give us the name of all of your books, >> okay? >> Because I'm going to follow you everywhere. >> So, the books are A Soft Place to Land, We Know the Dark, To the Star Maker We Go. The album is The Weight of Grace. And if you want to find me, I'm on
Instagram at true_imsy. That's T Ru Sims Z Y. >> Yes. Yes. That is great. That is wonderful. Um you you are going ah you're gonna have to come back. I'm telling you you're gonna have to come
back. I you know I have my little cards here. I don't even know why I have these cards. You know you was just a natural with sharing your gift. Your your talent is not um homeless. Your talent is not without welcome. It sits in the fat of
my comfort. And that's why I invited you. I had to think long and hard. Who would I like to share the M Enzma poetry cafe show to be first? And I met you some time ago when we was doing poetry
for a cause at the free center in Hartford >> and you came with your canned goods and you said hey I'm going to share a few pieces. It was poetry for a cause where we sat there and we one poet at a time
belt out some pieces and you had some weighted pieces and I said I'm going to follow her. I I'm going to need to connect with her. It was so warm. So like I said your poetry sitting the fat of my comfort and I welcome you to
participate anytime to come back to the show. I hope you do. share some more pieces. >> An honor. It is an honor, poet. I'm one message away. >> And and you know, poetry month is following after Women's History Month, so we're going to have to do all of this. You know,
>> I'm here. I'm with it. >> Thank you. And um for all of you all who are tuned in to the Enzma Poetry Cafe, this is a place where every kind of poetry spills. And I would like to leave you all with
this quote by Maya Angelo. She states that the desire to reach for the stars is ambiguous, but the desire to reach for the heart is wise.
And with that, we close out. And I hope you take that with you and keep that energy with Nadia Sims. Thank you. Okay. Hey, hey, hey. Well, good morning everyone and huge
shout out to Kate Fox and the team at Mass Office of Travel and Tourism. Thank you guys for all you do throughout the year and thank you for putting on this wonderful gathering this morning. It's great to be here with all of you and other members of our team as well.
Secretary Paley, economic development. Um, interim Secretary Bill A who's running our trains and rails and fairies and uh working on congestion um so everybody can get around. Great to see everybody on the team. Um elected officials who are here. I know
Representative Vieiraa and Senator Mark were here. Um to all of the industry experts, wonderful to see you and our travel and tourism professionals from around the state. And congratulations to our award winners. Yeah. For your recognition. Welld deserved.
That's great. That's great. I was out at Norman Rockwell not too long ago. It's such a great museum. Yeah. Such a great great spot. And obviously I eat I eat a lot of clams at Woodman's. Um, so just a few of our award winners. Um, so look, this is a big year for Massachusetts. Is is Josh
still here? >> Yes. Hi. >> Good morning. >> Good morning. >> Good morning. Um, it's great to see you and I appreciate everything that you do with US travel. And >> thank you. >> You know, uh, you're in a great Where are you from? >> I'm originally New York. >> Where do you live now? >> Washington DC.
>> You live in DC. All right. Well, welcome to Massachusetts. >> Thank you. >> I'll tell you, um, we love our state. It's a great state. Right now, Massachusetts, across the entire country, we're ranked number one for our schools and education, for health care,
for innovation. We have the safest drinking water. We're among the safest states. We have the second highest life expectancy. We only lose to Hawaii. They have more vitamin D. And um we've got great culture and art institutions.
We've got fantastic sports teams. And we've got four wonderful seasons. Uh we don't have drought. We don't have wildfires. We don't have earthquakes. Um, we don't have hurricanes. Um, we sometimes get some snow, but we're New Englanders. We deal with that. So, as
you travel about, Josh, be sure to talk up Massachusetts, especially this year, because we're celebrating 250 years of this great country of ours, and you all are a huge part of it. But Josh, as you go back, you can remind
everybody that uh it's Massachusetts where it all began, right? That's why we started celebrating 250 a year ago. Um and we're going to continue to celebrate it this year as well. Um because this is a big year. This is a big year. We
obviously have Mass 250 telling the story of where and how this country began. And we're going to have visitors from around the world coming to Massachusetts. The Fourth of July, the Pops Esplanade is going to be truly unforgettable. As a kid who grew up
watching the Pops, this is going to be like nothing any of us have ever seen before. We've got the return of Sale Boston, one of the most powerful and visible celebrations of who we are as a state. Of course, honoring our maritime
heritage. You know that not only is Massachusetts the birthplace of the United States Navy, but we're also the birthplace of the US Coast Guard. Did you know that? Newport, Massachusetts, where all the Clipper ships throughout the 19th century sent sail. And of course, we've got the great history out
of places like Nantucket and New Bedford with our whaling history as well. It's a great great thing to celebrate. We've also got that um soccer thing going on, FIFA World Cup. And uh Thursday I'm looking forward to the exhibition match Brazil and France. So it'll be our first
test run. It's going to be absolutely fantastic. And thank you Martha Sheridan and the team at Meet Boston for all you're doing to uh to bring that forward as well. It's going to be great. So this is a a moment of incredible opportunity for our state and it also
arrives at a moment of significant challenges as well. There's a lot going on. I was just on the phone with folks uh you know we've got some folks in Israel right now who are trying to get out. I mean this is heady stuff. Um and it's a heady time for people. You know I was just saying to some folks coming in
as your governor I'm focused on not only being Massachusetts biggest cheerleader but focusing on meeting folks where they are and uh building more homes to drive down housing costs, getting more energy in so we can lower people's gas and electric bills. working on fixing a a
health care system that's broken across this country and lowering costs. And I know families, people are feeling it every day. But you are incredibly important to who we are as a state because you help us get beyond that and see what's positive and see what's
possible and be hopeful. And that's what we need now in this country here and all around this great country of ours. So, you know, I appreciate everything you do. We can't control what goes on in DC as much as I wish we could. Um because
these things really affect uh our state budgets, our local budgets, um and and costs that uh both families and businesses are incurring. But look, as you heard today, travel is strong. It's strong. The demand is there because people want to explore. They want to
