Volume 5 - Issue 5 January 15, 2020
Happy New Year! I can’t believe it is already January. As you may already know, last Thursday night I presented the Superintendent’s Recommended Budget to the School Committee. The budget was developed by our leadership team and is based on my Entry Plan findings, School Committee Budget Directives and is aligned with the objectives and initiatives set forth in our Strategic Plan.
The proposed budget is designed to attend to FY21 needs and includes a multi-year strategic and staffing plan that will begin to address both operational and capital needs for the North Andover Public Schools. We believe this proposed budget is reflective of our values, expectations and aspirations as a community and represents our best thinking in order to address our greatest needs over the next five years in a responsible and sustainable way.
I appreciate the work of Town Manager, Melissa Murphy-Rodrigues, with whom I have met weekly since her arrival. We are currently working to best meet the needs of students next year and beyond.
The North Andover School Committee will hold a Public Hearing on the budget tomorrow night (January 16, 7:00 p.m. at 566 Main Street) and will vote a budget adoption on February 6, 2020. I encourage you to follow the budget process by attending School Committee meetings or watching the meetings on local cable channels (Comcast 99 or Verizon 28). Videos of School Committee meetings are also available to stream from the North Andover Cam website. Budget documents will be available on the district website and will be linked to School Committee agendas. You can sign up to receive School Committee agendas via email by subscribing on the Town Website.
The NAMS Knights’ Closet is a new program designed to help meet the basic needs of our
students. This idea began more than a year ago,when a conversation between some NAMS colleagues brought to light the varying needs of our students. The NAMS Nurses’ Office has always had a few random clothing items on hand for emergencies but has not always been able to meet every immediate need at that moment because to do that for over 1,000 6th-, 7th- and 8th-grade boys and girls. . . well, you would need a full closet! We talked, researched and planned for a way that we could make this idea a reality. We aimed to create a “mini-store” that our students could access and “shop” for up to date and in-style clothes, whatever their needs may be. The goal of the Closet is to have options that the kids can be comfortable and confident in so all items in the closet are new or in like-new condition. The Closet is located in a tucked-away space that can be accessed discreetly. Students may be referred to the Closet by teachers, guidance counselors or parents. Through word of mouth, some students
have asked to visit the Closet and check it out. It’s awesome to see the look on their faces when they realize it’s like a real store! Donations will be accepted the first Tuesday of every month. There is a large bin in the front lobby of NAMS where you may drop your donations and volunteers will then sort and organize your donations back in the Closet.
If you are interested in making a donation, the Closet accepts middle school sized clothes that are new or in excellent condition - no stains or tears, and season appropriate, please. The goal is to share with our students things that make them feel and look good. A general guideline is if your own student wouldn’t happily wear it, the Knights’ Closet probably won’t use it. The Closet also accepts NEW boys and girls underwear, NEW socks and NEW black leggings. Thank you to everyone who has supported this idea and made the Knights’ Closet a reality!
The SOS (Support our Soldiers) Club at the high school is putting together care packages for members of the U.S. Military who are currently on deployment. We would love to support your loved ones! Please let us know if you have a family member or friend who would appreciate receiving a care package from us. Please email Christy Morley, Club Advisor, at morleyc@nak12.com if you know someone who would like to receive a care package. Thanks!
On January 3, 2020, the High School held its 14th Annual Alumni Luncheon. Previous year’s graduates are invited back to the high school to participate in this two hour program for NAHS Juniors. It starts with a catered luncheon for our previous graduates and is followed by a seminar for juniors and alumni conducted in a question and answer format. This lively discussion about college life on campuses across the country is moderated by Guidance Director, Steve Nugent.
The Superintendent is pleased to announce the Snow Challenge Winners for December, 2019, with the hope that there will be no more snow days this winter! However, if it is necessary to cancel school again, the Beyond the Classroom program will be implemented, thus allowing the June 19 summer release date to remain firm.
The following winners will receive the book of their choice: Brynn Leahy, Sargent; Maggie Leaversuch, Franklin; Jacob Gallant and Alexa Hartshorn, both from the Atkinson; and Mallory Foster from the Thomson School.
