October 31, 2024
Dear Marlborough Public Schools Parents and Guardians:
November 5th is a professional development day for staff. There will be no school for students.
During the full day of professional development teachers will register for one of the approximately thirty-four sessions focused on supporting academic content and instructional strategies.
District goal #3 (District and School Climate) states: Marlborough Public Schools is committed to creating an environment where all students and staff are valued and respected. On the morning of November 5th, staff PreK-12, will be preparing grade level lessons that will be taught throughout the district throughout the year. These lessons will begin in kindergarten recognizing that we are all members of the school community, and beginning in grade three we will be setting an expectation that in the Marlborough Public Schools we do not use “words that hurt’. At the high school level, the lesson is aligned to training and expectations that were shared with staff a number of years ago and we will teach the term “microaggression”.
As a district we have a strategy to interrupt words that could be used to hurt members of our community:
Respect is one of our district core values! If we hear hurtful words, we will:
• Let the person know you heard a hurtful word or phrase by saying, “ouch!”
• Be willing to talk to the person about why you said, “ouch.” We all make mistakes at times, so it is okay to share that you think someone made a mistake.
• Ask for an adult to help you fix what was hurtful if you need help.
Regards,
Mary Murphy
Superintendent