##VIDEO ID:FIlhctDrgPY## e e e e e e was call a meeting of the Woody of votch school committee to order y please join us for pledge of allegiance un States of America stands indivis and justice for all uh before we get to public comment I'd ask that you all join me in a moment of silence September 11th remembrance for um all those who lost their lives thank you public comment anybody here for public comment public comment going once going twice no one next item on the agenda is going to be new staff introduction Mr leanis welcome Mr chairman superintendent Lynch of the rest of the school committee members I am honor to stand up here today uh and introduce uh some of our new staff that showed up tonight uh and we'll start with uh first on my list uh Andrew alsup come on up guidance counselor uh thank you very much um very fortunate to be here uh was hired last March so kind of got my feet wet last year and hit the ground running this year um I spent about 15 years at havil High School a little short time at shaen Tech before I was lucky enough to be here um you know it's been it's been a great start to my career here plan on kind of ending my career here um it's been a great team type atmosphere which I really appreciate and really enjoy um just want to kind of thank everybody and um and the staff for hiring me here thank you Miss Lynch um so uh just really excited to be part of the team thank youcome okay next up uh Nicole Malloy our school nurse and once again Welcome to our wher family hi thank you so much for having me um I'm really excited to be here I've been a school nurse for quite a while started off at hail Public Schools um went off to Essex Tech so I have a good technical background um super excited to be here work with um Diane Debo who we were calling back in havil so I really like kind of jumped in the sea it's been so comfortable very welcoming and thank you for the unconventional second interview when I was in Ireland because when I saw the opening I already had the trip booked and it was a beautiful day in Dublin and I'll will never forget being at that castle being able to accept the position here so thank you okay Josette English teacher next up again welcome to the whia family [Applause] hi everyone thank you so much for having me uh my name is Josh wette I am a 10th grade English teacher here at whti your Tech um the tech world is not new to me I come from greater Lawrence technical school in Andover where um that was my second stop I started my career in Lawrence Public Schools as a middle school English teacher um I'm also a graduate of the CTE school um I graduated from greater Lawrence Tech um when I went to Greater Lawrence I became an English teacher and I was then an instructional coach there and I was also part of the administrative team um I came back into the classroom because I really missed kids and I have three young children of my own um and it just felt like really the right decision to make at the time um and it feels like an even better decision now that I've been here for a couple of weeks um I can't say enough good things about how great the community has been how supportive the teachers and Department chairs and even my supervisor has been and principal aganist and superintendent um I'm really excited to be here and to be able to work with our students so thank you and Martha stett our Spanish instructor and Welcome to our wood team bues my name is Martha s and I am the Spanish teacher here at withier and I'm very excited to work here with your uh kids some of you are probably have students in my classroom and I am extremely excited I'm originally from Lima Peru I've been working in private schools a therapeutic school and also um public schools in every high school and Triton so I'm very excited to start working here the community seems fantastic and your children are amazing so I'm very happy to be here and be part of this amazing school thank you so much for having me gracias all right thank you very much uh and once again round of applause for the four that showed up tonight thank you thank you welcome all of you thank you for being part of the wiot tech team the new faces familiar faces Mr alsa probably doesn't remember me but he was a few years older than me in high school and I do remember he was a heck of an athlete so um I I do remember that from the hail high school days I you probably still hold some records so I thought so so so welcome thank you all next item on the agenda is going to be acknowledging Dr Joanne testver Service as a wotch school committee representative good evening Mr chairman members of the committee um tonight I have the the pleasure to talk about Dr Joan tester who was a longtime School committe member here at wer she was here from September 2003 through March 2023 um she had a long career in CT Career Technical education as well as special education she was is a real Mentor for me I I'm now going into my 19th year here at Whittier Tech she was here during that time um and she was always a voice of reason somebody that you could ask questions um I learned an incredible amount from her about uh being an administrator and um the work that we do and how important the work that we do and she always focused on kids her Focus was on making sure that uh as a school commit member she did what everything she possibly could do to make sure that this was a great school for the kids of Georgetown um and she represented the town very well so I just really want to say um you know I'm getting a little emotional she was