MASC Academic Excellence Awards

The Silver Lake Regional School Committee met Thursday, Oct. 27. Superintendent Jill Proulx told the Committee, “On behalf of the Mass Association of School Superintendents I’m honored to present two certificates of academic excellence to two graduating seniors each year; this award is given to two Silver Lake seniors who have distinguished themselves in pursuit of excellence during their high school careers. Both Anna Billings and Caroline McKenna, who is here with us this evening, have distinguished themselves in terms of their three-year cumulative averages and both are in the top percent of the class of 2023.” Of McKenna, Proulx said she participates in field hockey, band, marching band, jazz band, drama, National Honor Society, and the Journalism Club. She also works at CVS and volunteers at the Kingston Public Library. McKenna’s father, who was also in attendance, thanked the school and the school system for all they have done for his children.

Reorganization

Committee Chair Paula Hatch let everyone know that Chris Eklund had rejoined the Committee. “We’re thrilled, he’s been very generous with his time,” Hatch said. He is filling the position of Leslie-Ann McGee who resigned from her seat. Hatch said that Eklund had been added to the negotiations subcommittee since he had previously served on it. Committee member Jason Fraser nominated Lukasz Kowalski for the now open position of secretary. Committee member Summer Schmaling seconded the nomination, and the Committee voted unanimously to appoint Kowalski as secretary. Fraser joined the school start time subcommittee.

Approval for Seaview Learning Academy

Hatch brought up some old business from previous meetings regarding the District’s approval of a school at Camp Norse in Kingston. Hatch said that they were now in possession of all the items required on the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) checklist. Schmaling made a motion to approve Seaview Learning Academy to operate within the District and the Committee voted to approve it.

Charles Demeulle Memorial Bench

Jeanine Nastar, an educator at Silver Lake Regional Middle School, spoke regarding the untimely passing of student Charles Demeulle in June. She called it “the saddest reason I have ever reached out to our school community in my entire life.” She continued saying, “Through the generosity of the staff and the Silver Lake Regional School District, we brought the Demeulle/Riley family food, we sent flowers to memorial services, we gave the family over $1,000 in gift cards to local establishments and stores, and still had leftover money to a more permanent celebration of his life.” A student reached out in August with a suggestion for a more permanent reminder of her schoolmate. “This was by far the most painful, beautiful, rewarding, humbling fundraiser I have ever done,” Nastar said. She said that Demeulle “presented himself in the most positive way he could every day” despite a number of physical and emotional struggles. “He was kind, he was grateful, and he was fragile,” Nastar said. “We have raised over $2,000 for a memorial bench to be installed by Quincy Memorial; our hope is to invite the entire school community for a brief dedication ceremony in November,” Nastar continued.

Principal’s Report

High School Principal Michaela Gill said that the school has secured a flight to Disney for the out of State field trip for the music program. “It’s good to have that tradition back on the calendar,” Gill said. Gill also said it was requested last month that she share with the Committee the school’s protocols and responses when incidents involving bullying or harassment are reported. “There are actually very few substantiated bullying incidents in the last six years,” Gill told the Committee. She continued, “I would say though that there are many more cases of substantiated civil rights violations, discriminatory behaviors, and harassment.” She said that per the handbook these offenses are suspendable. “It’s not just about prescribing discipline, it really is about helping the student grow and learn from that experience which is why discipline is often progressive and you may not necessarily get a suspension the first time,” Gill said. She also said that they have begun focusing on restorative justice in the last few years.

MCAS Presentation and Results

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch provided some MCAS results for Grades 7-12 as he has done at all of the recent elementary school committee meetings over the last month. He reminded the Committee that in 2020 no test was administered, in 2021, a half test was administered, and in the spring of 2022 the full test was given.  Regarding the State-wide assessment following the pandemic, Lynch said, “There’s been some progress in math, ELA scores declined, and science scores increased slightly.” Lynch said that 43 percent of Silver Lake students in 7^th and 8^th grade are meeting or exceeding expectations compared to 41 percent State-wide. “Our goal really is to make more progress toward our students meeting or exceeding expectations… our goal is to make progress against sort of the setback we’ve seen over the last three years due to the pandemic and absenteeism,” Lynch continued. He said that the State assesses students on not only achievement but also growth. He said that Silver Lake had slightly lower growth in ELA at the Middle School compared to the State overall. Lynch said that 60 percent of Silver Lake high school students are meeting or exceeding expectations in ELA compared to 58 percent State-wide. He said that they had lower growth in ELA compared to State-wide.

