DNA - District News & Announcements

January 2024

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This newsletter is affectionately called the DNA because it's a beautiful collection of unique stories and experiences contributing to the development and function of our school communities. (Also it's an acronym for District News and Announcements ;) )

We hope you enjoy seeing some of these behind the scenes stories and will join your fellow community members at upcoming events!

In case you missed it, there have been several District Press Releases and announcements! Here is the summary:

• Fuller Drama Company presents Disney's Frozen JR (shared 1/23/24)
• Harmony Grove Interim Principal Announcement (shared 1/22/24)
• Hemenway Principal Search and Community Input Process (shared 1/19/24)
• Harmony Grove Principal Search and Community Input Process (shared 1/19/24)
• Assistant Superintendent of Equity, Belonging, and Community Engagement (shared 1/18/24)
• Brophy Principal Search and Community Input Process (shared 1/12/24)

Of course, you can read all of the press releases on the FPS Website!

SchoolWorks, an education consulting company and certified women’s business enterprise (WBE), provides a broad continuum of services to educators, administrators, institutions, and governing bodies in support of K-12 education improvement and reform. They are hosting a webinar featuring FPS leadership including Dr. Tremblay, Amy Bright, and Marybeth O'Brien on the topic of Harnessing What Works: Framingham's Rejuvenated Instructional Framework & District-Level Strategic Plan.

The event takes place on January 30th at 12:30pm. Registering will get you access to the recording, even if you can't attend live: Register for the SchoolWorks Webinar

If you have feedback on what's working and what can be improved with FPS Communications - please complete the open survey for caregivers and consider attending a drop-in for conversations IRL (in real life).

In addition to the weekly Coffee Drop-Ins around town, we will be organizing other in-person and virtual opportunities to meet and chat. In the meantime, you can always schedule a meeting with Rochelle Santos, Media and Communications Manager for FPS, to share your thoughts and ideas about FPS Communications, please schedule a 30 minute meeting: https://calendly.com/rsantos-2/30min.

District Communications Survey for Caregivers : Deadline, February 3, 2024

2024 Communication Survey Series Overview (sent Thursday, January 18, 2024)

The District survey presents as 22 pages, which feels long at first glance. However, the 24 survey questions are divided into 7 small, categorized sections (pages) and then repeated in Spanish and Portuguese. Not all questions are required and not all of the questions are visible depending on your answers.

The sections include:

• 8 General Communication Feedback questions
• 7 Content, Quality, and Frequency questions
• 1 Social Media (only if you follow)
• 2 Website questions
• 3 Newsletter questions; and
• 3 Future Interest questions

On Tuesday, January 23rd, the Chris Walsh Performing Arts Center at Fuller Middle School was nearly full of incoming Kindergarten caregivers who are embarking on the Kindergarten Registration process. While many were there for the first time, it was nice to see many returning and familiar faces!

For anyone who missed it, you can watch the pre-recorded video on Facebook. (Spanish and Portuguese versions of the video will be available soon. We will re-share when they are ready!)

If you recall from last month's DNA, we shared that the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Board of Directors voted to officially invite Framingham Public Schools into the eligibility period, which would provide funding support for a school building project in Framingham. (Press Release)

The City of Framingham is looking to replace Hemenway Elementary School on Water Street, which was built in 1961. The existing facility is insufficient for the enrollment and curriculum of the Framingham Public Schools, and the existing building’s scale and orientation of spaces are outdated and unable to properly adapt to the needs of contemporary school.

In 2019, architects were hired to perform a pre-feasibility study for the expansion or replacement of the existing Hemenway Elementary School. This pre-feasibility study delved into the existing building and site, and also expanded to looking at options for a new site, including the possibility of a new southside school.

Last year, the City of Framingham, in a collaboration between the Mayor and the City Council, purchased a 35-acre property from the Sisters of St. Joseph along Bethany Road for educational purposes.

