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Superintendent's Report_January 7, 2025
Superintendent's Report 146 Maple Street, Lexington, MA 02420 Tel: 781-861-2580 Welcome Back to the U.S., Greg Vredenburgh— After nearly a year serving in Baghdad, Iraq, Lexington High School U.S. History teacher Greg Vredenburgh will soon be back in Massachusetts and reunited with his family and colleagues! Greg received his deployment orders from the US Army National Guard last January. He will complete his deployment in Massachusetts and return to the classroom at Lexington High School at the beginning of March. During his deployment, Greg became the father of a sweet little boy named Myles, and we are so happy that Dad can spend time with him and watch him grow. We are grateful for Greg’s service and thankful for his safe return. Welcome home, Greg! CAAL Volunteer Awards— Volunteerism is important to our community, and Chinese American Association of Lexington members dedicated more than 12,000 hours to community service this past year. Mr. Freeman and I had an opportunity to celebrate some amazing volunteers, young and old, at the annual recognition ceremony. We celebrated with good food, dancing, and lots of laughs. Hua Wang and Leeying Wu earned Lifetime Achievement Awards. We thank our many dedicated CAAL volunteers for their unwavering commitment to their friends, neighbors, and loved ones in Lexington. 40th Annual METCO Directors’ Conference— The METCO Directors’ Association hosted its annual conference on two back-to-back days, December 5th and 6th. The conference is entitled “Still Worth the Ride: METCO in Retrospect, the State of Educational Outcomes for Black and Brown Students.” Dr. Kalise Wornum was the keynote speaker, and I appreciated the insights she shared in her keynote remarks and the session she designed for superintendents. As always, Lexington had an excellent showing, with close to 20 educators in attendance. We learned from sessions, including Bridging Histories and Futures (Dr. Kristina Kyles-Smith & Jeseniya Burke), Inclusive Discipline Strategies: Balancing Restorative Practices and Cultural Responsiveness (Felicia Pasley), The Story behind the Ride: Educational Advocacy and Outcomes for Black and Brown Students 1783-Present in Boston and Beyond (Steve Desrosiers), and more. As always, our deep appreciation to our talented METCO Director, Ms. Barbara Hamilton, and staff for including us in this important work. Fulbright Hays Scholarship Award— Lexington High School Foreign Language teacher Beckie Bray Rankin will participate in a Fulbright Hays Program in Côte d'Ivoire this summer! Fourteen educators were selected through the National French Teacher Association (AATF) to learn from locals and write a four-week curriculum. Ms. Rankin has spent a year living north of Côte d'Ivoire and couldn't be more excited to return and spend time closer to the economic capital. Ms. Rankin models what it means to be a global citizen by actively participating in initiatives like this exchange, and she leads by example. The full press release can be viewed here . Diamond Middle School Student Earns Karate Black Belt— It’s not every day that a middle school student earns a black belt in karate! Congrats to Diamond seventh-grader Cooper Cuthbertson, who earned his award this month! As we like to say in LPS, “productive struggle is the hallmark of deep, lifelong learning,” and such an accomplishment requires hard work and discipline. Congrats, Cooper! We are so proud of you! Celebrating Exemplary History Teaching— During November, five of our LHS history teachers presented at high-profile nationwide conferences about the innovative curriculum they had developed and used in their classrooms. The presentation, "How One Family Letter Can Help Students Connect Lessons of the Holocaust to Today," was given by Jessica Antoline at the Ethel LeFrak Holocaust Education Conference in Pennsylvania. Her travels were graciously sponsored through the LEF. Ashley Lai and Leah Schwartz: "Teaching Modern Asia: Development of China, India, and Cambodia's Governmental Structures." at the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference in Boston. Kristen Strobel and Katherine Manning: "The Swahili: Local Communities, Global Connections" at the National Council for the Social Studies annual conference in Boston. Congratulations to these teachers, and kudos to them for showcasing the learning experiences happening in Lexington Public Schools to a wide audience of educators. Highline: A Student-Created Video Broadcast Program— Highline is more than a course; it’s a testament to the power of student initiative and collaboration. What began as a student-led club under the guidance of art teacher Rachel Tadeu evolved into a dynamic video broadcast program thanks to the creativity and dedication of Lexington High School students. Working closely with teacher Monique Harris Schramme, students helped shape Highline into a cutting-edge course within the Art & Design Department. Open to juniors and seniors, Highline empowers students to produce compelling video content streamed online and across the school, capturing the essence of Lexington while building the creative and technical expertise needed to thrive in the digital age. Please click here to check out Season 2 Episode 3, which was just released in December. Thank you so much to the LHS PTO for funding this program! BioArt: Where Science and Art Converge — BioArt is one of LHS's newest course