MURSD District Update

MURSD: We Empower All Learners To Thrive.

Email: mcohen@mursd.org
Website: https://www.mursd.org/
Location: 150 North Ave, Mendon, MA, USA
Phone: 508-634-1585
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MURSDInspires/
Twitter: @mendonuptonrsd

Dear Mendon-Upton School Community,

As we enter November, I want to take this opportunity to thank the entire Mendon-Upton community. From our hardworking staff, inspiring leaders, and dedicated teachers to our engaged students and supportive families, each of you plays a vital role in making our schools exceptional. In an external world where media and online forums can sometimes lead to division, I am so thankful everyday for our laser focus here in the MURSD on our students' well-being, strengths, and potential. All I need to do to get a little spark in my step is to walk into our school's classrooms to see the bright-eyed awe of our younger students, our energy and inquiry from our middle school students, and our dedicated pursuit of passions and interests with our high school students.

Our district's mission is to empower all learners to thrive, and in line with our strategic priorities, we've made great strides in fostering deeper learning environments, improving equity, inclusion, and well-being, and creating structures that enable high-quality curriculum and instruction.

So, what does this work actually look like in practice when we take our priorities and create action steps?

• Deeper Learning Framework--develop a MURSD specific framework to guide our work in leveling up deeper learning elements of authenticity, reflection/revision, agency, and collaboration
• "What's in a name?"--a district-wide effort to enhance the culture of belonging where our students share how to pronounce their names and meanings behind their names.
• Curriculum Review Cycle--district focus areas on Spanish Immersion, health/wellness, and ELA in addition to school/grade level focus areas
• Portrait of a Learner--integrate the competencies into our lessons, our school activities, and our practice
• Student Agency--pilot student-led conferences in some grade levels
• Data Inquiry Cycles--refine district-wide practices for analyzing student data
• Security--partner with the Sandy Hook Promise and launch Start with Hello (grades 6-12)
• Mastery Learning Records--work with students on developing their own profiles of learning
• Student Support Systems--integrate whole child reviews into student support process
• Inspired Learning Days--district-wide days where we partner with community members to bring the Portrait of a Learner to life through student-interest selection of learning
• Budgetary Projections-develop five-year budgetary projections
• Cybersecurity- increase cybersecurity awareness and refine incident management procedures
• School Schedules-analyze school schedules to maximize deeper learning opportunities and programming
• Innovative Career Pathways-create pathways for students in computer science, business, science, health

The list is long and can keep going as we are committed to improving all aspects of our organization in a continuous improvement cycle. I am incredibly grateful for each of you as we build a district where all learners can thrive, and your trust and partnership are what make this possible.

With gratitude,

Maureen Cohen, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

At a September School Committee meeting the district strategic action plans were approved for the 2024-2025 school year.

We continue to build upon our four main priority areas of:
1. Deeper Learning
2. High-Quality Curriculum and Instruction
​3. Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging
4. Community Support--Communications, Budget, Facilities, Safety, Human Resources

• Here is a link to the Strategic Action Plan Presentation
• Here is a link to the Strategic Action Plan for 2024-2025

Nipmuc Regional HS Teacher, Darcy Daniels Named 2024 Massachusetts History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Established in 2004, this prestigious award recognizes exceptional K-12 teachers for their outstanding contributions to American history education.

Daniels joined the staff at Nipmuc Regional High School in 2022, where she currently teaches U.S. history and is an advisor to both the class of 2026 and a club for immigrant students called Friendly Faces. Daniels is also a tour guide for the Freedom Trail in Boston and is an adjunct history professor at Dean College. An educator for over twenty years in three countries and four states, she is a James Madison Memorial Fellow and a Teach For America alum. She was also featured in the New York Times Best Seller book, "The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Lasting Impact" by Chip and Dan Heath.

Ms. Daniels is a phenomenal teacher who makes critical thinking, civic engagement and historical inquiry come to life each day for her students," said Mary Anne Moran, Co-Principal of Nipmuc Regional High School.

"She is a personable, kind-hearted, and dedicated educator and leader who makes a positive impact on her students, colleagues and those who are fortunate enough to work with her," added John Clements, Co-Principal of Nipmuc Regional High School. "We are grateful to have her as a member of the Nipmuc community."

Daniels is the second educator from Nipmuc Regional High School to be honored as a Massachusetts Teacher of the Year in recent months. In June, Nipmuc Regional High School science teacher Jim Gorman was named Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the Year.

To view the full press release click here.

• Nipmuc Students Win State Commendations For Civics Project
• Nipmuc Regional High School to Host Climate Change Challenge Kickoff Event
• Miscoe to Present Donation to Milford Regional Healthcare Foundation
• Mendon-Upton Students Showcased Innovative Projects at One8 Applied Learning Conference

Overview

The Capital Planning Subcommittee launched last year to review all of our facilities, fields, and technology needs to help guide in the development of a long-term capital improvement plan. We have a draft plan which will be finalized by mid-year.

#1 Priority

Nipmuc Roof Replacement

Overview: The top priority in capital needs is the replacement of Nipmuc's roof, which is 27 years old, and connected HVAC units. We received an invitation by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to enter the Accelerated Repair Process program, which provide the possibility of state reimbursement for the roof repair.

Next step: We will partner with MSBA to conduct a Schematic Design Study for a potential roof replacement project.

