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,

Happy New Year! At the start of each year, instead of choosing a resolution, I usually will chose one word or intention for the year. As we embark on the second half of the school year, I've chosen 'Connection' as my guiding word. This reflects my deep belief that fostering strong relationships is paramount to the success of our students and the overall well-being of our school community.

One of the greatest strengths of the Mendon-Upton School District is our unique size, which allows us to cultivate a genuine sense of community where everyone knows and supports one another. Our students, teachers, staff, and parents form a vibrant network, creating a nurturing and supportive environment where everyone feels valued and connected.

I invite you to engage in the many opportunities we will be hosting in the second half of this school year with school events, celebrations of learning, requests for feedback, sharing of work-based expertise, volunteering, and collaborative meetings.

One new opportunity I am going to try out this winter/spring is a Superintendent Community Circle. This will be a place where we can connect on the top priorities of the district, celebrate our successes, and where we can all contribute to the conversations about bringing positive change. The first portion of the circle I will provide some information about district goals, the second portion of the meeting we will all celebrate what is working well, and the third portion members will contribute thoughts and ideas. The dates and times are listed below.

Again, thank you for the privilege of working with your students and the trust you have in our incredible administrators, teachers, and staff. It's going to be a great 2025!

Warm regards,

Maureen Cohen, Ed.D.

Superintendent of Schools

If you are interested in learning about our progress and implementation of our district strategic plan, at our upcoming January 27th School Committee Meeting we will be providing a mid-year update on our district strategic action steps for the 2024-2025 school year. In this year's action plan, 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

Resources

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

Please check out some of our recent press releases.

• Nipmuc Regional HS Hosts a Fully Booked Blood Drive Helping Boston's Children's Hospital
• Teaching with Trout Program Hatched at Miscoe Hill Middle School
• Nipmuc Regional HS Hosts Climate Change Challenge Kickoff For Educators Statewide
• 39 Students From Nipmuc Regional HS Class of 2025 Receive John and Abigail Adams Scholarship
• Nipmuc Regional HS Students Participate in Boston Choral Festival

As you can see from the student feature above, the development of Mastery Learning Records (MLRs) is an exciting way to tell each student's story of success beyond grades. This work was featured as part of the cover article in the December edition of School Administrator magazine which lands on the desks or in the inbox of most superintendents across the nation. The article featured our efforts with Mastery Learning Records and the Portrait of a Learner. It's exciting work that is gaining momentum across the country.

Click here to read the article.

Check out a recent feature article in the Worcester Magazine highlighting our very own Johanna Annunziata (Nipmuc English Teacher) and her team efforts to raise money to fight childhood cancer. We are so proud of you!

Nipmuc DECA had a very successful day at the District 9 competition at Nichols College last Thursday. We had 142 students participate in the conference and 68 of them qualified to compete at the State Career Development Conference in Boston in late February.

This year, Nipmuc Co-Principals John Clements and Mary Anne Moran have launched a series of videos highlighting our Nipmuc students' impressive learning stories. These weekly videos share the unique curiosities, passions, and accomplishments of students, including state-wide leadership in business/marketing, collaborating with NASA in engineering projects, state-championship-winning athletes, and more!

During January, the features focus on how Nipmuc students are using Mastery Learning Records (MLRs) - an innovative, digital, and interactive transcript - to apply to college. MLRs are a nationally recognized tool that not only gives students an advantage with college admissions and job seeking but also provides an innovative and inspiring way to tell their story of success beyond grades.

Check out the features about MLRs and other features by clicking here.

The Mendon-Upton Regional School District has developed a Capital Plan addressing our facility needs for the next five years. Addressing the capital needs for our school district allows us to manage our facilities effectively to ensure a safe, conducive learning environment for students, staff, and the community. The district will be coming forward with two proposals to upgrade our existing facilities.

Nipmuc Roof Replacement

The district has been accepted into the Massachusetts School Building Authority’s (MSBA) Accelerated Repair Program (ARP). ARP focuses on the preservation of existing assets by performing energy-efficient and cost-saving upgrades, which will result in direct operational savings for school districts. The roof at Nipmuc is original to the building that was constructed in 1996, is 28 years old and needs to be replaced. In addition to the roof, we will be replacing the HVAC equipment that is on the roof. This equipment is also 28 years old. Most of this project will be reimbursable through the MSBA program at 52.5%; however, the HVAC equipment and associated costs will need to be part of the project and are not reimburseable.

Capital Needs

The district will also be seeking approval for several other capital needs upgrades. These are focused on three principal areas of concern:

1. End of Life Infrastructure – Building Management Systems, HVAC equipment
2. Student Impact – Athletic Fields, Bathrooms, Flooring, Auditorium Seating, Lockers
3. Safety and Security – Paging Systems, Key Card Entry, Generator, Data Cabling, Sidewalks and Curbs

It is important to understand that Nipmuc is 28 years old, Miscoe Hill is 62 years old, but renovated 28 years ago, and both Clough and Memorial are 20 years old. The upgrades are to components of these schools that are original to the school. We will provide more details on these two proposals in the coming months leading up to the May Annual Town Meetings.

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.

Building Committee

The School Committee voted to form a building committee and we are seeking members. According to Ch. 71-Section 16A a regional school committee may appoint a school building committee which shall have such powers and duties relative to the construction, reconstruction, remodeling, repair, expansion or equipping of school buildings or facilities as the committee determines.