For math, 43 percent of Silver Lake middle school students are meeting or exceeding expectations compared to 39 percent State-wide. The Middle School has slightly higher growth and achievement in math compared to the rest of the State. Sixty-one percent of Silver Lake high school students are meeting or exceeding expectations compared to 49 percent State-wide. Lynch noted that the District’s goals do not focus solely on test taking and enhancing test scores.

At Silver Lake, students in Grades 5, 8, and 9 took the Science MCAS. For Silver Lake eighth graders, 45 percent of students are meeting or exceeding expectations compared to 42 percent State-wide. For Grade 9, 46 percent of students are meeting or exceeding expectations compared to 49 percent State-wide. He said that this was the first year of the Next Generation Assessment in physics for those Grade 9 students.

Committee member Gordon Laws asked what the time frame was for the goal of having 70 percent of students meeting or exceeding expectations across all content areas. He further asked how realistic it was to expect that. “It’s ambitious; the goal is for the results that we receive in the fall of 2024 to reflect movement in that 70 percent goal,” Proulx said. “Statistically how likely is it? I think more importantly is that we set the goal and keep working until we reach it,” she continued. Regarding MCAS Proulx noted that it was not the only measure of a school’s success or a child’s potential. Laws noted that across a number of different careers, test taking is mandatory and said that he doesn’t believe that the school needs to apologize for focusing on test results.

Superintendent’s Update

Proulx said that the administrative team met regarding the role of a support team to provide interventions and supports for students who may be struggling. She also said that herself, Lynch, the building principals, and the Police and Fire Departments from all three towns met to review their emergency response plans. Proulx noted that the budget timeline has been released. She said that in January, herself and Director of Business Services Christine Healy would present the preliminary FY24 budget to the School Committee. In February, the public budget hearing will be held and in March, the School Committee will be voting the FY24 budgets prior to them being voted on at the various town meetings. She also told the Committee that homeschool enrollment has decreased overall since last year. Regarding FY24 assessments, Proulx said that Halifax has remained steady, Kingston’s has declined, and Plympton’s has increased slightly. Regarding shared costs, Proulx said that Halifax’s percentage has decreased, Kingston’s has increased, and Plympton’s has decreased.

Migrant Students from Kingston

Schmaling asked Proulx if she could address the news that an estimated 20 students would be entering the school district from Kingston. Though not explicitly stated, the assumption was that these students are English Language Learners. According to The Boston Globe, a group of over 100 migrants, most from Haiti, have been housed in a hotel in Kingston. That group is thought to include 64 children with an estimated 20 of them being school-aged. Proulx said that DESE is working with her on ways that they could potentially assist the district with the large influx of students. Schmaling expressed concern that the District would not receive enough financial support to offset the burden. Others on the Committee said that they heard that the number could be nearly double the 20-student estimate. Hatch said that she assumed that by the next meeting she anticipates them having a better idea of where these students will land.

Reports of Standing Committees

Ashley Ferreira spoke on behalf of the Silver Lake Education Association (SLEA). She spoke about how data is used for intervention purposes. “Me as the junior coach, I’m looking at students who have one or more F’s… how can we help these kids because one F turns into two and there’s a snowball effect. Two or more F’s and the kids are not engaged in things because they can’t,” Ferreira said.

For CTE, Fraser said that Elliot Glass had his advisory dinner the week previous. “It was in the lobby of the high school; it was like walking into a completely different building,” Fraser said. He further said that a CTE meeting would be held in mid-November to start talking about some different possibilities for expanding CTE in the future.

For PAC, the October meeting was said to be mainly housekeeping. They discussed the audit which was described as very clean as well as the reorganization of the subcommittee.

For SAFER, Fraser said that they looked at the air handler which he said is part of the original CTE building from 1976. He said that replacing it would provide better air quality for that wing of the building. He also said that they would be holding a tri-town meeting in early December where they would be advocating for new HVAC systems in those areas of the building.

