Yesterday marked the end of the 2016-17 school year, and I want to thank everyone involved in making it another great year for the Billerica Public Schools!  Thank you to our parents, to our staff, and particularly to our students - you make Billerica a great place to learn!

Yesterday also marked the final school day for eighteen of our friends and colleagues who have given 373 collective years to the Billerica Schools.  Our school system is better for all of them having been here, and we wish them all a long, happy, and healthy retirement:

Lisa Bejian, Grade 3 Teacher, Ditson
Denise Blanchet, Exec. Administrative Assistant, Central Services
Diane Cappella, House Secretary, BMHS
Debra Dagle, Reading Teacher, Ditson
Mary Durante, Paraprofessional, Parker
Karen Falzone, Paraprofessional, Parker
Christine Fanning, Special Education Teacher, Ditson
Cynthia Gladd-Walsh, Occupational Therapist, District
Rebecca Graham, Social Studies Teacher, Marshall
Ghalia Khelfaoui, Speech/Language Pathologist, Ditson
Judith Mason, Art Teacher, Ditson
Joan Mitza, Library/Athletics Secretary, BMHS
Linda Moody, Paraprofessional, Hajjar
Charlene Mullen, Grade 1 Teacher, Ditson
Donna O'Neil, Paraprofessional, Marshall
Annette Pelligrini, Special Education Secretary, Special Education
Deborah Robbins, Cafeteria Worker, Kennedy
Patricia Schneider, Paraprofessional, Parker

Thank you again to everyone for a great school year, and I hope that everyone has a restful and relaxing summer!

Weekly Construction Update - June 20, 2017

As we reach the end of the 2016-17 school year, it's amazing to see how much work has happened at the high school site over the past few months.  Check out below to see our most recent time lapse video, and subscribe to the New BMHS channel on YouTube to see all of our latest videos!




Here's this week's update:

• A new water service main is installed off of River Street, and new gas and electrical services are nearing completion.
• Access to Alumni Field has been limited since June 6 for completion of water service tie-in and temporary stormwater system.  Access will be restored on approximately June 21.
• All temporary stormwater facilities are in place and functioning.
• Concrete foundations are complete in the academic wing of the building (sectors C, D, and E).  Waterproofing, insulation, and backfilling is underway throughout this area.
• The high foundation wall along the south facade of the Civic wing (sectors A and B) is complete, and foundations along the remainder of this area are nearing completion.  Similar to the Academic wing, as these areas become complete, waterproofing, insulation, and backfilling will be underway.
• Setting in structural steel base plates is underway throughout areas with complete foundations and footings.
• Earthwork remains underway to support foundation and first floor slab on grade installations and to process excess topsoil and rock for export and re-use on site.  Exporting of all soils not able to be re-used is underway and the stockpile is expected to be completely removed by the end of June.
• Both structural steel and laminated wood structures are in the fabrication process in Canada.  The first steel deliveries are on trucks and on route to the site.
• Structural steel erection will begin on June 26, and continue with multiple steel deliveries six days per week through summer.

New YouTube Video: BMHS Site Spring 2017

Weekly Construction Update - June 5, 2017

As we enter June, work continues to proceed rapidly onsite, and we are excited to know that the first delivery of steel is scheduled to begin at the end of this month!  

As for this week's update:

• Temporary water service is installed into the site off of River Street.
• Temporary gas service is nearing completion by National Grid and Shawmut, including abandoning the existing gas service that runs under sectors C and D of the new building.  This work, and associated water service work, will result in Alumni Field being closed from June 6 through June 21.
• Temporary electrical services are anticipated to be brought into the site in June by National Grid, after which electrical ductbank routing for the new building will commence.
• All temporary stormwater facilities are in place and functioning.
• Concrete foundations are underway throughout the building, and sectors A and B are nearing completion.
• Waterproofing and back-filling of soils against new foundation walls is underway as foundation become complete.
• Earthwork remains underway to support foundation and first floor slab on grade installations and to process excess topsoil and rock for export and re-use on site.
• Both structural steel and laminated wood structures are in the fabrication process in Canada.  Steel is expected onsite during the last week of June.
• In the first few weeks of July, a second crane is anticipated to join the steel erection sequencing to keep pace with daily steel deliveries through fall 2017.

