New Fencing, Community Messages Make Sippican a Happy Place

            Sippican Elementary School Principal Marla Sirois saw such a positive reaction to the community-authored “Welcome back” messages on themed bulletin boards that she doesn’t want it to be a one-time thing.

            “They were so well received, we’re probably going to make it an annual event, with groups and families coming in,” said Sirois in her Principal’s Report to the Marion School Committee during the latter’s October 14 hybrid meeting that partially took place in the media room at Old Rochester Regional Junior High School and on Zoom.

            Getting children back into school, even on a limited basis, has been an emotional boost to all concerned, and Sirois said the return to Sippican was made better in part by a better fence surrounding school property.

            Sirois publicly thanked the Town of Marion and Old Rochester Regional Central Administration for replacing and expanding the fence that surrounds Sippican. “The cleanup by the DPW has just been phenomenal,” said Sirois.

            Students on hybrid-out days have seen fire-protection videos and received activity bags. Their full-remote days will include virtual field trips and enrichment opportunities.

            The principal also summarized revisions to the Student Handbook.

            “You’re simply looking at additions because I didn’t take anything out,” said Sirois, who wanted to achieve consistency with Rochester’s policies as a member of the tri-towns in the same school district.

            Additions included asynchronous and synchronous learning on Pages 9-10, social distancing and the lunch program (not using the cafeteria at Sippican) on Pages 13-14, and the wearing of facemasks (this was written before ORR had established a policy) on Page 16. Also included are marking period dates, health, and safety (COVID-19 guidance for symptoms such as fever, cough, loss of taste and smell, etc.), busing with social distance for 2020-21, and parent drop-off/pickup for 2020-21.

            “We absolutely will meet every family where they are,” said Sirois.

            Excessive traffic at the intersection of Main Street and Park Street was discussed, as administration continues to analyze the twice-a-day jam in an effort to improve flow.

            Howie Barber, ORR’s assistant superintendent of Finance and Operations, gave an overview of the financial picture to the school committee during the meeting.

            Effective with the September 30 closing of the FY21 budget, Barber reported that ORR currently has just under $1,500,000 in “unencumbered” funds in the overall $6,200,000 budget. That does not account for some transportation and insurance obligations that have not been fully encumbered, a process that Barber said usually takes until the middle of October. Then they are paid off throughout the fiscal year.

            Barber is still waiting on the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) for completion of the official approval process for some grants, which would allow ORR to restore appropriated funds to its general fund and get its balance back in the black.

            At Sippican so far, food pickups on Mondays are not reaching the mid-teens, and Barber said the funds generated from those are meant to offset the costs. A food-service debt of $170,000 incurred over the final three months of the 2019-20 academic year was submitted for CARES Act reimbursement.

            Committee Chairperson Michelle Smith told the meeting that she has been asked by some parents about an expansion of meal pickup hours beyond noon to 1:00 pm. Barber said that a second pickup time would result in a greater operating deficit. Sirois said families looking to pick up for one another are encouraged to do so.

            Two pending staff positions remain open that Sippican School is looking to fill.

            Janell Pearson-Campbell, ORR’s assistant superintendent of Teaching and Learning, summarized the latest in the weekly progression of faculty support with professional development including remote, social-emotional learning, and a session on equity featuring a guest speaker.

            Pearson-Campbell is also working on a Google site for parents where they can become comfortable learning how to access the platforms of the future especially as it will apply to their children’s public education.

            Craig Davidson, director of Student Services, reported that ORR’s paraprofessionals district-wide took part in a master-level training E-learning platform and said it is something ORR will continue on professional development days, the next of which is scheduled for November 3.

            Davidson and Pearson-Campbell joined the Assistant Superintendent Leadership Seminars with approximately 20 district leaders in Massachusetts.

            A school committee stipend was discussed.

            The year 2020 has been a year like no other for school committees, and the volunteerism it takes to run a school system, to act as a collective organizer, contract negotiator, crisis manager, event planner, policymaker, problem solver has made for a life-consuming challenge amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Some members spend up to 20 hours per week just attending various subcommittee meetings, and 2020 began with the superintendent search.

            The meeting began with Executive Session to discuss collective bargaining.

            The Sippican School Council met with parents on October 19, its first such meeting of the academic calendar.

            The next meeting of the Marion School Committee was not set at the meeting.

Marion School Committee

By Mick Colageo

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