John Monfredo

By John Monfredo, Worcester Public School Committee member

“I just can’t concentrate, and I worry about what the next day will bring, for living with two other families is very difficult.” … “I’m scared and afraid to tell anyone about my situation.”

These are statements from children who are homeless in Worcester and they are among the 2,400 students who worry about what is going to happen to them. These students represent 10 percent of the Worcester Public School population. The public only sees the buses rolling and sees the 44 schools in our public school system operating, but few can understand the changes that have taken place in our schools. Like all urban cities in this nation, we in Worcester have homeless children in our schools and it impacts their education!

One counselor told me about a student who received A’s and then unexpectedly his marks dropped. She finally was able to find out that this high school student was now living in a homeless shelter.

People living in poverty are most at risk of becoming homeless. In our city 71.8% of our students live under the poverty line.

Children experiencing homelessness face many barriers to education. Looking at the data, one sees a high absence rate, lots of moving from place to place, and poor health and nutrition. Again, according to the data, homeless children are likely to be ill four times more often than other children, with four times as many respiratory infections, and they are four times more likely to have asthma attacks. Unfortunately, homeless children go hungry twice as often as other children. Click to continue »

By Parlee Jones

I am not a political person by nature, but that has been changing over the last couple of years. I have come to see that attention to Worcester’s elected officials is needed if I hope to offer the best opportunities for my children. Most would consider me to be a very active parent. You can find me at parent’s night and PTO’s.

I can sit with my children every day after school and help them with their homework, meet with the teachers to discuss teaching strategy and plans for next year, but I continue to find road blocks along the way.

I joined a community organizing group called Black Legacy almost two years ago. The group was just starting. We came together to talk about the health of the community, and the disparities that exist. We wondered why members of Worcester’s Black community were becoming sicker, more often, and more severely than our White counter parts in so many areas including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, various cancers, and infant mortality. What was going on? What we realized is that all of these health issues are related to socio-economic income, which is largely dependent on the quality of education someone has. When we looked at the data, we found that there was a major income gap in the city of Worcester by race and ethnicity, and indeed this gap is found in our public education. So, as folks committed to making as big an impact as possible, we decided to focus on closing the academic achievement gap knowing this will help close the gaps in income and finally overall health. Click to continue »

Do Worcester (and yourself) proud! Please go out and vote!

Thank you!

- R.Tirella

INCITY TIMES ENDORSES THE FOLLOWING CANDIDATES/Please vote for:

Mayor: Konstantina Lukes

City Council District 4: Barbara Haller

City Council District 1: Virginia Ryan

City Council-at-Large:

Konstantina Lukes
Bill (William) Coleman
Mike (Michael) Germain
Joseph O’Brien

Worcester School Committee:

Hilda Ramirez
John Monfredo
Jack Foley

Ballot Question
Vote YES for School District Representation! YES!

Here is Worcester School Committee member John Monfredo’s evaluation of Dr. Boone:

Dr. Melinda Boone completes her second year as WPS Superintendent … My Evaluation

By John Monfredo, Worcester School Committee

Each June the Worcester School Committee, by law, evaluates the performance of Worcester’s School Superintendent. Tonight all members of the Worcester School Committee will stannd up and publicly gave their evaluation summary of Superintendent Boone on her second year as Superintendent of our city schools.

The evaluation is based on the goals and objectives that were mutually agreed upon by the Superintendent and the School Committee at the beginning of the school year.

Two years ago I was the first school committee member to greet Dr. Boone as she came to Worcester from Virginia for her interview. I found Dr. Boone to be a person who was easy to talk with and passionate about education. At her interview Dr. Boone said, “The difference between success and failure is opportunity…. I believe that all students need access to the same standards.” She also said she was high on best practices, a strong supporter of parent involvement and believes that the challenge ahead is the quality of teaching.

Here is my evaluation of Dr. Boone as will be presented tonight at City Hall:

Dr. Boone has stated on several occasions, “I see ourselves competing with private, charter, parochial and other public schools. Our goal is to make sure that we become the school of choice.” Again, she reiterated that at the “Parent/Guardian Expo” Saturday, June 11, held at WPI.