For the School Start Times subcommittee, a website is being created to educate people on school start times. There is also a survey for Grades 7-12 that may be sent out.

The update for Union 31 included the assumption that the preschool would be added to the regional agreement umbrella. “We met with DESE… they were pleased to hear it,” Hatch said. Proulx added that a waiver would allow for the District to continue to function in the same way that they have been since 2004.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met on Tuesday, Oct. 11. Jonathan Selig remains the sole Selectmen until the Special Town Election on November 8.

Selig said, “We have accepted a $900 donation from Flower and Soul here in Halifax… the Police Department is using this donation to purchase a police mountain bike.” Selig said that publicly thanking entities or people for sizeable donations is standard practice.

Selig gave an update on the Green Communities Grant saying, “grant has a value of $2,000 and will be used as follows: the Water Department will use the money for an air conditioner to be replaced with a heat pump and the oil heat be replaced with electric heat. For the Fire Station, they are going to rework the mini splits, replace the attic insulation and a new unit for the bunk room, for the Town Hall they are going to replace the insulation in the attic with spray foam to try and tighten that up and Building Maintenance will remove the existing insulation to try and save the town money instead of paying someone to do it. For Town Hall, the sewer line from the downstairs bathrooms to the septic system has rotted, a new cast iron pipe will be installed and the cost of that is $1,200.”

Selig also read a report from the Maintenance and School Building Committee. He said that of three condensing boilers, one is having issues, and another is beginning to also have problems.  Selig said that Scott Materna with the Building Department would be looking into it.

Selig read correspondence from Coleen Burgess in which she requested use of the Town Green for Boy Scout Troop 39 for Saturday, Nov. 19 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for a bottle drive fundraising event. Selig approved the request.

Several members of the Halifax Fireworks Committee attended the meeting asking for use of the upstairs at the Town Hall on Saturday, Dec. 3 for a craft fair. Selig approved the request pending availability.

Selig had an appointment with the Beautification Committee to discuss the potential appointment of Diane Salvetti. Selig asked Salvetti the usual questions asked of all appointees. Salvetti said she has lived in town since 1996 but acknowledged that she doesn’t regularly attend town meeting. Selig asked her what she would bring to the Committee. Salvetti said, “I’m a retired high school science teacher and so I’ve lived in Halifax, as I said, for these many years and I would kind of like to get involved with the Town and the Committee and I thought I might start seeing how the Beautification Committee works for me.” Committee member Amy L. Troup told Selig that they interviewed Salvetti for half an hour saying, “We like her.” Salvetti also responded that she didn’t see any time constraints that would prohibit her from making meetings. Selig appointed her to a term ending June 30, 2023.

Andrew Saviano and Jill McKee were appointed by Selig as election workers.

Halifax Town Clerk Susan Lawless has announced the  schedule for the Nov. 8, 2022 State and Special Town Elections – Early Voting Schedule.

The 2022 State and Special Town Elections are scheduled to occur on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at the Halifax Elementary School, 464 Plymouth Street, in the Gymnasium from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Early Voting Sessions will be held at the Halifax Town Hall, 499 Plymouth Street, in the Selectmen’s Meeting Room on the following dates and times:

Saturday, Oct. 11, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Monday, Oct. 24, 10 a.m – 2 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 25,  10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 26,  10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 27, from    10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Saturday Oct. 29,  8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Monday Oct. 31, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 1, 8 a.m.   4 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 2,  8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 3, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m

Friday, Nov. 4 – Absentee Ballot Voting by appointment only. Please call the Clerk’s Office at (781) 293-7970 to make this appointment.

For any questions related to Elections, Voter Registration, and/or Early Voting, please contact the Town Clerk’s Office by calling (781) 293-7970 or e-mail ClerksOffice@halifax-ma.org.

The one-man Board of Selectmen met in-person on Tuesday, Sept. 27. Selectman Jonathan Selig began the meeting with the tedious task of approving minutes, warrants, bills, payments, and recycling abatements.

