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HomeMy WebLinkAboutSchool Comm 10/28/2025Approved 11-I8-25 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, October 28, 2025 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Consideration of new policies: Revise/ Title Notes Motion Motion Vote Code 1 2 JEC Middle School Pathway See below Cavicchi Ready 4-0 Exploration EBFA Food & Nutrition Meal Cavicchi Ready 4-0 Modification IHBAA Observation of Special Cavicchi Ready 4-0 Education Programs JEC: DESE has set November 1 as a deadline for Vocational Schools to create a policy regarding their admission practices. They have requested that all middle schools that feed into vocational schools to develop documentation on exploration practices and pathways toward these vocational schools. Mansfield has chosen to adopt this language into a policy. Superintendent McKeon anticipates that there may be some changes to this over the next year as we begin to solidify our practices. Mr. Schoonveld asked why we cannot get more students into Southeastern Regional? Principal McGovern noted that it is very competitive. Steve emphasized that we are awarded far fewer spots than a neighboring district and our per student tuition far exceeds that of this other district. Superintendent McKeon has a scheduled meeting with the Superintendent of Southeastern to better understand their programming. We would also look at what programs we can begin to offer here. IHBAA: Ms. Cavicchi noted that this policy is not new to MASC but we are adopting it for the first time. She asked if our Special Education Manual required any modification for this policy. Assistant Superintendent Jessica Davis indicated only for the new observation form. EBFA: This policy was postponed from the last meeting due to some final changes needed in the procedures surrounding this policy. A form for families is online. School Committee Business: Diane Ready will serve as the school committee representative for the Special Education Bus Drivers negotiations. Chair Walsh asked that we hold on assigning the members to the MEA negotiations. School Committee Questions and Comments: None Other- Items not anticipated by the Chair 48 hours prior to this meeting: None Documents Referenced: Update on Progress 2024-25 School Improvement Plans Update on 2025 MCAS Results Policy Student Activity Account List New Student Activity Account request forms Motion to adjourn: At 10:05 p.m., Chair Walsh called for a motion to adjourn. Motion to adjourn by Steve Schoonveld / Lynn Cavicchi Motion Passes 4- 0 Respectfully Submitted, Diane Nugent, Administrative Assistant to Superintendent & School Committee Page 6 of 6 Approved 11.18-25 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, October 28,2025 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Consideration Of Student Activities By School. Finance supervisor Deb Scott presented the details for the 2025-2026 school year including the maximum balance for school checking accounts, new accounts, disbursements of inactive accounts (with and without balances) and the current account list. Motion to Approve the Maximum 1st 2nd Discuss Vote Roll Call order Checking Acct Balances (no changes Y/N or comments forFY26) MHS $90,000 Schoonveld Cavicchi 4-0 QMS $32,000 11 $20,000 Rob $17,000 A discussion was held on the best way to review the information and to vote. Ms. Scott will provide an update on all of the adjustments and then ask for votes by category. Motion to approve the Deletion of zero balance of Accounts 1st 2nd Discuss Y/N Vote Roll Call order or comments MHS Class of 2024 Schoonveld Cavicchi 4-0 QMS Great East Festival QMS Grade 8 Celebration' n/a n/a n/a n/a 'Ms. Cavicchi looked for clarity as to whether it is a school or PAC sponsored event. Principal McGuire noted that PAC took over this event a few years ago. They run fundraisers, spends the funds and pays vendors. He noted that he could improve communication to families so that it is clear that it is a PAC event. Ms. Cavicchi noted it might help to keep this open one more year to make sure money is flowing correctly. Therefore, the original motion was amended to remove the grade 8 celebration from the list of deleted accounts. Motion to approve the Deletion & 1" 2nd Discuss Vote Roll Call order disbursement of funds for the Y/N or comments following Accounts MHS Class of 2025 $469.00 to be donated to the class of 2030 per request of class officers with permission by advisors Schoonveld Cavicchi 4-0 MHS Senior Celebration 2025: Per The allocation parent group, $1892.12 to be split was changed to as follows: be 1/3, 1/3 and 50% to Sr Celebration 2026 25% to 1/3 to the Sr Celebration 2027 25%to Sr classes of 2026, Celebration 2028 2027 and 2028 to match past practice. Advisors of last years' event will be notified. MHS Dance Club: Disperse $9.99 to New Student Activity Start-up Funds Page 4 of 6 Approved 11-18-25 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, October 28, 2025 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar MHS World of Difference: Disperse $205.01to New Student Activity Start-up Funds MHS National Honor Society for Dance Arts: Disperse $400 