2024-2025 Staff Newsletters » September 20, 2024

September 20, 2024

Volume 4, Issue 5
Homecoming 2024!
Everett High School will hold its annual Homecoming Game on Friday, October 4, 2024, at 7 p.m. when the Crimson Tide host the Taunton Tigers inside historic Veterans Memorial Stadium. We will honor Everett High’s Super Bowl champions from 2001, ‘02, and ‘03 during a special halftime celebration, and we highly encourage all Everett Public Schools (EPS) teachers and staff to attend the game.

 

And to all EHS grads: Please share the news with your friends, family, and classmates!

Click HERE for more information about the festivities, including the Parade of Students.
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DEIB Advisory Board Seeking Members
The DEIB Advisory Board of the Everett Public School District is seeking interested members from the Everett Public Schools staff. The board will be committed to supporting the goals of creating a school district where all students are successful, and demographics are no longer an indicator of success.   We will advise the Superintendent on all areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, resulting in thoughtful actions that respond to the needs of all students and staff. 

The DEIB Advisory Board will:
  • Analyze district-wide climate survey data to identify district, school and community priorities and goals
  • Utilize climate survey data to create an Action Plan to improve the climate of diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging for students, families, faculty and staff of EPS
  • Discuss and implement opportunities for improvement of EPS current strategies related to diversity, inclusion, equity and belonging
  • Find barriers that appear within the EPS educational system and work to erase resulting gaps in learning, development, belonging, and safety for all of our students.
Everett Public Schools DEIB Advisory Board Application
The application deadline is Friday, September 27, 2024. Please use this link to complete the application. The first meeting date is Tuesday, October 10, 2024, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Please note, this is a volunteer position- a stipend is not included. We will meet the first Thursday of every month from 8:30 to 10:30am. 

Thank you for your interest!
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Latin American and Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Booklists and ResourcesCheck out this booklist from Colorin Colorado to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month for children and young adults. The list is organized by topic so that they can easily be used all year long and across the curriculum. Many books on our recommended lists are bilingual or are available in Spanish. To see related books for older readers, see their Hispanic Heritage booklists for middle grades and young adults.
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A man standing in front of large numbers indicating the year 2024
Neil Plotnick is pictured at the 2024 Computer Science Teachers Association Annual Conference in Las Vegas. 
 
Plotnick named a CSTA Equity Fellow  
The Everett Public Schools is pleased to announce that Everett High School teacher Neil Plotnick has been selected as a 2024–25 Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) Equity Fellow. 

The CSTA Equity Fellowship is a year-long program that fosters leadership development and identifies opportunities for the group to develop ongoing, peer-to-peer professional learning focused on addressing issues of equity in computer science classrooms. 

Mr. Plotnick’s son, Martin, who has hemiplegic cerebral palsy, has been the leading influence in guiding his equity work as an educator.   

“I knew from the earliest stages of his diagnosis of hemiplegic cerebral palsy that education was going to be the biggest challenge in Martin’s life,” Mr. Plotnick said. “I left a fantastic career in information technology to become a teacher. As a career changer I was often the oldest person in my graduate school classes, but I knew that my life experience of raising a child with significant learning disabilities would be invaluable in the classroom.” 

Each CSTA Equity Fellow will receive professional learning with premier leaders in the field, including in-person summits and ongoing virtual meetings throughout the year. They will also receive support from CSTA staff, expert partners, and dedicated resources to implement their project, as well as recognition across CSTA’s communications channels and at the CSTA 2025 Annual Conference. 

“I hope that this fellowship will allow us to identify some helpful ways to bring computer science education to students with disabilities,” said Mr. Plotnick. “Creating a guide for teachers to help them with accommodations, modifications, and best practices would be a worthy outcome for my participation.”
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Formal head shot, male teacher smiling, studio portrait
 
Corey Cheever Named an AFE Ambassador
Everett High School (EHS) teacher Corey Cheever has been named to the 2024 cohort of the Amazon Future Engineer (AFE) Teacher Ambassador program, a prestigious honor that reflects the great work does on behalf of the students in the EHS Innovation Pathway. 

Cheever is among a select group of 50 educators from around the nation who will participate in a two-year program that includes community listening sessions, elevates the voices of computer science teachers, and drives greater computer science and technology access for students. 
 
This past summer, Mr. Cheever attended the Computer Science Teachers of America (CSTA) conference in Las Vegas, where he met industry leaders and received training and resources that he has brought back to EHS. 
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Opportunities/Resources for Faculty

Behavioral Health and Safety
Everett is a member of the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth that provides access to professional development focused on increasing the mental well-being, behavioral health and safety of all students. Many of the virtual webinars are recorded and available for viewing up to 7 days to complete later. To access free professional development offerings, see this link for information on creating an account and for more information on your dashboard for courses see this link.  

Premium Seats: EPS and Salem State
Everett Public Schools is a premium member of the Salem State Collaborative. The current catalog for the fall features many offerings, including the following:
  • AI and Education: Contours
  • Cultivating Educator Resilience for Yourself and Your Classroom
  • Generative AI with Canva for Education
  • Unpacking the New IEP
Many of the PD Collaborative offerings for 2, 5, and 10 hours have no charge. Offerings for 15 hours have an enrollment fee of $25. The district does not offer reimbursement for that fee.  

School Supplies
Mass Teacher Resources provides school supplies to full-time classroom teachers in grades K-5 at Public Title 1 Elementary (K-5) Schools across Greater Boston. See this list of Frequently Asked Questions for hours and information. Interested? Book an appointment here.
 
 
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Register HERE

FREE
MTEL Vouchers
The Everett Public Schools (EPS) has free vouchers for staff members who are planning on taking an MTEL test in 2024-2025. To obtain one, simply email Michael Minucci with the name and cost of the MTEL you are scheduled to take.
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