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The School Committee voted to appoint William J. Buckley, Jr. as Chairperson and Kari Denitzio as Vice-Chairperson, for the 2024-2025 school year.

Walpole High School Boy Indoor and Outdoor Track Team: It has been an unprecedented year for the Indoor and Outdoor Boys Track Teams. The boys won 4 team titles on the school year. They were D2 A Champions during the XC season. They were Division 3 State Champions during indoor track.

The team won the Division 3 Relay Championship at the end of April and the Division 3 State Title with 92 points, 30 more than 2nd place Milton. They scored points in 14 out of the 19 total events. This is the first Outdoor Track Title in school history.

Congratulations to these athletes and coaches!

James P., Walpole High School representative to the School Committee provided the following report:

• The school year is wrapping up with finals starting on Monday the 10th and going through the last day of school, Thursday, June 13th.
• The Seniors graduated last Sunday, June 2nd and the celebration took place on Turco Field. Congratulations to all and best of luck in their paths after high school!
• MCAS testing has officially completed for the 2023-2024 school year with Freshmen having finished their Science and Technology testing yesterday, June 5th.
• The Freshman are having a semi-formal dance tomorrow Friday, June 7th in the WHS gym from 6-8 PM. All who are attending must arrive by 6:15 and stay until 8.
• Freshman orientation took place on May 28th in the WHS auditorium. All incoming 9th graders who plan to play a sport should have attended; if they did not, they should contact Athletic Director Ron Dowd.
• Undergraduate awards night took place on Monday, June 3rd. Outstanding students for each grade were recognized with individual awards.
• SAT registration for the 2024-2025 school year has started. Students may register through their college board accounts.
• Walpole Public Schools invites former students and members of the Walpole community to see Bird Middle school for the last time before demolition starts. Open house for the 63 year old building will be from 4:30 to 7 pm on Friday, June 14th.
• Clubs are wrapping up with various activities happening. The Robotics Team will be having a bottle and can drive on Saturday, June 8th in front of the Plimpton building. The Latin Club is planning a trip to Sicily in April of 2025; a meeting regarding this trip took place this evening at WHS. The Photography club had their last meeting of the school year today as well.
• All WHS spring sports teams are having amazing seasons. The Boys track team won the Division 3 State Championship on May 27th after an amazing year winning states for Cross Country and Indoor track as well. Number 3 seed Walpole Softball beat Doherty Memorial 3-0 on Saturday, June 1st. Number 2 seed Girl's Lacrosse also played Saturday and beat Norwood 19-2. On Monday, June 3rd the number 1 seed Walpole Baseball beat Marshfield 12-0. Number 5 seed Boys lacrosse also played Monday and beat Whitman Hanson 19-5.

1. Out of State Field Trip Requests: The School Committee approved the following out-of-state field trips:

• Walpole High School Grades 9 – 12 to Italy from April 18, 2025 to April 26, 2025
• Walpole High School Track Team to University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH on Saturday, June 8, 2024

2. Work Study Update: James Connolly discussed the Walpole High School Work Study Program. A Walpole High School student participating in this Program was also present and talked about her experiences. Eligible Walpole High School seniors can apply to this Program during the second semester of their senior year. The Senior Work Study Program seeks to provide students with an opportunity to simultaneously combine fulfilling their academic requirements for graduation with gaining valuable work experience. The ultimate goal of this program/course is to allow students the ability to transfer their academic knowledge, skills, and concepts gained throughout their educational career to the workplace. Participation in this program is determined via faculty panel review. Students participating in this program are strongly encouraged to find their own internship/worksite or else they will be matched with available openings. Additional requirements include: regularly meeting with a mentor, keeping a work experience journal and logging worksite hours. Lastly, students will fulfill all academic, civil & social expectations in order to remain eligible for on-time graduation, or be subject to removal from the program.

