A Note from the Superintendent
Greetings Dover and Sherborn Families:
Welcome to our first Central Office Newsletter of the 2019-20 school year. In it you will find news and information pertaining to our three districts of Dover, Sherborn, and Dover Sherborn Regional. I hope you will find it useful and look forward to your feedback.
Sincerely,
Andrew
Dover Sherborn Students at Their Best!
The first few weeks of school are always difficult, especially for new students. This year at the middle and high school we welcomed 46 new students to our schools. Perhaps it is the high school principal in me, but I always have an eye open for these young people when opening day rolls around.
One day a few weeks back, while walking through a high school lunch, I noticed a young man sitting by himself so I went over to introduce myself. I assumed that he was new to DS and it turned out to be true. We had a great chat until the bell rang, at which time he said goodbye and left. I felt good knowing I had helped him through what might have been an agonizingly long lunch period, but walked away a little discouraged that none of our "veteran" DS students had made the same effort to reach out to the young man. The next day however, a parent told me that her child had seen what I had done and followed my lead, reaching out to the young man at lunch with a friend and welcoming him to DS. I was thrilled with this news, but was soon to learn that our kids were just getting warmed up! A few days later at another lunch, there the young man was seated, again by himself. As I began to make my way over to say hello, along came 4-5 other students from another lunch table to sit with him. I kept on walking, feeling relieved and certain this young man was going to be okay.
Thankfully, our students are looking out for each other, regardless of circumstances or situation. This is what it means when we say #WEareDS. We are all part of this school community and we should always encourage our children to take care of those who are struggling or less fortunate. Not because they will receive accolades for "being good kids", but rather because it is the right thing to do. If they tell you it is too awkward or uncomfortable to step up when others are not willing to, show them this video. It's one of my favorites. Hopefully, it will encourage them to be bold and to find their voice during times of uncertainty!
Opening of School
Our students arrived on August 28th, full of energy and ready to start the school year. The buildings and grounds looked beautiful, thanks to the efforts of Ralph Kelley and his crew, and once again some of our entry ways were marked with well-wishes from our staff. As I walked the four schools that day, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to help out wherever possible and even tried giving directions in the high school and opening a middle school locker (which I failed at!) for a rising sixth grader. I especially enjoyed watching student’s eyes light up as they entered rooms with new “innovative” furniture and the looks of pride on our faculty members' faces as they welcomed their students. It was a great day and DS pride was running high!
Start Time Committee –Phase II
The Start Times Task Force, which was the group of Dover Sherborn stakeholders who researched and developed plans for changes to our start times has now morphed into the Start Times Task Force - Phase II. This committee will now serve as the Steering Committee overseeing working groups that will address key areas of concern as we continue our transition toward our fall 2020 change. The working groups and leaders are as follows:
- Transportation and Traffic (Business Administrator, Dawn Fattore)
- Staff Implications (Middle School Assistant Headmaster, Steve Wrobleski & Director of Student Services, Kate McCarthy)
- Secondary Before and After School Programming (High School Headmaster, John Smith)
- Secondary School Schedules (Middle School Headmaster, Scott Kellett & High School Assistant Headmaster, Ann Dever Keegan)
- Elementary Before, During and After School Programming (Chickering School Principal, Laura Dayal & Pine Hill School Assistant Principal, Allison Gullingsrud)
- Communications (Sherborn School Committee Member, Amanda Brown & Parent Volunteer, Sarah Wilson)
Although some of the Phase II work has begun, it will continue throughout the year and community input is welcome and desired. If you have insights, thoughts, questions or concerns you would like to share with any of the working groups, please contact the relevant leaders or write to Phase II Task Force Steering Committee Chair, Andrew Keough, or Assistant Chair, Michael Jaffe at schoolstarttime@doversherborn.org. Likewise, please be sure to stay current with any start time related news by checking into the DS Start Times Webpage, which is updated regularly and you can locate here.
Communications Committee Update
In accordance with a district goal of improving communications, the Superintendent’s Communications Task Force will be meeting again this year to examine the effectiveness of our existing communication protocols. Among the items to be examined/revisited include, overlapping or redundant communications from the schools, identifying the Dover Sherborn "Brand", and the effectiveness and user friendliness of the district website. This committee will include Superintendent, Andrew Keough, two representatives from the Regional School Committee, a representative from the Dover School Committee, a representative from the Sherborn School Committee, a principal from the secondary level and a principal from the primary level, 1-2 technology representatives, 2-3 teachers, 1-2 parents, and a student.