Sargent School grade 3 teacher Jen Cresta is pictured at left with with Snow Challenge Winner Brynn Leahy
North Andover Middle School is excited to share some of the wonderful accomplishments of our students and staff in this January edition of the Knightly Newsletter. NAMS is a special place for our staff members and well over 1,000 students. Walking through the school, you can feel a sense of happiness and excitement on the part of students and staff. We have amazing kids and staff at NAMS who genuinely care about each other. In this issue, we would like to share with you some of our many things of which we are proud.
Some of our students have been meeting every week this year to publish the first issue of our online literary magazine, which you may find at the following address: https://sites.google.com/northandoverpublicschools.com/literary-magazine-fall/home
Each month, we focus on one of the RAISE values at NAMS. For the month of December, Service was the focus. NAMS Student Leadership Food Drive to support Bread & Roses in Lawrence was our first project. Bread & Roses is a soup kitchen in Lawrence, MA that has long been a center of hope and caring to the thousands of people in the Merrimack Valley who are struggling to survive. Their primary purpose is to ease the hunger of people in our community by providing a well-balanced, nutritious evening meal. Last year, Bread & Roses was able to feed over 76,000 people. Thanks to the efforts of the entire community, NAMS students and staff delivered 3,867 lbs of food and donated $788 in cash and gift cards (our largest monetary donation ever). This was once again a tremendous school-wide effort thanks to all in our NAMS family!
Project 351 began in 2011, when former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick sought to celebrate his second inaugural with a focus on young people and community. The concept of Project 351, which had been developed by Carolyn Casey, reflected Governor Patrick’s belief in the Beloved Community and the unlimited potential of young people. His embrace led to the realization of Project 351 as a one-day celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., statewide unity and youth leadership. By day’s end, a movement of hope-in-action had been founded. And with it, an invitation to serve and lead for eighth graders in each of Massachusetts' 351 cities and towns. From that day forward, Project 351 Ambassadors would unite the entire state as one team, one
community in service to causes greater than self. With the enthusiastic and engaged leadership of Governor Charlie Baker, Project 351 is a grassroots, youth-led, school-based movement for positive change, one that advances social and emotional learning objectives, produces a transformative impact for a portfolio of nonprofit innovators and develops a rising generation of upstanders, bridge builders, and change makers. Today, the Ambassador and Alumni community stands 3,381 strong, with more than 600,000 lives positively impacted through service. With Project 351 enrichment, training, and mentorship, Ambassadors dedicate a year to build unity, cultivate kindness and transform lives and communities through service. As they serve, they develop the courage, compassion and capabilities to lead awe-inspiring change.
We are so very proud of our NAMS Project 351 finalists: Logan, Ben, Abby, Rose, Gabrielle, & Vittora. Congratulations to Ben for being selected as our 2019 Project 351 Ambassador after an rigorous application and interview process. Thank you to Mr. Kaplan, Ms. Sparks, Mr. Wrigley, and Ms. Murphy for being on the selection committee.
Under the direction of Andrea Liacos, NAMS students presented 3 shows in early December despite 2 snow days during Tech Week!
Trimester 1 Choral Concert was simply amazing! Kids were fabulous.
Members of the NAMS Band spread some holiday cheer at the Senior Center!
Mr. Poirier, along with other teachers, facilitated what we hope to be an annual event. After several rounds of questions, we were able to determine a 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place winner. Congratulations NAMS Geography Bee winners:
1st place - Mason E., 2nd place - Logan B., and 3rd place - Reagan V.
Mason will have an opportunity to advance to the State Finals in April, with a possible shot at the National Geographic Society’s National Championship round in May.
Grade 7 students in our Applied Math & Science classes created probability games that were showcased during a student exposition. We were all very impressed with the effort and creativity that students displayed.
It was an amazing fall season for our Cross-Country team. The culminating event was when over 90 members of our team participated in the Massachusetts Middle School State Championship in Devens, MA. Everybody ran great especially the team of Anya Budzinski, Luna Prochozkova, Gabby Harty, Rose Gordon, Leigha Leavitt, Erika Wojcik, and Jessie Melville who finished in third place in division 1, earning the program's best ever finish at the state championship.
