Dear Medfield Families,
We are excited to welcome our students back for the 2022-2023 school year! The teachers, staff, and administrators have been busy all summer in preparation for the start of school. Our schools are clean, bright, and ready to go! We want to extend a special welcome to the 67 students (56 families) in PreK-12 that are new to the Medfield Public Schools and this wonderful community.
Over the past two months, we have completed many facility upgrades including the following:
- Memorial School- Upgraded fire alarm panel and replaced hallway tile
- Ralph Wheelock School- Replaced hallway tile, replaced hot water heaters with heat pumps, added a grant-funded vehicle charging station
- Dale St. School- Repaired and painted white columns, replaced locks on classroom doors, added a drop ceiling in three classrooms, replaced hallway tiles, painted exterior doors, replaced carpet, walls, ceiling, and roof in a damaged room (the modular can now be removed), and scheduled playground repairs for the coming weeks
- Thomas Blake School- Replaced carpet in the library and the main office, tiled the Makerspace area, replaced the boiler, added a grant-funded vehicle charging station, and scheduled roof repairs for early fall
- Medfield High School-Replaced HVAC unit over the library replaced the carpet in the guidance area, replaced lighting in the gymnasium, and scheduled roof repair in the gymnasium for early fall
The summer is also an important time for research and development for our teaching staff. This summer 55 projects took place involving 218 teachers. Some highlights include AP Institute Training, Elementary Health Education, Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices, and 4-8 Curriculum/Instructional Alignment. This time for professional development is critical for the district as we focus on continuous improvement and innovation. Teachers share the projects with their colleagues and most get implemented during the school year.
We also look forward to beginning our process for a new strategic plan. Medfield 2021 has been our guiding document for the past 6 years and understandably the pandemic altered the timing to begin the process for a new plan. Watch for the first survey distribution in mid to late October and focus groups to begin later in the year. Surveys and focus groups are a great way for you to help set our direction for the next five years. Please watch your email for opportunities to participate in this important process.
Lastly, the COVID-19 protocols/practices we had in place in June will again be in place as we begin the new school year. Masks will be optional with the exception of the state requirement for masks to be worn in the nurse's room. We will no longer have our weekly surveillance testing program or home test distribution program. We will continue to make ventilation a priority in all schools by using our HVAC to circulate fresh air and utilizing our hospital-grade air purifiers. The most recent COVID-19 guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education can be found here.
We are thrilled to begin the 2022-2023 school year and can't wait to see your children tomorrow morning and then our Pre-K and Kindergarten students next week. The energy over the past two days of meetings has been palpable and we are ready for an amazing year!
As always, please contact your child's teacher, principal, or me if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Jeff Marsden