Good Morning, Burlington!

Eighty-six seniors were honored recently at the presentation of the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship at Shawsheen Tech. This merit-based scholarship provides tuition credit for up to eight semesters at a Massachusetts state college or university to students who meet the criteria:

• A score of Advanced on one of their three high school MCAS tests
• A score of at least Proficient on the other two MCAS tests
• A score within the top 25% of their district

Congratulations to these Shawsheen seniors! Read more below.

Community Information

Shawsheen Valley Technical High School Celebrates 86 Recipients of the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship

Nicci Kadilak • Jan 10, 2024

Shawsheen Valley Technical High School proudly acknowledges the outstanding achievement of 86 seniors who were honored with the prestigious John and Abigail Adams Scholarship. The school held a special assembly to recognize these exceptional students, where they were …

Read full story →

BPS School Climate Survey Reveals Highlights and Areas for Growth

Mental Health Director for Burlington Public Schools, Christine Conceison, presented the results of the School Climate Survey to the School Committee last night. This survey, created by the Center for Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS), was administered for the second time this December to a wide range of stakeholders, including 632 parents (around a 15% response rate) in 12 different languages. Staff, secondary students, and 4th/5th grade students also participated.

Among the highlights were an increase in the perception of safety from last year to this year, as well as parent and student perception of the level of teaching, learning, support, and connection between teachers and students. Staff also reported a feeling of belonging, connection, support, and mutual respect with each other. Secondary students rated their own social/civic learning high, as well as student support of each other.

Areas for further questioning include the low staff perception of student-student and student-staff interactions, as well as the discrepancy between parent and staff perception of parent involvement (parents believe they’re more involved than staff do). Another area of concern is student behavior at the elementary school level; the question of whether students behave so that teachers can teach was rated relatively low.

Some results varied across demographics, including parent communication satisfaction, parent perception of their own involvement, and students’ perception of cultural acceptance.

These results are substantially similar to last year’s survey responses, though the school safety scores have increased. For a more detailed look at Ms. Conceison’s report, check out last night’s School Committee meeting, beginning about about 1:01. The presentation will also be posted on the district website.

Also at School Committee:

• Update from Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Chen (0:28) (these presentations are now hosted on the website and will be sent via ParentSquare):

  • Teachers will be trained on Open Architect, a data analysis tool that aggregates disparate data into dashboards to simplify interpretation of information from various sources.

  • A new IEP form was introduced from the state, and schools will begin using it this spring.

  • Kindergarten Information Night will be held on January 17 at BHS.

  • Family Math Night will be held throughout the month of January at the various elementary schools; keep an eye out for dates and times.

  • The Director English Language Learning visited Guatemala this winter to learn more about the families and cultures of many of our students.

  • DECA President Robert Geswell came to talk about the DECA conference that happened recently (where he got first place for his sales pitch!). Sixty-seven members of DECA will be attending the state competition in March, the highest number ever.

  • The district will be seeking grants for teacher diversification efforts.

• BHS Program of Studies (1:45): The Committee did a first reading of the course catalog for BHS, and this will be revisited at a future meeting. Some highlights:

  • The new Band Director will be offering a course on Music Technology, Production, and Film Scoring; this will replace the Musical Theater course.

  • There will be a new Biology Foundations course for English Learner students.

  • Business marketing and digital technology will also be added.

  • Also to be removed: Creative Business Tech, and Science and Society

  • Also proposed: Eliminating the CP (college prep) Senior English course and have all students instead take Honors or Advanced Placement English, and moving the test to bypass certain math classes to the summer rather than April. There was also much discussion about standardizing that test to ensure students who would succeed in the courses get an opportunity to take them.

• A petition was presented to fly the Pro-Life flag at Burlington High School and Marshall Simonds Middle School from January 15-21 in observance of Sanctity of Life Month this January. Dr. Conti said he will check the policy manual and get back to the student who made the request.

• The Poetry Out Loud competition happened at the high school this week; more information to come about this, but for now, huge congratulations to winner Therese Kosinski!

• DECA will be holding Community Pageant February 8; this is a student-run event, but community involvement is welcome!

• Burlington Public Schools began composting with Black Earth this week; now that the schools are approaching the end of the Styrofoam inventory, they are moving toward compostable products for trays and utensils.

• Our Mental Health Coordinator will be traveling to the Wayfinder Social-Emotional Learning Partner Consortium in California as recognition for her leadership in implementing this new curriculum in our elementary schools. She also presented at the Advancing School Mental Health Conference in 2023.

• Jeremy Brooks was named the School Committee’s liaison to the Districtwide School Safety Committee.

• A Special Olympics stipend was approved.

• Burlington Early Childhood Center (the town’s integrated preschool) will be increasing their tuition by about 3% to cover program costs and create equity in hourly rates. The current cost ranges from around $2,100-$5,500 per year, depending on the program.

• Budget season is beginning. Departments and schools will pitch what they need, and those requests will be reviewed and prioritized. The budget will be built by the district and approved by the School Committee, and then the final number (but not individual line items) will be approved by Town Meeting in May.

• There were two submissions for architects for the high school feasibility study. More to come about this soon.

  Subscribe

Today in Burlington

Municipal Meetings and Community Events

• 9:00-10:00 AM - Career Pathway Program Parents’ Breakfast (BHS)
• 4:00 PM - Council on Aging will welcome a special guest and hear reports from senior services and the director, then new business including the Lahey farmer’s market, technology grants for digital literacy and hybrid technology, and even discussion on a prom! A meeting not to be missed! (Human Services Building: 61 Center Street, Room 136; and Virtual)
• 4:00-5:00 PM - Teen Volunteering: Lego Sorting - Kids in grades 6-12 are needed to help sort out legos that were gifted to the library. This can be a relaxing task and so satisfying! (Library; Registration Required)
• 6:30 PM - Zoning Bylaw Review Committee will cast their advisory votes for relevant January Town Meeting Warrant Articles and hear a police station update. Join us! (Virtual)
• 7:00 PM - Democratic Town Committee - A treasurer’s report, reports from officers and committees, and a NH write-in Biden postcard campaign. Featured speaker: Chris Jenkins, from the Lowell Area Democrats. (Grandview Farms and Virtual)
• 7:00 PM - Ways and Means starts FY25 budget planning with a discussion of the budget guidelines. They’ll also discuss January Town Meeting Warrant articles and a waiver of the maximum age for a firefighter. (Town Hall Main Hearing Room and Virtual)
• 7:00-8:00 PM - The Woman Who Stole Vermeer - A special treat! Anthony Amore, (Directory of Security and Chief Investigator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and author) will join us for a fascinating evening on the heists in the museum’s history. Mystery abounds!  (Library and Virtual; Registration Required for this FREE event)

Sports and Activities

It was a winning day for the boys yesterday, as the track team won against Wilmington 39-61, moving to a 4-0 record, and the basketball team beat Belmont 59-49. Girls unfortunately did not enjoy the same success, as the track team lost 58-42 and the basketball team fell to Belmont 53-69.

This afternoon the hockey teams will be traveling to Melrose for a 6:00 girls’ game and a 7:45 boys’ game. The wrestling team will also be in Melrose for a 6:00 matchup.

Have a great day, Burlington!

Nicci

Share this Buzz with someone who would benefit from knowing how students, staff, and parents feel about school climate in BPS.