Easton

Easton Public Schools Hosts Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Jeffrey C. Riley

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Easton Public Schools
Dr. Lisha Cabral, Superintendent
50 Oliver St.
North Easton, MA 02356

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Easton Public Schools Hosts Massachusetts Commissioner of Education Jeffrey C. Riley

EASTON — Superintendent Lisha Cabral is pleased to announce that the Easton Public Schools hosted Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley during their professional development day Friday, Nov. 8 at the Richardson-Olmsted Elementary School.

Riley spoke for an hour about his past as a teacher, his personal experiences as a parent and work being done at the state level about the future of education. He showed several videos and shared stories that related to two themes: how teachers can better connect with students, and the growing role of technology in the lives of young people.

“Commissioner Riley mixes humor and insightful commentary to deliver a very important message,” Superintendent Cabral said. “It was great for our staff to hear him speak. It shows that we value what they do, and so do people at the state level.” 

One of the statewide initiatives Riley discussed was the deeper learning model, which focuses on teachers helping students demonstrate fluency in a given academic area so that they can identify themselves as participants in — and contributors to — that area.

“We must find activities that are more fun and engaging, but still meet state standards,” Riley said. “It’s about getting back to the basics of learning, and making sure that learning can be connected back to the real world. This is important, because we know the world these students will be entering is very different than the world we’re in today. We must recognize that we’re in a process of change.”

Riley highlighted the Kaleidoscope Collective for Learning, a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education pilot program created to nurture the deeper learning model in Massachusetts public schools.  

Riley then showed a video that examined the changing landscape of modern education. Using artificial intelligence machines such as the Deep Blue chess-playing computer and IBM’s Watson computing system as examples, the video showed how the world is being shaped by ever-changing technologies and what this means for how teachers instruct and engage their students.

Riley ended his presentation by telling the teachers in attendance that he values the work they do despite the many challenges they face.

“You all have the most amazing job in the world, and you have a major opportunity every day to do better by your kids,” Riley said. “You may not be on TV every night or have a baseball card with your name on it … but I’m here to tell you that I honor everything you do.”

One of the members of the audience Friday was Easton School Committee member Caroline O’Neill, who applauded Riley for his presentation.

“He was very engaging and entertaining, but he also covered some very deep thoughts about the challenges in education,” O’Neill said. “Things like device addiction and how to best reach our students. The question is how do we get beyond those things, and this was a great conversation to have.”

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*Media Advisory* Easton Public Schools to Host Massachusetts Commissioner of Education

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Easton Public Schools
Dr. Lisha Cabral, Superintendent
50 Oliver St.
North Easton, MA 02356

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

*Media Advisory* Easton Public Schools to Host Massachusetts Commissioner of Education

EASTON — Superintendent Lisha Cabral announces that the Easton Public Schools will host Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Jeffrey C. Riley as part of an upcoming professional development day.

WHEN: 

Friday, Nov. 8, from 10 to 11 a.m.

WHERE: 

The Richardson Olmsted School, 101 Lothrop St., Easton.

WHAT:

Commissioner Riley will discuss the work that is happening at the state level. He has been in his role for just over a year, and is looking to share what he has learned and where the Department of Education is heading.

Following Riley’s presentation, school staff will engage in a discussion on social-emotional learning. Riley will be including this topic into his presentation.

Members of the media are invited to attend Riley’s presentation from 10 to 11 a.m., and can RSVP by contacting Julie Shine at [email protected], by Thursday, Nov. 7.

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Easton Superintendent Lisha Cabral Encourages Residents to Attend Town Meeting for New School Project Vote

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Easton Public Schools
Dr. Lisha Cabral, Superintendent
50 Oliver St.
North Easton, MA 02356

For Immediate Release

Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019

Media Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Easton Superintendent Lisha Cabral Encourages Residents to Attend Town Meeting for New School Project Vote

EASTON — Superintendent Lisha Cabral would like to remind Easton parents and residents about the upcoming Special Town Meeting vote on the Early Elementary School Project.

The meeting will take place on Monday, Oct. 28, at the Ames Sports Complex at Stonehill College, 320 Washington St., starting at 7 p.m. The school project will be the only topic on the agenda.

Town Meeting members will be asked to vote on whether or not to authorize the borrowing of funds for the town’s share of funding the school project.

There will also be a town-wide ballot vote on whether to approve a debt-exclusion override for the project on Tuesday, Nov. 5. This will take place at the standard voting site at Oliver Ames High School, 100 Lothrop St.

The project would consolidate the district’s three elementary schools serving grades pre-K to 2 – Moreau Hall, Center School and Parkview School – into one building on the current site of the Parkview School.

The project cost is approximately $95 million, with $36 million funded through a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority. The Town would pay the remaining $59 million, over a period of 30 years.

