School Year 2024-2025

Attendance

Rosane Costa, Maravelise Diaz, Daniela Pinto, Danielle Gomes, Elaine Vechiatto, Anastasia Pundik, Courtney Schneeweiss 

Minutes

Dinner/Technology set-up

• Thanks for the Brazilian coffee Rosane!

Meeting called to order at 6:15 PM:

• Introductions (Chairperson: Rosane Costa; Co-Chairperson: Maravelisse Diaz; Secretary: available)

• School Status Connect

  • Communication for ELPAC is moving to School Status Connect. Each school has their own classroom and parents are encouraged to communicate within the class.

  • Parents can set their preferred language in the settings. This enables everyone to communicate in the language they are comfortable with and School Status Connect will auto-translate.

• Ideas for future meetings

  • Information about ELE program, services, and ACCESS testing

  • What can you do at home to expand children’s vocabulary/English

  • Explain the school/district handbook (is it translated?)

  • School system in Mashpee and US

    • Laws and policies

    • How is it different from other countries?

    • What do schools expect from parents?

  • IEP and 504 (laws and processes)

  • Preparing for college (MMHS credits, college prep, scholarships, seal of biliteracy)

  • Create a parent university, adult English classes

  • Create/participate in International/Cultural Night

    • Tables representing different countries/cultures within Mashpee

    • Parents/groups of parents/organizations could sponsor tables

    • Share cultural performances

• How can we spread the word of ELPAC and encourage more participation?

  • Have principals include ELPAC meeting dates in their newsletters

  • Mention in "Mashpee Minute"

  • Get kids involved!

  • Add Zoom back as an option

• Other

  • Offer ways for parents to volunteer (ex: reading in native languages)

Meeting adjourned at 7:10 PM

Date: December 12, 2024

Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm

Location: Quashnet School Library 150 Old Barnstable Rd. Mashpee, MA 02649

Attendance: Rosane Costa, Maravelise Diaz, Daniela Pinto, Edilane Santos, Courtney Schneeweiss, Hope Hanscom 

Dinner/Technology set-up

• Thanks for the Spanish coffee Rosane!

Meeting called to order at 6:15 PM:

• Shared how to access English Language Learner Program resources on the MPS webpage

• New website for ELPAC information: https://sites.google.com/mpspk12.org/mashpee-elpac

• Nomination and vote for Secretary of ELPAC - congradulations Daniela Pinto!

• Hope and Courtney shared resources for helping students at home

  • MMHS student volunteer shared how students can use PowerSchool to track assignments and grades

  • Hope shared parent PowerSchool version and explained it can also show students attendance for each class

  • MMHS student volunteer shared that Google Classroom also tracks assignments and directions which parents can ask their students to show them

  • On new ELPAC website are strategies and ideas for supporting reading and math at home

• Hope shared list of books available in different languages in Quashnet and KCC. Parents can ask students to check them out from the library to bring home. List will be added to ELPAC website.

• Meeting concluded by announcing the next meeting: January 15, 2025. Staff will review sports, clubs, and activities available in all 3 buildings and how to sign-up. Special guest: MMHS soccer coach Ed Furteck!

Meeting adjurned at 7:10

Date: January 15, 2024

Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm

Location: Quashnet School Library 150 Old Barnstable Rd. Mashpee, MA 02649

Dinner/Technology set-up

• Thanks for the Spanish coffee Rosane!

Meeting called to order at 6:10 PM:

• Links to slides shared at meeting: English, Portuguese, Spanish

• Athletic Director Matt Triveri and Soccer Coach Ed Furtek shared about MMHS athletics

  • Matt recognizes that there are barriers to participating in sports: lack of transportation and registration process

    • Mashpee cannot find a driver for the Sports bus after school. Until we do, we are pursuing using our district vans to drive students home

    • Teachers and coaches can assist in helping families register students for sports or find a student fluent in another language to translate

  • Engaging in sports also boosts academic acheivement and social growth

  • Many families are happy to drive other students home. Coaches and Parent Booster Clubs can help connect families

  • Sports are FREE to all students

• Hope Hanscom shared about MMHS clubs

  • Lots of clubs are offered at MMHS. Students sign-up during homeroom

  • Similar to sports, there is no current after school bus

  • If you or someone you know is interested in driving an after school bus route Mashpee will train you!

• Courtney Schneeweiss shared about After School Activities at KCC and QS

  • After School Activities are offered in 2 sessions (Fall and Spring), each lasting 16 weeks

  • Mr. Switzer and Mr Prenha send a Google Form in the weekly newsletters parents can use to sign their children up

  • Paper confirmation letters are sent home indicating which clubs your child is enrolled

  • Offerings are different sessions to session, and year to year

  • Some activities are only for certain grades

  • All clubs are FREE and there is a bus after clubs finish

• Nadja Carbone shared about Mashpee Youth Soccer

  • Youth soccer is a feeder program for the MMHS soccer teams, helping kids learn skills at a young age

  • There is a fee to register but if the cost is a barrier, finanical assistance is available

• Rosane suggested using Zoom for our next meeting to attract more families that may not be able to attend in-person. The March meeting will be on Zoom.

• No submissions for an ELPAC logo were received. Courtney will reach out to MMHS and QS art/media teachers to pursue this further

Meeting adjurned at 7:10

Date: March 13, 2025

Time: 6:00 - 7:00 pm

Location: Zoom

Attendance: Courtney Schneeweiss, Pam Gould, Rosane Costa, Daniela Pinto, Mara Diaz, Elaina, Petra, Consuelo Carroll

Meeting called to order at 6:10 PM:

• In today's meeting we started talking about the ELPAC logo contest

  • 22 submissions were narrowed down to #2 and #9

  • Final 2 will be sent for parents to vote on

• We also discussed about the International Night to possibly be held on May 16th in the high school cafeteria around 5:30pm to 6pm.

  • Possible Ideas:

    • Tables with a dish/snack possibly sponsored by a volunteer family

    • The food may have the ingredients and or the recipe available .

    • Each table could have art or objects from the country it is representing; or kids could make a craft

    • Storybook reading

    • Language learning

    • A parade for the small kids who could wear costumes, and maybe a flag from the represented country.

    • Dance/music presentation to be held at the auditorium with a schedule to follow.

  • We also talked about showing a project made last year about the foreign families of the Seniors .

  • Rosane will reach out to Jui jitsu gym

  • Consuelo will reach out to foreign language teachers and other MMHS staff/clubs

  • Courtney will reach out to EL teachers about student projects and International Club

  • Courtney will send out family sign-up to all MPS families

• Next Meeting: The next meeting is scheduled for March 27th at 6pm through Zoom .

Meeting adjurned at 7:10