She has demonstrated by her actions that parents are an integral part of the success of children and education in general. Dr. Boone has worked closely with our schools to maintain an inviting and welcoming atmosphere along with working closely with parents to gain their trust and show them that the Worcester Public School’s is truly a partner with them.

Dr. Boone believes that parental involvement is a key piece to educating our children and has reached out to the community in an attempt to make the “Village” concept part of the educational solution. She has participated in the Worcester Educational Collaborative Community briefing on Innovation Schools, been the keynote speaker at the Worcester Community Action Council United Service Executive Group Breakfast and served as MC at the annual community MLK Breakfast. She has been a guest speaker at the Worcester Business Leaders meeting, the Worcester UNUM Girls’ Leadership Conference Panel, spoken at several Worcester Community Action Council seminars and in general has met with interfaith leaders, social agencies representatives, business leaders and many school group parent organizations. Click to continue »

By John Monfredo, Worcester School Committee

Five years ago my wife Anne-Marie and I started the committee Worcester: the City that Reads to bring books to all children in Worcester. Research continues to point out that reading regularly increases one’s vocabulary and improves skills.

Study after study finds that the ability to read well is the single best indicator of future economic success – regardless of family background. We know that once a child is “hooked” on reading, his/her skill develops rapidly. The more he/she reads, the better he/she reads and the more he/she brings to each new reading experience. It is because of those reasons that Worcester: the City that Reads was started. The week of June 12 is the culmination of our and many others’ efforts over the past year with the Third Annual Literacy Week.

Activities for the week:

There will be a proclamation read by Mayor Joseph O’Brien in the City Council Chambers declaring the week as “Literacy Week in our Community.” During the week across the city our Worcester Public Schools will have their “Kick-off for Summer Reading.” Parents at many schools will also be informed that they will be able to borrow books from their school library for summer reading. Celebrity reading events as well as book character events will take place in the schools. Click to continue »

HAVE YOU DONATED ANY CHILDREN’S BOOKS TO WORCESTER’S BOOK DRIVE?

Worcester School Committee member John Monfredo and his wife (former Nelson Place teacher) Anne-Marie Monfredo, co-chairs of Worcester: the City that Reads, have a goal: to collect 25,000 books for city kids. The books will be given to low-income children, social service agencies, Head Start, the A.C.E. summer program, and a host of other groups for summer reading.

Studies clearly indicate that children in homes that have books are more likely to succeed in school, while children who don’t have adequate reading skills are much more likely to drop out of school. A recent study found that the ability to read well is the single best indicator of future economic success – regardless of family background.

Books can donated by May 15 at the following sites:

• People’s United People’s Bank (Flagship Bank) (all six city branches) including the town of Shrewsbury, Marlboro and Leominster
• Commerce Bank (all four city branches) including Holden
• Bay State Savings Bank (all branches)
• Bank of America ( all Worcester branches)
• Barnes and Noble Book Store on Lincoln Street
• Worcester Public Library
• Stop and Shop on Lincoln Street
• Stop and Shop on Grafton Street
• Stop and Shop on West Boylston Street
• Shaws Market on West Boylston Street
• Shaws Market at Webster Square
• RSVP and the Senior Center on Vernon Street
• Worcester Credit Union
• Starbucks Coffee on one West Boylston Street
• Panera’s on West Boylston Street
• Ben Franklin Book Store on Salem Street
• Light Labs on Shrewsbury Street
• Flying Rhino Restaurant on Shrewsbury Street
• DCU Center
• Jewish Community Center on Salisbury Street
• Worcester East Side CDC at 409 Shrewsbury Street
• Leader’s Way – Kung Fu Academy on Burncoat Street
• Greendale YMCA

Thank you!

- John and Anne Marie Monfredo

By John Monfredo, Worcester School Committee

Reaching out and caring about others is what we hope our children will learn in their school years; we want them to grow up to be caring and productive citizens. These are qualities that are not measured by MCAS test scores- they are part of educating the whole child.

