[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Oh, yes. Yes. Yeah, sure. Be my guest. The Medford School Committee regular meeting of October 16 will now come to order. The secretary will call the roll.
[7DUlBp6f_Us_SPEAKER_57]: Ms. Cuno. Mr. Vendetto. Present. Ms. Kress. Present. Mustone. Present. Ms. Kerrick. Present.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: present, six present, one absent, all please rise and salute our flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Also, if the minutes could reflect that Sebastian Tringali, our Meckler High School representative, is present this evening. Welcome. The first item of business, approval of the minutes of October 2, 2017 on the motion for approval by Mr. Skerry, Mr. Benedetto. I'm sorry.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: That's OK. OK, so there's a few things that I noticed on the minutes. On the second page, I had made a motion last week to have internal rankings and notifications made on the transcript, and that if they couldn't be made, then we needed to have an emergency meeting. So I was just wondering if the superintendent, we didn't call the meeting.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Well, the minutes stand on their own.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: OK, so it should have said by last week, by the end of last week, in the minutes. The emergency meeting was supposed to happen by the end of last week. So that's the first change.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Mr. Superintendent. Mr. Superintendent.
[Roy Belson]: At that meeting, you made a motion. And since that time, grievances were filed and other processes, legal matters were filed. And therefore, I want to discuss it with you in executive session, because I believe it affects our legal status. And I believe that should be taken into account before any meetings are scheduled.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: OK. So in the next section, it says, Mrs. Kreatz said that the robotics engineering team are presently traditional classes. And in 2019, it's scheduled to go on a cooperative plan. I think she made a motion to have that happen. And I just wanted, I can ask you later about an update on it, but I just wanted to comment on that.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: All right, there isn't a question. Are you all set with your? Ms. Kurtz, did you have an amendment to the list? Yes.
[Kathy Kreatz]: I actually spoke to Jill Sawyer about the robotics engineering program. And so if they go to the schedule, which is three periods per day, the company who's actually doing the co-op with the students would be willing to accept the students in the afternoon. and they could work maybe a 12 to 5 schedule. So it would still be a cooperative program, but it would have a different schedule so that the students could continue on with the calculus and the foreign language, which is something that some of the students that are juniors and seniors haven't taken. So I think that would be satisfactory. When I was speaking to my son, who's out on co-op, because it's a lot to juggle getting all the classes in and then going to the co-op. But it's definitely something, you know, if superintendent wants to have a meeting and we can talk about all the programs and, you know, just making sure that the programs who should be on co-ops are on co-ops on the A week and the B week. We did get a report in this package with who is going out on co-ops. So I think that'll come up later in the program. I just wanted to share that point of information.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: My other two are exactly about the minutes themselves. On the next thing, community participation, there also was a motion made to have the teachers, the administration, and the school committee meet to update the action plan to make sure all voices were on that action plan. That motion isn't in the notes. And that motion was made at our last meeting. And we can discuss it after, but as far as just the minutes, that's what you want, right?
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: So motion for the amendment to be added to the minutes from last week prior to their approval.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: And then there's one more issue. It says on the motion of Mrs. Cugno, second by Mrs. Stone, that the meeting was adjourned. Mrs. Cugno wasn't there. So that couldn't have been her. That was the only other correction on the minutes themselves. And if the superintendent wanted to comment on anything, that's fine.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: On the motion for approval of the minutes as amended, all those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? The minutes are passed. Thank you. Approval of bills, transfer of funds. Motion for approval by Ms. Discari. Is there a second on the floor?
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Second by Ms. Kreatz. All those in favor? Mr. Benedetto.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: I just had a quick question on page 9 of 13. It says MMH Clearinghouse. And it's over $10,000. And it says youth opiate prevention. And I just had never seen that on our website. on our bills before, and I was just wondering what that was.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: The Attorney General grant? That's correct.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: Christine? And what types of things does that cover? Curriculum. Oh, it's the curriculum? Yes. And that's taught through the superintendent. What age group is getting the curriculum? The opioid grant.
[Roy Belson]: That's the opioid grant. That was the expansion of the Michigan model.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: OK, and that's great. I just hadn't seen it on the bills, and I'd just like to know what's going on. Thank you. That's my only question on bills.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. There's a motion on the floor for approval by Mr. Scarey, seconded by Mr. Benedetto. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? The motion passes. Approval of payrolls. Motion for approval by Mr. Scarey, seconded by Ms. Kreatz. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion passes. Report of Secretary. Amen.
[Robert Skerry]: In the absence of Ms. Vandenbrook, Mayor, I have to take care of the bills. The bills seem to be in order. They've been signed and sent to a proper payment, and it's been approved somewhat under the weather, and she will be back next week.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Very good. Thank you very much, Mr. Skerry, for working on this. Community participation. Joseph Viglione, Open Meeting Law.
