MARSHFIELD MATTERS
Superintendent's Newsletter: 1/10/2025 #WeRMarshfield
Here's wishing everyone a Happy New Year for 2025! We look forward to the continued collaboration and partnership to provide a wonderful learning environment for our students. We are thankful to be a part of such a wonderful community.
MOSAIC
Registration is OPEN! Please register here by March 14, 2025. We are VERY excited for this new community event!
NAME A MARSHFIELD SNOW PLOW
Good luck and have fun!
DECA CONFERENCE
Congratulations to the MHS DECA Program who competed in regional competition this week! We are so proud of our students and staff.
An update from Mrs. Weber:
I am thrilled to share the outstanding results from our DECA students who competed in the District 1 DECA Competition this week! This event brought together nearly 1,000 students from schools across the Boston & South Shore area, and our students truly excelled, showcasing their professionalism, critical thinking, and leadership skills.
Highlights of the Competition:
Total Participants: 196 Marshfield High School students competed in various categories, ranging from business plan written papers and presentations to case studies in the areas of hospitality and tourism, marketing, finance, and more.
Top Performers: 60 students earned recognition as category winners, advancing to the State DECA Conference in Boston this February. An additional 13 students earned spots as finalists in their categories, but did not earn a spot to advance.
Medal Count: Our students collectively brought home 55 medals for high scores in role-plays, test scores, and overall performance.
Below is the breakdown of our awards for the students recognized.
Apparel and Accessories Marketing:
- Megan Lembo - State Qualifier 2nd place overall; 2nd place role play 1 medal, 3rd place role play 2 medal
- Cavan Brady - State Qualifier 4th place overall; 1st place test score medal
- Alexis Panasuk - 3rd place test score medal
Business Growth Plan:
- Eli Hession & Jack LaPorte - State Qualifier 1st place overall
Business Law & Ethics Team Decision Making:
- Sarah Hubbard & Maren Sands - State Qualifier 1st place overall; 3rd place role play 1 medal, 3rd place role play 2 medal
- Brady Lauria & Luke Leary - State Qualifier 2nd place overall; 2nd place role play 1 medal, 2nd place role play 2 medal
- Brady Lauria - 3rd place test score medal
Business Services Marketing:
- Michael Zides - State Qualifier 3rd place overall; 2nd place role play medal
Buying & Merchandising Team Decision Making:
- Michaela McDonnell & Lauren Pitts - State Qualifier 2nd place overall; 3rd place role play medal
- Tyler Dargen - 3rd place test score medal
- Sam O'Brien & Brian Coveno - finalist (top 8)
Entrepreneurship Individual:
- Ryan Foley - State Qualifier 5th place overall; 3rd place role play 1 medal, 2nd place role play 1 medal
Entrepreneurship Team Decision Making:
- Brooke Billikas & Norah Walker - State Qualifier 1st place overall; 1st place role play 1 medal, 1st place role play 2 medal
- Kate Pateras & Maggie Rollins - State Qualifier 5th place overall; 2nd place role play 2 medal
- Andrew Fortin - 2nd place test score medal
Financial Services Team Decision Making:
- Owen Cregan & Matt McCabe - State Qualifier 5th place overall; 2nd place role play medal
Food Marketing:
- Taylor Twomey - State Qualifier 1st place overall; 1st place role play 1 medal, 1st place role play 2 medal, 2nd place test score medal
Hospitality Services Team Decision Making:
- Anabel Apgar & Corinne Daly - State Qualifier 1st place overall; 1st place role play 1 medal
- Ava Parry & Maggie Tarsa - finalist (top 8)
- Chloe Couilliard & Audrey Sears - 1st place role play 2 medal
Independent Business Plan:
- Lily Minchello - State Qualifier 1st place overall
Innovation Business Plan:
- Chloe Kokoros & Sophia Fahey - State Qualifier 5th place overall
- Madeleine Schmieg - State Qualifier 2nd place overall
- Brooke Quigley - finalist (top 8)
Integrated Marketing Campaign - Event:
- Xavier Chalhub - State Qualifier 3rd place overall
Integrated Marketing Campaign - Product:
- Josh Albert, Avery Clark, & James MacKay - State Qualifier 1st place overall
- Allan Archibald & Ryan Medeiros - State Qualifier 2nd place overall
Integrated Marketing Campaign - Service:
- Caroline Robbins - 1st place test score medal
- Delaney Mitchelson, Caroline Robbins, & Nisha Prabhu - State Qualifier 1st place overall
- Meredith Miller, Piper Eonas, & Lauren King - State Qualifier 2nd place overall
- Finn Foley - State Qualifier 3rd place overall
- Rowan Malvey & Mia LoVuolo - State Qualifier 4th place overall
Marketing Communications:
- Siobhan Leonard - State Qualifier 4th place overall
Personal Financial Literacy:
- Kylie Zima - finalist (top 8)
Principles of Business Administration:
- Lili Lencki - finalist (top 8)
Principles of Entrepreneurship:
- Olivia Smith - finalist (top 8)
- Jaclyn Murphy - 3rd place test score medal, 3rd place role play medal
Principles of Finance:
- Nicolas Roht - State Qualifier 4th place overall; 2nd place role play medal
- Cam Sherman - finalist (top 8)
Principles of Hospitality & Tourism:
- Caileen Consoli - State Qualifier 5th place overall
- Caroline MacKay - State Qualifier 3rd place overall; 1st place role play medal
Principles of Marketing:
- Molly Stevens - State Qualifier 3rd place overall; 2nd place role play medal
Sports & Entertainment Marketing Individual:
- Isabelle Flynn - State Qualifier 4th place overall
Sports & Entertainment Marketing Team Decision Making:
- Jake Ekstrom & Jack Stevens - State Qualifier 1st place overall; 2nd place role play 1 medal, 2nd place role play 2 medal, 1st place test score medal (Jack), 2nd place test score medal (Jake)
- Jameson Bongiolatti & Noah Feldman - finalist (top 8); 3rd place role play medal
Project Management Sales Project:
- Bobby Scott & Charlotte Stafford - State Qualifier 1st place overall
Restaurant & Food Service Management:
- Ian Sarabia - finalist (top 8)
Start-Up Business Plan:
- Natalie Frasca & Aubrey Frasca - State Qualifier 1st place overall
- Nekteria Bernazzani & Gianna Norton - State Qualifier 5th place overall
Travel & Tourism Team Decision Making:
- Olivia Audette & Sienna Bossey - State Qualifier 3rd place overall; 2nd place role play 1 medal
- JD Ambrose & Joe Ciocca - State Qualifier 1st place overall; 2nd place role play 2 medal
- Joe Ciocca - 2nd place test score medal
- Jocab Doran & Ethan Licis - State Qualifier 2nd place overall; 3rd place role play 2 medal
- Max Landry & Matt Scott - finalist (top 8)
A Special Thanks: This success would not have been possible without the dedication of our DECA students, the support of their families, and the encouragement from the MHS community. I would also like to recognize the contributions of our volunteer judges and chaperones, as well as the faculty and staff who support these students in their academic and extracurricular pursuits.
Looking Ahead: As we prepare for the State DECA Conference in February, our students will continue refining their projects, practicing their role-plays, and studying for their exams. Your continued encouragement of our program means the world to them as they aim for even greater achievements at the state level and beyond.
Thank you for your unwavering support of Marshfield High School DECA. If you have any questions about the competition or would like to learn more about how to support our DECA program, please don’t hesitate to reach out!
ART UPDATES
This month's wintery art display in Central Office is thanks to Mr. DeRosa and his students at DWS!
WEATHER CANCELLATIONS
Like weather forecasting, the school closing decision process is not a perfect science. However, I believe it is important for students and families to understand how it works. I hope this FAQ document answers your questions.
Who makes the decision about whether or not to close school?
As Superintendent, I am responsible for the final decision. I work with District staff to monitor state and local weather forecasts and consult with officials from the Marshfield Police and Department of Public Works who provide updates to me on snow removal operations, neighborhood road conditions, and any power outages.
What time do I make the call?
My goal is to make the decision to open, close, or delay by 5:30 A.M. or earlier if possible. I try not to wait any longer as families then have little time to make arrangements for childcare, and some of our staff may have already left for work. Also, while I know there is often an interest in having a decision the night before, a lot can change overnight. I will try my best to make a decision as early as possible.
What information is gathered to aid in the decision?
There are multiple factors used in deciding whether or not to close school. Information on road conditions, snow accumulation predictions, building conditions such as electricity and heat, parking lot conditions, air temperature and wind chill, and estimated times from the Department of Public Works and Marshfield Police as to when roads, walkways, and parking lots will be cleared of snow and ice are all considered. I also consider the number of children who walk to school and our many student drivers.
Are Remote Days a Possibility this Year?
Remote days are not currently permitted as a substitution for in-person days by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
What is a delayed opening?