connect and they want to learn and experience places with friends and family in a meaningful way. and you guys all make that happen. So, I think how we respond really matters. Um, and I just want to say like, you know, we know what whatever happens next doesn't just
happen. We make it happen. We make it happen. And, uh, we can make it really great or we can make it like h, you know. Um, but we we we make stuff happen. And, um, and that's my message. Let's meet this moment, right? Let's meet this moment, Massachusetts. Um,
let's be uh true to our traditions, true to our leadership, true to, you know, who we've been as a place that has lit the figurative and uh and and actual way for so many and so many of the freedoms that we enjoy across our country. Um,
and the work you do across every region of the state really matters in our hotels and our restaurants and our museums, our main streets, our cultural institutions, our work with our destination organizations. It all matters and this is Massachusetts
showing off to the world, right? You don't get that opportunity often to show off to the whole world and you guys are the ones creating the experiences that people will remember. Um, and turning those experiences in those moments of connection into something means those
people are going to come back too to experience it again. So, yes, we will pay attention to the global forces that shape travel and affect travel. Um, and we're going to do everything we can to make sure that Massachusetts is leading and is competitive in this moment. And
we're going to stay grounded in who we are. Uh, what makes us strong and I think most of all that's our ability to work together. Uh, I think we've recognized for for a long long time now that uh we can't go it alone. We rely on one another and it takes collaboration
across regions. It takes collaboration across industries and business and government at all levels and it takes a shared understanding that when part of Massachusetts succeeds, it strengthens all of us. That's how we meet this
moment and that's how we're going to turn this into something that is lasting. Um it's about where we build from. It's about the relationships that we create, the reputation that we strengthen, and the foundation that we set for decades of future growth. And I
know because of the folks in this room, we are going to meet the moment. So, thank you for everything that you are doing. Um, I bring greetings on behalf of Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, who you know, uh, would love to be here as well. Um but uh she is our among our
greatest champions and um and we both look forward to seeing you in many places around the great state in the coming year. Uh Doug, if you can give us a couple of minutes. We're waiting on a >> We don't have everybody here yet. Welcome to the Tuesday, April 14th, 2026
meeting of the Long Meadow School Committee. Mass General Law allows for remote participation at public meetings until June 30th, 2027. All votes while there is remote participation must be made by roll call vote. This meeting is
being recorded and aired live on LCTV. School committee members, when I call your name, please say here for the record. >> Zach >> here. >> Emily >> here. >> Nicole >> here. >> Kate
>> here. >> And I'm here as well. >> Oh, and Jamie >> here. >> Didn't see you Jamie. >> Sorry, I'm a little late. >> Oh, no worries. >> All right. Now, we'll do the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the
United States of America and to the stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all >> correspondence. There's um none received for the record. So, we're going to move
on to approval of minutes. And we have our school committee meeting u minutes from March 24th, 2026. >> Uh on behalf of the negotiation subcommittee, I move that the school committee approve the minutes for February 9th, 2026 negotiation
subcommittee meeting as presented. >> We have a motion. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> Zach, >> yes. >> Kate, >> yes. >> Nicole, >> yes. Jamie, >> Emily. >> Yes. Can you hear me? Sorry.
>> Yeah. Yeah. >> No, I think the audio cut out for us. >> Oh, okay. All right, then. I'm gonna I'll start with you guys again. Nicole, >> yes. >> Jamie, >> yes. >> Emily, >> yes. >> And a yes for me, too. Public speak. Do
we have anyone here tonight for the public speak portion of our agenda? I think everybody's here for the fun part. Any school committee announcements and recognitions? >> Seeing none, we'll move on to business
with guests, which is exciting. We have um from the center school, the exploration studio class. >> So, we'd love the exploration studio team to join us led by Mrs. Saraphino and Principal Hutton. So, come on up. There's plenty of of available seats here.
And as the uh as the team is settling in um just last year last year with the uh with the support of the school committee uh an encouragement of the school committee and consistent with our commitment to the vision of the graduate
we our technology offering at the elementary level evolved into a a program a class called exploration studio and uh the class was essentially piloted at center school and the talented uh Mr. Saraphino uh was uh
eager to lead our efforts with exploration studio. So we're really pleased and proud tonight to introduce to the committee and to the whole community uh the amazing work of our students the amazing work of Mrs. Saraphino is the teacher of Exploration Studio. And uh, Principal Hutton, um, I
want to thank you for your leadership in in helping us craft a vision for Exploration Studio. I think it's been a a a great fit and a great way for us to advance the vision of the graduate. And I know Donna would not like that I'm doing this, but it's an our opportunity to recognize Donna in her final year of
service to Long Meadow Public Schools. We're going to we're we're uh working hard to find uh someone to be her successor. But publicly thank if we don't have this opportunity at a school committee meeting to publicly thank Donna for her amazing years of service. She's been a great professional support to the entire administrative team to me
personally. So thank you Donna for all your work >> over the years and with Exploration Studio. So well done. Okay. Well, it's always fun to put the kids center stage and um I just jotted some ideas about Exploration Studio
before I let them take over. So, um we intentionally bring together social emotional learning and steam in ways that are authentic and deeply engaging. In Explorers, the students don't just learn about these skills, they live them. and through hands-on design
challenges, they collaborate, test ideas, revise their thinking, they persevere when things don't go as planned, as we've seen sometimes, and the seal is embedded in the work itself, real, meaningful, and very relevant. Um,
I want to say that that this work is made possible by the talent and the innovation and the dedication of Mrs. Saraphino. The class is magical and people have visited it and it's just incredible. She creates a learning environment where students feel
empowered to take risks. They think critically and they grow both academically and socially. So, I think you're going to see some powerful examples of what I just talked about. The kids are ready. You guys ready? >> Yeah. >> Yeah, they're ready. Okay. So, I bring it over to Mrs. Saraphino.
>> All right. Hi. Thanks for having us. We're so excited. I'm going to talk a little bit and then they're going to close the show. We're gonna right um so what is exploration studio? Um it's a lot of steam based projects. So we have
things that focus on creativity some that are connected to our science standards. Um technology and engineering are embedded in things. And then also we're taking themes from ruler and they are kind of woven into the challenges that
we're doing. So certain times they are explicitly taught and it may be a full a full lesson but many times it is a skill taught at the beginning of class and then integrated into the challenge that they are going to do that day. Sometimes
challenges last one day, sometimes they last a couple uh over a couple of weeks. Um and then other times we have more like project based learning. So a certain project might take um four to six weeks. One of ours, our fifth grader is six, so she's not here, was our
gratitude parade in November. So that was a longer base project. And our end of the year project, each grade has a different one. So that will be more of a four to six week UDL um type of project for everyone. Um and it is
a class I think that's trying to strengthen our emotion regulation, identify our emotions, as Mrs. said persevere, work through problems, communicate, collaborate, compromise, um improve critical thinking and independence. So, we're focusing on a
lot of pieces and one thing um we have been focusing on is our connection to soar this year and are having our schoolwide themes. Um so, some themes that we've had, like I said in November, we focused on gratitude. Um, we've also
focused on respect. Uh, and we've done grade level assemblies. Um, at the beginning of the year, we also had some of the fifth graders do little skits or psalms or poems to try and showcase ways we can be respectful at center school so
we can all soar like cardinals. Um, kindness has been another focus. in February. Um, one coming back from break was kind of a reset menu for emotional regulation out at recess where that was something that was coming up from teachers. So, that was kind of a
schoolwide focus and topic on ways that we could find a way to regulate ourselves when it pops up, what's causing those situations, and how we can um shift ourselves in the mood meter is kind of our phrasing with our ruler talk
um to where we want to be. So um another phase of not just in the classroom that I'm lucky to do is I'm able to provide tier 2 support with um with exploration studio. So I push into classes. I'm able to go into um a couple kindergartens,
first grade, second grade, third grade um classrooms right now. And sometimes I'm co-eing with a teacher about an SEAL topic. Um, sometimes I am doing small groupoup instruction and work. Sometimes it's for one-on-one support within a
certain topic. Um, and it allows us to kind of identify what's specifically needed within certain groups of students or certain individuals and it can be targeted um with that push in time. Um, so now we'll get more to kind of the
fun stuff. Um, the classroom is very flexible. So you come in, it doesn't look like our typical classrooms, right? So there's lots of flexible seating. They have lots of choice on where they get to go, lots of choice on how they set up. So again, we're trying to foster
the independence and responsible decision- making. We talk about where can you sit where you're going to be successful, who can you sit near where you're going to be successful, right? And setting ourselves up to be the best selves that we can be. Um there's lots.
It is a handson. I think what makes Exploration Studio so unique is it's a place to explore really. It's hands-on, it's interactive, it is you are learning by doing um pretty much all of the time.
Um and there is lots of choice for them to um make their decisions and learn and grow from them. Um some of the things that we have done in our showcase. So, I have a couple that I just brought to show and then they are going to talk in
a little bit more in depth about a specific project or something that we have done in class. Um, so there's some examples up there. We've done like recyclable gingerbread houses for fifth grade, uh, bridge building, third grade
was code of arms, and a lot of these are, um, connected. So, the third grade code of arms was talking about our best selves. And so within their code of arms, they were putting things that represent um what helps them be their best selves. Um we've done the fourth grade sculpture
of person you respect. I brought an example of that. And um so they had a choice of how they wanted to represent. This person um did a clay sculpture and it was their family. So he did a house to represent his family to show that. Um
and then other things. So this was a fourth grade project where they coming back from break in January. They picked a word of the year. We did a lot of brainstorming on things that we want to experience that we want to feel that we want to try throughout this upcoming
year. Talking about goal setting, they chose a word that would represent the year of 2026. And then to integrate it into the the steam engineering piece, they had to 3D construct their word um
with a choice of certain materials that were laid out for them. Um here was another this was a fifth grade best self project. Um she chose to do kind of a poster and to represent them and so she did little puzzle pieces of things that
help her be her best self and that help her represent who she is. um and then put words of different feelings, cheerful, caring, leader, respectful, creative, compassionate, helpful that represent who um her best self is. So,
um and then here's another example of that just so you can see some of the differences of the choice that they get to do and how they represent the same idea. Um and then we had other things um where more they're working on uh
collaboration, teamwork, trial and error. I think Miss Hutton said a lot of thing is dealing with failure. Um and when things don't go your way, it can be tough. It's tough for kids, it's tough for adults. And that's been I think a big focus almost in all the grades that we've seen a lot of growth with. Um they
had washers and pennies and nuts and this was fifth grade. They had winter Olympics was lots of fun this year being able. So they had to build a skier and skis and then test it going down our ramp to see which one went the furthest and then try out where the weight could be placed to make it go the furthest.
And after testing, we do a big focus on the engineering design process, right, with all of our cogs and going back and improving our plan and how it can get better. Um, and then I have more, but there's a lot of
things. We integrate the SEO with the challenge and they just always amaze me with what they do and what they come up with and how they can share and reflect on all that we're doing. So, can I turn it over to you because I've talked
enough. So, I am lucky enough to have Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to do this one. I'm jumping the gun. Um, sorry. So, um, this was just to show you how part of the, um, exploration studio job was to
integrate what we're doing with CQLA, which is the new ELA curriculum that we're using, and our science standards or our FOS units. Um, so this just is showing a few like tidbits of what we're doing. kindergarten. Claire is going to
talk about how um learning about a fable in CKLA and then how we connected it to uh what we were doing in Explorers. In grade one, they're learning about animal habitats in class. And then we talked about different animal um adaptations
and how they help them survive in those habitats um in grade two. Sam's going to talk about how we connected it to their grief mythology unit in CLA. Um, and then in grade four were um animal structures. We just talked about
um animal eyes and how they can help an animal um survive and thrive in um their habitat. And then our fifth grader is not here. She's sick, but um we did print making um which is part of their
CKLA. And so, um, there's lots of different ways where it's not necessarily, uh, teaching them the specific skills from CLA, but it's extending what they're learning in the classroom to make a meaningful connection and, um, just going further
with it. Um, teacher communication. So, the way that um I've been able to communicate and kind of be on the same page with the the
teachers is um by just doing weekly emails after class on that day, I will send an email to each teacher kind of outlining what we did in class and then also noting any um SEAL factors that may have arisen in class that we've noted so
we can continue that dialogue which can then lead to some of the tier 2 supports that um we discuss and move on with. Um there's also something that I'm trying to communicate what stories or read
alouds that we're doing and the direct connections to what they're doing in class so they we can align. So there's been a lot of back and forth of where are you in CLA, where are you in science so then I can align what we're doing explorers. So, it's not separate so much, but they're kind of coincide with
one another. Um, family communication. We've been trying to send out um, uh, monthly newsletters home. Um, as little, it's one page. It's a little snippet of what we've done. And then just I've started
sending out in the top right corner. It's like a little menu with little options just so they can get an idea of certain things that we're doing in class. It's a readaloud. and then some examples of steam activities they could do that would coincide with that read
aloud just as a kind of a sample and some bring them in and they're pretty amazing. So now we're to that part sorry that I get to introduce all of them. So we have Clara from kindergarten. You want to give a little wave so they know who I'm
talking about? And we have Weston from first grade and Theo from third. And if I skip I skip you. Sam from second and Sammy in fourth. Um and Sammy is going to start
us off today. Emmy was going to be talking about our gratitude parade. Um and she was so funny. She's like, "Is there a time limit?" Because I could just talk all night about that parade. But I did give her a minute time limit.
But um so she unfortunately is not here. So Sammy is going to start us off. And she was actually going to take a project that we did in class. And what are you going to do? You going
to challenge them? She wants to challenge all of you with one challenge that she had to do in class. >> Um no, you can just go to the I think it's probably the last page. So this connected to our May among the
stars and we were talking about courage and perseverance and then connected it to um the fourth grade where they talk a lot about space um and the engineering piece. >> So um you are helping prepare for the
launch of the space shuttle. I don't know how >> that's >> um ND4 I think. Part of your job involves designing the rocket booster to launch the rocket into outer space. In order to create your
rocket launcher, you may use any of the materials listed. To create your rocket booster, you will wrap a strip of construction paper loosely around the straw and tape the rocket to it. One member of your team will sit on the ground and blow it into the straw, while
another team member will measure how high the rocket travels. If you don't want to read that, >> um, you have 2 minutes to plan your rocket booster, design individually, and 3 to four minutes to plan as a team. Your team will have 15 minutes to
construct your rocket booster. At the end of the time limit, you will test your rockets. Good luck. Um, you have tape, scissors, construction paper, straws, and this little printed out thing that has to go. So, she didn't know. you want to say if
it's give them maybe two minutes to see if what they could figure out what they think. >> Okay, we have two minutes. >> I don't know what else. >> Do you want to bring it over to them? >> So, these are the materials. So, you get
um a thing of tape, a scissors, some four straws. I have another box of straws that are brand new. and a printable rocket and a piece of construction paper, scrap paper. >> Like split up into two groups then. >> Uh well, normally we would split up into groups, but maybe we can just have them talk it out and see what they come up
with. So part of it is talking as a group and sharing your ideas and coming up with the best idea. Maybe it's collaboration, maybe it's compromise. You want to bring them here. You can bring the whole bucket over if you'd like. And maybe a cup. Maybe we'll put
that in there for them, too. We just wanted to put you on the spot a little. >> What is our goal? >> Sam, you can come right in the middle here. >> Right down the middle. And you can put it right in front of Mr. FR.
>> All right. >> Thank you. >> We have to rock. >> When does the timer start? They're on the top of paper. Maybe you could remind them like it's
kind of like when you step on one of those rockets >> as high as possible to go as high as possible >> to boost. Yeah. Yeah. As high as possible. >> I don't Well, I'm not going to do it all
by myself. We have to collaborate. Who wants to do the next >> fire? Read the directions and I'll do it. >> Okay, we tell them what to do. >> Designed the rocket booster to launch the rocket. So, we're designing the the
booster and then the rocket has to pin it. >> This is the rocket. >> Okay. >> And that gets >> the rocket booster. You'll wrap a strip of construction paper loosely around the straw. >> And tape the rocket >> loosely around the straw
>> and tape the rocket to it. >> Why do we have construction? He's getting it all ready. >> Do you think I should tape this? >> Be entertaining. should use.
>> Somebody on the team >> has to sit on the ground and blow into the straw while another team member will measure how high the rocket >> we didn't bring our measuring tape. So we can just see if you want it to launch. >> Oh, I think this needs to be taped down.
>> I think maybe aerodynamics. >> No. >> Do you think it's going to get stuck there, Michaela? >> We need to cover the top of it so that the air catches it. >> No. Don't you want >> that's going to go out of that? >> Oh, >> like this. >> Yeah, you pinch that. There you go.
>> No, then it's going to prohibit the straw from coming out. >> Can we do a test trial? >> Well, this is >> Yes. So, that's definitely part of it. You can test and improve and test. >> You want the green We want the green rocket to go up. >> I hear you. >> I got you.
>> And then you should you just attach the rocket to the kind of the construction paper. >> You just tape it on. Just for >> I think we got it. >> We might have to do
>> that and then I know. Did you have >> I just saw this on TV like two weeks ago. >> Isn't this how it works? All right. Who wants to um sit on the floor? >> There's only one group. So, we can just
see if you get a launch. Do >> I have to blow into the straw? >> Yeah. >> You're good. >> Excellent. Good job, Sammy. good teaching. >> So, as you can see, it's very hands-on,
very um >> you try, you fail, you try, you fail, and you continue to work through it. It requires lots of communication, collaboration, sharing ideas, testing ideas. Um, so she wanted to make you
work a little bit. >> Great job. Good job. Um, and Theo is next in third grade, and he actually changed what he wanted to talk about after class this week. So, he's talking about what we did on Monday. All
right. You want to go for it? >> Um, okay. Um, what? Um, I enjoy the creativity explorers in class. This week we have been talking about the animal
characteristics and then um we designed our own animal that had five characteristics or more to help it survive. And um >> do you want to give an example of what
you were thinking of of kind of what you maybe what you did? >> Oh yeah. What was one animal characteristic that you chose? >> One of the characteristics I put um let me see um was
was um hu um was big eyes to find um to find its prey. >> So you put five characteristics and what's going to be the fun part? So, this is a two week type project. And what are you going to do end up doing next? Well, not next week, but after
break. >> Well, um the on this page, um you would draw out your animal using the characteristics and then naming your animal. >> And then we're going to end up building
it out of recyclable material. So they're creating a brand new >> species of animal >> with these characteristics, right? >> Cool. >> And in this one, they had a choice of working individually or in partners or in groups. So they had some choice on
how to do that, right? And they'll have some choice in how if they build their animal out of recycled materials, if they make a poster of it, they'll have some different options on how they're going to show the animal that they that they create and think up, right? >> Yeah. >> Awesome.
All right. And from second grade, we have Sam. And he is talking about an activity we did and some of you, I think, attended um how we connected to the CKLA Greek god and goddess unit that they had.
>> So, what do you want to tell them? What did he do? >> Um so, you could choose a god or goddess. They gave you a photo. You made a clay sculpture, did your best, and then
and then the next class you painted it and you could have chosen any god or goddess like in Arthur's creative expression day, but in explorers debts every day. >> That's really nice. >> Very nice.
>> Awesome. And then afterwards they had a little museum. So some chose a clay sculpture, some chose like a trading card. So they put stats of their god or goddess with a picture on the front. Some did a sculpture out of materials. Right. Yep.
And then we got to have people come around and they shared all their knowledge about their god or goddess which was really cool. >> Awesome. Thank you so much. And now we're going to first grade Weston and he's going to talk about a connection that we did to the fox and the grapes.
So they learned that fable in class during CQLA and then we listened to a different version in Explorers and had a project to do with it. >> So you uh had to build a contraption to
make the fox get the grapes and you only had like 20 minutes to build it and you could pick from partner group or by yourself.
And um you only had you could only use string, tape, cardboard, um a cardboard plate, and scissors.
And once 20 minutes was up, you like tried for the fox to get the grapes. >> I know. I forgot the fox tonight. I'm sorry. I saw you looking for it. >> Um yeah. And then always a fun part is
when they are done at the end, we can share the ideas and what went well and what didn't go well and um do a little museum walk or reflection on it. But Weston made that one all on his own. >> Thanks, Weston. And last but not least,
we have Clara from kindergarten, and she's going to talk about a connection to something they did in class, too, with the three billy goats. Correct. Right. >> All right. The three build there had to be a way for them to get up the bridge and then
they had to be a way for them to get down. And I built some stairs for them to get up and then they walked across the bridge instead down the slide. And the troll the troll he couldn't touch
the Legos um cuz the Legos couldn't be sitting on him. So then when um they crushed it, they had to go down the slide and you could make a ramp for them to
get up too. >> Crazy. So they had little trolls. Yes. I I forgot to pass this down, too. Look, I got too much stuff. I'm forgetting things. They had a little troll. They had to build it build it over in the little Billy Goat Scruff. They had to climb over, right?
>> Yeah. So, I mean, they are the real stars because they amaze me every single day and I tell them on what they come up with and they are more creative than I could ever be because they're like, I never even thought of that and I'm just so lucky to get to do this with them.
So, thank you all for coming and showcasing yourselves and all that you're doing. >> Fantastic. Thanks. >> Thank you guys so much. Um, this reminded me of I was just reading a book and there's a quote by Amy Puller
who is a famous actress, but she's actually from Massachusetts and she said, "I only want to be around people who are creating, trying, and not afraid to fail." And she said, "Those are the dreamers, the creators, and the thinkers." And it's really cool. You
guys reminded me of that and I think that it's really important to be that way and that you're already working on that and it's so cool. Thank you so much for sharing it. >> You're welcome. Thank you. >> Anybody else have any comments? >> That's great.
Well, we are so proud of you as explorers and proud of the work that Miss Saraphino has done to to generate so much excitement and I can only imagine what great students you'll be when you move on to the middle school and the high school and how you already
learn know how to explore and you also know how to make mistakes which is really important as Miss Saraphino said even grown-ups have make mistakes all the time. It's part of learning. So really, really well done. Very proud of you all. >> Yeah.
>> Thank you. Thank you for the invitation. >> Thanks for having us. >> You're all invited anytime to the studio, too. >> Anytime. Come on in. >> Great. You guys are all >> Thank you, everybody. Thanks, too. Hello, parents, caregivers.
>> Thank you so much. Thank you. So, thank you. And they all push their chairs in. Mrs. Saraphino, how about that? >> I'm telling you, they're the best. Wow. >> It's pretty. >> Thank you.
>> Thank you. I didn't know we were getting put on the spot. >> I know. >> You know what? It's nice to be to have a chance to get up and move around and not be stuck in your chair the whole time. >> Great. >> It was very fun. >> Um, >> it was super
>> student representative report. >> Yeah. So, uh, to start off, this student council, um, received the national gold award, uh, which is definitely an improvement from last year, which we got the regular, um, award, and this is a
big step up. And the, um, executive board, which Colby is the president of, did a lot of work to achieve this award. So, we're all really proud of them. Um, and then students and teachers are preparing for April vacation, getting in all the tests and stuff, and AP prep is
starting to begin. And then robotics is continuing to compete. Uh, today I actually saw one of the robots um going in the hallway just zooming around, which was really fun. And yeah, that's about it. >> Thank you and congratulations on the
award. Does anybody else have any comments or questions? Good question. >> All right, next is chair report. Um, just a few important updates for everyone. The local elections are coming up for the select board and for the
school committee on June 2nd. And for the select board, Benith Hemathy is running for reelection. And for the school committee, Nicole Schwaner is running for reelection. And Matt Casali and Bisra Abe, I think that's how you say it. I have to double check though. Abe.
Yeah. um are also running. So just encouraging the community to stay informed and to participate. And then also we have the town meeting on May 12th at 700 p.m. at the high school. And there's a few important articles related
to the schools um the proposed FY26 FY27 school budget which has already been approved by the finance subcommittee and the school committee. Um and it was also presented to the select board. And then also article six is a really extremely
important one about the to approve the participation in the MSBA accelerated repair program for the center school roof. >> And approval would allow the town to complete the needed roof repairs with significant state funding and help which
would reduce our overall cost in fixing the roof. >> Um it's May 12th. Yep. That's May 12th. And just it's been really great. I love this time of year, the energy. Um it's been really great to see all like the
kids out playing sports and it's like the final push. So I hope everybody has a really great April vacation so we can come back and finish strong. >> This is it. >> All right. I just have a couple items. Um um so we
have uh tomorrow night uh Thursday night um a no place for hate showcase. So uh students from middle school and high school will have an opportunity to uh present uh their projects to the community. So that's that's um being held in the BTC just down the hallway, the business technology center. Uh so
we're excited about that. Um also um we have two finalists for the center school principal position. um these finalists that have been publicly identified. One is Skyler Schmidt. She's the current assistant principal at Center School. The other is Mr. Andy Vamino. He's a
principal at Aguam uh Aguam's Phelps Elementary School. So on Thursday, we will send a small team to speak with center school staff uh and also staff at Phelps Elementary School. And so it's just another opportunity for us to
gather some feedback. uh we had a um sessions last week where the candidates presented to the staff and and met the staff and also met the parent group in the evening. So uh doing our due diligence, trying to collect as much feedback as we can to make a an informed
decision. Um obviously big shoes to fill uh as Mrs. Hutton prepares for retirement. And so that's all I have. And then yeah, happy vacation to everybody. >> Thanks. >> All right. Next, we have our other reports. So, we
have LPBEC board of directors tomorrow night. Tomorrow night, LPBEC board of governors. >> We haven't met since the last time. >> All right. Thank you. Um and then seal um we had a meeting last week and it was
um a presentation about the budget the FY2627 budget but with a focus on the special ed um funding and Tom Maza and Nicole Paris Crow Crow um shared how the
budget is actively managed and they were really thorough and detailed about how there's ongoing collaboration and regular check-in about the budget and there's a lot of opportunity for responsive decision making because it's a you have to be
flexible. it's like always evolving to meet the needs of students and it's a really good reminder that um it's a a really important process in the budgeting and and sharing it with us that we were really grateful for that because I think it's shown in our budget
this year that when you can you do that you can make timely adjustments to the staffing and the resources and and then it can truly meet the needs of the students. I just think about how, you know, there was more of a need for physical therapy. So, there was a
decision to hire um a specialized expert and then same thing, there was no longer a need for a teacher for a student who had hearing impairment. So, being flexible like that, that was just a big takeaway for me from the presentation.
Um, and I think that's also how you do student centered decision-m, right? The next deal meeting is going to be in May and it's not determined yet because um they're waiting to get finalized with DDS, but it's going to be the last
meeting. It'll probably be the 13th or the 20th because it's usually on Wednesdays, but not really sure. I'll keep you updated, but also look in your emails from from this the school district and the principles. And that's it. Um energy and sustainability.
>> Sure. Just a couple updates. Um the uh the energy and sustainability committee is going to have a booth set up at the future Fiesta Festival on May 9th. So you can learn more about some of the initiatives that they're involved in including the specialized opt-in code that they're they're trying to get on a
warrant probably in the for the fall town meeting. Um and that is uh midnight from 11 to 3. Um they also uh the town has purchased anti- idling signs to be placed at schools where there currently aren't any and they're working on um
having some posters um printed and placed around town to um reinforce um antiiding and um that's kind of it. Our next meeting is May 14th which is the same day as our next our school committee meeting because of the town meeting. I
would make that meeting, but it is May 14th. >> Thank you, Emily. Maybe we should get those explorers on the car idling. That's right. >> Solve that problem. >> Um, okay. Next, we have our subcommittee reports and um curriculum subcommittee,
there's no report. Evaluation subcommittee, no report. policy subcommittee. Yeah, >> finance subcommittee. >> Yeah, >> we will look to uh we will look to schedule um a upcoming evaluation sub and a curriculum sub and a policy sub.
>> Sorry. >> Yeah. No, good evening. Uh finance sub has a few items on your agenda tonight for consideration. Uh the first would be a review of fees for FY27. Over the last
couple of meetings, Finance Sub has been reviewing information and has brought forward tonight uh recommendations for fees for FY27. So the first would be for uh preschool tuition. Uh the finance sub is
recommending a three-year fee structure of uh two $3,150 for the half-day program and 6,300 for the full day program. for FY27. For FY28, the half day would be 3,300
and the full day 6600. And in FY29, $3,465 for the half day and $6,930 for the full day. Um, this mirrors uh what the school committee did previously
for preschool, which was a three-year uh cost layout. Um, and this time we used a 5% or so increment based on rising costs related to both staffing and benefits
and services. So, um, Finance Hub is recommending those rates for the next three years for the preschool program tuition. >> Where are we now, Tom? >> Our current structure is 3,000 for the
half day and three uh 6,000 for the full day. Thank you. You're >> welcome. >> How did you decide the adjustment? >> Yeah, we were really looking at I think kind of the the tuition only brings in approximately $100,000 a year. So, it
really doesn't cover the full anywhere near the cost of running the program. But I think the conversation was along the escalating cost associated just to run the program and trying to keep up with those increases specifically around personnel which makes up a majority of
the cost. I would excuse me would say between staffing and transportation those are the two biggest cost areas related to running the program. So we settled in at about a 5% trying to make the numbers round as possible to about that percentage increase each year. This is one class.
>> We have two classrooms that are half day and a third classroom that is a full day section. FY26 is the first year that we have the full day prek program. Um prior to this year
they were six sections of half day but um >> feedback two half days and one full day >> now. Correct. feedback was that more families were looking for a full day, but >> some of the constraints around room
capacity at will swamp to accommodate full day sections was limited. Um so we opted to kind of try this model and see how it goes. >> So these budget increment increases um reflect staying with that number of
classes. I would say definitely for now I would keep it at four half day sections and one full day. So three classrooms are being used for the program. >> Two half days you said >> two and two rooms. So there's four sections of half day 2 am and 2 p.m.
>> and one full day. So we offer five sections in total. >> I see. >> Um so right now I would say for FY27 it would be to keep the same structure in terms of the sections we're offering. And if we see that there's an increase
in need, how fixed are we on this this current structured three-year plan? >> I think the the tuition would be fine whether or not we expand to either more full day sections or more half day
sections. I think we would want to see what the need is and also if we have the room >> keeping it at one location. So right now would say every space at Wolf Swamp is currently occupied. That may change over
time, but right now we really don't have the room there. I see >> to add an additional classroom. >> The kid committee could conceivably revisit these tuition rates in FY2829. >> Well, certainly they could. >> Yeah. I mean, is there an economy of
scale going up or down if we uh um increase the program? Do you know? I mean, if we had more kids, would the tuition go down or would it stay the same or go? >> I mean, this is a really, really reasonable price for full day. And they're it's five day full day.
