Superintendent's Blog

As I begin my final days in the Bedford Public Schools, I want to say thank you to a special community that has been so supportive of our schools during my 15 year tenure.  When I came to Bedford in 1997 as Assistant Superintendent, I never imagined that I would be ending my career here as your Superintendent of Schools.  For me, working for a community that cherishes its children has been a professional privilege.  The support of this community for its schools has always been unwavering; that support has been rewarded by the professionalism of a faculty and staff always willing to go the extra mile to get the job done.  It is that home-school partnership and commitment to common goals that make this such a special place for children to learn and to grow.

I look forward to hearing about the continued success of these precious schools as the new leadership team, led by Jon Sills, takes the helm.  Leaving the personal and professional connections to Bedford will be hard, but knowing that you are in good hands makes the “moving on” easier.

Have a wonderful summer filled with some quality family time and some lazy days.  On a personal note,  I am looking forward to the birth of our second grandchild and to long walks on the beach.

Be well.

Maureen

Congratulations to the Bedford High School Girls Tennis Team, winners of the Division 3 North Sectionals and the South Division.  Look for details in the morning on BHS website on the State Finals scheduled for Wednesday, June 13.

2012 Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge Finalists Announced

Congratulations to the 12 students on the Grade 2 Davis School team, one of 72 student teams recently announced as finalists in the 2012 Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge. This year’s finalists’ projects include developing a new method to detect detergent contamination in water, educating peers on the environmental effects associated with using disposable water bottles and creating a way to harness energy through electromagnetic inductance.  The Davis School  Project focused on conserving electricity at Davis School.

Special thank to Sarah Dorer,  the teacher/coach and Richard Jones, the expert energy consultant for working with our Davis scholars.

The 2012-2017 Strategic Plan for the Bedford Public Schools has been approved by the Bedcord School Committee. The Strategic Plan has been designed as a roadmap for the future articulating key system goals. In addition, it includes a Technology Vision designed to guide school leaders and the community as we continue the transformation of the learning environment in our schools.

To view the Strategic Plan, click here:

http://www.bedford.k12.ma.us/school-committee/strategic-plan.html

Just a quick note to say have a great April Vacation Week.  As we head into the vacation break, we do so with an approved budget for FY2013.   Special thanks to the Bedford School Committee, the Finance Committee,  the Capital Expenditures Committee and Annual Town Meeting for supporting the budget that will continue to move our schools forward.  During the April Vacation week, we will replace the failing portion of the roof at Lane School and the locks for the JGMS lockers.

Representative Murphy with the Bedford Delegation

Bedford METCO students joined Dr. Napier, our METCO Director, for Lobby Day.  This is an annual event for METCO districts as we seek continued state support for a highly acclaimed program.

Good luck to the two Bedford High School teams headed to the Division 3 North Semi-Finals.

Girls’ Basketball: St. John’s Prep Danvers at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 7th.

Hockey: Chelmsford Forum at 6:00 p.m., Thursday March 8th.

I am very pleased to report that Henry Turner has accepted the Bedford High School Principal position starting July 1st.  By way of background, Henry has been a Housemaster at Newton South High School since 2009.  Prior to assuming this administrative role, Henry was a Social Studies teacher for 7 years at Lexington High School.  One of Henry’s references said the following about his efforts to address the Achievement Gap:

“Henry’s willingness to take on the difficult challenge with grace and aplomb, his creative thinking and problem solving, his ability to generate common respect and confidence with a diverse student, faculty, and parent community, and his good sense of humor and people skills contribute to his status at South as a true superstar.”

As Henry moved through the interview process in Bedford,  he affirmed what his references said about him demonstrating an ability to listen carefully, answer thoughtfully, and understand the culture and complexities of Bedford High School.  In the hiring of a principal, the fit of the leader with the position and the work ahead is always critical.  In my view, Henry has demonstrated that he has both the talent and leadership style that will serve our  high school well.  It is a privilege to welcome Henry to Bedford.

Here’s a quick update on the status of our FY2013  Budget.   The Finance Committee has approved the FY 2013 School  Committee Budget for $32,787,202, a 3.38% increase over FY2012.  It is important to remember and underscore that  we were able to achieve an agreed upon budget that supports current staffing and needs because of the Bedford Education Association  contract settlement.  While the budget is not final until Annual Town Meeting approval at the end of March, the Finance Committee  vote is a significant step forward.  This budget maintains current programming and includes the following restorations and additions:

• (.5) Instructional Technology Specialist at Davis School
• (.5) Tech Support staff
• (.4) Teaching Assistant  BHS Skills Center (.6) TA  Crossroads program
• (2) Teaching Assistants  and a (1.0) Teacher for the JGMS Transitions Program
• Increase in time for Adjustment Counsellors at Lane and JGMS and Occupational Therapist at Lane
• Implementation of the K12 plan for technology purchases following a hiatus for the last several years
• Purchase of iPads for grade 10

I am deeply  appreciative that the Finance Committee has supported this budget.  Getting there has been a team effort.  I know that the wonderful work that our staff does each and every day  in our schools each day is the reason this amazing town continues to support our schools.  As we move this budget forward, I want to extend a special thanks to David Coelho and Cyndy Taymore who have been wonderful partners in helping me shape and present the budget we need for our schools.  And kudos to the Bedford School Committee for the many hours they have invested to get us to this juncture.

The creation of more opportunities to purchase and author   digital textbooks  is highlighted in today’s edition of T.H.E. Journal which notes the release of the  iBook2 ( http://thejournal.com/articles/2012/01/19/apple-launches-ibooks-2-ibooks-author.aspx)

In Bedford, as we continue the development of our 1:1 initiative at the high school, the opportunity to create and revise our own textbooks is a key component of the shift we are supporting in our classrooms.  With that end in mind, we have joined with Andover and Burlington High Schools submitting an Innovation  Grant to the DESE seeking some financial support for our teachers to continue to work together.  Last June Burlington High School hosted a professional development week so that our teachers could  share digital resources via ePubs.

If the three districts are successful in getting this competitive grant, our cross-district collaboration will provide a great model for the rest of the state.  It is time for Massachusetts to support the shift from traditional to digital textbooks and Bedford is well-positioned to help lead the way.

If you have time, watch the video just released by Apple.

http://www.apple.com/education/#video-textbooks