Within the last month, the 13-member School Building Committee has come together and includes the following community members:

Mayor Appointees (4)

Matteo Batista

Roslyn Child

Rachel Evans

David Panich

School Committee Members (3)

Jessica Barnhill (District 8 and Committee Chair)

Adam Freudberg (District 4)

David Gordon (District 2)

City Council Members (3)

George King (At Large Councilor)

Noval Alexander (District 5)

Tracey Bryant (District 9 and Council Vice Chair)

School Committee Appointees (3)

Erin Asbury

Brittney Karpierz

Scott Wadland

Yesterday, Framingham Mayor Charlie Sisitsky named City Councilor George P. King. Jr. chair of the newly-formed Framingham School Building Committee and named District 4 School Committee member Adam Freudberg, as vice chair of the building committee. (Press Release)

Determination is working hard and putting in your best effort.

The Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum is all connected to this theme/trait and is supported with activities during morning meeting, mindfulness, discussions, books, art, team-building, games and more!

Three Conversation Starters About Determination:

• How do you think making mistakes helps you achieve your goals?
  
• What is a goal that you have been determined to reach? Did you reach it? If so, what helped you along the way?
  
• Who is someone you think is successful? What might that person have been determined to achieve to become successful?

In partnership with Open Spirit in Framingham, check out these custom made videos about our theme of the month. They include mindfulness and yoga with our themes.

• Determination Yoga-English
  

• Determination Yoga-Spanish

• Determination Yoga-Portuguese

• Determination Meditation-English

• Determination Meditation-Portuguese

• Determination Meditation-Spanish

Determination Book List - Read Alouds

• The Dot: Peter H. Reynolds (Spanish) (Portuguese)

In this story by Massachusetts author Peter Reynolds, an art teacher encourages Vashti to make a mark, a dot, prompting Vashti to create a wide range of dot paintings. She works through her fear and finds her determination to display her work at the school art show and inspires a young boy to make his own unique mark. This book shows how a growth mindset contributes to the determination to accomplish a goal.




• The Very Busy Spider: Eric Karl (Spanish) (Portuguese)

In this story A spider, blown by the wind to a fence post near a farm yard, begins to build her web and cannot be distracted from the task at hand--not by the horse, cow, sheep, goat, or dog. But when the rooster asks if she wants to catch a pesky fly, the busy spider is able to catch it in her web immediately!

• Wilma Unlimited: Kathleen Krull (Spanish)

This true story of Wilma Rudolph tells a lifetime of determination. It is a biography of a woman who overcame crippling polio as a child to become the first woman to win three gold medals in track in a single Olympics.

If your child's school is not included below, that does not mean they aren't doing wonderful, exciting things! We look forward to sharing even more news and updates in the Good News Network section of future District Newsletters!

January Edition of the Hap: https://www.smore.com/re9cm

The Hap is a monthly digital newspaper by and for Framingham High School students - and now for the larger community to enjoy. Please feel free to spread the news!

In This Issue: Top 5 Treats to Enjoy This Winter, Saxonville Mills Café & Roastery Review, Artist of the Month: Faith Ringgold, Why You Should Join Model UN, The Enduring Debate: Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?

A group of FHS Alum are looking to volunteer their time to help kids from 3rd to 8th grade in Framingham learn and gain interest in the sport of volleyball. They are currently assessing how much public interest this program would receive and if it's feasible!

Please complete the Google Form (English, Spanish, and Portuguese) to share your level of interest and provide contact information for us to send updates about the program.

As part of the Framingham Public School’s Strategic Plan Priority #2, Stapleton Elementary School was looking for opportunities for our diverse student population to deepen relationships and create new partnerships with the FPS community. Beginning on January 8th, students from the FHS National Honor Society began tutoring students in the Explorers afterschool program twice a week in reading, writing or math!

The Cohort group led by Lesley Master's Program concluded the year on a high note with an impressive presentation, leaving everyone with a smile. I'd like to give a special shoutout to this group for their dedication and hard work in supporting our children. - Patricia Vedana, Talent Acquisition Manager for FPS

Judi Locke, a long-term sub and a volunteer at Stapleton, always does so much for the school community. Last year, she helped secure desks for students to have at home and even personally delivered some to families that didn't have means to pick up the desks at the school.