she was just a wonderful person and I'm really um I'm just so you know I miss her but I have talked to her quite a bit um and I just really want to thank her for her many many years of service um and I know Mr slavoski would like to say a couple of words as well yes so the town of Georgetown and the school commit wrote a letter for me to read tonight um de Miss Testa birie it is with deep respect and appreciation That We Gather today to recognize a remarkable milestone in the history of the wiot tech school committee for two decades you have dedicated your time energy and expertise to help Georgetown students to choose their future to advance the mission of the school and to be a leader for the vocational education while your former role was to represent Georgetown and weia school committee was clear the impact that your efforts had on the entire wiia community over the past 20 years your contributions have been invaluable in shaping the direction and success of Wier Tech from spearheading the development of innovation programs to advocating tirelessly for the needs of other students and as well as Georgetown you have played a pivotal role in enhancing the educational experiences available at the school your dedication to exploring upgrades to facilities to supporting the development of new programs into ensuring that those programs remain Cutting Edge has signif significantly benefited our community your willingness to lend a hand regardless of the task exemplifies Your Excellence and dedication and teamwork whether it was a complex project or a day-to-day challenge your Readiness to help and your collaborate Spirit have been a Cornerstone of the committee's success as we celebrate the significant Milestone we reflect on the hours you have invested in the many ways in which you have positively impacted the school your advocacy for Georgetown students specifically and for vocational education broadly have been unwavering and has left an indelible mark on our community on behalf of the Georgetown school committee the town of Georgetown indeed we extend our heartfelt congratulations and deepest thanks for your 20 years of outstanding service your dedication has set a high standard for us all and we are TR fortunate to have had you as a guiding force in our community congratulations once again Joanne we wish you all the best in your future endeavors and hope that you continue to find fulfillment in all that you do with sincere appreciation town of Georgetown and Georgetown school committee Dr test was a longtime member of the committee as you've heard but the expertise she brought was really unmatched in many many ways I'm sure the superintendent will agree but she also it's funny because she could be H honory too occasionally and um basically she she was a good servant and a steward of the district but she always the kids came first always with her but again as as chair the the um instructional activity and so on she brought a a new dimension to the school committee by having the expertise of over so many years in education so I would just like to say as as a colleague and as a friend um she has sely missed thank you Mr I also had the pleasure of being Jo on the school committee for I think about n years or something it was quite a long time and um I I agree that you know insert things the conversation I just really think about what we were doing um it was always the kids first it was great and um she was a mentor to me as well so I just wanted to also express my thanks to her because um now I'm the chair of the instruction of committee and though I do not think that I could fill her shoes whatsoever um I will try I will try my best thanks seeing none um so I do have this PL that we will put up behind us with all other school committe members that have um time served I don't want to hang it up right now because I'll probably mess that up but um this will be hung up for our next meeting and um again just I really want to thank Dr test birie for for all of her help and guidance and uh caring for for our kids for so many years so thank you uh thank you madam superintendent for bringing that forward I had the pleasure of serving with Dr tester birie for I think almost 10 years and um I I learned a lot from her she was extremely passionate um about what she did she believed in and I think all of us that served with her became better school committee members because we had the chance to serve with her um so I I do miss her and um it was an honor to serve with her and I'm glad she's being honored here thank you next item on the agenda is approval of minutes August 14 2024 minutes of the regular school committee meeting Mr chairman move the acceptance of August 14th minutes second uh motion made by Mr Irvin second by Miss C any discussion and seeing none please call the rooll Mr early yes M Sullivan yes Mr Rossy yes Miss CER yes Mr life yes Mr Fitzgerald yes Mr Irving Mr Murphy m true yes Miss okona yes Mr sloski yes passes next item on the agenda treasurer's report for August is there a motion motion to approve a motion by Miss TR seconded by Mr Fitzgerald any discussion seeing none please call the rooll Mr ear yes Miss yes Mr Rossy yes M CER yes M Del Mr Fitzgerald Mr Irving Mr Murphy yes m true yes Miss OK yes Mr Sosi yes pass no business posted reports and Communications student representative report Kaye khabib good evening Mr chairman superintendent Lynch and all other members of the school committee welcome back this year my name is Kaye habab and I was selected to be this year's