Superintendent's Friday Message

Dear Medford Community,

I was full of gratitude and inspiration yesterday listening to our MPS students participate in the first-ever Student Summit! Sponsored by the Barr Foundation & hosted at The Armory in Somerville, the students led discussions with their peers about school & classroom experiences in a day full of fun food, music & swag.

This entirely student-led event (MHS Juniors served as facilitators) engaged MHS Sophomores in small group conversations and provided them an opportunity to design and think collectively. Meanwhile, MHS educators observed, listened, and recorded feedback from students regarding pertinent aspects of the high school experience, with a focus on classroom interactions and learning. The first-ever summit enabled students and adults to think deeply & collaboratively about the best ways to co-design a reimagined MHS experience.

Thank you to our over 100 students who attended the summit, our staff, The Learning Agenda, Film & Production CTE students for their photo coverage, and our amazing partners who came together to create this fantastic day!

Sincerely,

Dr. Galusi

Earlier this week, our MHS Building Project Advisory team meetings began meeting to provide feedback on the project & discuss design element recommendations. As a reminder, at the end of these meetings, each advisory team will create a recommendation to the School Building Committee on various project elements during this Schematic Design Phase.

The next full meeting of the Medford High School Comprehensive School Building Committee (SBC) will be on Monday, November 16, at 6:30 p.m. in the Medford High School Library & on Zoom. Community members can also watch on the MPS YouTube channel & on Medford Community Media. During next month's meeting, the SBC will discuss recommendations created by the Advisory teams as well as meet the project's previously announced Construction Manager At-Risk (pending finalized negotiations), Suffolk Construction.

Congratulations to our High School & Middle School Boys & Girls Cross Country teams & our Middle School Softball team on winning the Greater Boston League Championship! These team titles are a terrific reflection of your enthusiasm & teamwork demonstrated throughout the year.

Additionally, it was a great end to the season for our Medford Rowing team & MHS Unified Basketball teams! Our Mustang crew team finished in the top three in six different events at the state Rowing Association Championships, including first place wins in the Boys & Girls 2x teams. Meanwhile, our Unified team completed a 6-0 record on the basketball court in a season filled with exciting plays & great sportsmanship.

Last but certainly not least, good luck to our MPS Marching Band ahead of their weekend performances at the US Band New England State Championships & the NESBA Marching Band Finals! In speaking with our students and listening them rehearse late into the night, we are eager to see their performances reflect the team's dedication, unity, and spirit. Visit the hyperlinks for each competition above to learn more.

Film & Television Production students in our MHS CTE program earned first and second place in MassDOT’s 12th annual Safe Streets Smart Trips High School Video Contest!

First place went to Aiden Shields, Sam DaSilva, Stephen Donovan, and Jane Wyman. Second place went to Hannah Blauch, Kaitlin Materazzo, and Juniper Hussey. This was the program's third straight year placing in the top 3 and first year taking home the top prize!

Over 45 submissions from students around the Commonwealth submitted a video about this year's theme: Ebike Safety. MHS students handled every stage of production themselves, from developing the concept and writing the script through storyboarding, filming, and editing.

Congratulations to our seven students on a tremendous result! Watch the award-winning videos at the links below.

First Place: The Best Idea is Being Safe

Second Place: Ridin' on the Road

Visit Here to see what Elementary students will be learning in the month of November. Each tab on the bottom of the webpage represents what each grade will be learning at all four of our elementary schools. There are also examples provided by our content directors about how you can support your child's learning at home with simple, everyday objects or actions.

Visit Here to see where your voting location is within Medford. Voting hours on November 3 will be from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Featured Opening: Daily Substitutes

Medford Public Schools is looking to expand our Daily Substitute pool. Under the direct supervision of the Building Principal, qualified candidates will oversee classroom environment during absence of staff member, assist students in the classroom to meet instructional goals and objectives as assigned by Principal Visit Here to Apply.

Visit our Job Postings page to see all the current open positions across the District and see the links below for more openings.

• Boys Varsity Lacrosse Coach - MHS Athletics
• Electrical Teacher - MHS CTE Teacher
• Lifeguards - Pool at MHS
• Middle School Science Teacher - McGlynn Middle School
• Spare Custodian - Districtwide

MPS Athletics Upcoming Schedule & News

October 31: Not-So-Spooky Sensory Friendly Halloween Fun, 12 - 2 p.m.

November 1: Daylight Savings Time Ends - Turn Back Your Clocks By One Hour

November 1: Medford Pumpkin Smash, 10:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Clippership Pop-Up Park

November 3: No School for Students, Professional Development Day

November 9: Regular Meeting of the Medford School Committee, 6 p.m. at Medford City Hall

November 11: Veteran's Day, No School

November 11: Tufts University ROTC Veterans Day Ceremony and Reception, 11 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Tufts University Memorial Steps