[Joe Viglione]: Good evening. My name is Joe Villione, 59 Garfield Ave, Medford, Mass. Thank you, school committee, for hearing me. On September 19, 2017, the Attorney General's office found that the Chapter 74 board of the school had violated the open meeting law. Now, this is a very serious offense, even though some people fluffed it off at the city council meeting. Very serious offense, especially in the light of the $650,000 or so dollars that were allocated from the old TV3 to the new station. So what are we going to do about it? You have a board for a year and a half. School committee, I don't believe, knew about it. City Council certainly didn't know about it. Flies under the radar, but it was so significant because Bob Penter and other citizens and myself were attending all of Mayor McGlynn's tribunals, which were talking about the new access station, and all of a sudden, the high school is talking about the access station, but the public doesn't know if the MCC monies are here, and the educational monies are here, and the governmental monies are there, and the general fund, it's all convoluted. I've been on this project for 15 years. I'm not that dumb. I can't figure it out. The public can't. So I think that this serious, serious offense of not letting us know about this chapter 74 board, which had people that weren't even from Medford, Revere and outside of Medford, all very, very smoky. So I propose something. I propose, especially after the media day yesterday at the public access station, which seems so very educational oriented. Politicians, neighbors of mine are saying, I didn't hear about it, Joe. Anthony D'Antonio, a significant member of the Medford community. Joe, I didn't know about it. I spoke about it at the city council. There was no outreach. I propose, because of this egregious offense, this failure, I mean, we have very smart people here. The mayor's a very smart woman. Superintendent Belson is a very smart man. We can't feign ignorance that, oh, we didn't know about the open meeting laws. My God, you people have to take tests for the open meeting law. I feel, sadly, that my opinion is it was intentional to keep me out, specifically, because I've been fighting for public access in this city for 15 years. But many might know that I fought the good fight in Woburn for a good five years. And I'm a member in Stoneham. And Woburn airs my show. It was my strength. that made that right up there, and we all know that it was my fight that shut down TV3. So I think it would have been prudent for this city to let me, Bob Penter, and D'Antonio, and other individuals know, and the city council, and the school committee. So, especially yesterday, I feel very uncomfortable having it at the high school when a state rep acted in an inappropriate manner, and the mayor laughed.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: I am staying within the area.
[Joe Viglione]: Because you laughed at the sexual joke. You laughed.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: So you're shutting me off.
[Joe Viglione]: Censorship.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Again, you can leave this meeting if you cannot be a responsible adult.
[Joe Viglione]: You laughed at a sexual outrage, and you don't want it talked about.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you.
[Mea Quinn Mustone]: Through the chair. Me. Ask a question through the chair.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: There is no recommendation. We've already taken care of it. It was a chapter 74 advisory board. They don't deliberate. They don't make decisions for the school system. All the meetings will be posted. It's been taken care of. Thank you very much. Next item. Next item, report of superintendent. Report on Nellie Mae Education Foundation Grant. Mr. Superintendent.
[Unidentified]: What? Mayor and members of the committee,
[Roy Belson]: You have a report on the Nellie Mae Education Foundation Grant. With us this evening is our Director of Guidance, Amelia Jensen, along with Tim Kline, who is a recipient of the O'Toole Award. It's a very significant award. It's done a lot of very good things for us. We'll do even more. I'm going to let them explain it to you in great detail.
[7DUlBp6f_Us_SPEAKER_21]: Good evening. Good evening, Mayor Burke, Superintendent Belson, members of the school committee. I'm very excited to be here tonight to announce that one of our school Councilors, Tim Klein, has won the Lawrence O'Toole Educator Leadership Award and grant for $15,000. This award is given to an educator who advocates for student-centered approaches to learning, not only in their classroom, but within their practice. This award is sponsored by the Nellie Mae Foundation, and this year was given to 12 recipients across New England. Tim has won this award as a result of his innovative pilot program, Empower, which was started last year at the high school. The Lawrence O'Toole Award is also accompanied with a $15,000 grant, and this grant will be used to bring innovative digital technology to the MPower program, which will help us grow this program over the next three years. I have Tim here, and I would like to ask him to give you a brief summary of the program and to answer any questions that you may have of the work that he's been doing. Good evening, Mr. Klein.
