Good Morning, Burlington!

Burlington High School has a new Poet Laureate, and the School Committee could not be more proud. Freshman Therese Kosinski wowed the judges at the school’s 18th Poetry Out Loud competition on January 9, walking away with the title and earning a trip to the state semifinals. Therese had to memorize two poems and go through several rounds of performances before getting to the school finals; she and her fellow finalists were judged on such domains as dramatic appropriateness and evidence of understanding.

Therese impressed School Committee by performing one of the poems she memorized, Y2K, at last night’s meeting.

Read more about Poetry Out Loud and the other finalists below. Congrats to Therese, and best luck in the semifinals!

Community Information

Burlington High School Names Newest Poet Laureate

Nicci Kadilak • Jan 24, 2024

Superintendent Review Focuses on Pandemic Recovery, Meeting Needs of All Students

Burlington Public Schools Superintendent, Eric Conti, updated the School Committee and the public last night on the state of  the district’s focus areas of Learning, Equity, and Thriving so far this school year. Common themes: The district is trying to get back to best practices that had to be discontinued during the pandemic; and, meeting the needs of all students underpins all the district’s work. Here’s a brief summary of where things stand:

Learning

• Curriculum review and alignment is underway; this is a three-year process that ensures all teachers have a common language and all students have multiple pathways through the curriculum. Currently, the focus is math; next they’ll work on English language arts, then science, then social studies. (A question came up about whether lower-than-expected MCAS scores in science were due to cutting science time in favor of social-emotional learning.)
• The district believes students learn best when they have a group of teachers collaborating to educate them; the district is intentionally bringing collaboration back into our schools post-pandemic.
• Our computer science curriculum was shared with educators from around the state at the MassCUE conference, and there are efforts to continue refining the program.
• The district is using a data dashboard to better visualize and utilize data from mental health, math, and reading screeners.

Equity

• The Equity Audit has been published, and the district has been reviewing it along with a consultant; the job description for a new Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will be created based on the needs that came out of that report and posted prior to February break.
• The district is working with a state program to increase diversification of staff.
• BEAM is being phased out and attempts are being made at making enrichment accessible to all students.
• A social-emotional curriculum is in place for PreK-8th grade.

Thriving

• The School Climate Survey results are being presented by principals at each school to their staff.
• Interface, the mental health referral service for Burlington residents of all ages, has serviced about 70 families from June through November.
• Cartwheel Care, a telehealth mental health service for children in grades 3-12 and their families, is also available, and their monthly webinars are well-attended.
• Burlington Youth and Family Services is helping younger students than before with play-based therapy.
• The Community Clinic brings the Board of Health and school district together to help community members who need health and immunization support.
• Brain Health Boot Camp is being piloted through high school health curriculum, and teachers have also been surveyed regarding their mental health literacy.
• McLean hospital hosts monthly collaborative professional development for our staff and has for the last 10 years or so.
• The formal teacher evaluation process is being reinstituted; it had been paused since the pandemic. This is intended to be a developmental, rather than a punitive, process.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Chen also reported on the progress of the entry plan she presented when she joined the district. The short version of this report is that she’s done or is working on just about everything she planned to do, and she’d like to increase her interface with students to learn what’s working for them and how to promote their work in clubs, etc.

Also at School Committee:

• Math nights at Memorial and Fox Hill were well-attended and a good opportunity for families to get involved. Pine Glen’s math night will be on 1/29 and Francis Wyman’s will be on 1/30; families from those schools are encouraged to go. Math Olympiad will be held this spring, and there will be a computer literacy night as well.

• On February 29 from 6-8, the Director of Health and Physical Education will hold a parents’ night to share the contents of the 4th and 5th grade human sexuality and puberty lessons.

• This Saturday, January 27, the Indian Association of Greater Boston will be holding Republic Day celebration at BHS.

• Some teachers will have the opportunity to take a course on multiculturalism, culturally relevant practices, and antiracism.

• The district is looking to implement a formal substitute teacher management system.

• A flag policy, codifying what the district has historically done, was presented for a first reading and will be voted on at the next meeting.

• The preliminary capital warrant items for this May’s budget-centered Town Meeting were introduced and will continue to be prioritized and refined:

  • Pine Glen - Air conditioning, phase 2, and fence repair

  • BHS - HVAC needs, an electric forklift to aid in distribution of supplies, fiber connection to Varsity Field for cameras and emergency communication, music floor adjustable staging (which can be used elsewhere if the district ends up with a new school)

  • Central office - carpeting (there was a question of why we would invest in the building if there’s a possibility it’ll be knocked down soon)

  • Francis Wyman - generator

  • MSMS bathrooms & locker rooms

  • Critical systems including sensors, emergency communications, and more

  • New walkie-talkies

  • Second maintenance vehicle

  • Curriculum materials and supplies

  • To be added: A feasibility study for Pine Glen

  • MSMS sports field rehab, which the School Committee hopes will end up being jointly supported with another town group

Today in Burlington

Municipal Meetings and Community Events

This evening starts the Jewish holiday of Tu B’Shevat, marking the onset of spring in Israel, a time of hope and renewal. Tu B’Shevat, The New Year of the Trees, occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat, which this year is Thursday, January 25. In Jewish tradition, holidays begin at sundown the day prior. In Jewish communities Tu B’Shevat is celebrated by planting trees, raising ecological awareness, and eating produce that grows on trees such as fruit or nuts. Many people also donate money to plant trees in Israel, where the holiday is celebrated as "Israeli Arbor Day" and marks the start of the planting season. Learn more about the holiday or plant a tree through Jewish National Fund (JNF). Chag Sameach חג שמח (happy holiday) to all of our residents who celebrate!

-Written for Burlington Buzz by rabbinical student Ben Einsidler

In Burlington, today’s schedule includes:

• 1:00 PM - Fox Hill Building Project - Executive Working Group will review recent and upcoming meetings. (Virtual)
• 4:00 PM - Board of Assessors - motor vehicle abatements and commitment is on the agenda for this evening, followed by an executive session, which will bea  discussion of the pending Appellate Tax Board hearing. (Town Hall Main Hearing Room)
• 7:00-7:45 PM - Teen Taste Test: Candy Canes - Students in grades 6-12 will debate and deliberate over which candy cane flavor is the best. What is your favorite? Tag the buzz on social media and let us know. #BurlingtonBuzz (Library; Register)

Sports and Activities

The boys’ basketball team has now won seven of their last eight games after a 59-51 win last night in Winchester. Girls lost their game 25-55.

Today, our hockey teams are in Belmont, with boys playing at 6:00 and girls at 8:00. In between, the wrestling team will take on Wakefield here at BHS at 7:00.

That’s it for today. Have a great one, and we’ll see you tomorrow!

Nicci

Share this Buzz with someone who has been wondering when the schools’ Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion position will be filled.