The purpose of this building committee is to:

• guide the process regarding design elements, project scope, costs, and contractor selection within the framework of the regional school district's guidelines

• work closely with state agencies like the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) to access funding and comply with state regulations regarding school construction.

• facilitate communication between the school district, community members, and relevant stakeholders to gather input and address concerns throughout the project

We are seeking representatives from Upton, Mendon, and those with experience with architecture, engineering and/or construction and/or fields/grounds, especially with a school setting.

If you might be interested in joining the building committee or are interested in supporting the upcoming capital needs, please complete this interest form.

Below is a follow up to the January 9th district email communication regarding the nationwide PowerSchool data breach. If you did not get a chance to read it, it provides a general summary of the incident. We will continue to update the community as more information becomes available from PowerSchool and related authorities. The below link is a summary of what we are aware of as of today.

1/17/2025 PowerSchool Update

One of our strategic action steps for this year is to increase opportunities for members of our community to provide feedback.

1. We will be creating our school calendar for the 2025-2026 school year and would like your feedback.

2. We are undergoing a district ELA curriculum review and would like your feedback.

We hope that you will take a few minutes to provide us your thoughts. Thank you in advance.

During the week of February 26, 2025 the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s (DESE’s) Office of Language Acquisition (OLA) will conduct a Tiered Focused Monitoring Review of the Mendon-Upton Regional School District. The Office of Language Acquisition reviews each district’s and charter school’s ELE program every six years to monitor compliance with federal and state English learner education laws and regulations. Areas of review will include English learners’ student assessments, identification of English learners; what programs English learners are placed in, parent and community involvement, curriculum and instruction, student support services, licensure requirements for faculty, staff and administration, program plans, and evaluation and record-keeping.

In addition to the onsite visit, parent outreach is an important part of the review process. The district will send a survey to the parents of students whose records the review team examines. The survey focuses on key areas of their child’s English learner education program. Survey results will be reviewed by OLA and they will contribute to the monitoring report.

Parents and other individuals may call Samantha Kodak, Office of Language Acquisition Review Chairperson, via email at Samantha.K.Kodak@mass.gov to request a telephone interview. If an individual requires an accommodation, such as translation, to participate in an interview, DESE will make the necessary arrangements.

Within approximately 60 business days of the onsite visit, DESE will provide MURSD with a report with information about areas in which the district meets or exceeds regulatory requirements and areas in which the district requires assistance to correct or improve practices. The report will be available to the public at https://www.doe.mass.edu/ele/cpr/.

• January 17 Early Release-Teacher Professional Development Day
• January 20 No school, Martin Luther King Day
• January 22 Clough 4th Grade Chorus Concert @ 7:15 pm
• January 22 Memorial 4th Grade Chorus Concert @ 6:00 pm
• January 23 Miscoe Term 2 Ends
• January 27 School Committee Meeting
• January 29 Memorial Literacy Night
• January 30 Memorial Kindergarten Information Night for Incoming K Parents
• February 3 Memorial/Clough Spanish Immersion Kindergarten Information Night
• February 3 Elementary Report Cards
• February 6 Inspired Learning Day
• February 7 Early Release Day
• February 7-9 Nipmuc Drama Guild Presents The Wizard of Oz
• February 10 School Committee Meeting
• February 17-21 February Break- No School

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.

Current openings include:

• Severe Needs Teacher-Long-Term Sub
• Grade 3 Teacher-Long-Term sub
• Lunch/Recess Monitor

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. Below are our most recent nominees.

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• You Inspire Me: Johanna Annunziata-Nipmuc Teacher. She not only does work through philanthropy for her niece and other kids like her, but she inspires the students to get involved too. That’s an incredible amount of money raised by high school students, AND she also started a cancer club at Nipmuc, leads NJC, and shows up for the kids whenever they need someone. She is truly a role model for our students as she continues to teach them to be good humans and lead with love.
• You Inspire Me: Amy Naples-Clough Teacher. Being a positive role model for her students and verbally acknowledging students when they are showing others kindness and or taking a risk to answer a questions they may not know the answer to yet. Even when a student gets an answer wrong the student is left with a positive “Good Try” “ I like you how took a risk, that can be scary, but you got some of the answer!”
• You Inspire Me: John Clements, Nipmuc Co-Principal: John demonstrates empathy in everything he does. He is pragmatic, respected, and leads by example.
• You Inspire Me: Erin Welch, Clough Teacher: Erin is always a beacon of positivity. She cares deeply about her students and will do anything to help them reach their potential.
• You Inspire Me: Lori Beaudoin, Nipmuc Teacher. Lori is always so helpful to her colleagues not only in her department, but outside of it too. She is the type of person that will drop whatever she is doing to help someone else and I am so blessed to learn from her each and every day!
• You Inspire Me: Miscoe 7th Grade Teachers. They raise the bar for our students, practice inclusivity, have figured out how to balance learning and caring with a diverse group of learners.
• You Inspire Me: Mo Coburn, Transportation Coordinator. There is no one who knows the bus routes and stops more than Mo Coburn. She steps in when people are out, trains new drivers, readjusts routes with ease, and is always responsive to requests. Thank you!

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.

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