[Klein]: Good evening, thanks for having me. Yeah, I'm really excited to be here and to win this award on behalf of Medford Public Schools. So it's from Empower, which it started from the research partnership that Dr. Perella started with Harvard University and Boston College. And it's based in this emerging field in youth development called youth purpose. And so that's how do we ensure that all of our high school students are actively pursuing a long-term goal that's personally meaningful and also is beneficial to the world outside the self. So honestly, when I'm sitting up here, we want all of our students to be looking like Sebastian up here, who's obviously actively pursuing something that's meaningful to him. So Empower is really about asking students not just to consider what college they want to go to or what major or what career, but really to understand why they want to pursue those things, how it aligns with their core values, how it's going to allow them to build their strength and skills. So to understand the intrinsic motivators. So I'm really excited for this award because we've piloted this with seniors in the high school, and the vocational school. We did it last year with 25 students. We've tripled the number this year. But this award is going to allow us to really bring in really innovative digital technology and curriculum that we can bring. So it's going to allow us to bring in an application that not only me and our Empower students can use, but the entirety of the public school district can use as well when we get it out there. So I'm really excited to bring this to Medford Public Schools.
[Ann Marie Cugno]: Nice job. Ms. Cuno. Thank you. First and foremost, thank you and congratulations. This is absolutely wonderful. These are always the innovative programs that we're always looking for and I appreciate your department and Miss Westmark, nope, I have to get it right. I've known her before she was married. So just to say thank you to you for all that you've done. I was just wondering, I have actually spoken like in the past with the chamber and other organizations in our city that it would really be beneficial I think and speaking to others that I think this would go hand in hand if we're able to put our students into the community and have them have some type of internship with the businesses or fields that they're interested in. We have a hotel in the square. We have different types of businesses. So I'd like to see, if possible, maybe a collaboration that I know businesses are really interested in having our students, and what better way to give our students that are here in the city the opportunity to maybe look into the field that they're interested in. So if you have people that are interested in business, maybe do something in the business field. We have the vocational side, but I think it's nice to open up another door. But I've also spoken to the businesses that we want to be very careful, I don't want our students to get the opportunity to go and see those fields, but if it's something down the road that they could continue working in, then our students need to be paid. They can't just always do everything voluntarily. So I was just wondering what your thoughts were on something like that.
[Klein]: Do you want me to answer that? I mean, I think it's a fantastic idea. It's amazing. I mean, I tried working with Sebastian, not to keep bringing you up, but we tried doing the same thing with Sebastian. And I'm all for it. And it's greed. You want internships that's providing value for our students. What I've been, it's been a struggle for me is around scheduling flexibility. So it's just having students having a flexible enough schedule so maybe they could leave during the school day. or getting credit for those internships, but I think it's a fantastic, fantastic idea. And if you know people from the Chamber of Commerce, let's definitely set up a meeting where we can start connecting with students who might be interested with businesses that would be a good fit.
[Ann Marie Cugno]: And even if it's something that if the students can't do during the day, because I know they have a lot on their plates and you don't want to lose any time in classes, Maybe there's something that could be worked out like after school or maybe in a Saturday or if the business is open. But again, something to really get your teeth into what you want to do. I just don't want to see kids, I just don't want them going there and sweeping or anything like that. Not that you shouldn't, but I really want them to get the passion of what they're there for. Because I think it opens up their eyes to see if it's something that they're really interested in. and they want to pursue, or if it's something they thought they were interested in and they want to go to a different field altogether. I love it.
[7DUlBp6f_Us_SPEAKER_21]: Yeah, we definitely encourage students to come to Mr. Klein, because he is our school and community partnerships Councilor, so he makes those connections. Come to Mr. Klein, maybe tell them what they're looking for, and he can help make that connection. And we also encourage community members to reach out to us as well. Perfect. All right, thank you. Thank you.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Mr. Tringale.
[Sebastian Tringali]: Thank you. Yeah, directly from a high schooler's perspective, working with the guidance Councilors, especially applying to colleges this year. My personal guidance Councilor has tons of students and they're working with students from all over the school all the time. So I think it's great that Mr. Klein is here to be that, you know, extra hand. I worked with him almost immediately as soon as he came to high school to try to get some, you know, internships. And again, you know, I'm a really busy guy and so are tons of my classmates. End up not, you know, I never, you know, followed through with that internship. But I think that you know, what is already being done, I guess, is, you know, he's doing a great job with that. So, thank you and keep up.
[Klein]: Well, I think from that conversation, you got into journalism, and then you started the school newspaper, essentially, right?
[Sebastian Tringali]: Yeah, yeah. Essentially, it was that conversation. And to give a back story, it was, I was thinking about business, and Mr. Klein talked me through it, and I realized I didn't really want to do business, and, you know, thought more about journalism, another field I was passionate about. So I don't think I would have had that conversation with my guidance Councilor, because I think she was just really wrapped up in getting kids applied to colleges and all of those things. So I think it's great. And I think it's great that you won this grant to expand your program. So thanks.
