Superintendent's Friday Message

Dear MPS Community,

Next week is April Vacation week, and there will be no school for students or staff April 20-24. School offices across MPS will be open on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, while district offices will be open Tuesday through Thursday. We look forward to welcoming back a refreshed MPS community on Monday, April 27.

Before we pause for break, our students throughout Medford have been shining in their school and local communities. This past Wednesday, a group of Medford High School students showcased their entries in The Immigrant Learning Center Art & Essay Contest! Medford, Malden & Everett High School students gathered to celebrate the work of all their peers. Thank you to our caregivers, high school staff members, district administrators, and Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn for supporting our students at the event.

Additionally, special congratulations to our five MHS students who earned recognition for their entries! We can't wait to display all our student entries throughout our schools.

Sincerely,

Dr. Galusi

Thank you to all those who attended our Community Forum #3 for the MHS Project this past Wednesday. During this webinar, the project team spoke about the current phase of the project, the Preferred Schematic Report (PSR) phase, talked through the six design options selected by the School Building Committee for PSR, and answered questions from the community. Visit Here for the full presentation and recording from Wednesday's Meeting.

Upon returning from April Vacation, the School Building Committee will be have a hybrid meeting on Monday, April 27 beginning at 6:30 p.m. at the MHS Library & on Zoom. Committee members will be revising the space summary that was submitted to the MSBA in late February, a process in line with the project timeline.

To learn more about the project and see upcoming events, please visit https://medfordhsproject.com/. Additionally, community members can stay informed on the project by signing up for the project mailing list.

Congratulations to Medford High School Seniors Margaret Karrol, Samuel Keith, and Jayden Vil for earning the first place prize in last week's annual Medford Science and Engineering Exposition!

The Seniors earned top honors for their project Describing Tone Is Harder Than it Sounds, which measured how to mathematically model tone from a violin and how varying bow techniques affect tone. Sophomore Griffin Lynch-Wood received 2nd place for his Sand to Spark project, and Freshmen Lucy McSheffery placed third for her project Ultraviolet Light and Color: How Light Can Change Watercolor Over Time. Sixteen projects also were awarded Honorable Mention Status.

Thank you to Mabbett & Associates for their generosity in awarded cash prizes to our students and to Tufts University students & faculty for judging the competition. Visit Here for more photos from the fair and students being honored at Monday's Meeting of the Medford School Committee.

Registration for Medford Summer Fun is now open! Available to students in Grades 1-8, Summer Fun offers students the opportunity to enjoy their summer participating in a number of fun activities such as sports, games, arts & crafts, Swimming, and much more. Weekly sessions begin Monday, June 29 and will be held at the Missituk Elementary School throughout the summer.

Visit Here to register online through the Arbiter platform. If you have any questions, please contact Camp Director Anthony Petrelis.

It wasn't just our high school students applying their learning in their community this week, but our middle schoolers as well! Last Saturday, 11 students from both the Andrews & McGlynn Middle Schools attended the annual Middle School Ethics Bowl at Harvard University. They were joined by over 80 other students from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York, working together to compete against one another. The day served as a terrific learning opportunity for students; visit this link for a full event recap.

As a reminder, On Saturday, May 2 from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at the Hormel Stadium parking lot, our Middle School PTO's will be hosting an electronics & textile recycling fundraiser. Community members are invited to bring old electronics and textiles they wish to recycle, along with a specific donation amount for each recycled item. Visit Here to see the acceptable items and the donation requests.

Lastly, Middle School assignments for current grade 5 students for the 26/27 have been finalized. Click Here to visit our website with the results. Grade 6 Orientation at the Andrews Middle School will be held on Wednesday, May 6, from 6-8 p.m., while the McGlynn Middle School will host theirs on Thursday, May 7 from 6-8 p.m. If you have any questions regarding the Middle School Assignment Process, please contact mslottery@medford.k12.ma.us.

