Giving to Teachers: What Are the Rules?

Hopkinton School Committee Chairman Jean Bertschmann outlined the district's gift-giving policy.

With the gift-giving season upon us, Hopkinton parents who plan on giving gifts to their children’s teachers should be aware of certain rules. Current School Committee Chairman Jean Bertschmann was the vice-chairman in February when a policy was adopted to line up with the Massachusetts General Laws on gift-giving. “I know it feels oppressive and intrusive to parents, but it’s just to comply with the state laws,” Bertschmann said. Bertschmann said Hopkinton parents understand the work the teachers do and try to respond appreciatively, especially around the holidays. “Parents are typically very generous and the staff is very appreciative; we just want to make sure the staff doesn’t get in hot water and put in an awkward situation,” she said…

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MSBA Responds to Last Thursday’s School Committee Meeting

The MSBA wishes to clarify who canceled last Thursday’s joint meeting.

Matt Donovan, Massachusetts School Building Authority(MSBA) member , responded to comments made at the School Committee meeting last Thursday night, October 20. He expressed his support for the Hopkinton community but wished to set the record straight. “We don’t want to get into a he said she said,” Donovan said “but we want to clarify the record.” He went on to say that it was not the MSBA but Superintendent Jonathan Landman who could not attend last Thursday's joint meeting scheduled at Senator Spilka’s office. “We did not cancel the meeting.”  Donovan said.  “The Superintendent had a scheduling conflict.” Landman responded by saying that it has been an arduous but worthwhile process in scheduling this meeting. “There are a lot of busy …

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Assistant Superintendent Finalists Announced

The Hopkinton Public Schools and Superintendent Jonathan Landman invite you to meet the candidates.

The Hopkinton Public Schools announce two candidates for the Assistant Superintentdent position. They are Dr. Mary Ann DeMello, current Assistant Superintendent for Weymouth Public Schools in Weymouth, MA and Mr. Robert Berlo, current Director of Secondary Education for Hopkinton Public Schools. There will be a community meeting to meet the two candidates on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. in the Hopkinton High School auditorium. Each candidate will be available for half an hour. Dr. DeMello holds a Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership from Northeastern University, as well as Master’s degree in Physiology of Exercise from Bridgewater State College. Her undergraduate work was in Physical Education/Health, completed at Springfield College. She…

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Hopkinton Students Top 50 in MCAS Scores

Here are the top 50 schools with the highest percentage of students in the class of 2011 who scored proficient in English and Math on the MCAS.

Superintendent Landman Shares his Thoughts

Superintendent Jonathan Landman held a forum on Saturday where he discussed the community feedback he has received and what he believes are the future steps to creating a solution to the Center School.

Superintendent Jonathan Landman held the sixth of eight community forums this past Saturday. The purpose of the forums is to listen to the community and gather input about what is working well within the Hopkinton School District and what needs improvement. Landman summarized some of what he has learned from those forums. “In general people are very happy with their experience in the Hopkinton Schools.” Landman said. “They appreciate the teachers and feel well served by the school system.” There have been some suggestions for improvement. “Residents have made suggestions on how to improve communication.” Landman said. “They have also shared services they think should be implemented or brought back like the late bus or world languages in …

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MSBA Responds to the Hopkinton Schools

The MSBA will not support a K-3 school on Fruit St with the existing building design.

The MSBA formally responded to a letter written on August 16 by the Hopkinton Schools last Friday.   The school committee letter to the Massachusetts School Building Committee (MSBA) asked if the 14 million dollar grant money that was slated for the K-5 school on Fruit St. could be re-purposed for a K-3 school in the same location with the same design. The answer from the MSBA was no. While the MSBA would like to keep searching for a solution to the Center School, the organization does not support using the existing building plan for a K-3 school. “The District’s recommendation for a preferred schematic was based on a design associated with a K-5 grade structure,” the letter stated, “and this grade structure played a significant role in …

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Lunch Menus

What's for Lunch?

The lunch menus for the elementary, middle and high schools in town for the week of Sept. 19-23.

Elementary Schools Monday, Sept. 19 Sloppy Joe Sandwich Ham & Cheese Wrap Chef Salad with Breadstick Steamed Carrots Fresh Fruit & Veggie Cart Tuesday, Sept. 20 Chili Mac Turkey & Cheese Sandwich  Green Peas Fresh Fruit Cart Wednesday, Sept. 21 Chicken Pot Pie Fish Sandwich Tuna Salad Sandwich Baja Salad with Breadsticks Smothered Squash Fresh Fruit & Veggie Cart Thursday, Sept. 22 Beef & Bean Nachos Spicy Chicken Sandwich Turkey & Cheese Wrap Chicken Caesar Salad w/BS Refried Beans Fresh Fruit & Veggie Cart Friday, Sept. 23 Cheese Pizza Grilled Ham & Cheese All American Sandwich Chicken Ranch Salad wBS Veggie Pasta Salad Fresh fruit & Veggie Cart   Hopkinton Middle School Lunch Prices: Student $2.50, Premium $3.00, Adult $3.25, Reduced $.…

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New Superintendent Thrilled to be in Hopkinton

Superintendent Jonathan Landman shares his thoughts on the opening of schools, his plans for the next six months and his feelings on the Hopkinton School System.

Superintendent Jonathan Landman began his tenure with the Hopkinton Public Schools by postponing opening day. “I was not at all happy,” Landman said, “that my very first act was postponing the opening of school.” Fortunately, most students had a relatively normal start yesterday. Kindergarten is a bit further behind, and they will not open until Tuesday of next week. “It was a great first day back,”  Landman said.  “The roadway obstructions caused by Irene were a non-issue, and buses arrived on time at all of the schools.  Many students had big, cheery smiles and seemed excited and glad to be back; others looked wide-eyed and were clearly working hard to get oriented for a new school year.” According to Landman, only a few students were …

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Hopkinton School District Ranked 30th in the State

Boston Magazine names Hopkinton the 30th best school district in the state.

In what has become a regular occurrence, Hopkinton Public Schools have received accolades. Boston Magazine has named Hopkinton Public Schools #30 on its' list of the best public school districts in the state. The magazine is on the shelves today. "Boston magazine crunched the numbers in an exclusive ranking of the best public school districts and biggest values in the area," a press release stated. " Rankings were based on data gathered from consulting school officials and websites, as well as the Massachusetts Department of Education."  Determining factors of the district rankings includes test scores from elementary, middle, and high schools in 135 districts, per pupil spending, student to teacher ratio, number of AP classes, graduation …

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