Superintendent's Friday Message
August 22, 2025
Dear MPS Families and Caregivers,
The final weekend of summer is upon us. It's been over two months since we had our hallways bustling with all our students, but on Wednesday we will see their shining faces again. Wednesday, Aug. 27, is the First Day of School for Students in Grades 1-12 and our Project Transition Program. Our Medford Early Education Program (MEEP) begins on Tuesday, Sept. 2, and Kindergarten begins on Wednesday, Sept. 3. The new school arrival & dismissal times for the 2025/26 school year can be found on the district website.
Our Middle and High Schools were fortunate enough to get the feeling of students back this week during Grade 6 & 9 Orientation. Students received their schedules, familiarized themselves with their new surroundings and reconnected with old friends. They also had the opportunity to hear from student ambassadors about their experiences at the Andrews, McGlynn Middle, and Medford High School.
In addition to our students getting to their experiences in new surroundings, we we were also so excited to meet our new educators during Teacher Induction Week! Centered on our yearly theme of Belonging, new staff members gathered for three days to engage in our district curricula, meet fellow peers and set up their classrooms. The week wrapped up with a tour around Medford, with our last stop being at a community staple: Colleen's Ice Cream! We can't wait for our students to meet the newest members of our teaching staff next week.
Sincerely,
Dr. Galusi
This past Tuesday, our Kindergarten students experienced their first moments riding a school bus at our first-ever Touch-A-Bus! Students across all four elementary schools learned the rules and safety procedures of riding the bus from their building principals and Ms. Jessica. Thank you to Eastern Bus and our Medford Transportation Office for facilitating this informative event!
For students who have registered to ride the bus, please Visit Here to view the school bus routes and pickup times ahead of the first day of school. Please note that registration for bussing has now closed - if you still need to register, please contact our Transportation Office directly via transportation@medford.k12.ma.us. The late bus schedule for Middle School students, offered on Mondays, Tuesday, and Thursday, can be found here.
For high school students who are riding the MBTA, use the links below to find the bus schedule that best suits you. Look for the routes Labeled "S" or "M" that signify school-specific bus routes.
As a result of the school day being extended by 15 minutes across MPS, the student schedules for all grade levels have been modified. Elementary students will spend more time with their classroom teacher focusing on core content. Middle School students will move to a six period schedule and include a Challenge Class that rotate each quarter. These “Challenge” courses will be academically-adjacent class offerings (e.g., personal finance, creative writing, and more) at each grade level, allowing students and staff to uniquely engage in content and improve learning outcomes.
Among changes at the High School level, there will now be seven periods throughout the day, 51 minutes in length. There will no longer be “A” through “F” days; It is now a Monday through Friday fixed schedule. There is still an A / B week vocational schedule for some CTE programs for juniors and seniors as was the case in previous years.
Further changes to the schedule can be found in communications shared by your child's building principal. If your child is in need of any schedule adjustments, please contact your school counselors or building principals / assistant principals.
Medford Public Schools will once again be offering FREE school breakfast and lunch meals for all students this school year. Visit Here for menus and nutrition & allergy information. Ahead of the new school year, please see the bullet points below to ensure a smooth back-to-school experience.
- Students will need their 'lunch numbers' in order to get meals. (This is their LASID - families can find this information in School Brains)
- Each student can receive one breakfast and one lunch free of charge. Additional meals are available for purchase. Payments may still be made via check (preferred) or cash submitted to cafeteria personnel in the schools. You can also sign up for an account at family.schoolcafe.com to manage student meal accounts online. Please note that while we accept cash, we do not issue change. Any remaining funds will be credited to a student's individual account.
- If your child requires medical meal accommodations, please contact the Food Service office at 781-393-2241 or meals@medford.k12.ma.us.
Additionally, contact meals@medford.k12.ma.us with any feedback or questions.
As part of professional development next Monday, all Medford elementary schools will take part in a district-wide PD session focused on supporting LGBTQ+ inclusion in elementary settings.
This training, offered by the Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students, will highlight age-appropriate approaches to fostering kindness, respect, and understanding of diverse families. Educators will gain strategies to affirm students’ identities, address hurtful words or actions and create classrooms where every student feels welcome and valued.
The Safe Schools Program for LGBTQ Students is a joint initiative of the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth. The program provides training, technical assistance, and resources to schools across the Commonwealth, helping to ensure safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environments for all students.
These efforts reflect our district’s theme of Belonging for this school year. To us, belonging means respecting, affirming and acknowledging the unique identities of every student and family in Medford Public Schools. In alignment with our Instructional Vision, belonging creates environments of connectedness where all students feel heard, valued, and supported.
Thank you to the Medford Community Engagement Team for their work in organizing an incredible Back-to-School Resource Fair! Stop by Medford City Hall on Monday, August 25 from 5-7 p.m. to help your family be ready for the first day of school.
There are many community resources and opportunities at the fair for families, including scheduling a doctor's appointment, finding a primary care provider, vaccines for students and teenagers, assistance with MassHealth, and other community resource tables. There will also be free backpacks and school supplies (courtesy of Mayor Lungo-Koehn's community drive), free haircuts, yard games, healthy snacks and more!