student rep to start off for the clubs the chess club has many new members they hope to have their first tournament next month the woodier Poetry Society will meet week two on Thursdays their first meetings agenda consists of welcoming and introductions missions and goals short poetry writing activity discussion and or reading and plans for the next future meetings student government government meetings will be focused on planning W Year's homecoming dance spirit week and pep rally they are really looking forward to welcoming new members and are excited for the new year the yearbook staff is in the process of capturing senior portraits the deadline is October 31st fall sport photography to start by September 13th the student leader group had an excellent start to the year over 100 student volunteers participated in both our freshman parent night and the first day of school for our freshman a sea of blue shirts greeted and assisted incoming freshman and their parents making a transition to high school much smoother the key club's first meeting of the year will be Monday September 23rd they're looking forward to Growing the club this year and more active in the community while maintaining the service they did last year the ski club is planning three trips they will do their annual raffle basket to help raise money and are looking to continue the Night Trips interact Club is actively looking for new members this year they have two events planned this month helping out the community health assessment as well as team hail booth at the river Ruckus this hail September 21st the Multicultural Club will host its first meeting this Thursday September 12th they will focus on National his Hispanic Heritage Month and they will SE unteers to help make morning announcements recognize this very important event Gite has not begun yet but they have put in a request to host one of the regional meetings at wer Tech the environmental Club should be starting by the end of the month the goals are to maintain the Tower Gardens this club will also take care of the endangered turtles and they plan to organize another trash cleanup peer-to-peer Club is actively looking for new members this year they are working to get a speaker about mental health awareness for one of their first meetings the drama club will hold their meeting this Thursday their first few meetings will be devoted to choosing officers and choosing a show for this stage for the spring the board game club is fun and engaging after school on Thursdays and elaborate and enjoys a variety of board games as for sports the girls soccer team is off to a great start they won their Opening match against LEL Catholic they have many new freshmen that joined and they are excited for the new year the boys and girls cross country teams open up this open up home this Wednesday versus shaen the crew has been working hard at practice every day and they are looking forward to a great season wood your football is off to a great start with a big win last Friday night at Rivier high school after losing 23 players to graduation the young wild cats have worked hard and have had great leadership by the captains the freshman football team is looking great so far with 57 players the girls volleyball team is excited and working hard for the upcoming year with 90 student athletes participating in the program this team has great leadership and is hoping to return to the MIAA state tournament this year the boys soccer team who are 0 and2 Unfortunately they are in the midst of a challenging season the team is committed to developing their skills with the focus of turning their hard work into positive results in the field thank you thank you next item on the agenda superintendent's report Madam superintendent good evening Mr chairman members of the committee um tonight uh before you inform purposes I have The Hires of an electrical instructor long-term sub a maintenance mechanic a cafeteria helper um Spanish instructor long-term sub administrative assistant to the assistant principls I have the resignation of an administrative assistant to the assistant principles and a school nurse at this time there is not a budget update uh there is also not an mcast update I look forward to sharing uh an mcast update at our October meeting um with you um um on Thursday April 15th I attended the Lapin Foundation lunch in for norshore school leadership at the temple Tourette Shalom and P on August 19th and September 4th I attended remote meetings at Northern usex with uh president Lane Glenn we continue to look at opportunities for the two campuses to work together on Tuesday August 20th I attended a walkr at Northern essic in anticipation of a senior study on with msba on September 19th on August 21st 27th September September 4th I did attended remote meetings with epige regarding our new website which we believe will be launched on Friday so we looking forward to that there's been a lot of work to make sure that that um gets up and going on Monday August 26 our teachers returned we spent the day in small group trainings in special ed in the uip Title Nine cyber security advisory civil rights discipline and the online referral system um and business business office information it was it was a long day it was you know we had many many workshops but um we got a lot of information out there on Wednesday August 26th I attended the Whittier agreement procedures Administration remote meeting on August 27th freshman and new students returned this is always an exciting day um with our