If the project is not approved by residents, the estimated base cost of repairing the three current schools would be more than $86 million, with the Town bearing the total cost.

A design plan for the new school calls for a two-story building with pre-K and kindergarten classrooms on the first floor separated by different wings, and first and second grade classrooms on the second floor.

The school will also feature a central area with two cafeterias, a gymnasium and a media center.

In August, the School Planning Committee approved adding the district’s administrative offices to the school as well. The district currently rents a space at 50 Oliver St. for these offices.

For more information, visit the Easton Early Elementary School Project website.

ABOUT THE MEETING:

Voters will be handed a ballot when they arrive at the meeting, and are encouraged to bring a black pen to streamline the voting process.

Parking at Stonehill College is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Town officials strongly urge residents who wish to park at Stonehill to carpool and arrive early. Voters will only be permitted to enter from the Belmont Street (Route 123) entrance. Voters will be directed to parking by staff once on campus. 

Doors will open at 5 p.m., and food will be available for purchase.

Parking will also be available at the Easton Industrial Park, with free shuttle service to and from the campus.

There will be free babysitting services for school-aged children offered at Moreau Hall (360 Washington St.) starting at 5:30 p.m. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. Parents may sign up by clicking here. Children must be picked up within 30 minutes of the conclusion of the meeting.

Light snacks and water will be available for all children; sandwiches and drinks may be brought by children in a clearly marked bag with their name. No peanut products are allowed.

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Easton Fire Department Offers Safety Tips During National Fire Prevention Week

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Easton Fire Department
Kevin Partridge, Fire Chief
413 Bay Road
South Easton, MA 02375

For Immediate Release

Monday, Oct. 7, 2019

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: [email protected]

Easton Fire Department Offers Safety Tips During National Fire Prevention Week

EASTON — With National Fire Prevention Week kicking off this weekend, Chief Kevin Partridge and the Easton Fire Department would like to remind residents about safety precautions to take to prevent house fires and the appropriate actions to take in the event of a fire.

National Fire Prevention Week, organized by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) begins this year on Sunday, Oct. 6 and ends on Saturday, Oct. 12. The annual campaign seeks to educate and provide the public with valuable safety recommendations and steps they can take to prevent possible fires and react properly in the event of a fire.

The theme of the 2019 National Fire Prevention Week is “Not Every Hero Wears a Cape. Plan and Practice Your Escape!” in an effort to remind people of the critical importance of creating and practicing an escape plan should a fire start.

According to the NFPA, a person may only have a two-minute window to escape from a fire after a smoke alarm is activated.

“I want to thank all of the people that came to our open house event over the weekend. We had a great time getting to know some residents better and enjoyed seeing how much fun the kids were having,” Chief Partridge said. “Fire Prevention Week serves as a reminder to residents and families to take steps to prepare themselves for the event of a fire or emergency.”

The Easton Fire Department wishes to share the following safety tips provided by NFPA:

Home Fire Escape Planning and Practice

  • Create a home escape plan, and make a map. Share that plan with all members of your household. Designate a minimum of two ways to get out of each room, if possible.
  • Teach children how they can escape, should they need to get out of the home on their own.
  • Make sure all doors and windows to the outdoors are easy to open.
  • Designate an outside meeting place a safe distance away from the home where everyone in your household should meet in the event of a fire.
  • Practice a fire drill at home with your entire household, once at night and once during the day time, twice a year. Make sure everyone in your household practices using different routes to exit your home.
  • In the event of a fire and while practicing fire drills, close doors behind you as you leave.
  • If you are evacuating and there is smoke, get low and proceed beneath the smoke.
  • If the smoke alarm sounds, exit the building and call 911 once you are outside the building. Never go back inside while the fire is ongoing.

Smoke Alarms

  • Smoke alarms can mean the difference between life and death in a fire. Working smoke alarms cut the risk of dying in a home fire in half. Install smoke alarms in every sleeping room, outside each separate sleeping area, and on every level of the home, including the basement.
  • Test smoke alarms at least once a month using the test button.
  • Make sure everyone in the home understands the sound of the smoke alarm and knows how to respond.

Cooking

  • Unattended cooking is the leading cause of fires in the kitchen. Always stay in the kitchen when you are frying, boiling, grilling or broiling food. If you are simmering, baking, slow cooking or roasting food, check it regularly and do not leave the home while food is cooking.
  • Keep anything that can catch fire away from your stove top.

Heating

  • Heating equipment is one of the leading causes of home fires during the winter months. Space heaters are most often involved in home heating equipment fires.
  • All heaters need space. Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet (1 meter) away from heating equipment.
  • Have a 3-foot (1-meter) “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.
  • Purchase and use only portable space heaters listed by a qualified testing laboratory.
  • Have a qualified professional install heating equipment.
  • Maintain heating equipment and chimneys by having them cleaned and inspected by a qualified professional at least once a year.

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