Transportation News
As an important component of the Start Times Task Force – Phase II work, we have begun adjusting our transportation routes. Our goal has been twofold: to provide more sleep time to our students under the current transportation model, and to shorten our routes to the greatest extent possible so that our elementary start times for 2020-21 will move closer to 8:00 a.m. by the time of the official rollout next fall. Business Administrator, Dawn Fattore worked tirelessly on these challenges over the summer and considerable progress has been made. Unfortunately there have been some issues with the new models as well, and we are continuing to work on them. We are confident that in the end, all of our routes will be more efficient, shorter, and result in our students having the opportunity for more sleep.
We are also continuing to study our METCO transportation schedule as part of the Start Time- Phase II work. Our goal, as it is for all of our students, is to reduce travel time and increase sleep time. This work is ongoing.
Last week I presented a proposal to the Sherborn Board of Selectmen to have the Pine Hill School emergency access road completed so that it can be used for general transportation purposes and serve as a new egress for all traffic. The Board recommended the proposal be reviewed by a task force to consider all options in this regard.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to the staff and students of Dover Sherborn Regional High School on their recent recognition as the #1 ranked high school in Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston publication. This is a credit to the hard work of our staff, students, and families, and to the dedication of our two communities in continually supporting exceptional schools. See the rankings here.
Website: www.doversherborn.org
Location: 157 Farm Street, Dover, MA, USA
Phone: 508-785-0036
Twitter: @ang62
A Note from the Assistant Superintendent
Innovative Spaces
Through the generous support of the Dover Sherborn Education Fund, 13 of our educators have designed collaborative and innovative spaces that empower students to actively engage in and control their own learning and develop the 21st century skills vital to their future success.
Many thanks to the DSEF for supporting this project, to the educators for their innovation and creativity, and to the custodians for the time and energy they dedicated to the transition. Please stay tuned for updates from teachers and students as to how these innovative spaces have changed the art and science of teaching and learning.
Portrait of a Dover Sherborn Graduate
It's time! The Academic Innovation Committee is ready to reveal the proposed Portrait of a Dover Sherborn Graduate. After months of research, the 57 person committee of students, educators, parents and community members have identified the competencies they believe are vital for students' success in a rapidly changing world. Members of the Committee will be meeting with various constituency groups this fall to share their process and findings and solicit feedback from the larger DS community around the Portrait and next steps.
At this point, we would like to invite ALL parents/guardians to join us for an Evening with the Superintendent and Asst. Superintendent on Wednesday, November 13 at 6:30 PM. Sponsored by Challenge Success and the Academic Innovation Committee, the event will showcase how the Portrait of a DS Graduate and lessons learned from Finland will guide our continued work on innovative practices and social-emotional wellness. We hope you can join us!
Beth McCoy
Email: mccoye@doversherborn.org
Website: www.doversherborn.org
Location: 157 Farm Street, Dover, MA, USA
Phone: 508-785-0036
A Note from the Director of Student Services
Dear Dover-Sherborn Community,
I am the new Director of Student Services and have been busy meeting with staff, students and families across the district in order to learn about all of the supports, processes and programs that are currently in place. The Student Services reorganization has been an exciting unification of the special education, guidance and nursing support across the Dover-Sherborn School District. I have been involved in all three departments across all four schools, which has allowed for increased collaboration and continuity of students. I believe we are moving closer to our goal of ensuring that all struggling students have similar access to the supports that they need. I have spent most of my time in the four schools and have brought my experiences in social emotional learning, program development and collaboration to the district.
At the elementary level, I have been joined by Naomi O’Brien as the new Elementary Special Education Coordinator. Her expertise in program oversight, behavioral supports and preschool have been an asset to supporting the continuum of student programming beginning at the age of three. Naomi has been in constant contact with district staff and has been a fantastic team member for faculty, families and students.
These district-wide changes have also allowed for an increase in social-emotional support for all students. There has been an addition of social-emotional support at every level, which will provide increased counseling services to students that need an added layer of this intervention. The student support team will continue to monitor individual progress and refer students for various supports as needed. Increasing interventions and integrating social-emotional services across the district will continue to be a focus moving forward.
Kate McCarthy
