MARSHFIELD MATTERS

Greetings Marshfield Staff, Students, and Families,

Here is hoping your Thanksgiving is filled with warmth and happiness. The staff and administrators of Marshfield Public Schools recognize the importance of family time and understand that the Holidays can be a stressful time. As a result, we have determined that the entire Thanksgiving Break will be Homework Free. Thank you to the staff for this kind gesture. I am thankful to work in such an amazing school community. We wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

Patrick Sullivan, Ed.D.

Superintendent

Marshfield Public Schools

Dismissal schedule for Wednesday, November 26, 2025 will be as follows:

11:00 a.m. Marshfield High School

11:15 a.m. Furnace Brook Middle School

12:05 p.m. Daniel Webster, Eames Way, Governor Winslow, Martinson & South River Elementary Schools

Breakfast and Lunch WILL NOT be served.

For the past 2 months, the Marshfield High School Theatrical Society has been working hard on creating sets, costumes, and props for this murder mystery. The lighting and sound designers have been hard at work to support the talented young actors and actresses who will take the stage.

From being a board game, to a movie, to a Play this stage adaptation of clue focuses on one mysterious night at Boddy Manner. THUNDER, LIGHTNING, BUM BUM BUM. When past relationships are revealed, the lights go out, and dead bodies keep falling, Wadsworth must find a way to keep this mansion tidy. Who did it, where, and with what?

Come to Marshfield High School’s Auditorium, located at 167 Forest St. Marshfield, MA to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the movie. There will be performances on November 14th, 15th, and 21st at 7 pm & May 22nd at 1 pm and 7 pm. Tickets are sold at the door for $12 and $10 for students and senior citizens.

Thank you to the MEF, Steve Dion, the Boston Bruins, Blue Cross / Blue Shield, National Grid, the Marshfield Fire Department, the DWS Community and Staff, and to everyone who made this week's visit to DWS by the Boston Bruins a tremendous success. As part of their visit, BFIT and the organizations mentioned above have provided DWS with a $10,000 Grant for health and wellness. The visit included appearnces by former Boston Bruins players Bob Sweeney and Andrew Roycroft.

The design, creativity, generosity and the muscle of this community has us all in awe!!!
You will not believe the trees, gifts and raffles donated by local families, club, schools, town departments and local businesses!!!
*Friday & Saturday 11/21 & 11/22 from 5-9pm
*Seth Ventress School Administration Building
*76 South River St, Marshfield
(Next to Marshfield Fire Dept, headquarters)
This event is free, raffle tickets are available for purchase. All proceeds benefit local students and families in need. Talk about a win/win for Marshfield. You could go home decorated and check off a lot of gifts on your list!
Santa will make an appearance each night 6-8pm.
The Marshfield Music Outreach Club will have an appearance each night at 6:00 and at 7:30 p.m. I’m ready for Christmas and you can be too!
Marshfield Merry All the Way

At last night's school committee meeting, captains from fall sports presented the Athletic Leadership Council Captains' Class that they participated in over 6 weeks during the fall season. Each captain discussed one of the 6 leadership competencies covered, how it resonated with them during the season and how they would continue to employ the skills in the future. They did an amazing job!

Captains pictured with School Committee members and course advisors Christy Pitts and Abby Rinard.

EMPower is a teacher-led mentorship program at Furnace Brook Middle School that supports English Language Learners by fostering meaningful relationships, integrating language development into mentorship activities, promoting social-emotional well-being, and enhancing cultural awareness to help students successfully navigate their new academic and social environments. This week they took a field trip to the Plimoth Patuxet Museum and the Mayflower II!

Thank you for your nominations! The selection committee looks forward to reviewing them and announcing the district’s 2025 Wall of Honor induction class in December!

Questions can be directed to WallofHonor@mpsd.org.

Frosty submitted by Madeleine L. in Ms. Susan's PK class at GEEC!

Scoop Dog submitted by Ava L. in Mrs. Hines 3rd grade class at DWS!

Blizzard of Oz submitted by Mason P. in Mrs. Zayac's 4th grade class at EWS!

The Blizzard Buster submitted Milo C. in Mrs. DuRoss' 5th grade class at GWS!

Snow Bunny submitted by Mrs. Debyah's 1st grade Bunny Friends!

Snow-be Wan Kanobie submitted by Teddy S. in Mrs. Brady's 1st grade class at SRS!

Marshfield’s Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is looking for volunteers!

Marshfield’s SEPAC is an organization of parents, working in partnership with teachers and administrators, to promote innovative educational environments where children with disabilities have equal access to educational opportunities and all children are encouraged to reach their full potential. SEPAC sets up various meetings and presentations throughout the year to support caregivers.

