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Winning the Division 2A Championship is a significant achievement for the Boy's Cross-Country team, and securing third place is a commendable accomplishment for the Girl's Cross-Country team. It's clear that these athletes have put in a tremendous amount of effort and dedication to excel in their sport. Their success not only brings pride to Walpole High School but also highlights the hard work and commitment of each team member. Congratulations to both the Boy's and Girls Cross-Country teams on their impressive achievements!

Favor N., Walpole High School representative to the School Committee provided the following report:

• Students have successfully completed Term 1.
• Student Council is hosting a Spirit week next week with the annual Pep Rally to be held on the half day. The Powder Puff for Junior and Senior girls will also happen on that same day.
• Fall sports are winding down for the season with many teams having had an enjoyable and successful season. Boys and girls varsity soccer and the volleyball team worked hard to make it to the playoffs. The football and field hockey teams advanced to the final four. We will now be looking forward to the start of the winter sports season.
• Clubs continue to run smoothly as more events are taking place. The Speech and Debate Team competed in Natick last weekend and many team members performed well in final rounds. The music honors society, Tri-M, is making preparations for the winter Coffee House on Friday, December 15. The Unicef Club is in the middle of their World Children's Day fundraiser, and they have been selling blue ribbons during lunch times. Today, the Spanish, French, and PM Clubs met to discuss a trip to Snowport on Friday December 8.
• Overall, the school year is moving smoothly, and it’s been an eventful year thus far!

1. Out-of-State Field Trip Request - The School Committee unanimously voted to approve a self-funded field trip for Bird Middle School and Johnson Middle School Grade 8 French classes to Quebec City, Canada from February 8, 2024 through February 10, 2024.

2. MCAS Presentation - Assistant Superintendent Dr. Bill Hahn presented 2023 MCAS results. Dr. Hahn's presentation can be accessed here.

3. FY ’25 Budget Timeline: The FY '25 Budget Timetable was presented to the School Committee. The FY '25 Public Budget Hearing is scheduled for January 18, 2024.

• It was exciting to watch some of the MIAA Playoffs. Our football team is set to play against Milford at Bridgewater Raynham this Friday (6:00 pm). Field Hockey beat Franklin to advance to the Championship game on Saturday vs. Andover (9:30 am at WPI), and the Cross Country All-State Championship is this Saturday (2 pm) at Ft. Devens. Dr. Gough is looking forward to supporting our teams and athletes.
• Walpole High School musical, "Annie," is scheduled for this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We encourage you to attend and support our talented students. Since Dr. Gough will be attending the WHS tournament games Friday and Saturday, she plans to watch the musical Sunday along with Dr. Hahn.
• Along with Dr. Gough, School Committee members Nancy Gallivan and Kristen Syrek had the opportunity to attend the MASC/MASS conference. This is one of the largest annual gathering of education leaders in Massachusetts. The conference consisted of multiple workshop opportunities and an in-depth discussion of the critical education issues of today. It also afforded them the opportunity to collaborate and network with other Superintendents and School Committee members across the state. Our very own Krysten Syrek presented at this conference, focusing on early literacy, and represented our district admirably.
• Regarding scholarships, all School Committee members should have received an email from Mary Mortali regarding Fales, Leach, Rogers, and Kunde Scholarship applications. A meeting is scheduled for December 5th at 6:00 p.m. to discuss these applications.
• With winter approaching, Dr. Gough reminded everyone about our snow day procedures. The Superintendent of Schools is responsible for the final decision to cancel school based on weather-related factors and information received from the Department of Public Works. In the event of a cancellation or delayed opening, we will communicate through various channels, such as recorded phone messages, local news channels, social media (Walpole Public Schools app), and the WPS website. Please note that DESE will not allow district-wide remote learning days to replace snow days, and therefore any snow days will be made up in June.
• Finally, Thanksgiving break is next week. There is an early release on November 22nd and no school on November 23rd and 24th We hope everyone has a well deserved break to relax and spend time with family.

Middle School Building Project: Mr. Breen provided an update to the Middle School project. He indicated the project is still on-time and on-budget. A project timeline and three-week look ahead schedule can be located on the middle school webpage. The community is encouraged to visit the webpage and reach out to the Middle School Project team with any questions or comments via email at middleschoolproject@walpole.k12.ma.us. As part of the transition process, in addition to some combined BMS/JMS staff meetings, a joint PAC meeting was held this week. An internal staff transition working group is currently focusing on student transition, staff transition, core values, and communication. These groups will also be gathering feedback from stakeholders, such as families and students.

High School Project: Mrs. Syrek indicated the high school design is continuing to be developed. She reminded the community that the design development was previously approved and budgeted through Capital funding. She expects estimates for the project in February. The next step is to prioritize the design concepts. Mrs. Syrek also indicated a project webpage should be up and running soon to provide information to the public and answer FAQs.