Alignment across the Old Rochester Regional School District, it was agreed by the Mattapoisett School Committee, is essential to strengthening learning at the most local level.

            The committee met on December 7 to review and vote to approve the 2023-24 School Improvement Plan, which was presented by local elementary school principals Dr. Linda Ashley and Kevin Tavares within the context of the Old Rochester Regional School District’s Vision 2028 strategic plan.

            Local schools will have a one-year improvement plan, then go back to two-year models, to be in synch with ORR’s five-year plan.

            Mission, Vision and Core Values are the same across the district, especially in terms of literacy and curriculum.

            Ashley, the principal at Center School, discussed the draft plan, meeting with other district principals, and arriving at action steps that include implementation of the district-wide, core literacy program, Into Reading and the Science of Reading, in collaboration with The Hill for Literacy and the effort to provide teachers with Into Reading resources and professional development.

            “The big, overarching district goal,” Ashley stated, is to establish common assessment practices across grade levels with horizontal and vertical alignment. A common assessment plan and schedule will be established across the district.

            “We are literally tying all the building-level work to our strategic plan,” said ORR Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson, who reminded the committee that while the district-wide Vision 2028 included five initiatives under each facet of the strategic plan, not every initiative would be tackled in Year 1. “So what you’re seeing is that the initiatives in each objective that are scheduled to start in Year 1 of the Strategic Plan, now are having goals presented at the building level in terms of what Year 1 work needs to be done in each of the schools either individually or collectively.”

            Ashley said that the District Instructional Council members and select staff from Center and Old Hammondtown schools will review and update the curriculum content.

            The overarching goal in the second part of the School Improvement Plan is related to Teaching and Learning and begins by defining and revising the process of professional development so as to support equitable teaching and learning with consistent and dedicated time.

            Tavares, principal at Old Hammondtown School, introduced Strategic Initiative Number 3 related to the strengthening of support systems.

            Action steps include weekly meetings of “response to intervention” (RTI) teams, ensuring that students needing those steps are addressed. FLEX intervention blocks in the weekly schedule will be used for this work.

            “I think it’s been a goal of the superintendent, where we feed into the junior high, to have all three towns, so you’ll see the words ‘district-wide systems’ throughout this (presentation),” said Tavares.

            Climate and culture are at the core of Strategic Initiative Number 4. Principals, teachers and adjustment counselors will collaborate to promote strong social as well as academic skills.

            The “responsive classroom” is based on meetings to establish classroom rules, behavioral supports and restorative practices to apply social-emotional learning. The outcome hoped for is discipline.

            Communication with families and engaging students in leadership roles, including Project 351.

Safe schooling is a goal, including cybersecurity training, ALICE (alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate) training and fire drills.

            Inventory and meetings with Facilities Director Gene Jones and Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Howie Barber will be part of the teachers’ follow-up on classroom needs.

            The committee voted 4-0 to approve the School Improvement Plan.

            In her Chairperson’s Report, Carly Lavin reported having received information for a potential policy from a member of the community and has referred that information to the district police-review process. Member Cristin Cowles will report back to the committee.

            “For me there is no doubt the focus this year has been on our new literacy curriculum,” said Lavin, calling it “something the committee is really proud of.” She said she is thankful for the hard work by everyone involved. Lavin also noted that the impact has extended beyond the classrooms into family life, as many students are learning literacy in a new way.

            “Change, while challenging, is the catalyst that propels us toward new heights, and we’ve really just started to imagine what that could be for our students and our children,” said Lavin.

            With that, Lavin recognized the many people who are working toward helping the schools go through the change.

            Given the floor, Nelson spoke on behalf of administration and talked about some recent extracurricular activities, including the Unified Basketball Team’s fundraising game against tri-town Police and Fire personnel.

            He noted the impending retirement of Tavares and indicated that the search process will soon commence.

            In the absence of Barber, Nelson reported that the Mattapoisett School District operating budget has an unencumbered $747,911 at its disposal. Obligations to Bristol County Agricultural School will not affect those funds, according to Barber, said Nelson.

            The Facilities Report included quotes to paint the Center School clock tower. Breakfast and lunch counts continue to be strong at both Center and Old Hammondtown schools, and the Thanksgiving banquet that had not been held since prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was a major success.

            At the recommendation of the administration, the committee voted to approve the admittance of the Brockton Public Schools and Whitman-Hanson Regional School districts as new READS Collaborative member districts effective July 1, 2024.

            Sarah Leahy has been brought aboard as the music/chorus teacher and Luis Rivera as a cook.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, January 11, 2024, at 6:30 pm, and the next meeting of the Joint School Committee is scheduled for Thursday, January 18, 2024, at 6:30 pm.

Mattapoisett School Committee

By Mick Colageo

            Coming before the Mattapoisett Planning Board during their December 18 public meeting was Tree Committee Chairman Sandy Hering. Fresh from the well-attended Tree Committee meeting, Hering brought the Planning Board up to date on what had transpired and possible involvement, or lack thereof, for the Planning Board.

            Hering explained that the Tree Committee meeting covered many aspects and areas of concern with respect to the proposed village street project. She said she learned from Town Administrator Mike Lorenco that because the village street project is a municipal project, trees felled out of necessity for that construction do not need to be vetted in a public hearing by the Planning Board.

            Historically, the protocol had been that trees within the town’s easement and requiring removal must first undergo a review via a public hearing. Surprised to hear that they would not be subject to a public hearing, Planning Board Chairman Tom Tucker asked, “When did they start doing this?”

            Board member William Wennerberg, who is also a Tree Committee member, reported that Lorenco explained that Planning Board involvement in the removal of trees that is part of a municipal project is not necessary. Hering had broached the idea of having each tree currently slated for removal vetted in the public-hearing format by the Planning Board.

            Board member John Mathieu read from the Mass.gov website: “After a road has been designated as a scenic road, any repair, maintenance, reconstruction, or paving work done with respect thereto shall not involve or include the cutting or removal of trees or the tearing down or destruction of stone walls or portions thereof, except with the prior written consent of the planning board…” The statute goes on to read that if there isn’t a planning board, responsibility falls to the select board. Tucker said he would speak with Lorenco to clear up this matter.

            Hering also said that Lorenco had agreed to flag all 26 trees presently slated for removal to give residents a visual representation of what will be gone. She said that residents are now becoming aware of this project and have questions that need to be answered.

            In other business, the board approved the removal of trees located at 12 Barstow Street, 12 North Street and 4 Marion Road.

            Wennerberg asked if the board would entertain looking at tree removal policy and local bylaw for the possible inclusion of new language that would beef up new tree plantings. He said that currently, if a tree is removed in the town’s easement, the homeowner of the property can refuse to have a new tree planted. Hering concurred that oftentimes property owners, “…don’t want new trees.” Wennerberg said the absence of such language means that the town is taking down trees but not replacing them. Member Nathan Ketchel thought for every one tree removed, two should be planted. The board members agreed to study the matter.

            The board also approved the Form B Preliminary Subdivision Plan for property located on Ocean Drive and owned by David Duchaine.

            The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for Monday, January 8, at 7:00 pm.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell