Superintendent’s Message
The first snowfall of the year has arrived! While it is beautiful and reminiscent of a snow globe, we know that more severe and unpleasant weather is not far off. It’s the perfect time of year to ensure that everyone is aware of our snow day procedures. You can visit the Parent Resources section of our website for information on cancellations, delays, and dismissals. We also have our Snow Day FAQ posted on the site which will answer almost any question you may have regarding inclement weather procedures.
Last week, we held our first DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) Community Meeting of the school year led by Carols Perez, Director of DEIA. We were thrilled to see so many members of the community join us. Teachers, parents, town officials, community organizations, and so many more were represented in the crowd. We had a robust discussion and are looking forward to continuing the conversation at our next meeting on Tuesday, January 30th from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm at Blanche Ames Elementary School. We hope you can join us!
We are excited to be offering Adult English Learner classes to our multilingual families beginning in January 2024. Ann Weintrob, EL Director, has been hard at work creating opportunities for EPS to support families and this is the latest offering. For more information on what the department has to offer, as well as how to sign up for the Adult English Learner classes, please visit the MultiLingual Learners page on our website.
The attorney general’s office has shared two videos, created in partnership with talented students from New Bedford High School and practitioners from the New Bedford Community Health Center, to highlight the harmful impacts of illegal idling. As the videos explain, most instances of idling that are longer than five minutes constitute illegal idling. You can report illegal idling on the Attorney General’s illegal idling tip form. The videos include Spanish, Portuguese, and English subtitles, and transcripts are available in Haitian Creole and Cape Verdean.
Finally, we hope you have taken a moment to explore our new website. There was much care placed into creating a platform that was accessible for all and we will continue to make improvements so that it is a useful tool for all members of the EPS community. We encourage you to provide feedback regarding improvements, missing information, additional features, and any other thoughts you may have via the EPS Feedback Form. Our Technology Department will be monitoring all feedback and making improvements accordingly.
Wishing you a happy holiday season!
Dr. Lisha Cabral
Superintendent
Curriculum and Instruction
The Easton Public Schools began full implementation of our new literacy program, Wit & Wisdom, for students in grades K-6. Students in grade 7 are in the process of piloting the program as well. Grounded in the Science of Reading and designed to foster a love for reading and a deep understanding of literature, this program is a valuable resource for educators and students alike. Wit & Wisdom is regarded as a highly effective program that provides accessibility to rigorous grade-level materials for all students. It combines the latest research in literacy instruction with engaging content, empowering students to develop essential reading and comprehension skills while nurturing their critical thinking abilities.
Our next Professional Development Day will be held on January 12, 2024. More information to follow.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
We cordially invite you to join us for our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Meeting on Tuesday, January 30, 2023 from 4:30 pm to 6:00 pm at the Blanche Ames Elementary School. This meeting will provide an open platform for us to engage in meaningful conversations about diversity, inclusion, and equality. During the meeting, we will have the opportunity to hear from District leaders on where the district is currently and we hope to go. Additionally, we encourage active participation from all attendees, as we value the diverse perspectives and voices within our community
Please view the DEIA Director’s Entry Plan which is also on our website.
If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact me, Carols Perez, cperez@easton.k12.ma.us.
Student Services
We are excited to share some important updates regarding the new Individual Education Program (IEP) form developed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
Please take a moment to review the key points below:
Easton Public Schools will adopt the new IEP form in the Fall of 2024.
The new IEP form is user-friendly.
Future training sessions will be provided to all key stakeholders.
For more details, please read my letter to families by clicking on this hyperlink.
Your flexibility and cooperation are appreciated as we work to enhance our services and support our students. If you have immediate questions, please don’t to email me directly at cdavidson@easton.k12.ma.us
Thank you for your commitment to our mission of providing exceptional education.
Human Resources
The District employed 89 new hires this summer and is proud to say that the new staff members are of high caliber and will be an added value to the District. We also implemented an Exit Survey which will help the District to continue to improve the quality of employment and retention.
Technology
We invite you to review the Director of Instructional Technology’s Entry Plan. If you have questions or feedback regarding your experience with technology in EPS, please reach out to me, Livia Ramos, at lramos@easton.k12.ma.us.
Support Contacts:
For general technology issues/questions, please email the Technology Helpdesk helpdesk@easton.k12.ma.us.
For assistance with Aspen’s Family Portal password resets or other related questions, please email
familyportal@easton.k12.ma.us.
For assistance with Aspen’s Student Portal (Easton Middle School and Oliver Ames High School), please contact your child’s Guidance Department.
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