[Klein]: Thank you. And I'll just make one more pitch. It wouldn't have happened without Ms. Jensen here, just allowing me, no, to do like a really innovative work that hadn't been happening before, not only in Medford, but it hasn't been really been happening anywhere. And I just want to make a plug for our guidance team as well. Like what you heard Sebastian said, it's, they feel very, very at capacity and it feels like they have a very high caseload and it's like, If we can build up more guidance Councilor capacity to have these meaningful conversations about what do they want their lives to look like, what type of impact they want to have, it can have a very profound impact on our students. So I just think the role of the Councilors is as important as ever now. And I'm glad to be one at Medford. Thank you.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Maybe you could add a little bit from that breakfast last year when you had the Chamber of Commerce in and vocational. Ms. Sawyer, I believe, was the one leading the charge over in the vocational side. Maybe just elaborate a little bit more about your outreach.
[Klein]: Yeah, so we had the Chamber of Commerce come in, and they came out for a breakfast, and the vocational students catered an amazing breakfast. And I did do a presentation about the need for our students and their desire to get out into the city of Medford to get hands-on experience. So I did some research on what the school resources we had now. And we have over 100 clubs at the school. And about 85% of our students are actively involved in the school. And we did a survey of students saying, well, what would you like to get more involved with? And the overwhelming, the majority of students who said they wanted to do more, it was around meaningful employment. And if you look at research now about what When you look at what employers are looking for from recent college graduates, they're really emphasizing meaningful employment and job experience. So we're getting to a place in the world where it's not so much what college you go to or what grades you have, but it's really more about what meaningful experience in the field do you have. So as much as we can get students out into the field to actually give them experience, they can understand what they do want to do, what they don't want to do, and make really meaningful connections in the city of Medford that's going to help them to help this city and get, and help our, a lot of our jobs are having a hard time finding meaningful employment. So it's really a mutually beneficial relationship for both. But, yes.
[Kathy Kreatz]: Very good. Ms. Kreatz. I just wanted to say congratulations. Thank you very much. And I noticed that it said that, you know, the students have increased GPAs and post-secondary plans. And, you know, I just wanted to bring attention to that and increase graduation rates. That's fantastic, and it sounds like you're going in the right direction, and you're involving both the vocational students and high school students. It just sounds terrific. So how do the students get in touch with you? Should they email you, or do they go through their guidance Councilor? Which students? If students were interested and kind of spending some time with you to find out what their interests are, should they go through their guidance Councilor? they're put in touch with you, or?
[Klein]: Yeah, I mean, I have, this is probably not gonna work out for me, but I have an open door policy, I always have, so it's like, they can come find me. So through Empower, I'll just say, it's being evaluated by Boston College right now. So right now, it's a randomized trial. So every single high school senior was automatically randomly selected into the program. So we actually have an intervention, which is Empower, and then we have a control group as well. And we're doing pre and post surveys for both of them to see what the actual impact of Empower is. But yeah, just send them my way. I'm third floor guidance. And it's just like I have students coming in and out all of the time. So you can send them, or go to their guidance Councilor who's doing a lot of the same work that I am.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: OK.
[Kathy Kreatz]: Thank you very much.
[Klein]: Thank you.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: Thank you. Mr. Benedetto. Thank you. It just really speaks to the approach of how we handle students in MedFit, the whole child, because it's not just about getting them through and getting them either off to college or military or to a job, but to really seek what they are looking for in their needs and trying to meet those needs. So I really think that having job experience, even if it's not paid, position, it gives you so many life skills that a lot of our young people are lacking, and that employers and colleges are looking for. They're looking for students that are prepared, that are on time, that show up when they're supposed to, or call if they're sick, or can't answer the phone in a professional manner, and all of those skills that you might not get in a day at school, but need to move forward and need to present yourself not only yourself, your family, but also your community in Medford High. So when you move on, people are like, oh, look at that kid from Medford High. And that's a skill that all children need, not only financial skills, but just professionalism and all of those type of things. I think it's great that we have this position now at Medford High. I know we struggled for a few years with amount of guidance people per student ratio, and we've increased them in the last six years. I know the superintendent's commitment to that department has been great, and I'm glad that we're taking a whole child approach at Medford High, as well as, you know, I'm very proud of the work you've done, that it's been acknowledged, And I'm very happy to bring in any dollars you want to bring that benefit our students. And thank you. And you deserve all the recognition that comes along with this. So maybe a note in someone's employee file would be warranted at this time, Mr. Superintendent, that the committee is impressed and appreciates the hard work of both Mrs. Jenkins. Did I say it right? It's usually Ms. Westmock to me. Thank you very much, Mr. Kline and Ms.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Jensen, for your hard work in bringing this home. We appreciate it. Great program. Keep up the good work. And certainly, if you want to set up any meetings with the chamber, we certainly could facilitate for you as well.
