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Grace R. was recognized for her many reports as a WHS School Committee Representative over the years. The School Committee and Administration appreciate Grace's commitment in providing valuable updates on WHS student body events and wish her well in her future college experience.

• The school year is quickly ending. Progress Reports were issued on May 16th and many classes are in their final units of the year.
• Last Tuesday, at the NHS induction ceremony, senior NHS members celebrated their special educators and junior NHS members were inducted.
• The highly anticipated Prom for juniors and seniors is tomorrow night.
• Seniors’ last day was on Tuesday, May 23rd, and they spent the morning with the traditional Senior Walk at their respective elementary schools. Senior finals began yesterday and will continue through May 30th. Senior yard signs have been distributed to all seniors.
• Many senior events are planned in the coming days as we approach graduation on June 4th. Senior breakfast will be next Wednesday. Graduation rehearsals will be in the mornings of next Thursday and Friday. Following the graduation rehearsal next Thursday, seniors will participate in a field day.
• Springs sports’ regular seasons are coming to an end, and the playoff brackets are anticipated to be released in the next few days. This week, girls’ lacrosse, boys’ lacrosse, and softball were all ranked in the top 10 for power rankings. Boys tennis is ranked 14th and baseball is ranked 16th. The track and field regular season has finished and several athletes will compete at divisionals tonight and on Saturday. Good luck to all teams as they prepare for playoffs!
• Congratulations to the music department for hosting a successful Pops Night last Friday.
• Last week was the Film Festival Red Carpet. Congratulations to all those who worked on a film!
• Tomorrow, the Drama Club will host their spring cabaret.
• Lastly, Student Council is currently electing their executive board for next year!

1. Out-of-State Field Trip: The School Committee voted to approve an out-of-state field trip for the Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams to the Ocean State Invitational at Goddard Park, Warwick, Rhode Island on September 23, 2023.

2. District Nurse Leader Update: District Nurse Leader Linda Anderson gave a report on school nurse office visit statistics, the new health services website and individual school nurse pages. She also provided information regarding emergency preparedness in the health offices as well as various nursing programs.

3. Work Study Update: Mr. James Connolly provided the School Committee with an update regarding the Walpole High School Work Study Program. Mr. Connolly gave an overview of the program objectives, schedule, class topics, internship process and graduation requirements. Walpole High School student Aidan Feeney was present and informed the School Committee of the benefits he received from this Work Study Program. He explained the Program was a great experience for him and that his ambition is to become a union licensed plumber with hopes of operating his own business in the future. Aiden strongly encourages other students to apply for this program. Mr. Connolly said more students have signed up for next year and the Program is always looking for more business partners to take on high school interns and encourages businesses to contact him at jconnolly@walpole.k12.ma.us. The full report can be viewed here at time marker 23:55.

4. Superintendent Evaluation/Approval of Superintendent Contract: The School Committee compiled the Superintendent’s evaluation for 2022 to 2023 school year. Chairperson Syrek indicated that the Committee finds Dr. Gough’s multiple goals to be ambitious while addressing several focus areas. Dr. Gough is relentless and continues to move her own goal posts forward and encourages her expectations to trickle down from leadership to teachers and also to students. This year we've seen the brilliance of her abilities in both educational and social emotional realms. Mrs. Syrek noted that the School Department interacts with the town administration in a very straightforward and effective way, leading to productive budget conversations. Dr. Gough also has a data driven approach to monitoring student progress, resulting in improvements across all subject areas. The School Committee believes that this positive climate is due to Dr. Gough’s leadership style that values pointed discussions, open minded listening, her evaluation of situations and careful decision. Dr. Gough has transitioned from being a new superintendent to one of the stronger chief executives in education in our area. She embodies the highest level of professionalism and ethics, and we remain very lucky to have her at the helm.

Dr. Gough reported:

• Please be reminded that Summer Learning Program enrollment forms are now due. Sign up Here
• Week 1 - Tuesday, June 27 - Friday, June 30
• Week 2 - Wednesday, July 5 - Friday, July 7 (no session on Tuesday due to holiday)
• Week 3 - Tuesday, July 11 - Friday, July 14

The program runs daily from 8:30 - 11:30. Extended day opportunities may be available.

• Dr. Gough stated earlier this afternoon, she attended the Walpole Pops orchestra concert held at Patriot Place. This is an extra curricular orchestra comprised of middle and high school students. She also stated that it was a pleasure to attend the WHS National Honor Society and recognize our Senior members and Junior inductees.
• Dr. Hahn provided feedback about the well attended Title I Night and the Multicultural Alliance Family Night, both which were held this week.
• Please remember to check calendars for the many upcoming June events. Move up days and parent nights for rising 6th graders will be held next week. We are also looking forward to WHS graduation on June 4th.
• Dr. Gough thanked School Committee Sean Ahearn for his dedication and time served as a School Committee Member as well as his work with the high school renovation project. His commitment to WPS is greatly appreciated.
• Finally, this weekend will provide us with an opportunity to get together with family and friends. As many of us look to this weekend as the unofficial kick off to the summer, it is also a time to pause and honor military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. I am proud to be part of a military family. My grandfather, Marine Corps Sgt. Major, fought in WWI, WWII, and the Korean war, my uncle, Navy Veteran, fought in Vietnam, and my father was a Navy Corpsman. Fortunately, they all made it home after the completion of their service. I continue to visit those family members at Arlington National Cemetery and Bourne National Cemetery and to pay my respects to those who never made it home. On Monday, May 30th, please take the time to salute our fallen and honor our heroes.

Middle School Building Project: Mr. Breen provided an update to the middle school building project. The building is taking shape and shows a vision of what the finished building will look like. 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.

High School Project: Mr. Ahern provided an update with respect to the high school project. Mr. Ahern indicated a meeting was held Thursday and a proposed schedule and costs estimates were provided. The community will be updated regarding this project.