to New Student Activity Start-up Funds MHS Science Olympiad: Disperse $117.49 to New Student Activity Start-up Funds (Total added to Start-up account $732.49) Transfer $400 of start-up funds to The Buzz (no funds available last year) Motion to accept New Student Activity Accounts as follows: 1st 2nd Discuss Y/N Vote Roll Call order or comments MHS Class of 2029 Schoonveld Cavicchi Y 4-0 MHS Class of 2030 MHS Senior Celebration 2029 MHS Senior Celebration 2030 MHS Entrepreneurship QMs Cross Country Team New student activity request forms were submitted for the MHS Entrepreneurship and QMS Cross Country Team accounts. Principal Matt McGuire noted that the cross-country team was created about three years ago to provide new engagement opportunities for students. They are charged a fee for participating. Going forward the group would like to fund raise for items such as t-shirts, awards, and scholarships. Ms. Cavicchi noted that the school needs to look out for the safety of students in following MIAA guidance. For example, there should be a trainer on site similar to a high school team. Principal McGuire will look into this; he did note that students all participate in impact testing. Regarding the Entrepreneurship account, Lynn asked if this should be a sub account of the business account since this is really a class, not a club. Deb Scott noted that we do not typically setup sub accounts and it would be easier to track as a separate account. Motion to approve the 2025-2026 1't 2nd Discuss Vote Roll Call order Student Activity Account List as or comments presented in spreadsheet plus/minus Schoonveld Cavicchi Y 4-0 new and obsolete line items as amended for prior motions and adjustments. Discussion: Ms. Cavicchi noted that the district needs to be careful not to leave any account in the red at the end of the school year. Ms. Scott noted that the district will be audited in January. As a result of these negative balances and any audit findings, we will set aside time for professional development and clarify our internal manuals to ensure we are operating correctly. Ms. Cavicchi also noted that we need to report out on any donations received and encourage advisors to spend down their funds rather than letting them sit from year to year. Page 5 of 6 Approved 11-18-25 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, October 28, 2025 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar daGraca explained that expectations are set higher for each grade so that the bucks are handed out at a different pace for grade 5 students. Principal McGuire noted that there are reward systems in place at QMS. Robinson questions and answers: Mr. Schoonveld asked how many students typically receive nominations for "Pawsitively Kind?" Three — four students per week are nominated. He requested that Robinson have a broad net so that it isn't the same student being awarded all the time. Ms. Ready commended the administration in planning the peer to peer observations for the transition between Roland Green and Robinson students. Ms. Cavicchi asked if administrators were also focusing on staff transitions by ensuring that the move of the preschool to Robinson has been positive? Principal Gentili noted that since the first staff day, we have been working to integrate both Roland Green staff and students while still allowing Roland Green some of their autonomy. Roland Green questions and answers: Mr. Schoonveld praised Robinson and Roland Green staff for the success of the move. Ms. Cavicchi asked how we are measuring perception? Director Kris Delaplain indicated that a survey was just sent out to staff and families. They will administer the survey again in the spring and compare results. As an introduction to the MCAS results, Superintendent McKeon complimented the administrative team for their incredible work in setting priorities as a team. Our staff is taking data and turning into successes for our students. The goal of today's presentation is to publicly highlight our MCAS successes and provide updates on individual subgroups. Assistant Superintendent Bright began the segment by discussing our shifting demographics as our total enrollment has decreased but our high needs categories have increased. We need to work harder at ensuring equitable access and belonging. She reviewed chronic absenteeism, how it impacts student learning and the steps the district is taking to get students to school. Each School Improvement Plan highlights steps to improve the sense of belonging which we feel will be one step toward improved attendance. Ms. Cavicchi noted that attendance rate and chronic absenteeism are two distinct data points. Attendance rate is the % of students out on a given day. Chronic absenteeism reflects attendance of an individual student. As a district, we must identify those students, the number of absences and what subgroups are being hit hardest. With that data our staff can work with students to encourage them back into the classroom. Ms. Ready asked if there is an overlap between an increase in families choosing to take vacations during school time and an increase in absenteeism. To clarify absences, Superintendent McKeon noted that our own internal identification does distinguish between excused and non -excused absences. However, per DESE ALL absences count toward chronic absenteeism calculations. It is an important distinction. We understand that students may marked excused but that missing day still contributes to a loss of learning time. The team then presented ACCESS test scores for our EL population. Our EL student counts per school are listed below. The jump for incoming elementary students is significant. Robinson Jordan/Jackson Qualters Middle Mansfield High School School Number of 60 22 22 19 EL students MCAS-Alt is administered for some of our special education students. Other students on IEPs may take the standard MCAS test but with some accommodations. ELA, Math, Science and Civics MCAS scores were reviewed as a district and then broken down into various high needs student categories. Successes were highlighted and opportunities for growth were identified. Right now, our teachers are learning the new curriculum as a whole. In November and December, the district will focus on small group instruction for students who are struggling by using the scaffolding opportunities in the curriculum. Since grade 10 MCAS is no longer a graduation requirement, districts across the state saw significant declines in test scores. DESE is monitoring this and working towards different approaches to measure competency determination. Page 3 of 6 Approved 11-18-25 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, October 28, 2025 In Person & Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar Motion to approve the QMS ski club field trip to Pat's Peak on January 10`h and February 71^ by Steve Schoonveld / Lynn Cavicchi. Motion carries 4 — 0. Presentation ofproaress toward 2024-25 School Improvement Plans and 2025 MCAS results: Participating tonight were Amy Bright, Michelle McKeon, Jessica Davis, John Nieratko, Russ Booth, Matt McGuire, Denise daGraca, Ryan Gentili and Kris Delaplain. During the first half of the presentation, each principal identified the priorities for last year, provided a progress update, and identified continued focus areas for this year. Questions were asked at the end of each school's report. MHS questions and answers: What marks success for a dual enrolled student? Success will be marked by growth of the program. There are 15 students in this program for the first half of the year. We have received a grant which is being used for targeted groups; however, other students will benefit as will. We anticipate having 90 slots filled for the spring semester. Co -teaching is amazing but time consuming. How are we able to plan for cross training? Principal Russ Booth noted that MHS has some very strong existing teacher pairings who will model behaviors for new teams. Para professionals are also brought into the fold for applicable training. How did you measure success for last year's cultural proficiency? The district reviewed feedback from both the NEASC and MCAS surveys. We can redistribute the surveys at the end of the year and show improvement. How were we reporting out on SIP work done last year? On our first MHS staff day, administration emphasized our school goals. We will use our newsletters to communicate updates on professional development to families. Ms. Bright noted that the belonging theme will be apparent through all of the presentations and you will see a lot about this in the presentations. It wasn't set a as a goal last year but it is important to address as part of each of the predefined goals. QMS questions and answers: Mr. Schoonveld noted that it looks like the Hornet and Hive blocks at each school are helping to build a sense of belonging. He is also appreciative of the effort to make sure all students have a connection. How will QMS measure success with improving chronic absenteeism? QMS is building an environment where students want to be in attendance. Principal McGuire will work with staff to better understand what is preventing each student from wanting to come to school. To what extent does QMS reach out to families regarding students who may not be connecting to other students or staff? Our staff work together to identify concerns and one of many people (teachers, guidance counselors, psychologists and/or administrators) will call home to discuss. In addition, for those students who struggled last year, counselors contacted homes during the first week of school to offer support. Ms. Ready liked the multiyear approach used to implement curriculum and the sharing of curriculum instruction with special education teachers. She appreciated that QMS listened to student voice when adjusting the Hive Block. Use of the connector project should be a good tool in measuring success of connecting all students to at least one staff member. Ms. Cavicchi inquired about measurement tools. Principal McGuire intends to use the MCAS survey as well as a new survey on how students feel about connecting with staff. He will also set goals and note improvement in student voice input. Ms. Walsh emphasized how important it is for students to have connections with adults in the building and applauds the effort by staff. Jordan/Jackson