3. Innovation Pathways Update: Walpole High School Assistant Principal Lee Tobey outlined the Innovation Pathways. She explained that Walpole High School is launching the Innovation Career Pathway in Information that will serve approximately 40 students by SY 27-28 when fully enrolled. This pathway will allow students to pursue concentrations in the various ways that information is created and disseminated. The curriculum is designed to give students an interdisciplinary experience while exploring career paths including, but not limited to, advertising, marketing, Information Technology (IT), Journalism, Television Production, Film Production, Graphic Design. While this is the first pathway Walpole has applied for, additional designations will be sought in the coming years. The school is partnering with Walpole Media Corporation as an employer partner, and will work with MassHire and the Work-Based Learning Alliance to identify other employers willing to take on students for job shadowing and 100-hour internships. Students in the pathway will have opportunities to take college courses through partnerships with SNHU, College Board (APs), and other options that are currently being explored.

4. Bullying Data Reporting/Update: Dr. Hahn provided the annual bullying report update. Walpole Public Schools remains committed to social emotional learning practices and professional development and support. Safe and supportive schools are extremely important as indicated in the Strategic Plan demonstrating our commitment to preventing bullying. We continue to maintain and update the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan to ensure that the plan reporting methods are communicated to all staff, students, families, and relevant stakeholders. All new staff participate in an extensive full day bullying/cyberbullying training from the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC) and Walpole Public Schools also ensures that all of our staff take part in refresher training. Details of our protocols can be found here.

Dr. Gough reported the following:

• As we approach the end of the school year, the last day for our preschool students is June 12th and the last day for students K-11 is June 13th. We ask families to please check for any updates from their child’s principals regarding the last days of school.
• On Sunday, June 2nd the Walpole community celebrated our 150th commencement ceremony to honor Walpole High School’s graduating senior class of 2024. Thank you to all of the staff and volunteers who made this such a special occasion. We appreciate all of our graduates’ hard work and contributions, and we wish them well as they embark on a journey filled with new opportunities.
• Dr. Gough provided an update on the DESE Federal Grants Focus Monitoring Review, specifically addressing Title I, Title IIA, and Title IVA programs. She announced that the District had successfully met all requirements for the FY24 ESSA program monitoring process, with no follow-up actions necessary. She expressed her gratitude towards Dr. Hahn and Jody Delpha for their dedication and hard work, which were instrumental in achieving this positive outcome.
  
• Dr. Gough recognized the district's 2023-2024 retirees. She thanked them for enriching the lives of our students and wished them a very happy retirement.

• Nancy Bacevicius: Fisher Extended Day

  Nancy Carroll: Boyden Digital Learning Coach

  Suzanne Galvin: Boyden Grade 3

  David Gauthier: WHS Custodian

  Jane Gauthier: WPS Accounts Payable Coordinator

  Janis Gilson: Boyden Education Support Professional

  Nancy Golden: Old Post Road, Grade 5

  Lisa Grasso: Boyden, Grade 3

  Diana Lederman: WPS Executive Secretary

  Kathryn Manela: WHS Education Support Professional

  Alison O'Hara: JMS Reading Teacher

  Tracy Robinson: WHS Speech and Language Pathologist

  Christine Ryan: JMS Moderate Special Needs

  Kelly Udahl: WHS Education Support Professional

  Janet Smith: WPS Student Services

1. Middle School Building Project - A nostalgic farewell to our beloved Bird Middle School is being held on Friday, June 14th from 4:30 - 7:00 p.m. Members of the Walpole community and former students are all welcome. It will be one last opportunity to stroll through the hallways and classroom and reminisce and celebrate the memories made within the school. Mr. Breen affirmed that the project is progressing according to schedule and within budget. Recent building photos and videos can be seen on the middle school webpage. The community is encouraged to visit the webpage and reach out to the Middle School Project team with any questions or comments via email at middleschoolproject@walpole.k12.ma.us.

2. High School Renovation Project: Mrs. Syrek indicated a School Committee Workshop was held on May 29th to continue building discussions. The School Committee reviewed the timeline for the high school renovation project and discussed Committee roles and responsibilities. The Committee also discussed fundraising and policy regarding the project. The community will be kept updated of future developments.