[Klein]: Yeah, I'll put that out there. If anyone out here is looking to partner with us, I'm all ears.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: And thank you very much for all of your support.
[Klein]: Yes, seriously.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Thank you. Thank you. Is there a motion on the floor to receive in place on file offered by Ms. Cuno, seconded by Ms. Mastoon? All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? Motion passes. Thank you very much. Report on online Be Good Academy.
[Roy Belson]: So we're going to call upon our assistant superintendent to deliver this report.
[Diane Caldwell]: Good evening. On Thursday, September 28th, four eighth grade students from the Andrews Middle School and their teacher, Mr. Chris Tremonti, attended a day-long program on social media for social good. Rick Rendon, founder of Empower Peace, asked me if we could gather a group of students together from Medford to participate in launching an innovative use of social media. So the following students attended WGBH, at this conference, Sophia Zimanski, Andre Perez, Luke Gatti, and Sarah Biannimi. In addition, Mr. Twonte and myself were available for this conference. The students listened to John Rendon, President and Executive Officer of the Rendon Group, discuss strategic communications in the 21st century. Macon Phillips Skyped from Spain to talk about social media for the social good. There were other interactive panelists and discussions. The highlight for many of us was listening to Andrew Frady's brother, Apeet Frady's. The discussion about how the Ice Bucket Challenge came about and how social media from people all over the world participated and spread the word. Mr. Frady said his brother continues his fight in finding a cure for ALS. The students told me what they learned from the conference. Statements like, what you put online is there forever, even if it's not, even if you take it down. So be careful with what you say. It can hurt you for years later, especially when you're looking for a job. And don't always focus on the negative in social media. The students are here with us this evening to tell you about what they learned for social media for social good. They have an action plan. Their issues will focus on communicating with their peers about online fake accounts, bullying, and protecting privacy. They will be working with sixth grade students. And I've provided with you in your packet the program for the day and a copy of the agenda and the action plan. I'd also like to take a moment to thank Mr. Paul DeLeva, the principal of the school, who helped me put together this group of students and is also here with us this evening. So at this time, I would like to ask Sarah, Bien-Ami, and Andre to come up and discuss what they have learned. And I'd like to thank Chris Tremonti as well. So Sarah, why don't you come up, and Andre as well.
[RdeZPdj6ap0_SPEAKER_04]: Hello. Hi, how was y'all day today? Great? Was your day great today? Was it good?
[7DUlBp6f_Us_SPEAKER_31]: We're good. So the online for goods group has been an eye opener for us. And it taught my peers and I that it taught my peers and I the uses of the internet and how it affects us in our future. not only did it provide background information, but it also provided fun activities to grab the youth's attention. And one major thing that really, one major thing that I loved about this group was that you see, you saw several schools, like in the Massachusetts, in the state of Massachusetts come together and try to make a difference, not only in reality, but in online use. And we learned how the ice bucket began, and how it represented ALS, and how the FedEx sign, if you look at it, there's an arrow, which means delivered. That can symbolize the deliverance. But it was a really great experience for us, personally.
[7DUlBp6f_Us_SPEAKER_21]: Thank you, Sarah.
[7DUlBp6f_Us_SPEAKER_10]: Good evening. I'm Andre Perez from Andrews Middle School, and I'm in the eighth grade. And I wrote a short paper on my experience at Online for Good. The time I had at Online for Good was very fun and a great learning experience. The day started off with being picked up early in the morning and heading to the WGBH building in Boston. My friend Luke and I met up with the two other students who were joining us on the trip, Sarah and Sophia. The four of us picked a table to sit at, and we talked for a little bit, and then got right into the lecture. The lecture was very good, and we learned a lot about online safety and the power of the internet. One example that was given was the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. After the activity was over, Mr. Tremonti and the group decided that we were going to try to pursue an activity where the four students in the group go into a sixth grade room during RTI class and talk to them about what to do and what not to do on the internet and how to stay safe. We as a group would like very much to have this activity run through the Andrews Middle School system throughout the years.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Very nice.
[7DUlBp6f_Us_SPEAKER_31]: Have you met with the sixth graders yet? No, we're planning on doing that before RTI, yeah.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Nice job.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: Mr. Benedetto. I actually have a question for the students. First of all, thank you for going and representing Medford so well, and thank you for presenting this evening in such a professional manner. I'm very impressed by both your presentations and glad you're Medford students. My question to you is, since you've gone there, what different things have you done on your social media? since you've gone there? How have you taken what you learned and it changed your everyday life?