Additional Tiered Priorities

In addition to the Nipmuc Roof replacement, the capital planning committee is finalizing its priority list and timelines for capital needs. The last two years we have had external consultants conduct assessments of our fields and facilities and they identified a list of improvements that approach $97 million. Our committee is prioritizing this list based on the following criteria:

1. Scope categories from assessments (critical, necessary, recommended)

2. Expected useful life

3. Safety risks

4. Direct impact on student programming

5. Effect on operating and maintenance costs

MSBA Criteria

The Massachusetts School Building Authority reviews the following key categories in analyzing school building needs:

1. Learning environment

2. Building safety

3. Universal accessibility

4. Academic sufficiency

5. Program sufficiency

6. Instructional technology

Committee conversations have grouped our needs related to facility end-of-life, student and program impact, and safety/security. In this area we have discussed the need for a generator at Miscoe, field improvements at Miscoe/Nipmuc, bathrooms, building management systems, leach field, water tanks, and data cabling, to name a few. We will continue to refine our list and receive updated numbers on prospective projects, as well as seek grant funding when applicable.

More Information

If you would like to learn more about our current capital planning process check out https://www.mursd.org/page/capital-planning for more information and updates.

As we enter November (despite the warm weather), now is a great time to share the procedures for closing school buildings if we have power outages or inclement weather.

These are difficult decisions because we often receive mixed information from changing weather forecasts, as well as often different weather conditions across both towns. All decisions are made based on road conditions, accumulation of snow and/or ice, duration of precipitation, access to power, bus transportation needs, and school building and parking lot conditions. The decision-making process involves consultation with other local school district superintendents as well as local DPW and police departments in both Mendon and Upton. Other aspects of decision-making include whether we might have enough staff who are able to make it into school from where they live.

I will endeavor to make the decision to close or delay school prior to 6:15 am in order to give you ample time to make arrangements for your children; however, at times, information may come in after that time period. For example, we have had years when power outages that have occurred at some buildings just prior to the start of school or we have had sudden closures of roads, trees down and power outages where the police have advised that a change needs to be made. Whenever possible, I will make decisions the night before to help families with planning. Sometimes, an early call has worked to give people more time and other times it has backfired when a storm timeline predicted for the morning ends up changing to a midday. We try to do our best, always keeping safety in mind.

Please know that we are faced with more frequent unpredictable and extreme weather, and if the timing falls where it is midday and would impact us if there was an early dismissal (which takes place between 10:30 and 12:45 for all schools), then I will err on the side of caution.

We will communicate these calls via our district messaging system with 1) Website, 2) SMS notification 3 )Call 4 )E-mail 5) Live-feed updates 6) District social media and 7) TV--typically in that order.

The following provides some highlighted events

• November 1st - Miscoe - Volloween
• November 1st & 2nd - Nipmuc - The Nipmuc Drama Guild Presents Sleepy Hollow
• November 4th - School Committee Meeting
• November 5th - No School Teacher PD
• November 6th - Memorial - Family Math Night
• November 11th - Veteran's Day
• November 18th - School Committee Meeting
• November 20th - Memorial - New Report Card Information Night
• November 25th & 26th - Early Release Parent Teacher Conferences
• November 27th - Early Release (No After School)
• November 28th & 29th - No School - Thanksgiving Recess

As an organization, we are committed to providing a high-quality education to our students and understand the importance of building a supportive and collaborative workplace. We are also committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace where all individuals are valued and respected for their unique perspectives and contributions. If you are seeking a workplace that values creativity, inclusivity, and making a positive impact on the lives of students, consider joining our team.

Not all superheroes wear capes; some substitute teach!! Are you looking for an opportunity with a flexible schedule? Are you a college student home during winter break and looking for some extra income? We currently have openings and would like to hear from you.

Substitute teachers play an important role in the continuity of educational instruction for our children.

STARTING DATE: As soon as possible.

SALARY: $110 per day

QUALIFICATIONS: You must submit your application, resume, completed CORI form, and fingerprint results to be considered a candidate.

Please help us spread the word!

Every month we seek nominations from our entire Mendon-Upton School Community to highlight members of our community who have made a positive impact. If you have someone who has inspired you or who you would like to celebrate, please click on the form below to submit a #MURSDThrives YOU INSPIRE ME nomination.

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• You Inspire Me Chris Schmidt: Chris helped organize the Unified Basketball event and generously drove a full van to and from the venue. It was a late night, and I’m grateful for the time and effort he donated to our team.
• You Inspire Me Katy Dreher: Shout out to Katy Dreher for her creative thinking on how to shelter instruction for newcomer English learners in her English 9 class!
• You Inspire Me Rebecca Hardin and Allison Johns: M​y teammates, Rebecca Hardin and Allison Johns, are great supports!
• You Inspire Me Llana Hart: Ilana Hart is jumping right in and sharing cool science resources.
• You Inspire Me Gretchen Hansen: Gretchen Hansen is wonderful! She has a fantastic attitude, builds great rapport with the kids and also accommodates their needs so well.
• You Inspire Me Karen Parent: I love working with Karen Parent. She already knows my routines and teaching style, and working with her makes things flow along. She anticipates students needs and makes the students feel comfortable and on task.
• You Inspire Me Casey Rhodes: Casey Rhodes is a rock star!! She is doing an amazing job!
• You Inspire Me Julie Rondinelli: Julie Rondinelli is so knowledgeable, caring, kind and professional and she makes coming to work each day better.
• I am incredibly grateful for my mentor, Leah Hagen's, willingness to listen, learn, and help in ANY way that she can.

MURSD recognizes that students who attend school regularly are more likely to have success in school and careers. The impact of missing school is significant. We are committed to working with students and their families to promote consistent student attendance and engagement in learning.

If a student is struggling to attend school regularly, please reach out to your school counselor to schedule a time to talk. We are here to better understand the challenges preventing regular attendance, work with students and their families to develop plans to improve attendance, and build connections with specialists and other organizations that can provide additional support.

Links to School Weekly Communications Below. If you would like to subscribe to a school newsletter and are not currently on their list, please reach out to the school directly.

We have partnered with a local business to offer Mendon-Upton clothing and other items. Use the green button below to bring you to the online website.