The sense of Belonging was evident across our elementary schools this past week thanks to a variety of school celebrations of culture, artwork, and student success.

This past Tuesday, the McGlynn Elementary hosted their school's Festival of the Arts, where students displayed their artistic and musical talent. McGlynn Art Teacher Ms. Kobialka was kind enough to arrange photos from the event, which can be viewed here.

Meanwhile, last night saw two more schools bring their school communities together. Brooks Elementary hosted Specialist Night (featuring more terrific student work), and a Celebration of Cultures took place at Missituk Elementary last night. Thank you to all those who attended and supported these school events!

Yesterday marked an exciting milestone as a group of our high school students embarked on our very first exchange trip to Italy! Students will reunite with peers who visited us earlier in the school year, deepening those connections while experiencing new perspectives and cultures.

While abroad, students will be fully immersed in daily life with their host families and partner school, exploring some of Italy’s most historic and vibrant cities. Highlights of the itinerary include time in Venice and excursions to cities such as Verona and Bologna for guided tours and local experiences. We can't wait to hear about their incredible trip!

World Language students also impacted their local community recently at the La Giornata dell’Italiano! Thirty students and staff attend this dynamic event in Cambridge that brings together students from different schools and proficiency levels through games, collaborative activities, and hands-on cultural workshops ... all in Italian!

Finally, the Medford Model United Nations Club proudly represented our district this past weekend at the 22nd annual Dartmouth Model United Conference hosted in Hanover, New Hampshire. Eleven MHS Mustangs joined over 400 students from around the world to collaboratively work on joint proposals, write position papers, and share out their findings. Congratulations to Andrew Huang, Owen Barzk-Kroll, Alachie Yeager, Ryan Godley and Sophie Hook for earning recognition for their work throughout the weekend!

On behalf of Medford Caregiver University, we invite you to join us for an important session from nationally recognized expert Lynn Lyons for an upcoming presentation on increasing challenges facing youth today and provide practical, actionable strategies for parents and caregivers.

Additionally, caregivers will also learn about common traps adults fall into and how small but meaningful shifts can make a big difference in supporting both children and families. The presentation will be held Tuesday, April 28, from 7:00–8:00 p.m. at the McGlynn School. This event is open to caregivers of children of all ages. The first 100 attendees will receive a free tote bag!

Featured Opening: Facilities Director

Medford Public Schools is seeking a qualified candidate to join the district as our Facilities Director. The qualified candidate will provide management of all custodial, maintenance, and facility operations within annual budget appropriations to support the needs and goal of the school district. Visit Here to Apply.

Visit Here to browse all available and upcoming jobs across the district.

• Assistant Superintendent of Special Education & Student Services - Districtwide
• Kindergarten Teacher - Brooks Elementary
• Grade 4 Teacher - Roberts Elementary
• Project Manager - Districtwide

MPS Athletics Upcoming Schedule & News

• April 18: Arabic Heritage Festival, 4-7 p.m. at Medford Senior Center

• April 20 - 24: No School, April Vacation

• April 20 - Medford Patriots' Day Celebration, 10:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. throughout Medford

• April 22: CTE Construction & Craft Laborer for PreK-8 Families, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at MHS

• April 27: MHS Building Project Committee Meeting, 6:30 p.m. at MHS Library

• April 28: Lynn Lyons Presentation on Student Worry, Anxiety, & Depression, 7 p.m. at McGlynn Auditorium

• April 30: Medford/Malden Transition Fair, 5:30 p.m. at Malden HS

• May 2: Middle School PTO Electronics Fundraiser, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. at McGlynn

• May 2: Medford Citywide Cleanup, 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

• May 6: Andrews Middle School Grade 6 Orientation, 6-8 p.m. at Andrews Middle School

• May 7: McGlynn Middle School Grade 6 Orientation, 6-8 p.m. at McGlynn Middle School

• May 9: disAbility Fair, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at McGlynn School