offerings, and students have a unique opportunity to explore the intersection of biology, technology, and creativity. Created in response to student interest, this interdisciplinary course allows students to engage with biological materials and scientific concepts to produce thought-provoking works of art. Led by teacher Paul Belenkey, BioArt is offered through the Art & Design Department and allows students to earn either Art or Biology credits. Through BioArt, students develop artistic skills and a deeper understanding of scientific principles, preparing them for future careers requiring creativity, critical thinking, and innovation. Thank you so much to the Lexington Education Foundation (LEF) for funding these course offerings! High School Building Project Updates— For those interested in learning more, please visit our LHS building project website for the most up-to-date information. Our project website contains detailed data, reports, committee agendas, minutes, and video links. The SBC held a coordination meeting on December 2nd and a full meeting on December 9th. The primary focus of these meetings was reviewing and voting on the Preferred Schematic Report submission to the MSBA and previewing the Schematic Design work plan. Are you interested in learning more about the LHS project but have no time to watch the recordings or read the minutes? Check out the monthly reports here . The November 2024 edition was just released! The Student-School Building Committee met on Thursday, January 2, 2025. We had a productive meeting discussing how students viewed the S-SBC’s purpose and reason for existing. The students are working on 1) being more inclusive by increasing outreach to elementary and middle school students, and 2) being responsive to all community concerns. One such example is this new infographic that was created by a talented S-SBC member, Avia Liao. A New & Improved LPS Website — Lexington Public Schools has adopted SquareSpace as its new website hosting platform. The platform allows the district greater ability to manage content in a way that increases accessibility for viewers. Our new website pages have increased space around content, addressing Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards for accessible design and offering a better viewing experience. We have also purchased improved translation tools with the new platform to provide members of the community with greater ability to translate the content on our web pages. Because the site was created in-district, we were able to design it with viewers in mind. We have arranged content in a way that we think will be easier for families and other members of the school community to find what they are looking for when viewing the site. As with any new website launch, we will continue to make adjustments so that end users have the best experience possible. Our website address continues to be www.lexingtonma.org . On the new site, for those ancillary links that attach Google documents, we recommend viewing them on mobile devices in print layout (click on the three dots in the top right corner), which provides a full view of the document. We will be offering two upcoming public webinars that community members can attend, where there will be an overview of the new website and where content is located. The first webinar will be held on Tuesday, January 14th at 6 p.m. The second webinar will be held on Thursday, January 16th at 11 am. Please click here to join the January 14th website webinar. Please click here to join the January 16th website webinar. Home Alone Safety: Empowering Kids with Confidence and Key Skills— On Wednesday, January 15, 2025, the Lexington Police Department will partner with Lexington Community Education to offer a session on home safety preparation for kids. The session will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Room 224 at Lexington High School and will cost $5.00 to attend. The class will help your child feel safer and more secure when home alone or with siblings and learn telephone and doorbell answering strategies. The class is designed for children ages nine and older. Younger children may attend with an accompanying adult. Instructors are Officers from the Lexington Police and Fire Departments. Class size is limited, so please register early here . Please contact Lexington Community Education with any questions. 30th Anniversary of MLK Day— On January 20, 2025, the Lexington Human Rights Committee is commemorating the 30th anniversary of MLK Day as a National Day of Service and the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. We will be honoring Women of the Movement. This year’s program pays tribute to the women of the Civil Rights Movement, whose leadership and bravery paved the way for today’s activism for everyone. As part of these historic milestones, keynote speaker and National Women's Hall of Fame inductee, Loretta J. Ross will bring inspiration and insight to the day. An exhibit will feature women who fought in the Civil Rights Movement as well as those who came after them. We are also thrilled to be hosting our first-ever Activator Fair, an opportunity to amplify the local projects and activities that promote equality, freedom, and inclusion and to promote civic and voluntary engagement. Come and make a difference and be a part of the next movement. Let's make this year's celebration a clear and resounding message about Lexington's commitment toward justice as we pay tribute to Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy. Please click here for more information. Lex250 Countdown Calendar: at 1625 Massachusetts Avenue— This MLK Day, January 20 , honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the ultimate Dreamer and Doer, by sharing your dreams for a better future. Dr. King envisioned a world rooted in equality, justice, and community—values that continue to inspire Lexington as we reflect on 250 years of progress. Gather your group, capture a photo, and share your collective dreams on social media. Tag #Lex250 to celebrate the spirit of Dr. King and highlight how our community is working together to build a brighter tomorrow! New Monument! — Meet the artist, Miriam Gusevich Saturday, January 25th, 2-4 pm. LEXINGTON ARTS AND CRAFTS SOCIETY 130 Waltham Street - Lexington, MA 02421 - (781) 862-9696 RSVP: info@lexart.org - Parking available. Waltham Street (gallery) entrance. We All Belong— An important core value in Lexington Public Schools is “we all belong.” Many activities throughout the district ensure that when it comes to belonging, we are “walking the walk.” Please look for frequent news in this bi-weekly update. At a December School Committee meeting in Boston, three Lexington residents shared concerns about our approach to teaching Hinduism at LHS and the use of language that might further stereotypes. While there are no lessons about Hindu stereotypes of Hinduism per se, our two-year World History sequence includes primary sources related to imperialism and other topics of the past that can be challenging for modern readers. These topics are taught with great care to provide a window to the past, particularly when these lessons touch on problematic historical thinking about contemporary identities that members of our community hold. The quote referenced during the School Committee meeting was drawn from a one-paragraph excerpt from an Iranian scholar visiting India in the 11th Century. The primary source paragraph was taken from a standard 2017 World History textbook, and the teacher who used it explained to students that during this time of trade and exchange, there also were clashes of culture and intolerance towards people of different religions. The teacher previewed and discussed the language in the passage with students before they read it, explaining word meanings and clarifying that this particular passage demonstrated the intolerance of its author. To our knowledge, these concerns had not been shared with an administrator. Our History/Social Studies Department Head, Dr. Kerry Dunne, reached out to these concerned community members and engaged in productive conversations with plans for ongoing collaboration. This is a good opportunity to underscore that the administration is always available to partner with community members when concerns arise. LHS-LCP Partnership — This month, we began the latest partnership between LHS and LCP with a new cohort of LHS students visiting our youngest learners monthly to conduct read-alouds. Initially, the focus will be on relationship-building, and ultimately, LHS students hope to read books that convey aspects of their identity that may not always be represented in children’s literature, such as being multilingual learners, immigrants, or members of another historically marginalized group. Past read-alouds have featured age-appropriate books like Say Hello! by Rachel Isadora, The Family Book by Todd Parr, and The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family by Ibtihaj Muhammad and S.K. Ali. High School Leadership Conference— Recently, LHS METCO Social Worker Ariana Akram chaperoned six LHS students at the IDEAS High School Student Leadership Conference at Lincoln-Sudbury High School. The Lexington cohort included Laya Barguhti (‘25), Clare Goohs (‘25), Mads Palter (‘26), Kerry Price (‘27), Jackson Sarker (‘26), and William Zhang (‘25), joining students from 10 other area communities. The conference's goals include exploring and understanding the many aspects of identity, recognizing and challenging stereotypes, empowering students to self-advocate and be an ally for others, and identifying areas to advocate for equity and change in schools. Upcoming Holidays & Observances — Are you interested in learning about important holidays and observances for our Lexington Public Schools community members? Below are essential community events shared with district leaders to promote classroom awareness and help plan school events and learning experiences for our students, staff, and families. Please click the links to learn more. Date Observance Jan 7, 2025 Greek Orthodox Christmas Jan 14, 2025 Makara Sankranti Jan 14-17, 2025 Pongal Jan 20, 2025 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Jan 27, 2025 Holocaust Remembrance Day Jan 29, 2025 Lunar New Year Feb 2, 2025 Vasant Panchami Feb 17, 2025 Presidents' Day Feb 26, 2025 Maha Shivaratri Feb 28 - Mar 29, 2025 Ramadan Are you a community member interested in receiving regular updates from LPS? You can now sign up here .
Friday, Jan 10 2025
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Lexington School Committee Meeting Notice
The Lexington School Committee agenda for Tuesday, January 7, 2024, is available on the Lexington Public Schools Website here .
Monday, Jan 06 2025
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Lexington School Committee Meeting Notice
The Lexington School Committee agenda for tonight, Tuesday, December 17, 2024, is available on the Lexington Public Schools Website here .
