NEWSLETTER - The Education Cooperative

NEWSLETTER
781-326-2473 www.tec-coop.org
Volume I, Issue 4
The Power of Collaboration
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.’’ These powerful words by Helen Keller capture the
essence of effective collaboration. TEC is an innovative and entrepreneurial collaborative organization that
is eager to work with others to achieve our mission and our new location in East Walpole will provide TEC’s
staff, students, families, and member districts the opportunity to come together as a learning community
and collaborate.
This year TEC has embarked a number of new collaborative relationships. Through the efforts of our local
educational and business leaders TEC has been selected to sponsor a K-12 Commonwealth Virtual School.
The “TECCA” staff will co-locate with us in our new facility offering even more opportunities, such as partnering on professional development with experts in virtual teaching and learning.
In addition, TEC has formed a new alliance with our neighboring collaborative, Bi-County Collaborative
(BICO). BICO will also join us on our new campus, moving a number of programs to the facility this fall. We
look forward to working together with our BICO colleagues to build a warm and welcoming educational environment and explore ways in which we can work together in the future.
There is much to do, but by working together we are shaping a future that is full of the potential to do so
much! Happy Spring!
Liz McGonagle, Executive Director
March 2014
Inside this issue:
Commodity Chicken Bid
2
College Fair Success
3
TEC-NET Event: Teaching About
Religion on March 28th
4
Legislative Breakfast
5
TEC Panel Presents at 2014
Leading Future Learning
5
Network Program News
6
TEC Website Wins Best in Class
Award
6
TEC Proposal for Commonwealth
Virtual School Accepted by BESE
7
TEC is Moving!
We have a new home! After months of searching we have at
last secured a new location! Next September the TEC Campus School will open at 141 Mansion Drive in East Walpole,
02032.
Virtual School, TECCA as well as our sister collaborative, Bi County Collaborative (BICO).
TEC Campus School
141 Mansion Drive, East Walpole
Nestled on 8 scenic acres, TEC’s new facility will provide expanded opportunities for our staff, students, families and
communities to come together as a true learning community. The TEC administrative team has worked closely with an
architect to design a state-of–the art facility that will support
and enhance our continuum of programs including new
amenities such as an Art and Music Room, Sensory Room,
adapted Kitchen facilities, a Library and a Health and Fitness
Room.
Many of TEC’s network of programs will be moving to our
new location. We are also excited to announce that we will
be sharing our new home with TEC’s new Commonwealth
TEC Campus School Front Entrance
Page 2
Volume I, Issue 4
News from Finance and Operations
TEC PROCESSED USDA COMMODITY CHICKEN PRODUCTS BID
FY 2014-2015
Dan Shovak, Director
TEC introduced a new bid to its list of Cooperative Purchasing bids for FY 2014-2015 at the request of one of the Food
Service Directors who participates in the TEC Food Service Bids for Groceries; Bread, Rolls, & Bakery Products; Milk;
Paper & Related Kitchen Products; and Vending/Beverages. Jeanne Johnson, the Food Service Director for Dedham
Public Schools approached TEC after going out to bid in FY 2013-2014 with a smaller Collaborative group for the procurement of Processed USDA Commodity Chicken Products, which resulted in no bids being received.
Jeanne, who had worked tirelessly on this getting this bid off the ground for several years, was not ready to give up
after just one attempt and approached TEC to see, if with our help, and the backing of the 58 participating districts of
TEC and beyond, it could be bid again. After a long discussion and a review the existing bid, we felt that with bid document revisions and the backing of many districts, we would be successful!
Why Processed USDA Commodity Chicken Products you ask?
Each year US public school districts are offered USDA food products at an average $2.75/case, such as raw chicken (the
whole bird), raw beef, raw pork, cheese, canned fruits & vegetables, and fresh fruits & vegetables, and each school district’s entitlement dollars are based on their enrollment/lunch program participation. If they are interested in any of
these offerings, they review their menus for the year, take the dollar amount they are entitled to, and decide what percentage of each product offered that they want to commit to, trying to use up as much of their entitlement dollars as
possible. Some of what the USDA offers the school districts is taken as is, such as the canned and fresh fruits & vegetables, but not all schools want the raw meat products and cheese offered as is, which brings us to the question, “Why
Processed USDA Commodity Chicken Products?”
Many schools want their commodity meats and cheese diverted into more convenient frozen products such as chicken
patties and nuggets, beef patties & meatballs, pork sausage, cheese sticks, etc., which the government can have processed for them, but at what cost? What kind of cost control is there on the companies chosen to divert the USDA commodity meats and cheese? Apparently…NONE! This is why Jeanne and a group of others decided to take matters into
their own hands by competitively bidding the diverted products they wanted; starting with chicken.
With lessons learned, after an unsuccessful first bid, the TEC Processed USDA Commodity Chicken Bid FY14-15 process
began with:
 Revising the existing bid so that it wasn’t so restrictive that no one wanted to bid on it;
 Getting the word out about the bid to all TEC bid participants and other school districts; inviting them to bid with