questions and answers: Mr. Schoonveld asked if Principal daGraca could expand on the idea of "Buzz Bucks." Can classrooms still do their own incentive programs? Yes, the staff at Jordan/Jackson ensures that all students have opportunities to win "Buzz Bucks." The individual awards are rolled up to classroom awards and with a school -wide goal of a defined number of bucks. Teachers can also utilize their own reward system; we are not taking away that classroom flexibility. Ms. Ready loves that the individual student success can be rolled up into a school success. She asked for clarification on access for all students? Principal daGraca and the entire staff are working together to track rewards. There are progress meters in the offices to show how well the students are doing. Ms. Cavicchi asked how the staff will measure success. Principal daGraca noted that they have begun surveys and will continue to do so throughout the year to measure Social Emotional Learning. In addition, J/J has committed to detailed discipline tracking and will note any change from the beginning to the end of the year. Will J/J taper the amount of buzz bucks distributed for grade 5 students so they do not go to QMS expecting these rewards? Principal Page 2 of 6 Approved 11-18.25 Mansfield School Committee Meeting Minutes for Tuesday, October 28, 2025 In Person& Virtual Meeting using GoToWebinar RECEIVED TUlh iNI CI_ERF\S OFFICE An Open Meeting of the Mansfield School Committee was held on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 in room 3AB of the Town Hall. The open meeting session was called to order by Chair Jenn Walsh at 6i9Tip,'qv 20 A 11: 41 Members Present: Administration Present: j°j FL11 Jenn Walsh, Chair Michelle McKeon, Superintendent Lip,�!;;j,_,(;4=1,1`.icTTS Lynn Cavicchi Amy Bright, Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning Diane Ready Jessica Davis, Assistant Superintendent Student Services Steve Schoonveld Matthew Violette, Director of Finance and Operations Members Absent: Jenifer Sellon, Vice Chair Public Speak: None Administrative Reports: Superintendent Michelle McKeon updated the committee on news from our Performing Arts Department. The High School Tri-M Honor Society hosted Haunted Hallways and a QMS/MHS concert which was open to all Mansfield families. The QMS Tri-M Honor Society hosted the annual Fail Flannel Event for our QMS students. Our marching band, for the first time, hosted a Marching Band competition on our own Alumni field. Our band came in first in their division with a team best score for this year. Earlier today the Unified Chorus hosted a concert for MHS students and staff. Later in the meeting, our administrators will present updates on our progress towards last years School Improvement Plan. Since July we have working together as a team to build consistencies across schools all working towards belonging for all. Assistant Superintendent Amy Bright gave insight on the professional development that took place on October 15". The first ELPAC meeting will occur on 11-17-25 followed by our annual Multi-lingual family night. Our elementary schools continue their work on the Wonders Curriculum funded by the PRISM grant. Assistant Superintendent Jessica Davis noted that the first SEPAC event for the year was held at Ward's Berry Farm. Upcoming events are unified basketball and a Best Buddies bowling event. At the SEPAC meeting, Jessica reviewed procedural safeguards and reviewed how to navigate through our website. Director Matt Violette provided an update on budget planning. The fist round of meetings is complete and were very productive. The principals walked through budget line items line by line. All final budgets are due to Matt by Friday. He has started to work on the draft presentation. New Business: Consideration of QMS field trip to NH (ski club): Principal Matt McGuire reviewed the specifics of the trip and the committee asked a series of questions. Does any one of the chaperones travel separately by car in case a student is injured? Yes, typically at least one chaperone drives. How will QMS replenish the negative balance in the student activity account and how will it prevent that from happening in the future? We will replenish the account using funds received this year and then prior to the end of the year, will use the principal's account to make up any difference to bring the account above zero. After the winter audit, the business department will update the student activity account manual and training to ensure this does not happen again. Will scholarships be available given the negative balance? Yes, we can use the principal's account for scholarship. Can students skip the bus and go up on their own? This is highly discouraged so that we can accurately account for all students. Do the chaperone's hold check -ins during the day? Yes, throughout the day there are times that the students must check in with their assigned chaperone. Do nurses attend the trip? They have not in the past. However, each year our school nurses review the list of participating students and discussions held on required medical care. It was noted that students are all impact tested as well. Page 1 of 6