January 19, 2023
Dear Shrewsbury Families, Colleagues, & Community Members,
Tomorrow's forecast is looking messy with some snow accumulation throughout the day. Right now it looks like we will be able to manage a regular day of school, but I will be checking forecast updates and speaking with Shrewsbury Highway early tomorrow morning, and I will let you know then if anything changes. Thank you in advance for your patience, as traffic on campuses and buses may run more slowly than usual; as always, please consider the conditions and level of experience when determining whether your teen will drive to and from school.
Please note the following updates:
Recommendation for schedule changes for the 2023-2024 school year: Last evening, the Sleep Health Advisory Committee presented their recommendations for schedule changes next year to provide students with more sleep opportunity. Their consensus recommendation is for the student academic day to change as follows next year compared to this year: a) to begin and end 20 minutes later for SHS; b) to begin 35 minutes later and end 25 minutes later for Sherwood and Oak, and c) to begin and end 15 minutes later for K-4 elementary schools (the end time of the K-4 day was modified to make it 10 minutes earlier than the original options presented, based on feedback from elementary families and staff). The proposed schedule is attached at the bottom of this message, or can be viewed through the following links. I encourage you to watch the Advisory Committee's presentation here, view their presentation slides here, and read their recommendation memo to the School Committee here. The School Committee will vote on whether to adopt this new schedule at their meeting next Wednesday evening, January 25. If you wish to provide feedback to the School Committee in advance of their vote, you can send all members an email at schoolcommittee@shrewsbury.k12.ma.us. All of the Sleep Health Advisory Committee's reports and presentations can be found here:
https://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/district/sleep-health-advisory-committee-school-start-times.
Seeking candidates for Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations: Our outstanding, longtime Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations, Mr. Patrick Collins, will be retiring at the end of June after a highly distinguished career serving the Shrewsbury Public Schools. We have begun the search for his successor, and I would appreciate it if you would share this job posting with your networks as we look to generate a talented and diverse pool of applicants for this very important leadership role. We are seeking candidates with strong experience in business or finance in the public or private sectors for this Chief Financial/Operating Officer of our school district.
Winter Virtual Art Exhibition: If you are looking to brighten your mood, click here to view our K-12 Winter Art Virtual Exhibition! Our students have done extraordinary work with expert instruction by our Visual Arts teachers. Enjoy these many examples of drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, and digital and traditional photography.
To all of our families who will be celebrating the Lunar New Year on Sunday, I wish you good health, good luck, and prosperity in the Year of the Rabbit!
Respectfully,
Joe Sawyer
Superintendent of Schools
Recommended School Start and End Times for 2023-2024
Sleep Health Advisory Committee