[7DUlBp6f_Us_SPEAKER_31]: To be careful on what you post on the internet and not to entertain in things that are not appropriate.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: And you've changed how you speak and what you post?
[7DUlBp6f_Us_SPEAKER_10]: Things on the other side of social media Like, as she said, the FedEx sign, you look at it carefully and you can see an arrow between the E and the X. Ever since that, I've looked at other things more carefully to see if they have any other symbols inside of them.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: That's great. And even your contract with your friends and your schoolmates, has it changed how you speak and what you might say? Does it make you rethink before you hit post?
[7DUlBp6f_Us_SPEAKER_10]: Yeah, it helped a lot. Because sometimes you can say stuff that aren't nice, and it gives you a chance to reassure what you're going to say before you send it.
[7DUlBp6f_Us_SPEAKER_31]: Also adding to that, it helps us think before we say something. Think before you speak. That's one thing that also improved. And it helps us not entertain things that are inappropriate.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: So I have a request. Since this seemed to have touched you both, Not only would the Andrews kids benefit from your presentation, the McGlen Middle School would as well. And since they don't have representatives going, I'm going to request that you maybe get a chance to present to the sixth graders at the McGlen as well. And I'm going to ask Ms. Caldwell and your principal if they could make that happen. So I want to squirt you over and do that presentation as well. And I would really love to see students from both schools attend next year. so that we have representatives talking about this. Because this is what we hear is a big problem. Bullying, cyber bullying, cyber issues, they happen at night, but then they come into the school every day. And the school's in a very tricky situation on how to handle things that happen outside of school. And we have to set policies and procedures, which we're still working at because things change so quickly. So if we have students like you, strong professional students talking to other students, they might hear you, you know? And so I think that your work that you've done and what you've learned is very valuable and I'd love you to share it to the other building as well. That's my first motion on the floor to make sure that these children get the chance to do that. So I'll need a second. Thank you. And then, um, to make sure that both schools have the opportunity to attend this next year. And we do more of that collaboratively. That's my next motion, is to make sure both schools get a chance to partake in this next year. So very good.
[Ann Marie Cugno]: Thank you. Ms. Cugno? Thank you. First of all, let me just say that I'm sorry that I didn't get the opportunity to really speak to you about this, because I really wasn't 100% sure before we started the meeting, and I sat down with you really quick. But I would have asked you a thousand questions, because when I started many years ago, one of the first things that I really wanted to do was, it was the anti-bullying. And so we brought in a lot of forums, not only children, and not only our students, but for everybody. I think some people, maybe even adults, might need a refresher course on this. You know, trying to tell children all the time or anyone just to be careful what you write you know I get it all the time the snapchat is only there for a couple of minutes I want to know from you what have you learned as far as like these sites that they say they're only on there for a couple of minutes and they disappear have you now had a different way of thinking about that yeah.
[7DUlBp6f_Us_SPEAKER_10]: As an example for Snapchat, things that you think are only there for like up to three to 10 seconds, people can take screenshots or save them and they can never go away.
[Ann Marie Cugno]: Right. I'm really happy that you have had the opportunity and will have the opportunity to continue with this. As my colleague said, I think this is a wonderful way of really starting to share what you learn It's important that your peers hear from you. Sometimes, as adults, we'll say it and, oh, no, it's not true, or you don't know about it, or you have no idea about it. I know when we dropped off my son many years ago to college. Actually, that was one of the biggest things is students were doing certain things, you know, just fooling around or whatever in college and then they were going to look for jobs afterwards and the employers are looking into everything. So, it has to be something that you really, I hope, will continue bringing to your peers. And every opportunity you have, I know your friends are probably going to be tired of listening to you, always saying, no, be careful what you're going to do, but keep on doing it. Because even if you just change one person or a couple of people, you've done a lot. You really have. And actually, going and learning and educating yourselves, you've already superseded what you needed to do. So thank you for representing us. Thank you for absorbing what they're teaching you and actually understanding what they're saying. Thank you.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Very good. On the motions that this information be shared with the McGlynn Middle School as well and that the McGlynn participate at the next forum. All those in favor? Aye. All those opposed? The motion passes. Thank you very much for contributing this evening. Wonderful job. Great. Report on Global Scholars Program. Mr. Superintendent.
