The EduGATOR!

Monday, February 24-Regular School Day

Tuesday, February 25-Regular School Day

Wednesday, February 26-Regular School Day

Thursday, February 27-Regular School Day

*Maine pre-trip meeting 5-5:30pm on google meet (link sent to participants)

Friday, February 28-Wear jeans and your Gator Gear!

Each year at about this time, I send out a mid-year survey to ask educators to complete.

These questions have been asked the last three years and I'd like to see the comparative data over time, even with varied conditions occurring throughout the district. I really appreciate your consideration to complete this.

The feedback provided will be anonymous. I will review the survey results to determine our progress towards the district strategy plan and to gather staff perceptions of the culture of the district and of your school.

I will then take out any identifying information from the survey results and then share the information with the Leadership Team. The results will be used to help the Leadership Team reflect and to set priorities for our district moving forward.

As stated above, your responses WILL be anonymous, but I do ask you indicate your in-district school.

Please complete by March 7. I believe this will take about about 15 minutes to complete well, and I appreciate you taking the time and sharing your insights!

Here is the link:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSew2JfzFNb-wZZuedK9ZEPq1rzlt5s_mJrsuPXIMHTDRDfvpQ/viewform?usp=header

We will continue into February with inviting staff to share how YOU are implementing a part of our instructional vision.

This month's focus are the fourth two bullets in the instructional vision are:

• Students will seize opportunities and direct next steps for learning based on interests and abilities
• Staff will create meaningful and personalized opportunities for all students

Staff are invited to fill out a brief (2-3 sentences!) summary of how you are implementing this part of our vision. It can be specific or general, and it should clearly describe how your actions are moving this part of our instructional vision forward.

Here is the link to share!

https://padlet.com/ksmidy1/february-instructional-vision-challenge-bf3lvbp903q5pvfm

To add to the board, click the plus sign in the bottom right corner and write in your submission. Finally, hit Publish and voila! You're done!

Staff who share how they are implementing or supporting implementation of December's focus area of the instructional vision by February 28 will be entered to win a $50 gift card to one of the following locations: Carms, Common Table, Moltenbreys, Amazon, Big Y, Dunkin or at a place of your choice that I can get a gift card with relative ease 😂

Here is the legal language from DESE's attendance guide:

Massachusetts’ compulsory school attendance law (G.L. c. 76, § 1) requires children between the ages of 6 and 16 to “attend a public day school in the town the student resides, or some other day school approved by the school committee....” The law recognizes the right of parents to choose from among several educational options, including enrolling their child in a private or parochial school or an approved homeschooling program. The most common option is enrolling children in the public school district in which they live. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education ("DESE") offers a tool School Finder where anyone can look for school options as well as specific programs and pathways being offered in their geographic area.

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (Board) has the authority under G.L. c. 69, § 1B, to “establish the permissible and mandatory ages for school attendance.” The Board exercised this authority in regulation at 603 CMR 8.02, which sets the mandatory minimum age for school attendance. It states that “[e]ach child must attend school beginning in September of the calendar year in which he or she attains the age of six. Each school committee may establish its own minimum permissible age for school attendance, provided that such age is not older than the mandatory minimum age established by 603 CMR 8.00.” The maximum age for compulsory school attendance (age 16) was set by a special act of the Legislature, Chapter 741 of the Acts of 1965. Neither the Board nor the Legislature has changed it.

RESPONSIBILITIES

General Laws chapter 76 sets out many aspects of compulsory attendance, including the responsibilities of parents/guardians and school committees.

Parents/guardians must:

· ensure that a child in their care attends school. G.L. c. 76, §2.

· call the school at a designated number at a designated time as established by the school committee to report a child’s absence and reason for it. G.L. c. 76, §§1A, 1B.

Each school committee shall provide for and enforce the school attendance of all children actually residing therein in accordance with state law. G.L. c. 76, §1. Schools must record daily student attendance for all students, whether they are learning in-person or remotely. For any students learning remotely, it is vital that the school conducts a daily "live" check-in.

A school committee must have an absence notification program in each of its schools:

· Massachusetts law (G.L. c. 76, §1B) requires that each school notifies a parent or guardian of the child’s absence if the school has not received notification of the absence from the parent or guardian within 3 days of the absence. The Department strongly recommends that such parental notification take place on the same day that the student is absent, if possible. The school must also have a policy of notifying the parent or guardian of a student who has at least 5 days in which the student has missed 2 or more periods unexcused in a school year or who has missed 5 or more school days unexcused in a school year.

· Massachusetts law (G.L. c. 76, §1B) requires that the school principal or headmaster, or a designee, make a reasonable effort to meet with the parent or guardian of a student who has 5 or more unexcused absences to develop action steps for student attendance. The action steps shall be developed jointly and agreed upon by the school principal or headmaster, or a designee, the student, and the student's parent or guardian and with input from other relevant school personnel and officials from relevant public safety, health and human service, housing, and nonprofit agencies. The Department encourages the school principal, headmaster, or their designee to hold the meeting to discuss the action steps with the student and the student's parents or guardians in-person.

Massachusetts law requires every school committee to appoint one or more supervisors of attendance. G.L. c. 76, §19. The school committees of two or more towns may employ the same supervisor of attendance. Massachusetts law specifies some of the duties of attendance supervisors. G.L. c. 76, §20.

To note, our principals serve as the attendance supervisors.

The Gateway Education Association asked me to share this message from the Massachusetts Teachers Association. The message refers you to an MTA rep, but I bet you could also ask any eboard member from the GEA for more info:

Approved District Strategy Plan

Safety Memo 8/8/23

MTSS DESE Blue Print

Approved District Bullying Prevention Plan

February 10

• Spirit week
  
• Congratulations Abbey, Grinspoon Winner!
  
• Illness protocol
• VIP program data
• Thunderbird ticket invitation

February 3

• Grinspoon Teacher of Excellence Luncheon Celebration
• January Instructional Vision Winners
• Attorney General FAQ Docs
• PRISM Grant Announcement
• MSBA Site Visits
• Transportation Data

January 27

• January Instructional Vision
• First State Budget from Governor for FY26 data

January 20

• Barr Convening
• Upcoming Portland Maine Learning Excursion
• Virtual School Cap Data