Canton Public Schools: April 28 School Committee Recap

Canton MA

24 May, 2022

11:07 PM

Description

Press release from Canton Public Schools: May 23, 2022 CANTON — Superintendent Derek Folan would like to share with the school community updates and information provided at the April 28 Canton School Committee meeting. A recording of the full meeting can be viewed here. Additional meeting materials, including all documents shared at the meeting and the full Superintendent's report is available here. Members of the Luce administration shared school highlights with the committee. Highlights included the kindergarten alphabet parade, the first grade word builders event, the second grade bear parade, hands-on-learning events in third grade (including the grade 3 "Chick Class of 2022"), the fourth grade reading and writing units' "Balloons over Broadway" event, fifth grade American Revolution research projects, the Luce Circus, the Tier 1 Student Recognition Program and the Luce SEL mini-series. Seasonal afterschool clubs were also highlighted, including: Theater games and play (fall/spring) Robotics (winter/spring) Codes & Ciphers (winter) World Language Club (fall/winter/spring) Logic puzzles (winter) Fun and games (Spring) The Luce administration thanked the Luce School CAPT (Canton Association of Parents and Teachers), Luce School Council, Luce DEI and the Luce Playground Subcommittee for all their efforts during the year. For more information on the Luce School Spotlight, including photos, click here. The Luce CAPT e-board members, as well as CAPT program and event coordinators, were recognized for their hard work. The CAPT needs for 2022-2023 school year include a president/vice president, coordinator positions for most events (fun run, Boosterthon, holiday shoppe, fundraising, etc.), and volunteers for events (a smaller commitment than coordinators but also important). Anyone interested in positions and who wants to learn more can email [email protected]. A breakdown of the many ways the CAPT helps the school during the year was provided, including promotions, donations, educational materials, field trips and programming, teacher appreciation and welcome back recognition, school improvements, and technology. Several of the popular events that the CAPT assists with during the year were also highlighted, including the shine sprint, the school play, science activities, the Luce Circus, the fun run and 5K, and the holiday shoppe. For more information on the Luce CAPT Spotlight, including photos and additional ways to get involved, click here. The Committee heard a report on a survey given to CPS staff last February. A total of 278 responses were received as part of the survey, which reflects more than half of staff members across all schools in the district. The survey was designed to capture all voices within the District and identify ways to capitalize on what is going well and ways the District can make improvements in areas where they are needed. The survey questions asked staff about issues such as safety, teaching and learning, climate and culture, Social Emotional Learning, equity, staff evaluations and technology. Educator implementation strategies for increasing student voice by debriefing on learning experiences and reflecting on their growth and achievement. The design of an action plan to address successes and issues identified in the District analysis around equity and budget accordingly for the possible Equity Audit. Staff surveys around all professional development experiences, noting staff feedback/future interests and the PD's relevance, effectiveness and impact. Curriculum alignment and unit development for the Massachusetts Framework for Social Studies standards, including civics, across the grade levels. The administering and utilizing of the STAR assessment to address and develop student growth at the elementary level, and identify a benchmark assessment for the secondary levels. 90 minute sessions run 9-10:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to noon. Three hour sessions run 9 a.m. to noon. Extended day sessions run noon to 3 p.m. Administrative Assistant's Day, April 27. Teacher Appreciation Week, May 2-6. School Nurses Day, May 11. This press release was produced by Canton Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author's own.