Tuesday, Dec 17 2024
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LPS Website Issue Resolved
Dear Families, Last week, we had reports that there were problems with our website loading and that people were receiving a "safety" message and that it looked like they could not proceed. We have worked with our current web hosting vendor and that issue has been resolved. Thank you for your patience as we worked to address it. Should you still find that there is an issue with accessing the site, you can reach out to me at tmartellone@lexingtonma.org As noted previously, if you did get the "safety" alert, the site is safe and you can click on proceed and you will be all set and your information will be safe. Best, Thomas Martellone Director of Innovation and Instructional Technology Lexington Public Schools
Thursday, Dec 12 2024
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LPS Website
Dear Families, Over the weekend, we were alerted to an issue with school and district websites. Currently, users are receiving a notification that the site is not safe, however, it is safe to proceed. You can click on the word "Advanced" and then select "Proceed to site". This should temporarily remedy the problem and provide you access. We are working with our web hosting company and they have shared that other users of the platform have experienced a similar issue, and that the issue is on the platform end. We are working to get this resolved as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience as we work to get this addressed. I will send out a communication when this is fully resolved. Regards, Thomas Martellone, Director of Innovation and Instructional Technology Lexington Public Schools
Tuesday, Dec 03 2024
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School Building Committee New Agenda
The agenda for the School Building Committee (SBC) for December 9th, has been posted. Please view this agenda or past agendas, recordings, or minutes here .
Monday, Dec 02 2024
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Superintendent's Report_November 26, 2024
Superintendent's Report 146 Maple Street, Lexington, MA 02420 Tel: 781-861-2580 D1 Coach of the Year— Congratulations to Coach Steve Solly on being named MBCA Division 1 Girls Coach of the Year! This is a well-deserved achievement and recognition. We are so lucky to have you as a Lexington coach and teacher! Performing Arts Happenings— The Performing Arts Department has had a fantastic start to the 2024-2025 school year with wonderful opportunities for students involved in our strings, band, choral, and drama programs! Our middle and high school students engaged in amazing Performing Arts experiences in the past three months, and here are a few updates: Clarke Middle School drama students participated in an inspiring trip to New York City organized by two of our drama teachers, Ms. Alyson Brown and Ms. Carly Kalivas. Students had the incredible opportunity to learn from and work with Broadway professional Daryl Tofa (“Two Bit Matthews” from The Outsiders ). Our performances started just seven weeks into the school year with the LHS Fall String Fling with our LHS string directors, Mx. Rachel Jayson and Ms. Jessica Billings-White. A highlight of this concert included an in-person collaboration performance with Singer Mali (an LPS alum!) and the LHS Chamber Orchestra with the piece “Lodestone.” We laughed at the slapstick comedy in Diamond Middle School’s fall play, Shake It Up: A Shakespeare Mashup, created and directed by Ms. Kate Bromley, with Mr. Carlton Ward as the Technical Director. Audiences were impressed by the gorgeous choral music of the LHS Honors Choral Students under the direction of Mr. Jason Iannuzzi. Mr. Pat Donaher and our LHS Jazz Ensembles also hosted a Jazz Night performance where our students demonstrated their musical progress this year. Last week, we had two middle school orchestra concerts (under the direction of Ms. Jessica Billings-White, Ms. Chris Brainard, Ms. Meredith Tashkandi, and Mr. Matt McDonnell), two middle school band concerts (under the direction of Mr. Toby Forman, Mr. Greg Tracy, and Teacher Garrett Wallace), and the production run of the LHS fall play Treasure Island , under the direction of Ms. Jillian Singer-Wong, with Technical Director Mr. Carlton Ward creating a magical trap door and wonderful flexible sets. Lexington High School had a whopping 59 students who were accepted to participate in the Massachusetts Music Educators’ Association Northeast Senior District Festival, which includes 25 surrounding towns. We are excited to host this festival again, which will happen at LHS in January. Students from LHS will participate in the Concert Band, Jazz Band, Orchestra, and Chorus. We highly recommend that you come out and experience what the Lexington Performing Arts Department students have to offer. Our students and teachers work hard and would love to share their efforts. The LHS Fall Band Concert (directed by Mr. Toby Forman and Mr. Justin Aramati) is tonight (Tuesday) at 7:00 p.m. in the LHS auditorium. The Performing Arts Department invites you to attend an upcoming performance! A “Calendar of Events” can be found here , or you can follow the Performing Arts Department on Facebook or Instagram . High School Project Updates— For those interested in learning more, please visit our LHS building project website for the most up-to-date information. Our project website contains detailed data, reports, committee agendas, minutes, and video links. The SBC held a School Building Committee Coordination meeting on November 18th and will hold another on December 2nd. The primary focus during these meetings is the SBC's next steps now that we are moving into the schematic design phase. The Project Team will begin meeting with the Permanent Building Committee (PBC) twice a month while continuing to meet with the SBC once a month. We will remain up-to-date on all aspects of the project, including costs. On December 2nd, we will also review the MSBA enrollment discussion meeting, including their follow-up letter and Lexington’s reply . Are you interested in learning more about the LHS project but have no time to watch the recordings or read the minutes? Check out the monthly reports here . The October 2024 edition was just released! National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)— When a bunch of English and literacy educators get together to talk about books and how to inspire a love of reading, anything is possible! A contingent of Lexington educators attended the NCTE Annual Convention in Boston this week, and School Committee member Sara Cuthbertson and I were delighted to join them. LPS elementary, middle, and high school educators were inspired by the keynote speakers, including Ketanji Brown Jackson and Kate McKinnon. Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson is the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, and she talked about her new book, Lovely One. The story of her journey to the Supreme Court of the United States is one for the history books! Comedian Kate McKinnon was another keynote speaker who recently published a young adult book called, The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science . During her keynote, she inspired us with her authenticity and her belief that “The world needs everyone to be exactly what they are to the fullest extent.” We also got to attend an inspirational session featuring Kwame Alexander , the New York Times bestselling author and poet who talked about his Newbery Award winning book, The Crossover, among other publications. We may be a little biased, but we think the session featuring Casey Siagel (Middle School ELA Department Head) and Johnny Cole (Director of Equity and Student Support) was equally impressive, and they shared the great work that our students and educators are doing in the Lexington Public Schools! The title of their session was, Diversifying Text Selection: A Systemic Approach.” As noted in their session description, “Representation is paramount to a safe and inclusive classroom, and the books students read matter. This session will guide teachers, coaches, and leaders in developing a plan to support clear text-selection criteria that diversify literature while prioritizing both institutional and classroom teacher values.” Thanks to our incredible LPS educators for taking the time to learn and grow together! We All Belong— An important core value in Lexington Public Schools is “we all belong.” Many activities throughout the district ensure that when it comes to belonging, we are “walking the walk.” Please look for frequent news in this bi-weekly update. IAL Collaboration — In an ongoing partnership, Middle School Social Studies Department Head Jane Hundley and teachers Christy Prasad and Remy Coombs have been meeting regularly with representatives from the Indian Americans of Lexington (IAL), focusing on adjusting and improving the 7th grade unit on South Asia. In an upcoming professional learning opportunity, staff will be provided pragmatic advice and guidance for the South Asia unit that will positively impact instruction and highlight India's diversity. IAL members have presented on topics including India’s 1947 independence, Dharmic faiths, decoupling caste from Hinduism, and more. We are thankful for this continuing relationship that improves learning experiences for all students! Undoing Ableism —On Wednesday, November 23rd, Dr. Sue Baglieri led all new staff in LPS in a workshop on combating ableism in public schools. Dr. Baglieri is a professor of inclusive education at Montclair State University in New Jersey. She is the author of Disability Studies and the Inclusive Classroom and co-authored the book Undoing Ableism: Teaching about Disability in K-12 Classrooms . We have a lot of work to do to ensure that our schools are inclusive for all students. We are thankful for this partnership and grateful that SEPAC Co-President, parent, and community member Sam Johnston introduced us to Dr. Baglieri’s work. Upcoming Holidays & Observances — Are you interested in learning about important holidays and observances for our Lexington Public Schools community members? Below are essential community events shared with district leaders to promote classroom awareness and help plan school events and learning experiences for our students, staff, and families. Please click the links to learn more. Date Observance Nov 28, 2024 Thanksgiving Nov 28, 2024 National Day of Mourning Dec 9, 2024 International Day of Commemoration & Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide & the Prevention of this Crime Dec 20, 2024 Yaldã Night Dec 25, 2024 Christmas Dec 25, 2024 -Jan. 2, 2025 Hanukkah Dec 26, 2024 -Jan. 1, 2025 Kwanzaa Are you a community member interested in receiving regular updates from LPS? You can now sign up here .
Monday, Dec 02 2024
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With Gratitude
Sending You Warm Wishes for A Peaceful Celebration This Year! A Message from Dr. Julie Hackett, Superintendent of Schools "Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings" (William Arthur Ward). In the spirit of the season, just a note to express my gratitude for all you do each day to contribute to our Lexington Public Schools community. Our talented students, dedicated faculty and staff, and supportive families are what make our schools so special, and working with you is a big part of why I love my job. Today and every day I am thankful for you. Sending you warm wishes for a peaceful celebration this year.
Wednesday, Nov 27 2024
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School Building Committee New Agenda
The agenda for the School Building Committee (SBC) for December 2nd, has been posted. Please view this agenda or past agendas, recordings, or minutes here .
Monday, Nov 25 2024
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Lexington School Committee Meeting Notice
The Lexington School Committee agendas for Tuesday, November 26, 2024 and Tuesday, December 3rd, are available on the Lexington Public Schools Website here .
Monday, Nov 25 2024