>> Yeah. >> Except for school vacations. >> Yeah. School year schedule. Correct. >> School year schedule, >> but so are most preschools. And we I follow the school year schedule at St. Mary's, >> I think. Okay. based on expanding the program because tuition only covers a
portion there would be a an increase needed from the general fund to add even say one half day section. >> Okay. So that this would not there would not be an economy scale. >> Yeah. It's not even close in terms of covering a cost expanding it unless we
had the demand for um special ed slots within the program to keep students in district. My other concern or question I mean there's certainly the demand you're saying these are full. >> Yeah, I would definitely >> and based on the article that you sent
about, you know, I mean there's going to be cutbacks in um funding for education and it's so reasonable. Do we want to increase a little bit more to cover more comp? I I don't know. I mean, is this a
is this an area where we can maybe more break even? >> I think some of the conversation and I don't know if Nicole or any of the finance sub members want to jump in. I think some of it was trying to look at comparative programming. >> Okay. >> But also, I'm not raising it to the point that it made it
>> sure >> um financially not viable for families. I mean, it is is a peer model program. So, we have an equal number of students with special ed slots. So um so it is a a program that we offer to support
students who we have to provide services to and bringing them in with a peer model program >> and their services are embedded in the day. >> I see. Okay. But this is competitive. >> I would say it's more than competitive in terms of what a preschool private
preschool program would cost to attend. >> Yeah. And I think the big thing that we're trying to do is remain competitive. We're we're definitely underpriced compared to the market, but also being cognizant of the the last time we went up, we went up in a
three-year increment. It had been a very long time since they had been increased. So, we're trying to be reasonable about the total increase over this sixy year. >> I see. >> And not be completely kind of outrageous with how much we went up. >> Gotcha. >> Even though I don't disagree with you. I
mean, it's it's kind of it's a reasonable kind of question. It's just a matter of how how quickly do we want to fill up with this stuff because we were we were way way less than this just a very short period of time ago. >> I see. And you want to build a
successful >> increases that give um families time to sort of plan and know in advance what those increases will look like. >> Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. >> Yeah. And if you wanted the full day program to be successful, I feel like if it went from really cheap to not
reasonable, it wouldn't fill up. So, yeah, >> we want it to grow. >> Any other questions or comments or motions? >> I move based on the recommendation of the finance subcommittee that the school committee approve the preschool tuition
halfday and full day rates as follows. >> We have a motion. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> Zach, >> yes. >> Kate, >> yes. >> Emily, >> yes. Jamie, >> yes. >> Nicole, >> yes.
>> And a yes for me, too. >> The next item for consideration is the tuition we charge for outofstate students. So, the law allows districts to take students in from other states in
charge of tuition. The tuition cannot exceed our per pupil expenditure. Uh I believe in your packet is a document from department of elementary and secondary education showing the most recent data they have available is from FY24
with our ind district per pupil expenditure rate being $17,78. So uh what was brought forward to finance sub was a tuition rate for FY27 of $17,700.
Uh this is something school committee would approve annually or set the rate for the next school year. I will say it's been a few years a number of years since we have had a tuition in student. So even though you set the rate it doesn't
necessarily mean we will receive a student uh requesting enrollment under the tuition program. I thought we did have one last year from >> we had one who inquired and signed up and then ended up buying a house in Long Meadow and moving in town. So,
>> the program wasn't implemented based on them buying a house. >> Yeah. >> Does anyone have any questions or comments or a possible motion? I move based on the recommendation of the finance subcommittee that the school committee approve the outofstate tuition
rate for FY27 at $17,700. >> We have a motion. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> Zach, >> yes. >> Kate, >> yes. >> Emily, >> yes. >> Jamie, >> yes. >> Nicole, >> yes.
>> And a yes for me, too. The next rate would be our busing fee that we charge for students who do not qualify for free transportation. Uh the finance sub uh looked at the data
of our last increase which I believe occurred in FY24 which set that tuition rate at $260 which is what we've been charging for the last three years. So, knowing how
much our costs have risen, um, Finance Sub has recommended a three-year rate starting in FY27, moving it up to $275. In FY28,
$290, and then in FY29, $35. And it would include a two rider cap per household any each of those years. >> Does anyone have any questions,
comments, or a possible motion? >> I move based on the recommendation of the finance subcommittee that the school committee approve the annual bus fee to include two rider fee cap per household each year as follows. 275 in 27, 290 in
28, and 305 in fiscal year 29. >> We have a motion. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> Zach, >> yes. >> Keith, >> yes. >> Emily, >> yes. >> Jamie, >> yes. >> Nicole, >> yes.
>> And a yes for me, too. >> Um, the next item would be the FY27 athletic user fees. So in your packet is a a document showing the breakdown of each of the sports that we offered here
in Long Meadow and a the current fee that is in place in FY26, the proposed increase by sport, what the new fee would be, and then the percentage uh that increase reflects based on the
current fee. Um it has been I believe three years and 2023 was the last time the school committee increased the fees for athletics. Um at that time the the
increases were uh I'd say higher than what you're seeing here. The average increase that's proposed for FY27 is about $20 per sport. The increase that was approved and implemented back in uh
the spring of 23 for FY24 was closer to $50 per sport. Um because it had been a number of years since the fees had been increased. I think prior to that, hockey was the only fee that had seen an
increase for some time. And again, keeping up with um the cost it takes to run the programs between salaries for coaches, officials, game management, and transportation specifically, which has
been talked about um in great detail in finance sub over the last few years. They felt it was prudent to implement increases kind of reflective of the cost of running the program. So you can see there are a few sports at
the bottom that have a slighter increase and that is based on those programs incurring a greater cost than the others. And so uh the athletic director put together a proposal based on feedback that finance sub provided in
terms of modest increases except where the specific sports kind of incurred cost or were running at a greater deficit than others. So, uh, this proposal kind of reflects that input and, um,
proposes this increase for FY27. I would also just add that the estimated increase in revenue would be about $20,000 based on participation from FY25. We don't have full number of participants yet this year or when I was
working on it. So, um, it's based on the participation we had in that in 25. >> Thank you, Tom. Does anyone have any comments or questions or a motion? >> I move based on the recommendations of the finance subcommittee that the school
committee approve the revised athletic fees as presented. >> We have a motion. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> Zach, >> yes. >> Kate, >> yes. >> Emily, >> yes. Jamie, >> yes. >> Nicole,
>> yes. >> And a yes for me, too. >> Thank you. And the last item for consideration is a request to increase facility use fees. So, this is these are charges that we you we implement for
both um outside groups andor groups, town, park, and wreck, nonprofit organizations. Um, the FY20 was the last time a change has been made
to the rates for building use. And then we only increase the high school auditorium rate and added the pool rate at $150. So again, knowing that utilities are
costing more, custodial costs have gone up, um we felt it was time and we looked at surrounding communities and what they charge. And so what you have tonight is a recommendation to increase um fees
both at the uh elementary, middle school level, and high school. uh although some are nominal. Um where we get the biggest use would be the high school auditorium and again because of the cost of both electricity and HVAC heating and cooling
uh we are proposing u moving that to $300 from $200. We are not proposing or the recommendation does not recommend any changes to to reduce hourly rate. So those primarily are park and rack and in town programs. So we
felt that we didn't want to increase the cost to residents whereas groups coming from outside of town would uh be affected more from this proposal. >> Do we have any questions or comments about the motions?