[Roy Belson]: Mayor and members of the committee, this report is in two parts. The Global Scholars Program is now in its fourth year. The program is integrated into the seventh grade geography curriculum. It's an initiative of the Global Cities program of Bloomberg Philanthropies out of New York. Medford has been a pioneer school system in Massachusetts with this program. We're the first to do it. Most of the involved cities are large metropolises around the globe. There are over 20 major metropolises around the globe participating. And as such, we've had the opportunity to help shape the curriculum and methodologies involved in the implementation and development. Our Curriculum Director, Dr. Bernadette Riccadeli, and our Director of Humanities, Dr. Nicole Chieser, have supervised the outstanding work of our seventh grade middle school teachers. This year, the program will focus on the global food system. I'm going to allow Dr. Riccadeli to tell you more about it, and then I need to come back and talk about the upcoming symposium that will take place in Paris, France.
[Ricciardelli]: Good evening. I've been here a number of times to talk about the Global Scholars Program, and each time I am excited because, again, it is a wonderful program. So just following up on the last presentation, we were talking about social media. This is a program that has its own portal. It has the Haiku portal system. So all of the communication that occurs between our seventh grade students in the program and students around the world is protected. And the students know ahead of time that teachers can go in and they can look at all of the dialogue that occurs among the students. So I just want you to know that it is a highly protected system. So as the superintendent mentioned, it includes Medford. So we're considered Medford Boston. We now have other schools in the area participating. There are some Boston public schools, Everett, I think there's one school in Chelsea now. There are a couple of schools in New York and in Jacksonville, Florida. So we were the first school here in the United States. to participate in this program. So not only is it worldwide, but it really not only has it grown worldwide, but it has grown here in the United States as well. So as far as the curriculum is concerned this year, the focus is on food and feeding our cities. So this is the yearly curriculum. So it began October 1st, or thereabouts October 1st, and it will end the end of May. There are five units, so classes, again, all seventh grade students at both the McGlynn and the Andrews have participated in unit one, which is an introduction to the program, including introduction to the eClassroom. And again, the responsibilities that come along with that. Unit 2, which we'll be getting shortly, has to do with nourishing ourselves and our cities. So students explore the basic principles of nutrition and investigate the health impact of processed foods and sugar. They'll learn how to deal with such issues such as obesity and access to healthy food. Moving on to Unit 3, which probably will be towards the beginning of the new calendar year, growing the food we need. Students will learn of the global system that produces our fruit, vegetables, grains, meat, and seafood. They will consider how climate impacts our ability to grow food. Along the way, they'll be doing a lot of writing, a lot of critical thinking, again, a lot of communicating with their partners around the world. As they move on to Unit 4, probably around late February, early March, they will be studying delivering food to the world. That is that unit theme. Students will learn how food gets from the farm to their plates through a network of global food supply chains. which I think is a great lesson because many of us don't appreciate how difficult it is for our food to be transported to us. And lastly, as is true with all of the curriculum projects in this program, there's an action plan or an action project called Community in Action. And students will reflect on what they have learned about nutrition and food security and they will design a project that addresses one of these topics. So again, in a nutshell, that is the curriculum. I certainly do have more information if anyone is interested, but in the interest of time, that's a snapshot. This program has a lot of professional development embedded into it. So the teachers who are involved, at least once a month, are involved with online professional development through a webinar. Most of the reviews have been very positive. So not only are they getting professional development in pedagogy, but they're also getting professional development in content, which we know our teachers want and need for their relicensure. There is a symposium that is occurring in just a few days, really. I believe it begins on October 22nd. So select district personnel were invited to participate in this project in Paris. So this is really exciting. So the title of the symposium is Students and the Global Edge, Evaluating the Global Digital Educational Experience. So we're really excited. Superintendent Belson and one of our seventh grade teachers, Frank Zizzo, who is at the Andrews, will be participating in this symposium. Frank Zizzo has been instrumental in bringing the Skype aspect to these interactions with these other schools around the world, and he has been a model, so he was invited to participate in the program. So at this point, I think Superintendent Belson wanted to add something to the symposium part of this presentation.
[Roy Belson]: So the program is a terrific program. really connects people you saw a little bit with the previous program, people talking to other students, peers around the world, talking to each other, solving social issues, talking about the kinds of things. This is cutting edge activity. And there's going to be 50 cities represented in Paris this week. And there's going to be incredible exchanges. Michael Bloomberg will keynote. There will be professors from around the world, the London School of Economics, Moscow, Columbia. coming to this symposium to discuss the outcomes. And you have some of the materials in the brochure that I've provided to you. In order for me to be compensated under the ethics rules, I need your approval for Bloomberg Philanthropies to pay for my expenses to go. I've covered Mr. Zizzo because I'm his appointing authority, you're my appointing authority, so I need your approval for me, but Mr. Zizzo has my approval to attend, and we anticipate that this is about a $1,500 expense on the part of Bloomberg Philanthropies, the airfare, hotel, and the like. I also intend to stay for about a day and a half more to enjoy the city with my wife, and I will pay the expenses for anything associated with my private time in in Paris. So I look forward to this activity and I ask your approval to have Bloomberg Philanthropies allow me to attend at their expense.