 Picture taken from Mr. Murphy's Office

Picture taken from stairwell above Special Education office 

Picture taken from Room 1307 (Memorial Building)

Weekly Construction Update - May 23, 2017

Work continues to proceed at a rapid pace on the high school project, and we continue to meet the key goals of being on schedule and on budget.  At last Thursday's Building Committee meeting, it was reiterated that the project was 28% bought out at this point, and that we continue to track well for the future.

Taken from Mr. Murphy's Office

Here is the weekly itemized list:

• Final re-use of soils and exporting of the remaining stockpile is underway and will continue through early June.
• Street cleaning and catch basin maintenance along River Street will be ongoing throughout spring and summer construction activities.
• Site retaining walls are being installed along the west and north/west corners of the site to provide construction access around the building footprint.  This work will impede access to Alumni Field for a short duration in early June.  This will be coordinated with School Department activities.
• National Grid is engaged and working with the project team to provide temporary and permanent gas and electricity to the site and new building.
• The tie-in to water service in River Street is complete and service is run into the new site.
• Excavations for new foundations and footings are ongoing and on schedule.
• Concrete footings and foundations and underway and on schedule in areas throughout sectors C, D, E, and the south high wall is sectors A and B.
• Waterproofing and damproofing of foundations, and subsequent back-filling, is underway and will follow foundation installations around the site.
• Steel remains due onsite June 26, beginning in area C, at the end of June.  It is anticipated that a second crane will be added to the site just after July 4 to help speed steel erection.
• Steel and elevated concrete floor decks will be completed through the summer and into fall 2017.

Taken from the Special Education Office

Dr. Jill Geiser Appointed as Assistant Superintendent

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 22, 2017

This evening, the Billerica School Committee voted unanimously to support the recommendation for Dr. Jill Geiser to be the next Assistant Superintendent of the Billerica Public Schools.  Dr. Geiser will be taking over for Dr. Dede Galdston, who is leaving to become the superintendent of Watertown Public Schools on July 1.

“I am thrilled to have Dr. Geiser join us in Billerica,” said Superintendent of Schools Tim Piwowar.  “Throughout the interview process, it became clear that she has the right combination of skills, experience, and approach to the work that will make her a great fit for the students of Billerica and for our leadership team.”

For the past five years, Dr. Geiser has been the principal of the PreK-8 Healey School in Somerville; prior to that she served as a middle school principal and high school assistant principal in Lawrence.  Dr. Geiser holds a Doctor of Education degree from Boston College, and graduate degrees from the Teachers College at Columbia University and UMASS Boston.

Upon her appointment, Dr. Geiser said, “I am very excited about coming to serve Billerica as Assistant Superintendent.  Over the past few weeks as I have gotten to know the community, I have seen such a high level of commitment to educating its students and I am looking forward to being a part of that.”

Dr. Geiser’s start date will be July 1, 2017.

Weekly Construction Update - May 16, 2017

The Billerica Memorial High School Building Committee will be meeting this coming Thursday, May 18, at 6:30 pm in the Town Hall Auditorium, and we are happy to share that we will be on a regular schedule for future meetings on the third Thursday of each month.  At the meeting on Thursday, more detail will be shared about where we are with the project; however, in the meantime, here is the latest construction update:

• All excavations for footings and foundations become more complete in the coming weeks, offsite trucking of the stockpile will increase, and ultimately the large stockpile should be completely removed in the coming month.
• Street cleaning and catch basin maintenance along River Street will be ongoing throughout spring and summer construction activities.
• Site retaining walls are in the process of being set at the northwest corner of the site.
• Excavations for new foundations and footings is ongoing and on schedule.
• Footings are poured in areas B, C.  The south foundation wall of areas A and B is underway and footings in these areas will follow in the coming weeks.
• Concrete deliveries have been averaging approximately 150 cubic yards per day, and this pace will continue in the coming weeks and months.
• Waterproofing of poured foundation walls will begin in the late weeks of May.
• Steel is expected onsite, beginning in area C, at the end of June.
• Steel and elevated concrete floor decks will be completed through the summer and into fall 2017.