Town Administrator Search

Selig told those in attendance that they had formed the Search Committee who will be reviewing candidates for the open Town Administrator position. Town Accountant Sandra Nolan is currently filling in as an interim acting Town Administrator until the position can be filled on a permanent basis. Town Clerk Sue Lawless will be serving as the Chair of the Search Committee. Other municipal employees serving include Police Chief Joao Chaves, Fire Chief Mike Witham, and Nolan. Three citizens- at-large will also be serving. “It’s… a common practice to have both people in Town Hall as part of the Committee and then outside of Town Hall as well,” Selig explained. He said the three citizens that would be serving are Mel Conroy, Frank Johnston, and Candy Kniffen.

“Our post is live now; the ad is out and being advertised as we speak for our new Town Administrator; it will remain open for four weeks. After that time, the Sub-Committee will gather those resumes, look through, screen them, then after that screening process, hopefully whittle them down, bring in some folks for interviews and then whittle them down again to hopefully present to the Selectmen,” Selig explained of the process and the role of the Sub-Committee.

Veteran’s Day Celebration

Selig said that the town’s Veteran’s Day celebration will be on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. “If you forget, just remember 11,” Selig joked. He said that more details will be to come from acting Veteran’s Agent Steve Littlefield.

Election Updates

A number of appointments were made for election day workers. They included Pamela Adduci, Frederick Corrigan, Anne Hodge, Robert Kniffen, Dorothy Lamoureux, Hope McIver, Christina Palmer, Linda Saviano, Sarah Sloat, and Karen Thompson.

Selig provided an election update saying that they do now have candidates for the two open Selectmen positions. For the term expiring in 2025, there is one candidate, John Bruno. For the term expiring in 2024, there are five candidates – Dennis Carman, Mary Gravinese, Dave Mascio, Najwa Nessralla, and William Smith. Selig said, “I would like to personally thank those guys and gal for taking the time to get into the race. It’s not an easy thing to do; I think they deserve our appreciation and our credit; it’s not always easy to throw your hat in the ring and put yourselves out there so good luck to all of the candidates.”

Selig also voted to approve early voting for the Nov. 8 Selectmen’s race. Dates for early voting include Saturday, Oct. 22 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m, Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the week of Oct. 24, and Saturday, Oct. 29 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The week prior to the election the hours will be Saturday, Oct. 29 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. the week of Oct. 31.

EV Charging Station and ADA Ramp

“Some exciting news, we now have an electronic vehicle charging station that will be here at the parking lot at Town Hall… we hope to have that up and running next week,” Selig said of the new EV charging station. He said it will be on a card system.

Selig also provided an update on the ADA ramp at the Town Hall. “It was taking up our main stairway, we’ve been able to move it over to our permanent home,” Selig said. He thanked Scott Materna and the building crew and said he was happy to provide better access to the Town Hall.

Nolan said that the lining of the handicap spots in the parking lot would be happening soon as well.

KINGSTON -”Senior Center Selections- work from the class of Violet Barry” will be on display in October 2022 at Kingston Public Library.

The art gallery at Kingston Public Library will be hosting several selections of art from the classroom of COA art instructor, Violet Barry for the month of October. Ms. Berry came back to teaching after a long and varied career in the classroom working with children of all ages, as well as being a portrait painter, and a stained-glass artist.

When she returned to the classroom, this time she chose a new group to share her talent, Senior Citizens. Ms. Barry sees them as “wonderfully talented” and her class has become “like family and dear friends” and she is “so proud of all their work.”

The exhibit will be on view in the Library’s gallery throughout October 2022. The Kingston Public Library is open Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays 10 to 5 p.m. and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 10-8 p.m.

The Silver Lake High boys’ cross country team had no issue taking down the Scituate Sailors in their opener last week.

The Lakers faced off against Scituate on Thursday, Sept. 8, and won in a dominant fashion. They beat their foe 19-39 to improve to 1-0 on the season. The Lakers had a number of strong performances from their runners.

Spencer Cook (14:00) came in first place in the race. Meanwhile, the team took four of the top five slots. Alex Risio earned a third-place finish, Gavin McCarthy came in fourth, and Frankie Cuozzo had a fifth-place finish. And with his eighth-place finish, Jack Maloney helped the Lakers secure the win.

The girls also raced against Scituate on the same day but fell 16-43. Erin Flaherty had the top performance for the Lakers in that one; she had a fifth-place finish.

The next contest for both the boys and the girls will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 20 on the road against the Whitman-Hanson Panthers (4 p.m. start time).