Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden

Medfield Coalition for Public Education Awards $131,000 in Grant Funds to Medfield Public Schools Initiatives

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Medfield Public Schools
Jeffrey J. Marsden, Superintendent
459 Main St., Unit 3,
Medfield, MA 02052

For Immediate Release

Friday, June 14, 2019

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

Medfield Coalition for Public Education Awards $131,000 in Grant Funds to Medfield Public Schools Initiatives

MEDFIELD – The Medfield Coalition for Public Education is pleased to share that it has awarded $131,000 in grant funds to Medfield Public Schools initiatives over the past year.

The coalition funded 34 grants across Medfield’s five schools. The grants span multiple areas of education including curriculum enhancements in science, art and reading, classroom enhancements and initiatives for students’ personal development. District-wide grants were also awarded, supporting conference travel and professional development programs for Medfield Public Schools staff. 

“We are extremely grateful for the coalition’s continued support of Medfield’s students and staff,” Medfield Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden said. “These grants recognize the dedication of our educators and allow them to pursue unique education opportunities to engage their students.”

The awarded grants were selected by the Medfield Coalition for Public Education’s team of 15 volunteers. Grant applicants attend a coalition meeting and give a presentation based on their submitted grant request. Grants are awarded to projects that meet student needs, increase motivation to learn and stimulate creativity in the classroom.

The funds granted to Medfield Public Schools this year were raised through multiple events and sponsorships. The coalition’s major fundraising efforts this year included a Fall Ball hosted at Gillette Stadium and a Treasured Experiences Auction, where teachers offered unique experiences for kids to bid on, such as a pizza party or ice cream social. Other fundraising efforts included a spelling bee competition, a community trivia night, corporate sponsorships and community donations.

The coalition’s successes over the past year were celebrated at its recent annual meeting on May 23. The event’s activities included recognizing corporate and community supporters, presenting awards to several Medfield staff members and electing new coalition members.

“Our annual meeting was a great way to celebrate all of the amazing work that the MCPE has done over the past year,” said Inger Kenworthy, Co-President of the Medfield Coalition for Public Education. “Being able to support the students, teachers and staff at the Medfield Public Schools is something we all take a tremendous amount of pride in and we are already looking forward to the next school year.”

About the Medfield Coalition for Public Education

The Medfield Coalition for Public Education is an independent, non-profit organization funded to provide district-wide support and academic enrichment for the Medfield Public Schools, with particular attention to academic needs that exceed the parameters of the school budget. The coalition strives to encourage and maintain academic excellence in the face of increasing financial constraints. The coalition awards grants to support the development of innovative programs, curriculum and enrichment.

More information about The Medfield Coalition for Public Education, the grants it has awarded and to donate visit www.medfieldcoalition.org.

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Medfield Public Schools Presents Results of Student Survey to Parents

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Medfield Public Schools
Jeffrey J. Marsden, Superintendent
459 Main St., Unit 3,
Medfield, MA 02052

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

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

Medfield Public Schools Presents Results of Student Survey to Parents

Challenge Success Surveyed 734 MHS Students

MEDFIELD — The Medfield Challenge Success Team is pleased to announce that the results of a student survey were presented to parents by a representative from the non-profit Challenge Success Wednesday night.

The survey, conducted by Challenge Success, was given to Medfield High School students in January and was completed by 734 students.

“We are happy to be able to present the results of the student survey to parents and are looking forward to hearing their feedback,” Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden said. “The purpose of the survey was to provide the district with valuable insight into the minds of our students and their experiences at Medfield High School. We are always looking for ways to improve the exceptional education we provide and the well-being of our students, and this survey is one of the many tools at our disposal.”

Last year, Medfield Public Schools partnered with Challenge Success to find ways that the district could use research-based tools to support student well-being and engagement with learning. Challenge Success is a national, non-profit organization affiliated with the Stanford University Graduate School of Education. Other school districts in the region that have used the Challenge Success program include, Dover-Sherborn, Wellesley, Weston, Westford, Bedford and Concord.

Jon Kleiman, Northeast School Program Director for Challenge Success, presented the results of the survey to district administrators and staff earlier this week and to parents at the presentation earlier tonight. Over 180,000 students nationwide have taken the survey that was given to Medfield High School students and the results were measured off of the average results of the past surveys.