Judi's efforts have recently been recognized by the Kraft family, the New England Patriots Foundation and Gillette who celebrates volunteers that work tirelessly to support children and families in need throughout the New England region, while also encouraging Patriots fans to get involved in their communities. Judi was named a "Patriots Difference Maker of the Week." See below for a highlight on one of our very own!

Dignity Matters works to improve the lives of women and girls living below the poverty line by giving them free menstrual care and underwear. Having reliable access to these items removes a significant barrier to leading a full, productive, and healthy life. Dignity Matters currently supports 15,000 women and girls in Eastern Massachusetts each month, while advocating for legislation in Massachusetts that will reach even more women.

After learning about Dignity Matters, Judi began asking friends to donate menstrual products, asking them to host donation bins. She regularly helps Dignity Matters pack for distribution, refurbish gently used bras, and inventory donations. As a teacher, she knows how many girls and women go without basic necessities like menstrual care.

She spends 8-10 hours every week washing bras, securing product donations and working with small businesses to host drives. Her and her husband use their laundromat business to assist with preparing donations. Dignity Matters has over 100 regular volunteers, and many of them look up to Judi and model their own service after her commitment and perseverance.

Judi's work securing product donations, cash donations, and auction items enables Dignity Matters to provide more homeless and low-income women and girls with the menstrual care they need to safely manage their period every month. Through her efforts, she is directly responsible for improving the lives and affirming the dignity of thousands of women.

35 students from Cameron Middle School were the first school group to complete a simulated mission to Mars at the brand new McAuliffe Center at Framingham State University. Students got to work with teams on mission control and in a spacecraft to conduct research, search for signs of water and life, and they even dealt with an unexpected meteor impact that forced them to implement a new plan in order to be successful. They also got to watch a film in the new planetarium about different careers in STEM related to space and exploration. We had a blast!

Srta. Alejandra Londono and Sra. Kiera Campbell's Spanish 1 Students at FHS create a holiday door entitled, "Felices Fiestas/Happy Holidays" depicting winter celebrations of the Hispanic world including Las Posadas and Los Reyes.

On Saturday, January 13, 2024, in Chicopee, MA, nine (9) Walsh Emergent Bilingual students (Angelica Batista, Katerin Perez Lopez, Sandy Maza, Jashua Salvador, Carlos Sebastian Molina, Hanz Morales, Jean Carlos Vivieca, Jencarlos Tejada Bonilla, and Bryan Guaman Garcia) competed in the Regionals portion of the International Academic Competitions in the subject matter of Geography. They are a range of all WIDA levels.

A HUGE THANK YOU to SAGE teacher Anne Doucet for introducing this special opportunity! A big shoutout to staff who sponsored a student, and to the parent volunteers who drove and picked up several students to make this possible! It takes a village!

It was set up in Jeopardy style where there were 3 rounds and each student had a buzzer, and had to listen to questions in the format of a paragraph that started out broad and then narrowed down more specifically.

I am so beyond proud of these students, I cannot even begin to put into words. I watched all students listen carefully, and bravely answer some really challenging questions in front of other peers from the state and neighboring states along with their families. Some families shared they did not know their student had this much capacity in English, given they have been here in the U.S. such a short amount of time. I even had students ask if they could do this again next year. It was such a special opportunity for our English Language Development students to bond over something they earned and see that they genuinely are capable of so much.

Of the 9 students, we had 2 move into the finals portion of the day, and those same 2 students have qualified for Nationals in Florida over Memorial Day weekend in May!

Congrats to Jean Carlos Vivieca and Jencarlos Tejada Bonilla!

- Submitted by Stephanie Anne Anjos

This fall and winter at Dunning, fourth graders participated a Newspaper Club with Ms. Brett Berkman, Literacy Specialist. Ms. Berkman ran this club before school and had many enthusiastic journalists participating. After weeks of learning journalist techniques and strategies, researching, interviewing, and writing, they produced their very own newspaper. This is a shout out to the hard working fourth graders and Ms. Berkman for dedicating her time to this club. Well done! (The PDF of student work is linked below!)