Rather than close school for a whole day due to short-term weather situations, there may be days when the beginning of school will be delayed one hour or two hours. School will simply start later by the length of the delay. Bus pickup, therefore, will also occur later. For example, if your child is normally picked up at 8:00 A.M., during a two-hour delayed opening, your child will be picked up at 10:00 A. M. Lunch will still be available, and dismissal will be at the regularly scheduled times.
What happens to Pre School during a delayed opening?
When a delayed opening is called, Pre School classes are cancelled.
What are parents’ / guardians' responsibilities?
The safety of your child is paramount. On days when weather conditions are questionable, but school remains open, parents are free to exercise discretion and keep children home from school. Parents of young drivers are asked to reinforce winter weather driving skills: allowing
extra travel time, reducing speed, and not worrying about being late.
How are days made up?
As per State regulations, students must attend school for a minimum of 180 days and the school year must end by June 30. If school is closed due to weather, the day will be made up at the end of the school year.
How do power outages affect the decision?
Inclement weather can affect the timeline for utility companies to restore electricity. If all school buildings have electricity, the goal will be to open school. Other factors also influence the decision, including whether a large number of neighborhoods are without power.
How is the public notified?
Announcements about school closings and delays are posted as outlined below. Please be advised that, depending upon the severity of the storm, school and district administration offices may also be closed in addition to cancelling classes for students.
· District website : www.mpsd.org
· Thrillshare Communication: Voice call and email (email translated)
· WBZ TV and Radio (Channel 4)
· WATD 95.9
· WHDH Channel 7 and 56
· WCVB Fox 25 and Channel 5
I will try to send periodic updates via thrillshare and social media whenever possible should the storm extend for any period of time beyond the day or should the storm result in continued questionable community conditions.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions.
DISTRICT-WIDE BELONGING TEAM
Our first Belonging Team Meeting took place Monday, December 9. It was a great start, as we reviewed goals for the year and went over a brief overview of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and how they intersect to form tSEL (Transformative SEL). We will continue later next month with this work and will update the community on our progress. Thank you to all who attended the first meeting. Here is the presentation that guided our work. We will be diving deeper into what is currently happening in the areas of SEL and DEI in our district during our January meeting.
We are proud to share the District-wide Belonging Team for 2024 - 2025. Belonging is one of the pillars of our strategic plan, and our approach to belonging is tied closely with wellness and the social-emotional learning needs of our entire school community.
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.
Sample topics the SSAC will discuss:
Approaches to increase student voice
Approaches to promote cultural competency, inclusion, and diversity
Approaches to help students cope with stress and pressure
Approaches to promote student wellness
Approaches to increase social opportunities for students
Approaches to increase academic opportunities for students
Approaches to improve transitions between schools Approaches to improve school culture
Other...
SSAC Membership – Members selected by MPSD Principals
Eight Students from Marshfield High School (two from each grade)
Six Students from Furnace Brook Middle School (two from each grade)
Two Fifth Grade Students from each Elementary School (attend evening meetings in December, February, April, and June)
Membership cycles from 7 - 12 grade. It is reestablished each year at the elementary schools and grade 6.
SSAC Members may be asked to present or to be present at some School Committee Meetings and other events as determined by the SSSAC and members will play an important role on the Belonging Team.
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. Here the team is in action last week:
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 the Granatino Early Elementary Center, Marshfield High School, Martinson Elementary School, and a full learning walk at Governor Winslow Elementary School.
SUPERINTENDENT'S GOALS FOR 2024-2025
GOAL #1: Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, I will create an entry plan in order to gain familiarity with stakeholders, to identify effective past practice and potential areas for improvement, and to facilitate a successful transition into the role of Superintendent.
GOAL #2: Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, I will focus the District on student voice and engagement through the theme of “Through the Eyes of the Student.”
GOAL #3: Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, I will collaborate with district and school leaders, staff, parents/guardians, school committee members, and students to create a “Belonging Team,” which includes Social-Emotional Learning, Wellness, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion subgroups, set goals for the district and team in these areas, and begin to implement these goals within the school community.
Goal #4:
Throughout the 2024-2025 school year, I will collaborate with leadership, and when appropriate, the Marshfield Police Department and Marshfield Fire Department, to foster effective protocols, procedures, and systems throughout the District.
The complete presentation, including the Strategic Actions and Benchmarks for each goal, can be found below by clicking on SUPERINTENDENT GOALS.
I look forward to collaborating with the entire Marshfield School Community to realize these goals.