The district continues to prioritize social-emotional learning (SEL) practices and programs for staff and students to help prepare students to be college and career ready and to support staff by increasing their knowledge through a comprehensive professional development program focused on social-emotional learning and mental health. Researchers estimate that on average 8 minutes of instructional time is lost due to social, emotional and behavioral issues during each class. That adds up to approximately one month of lost learning each year. Robust SEL programs are shown to minimize behavior issues and “buy back” instructional time. Additionally, SEL programs have multiple gains for students such as increased social-emotional skills; improved attitudes about self, others and school; fewer conduct problems/aggressive behaviors and decreased emotional distress; and an 11 percentile-point gain on standardized achievement tests.
Educators benefit from social-emotional skills training because it improves teacher and student relationships, improves teacher collaboration and retention, and increases time on learning for their students. Parents understand the importance of their children developing social and emotional skills to be prepared for life beyond school because employers are seeking employees who are able to problem-solve, listen, communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, and who have strong self-esteem, self-motivation and relationship skills.
The district is focused on providing instruction on four SEL skills including self-efficacy, growth mindset, social awareness, and self-management. Self-management is the ability to effectively manage your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in different situations. This includes managing stress/anxiety, delaying gratification, motivating yourself, and setting and working toward personal and academic goals. Students with strong self-management skills arrive to class prepared to pay attention, follow directions, allow others to speak without interruption, and work independently with focus. Teacher and administrator graduate programs do not include classes teaching educators how to work with students suffering from anxiety or other behavioral health issues, so educators are often left struggling with how to best work with students who present with social, emotional and behavioral health challenges. Throughout the year, we have been training educators on several important mental health issues that our students are struggling with in North Andover, including anxiety and trauma. Teachers are learning strategies to support students to manage “everyday” anxiety and stress as well as support students with significant anxiety in the classroom. Additionally, we are providing training on creating trauma-sensitive schools and classrooms to respond to the ever-growing population of students who have experienced trauma. Many families in the community experienced trauma from the gas crisis that occurred last year. These trainings help educators identify signs and symptoms of trauma in children so we can provide the appropriate support and respond in a trauma-sensitive manner.
As a district, North Andover understands the importance of educating the whole child. We know that students come to school with a whole host of life experiences and challenges and that if we don’t provide the proper training for our educators and administrators, we won’t be able to support the children and families we serve. To learn more about the district’s SEL implementation plan, visit our website at NA SEL Website.
In this season, when the weather or travel conditions are questionable, check to make sure the Library is open before venturing out. The Library updates its website, Facebook, Twitter and telephone message as soon as any unexpected changes are known.
Library news often highlights the more unusual things happening here – like the Ukulele Group. Of course, you know there are many types of books, magazines, movies, and music to borrow. Do you know how many book discussion groups there are at Stevens?
There monthly book groups for all ages and reading levels. Children have several choices: Beginning Reader Group, Graphic Novel Group, Early Chapter Book Group, and a Chapter Book Group. Middle Schoolers have their own Book Group and a Graphic Novel Group. And for adults, the Tuesday Evening Group tries different genres each month. Or, if you’re an adult who wants to explore children’s and youth literature, come to the Chapter and Verse Group. Schedules for the book groups are below.
Visit the Library, talk with the librarians about the different groups to see what might interest you. Books are chosen by the you the readers; the librarians get copies of the books for the group.
Just remember, this is reading for pleasure: no attendance, come when you can; no papers, just what you enjoyed or didn’t about the book.
Don’t miss out on news and events like February Staycation. Follow the Library on Twitter @StevensMemLib, Facebook, or the Library’s website.
