April 18, 2018
Members of the Billerica community:
Earlier this school year, I received a letter from the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) indicating that the Billerica School Department did not comply with the campaign finance law regarding the distribution of information regarding the December 2, 2017 special election through the school department's email system. This was discussed publicly in January 2018, and I accepted and continue to accept my responsibility for my actions in this matter.
I contacted the State Ethics Commission initially on January 10, 2018 for further advice on this matter, and subsequently became aware that a complaint had been filed against me. In response to the investigation by the State Ethics Commission, I received the following "education letter", dated April 11, 2018:
State Ethics Letter to Timothy Piwowar, 4/11/2018
Enclosure: Ethics Advisory 11-1
I am disclosing this information in the interest of transparency and allowing the district to move forward, even though this matter could have remained private. As I stated in January, we always aim to learn from our mistakes as it is the best way that we can continue to grow.
Tim Piwowar
Billerica Public Schools
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
BMHS Construction Update - April 17, 2018
Here are the latest updates from the BMHS construction project:
Civic Wing:
Civic Wing:
- Installation of Area B Level 01 curtainwall frames at the main entry and main academic corridor is underway, and installation at the Area B Level 02 Learning Commons is completed for both curtainwall framing and glazing
- Installation of precast stone is underway at the Area B south elevation
- Subgrade MEP trenching at the Area B Level 00 Gymnasium floor is underway
Academic Wing:
- Preparations including grinding and moisture mitigation for the layout and installation of terrazzo flooring began in Area C of the Academic Wing
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
NESDEC Special Education Program Study
At the April 9, 2018 meeting of the Billerica School Committee, the NESDEC Special Education Program Study was presented and discussed with the Committee. The focus of the report was on "... the elementary school[s], particularly the relationship between special education and general education in supporting students' social, emotional, and behavioral needs." The full report can be found at https://tinyurl.com/bpsnesdec0418.
We would like to thank everyone that participated in the NESDEC visits for providing their input to the process. We also look forward to taking the results of this work, and using the recommendations embedded within in order to strengthen our practice across the district. In particular, the following is the list of suggestions given in the summary of the report:
We would like to thank everyone that participated in the NESDEC visits for providing their input to the process. We also look forward to taking the results of this work, and using the recommendations embedded within in order to strengthen our practice across the district. In particular, the following is the list of suggestions given in the summary of the report:
- Continue and enhance district-wide dialogue among teachers, principals, central office administrators, and parents
- Redesign general education classrooms
- Streamline the RtI process
- Professional development for paraprofessionals
- Coordinate and collaborate student support services
- Continue to seek community-wide financial support
More details around the suggestions are within the report; I encourage you to contact me if you have any comments or questions.
Tim Piwowar, Superintendent
New Director of Special Education
I am excited this morning to
announce that at last night's School Committee meeting, Ms. Amy Emory was
appointed as the district's next Director of Special Education. Ms. Emory
joins us after spending 28 years in Regional School District 13 in Durham and
Middlefield, CT, with the last 14 years as the Director of Pupil Services.
Ms. Emory will officially become
the Director on July 1; however, she will be spending time transitioning into
the district during the month of June. Carol Fredette will continue to be
our Interim Director until June 30, and the transition time will provide Ms.
Emory the opportunity to get to meet staff, students, and parents while school
is still in session.
I would like to thank all the
members of the Screening Committee for their hard work in putting forward
excellent finalist candidates. The committee was led by Assistant
Superintendent Jill Geiser, and the members of the Committee were:
Jennifer Cherry, SPED Teacher,
Parker ES
Beth Anne Frechette, Team Chair, Out-of-District
Terry Gerrish, Community Member
Christine Gibelli, Principal, Vining ES
Jamie Hamm, Psychologist, Marshall MS
Lorraine Huard, Coordinator, Project Support
Michelle Landry, Parent
Nichelle Lennon, Paraprofessional, Dutile ES
Tom Murphy, Principal, BMHS
Phil Peters, Assistant Principal, Locke MS
Rick Thompson, Team Chair, BMHS
Elaine Tuccelli, Parent
Beth Anne Frechette, Team Chair, Out-of-District
Terry Gerrish, Community Member
Christine Gibelli, Principal, Vining ES
Jamie Hamm, Psychologist, Marshall MS
Lorraine Huard, Coordinator, Project Support
Michelle Landry, Parent
Nichelle Lennon, Paraprofessional, Dutile ES
Tom Murphy, Principal, BMHS
Phil Peters, Assistant Principal, Locke MS
Rick Thompson, Team Chair, BMHS
Elaine Tuccelli, Parent
Thank you again to the all the
Screening Committee members and everyone else who participated in the interview
process.
Tim Piwowar, Superintendent
Friday, April 6, 2018
Snow Day Makeup Plan Approved
Parents/Guardians:
I am happy to share that we received word late this afternoon from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that our plan to makeup three snow days with additional time has been approved. Our thanks to Commissioner Riley and his team for providing their review and approval of our proposal.
