Attached are areas of updates from the Curriculum Office, shared at the April 2025 School Committee Meeting.

School Committee Slides - Update

Please share input about our MERSD Science, Tech, & Engineering programming!

Elementary Opportunity: Please join our elementary instructional coaches for a parent/caregiver Math and Literacy presentation.

• Memorial Elementary - Project Room 1- Wednesday, March 19, 6-7pm
• Essex Elementary -Cafeteria- Monday, March 24, 6-7pm

Literacy Coach Beth LeDoux and Mathematics Coach Hana McGowan will share strategies and engaging activities to reinforce math and literacy learning at home. This event is for parents/caretakers. We look forward to meeting you!

Attached are areas of updates from the Curriculum Office, shared at the March 2025 School Committee Meeting.

March School Committee Slides

On the night of March 3, our community engaged in session #2 of our Digital Wellness Series. Facilitated by Kerry Gallagher, J.D., we focused on the digital tools most commonly used by kids and parental controls including how they can be best utilized and their limitations.

You can view the slides from the event HERE.

Additionally, Kerry shared a URL to the 1 hour webinar for Safer Internet Day that ConnectSafely partnered with the National PTA to produce. She recommends folks listen to it like a podcast. It's chock full of helpful easy-to-implement strategies for parents including:

• Scams
• Sextortion
• Screen time strategies
• Talking to our kids and teens about strangers online
• Kerry’s “Play the tape forward” strategy
• How to talk to your kids about using AI in school
• Online bullying & harassment

We are excited to share that we have been awarded a year 2 competitive grant to partner with DESE to utilize the Supporting Arts & Cultural Vitality (ACV) Index. In year 2 we will develop action plans based on the analysis completed last year through collaborative work by our Arts Council that includes staff, administration, and community members. Time commitments include 4 optional training dates with DESE (dates & times noted below), 5 meetings with MERSD team (after school hours, dates TBD), and some independent work completed at each members own discretion. This process will take place beginning in December and throughout the winter and spring of 2025, wrapping up in June 2025.

We have a couple of spots on the council for interested community members, if you are interested in serving on the Arts Council, please email Director of Curriculum, Heather Leonard directly to express your interest by Friday, December 13th. Based on levels of interest we may have a lottery of spots and will follow back up early next week.

Please reach out to Heather with any questions or to express interest in participating on the council: leonardh@mersd.org

Wednesday, January 08, 2025 4:00-5:00 pm

Wednesday, February 26, 2025 4:30-5:30 pm

Wednesday, April 09, 2025 4:30-5:30 pm

Wednesday, May 07, 2025 4:00-5:00 pm

During our School Committee meeting on 11/5, we shared our annual update of our district data. 

Slides from the night can be VIEWED HERE.

Please join the MERSD community for Session #1 of our Digital Wellness Series, “A Foundation for Healthier Tech Use.” We will host this community education session in our MS/HS Learning Commons on November 14th at 6pm. 

Please RSVP to help us plan for space needs: https://forms.gle/z3TpFHNnVowphWxv6

Authentic Learning is a key lever in our MERSD Strategic Plan. As our district continues to grow in learning and applying this focus, we have built a shared district definition.

MERSD Authentic Learning Definition: Student-centered authentic learning is an approach to teaching and learning that engages students in inquiry-based experiences that have real-world applications guided by students' experiences, skills, and interests. Authentic learning is grounded in real world issues, problems, and applications. It encourages higher order thinking, empowers students with practical and useful life skills, and invites them to make a difference in their world.