Sincerely,
Patrick Sullivan, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Marshfield Public Schools
CURRICULUM CORNER, DR. ELLEN MARTIN, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT
SCHOOL NURSES' CORNER
FOCUS FOR THE YEAR
Our targets for this year are developed from the Strategic Plan and Vision of the Graduate and are informed by on-going data gathering, including my ongoing entry-plan work. As a District, these will be our targets and focus for the year. I realize that this year we will not finish our work in any of these areas, but the goal is to make measurable improvements in all of these areas by the end of the school year.
Family and Community Engagement: All buildings will explore Joyce Epstein’s 6 Dimensions of Family Engagement looking at the communication, community collaboration, learning at home support, parenting support, volunteering, and family input in decision-making in each building.
District and School Culture: Each building will look at the level of voice and choice of staff in each building, types and reasons for celebrations, processes for collaborative decision making, structures for collective responsibilities and governance, and traditions within the school.
Student and Staff Equity Belonging and Wellness: As a district we will be reformulating the Social Emotional Learning, Wellness, and Diversity / Equity / and Inclusion teams as subgroups under one expanded Equity Belonging and Wellness team. This team will include students and families from across the district and will function as ambassadors for the work throughout the district.
Data Driven Decisions: We will continue to build our data structures throughout the district, engage in data dialogues, and analyze and explore data to make needed changes.
Rigorous Curriculum Development: We will be firmly establishing the stages of our district-wide curriculum review cycle and engaging in curriculum adoption, including the new elementary ELA curriculum district-wide.
Financial Stability: We will be looking closely at capital and operational budget priorities and working collaboratively with existing budgets as we firm up our curriculum review cycle.
Efficient and Effective Protocol, Procedure, and System Development (including safety): We will look closely at all our procedures and protocols (at least as many as we can) through a systems thinking lens and make any needed improvements.
Collective Teacher Efficacy (which is another way of saying our ability to work effectively together in teams): This is an important focus for us. Emphasizing the importance of educator collaboration is certainly nothing new; however, through research of John Hattie in New Zealand, we now can confidently say that working well together is the most important initiative in which we can engage to produce strong academic and social emotional achievement for our students. Hattie researched over 1000 meta-analysis, 50,000 quantitative and qualitative student and teacher peer-reviewed research reports, and data covering over 250 Million students world-wide, and found that the largest effect size on student achievement is made through collective teacher efficacy. Schools and districts where educators collaborated best had the highest achievement growth.
Student Voice and Engagement in the Teaching, Learning, and Leading: Also featuring prominently in effect size are strategies that make learning visible and explicit to the students. That brings us to our theme for the year, “Through the Eyes of the Student” and our greatest focus for the year, which is student voice and engagement in the teaching, learning, and leading throughout our schools. There is nothing more paramount and important this year than continuing to foster an environment that places students first and which provides them with a culturally responsive and inclusive environment that promotes student agency and voice.
ELE UPDATE
Elementary report cards and progress reports are being translated. Printed copies will be sent home next week.
The next ELPAC meeting February 3rd from 6:30pm-8:00pm at DWS.
PTO UPDATE
MHS ATHLETICS
2025 is off to a flying start in MHS Athletics! The New Year has started off with all of our Winter Athletic Teams either at the top of the Patriot League, or very near. We also have had a Coach reach a milestone victory that has only been done one other time in the State of Massachusetts.
Leading the way has been the Boys Basketball Team, who are currently undefeated. The Rams are 5 – 0 and have been led by balance scoring and tough defense. Senior Jake Brilliant and Juniors Noah Feldman and Dan Padden have paced the Rams offensively. Head Coach Bob Fisher recorded his 700th victory in the Rams win over Silver Lake becoming just the 2nd Massachusetts Boys Basketball Coach ever to reach that mark. Congratulations Coach Fisher!
The Girls Basketball Team has also gotten off to a hot start. The Young Rams started the season winning their first 3 Games. Senior Maddie Devine, Sophomore Maeve McDougall and Freshman Caroline Arruda have paced the young Rams to their fast start. The Girls Basketball Team will host North Quincy tonight in another tough Patriot League matchup.
The Boys Hockey Team, after replacing 14 seniors, is also playing well to start. Senior Jack Doherty
plays well in every situation, and Freshman Caden Altobello leads the team in goals early on. Senior Joe Rotondo was off to a great start as well before being injured but he looks like he is going to return to action this weekend in their game against Hanover.