“It is important for parents to understand that every school is different,” Kleiman said. “The challenges that schools are wrestling with and the solutions that need to be adopted to be effective are based on the individual needs and circumstances at each school. I am pleased to report that Medfield High School is very aligned with similar schools that took the survey, across a range of metrics.”

One of the most encouraging results that the data showed was that 84% of students reported that they have an adult at the school they feel comfortable approaching with a problem.

“Medfield students reported very highly as feeling supported at school,” said Medfield High School Guidance Counselor Stephanie Worthley. “Nearly 44% of the students said that the adult they trusted to speak to was one of the counselors at the high school. This was thrilling to see and I attribute it to our counselors who are supportive and care a great deal about our students.”

The survey also showed that Medfield High School students spend less time than the average student working on homework each night.

On average, Medfield High School students spend about two-and-a-half hours on homework each night, compared to an average of three hours nationwide.

“We are cognizant of trying not to overload and overburden our students with too much homework on a nightly basis,” Medfield High School Principal Robert Parga said. “Our students receive a comprehensive and thorough education while they are in school and over 90% of our students participate in extra-curricular activities and sports. We understand that there are only so many hours in the day and hope that students who are feeling overburdened will come talk to their teachers and counselors about finding  a solution.”

The survey identified some areas where improvements could be made both at school and at home.

Medfield students were in line with the national average, reporting that they get about 6.7 hours of sleep each night — below the recommended nine hours per night for high school students — and many go to bed around 11 p.m. on weeknights. A lack of sleep can lead to issues like depression, anxiety, short-term and long-term memory issues and could also be a contributing factor in issues like bullying and driving safety.

“Only 3% of students reported that they were getting nine hours of sleep,” said Assistant Principal Heather Mandosa. “In addition, 78% of students report that they keep their phones in their bedrooms at night. Research shows that if the phone is in the bedroom, students will wake up to check social media or messages throughout the night, which also has an impact on sleep quality and overall well-being.”

Students were also asked if they had cheated in some fashion over the last month. About 83% of Medfield students who took the survey reported that they had cheated in that time. This places Medfield students in the middle of the pack, where 81-87% of students nationwide admitted to cheating.

Parameters that were considered cheating in the survey included working with other students on an assignment that was meant to be done individually, plagiarizing and getting quiz questions or answers from other students ahead of time.

“What is really important to note for us is that cheating is a symptom of a number of challenges for students. Cheating is a reaction to students who have too much homework load or stress, where getting good grades becomes more important than actually learning the material. The purpose of the Challenge Success program is to change that mindset and show students that grades are not the only measure of success,” Kleiman said. “All schools have students that cheat or bend the rules in some fashion and Medfield High School is not immune to that. However, nothing that we saw in the survey results was outside of the normal range for similar schools that took the survey. We have never seen a school with lower than 80% of students reporting cheating in 10 years of administering the survey.”

Superintendent Marsden said, “Overall, I was really pleased with the results of the survey, especially knowing that we are already working on improving in a number of these areas, including homework load and stress reduction.”

Kleiman emphasized to parents that the first year of becoming a Challenge Success school is largely about laying a strong foundation that will be built upon for years to come and that the survey is a part of that process.

“The district has already done a fantastic job of getting students, teachers, staff and parents involved in the program and we have seen a lot of enthusiasm from the schools and community thus far,” Kleiman said. “We are very excited about the work that Medfield is undertaking and I am hopeful that this is going to translate into policies and practices that benefit the students and their overall education and well-being for years to come.”

Medfield Challenge Success is sponsored by the Medfield Coalition for Public Education, Medfield High School PTO and the Blake Middle School PTO.

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More Than 500 Educators Attend “Design Your Learning” Professional Development Day Hosted by Medfield Public Schools

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Medfield Public Schools
Jeffrey J. Marsden, Superintendent
459 Main St., Unit 3,
Medfield, MA 02052

For Immediate Release

Friday, April 5, 2019

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

More Than 500 Educators Attend “Design Your Learning” Professional Development Day Hosted by Medfield Public Schools

MEDFIELD — Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden is pleased to announce that the Medfield Public Schools’ seventh annual Design Your Learning professional development day was a success and saw more than 500 educators from across New England take part.

Medfield’s Design Your Learning Day (DLD) was held at Medfield High School on April 4 and featured over 100 professional development programs, activities and education sessions that teachers could take part in throughout the day. There were also multiple speakers who gave presentations about a variety of education and experiential subjects.

Teachers from across Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire traveled to Medfield to take part in the event.