students and our students getting clapped in by the faculty and staff on Tuesday August 27th I attend the northern estic with your Tech plan and kickoff uh with the Donahue Institute at Northern estic um the Johnny hu Institute will be conducting a study on a shared campus model on Wednesday August 28th was the first day for all students and then on September 5th I attended the maava virtual meeting this group meeting meets regularly to discuss ongoing CTE programs and concerns on Friday September 6th through September 8th I attended the mass executive committee retreat in Boston I'm honored to represent both the NorthShore superintendent round table and the marac valley Round Table um and today I attended the marac valley Round Table um at Long Meadow Golf Club in LEL um and we again discussed goals for this coming year um at this time we have for night school uh we have 152 enrolled in our electrical programs um and in our plumbing programs we have a total enrollment of 131 we have seven students enrolled in our fall certified nursing assistant program and we have students enrolled in some of our fall enrichment programs um which we're looking forward to this year as well um today or yesterday we signed an agreement to work with um the Naval Shipyard um and uh encourage students that are interested in science technology engineering and math um we're excited to um work with the Naval Shipyard um they have a proven track record of preparing students in the community Beyond um and we're looking forward to working with them proving for this region and that is all I have for you as far as that goes want me to go to job description yes okay so there's a job description for uh your approval tonight um we did go through the subcommittee and looking at a part-time lay on for wer Tech in Northern essics this is somebody to um continue to work with us U make sure the communication is out into our communities work with us work with you as the committee work with me as the superintendent Administration um and I've highlighted their job responsibilities uh it's a part-time position so I'm just looky to have that that job approved motion to approve second motion by Mr Murphy second and like Mr Irvin any discussion seeing none please call the r Mr ear yes M Sullivan yes Mr Rossy yes M caringer yes Mr yes Mr Fitzgerald yes Mr Irving Mr Murphy yes m true Miss OK yes Mr sloski yes passes um tonight before you I also have my goals for this school year um they're broken into three sections my learning goal just a brief summary is looking at the master schedule grading advisory and exploratory um working with our school leaders um developing plans as we move forward um any plans would be obviously made for the next school year my professional practice goal is um developing positive School leadership here in the building Mr Linus and I have been working really hard on that um having guest speakers Mr lanus ran a little conference himself with with some of our staff um looking at Ai and how it's going to impact uh student learning and teaching is another thing that we really need to be looking at um and then my school Improvement goal is looking at a communication strategy um that job description is is part of that plan making sure that our communities and our stakeholders are aware of the work that we doing here at Whit Tech and how important that work is um for this for this school year and Beyond and that's just a brief summary is there a motion to approve the superintendent goals for 2425 motion made by Mr irvan second by Mr Gerald any discussion seeing none please go Mr early yes Miss Sullivan yes Mr Rossy yes M CER yes M Del yes Mr Fitzgerald yes Mr Irving Mr Murphy yes Miss true yes Miss ok yes and Mr Sosi yes so also before you tonight is the the draft of the uh School strategic plan um there's been some minor tweaks since last year um but really it's aligning the school the Strategic plan to our school Improvement plan um you know there's goals related to the Improvement plan using arcs Ed uh for professional development which we started this school year um again communication with all of our stakeholders um um changing our early college with Northern essic Community College where the kids are actually going to Northern Essex and so far that is going very very well I'm happy to say and then also providing a Workforce for our region which is our which is our Charter is there a motion to approve strategic plan soov motion by Mr second um motion second any discussion see none please call the Mr early yes Miss Sullivan yes Mr Rossy yes M CER yes M Del yes Mr Fitzgerald Mr Irving Mr Murphy yes Miss true yes Miss Okana yes M Mr soski yes pass I just had a question about that I'm sorry I didn't during the discussion so um no okay that's all right fine I can ask later no problem yep we're done next item on the agenda is principal assistant superintendent Mr good evening once again Mr chairman uh Madame superintendent Lynch um just a few highlights uh with the school opening feels like we've been down here we've been here for months uh but here we go uh August 15th we held a successful freshman in new student orientation from 6:00 to 7:30 in the cafeteria which was filled with parents and Guardians the session uh covered key topics such as school safy safety student discipline expectations student services internet use Parent Portal parent involvement Sports Athletics ex extracurricular clubs and boost the club information we also introduced our new freshman orientation days and offered tours of the