As a reminder, our plan involves the following:
1. We will eliminate both remaining district-wide early release days (Friday, April 13 and Tuesday, May 22), and schedule as full days of school.
2. We will eliminate the half-day on the last day of school (Friday, June 22) and schedule as a full day of school.
3. We will add one hour to the school day for all students, K-12, for eight consecutive Tuesdays, starting on Tuesday, April 24 and ending on Tuesday, June 12. On these days, schools will follow the regular daily schedule during the course of the "regular" school day, and the additional hour at the end of the day will be designed as a time to provide support/intervention and enrichment opportunities for all students. Bus transportation will continue to be provided for all students; bus schedules will be pushed back one hour in the afternoon. More information about specifics at each school will come from the schools directly.
4. As a result of these changes, the last day of the school year will be Friday, June 22.
The first day impacted will be next Friday, April 13 - this will now be a full day of school, and not the originally scheduled early release.
Thank you,
Tim Piwowar, Superintendent
I am happy to share that we received word late this afternoon from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that our plan to makeup three snow days with additional time has been approved. Our thanks to Commissioner Riley and his team for providing their review and approval of our proposal.
As a reminder, our plan involves the following:
1. We will eliminate both remaining district-wide early release days (Friday, April 13 and Tuesday, May 22), and schedule as full days of school.
2. We will eliminate the half-day on the last day of school (Friday, June 22) and schedule as a full day of school.
3. We will add one hour to the school day for all students, K-12, for eight consecutive Tuesdays, starting on Tuesday, April 24 and ending on Tuesday, June 12. On these days, schools will follow the regular daily schedule during the course of the "regular" school day, and the additional hour at the end of the day will be designed as a time to provide support/intervention and enrichment opportunities for all students. Bus transportation will continue to be provided for all students; bus schedules will be pushed back one hour in the afternoon. More information about specifics at each school will come from the schools directly.
4. As a result of these changes, the last day of the school year will be Friday, June 22.
The first day impacted will be next Friday, April 13 - this will now be a full day of school, and not the originally scheduled early release.
Thank you,
Tim Piwowar, Superintendent
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
BMHS Construction Update - April 4, 2018
Here are the latest updates from the BMHS construction project!
Academic Wing:
Civic Wing:
- Curtain wall installations are ongoing throughout the Civic Wing, highlighted by frames and glazing at the upper River Street windows and frames above the main entrance and at the lower commons glass wall into the academic quad
- Ground-face masonry block started at the south and west interior Gymnasium walls
- Kitchen grease trap duct work is ongoing
Academic Wing:
- Drywalling has mobilized on the lower level of the Academic Wing
- Ceiling grid is being installed in the lower level Pre-K area, as well as in academic corridors at upper levels; perimeter ceiling tiles are underway in classrooms
- The mason is preparing to re-mobilize at the north end of the Academic Wing and will be working into the quad
Monday, April 2, 2018
Redistricting Team Update - April 2, 2018
April
2, 2018
Members of the Billerica
Community:
Over the past few months, the
Billerica Redistricting Team has been working to identify a consultant that
will help support our work in developing options for redistricting that will
take effect in September 2019 with the district’s change in grade
configuration. Our timeline involves
having options presented publicly by the end of this coming summer, with the
School Committee taking a vote for implementation in November 2018.
We are happy to share that we have
partnered with AppGeo, a geospatial information technology firm out of Boston,
who has provided technical expertise on similar redistricting projects in other
districts. AppGeo will be working with
us as we work to develop a plan that adheres to our strongest guiding
principles for our work, as identified through our surveys last fall. Those guiding principles are:
·
Regardless of what schools children attend,
there should be equity in educational experiences – particularly as it relates
to class size and resources
·
It is important to keep neighborhoods and school
populations together as students progress through the system from elementary
school to middle school
·
It is important to minimize the physical distance
between students/families and the schools they attend
Over the next month, members of our
Redistricting Team will be joining PTO meetings at our elementary schools to
provide an update on where we are in the process, and to hear feedback from members
of the community. In particular, we are
interested in hearing about how “neighborhoods” are defined throughout the
community – because although we may have our impressions about what makes a
neighborhood, it is important for us to hear directly from the residents that
live within them. Here are the dates and
times of our meetings in the coming weeks:
Ditson School: Tuesday,
April 10, 7:00pm
Kennedy School: Wednesday,
April 11, 6:30pm
Dutile School: Thursday,
April 12, 7:00pm
Vining School: Wednesday,
April 25, 6:30pm (special non-PTO meeting)
Hajjar School: Monday,
April 30, 7:00pm
Parker School: Tuesday, May
8, 6:30pm
We look forward to seeing you at
one of these meetings. For more
information please visit the Transition 2019 link on the district’s website at http://www.billericak12.com, ask redistricting
questions at redistricting@billericak12.com,
or ask general transition questions at transition2019@billericak12.com.
Sincerely,
Timothy G. Piwowar
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