Framingham to Welcome More Than 8,600 Students Back To Class

The Framingham Public School District starts the 2015-16 school year this week.

Students in grades 1-12 head back to class today, Aug. 26, from what arguably could have been the shortest summer ever, as school did not get out until June 26, because of a week’s worth of snow days in 2014-15 school year.

Superintendent of Schools Stacy Scott sent a message to parents via phone and email Tuesday night.

In the message Scott said it was an “honor to welcome you back for the start of a new school year. I know that you and your children are excited as we are to begin. Moving up a grade or starting as a kindergartener is always an exciting time in the lives of our young people.”

Scott said this year, the district will have more than 8,600 students. That is an increase of almost 450 students.

Last year, the district reported to the state it had 8,153 students in 2014-15 as of of October 1, 2014. The district will again need to report an October 1 number to the Commonwealth.

“We are also excited about the new leadership teams at some of our schools and in the district offices. We hope that you will get to know these new members of our team throughout the coming year,” said Scott in his message to parents.

Editor’s Note: I have a child in the Framingham Public Schools.

Part of the new leadership team in the district is Assistant Superintendent of School Frank Tiano, who was hired at the end of June.

For the second year in a row, Framingham High School will have a new leader. Associate Principal Elyse Torbert was promoted to principal, after the departure of Adam Goldberg.

Anne Ludes was promoted to associate principal at the high school. The high school will also have a new athletic director for the first time in more than a decade. Scott told Framingham Patch the district hopes to have an interim director in place soon. The position was advertised on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

King Elementary will have a new principal, as former Dunning Principal Kim Taylor has moved over to lead the district’s newest and 9th elementary school. That school will have kindergarten and first grade classrooms this year.

Dunning’s new principal is former assistant principal Michelle Schecter.

Over the summer, Hemenway Elementary’s principal announced she was leaving. Assistant Principal Liz Simon will serve as interim principal and Kelly Napierski was appointed interim assistant principal.

“We have had a successful summer filling many teaching positions across the district and we are pleased that we have been able to hire so many qualified and talented professionals to work with your children,” said Scott in his message to parents.

Scott said most of the positions advertised over the summer have been filed. He said there are a couple of positions, that required dual certification, that still need to be filled.

Some of the new positions hired are in the bilingual education. A bilingual program will be resurrected at Fuller Middle School starting this year.

Fuller also has several new teachers. More than a half dozen teachers left the middle school since June, including the school’s STEAM coordinators for the 2014-15 school year.

One position that will need to be filled is the Director of Family and Community Engagement. Magaly Sanchez, who started working for the district in July 2014, gave her notice last week. Scott has yet to name an interim director, who would also oversee the Parent Information Center.

Communication to staff, to parents, and to the community has been a issue for the public school district.

Last year, the district hired and let go a communications director/public information officer.

A task force, appointed by the Framingham School Committee, recommended several changes, in May.

One way Scott plans to improve communications is continuing with his “Listening Tours.”

“As many of you know, over the past year I conducted a number of “Listening Tours” talking with parents in libraries, schools and homes across the district. I found these sessions to be very helpful in getting a sense of what parents in our community are thinking about our schools. This coming year, my goal is to have these same kind of listening opportunities, but this year the focus will be on our staff and secondary students to hear their perceptions of education here in Framingham. I look forward to sharing the results of these tours with you,” Scott said in his message to parents last night.

Scott spoke to staff and teachers and administrators on Monday, Aug. 24 at Nevins Hall in the Memorial Building. It was his third annual convocation.

In his presentation at Nevins, Scott listed the following items as progress made in 2014-15:

• Level III school becoming Level I or II
• Improving our investment in the arts
• Upgrading technology
• Paperless human resources department
• Long-range professional development calendar
• Improving communications
• Improving inclusion
• Enhanced leadership development
  

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Parent Resources

Not sure what time your child’s school starts or ends? or what time early release is, click here.

Need to contact your child’s before or after school care? Click here.

Parents can view bus schedules through the district’s Family Connection portal or Aspen X2 portal. If parents are struggling with their password to the system:

• Family Connection – Please click the password reset link and follow the steps to acquire a new password.
• Aspen X2 - Please hit the I forgot my password link on the login screen and follow the steps to acquire a new password. For parents who did need a new password and did not set up password recovery in Aspen X2, please call 508-782-6928 starting on Monday.

Framingham Patch published earlier this month, due to security reasons, the Framingham Public Schools would no longer publish complete routes online or in the media.