Good Morning, Burlington!

Tonight brings the monthly community dinner to the Presbyterian Church in Burlington. These no-cost events are an opportunity for community members to get to know one another, regardless of faith. Come enjoy a meal with your neighbors from 5:30-7:00 at 335 Cambridge Street. Vegetarian and gluten free options are available.

Tomorrow, regional economic development collaborative, Middlesex 3, will be meeting at Grand View Farm at 9:00 AM to discuss upcoming economic developments in the town of Burlington. There is a $50 fee for non-members.

Muslim Community Members Address School Committee in Response to District Statement

Members of Burlington’s Muslim community, including Imam Shakeel Rahman of the Islamic Center of Burlington, spoke to a full School Committee room last night, in response to what they viewed as a one-sided letter addressing the conflict in Gaza. Speakers condemned the taking of innocent lives and highlighted the Muslim experience of feeling invisible and ignored in the broader conversation.

Imam Shakeel suggested the district consult with the interfaith community before putting out such statements in the future. The district’s statement was published days after the October 10 School Committee meeting, where one community member expressed disappointment that neither the district nor individual schools had offered a statement of support for affected students and families.

Also at School Committee:

• The equity audit Report (officially titled Equity Needs Assessment Report) is posted on the district website in multiple languages.

• The Student Discipline and Code of Conduct sections of the middle school handbook were updated to reflect new state regulations; the high school handbook has already been updated.

• Update from Assistant Superintendent, Lisa Chen:

  • Curriculum review is ongoing, including additional training for elementary teachers in the EnVisions math program, review of the universal screeners that help teachers plan educational interventions for students, sharing updates to the science of reading instruction with teachers, and more.

  • Adult ESL classes are happening, with ~40 attendees.

  • Social-Emotional program is being implemented, and the district has received a $40k grant.

  • ParentSquare has 2,000 users, and can be easily translated into students’ home languages.

  • Vaccination clinics have been held and will continue to be held for students who need their vaccinations before attending school.

  • BPS staff presented at the MassCUE (Computer Using Educators) conference about the district’s Computer Science for All curriculum.

  • The Francis Wyman playground is expected to be completed this weekend; a flagpole was installed at MSMS.

• Representative from the Students for Environmental Action Club presented:

  • Twenty-five percent of our state’s waste stream is food waste, and every ton leads to 800lb of greenhouse gases; landfills are filling up and also putting food waste into the landfills prevents it from being made into soil as nature intended.

  • Benefits include saving landfill space, reducing greenhouse gases, and potentially saving on costs for trash pickup.

  • Students hope to implement a composting program and have a plan to raise awareness so that students can shift their behavior to compost their food waste. They hope to work with Black Earth (the company the town already contracts with for curbside compost collection), who will also help raise awareness.

  • Cost would start at $20-25 for one bin with pickup once a week. Initial costs are estimated to be about $6,000-$8,000 this year to begin behind the scenes in the school kitchens. There is an economy of scale as more bins are added, and projections at full scale are around $20,000. This would fall under the food services budget and fit into the existing revolving accounts. Member Monaco stressed the importance of investment and continuous feedback from cafeteria workers, and Member Brooks suggested looking into grants as an alternative funding source.

• MCAS results were discussed:

  • MCAS is a criterion-referenced test, which test how the student performs vis-a-vis the state standards—not a comparison to peers like, say, the SAT.

  • Also, this is used as an informative tool for districts, schools, and individual classrooms, rather than an instructional tool. Other assessments are used throughout students’ academic careers which are much more useful instructionally.

  • Two measures received in the score reports are the scaled score (a number between 440 and 560) and the student growth percentile (SGP), which compares one student with another student with the same score history to see how much improvement they’ve made.

  • Passing MCAS is a high school graduation requirement.

  • Several of our students who are designated as English Learners missed the test last year, which is why the district was flagged by the state.

  • BPS outperformed the state in most subject areas on student achievement and is surpassing growth targets. The growth was a little less consistent, with many grade levels and subjects surpassing the state in growth and a few aligning more closely with the state.

  • Science was discussed at length as one of the areas where the district didn’t perform as well; the conversation was multifaceted, but one highlight is that there doesn’t seem to be enough instructional time to achieve what needs to be achieved, with social studies and science instruction being pushed aside for other initiatives including SEL. Work is being done to achieve vertical (grade-to-grade) and horizontal (within the same grade level) curriculum alignment, which in theory will make it possible to achieve more in the same amount of time.

  • Multiple times, participants in the conversation emphasized that MCAS is just one piece of the informational pie chart that build a holistic student profile and cautioned the public not to read too much into the scores. Parents with questions about individual student MCAS scores can contact their child’s principal.

• Policy Manual: The last section of updates was discussed; the updated manual will be on the district website shortly.

• Facilities and Finance:

  • The Fox Hill School Building Committee started looking at sustainability options and preliminary design options. More info will come at the next meeting on November 13.

Today in Burlington

Municipal Meetings and Community Events

• 10:30 AM - Toddler Storytime Nurture your toddler’s love of stories with music and movement. (Library)
• 12:00 - 7:00 PM - Cousins Maine Lobster Truck: Try a delicious lobster roll and more from this Shark Tank supported business. You don’t even need to spend time on the road to Maine!  (Wayside)
• 5:30-7:00 PM - Community Dinner at Presbyterian Church in Burlington
• 6:00 PM - Planning Board site visit to view the current conditions at the police station. (Police Station)
• 6:00 PM - 50+ Job Seekers Networking Group - Resumes: Beyond the Basics - Join in a professional forum for networking with peers in a safe and comfortable environment conducive to developing new relationships and developing skills and strategies to help in your career transition. This week will focus on developing your resume to yield the most success. (Virtual)
• 7:00 PM - Teen Event: Monster Cupcakes Monsters AND cupcakes, is there anything better during this spooky season?! (Library; Register)

Sports and Activities

Our field hockey team won both of their games against Wakefield, with JV going 3-0 and varsity winning 2-1. The boys’ cross country team lost their match against Melrose 23-35; still waiting on girls’ results.

The volleyball teams travel to compete in Wilmington, with JV and freshmen competing at 4:00, while the Varsity game starts at 5:30pm.

Varsity and JV Boys Soccer Team hosts Wilmington High at home starting at 4:15. The JV Girls Soccer travel to play in Wilmington at 4:00, while the Varsity Girls play at 6:00.

That’s all for today; I’ll see you tomorrow!

Nicci

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