In December, Dr. Tremblay visited Hemenway Elementary School to engage with peer leaders, addressing a range of questions, from inquiries about his role to the steps to becoming a superintendent.

We are currently still accepting job applications for many open positions for this academic year! Please explore for yourself or share our openings with your professional networks!

Here is a short list of some open positions, though you can also explore the Careers Page on the FPS Website!

• Principal (Brophy, Harmony Grove, Hemenway)
• Social-Emotional Behavioral Coach
  
• Executive Assistant to the Assistant Superintendent of Equity, Belonging and Community Engagement (Bilingual Spanish or Portuguese Preferred)
  
• Special Education Teacher
• Language Program Assistant Teacher
  
• ESL Teacher
  
• Evening Academy Mathematics Teacher
• Speech and Language Pathologist
• Plumber
  
• Assistant Custodian
• Adult ESL Plus Substitute Instructor

School Bus Drivers $25-$31/Hour

• $5,000 Sign-on Bonus for fully licensed school drivers.
• Must be at least 21
• Must have your license for 3 consecutive years
• Must have the ability to pass background checks and drug test

No CDL? No problem. NRT will pay $20 per hour to get your CDL. If completed in 60 days, $500 extra

incentive.

School Van Drivers $19-$20/Hour

7D drivers are needed! No 7D Certificate? They provide PAID training.

• Must be at least 21
• Must have your license for 3 consecutive years
• Must have the ability to pass background checks and drug test

LEARN MORE BY VISITING THE NRT WEBSITE: School Bus Driver-Paid Training- Framingham

On Sunday, Jan. 28th, from 1pm-4pm, FPS staff, students, and families are invited to the free grand opening of the Framingham History Center's new exhibit: "Framingham's Collective Journeys: Stories of Immigration, 1960-present."

FPS features prominently in the grand opening festivities!

• The exhibition shares stories from several FPS alumni, as well as Gen Grieci, FPS's Director Emerita of MultiLingual Ed.
• FHS students Tayla Dos Santos, Eva Dillon, and Lunah Semprum will be giving multilingual tours of the exhibit on the half hour.
  
• FHS's a capella group, Tonal Eclipse, will be performing at 2:45pm. Along with several other musical performances throughout the afternoon:

Full event information can be found on the Framingham History Center website!

February 10, 2024

11am - 12pm

Framingham Public Library (Main Branch) Costin Room

Join us in a community celebration of Lunar New Year with activities, crafts, and performances by students from Walsh Middle School and Framingham High School. All ages welcome!

Mayor Charlie Sisitsky will deliver the State of the City address on Monday, January 29, 2024 at 7 p.m. in Nevins Hall in the Memorial Building. The public is encouraged to attend!

• City Council Chair Phil Ottaviani Jr. (District 6) will act as the Master of Ceremonies and introduce the Mayor.
• Purple Heart recipient Marty Nislick will read the Pledge of Allegiance.
• Framingham High School A Cappella group Tonal Eclipse will sing the National Anthem.
• First Parish in Framingham Senior Minister Rev. Aaron Stockwell Wisman will deliver the invocation.
• The State of the City will broadcast live on the Government Channel.

Artists are invited to enter the Atomic Artistry juried competition to counter myths and widespread misunderstandings and communicate the value of nuclear power as a clean technology: vital in the fight against climate change and able to protect biodiversity and open spaces while transitioning to a clean energy economy.

https://www.eco-nuclearsolutions.org/art-contest

Amateur, professional and student artists are invited to participate. Entry is free and there are cash prizes for two divisions: adults and under age 18.

Submissions will be accepted until Feb 1, 2024. Finalists will be exhibited at the Fitchburg Art Museum’s Community Gallery in March 2024.

For more information, please contact Cynthia Knapp from Eco-Nuclear Solutions.

This project is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the Fitchburg Art Museum and Eco-Nuclear Solutions.

The Media and Communications Office continues to refine and improve the submission process. We always appreciate hearing from staff, parents/guardians, and students with events, accolades, shoutouts, and more. Thank you for sharing your bright spots with us!

Submit your good news to the 'Good News' Google Form, which is now accessible in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Submitted content goes into future newsletters and social media posts!