building that day additionally uh incoming students enjoyed a movie so this year we offered a movie for If the parents wanted the new incoming parents wanted to bring their kids with them so they had a movie in the aori I believe it was Shrek so that's that's the star uh on Monday August 26th all our staff gathered in the cafeteria and as superintendent lynce said uh she warmly welcomed them uh everyone back that day along with the newest members of our whia family you met a few uh this year's theme focuses on the remarkable culture that we have here positive culture that we built that's everybody here and our staff and students and families uh and the positive relationships and teamwork uh to our new staff you know we officially welcomed uh superintendent Lynch myself officially welcome them to our team emphasizing that they're joining an incred incredible workplace which is amazing we're at our best when we come together for a benefit of students and that's everybody here too as well at on the school committee and I encourage everyone to continue fostering that positive culture that's our goals as superintendent said after lunch um our staff participated in carousels and they always are excited when our staff runs our own PD and that's what uh we did Administration ran some of our staff ran some of the PD and here's something we we had special education IEP civil rights uh Title 9 Student Records mtss triangle uh we had uh PD updates grants staff development online referral systems that we're piloting this year uh and also our past system cyber security our director of Technology Angel Information Systems opening of school information discipline AP office information most of our success like I said came it comes from within and that's who uh ran these PDS that day on Tuesday uh our freshman came through we introduced Wier introduced them to Whittier and they had a chance to navigate their daily schedules our freshman in New students I should say uh we were fortunate to have 50 students leaders of our own come off the summer vacation to come in and it was amazing to see 50 kids in these uh wiot Tech shirts I believe they were U were they blue blue they were blue shirts um light blue or blue blue shirts um but just to see the kids come in and how much they love the school to show the incoming students uh the way so that was very nice over the course of three designated days the 28th to 29th and the 3rd of September the Freshman participated in orientation uh we which included team building uh we did the same thing last year uh they played Jenga uh deserted island musical chairs tug of war free throw basketball and people Bingo additionally our vocational coordinators who spent most of the time with them uh gave presentations and topics of rules shop dress code uh Whittier uh the Whittier speaker series Athletic Club including a half day of P PD that day and team building exercises so it was an amazing start I hope for our students our new students as well as our freshmen um and I just a big Thanks goes out to Amanda Crosby and Paul muskovitz and everybody else involved but the two vocational coordinat spent the days with all those kids so it was awesome uh on Wednesday as uh superintendent superintendent ly said we we everybody came in all the students reported and then the assistant principls and I met with them to review uh The whitti Tech student parent handbook the code of conduct particular emphasis on harassment bullying cell phone policy including a cell phone Locker policy uh Additionally the guidance Department talked about uh you know the the guidance Department had talked about guidance Co-op coordinator the athletic director showed up our mcast coordinator and our associate principal mcast Guru talked to the kids uh and class advisors gave great grade level specific uh presentations so another one last week another highlight Northern EIC fall semester began so uh 162 of our early college students and 84 students went over to the campus the first time we're going over to Northern Essex while 70 uh 78 uh went over during week two uh on the days they aren't in the classroom they are D diligently working on their coursework and assignment assigned computer labs in the hub where they receive support from both Whittier and Northern Essex students have done a fantastic job representing Whittier and remember this is their first year going over to north of Essex so that's really exciting the experience at actual college campus so so far so good not going W um another one another highlight a total of 382 students are participating in Fall Sports which include football boys and girls soccer volleyball golf cross country and cheerleading both volleyball and freshman football saw a significant rise in the participation this year I think superintendent Lynch or I think I'm sorry Kaylee khabib said um how many football they were like 50 50 57 freshman playing freshman football that's that's a lot so amazing turnout also our food food service last year we were averaging 135 breakfasts this year we're averaging 253 breakfasts last year we were averaging 829 lunches a day this year we're averaging 750 lunches a day and a thousand lunches I think that was the record a thousand lunches were served so that's that's pretty amazing for our students um starting today we have a club Fair uh it started I I will give you the stats uh in in October of you know how many kids are in the in the clubs which is also another beautiful extra curricul activity that we offer uh we have showcases for