[Ann Marie Cugno]: Very good. Ms. Cuno, before we even do that, I think it's important that we disclose also the program involves participation with the following collaborating cities. And I think it's really very important. I'm going to go through them really quickly, but I mean, to hear the cities that I'm going to be talking about, And to hear that Medford is part of this is just an incredible achievement, I think, and fortunate opportunity for all. So it is Taipia, Moscow, New York, Melbourne, Buenos Aires, Prague, Tel Aviv, Belize, Warsaw, Manila, Jakarta, Madrid, Delhi, I can't even see it, St. Petersburg, Istanbul, Hyderabad, Accra, and Kurskov. So when we're looking and we're hearing at these, I mean, it's incredible. So I think it's very important that we have representation. And with that, do I have to make a motion? Motion for approval. So motion to approve that the superintendent.
[Stephanie Muccini Burke]: Is there a second on the floor? Second. Seconded by Ms. Kreatz. Mr. Benedetto.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: So I was just wondering, are we the only Massachusetts school attending this conference?
[Roy Belson]: There's a representative from Boston, and there's a representative from the Everett Public Schools. We introduced the program to Boston and Everett at the request of Marjorie Bloomberg-Tibbin.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: And is it typical for a superintendent to go as well as a teacher?
[Roy Belson]: Absolutely.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: I'm just checking. I'm just asking.
[Roy Belson]: Oh, absolutely. It's, you know, obviously they're looking for educational leaders to discuss the impact of outcomes on these kinds of programs.
[Erin DiBenedetto]: I think my colleague has a question. Ms. Quinn, must don't.
[Mea Quinn Mustone]: Ms. Riccadeli, so Mr. Zizzo is the point person for the Andrews. Is there a point person at the McGlennan where they invited as well?
[Ricciardelli]: No. There were, to my knowledge, three people invited. I was invited. I declined the invitation. They did not select four schools. Mr. Zizzo was selected because of his contribution. Outside of his regular duties, he introduced the entire program to how Skype could be used in it. So that's how he differentiated himself from the rest. The other teachers are fantastic. They do a great job. The other teacher, there's several teachers involved at the Andrews and the McGlynn. But again, what set him apart was his contribution with the Skype.
[Mea Quinn Mustone]: So there's four seventh grade global scholars, right? Two at each middle school, A and B side? That's correct. So should that be something we should think about? to let a McGlynn rep go, just to bring it back.
[Roy Belson]: This is an invitation on the part of Bloomberg Philanthropies. Marjorie Tiven, who is the executive of this particular program, selected Mr. Zizzo for his contributions. All the young people, all of our teachers, did a good job doing things. But Mr. Zizzo added some technological capacity, advanced the concept a little bit. Remember, we were the first school system in Massachusetts to do this. They were looking at us for ideas. I provided them with some positions, papers on project-based learning, and other things like that. So Mr. Zizza was selected for his contributions, as opposed to being in a school, a particular school. But there are teachers, and administrators, and professors, and business people from all walks going to this particular thing to have this symposium to trade ideas about how we can leverage international digital learning. and create some outcomes that are there. So it was a selection of the program.
[Mea Quinn Mustone]: And I mean, I think Mr. Zizzo's great. Tegan has him this year for seventh grade. So then is Mr. Zizzo, does he come back and teach the rest of the three seventh grade teachers about the Skyping tool?
[Roy Belson]: Well, he's already done that. But he'll come back, as I will too, and also meet with people to talk about the things that were discussed, and how it can be advanced, and where we can grow from it, and what other people have suggested. It's really an attempt to exchange ideas and bring back advancements to the program. Remember, it's only in its fourth year. And as you might imagine with the revenues or the resources behind Bloomberg Philanthropies, it can grow substantially. And so we bring back some ideas. And these are things that we'll try to do and try to advance and try to do even more than we're doing now, incorporate even more people.
[Ricciardelli]: Can I just follow up?
[Ann Marie Cugno]: I just want to say that the way I've read this was that it wasn't invitational. And so the people that were selected for this were selected from the Bloomberg, not from our city. So with that being said also, I'm hoping that when the superintendent go and Mr. Zizek go, if discussion comes, up in as far as what will be done in the future. Maybe they could open it up even to maybe asking for students that actually participate in the program to be part of the type of symposium that they're doing. As you said, it's only been four years. I don't think that you've gone to any of the other symposium, and I don't think that they've had anything going on that Mr. Azuz will go before. Not to Europe.
[Roy Belson]: Mr. Zizou actually participated in a teleconference.
[Ann Marie Cugno]: The teleconference I knew of.