Ipswich School Committee Newsletter
August 29th, 2023
A letter from the School Committee Chair
Welcome students, families, and staff to the 2023-2024 school year! I hope everyone had a restful summer and took time to enjoy the (hopefully) slowed pace, the lush green grass that never turned yellow and crunchy, and all the nooks and crannies of our beautiful town. I want to extend a particularly warm welcome to new students, staff, and administrators - we look forward to sharing our learning community with you, you picked a great place to be!
Despite being on “break”, the schools have been abuzz with activity - hosting summer programming, getting needed upgrades, fresh coats of paint, and polished floors, and welcoming new administrators. There’s nothing quite like the first day of school excitement and jitters!
The School Committee welcomed three new members to our ranks in May. Jenny Connolly, Sasha Sopic, and Mat Perry have big shoes to fill, and have been reading up and getting prepped for new responsibilities and challenges. The School Committee holds open meetings twice a month, and will be sending out regular electronic newsletters throughout the school year. New this year: follow us on Facebook and Instagram!
Finally, we always welcome community feedback, please click here for our contact information and reach out anytime with questions. For general information on the School Committee, please visit the district website.
We look forward to a year filled with learning, innovation, and progress!
Kate Eliot
Chair, Ipswich School Committee
Taking steps to address recommendations from the recent safety audit
Last spring the Ipswich school district made a commitment to strengthen the safety of our schools. In June, the 508 Group completed a safety audit of all Ipswich Public Schools and Central Office, and made recommendations to improve security measures in each of our school buildings.
The Superintendent, Administration, and School Committee reviewed the audit findings over the summer and we were pleased with the thoroughness and overall findings. We are supportive of the additional measures the 508 Group recommended.
The school district has already addressed high security issues cited in the report. These include: additional security cameras, landscaping to improve visibility around the buildings, repairs to classroom doors, upgrading security systems, and enhanced safety drills which will be held at the beginning of the school year. The Superintendent provided an update in July, and will be sharing more detailed information in the coming weeks.
2023 William Paine Enhancement Grant Recipients
The William Paine Enhancement Grant provides funding for enrichment and enhancement programs and practices across the District. These grants enrich the experience of students and teachers in all four schools. This year $739,353 in grant funding was made possible by the tremendous gift of William Paine and prudent financial management of the Trust by the New Feoffees. More information is available on the Feoffees Committee Page.
In June, the School Committee approved the following grant requests which will be implemented this school year:
College Application Boot Camp (High School) - $13,000.00
Heart Rate Monitors (Winthrop and Paul F. Doyon Elementary Schools) - $13,916.76
Plimoth and Patuxet Museum Field Trip (Paul F. Doyon Elementary School) - $5,429.20
Place Based Learning (High School, Middle School, Winthrop and Paul F. Doyon Elementary Schools) - $143,000.00
Enhanced Reading and Writing Practices (Middle School) - $8,510.67
Playground Phase 2 (Paul F. Doyon Elementary School) - $90,000.00
World Language Trip to France (High School) - $56,601.00
World Language Trip to Spain (High School) - $67,262.00
Lego Robotics (Paul F. Doyon Elementary School) - $10,767.54
Robotics Program (High School) - $8,997.00
Professional Development (High School, Middle School, Winthrop and Paul F. Doyon Elementary Schools) - $103,340.00
Innovation in Elementary Literacy Practices: Professional Development and Literacy Coach (Winthrop and Paul F. Doyon Elementary Schools) - $133,369.00
The unawarded funds will be returned to the Feoffees and available for distribution to the District in future years. The School Committee is excited to see these initiatives put into action and will be providing updates in the future regarding their implementation and success.
Join us in welcoming the new Principals and Assistant Principals
We’re excited to welcome the newest members of the Administrative Team to Ipswich, and want to thank the community members who participated in the searches.
Peter Holtz - Principal of Paul F. Doyon Memorial School
Adam Mullen - Assistant Principal of Paul F. Doyon Memorial School
Caroline "Nicki" Amisson - Assistant Principal of Winthrop School
Peter Ginolfi - Principal of Ipswich Middle School
Upcoming district events:
Wednesday, August 30th - First day of school
Friday, September 1st - No School
Monday, September 4th - No School, Labor Day
Tuesday, September 5th - First day of Preschool and Kindergarten
Thursday, September 7th - School Committee - 7pm in the MS/HS Ensemble Room and online
- Thursday, September 21st - School Committee - 7pm in the MS/HS Ensemble Room and online
School Snapshot: The New Playground at the Paul F. Doyon Memorial School
Continue to stay up to date on district events and school committee news by following Ipswich School Committee on Facebook and Instagram.