>> I move based on the recommendation of the finance subcommittee that the school committee approve the re revised building use fees as presented. >> We have a motion. Do we have a second? >> Second. Zach, >> yes. >> Kate, >> yes. >> Emily, >> yes.
>> Jamie, >> yes. >> Nicole, >> yes. >> And a yes for me, too. >> Um, the next item is a request for a approval to revise the FY26 budget for grants and special revenues. There is a
document outlining about eight different grants or special revenue funds that either have um money funds being adjusted based on where we anticipate spending the funds or
an increase that we are receiving in the allocation associated to that specific fund. So, the total of all of the requested changes would increase the budget by 337,699. The majority of that is coming from two
specific funds. The circuit breaker account, which is the fund we use that offsets special education costs, that is being increased by $300,000. and the revised amount is more in line with the allocation we expect to receive
from the state for reimbursement for cost for that program. And the um second one is our school choice account. There uh was action by the school committee back in the fall to allocate up to $30,000 for use for cost associated with
the personnel matter. So, this action would now actually put the money in the budget where the expenses have been incurred. And then there are a couple other little um increases to the title 2A title one grant. And we are adding a uh math grant that we received for
$7,000. So, that is um this would be our second revision to our grants and special revenues for FY26. >> Does anyone have any questions, comments, or a motion? I move on the recommendation of the finance subcommittee that the school
committee approve the FY26 grants and special revenue budget revision number two dated April 14, 2026 as presented. >> We have a motion. Do we have a second? >> Second. >> Seth, >> yes. >> Kate, >> yes. >> Emily, >> yes.
>> Jamie, >> yes. >> Nicole, >> yes. >> And a yes for me, too. And the last item is a building use request. I will quickly go through them before the chair uh can declared a consent agenda. So there are two
building use requests, both submitted um by parks and wreck. The first is for a first responders basketball game. Um LPD versus LFD is uh something that the park and wreck is coordinating. They have requested use of the high school gym on
April 25th from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 pm. And the second request is for use of the high school gym for a co-ed basketball camp for grades 3 through 8, uh, August
10th through August 14th, 9:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. >> Thank you. And this is a consent agenda, so there's no discussion of the items. Um, so if a committee member would like to make would like one or more of the items on the consent agenda to be
discussed, the committee would have to vote to remove the item from the consent agenda. Does anyone have one or more items they would like to discuss? No. Okay. >> I move that the school committee approve
the consent agenda for the April 14th, 2026 school committee as presented. >> We have a motion. Do we have a second? >> Second. Zach, >> yes. >> Kate, >> yes. >> Emily, >> Jamie, >> yes. >> Oh, thank you.
>> Thank uh Nicole, >> yes. >> And a yes for me, too. >> That's it. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Okay, new business. So at the May 12th uh town meeting, the school committee will be asked for its
recommendation on article six. Uh that would is the uh warrant article to secure funding for the center school roof project that male mentioned earlier. Uh in February, the MSBA through its accelerated repair program
had um approved u Long Meadow for the roof replacement project at center school. So exciting opportunity for us. It's a it's a much needed project. Um thank to thanks to the town manager and
the DPW for uh working with us on that project. Um the total project budget is uh 8,694,432. Uh we're anticipating a reimbursement from the MSBA of just over 50%.
And so, uh, for your consideration tonight, knowing that the, um, school committee will be asked for its recommendation at the May 12th town meeting on that warrant article. >> Does anyone have any comments or
questions on article six? >> I move that the school committee recommend a yes vote on article six at the May town meeting. >> We have a motion. Do we have a second? Second >> Zach, >> yes. >> Kate, >> yes.
>> Emily, >> yes. >> Jamie, >> yes. >> Nicole, >> yes. >> And a yes for me, too. So, now next we have our executive session.
I move that the school committee meet in executive session pursuant to mass general law chapter 30A section 21A purpose two to conduct grievance hearing with union personnel. Three, to discuss strategy with respect to collective bargaining in an open meeting may have a
detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the public body, specifically regarding a memorandum of agreement related to unit A, position seven, approval of minutes and will reconvene into open session. >> We have a motion. Do we have a second?
>> Second. >> Zach, >> yes. >> Kate, >> yes. >> Emily, >> yes. >> Jamie, >> yes. Nicole. >> Yes. >> And he asked for me too. Welcome back to the lock.
>> No, thank you. Doug, can you hear us? >> I thought I heard 321. >> You ready? >> You want to count us in? >> Yep. You're You're in. >> Oh, sorry. >> Welcome back to the April 14th Long Meadow School Committee meeting. Um, we are reconvening back
into open session after our executive session for one final motion. >> I move that the school committee approve the memorandum of agreement dated April 14th, 2026 as presented. >> You have a motion second. Thank you. Zach,
>> yes. >> Kate, >> yes. >> Nicole, >> yes. >> Emily, >> yes. >> Jamie, >> yes. >> And a yes for me, too. And actually, we still have one more final motion. >> I move that school committee adjourn the
April 24th, 2026 school committee meeting. >> Second. >> Thank you, Zach. >> Yes. >> Yes. >> Nicole, >> yes. >> Emily, >> yes. >> Jamie, >> yes. >> And a yes for me, too. Have a great
evening. Thank you.