Canton Public Schools: Canton Public Schools Shares Information From June 10 School Committee Meeting

Press release from Canton Public Schools:

Leah Comins

July 7, 2021

CANTON — Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Fischer-Mueller would like to share with the school community updates and information provided at the June 10 Canton School Committee meeting.

A recording of the full meeting can be viewed here.

Additional meeting materials, including the Superintendent’s Report and all documents shared at the meeting are available here.

The Superintendent’s Report on June 10 served to thank and recognize a number of individuals and groups throughout the schools and Canton community who helped to make the 2020-21 school year successful. Read more here and see the full slideshow here.

Jeff Sperling has been selected as the new principal of Canton High School. He served as assistant principal of Medfield High School since 2005. He began in his new position on Thursday, July 1. Read more here.

GMS and CHS administrators presented their End-of-Year School Improvement Plan updates. The School Improvement Plans are aligned with the District’s Strategic Framework and were approved in the late fall. Each school shared highlights regarding Student Learning Outcomes, the Student School Experience, and the summary of progress toward their identified 2020-21 School Improvement Plan Priorities.

Galvin Middle School: Year-End Report

GMS students began the year learning fully remote before shifting to a hybrid model. Students were able to return to the school building All-in on April 15 with the exception of those students for whom remote learning was still the best option. Though students learned in three different ways this year, each model had a strong focus on relationships and connection, and the silver lining of the year was the stronger and deeper relationships teachers were able to build with their students. To achieve a culture of caring and connection, the school offered things like virtual and in-person clubs, on-demand learning, World Language Week, Black History Month Assembly, spirit weeks and more, as well as focused on teacher wellness. RLP students were also invited to participate in many of the school’s end-of-year activities.

A GMS Community Survey was administered to get feedback from families around their students’ experiences during the year. The responses showed various school strengths, including that parents/guardians felt that GMS is a welcoming community, that the GMS administration keeps them informed, that their child is safe and comfortable in the school, and that their students had at least one trusted adult at the GMS. The school also received feedback noting that this year was particularly challenging and will require continued focus on social-emotional learning and relationship building.

Priority 1: School Culture and the Student Experience

GMS aimed to create a school culture that places the student experience at its center, with an emphasis on development of positive, healthy relationships that promote students’ well-being and growth. This was achieved through Community Block, on-demand learning, recess and a focus on social-emotional learning, as well as home-school communication and home visits, clubs, afternoon and evening homework club, the Connected Galvin Community & Moving Up In Style, and faculty collaboration and wellness.

Priority 2: Transformational Teaching and Learning

Academically, students learned to use technology in new ways to learn and collaborate. Teachers also created curriculum plans that provided a student-centered learning environment that could be executed in both the virtual and remote settings. Several teachers also adapted and were able to offer project based learning opportunities for students that both challenged and engaged students.

Sixth grade English classes introduced the concept of accountable talk, which helps teach students to have productive dialogue with classmates to engage in higher order thinking and rigorous academic dialogue. The school is also working to expand this type of learning experience to additional subjects. Teachers also participated in professional development to better be able to lead conversations and dialogue in their classrooms.

Finally, the school has continued with Project Based Learning and received two grants this year to support this work with their partners Project Lead the Way, the One8 Foundation, and i2Learning. Outside of these three partnerships, teachers have also been learning more about PBL on their own and designing units to implement with their students.

• Masks will be required inside for students and educators when 6-foot distancing can not be maintained for a sustained period of time.
• When 6-foot distancing CAN be maintained indoors for a sustained period of time, masks will not be required.
• When outside, masks are optional, and not required of students or staff.
• Unvaccinated staff are encouraged to wear a mask.
• Students/families may always opt to wear masks if they feel more comfortable doing so. Courtesy and respect for the choices for all individuals is urged.

This press release was produced by Canton Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.