All SEPAC leadership positions are currently open. Parent/ guardian volunteers are needed to maintain a supportive network for parents of children with special needs. Click here to learn more about SEPAC Board nominations.

Anyone interested in serving in a leadership role is asked to complete this online NOMINATION BALLOT by Friday, November 21, 2025. The names of all nominees will be announced and a vote will take place prior to the parent presentation on December 11, 2025.

If you have questions or would like to learn more about SEPAC and the commitment required for specific leadership positions please contact Amy Scolaro, Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, at 781-834-5000 x40114.

Donate here!

As we move into the third year of our five-year collaboratively developed Strategic Plan, we remain focused on our Mission, Core Values, and Vision, and on realizing the strategic initiatives that will help us reach our goals. As a reminder, our four pillars that will serve us for remainder of the strategic plan are:

“Equity, Belonging, and Wellness”

“Teaching, Learning, and Leading”

“Community, Engagement, and Communication”

AND

“Management and Operations”

This week, we once again met as a district-wide belonging team to discuss Student Experience in Marshfield Schools. We also received updates from our English Language Learners Parent Advisory Council (ELPAC), our Breaking Boundaries Club, our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Steering Team, and our Building Based Belonging Committees.

School Belonging has been defined and cited in the work of Melbourne Educator and former School Psychologist Kelly-Anne Allen as, “the extent to which students feel personally accepted, respected, included, and supported by others in the school social environment.”

As part of our strategic initiative around Belonging, we established a District-wide Belonging Team that included educators, counselors, leaders from the building and district level, parents and student caretakers, and students. This group met several times last year to discuss Belonging within our District. We will extend this work more prominently into the individual buildings this year.

Belonging in schools is highly predictive of positive educational and personal outcomes, including academic success, attendance, high school graduation rates, and college enrollment. It is also predictive of students' motivation, social well-being, classroom behavior, academic self-efficacy, happiness, psychological functioning, self-esteem, and identity development. The long-term impact of school connectedness is profound: students who feel connected to their school show lower levels of drug abuse, mental health issues, and violent behavior or victimization in adulthood. (Allen et al., 2018)

• Continue to deepen the role and work of the District-Wide Belonging Team
• Establish and deepen the work of the Building-Based Belonging Teams and establish the connection to the District-Wide Team
• Continue to incorporate student voice into our Belonging Work
• Conduct Equity / SEL Audits throughout the District, including looking at factors and predictors of belonging from YRBS, VOCAL Data, and other sources
• Choose a platform for our SEL approach District-Wide
• Expand the Culturally Responsive Practices throughout the district
• Expand the Mosaic Event
• Create a Long-Term Plan for our Belonging efforts

This week I continued my meetings with the Class of 2026! These small group meetings allow me to gain insight into the students individually while also allowing me to gather information regarding ways we can make the experience at Marshfield Public Schools even better. Thank you to these amazing seniors for meeting with me this week (see pictures below). I am so impressed by our tremendous students.

This week, we had our second meeting of the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council (SSAC). Student voice in everything we do at Marshfield Public Schools is important and valued. To further student voice throughout the district, I am happy to announce the continuation of the SSAC this year. This is the second year for this important group of student leaders. The SSAC meets with ​the Superintendent monthly, and Assistant Superintendents and other leaders (when they are available) to advise, to provide feedback, and to present viable solutions on District initiatives and programs.

Sample topics the SSAC will discuss:

• Approaches to increase student voice

• Approaches to promote cultural competency, inclusion, and diversity

• Approaches to help students cope with stress and pressure

• Approaches to promote student wellness

• Approaches to increase social opportunities for students

• Approaches to increase academic opportunities for students

• Approaches to improve transitions between schools Approaches to improve school culture

• Other...

SSAC Membership – Members selected by MPSD Principals

• Eight Students from Marshfield High School (two from each grade)

• Six Students from Furnace Brook Middle School (two from each grade)

• Two Fifth Grade Students from each Elementary School (attend evening meetings in December, February, April, and June)

Membership cycles from 7 - 12 grade. It is reestablished each year at the elementary schools and grade 6.

SSAC Members may be asked to present or to be present at some School Committee Meetings and other events as determined by the SSSAC and members will play an important role on the Belonging Team.

Congratulations to the following students who were selected for this important team. Opportunity for voice will continue and we will get more students involved through this team.

Our Learning Walks this year revolve around Deep Student Engagement, Task Development, and Learning Environment for Students. The District Leader established look-fors are inspired by Amy Berry and her book Reimagining Student Learning, From Disrupting to Driving. This is a multi-year focus, which will involve all stakeholders.

