomore Brett Foley won Sectionals in the 120 weigh Class. Sophomores Gavin Jenkins and Stephen Minehan, Junior Liam Dillon, Senior Paul Sheehan all placed 3rd in their Weight Classes.
The Gymnastics Team finished their regular season by finishing 2nd at the Patriot League, League Meet. 4 Gymnasts qualified for MIAA State Girls Gymnastics Championships. Senior Annie Spencer finished 19th out of 40 girls in the All-Around. She will be competing in Nationals in Florida in May. Sophomore Sophie Neumann medaled on the Vault and Junior Maya Overton medaled on the Balance Beam. Senior Olivia Audette had a very strong performance on the Vault.
SEPAC UPDATE
Technology Troubles: Too Much Time Online!
Responding to Challenging Behavior
NURSING UPDATE
South Shore Dentistry visits Eames Way School
South Shore Dentistry visited Eames Way School to show students the importance of good oral health. Our students were educated on the proper way to brush and floss their teeth and the reasons why this is so important to their overall health. Thank you to South Shore Dentistry and to our School Nurse Educator, Alison White for bringing this important and engaging visit to the students at EWS!
Blood Pressure Screenings for MPSD Staff
February is heart health month! Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States but is preventable with lifestyle changes and early detection. During the month of February, our school nurse educators provided drop in blood pressure screenings to staff to promote heart health and education
Mark Talacci and Beth Sombronsky are pictured with GWS Nurse Courtney Powers. They had some fun while learning about the importance of blood pressure screenings and how blood pressure impacts the heart muscle.
FBMS School Nurse Educator, Maura Caroll, provides heart health education while screening her staff. Jess Egelstrom enjoyed meeting with School Nurse Educator Alison White at EWS! We are thankful to all our school nurses for supporting the health and wellness of our staff within MPSD! You can learn more about heart health here.
PUTTING FOR PATIENTS
2025 SPRING SYMPOSIUM
Register here!
CAMP INVENTION
BSU SCIENCE ACADEMY
Find more information here!
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Discover a variety of exciting events happening across the Marshfield community! Our Community Events page is regularly updated with fresh listings, so there's always something new to check out. Don't miss out—take a look today!
Other Information
DOWNLOAD THE MPSD APP
IN THE COMMUNITY
Are you, or someone you know, interested in joining our fantastic team of educators? We would love to add you to our dedicated team of Substitute Teachers. We also have a few ESP, SESP & Tutor positions we are still looking to fill. Click the link(s) below to learn more:
BUS DRIVERS WANTED
IMPORTANT DATES
Feb 28 - MHS/FBMS Term 3 Mid Term
Mar 4 - FBMS Open House
Mar 5 - District Wide Early Release
Mar 11 - School Committee (SRS)
Mar 13 - All-Town Band Concert (MHS)
Mar 19 - District Wide Early Release
Mar 21 - Elementary Report Cards
Mar 24 - Elementary Conferences (Evening)
Mar 26 - Elementary Conferences (Afternoon)
Mar 27 - Mosaic Festival
SCHOOL NEWSLETTERS
MPSD School Committee Meeting
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2025, 06:30 PM
Furnace Brook Middle School, Furnace Street, Marshfield, MA, USA
Contact Information
Email: psullivan@mpsd.org
Website: www.mpsd.org
Location: 76 South River Street, Marshfield MA 02050
Phone: (781) 834-5000