Skip to main content

District Updates on Dyslexia & Special Education

FYI:  Click here for the slide deck on dyslexia and special education in the materials for tomorrow's school committee meeting, Monday 9/13. 

 - summary of what the administration heard during dyslexia listening sessions held in June with families 

- proposed solutions to address the problems identified.

- Special Education satisfaction survey data 

The public is always welcome to attend these public meetings and/or submit comments.

Popular posts from this blog

Natick's Strategic Plan

Over the next several meetings the School Committee will focus much of its time on the progress being made in our district goals. For example, tonight  Goal #2 will be discussed.   These goals are an essential anchor for my work on this board with the hope that they always reflect deep listening to our students & families and our professionals.   As we go through these goals, I am looking for the SMARRT objective under each of the 4 main goals and interested in how a district adapts a 5 year plan in the middle of the course. As a new member, I have some basic questions to understand the document and how to best serve it:  Who helped take the plan from yearly district goals to our multi-year  strategic plan ? What's the process like to form these goals? What is the process like to evaluate them? Has the change from yearly goals to a multi-year strategic plan helped us be more prepared financially for things coming down the line?  What is the proces...
Read more

Statement on Recusal

Here are the remarks I gave last night when letting my committee know my decision to recuse:  After the School Committee meeting on October 15th, several individuals wrote into the SpeakUp Natick portal requesting that I recuse myself from voting on the possible closure of Johnson.  The substance of these messages, sent to the full committee, carried a familiar refrain. The messages - often using the same language – said some version of the following:  Catherine Brunell should recuse herself from deliberating and voting on the closure of Johnson because she lacks objectivity, as her children go to school there and she is from that neighborhood. I asked myself the question if there was any merit to the request for me to recuse myself and started to do some research about why people recuse  From what I can tell from the minutes, in Natick, It’s never happened before - not with the Kennedy, Wilson or the High School - not even for members whose children were to attend t...
Read more

Let’s Have a Vision for Elementary Schools.

Faced with some monumental school facility and space decisions, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the quote that Dr. Nolin has below the signature line in her email:       The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on                building the new.     The emphasis in the quote is on what can come next. It is not about holding on tightly to what was, nor looking at an issue through only a technical, logistical lens but on moving forward with vision .  The administration, under advisement of the School Committee, is charged with setting that vision. The School Committee is charged with protecting that vision using the three roles within our domain - budget, policy and supervision of the Superintendent. All of us are working for the kids that are here today and those who will be here in the future.   Thankfully this time, as our School Committee grapp...
Read more