Book Group Schedules
Monthly at 4 pm : Children’s Room, ext. 42010
1st Thursday Beginner Reader Group
2nd Thursday Graphic Novel (Children’s) Group
3rd Thursday Early Chapter Book Group
4th Thursday Chapter Book Group
Monthly at 3 pm : Teen Desk, ext. 42032
2nd Tuesday Middle School Graphic Novel Group
4th Tuesday Middle School Book Group
Adults : Reference Desk, ext. 42016
3rd Tuesday Tuesday Book Discussion at 7:00 pm
2nd Thursday Chapter and Verse Book Discussion at 6:00 pm
Funny what a month will bring us here in New England. When I wrote my last newsletter, I was lamenting about the snow, school being canceled, and two kids who were desperately begging me to watch one of the Star Wars movies. As I write here this Sunday afternoon in January, we hit 70 degrees, the snow is completely gone, and my kids are someplace outside riding their bikes with friends. The unpredictability of our weather continues to amaze me even though I have spent my entire life here. And as much as I hate to admit it, the diverse nature of our climate is one of the attractions to living and raising a family in North Andover. You don’t like the weather? Just wait, it’ll change soon enough!
Well, even if you don’t like the weather, you must admit that North Andover is a special place to raise a family. If you didn’t agree with that, then you probably wouldn’t have kids in the school system, and you wouldn’t be reading this edition of the Knightly News. So, I’m pretty much preaching to the choir. We love our town and we love our schools, but I believe that all of us, to a person, feel that we can do better. I firmly believe that, and it’s why I was very excited to see Dr. Gilligan’s recommended Fiscal Year 2021 budget which he released last week. For the first time in almost a decade, we have a superintendent who is not satisfied with a “treading-water” approach to education and is willing to passionately advocate for the resources that he and his team believe are necessary for all our kids to thrive and succeed. Dr. Gilligan has directly tied his budget to our strategic objectives of providing equity of all our students, implementing a consistent and rigorous curriculum, and targeted professional practice our teachers and administrators. I believe it is an impressive and thoughtful document and hope you will take some time to look at it here: https://docs.google.com/document/ d/1HNcvHTmzFRSia C8c7Pf_- 6Dvqkui JVq14YuQ8 BFUHl4/edit
I have heard from some of you already that you believe that it doesn’t go far enough. I understand and appreciate that point of view. You see how dismal our per-pupil spending average is (http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/ statereport/ ppx.aspx) and feel that a town such as North Andover should value education and spend more on its children. I get that, but the fact remains, we didn’t get here overnight and we’re not going to get out of here tomorrow. And that's
why Dr. Gilligan and his team have developed a five-year plan (also on the first link) to start the climb out of the hole we have dug ourselves over the years. You will see that it is also tied to our strategic plan and tackles many of our identified needs. It is ambitious and forward-thinking, but at the same time, fiscally responsible and manageable. At Town Meeting, where our budget is ultimately approved, our expenditures are required to match our revenue. Thus, if there is a low revenue number, there will be a low expenditure number. As I mentioned in my column last month, the town’s revenue forecast is artificially low and has been for several years. In fact, the total variance in revenue between what was forecast by the town and what was collected in the five fiscal years from 2015-2019, was almost $22 million. We could probably buy a pencil or two with some of that money.
Seriously, it is critical that the town save money and maintain a healthy stabilization account and reserve fund. Our town’s financial strength is one of our great accomplishments, and it’s something we should all be proud of. We have been good stewards and will remain so. At the same time, we must do right by our kids. We have a moral and financial obligation to provide a sound, quality and appropriate education for each of our students. I am confident that our Town Manager and other town leaders feel the same way and will make every effort to help us realize our educational goals and budgetary needs.
We are in the beginning phase of the budget process so there is still time to get involved and up to speed. Dr. Gilligan’s budget is now in our hands and will remain so until February 6, when the School Committee will vote on it. Some of you have already asked us to add to it, and we very well could. Then the Finance Committee will take a crack at it and eventually make a recommendation to Town Meeting, where all of you will have the final say on the budget (if you show up!). I look forward to your continued input and hope you take the time to attend our meetings, as well as those of the Finance Committee and the Board of Selectmen. All of us value your ideas and concerns and we want to have these important conversations with you. Thank you for being involved and I hope you remain engaged as this budget debate unfolds.
Kittredge School's awesome group, the Raise-ins, were invited to sing the national anthem at the Merrimack College hockey game over the weekend
566 Main Street
7:00 pm
February 6, 2020
February 27, 2020