The Girls Hockey Team is playing as well as anyone in the State. They played both Duxbury, a 2 – 2 tie and Hingham, a 4 – 3 loss, very tough. The Rams have been led by great goaltending from Junior, Morgan Murphy. Senior Gabby Reardon has been hot scoring for the Rams with 2 goals against Hingham and freshman Jill Parrell has also found the back of the net for the Rams in the early going.
The Girls and Boys Indoor Track and Field Team have also been busy with their Meet this week at the Reggie Lewis Center. The Girls battling back from some injuries lost a tough one to Plymouth North. Senior Eleanor Angeles Whitfield finished 1st in the 2-mile, Senior Ava Brunswick finished 1st in the 600m and Junior Anna White was 1st in the High Jump. The Boys Indoor Track and Field Team was victorious over P/N. Senior Nathan Looney had a strong performance on the track that evening for the Rams while Senior Graham Heinrich and junior Tucker McNamee also performed well in their events.
The Gymnastic Team got a very good win over the combined team of Whitman/Hanson-Duxbury. Senior Annie Spencer finished 1st in the All-Around Competition, while Junior Maya Overton finished right behind Spencer on the Uneven Bars and Floor Routine. Senior Olivia Audette also had a strong competition for Marshfield.
The Wrestling Team has been as busy as anyone in the State after hosting their Holiday wrestling
Tournament. Seniors Liam Dillion and David Sheehan are off to excellent starts in their Matches and Junior Allan Archibald has been dominant in his Weight Class for the Rams.
MHS ATHLETICS BOOSTERS
Congrats to MHS Boosters Athlete of the Week Molly Stevens! “Molly is a hard working and driven player. She steps up when the team needs it, she offers advice and help to her teammates. She is always trying her best and works hard day in and day out. Though she is a freshmen she leads the team in the game and out. She always has a positive attitude and has great team spirit!”
The MHS Athletics Boosters are excited to announce the MHS Boosters Athlete of the Week Caden Altobello! "With a hat trick in his first game, freshman Caden Altobello is the boys' hockey lead scorer."
SEPAC UPDATE
All caregivers are invited to a special presentation on Monday, January 13th:
From Chaos to Calm: Supporting your student with Executive Functioning Challenges
When: Monday, January 13, 2025 at 6:30PM
Where: Seth Ventress Building, 76 South River St. (Next to Fire Station) on 2nd Floor
Presented by Deb Booth from Pilgrim Area Collaborative
Register: Click HERE to register
Executive function is an umbrella term used to describe a set of cognitive processes necessary for emotional and behavioral control. In this workshop, participants will learn what executive functioning skills are and provide insight into their role in student learning and the impact difficulties in executive function (EF) skills have on school success. Oftentimes, students who appear “unmotivated” about schoolwork simply do not have the EF skills required to initiate, plan, organize and persist on school/homework tasks until completion. Parents and caregivers won't want to miss this interactive presentation that will help them gain a clearer picture of how to help their children become more successful and independent learners.
The last time this topic was presented it was a huge hit and all participants walked away with a toolbox for assisting their children and students. This presentation is something from which each of us can gain knowledge and ideas.
This will be presented by Deb Booth of PACES (Pilgrim Area Collaborative) and is brought to you by the Marshfield SEPAC (Special Education Parents Advisory Council).
Registration requested for materials planning - Link to Register: https://form.jotform.com/250015178485154
Anxiety disorders are among the most frequently occurring childhood psychiatric disorders in preschool and school age children. Early signs of anxiety in young children are often an indicator of anxiety that will persists into the elementary years and beyond. If your young child is exhibiting signs of anxiety, it is critical to understand your child’s neurology and actions you can (and show not) take to support overall mental wellness and psychological flexibility. Register here!
How to Parent an Anxious Child
Technology Troubles: Too Much Time Online!
Responding to Challenging Behavior
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!
Click here for more information!
AROUND THE DISTRICT
Other Information
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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
Jan 14 - FBMS 6th Grade Concert
Jan 16 - FBMS 7th Grade Concert
Jan 20 - Martin Luther King Day (no school)
Jan 22 - FBMS - 8th Grade Concert
Jan 24 - MHS/FBMS Semester 2/Term 1 Ends
Jan 31 - MHS/FBMS Report Cards
Feb 5 - District Wide Early Release
Feb 6 - MHS Conferences (evening)
Feb 11 - FBMS Conferences (evening)
Feb 17-21 - Vacation
Feb 28 - MHS/FBMS Term 3 Mid Term
SCHOOL NEWSLETTERS
MPSD School Committee Meeting
Tuesday, Jan 21, 2025, 06:30 PM
76 South River 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