In a nutshell, we will focus on those elements in the classroom that move students from disrupting to driving learning, while also focusing on the development of strong tasks to engage the students within a culturally responsive climate that promotes inclusion.

These lookfors are being unwrapped at staff meetings across the district. This week, learning walks took place at Marshfiel High School and the Granatino Early Education Center . Building-Based Learning Walks took place at other buildings, as well, including GWS (pictured below).

Excellent MES 2nd Grade Presentation: "This Pretty Planet"

Location: Martinson Library

Time: Tuesdays 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

8 Sessions

January 20, 2026

January 27, 2026

February 3, 2026

February 10, 2026

February 24, 2026

March 3, 2026

March 10, 2026

March 17, 2026

The ELPAC will meet on Monday evenings from 6:30-8:00pm on the following dates:

• January 26

• March 26

• May 11

We are looking for a parent representative from each school to serve on the board. As well as a staff member from DWS, MHS, FBMS and the GEEC.

In May of 2025, amid increased immigration enforcement activity across Massachusetts, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell released a ‘Know Your Rights’ guide designed to help immigrants, families, and communities understand their rights and the basic legal framework for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions. As we begin the school year we once again wanted you to have this information. Should you have additional questions or concerns regarding your students and how we can support them, please contact your building principal or Kate Lyons-Mailoux, Director of ESL.

The Tournament Season is coming to a close for most of our Teams as Fall heads into Winter.

The MHS Football Team lost in the Round of 16, 28 – 21. The Rams fought valiantly to get back in the game after Malden Catholic scored the first 21 points. Senior Jameson Bongiolatti got the scoring started for Marshfield when he took a kickoff and returned it to the house for the Rams score. Seniors Aidan and Cole Summers both found the endzone for Marshfield to bring the game to a tie midway through the 3rd Quarter. Malden Catholic was eventually able to go ahead for good in the 4th Quarter. Marshfield will be off until they travel to Duxbury Thanksgivings morning for their annual Thanksgiving Game.

The Girls and Boys Cross Country Teams competed in the Districts this past weekend in Wrentham. Both the Girls and Boys Teams had strong showings with the Girls finishing 13th out of 30 Teams while the Boys finished 14th out of 30 Teams. Senior Sarah Penney’s finish at Districts qualified her for the Meet of Champions this weekend. Good luck Sarah as you continue to compete. Freshman Conor Rightmire concluded his impressive Cross-Country Season by being the top Runner for the Boys Team at Districts.

The MHS Cheer Team competed in the Patriot League Championship on Thursday in Duxbury. The Team performed very well and finished with a score of 80.2. This weekend Marshfield will sponsor Regionals for the MSAA and Marshfield will look to again be one of the top Teams in their Division.

Four Field Hockey seniors were selected to play in the Patriot League All Star Game in Hingham on Veterans Day. Congatulations to Isabelle Flynn, Julia O'Brien, Julia Pozerski and Ali Rosa.

Our Winter Teams will begin official tryouts and practices, Monday, December 1st. Please register your children through Family ID.

1th Annual MarshVegas Turkey Trot

Get ready to Trot, Run, or Walk your way into Thanksgiving!
Join us for a fun and festive community tradition that supports the Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield.

Date: Thursday, November 27th

Location: Boys & Girls Club of Marshfield
Registration Opens: 6:30 AM
Trot Starts: 7:30 AM
Courses: 2 & 4 Mile Options — Trot / Run / Walk

Start your Thanksgiving morning off right with family, friends, and plenty of holiday spirit! Costumes are encouraged, and all ages are welcome to participate. 5 and under are FREE just show up!

Click here to register now!

Are you, or someone you know, interested in joining our fantastic team of educators? We would love to add you to our dedicated team of Substitute Teachers. We also have a few ESP, SESP & Tutor positions we are still looking to fill. Click the link(s) below to learn more:

Employment Opportunities

Nov 26 - Thanksgiving Early Dismissal

Dec 5 - Elementary Trimester 1 Ends

Dec 10 - District-Wide Early Release

Dec 12 - MHS/FBMS Term 2 Mid Term

Dec 12 - Elementary Trimester 1 Report Cards

Dec 23 - Holiday Break (Early Release)

Dec 24-Jan 2 - Holiday Break

Daniel Webster School

Eames Way School

Governor Winslow School

Martinson Elementary School

South River School

Furnace Brook Middle School

Marshfield High School Counselor Connection

Email: psullivan@mpsd.org
Website: www.mpsd.org
Location: 76 South River Street, Marshfield MA 02050
Phone: (781) 834-5000