During the last few years, fourth grade teacher Donna Quitadamo at Nelson Place Elementary School has been working with her students and parents about reaching out to others. Her class led the way in working with “The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.” This organization was created by Paul Newman and his friends in 1988. The camp is located in the state of Connecticut and has served as a non-profit residential summer camp and year-round center for children coping with cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

The camp houses children between the ages of 7 to 15 who attend one of 9 weeklong sessions. The students experience fun-packed days and develop friendships with children like themselves with very caring adults watching over them. In addition, “The Hole in the Wall Gang Hospital Outreach Program brings the hope and playful spirit of camp to seriously-ill hospitalized children throughout the Northeast region. Twelve full-time hospital outreach specialists make weekly visits to the bedsides of ill children to provide games, crafts, companionship, and comfort to these courageous patients. They also provide a much – needed break for parents and give special attention to siblings. Most importantly, they remind kids, who are physically and emotionally drained by the effects of chemotherapy and long hospital stays of what it’s like to be a kid again.

As part of the character education concept, Ms. Quitadamo encouraged her students to look for heroes in their everyday lives and often shared her heroes with them. Thus one day in the fall of 2008 she shared with the present 6th graders that one of her heroes, Paul Newman, had passed away. She told them about the Newman’s Own Foundation and the “Hole In the Wall Gang” Camp. Then in December of the same year, her students published a classroom newspaper which included persuasive essays written by the students that encouraged people to make donations to the “Hole In the Wall Gang.” Click to continue »

By John Monfredo, Worcester School Committee

Worcester Technical High School two weeks before the MCAS, as they have done the past two years, brought in a motivational speaker to talk to the students. The event was held at the Hanover Theater in Worcester and the entire school was bused to the event.

This year’s speaker was Erin Gruwell, a former teacher, who has the distinction of having a movie made about her making a difference in the lives of her students. The movie is entitled, The Freedom Writers. A week before Ms. Gruwell’s presentation the students had the opportunity to watch the movie and discuss it with their teachers.

Erin Gruwell, a most dynamic speaker with an outgoing personality, had the students’ attention within a minute. She spoke about her first day at Wilson High School in Long Beach, California for as a recent college graduate she landed her first job in Room 203, only to discover many of her students had been written off by the education system and deemed “unteachable.” Her students lived in a racially divided urban community; they were already hardened by first-hand exposure to gang violence, juvenile detention, and drugs. Click to continue »

By John Monfredo, Worcester School Committee

The jewel on the top of Sky Line Drive, better known as Worcester Technical School, has continued to receive award after award since opening in 2006. This year they were selected by the MetLife Foundation and the National Association of Secondary School Principals as one of the Breakthrough Schools. In announcing the award, the MetLife Foundation-NASSP stated that Worcester Technical High School is one of just ten schools selected for this prestigious national honor in recognition of its best practices and outstanding student results.

The MetLife Foundation’s Breakthrough Schools program recognizes middle level and high school schools that are high achieving or are dramatically improving student achievement and serve large numbers of students living in poverty.

The magnificence of this structure is matched by its equally impressive record of student performance. According to Principal Shelia Harrity, the school has reached the Annual Yearly Progress benchmarks for No Child Left Behind in English, Math and every subgroup four years in a row. “One should also consider this, 59% of all schools in Massachusetts have not reached their benchmarks,” she stated in an interview this week.

In 2009, Worcester Technical High School was one of 15 public schools nationally recognized for outstanding student gains in MCAS by the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University. When you look at the MCAS scores at Worcester Technical High School (WTHS) you see a steady progress being attained. 

This is demonstrated in the impressive numbers it has put up over the past few years. In mathematics, 70% of students scored in the advanced/proficient category, with a 6% failure rate. In English, 70% of students scored in the advanced/proficient category, with a 1% failure rate. In grades 10-12, 96% of students have passed the science portion of the MCAS test. Click to continue »

By John Monfredo, Worcester School Committee

Worcester: the City that Reads was formed in an attempt to make a difference in Worcester. In our book drive we will need everyone’s assistance. Please donate new or gently used books, pre-kindergarten to grade 8, at the following sites from March 2 to May 15:

People’s United People’s Bank (Flagship Bank) (all six city branches) including the town of Shrewsbury, Marlboro and Leominster

Commerce Bank (all four city branches) including Holden

Bay State Savings Bank (all branches)

Barnes and Noble Book Store on Lincoln Street

Worcester Public Library

Stop and Shop on Lincoln Street

Stop and Shop on Grafton Street

Stop and Shop on West Boylston Street Click to continue »