“Our teachers and teachers from districts all over the state and region look forward to this event every year,” Superintendent Marsden said. “Being able bring so many educators together to collaborate and learn from one another truly is a special experience and yesterday’s event went off without a hitch. I would like to give a special thanks to all of our staff members who worked so hard to put everything together.”

In 2012, Medfield’s DLD began as a small professional development day for Medfield teachers focused on technology. Since then, the program has grown and evolved to include teachers from across Massachusetts and other states and covers a variety of topics and activities focused on good teaching practices, social and emotional well-being for students and teachers and the latest in education technology trends.

Some of the sessions offered yesterday included a yoga class, a cooking class, a data analytics course, a program on examining grading practices, sessions on coding, a student-led course on esports, a student-led session on LBGTQ inclusivity and programs about augmented and virtual reality.

“DLD gives teachers the freedom to choose which topics they would like to learn about and offers insight into what other school districts are teaching and how they approach education and learning,” said Neal Sonnenberg, Technology Integration Specialist for Medfield Public Schools, who helped organize the event. “The teachers get an opportunity to learn from one another while giving each other new ideas and methods to use in their own classrooms.”

The day started in the auditorium with five teachers giving short speeches called “Passion Pitches” to those in attendance. The attendees then broke off into four different sessions that they chose to participate in throughout the day. At the end of the day, a short video presentation done by student volunteers was shown giving the highlights of the event and a final Passion Pitch was given to wrap things up.

There were about 25 student volunteers who, on their day off from school, helped out during the event.

Attendees used #DLDMedfield to tweet about their experiences on Twitter.

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Medfield Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden Presents Revised, Reduced Budget to School Committee

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Medfield Public Schools
Jeffrey J. Marsden, Superintendent
459 Main St., Unit 3,
Medfield, MA 02052

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

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

Medfield Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden Presents Revised, Reduced Budget to School Committee

Medfield School Committee Unanimously Approves FY20 School Budget

MEDFIELD — Superintendent Jeffrey Marsden is pleased to report that he presented a revised, lower FY20 budget proposal to the Medfield School Committee at its meeting Monday night, with the committee voting unanimously to present the reduced budget to residents at Medfield Town Meeting later this month.

Superintendent Marsden’s revision to the budget included a reduction of the proposed budget increase from 4.54% to 3.99%. The reduction will help the town to bring a balanced budget to residents at Town Meeting on April 29 and avoid the need for an override.

“I am very happy that the school committee has accepted our newly proposed budget for FY20 and we are confident that we are presenting a sound, balanced school budget for Medfield residents to consider at Town Meeting,” Superintendent Marsden said. “We are always looking for ways to keep our budget as low as possible, while still being able to provide an exceptional education and learning environment for our students.”

The revised budget now comes in at $36,471,424, a 3.99% increase from the FY19 budget of $35,070,766.

The reductions in the revised proposal, which total $190,030, included freezing the FY19 on March 25 and using the $85,000 in savings toward the special education tuition rates in the FY20 budget, and taking out a $30,000 increase to the technology budget. There were also individual retirement and leave of absence personnel matters that were resolved that further reduced the district’s spending.

The largest factors driving the FY20 budget include:

  • Instructional/Personnel Costs
  • Transportation Costs
  • Special Education
  • Professional Development
  • Increased Enrollment

The overall increase to the FY20 budget would help to maintain most current staffing levels and programs district-wide. The budget would also allow the district to fund increases in teacher salaries and compensation and all other collective bargaining agreements, fund increases to student transportation costs and fund increases in professional development initiatives.

A new kindergarten teacher would be added to address increased enrollment and multiple part-time positions would be added to the special education department, including a teacher, transitional coordinator and psychologist.

“Like all school districts in the state, we are burdened with significant cost increases year-over-year, some of which are mandated and out of our control,” Superintendent Marsden said. “I am thankful to the school committee for their full support of this new budget and I believe it will allow us to improve upon the high standards that the Medfield Public School district holds itself to.”

Medfield School Committee Chair Anna Mae O’ Shea Brooke added, “The goal at the beginning of this process was to put a school budget forward to residents that meets the needs of all students and staff for the next fiscal year and beyond. I believe this budget has met that goal and hopefully residents agree at Town Meeting in a few weeks.”

To view Superintendent Marsden’s January budget presentation click here. (Note: This presentation includes the previous figures with a 4.54% budget increase) 

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