them in the in the lunch in the cafeteria area if you're interested you could check it out it's actually during the day uh but that's where the kids have QR codes and they could see and sign up with the clubs uh wiia continues its commitment to safety and students and staff uh throughout the ongoing monitoring of school safety procedures protocols uh we're in the process of setting up safety training uh exercises with teachers uh staff and students and the agenda obviously includes our Alis program that we run uh and we're going to get that going too as well um so the last thing I have here a little surprise for our superintendent but I am going to read something because we're talking about positive leadership and this is coming directly from our leader okay we always talk about our W whia family and and her goals well I stole a little little something from one of the teachers and uh one of our teachers who and and I talked to him and and he said go right ahead and talk about it I'm not going to say names but I'm going to tell you he had difficulty passing uh the test for his certification but he passed okay and many times he tried so he wrote superintendent Lynch Auntie Mo I finally passed okay so Auntie Mo obviously respectfully superintendent Lyn um Auntie Mo I finally passed I'm so excited but I do really want to let you know how thankful I am that you stuck your neck out for me and have gone to bat for me many times that is something I will never forget I love this place I would love to be able to finish my career here and of all things really it starts with you I love you and thank you now we talk about staff and students positive reinforcement positive leaders is so there you go thank you superintendent Lynch for that embarass sorry about embarrassing any questions I know that was a lot Mr Rossi mrness when for the uh Early College do they go there and end their day there no so that's that's um we've been tweaking up and I I should we and uh Miss uh Miss Jensen and also Lindsay gretti um they spend how many hours does it come out to like sort of The Middle of the day they take off here at an hour and a half of class about an hour and a half of class they take off here what time do they leave at 8 920 9:20 and then we get them back for lunches um and that's what we we've been tweaking up with the class we transport yes we bus okay so it's it's awesome and we we tell the kids you can't be late y all right that bus is leaving at that time you have to be there and then when you're getting for dismissal at the college you got to get on that bus and get back so it's it's not it's really it's great for the kids it's challenging but so far so good we've had nothing but positive reinforcement from everybody great that's great program yeah thank you for asking none thank you thank you thank you Auntie Mo great business manager no report posted um October annual agenda items will be the VAR anal is the update of the capital and equipment purchase and replacement plan the 5-year plan and the review of Vocational Technical programs um subcommittee reports executive has not met instructional Personnel have not met plan operations uh plan operations chairman Mr Murphy uh plan operations there was a meeting uh last month and the minutes of the meeting are in packet motion to approve the minutes of the 14 motion by Mr Murphy second seconded by Miss CER any discussion seeing none please follow Mr early yes Miss Sullivan yes Mr Rossy Miss CER M Mr Fitzgerald Mr Irving Mr Murphy yes Miss Drew yes Miss okon yes Mr slavoski yes passes uh salary and negotiations chairman Mr early yes recently we had a meeting in regards to the part time lays on for Whittier in Northern essic very very important job hopefully we can find the right person so we can get to the next level we do have some meetings coming up soon I believe for salary negotiations and we will get back to you thank you is there a motion to approve the minutes of the September 4th salary and negotiations committee um motion M seconded by who was it Mr discussion Mr early yes Miss Sullivan yes Mr Rossy yes M CER Mr delai Mr Fitzgerald Mr Irving Mr Murphy m true Miss Okana yes Mr sloski yes asses next policy chairman Mr Irving Mr chairman we met this evening review six new policies from masc having to do with basically Title Nine um nism discrimination in schools um and we have for the second reading this evening and second and final reading be DH excuse me public comment at school committee meetings BH e with your Regional school committee guidelines for public comment and bb- E agenda format uh request a vote a second and final reading and vote move that motion made by Mr Irving second it by second Del any discussion Mr early yes Miss Sullivan yes Mr Rossy yes Miss CER yes Mr yes Mr Fitzgerald Mr Irving Mr Murphy yes Miss true yes Miss OK Conor yes and Mr sloski yes ask Mr chairman that those um policies reviewed will be in your packet next month for uh first reading thank you also I have a a question um instructional activity should we be meeting before the October school committee that would be great so so I have um September 25th or September 30th available and with four o'clock work 2th is good 25th 25th at 4:00 instructional great thank you all right uh the next uh regular school committee meeting will be Wednesday October 9th at 6:30 p.m. there's no new business posted no executive session posted is there chairman move to Mr uh motion by Mr Irvin seconded by second Mr Murphy all in favor of adjournment anybody opposed r thank you