us. Most of the 58 TEC districts (51) were interested and 25 additional school districts joined as well, for a total of 76
participants;
 Meeting with vendors who had the capabilities to process the chicken (using the whole bird: white and dark meat),
and coming up with products they can process, that meet our needs and specifications.
 After deciding on which type of chicken products we wanted, the vendors were sent good product descriptions and
specifications for each and were asked to send samples of their products, which met those specifications. They were
sampled at the first annual Food Service Directors’ Food Show, which was hosted by Jeanne Sheridan, FSD for Bellingham Public Schools. The purpose of the Food Show is the Food Service Directors’ way of testing not only the possible
products to be added to the TEC Processed USDA Commodity Chicken Bid FY14-15, but to sample other products they
want added to the other Food Service Bids for FY14-15 as well;
Volume I, Issue 4
Page 3
them out on the students at Dedham High School. It was that taste test that was the deciding factor for most of the
seven white meat chicken products and five dark meat chicken products, which were added to the TEC Processed USDA
Commodity Chicken Bid FY14-15.
The bid was sent to four vendors who requested a copy of the IFB (Invitation for Bid) and two vendors submitted bids,
They did not stop there though; Jeanne Johnson then took the chicken product samples from the food show and tested
Tyson Prepared Foods, Inc. and Pilgrim’s Pride Corporation (Goldkist). The “Rule for Award” was to the “Responsive
and Responsible” bidder with the lowest aggregate price for all items bid, and after carefully examining and reviewing
each of the bids, the bid was awarded to Tyson.
TEC, Jeanne Johnson (who we now call the “Chicken Lady”), and the remaining 75 participating Food Service Directors
were all very pleased with this bid award! Stay tuned to see which USDA Commodity product gets added to the TEC
Food Service Bids next!
submitted by Maureen DeChristoforo, Coordinator, TEC Cooperative Purchasing
and Jeanne Johnson, Food Service Director, Dedham Public Schools
From the Department of Internships and Career Exploration
Spring College Fair a Big Success!
Submitted by Sherri Sigel, Coordinator
On March 18th from 6:30-8:30, hosted by Westwood High
School, TEC held its Spring College Fair. A record number of
schools attended. This is a service that TEC has been providing in
response to district needs for over 10 years. TEC also holds a fall
college fair.
TEC college fairs aim to promote and raise awareness of post
high school options for most students. These fairs help the
high schools within TEC-member districts by providing a large
venue where all of their students have the chance to visit with
a large number of school representatives.
The search for the perfect college can be both confusing and
time consuming. TEC college fairs and post secondary opportunities events are a convenient way for students and parents to have direct access to a
multitude of post secondary learning programs while exploring the many options
available. They also have the chance to
make in person contacts with college admission representatives from schools around
the world…. All in one location.
It also provides a chance for the guidance staff within our district schools to meet with representatives and learn more
about these colleges, allowing for the
counselors to best advise students.
At TEC’s college fairs, students can gather information about
their potential major, campus life, financial aid and even
sports. Fairs offer the opportunity to develop a face-to-face
meeting with a college rep allowing each student a chance to ask
more than just general inquiries; they can ask questions that are
unique to them. Students can even find out about schools they
may have never heard of or considered before. Fairs even offer
the opportunity to develop a little self-confidence in a student’s
approach to colleges and admissions staff.
The college representatives that attend
have a chance to evaluate the various
high schools and see if these students
are a good fit for their college. Another
reason is to assess "demonstrated interest," in which an admission officer may judge which students are most interested
in attending their college, and sometimes admits applicants
partially on that basis.
No student pre-registration is necessary. There is no admission fee for any student/parent that attend this fair.
For more information contact Sherri Sigel, Coordinator of the
Department of Internships and Career Exploration at
[email protected].
Volume I, Issue 4
Page 4
Upcoming TEC-NET* Event on March 28 from 8:15am-11:00am
TEACHING ABOUT RELIGION: CLASSROOM CONTROVERSIES
Religion is embedded in history, social studies, and English language arts curricula throughout the K-12 spectrum, and
classrooms are populated with students representing a wide range of religious and non-religious worldviews. In spite
of the relevance of religion in our schools, few educators have the training required to teach about and respond to religious diversity in Constitutionally sound and educationally innovative ways. As a result, many try to avoid religion altogether while others settle for minimal required engagement.
On March 28th a panel featuring Diane L. Moore, PhD, Harvard Divinity School; Rich Young, Project Director of TEC’s
Teaching American History Grant; and, Henry Bolter, Director of Teachers as Scholars will be providing an interactive
discussion on this very important topic. They intend to engage the audience and use examples from practitioners’ reallife experiences.
Join us for this lively, relevant, and interactive panel discussion that will:

Introduce participants to a cultural studies method of teaching and learning about religion

Provide an overview of Constitutional guidelines regarding the separation of Church and State

Engage participants in discussion about challenges that face us in today’s classroom environment
REGISTER TODAY at http://www.tec-coop.org/tec-net
Free for TEC Member Districts
l
Fina T
NE
TEC
Howard Gardner, PhD, HSGE
May 2nd from 8:15am to 11:00am
Free to member districts
Register at
http://www.tec-coop.org/tec-net
$50/person for Non-TEC Member Districts
Volume I, Issue 4
Page 5
TEC Annual Legislative Breakfast
TEC’s Annual Legislative Breakfast was held on February 7th. The event was hosted
by Dr. Lincoln Lynch, Superintendent of the Walpole Public Schools and included a
lovely brunch prepared by the talented food service staff led by Director Maria
Hall. We thank Dr. Lynch and his staff for all of their work to make the breakfast
such a successful event.
TEC’s Chair of the TEC Board of
Representative John Rogers provided
Directors, Nancy Gallivan, and
an update on state revenue.
Executive Director, Liz McGonagle,
facilitated the meeting. Attendance this year was outstanding and included educational leaders from all of the TEC districts and the following legislators: Senator
James Timilty, Represenatives Alice Peisch, Carolyn Dykema, Paul McMurtry, John
Rogers, Louis Kafka, David Linksy, and Denise Garlick, as well as representatives from
the offices of Senator Ross, Senator Rush and Representative William Galvin.
This discussion focused on some of the priority issues for the TEC Superintendents including funding for:






Ch. 70 at a level that supports mandates and initiatives from the Legislature and DESE
To develop and expand innovative programs
To provide academic support and mandatory transportation for homeless students
The Foundation Budget allocations in the areas of Health Insurance and Special Education
For medically fragile students
To support of both Preschool and Full day Kindergarten for all students
TEC PANEL PRESENTS at
LEADING FUTURE LEARNING 2014 CONFERENCE
A panel of experts from TEC and our member districts presented at the Leading Future Learning 2014 conference at
The College of the Holy Cross on March 7th. The conference focused on the connections between the skill sets and content that our students need to develop in order to thrive in their future as well as the range of technological advancements that will change the face of classrooms for years to come. The TEC panel presentation, TEC Online Academy, An
Innovative Virtual Public School Program, shared the lessons we have
learned from developing and expanding our virtual program from a
multi-district initiative to a statewide virtual school, TECCA.
The following panelists representing TEC: Walpole Superintendent
Dr. Lincoln Lynch, Natick Superintendent Dr. Peter Sanchioni, TEC
Board of Directors and Walpole School Committee Chair, Nancy
Gallivan, TEC Online Academy and Wayland High School teacher,
Ed DeHoratius, TEC’s Director of Professional and Online Learning, Dr. Moira Rodgers, and TEC’s Executive Director,
Liz McGonagle.
NEWSLETTER
Page 6
TEC Website is BEST IN CLASS for Nonprofits and Education Categories
We are happy to announce that the TEC Website has won the Interactive Media Awards (IMA)
Best in Class Award for the Education and the Nonprofit category. The website, designed by
Rachael Frank of Gravity Switch, was selected out of 172 entries submitted in the Education
category, and 255 entries submitted in the Nonprofit
The Best in Class award is the highest honor bestowed by the IMA. It represents the very best
in planning, execution and overall professionalism. In order to win this award level, the TEC
website had to successfully pass through a comprehensive judging process, achieving very
high marks in each of the judging criteria - an achievement only a fraction of sites in the IMA
competition earn each year.
News from Our Network Programs!
Submitted by Mary Ann Gibbons, Director of Network Programs
In the Network Programs, students and staff have
been working on various themes and units. They are
all working hard and learning a lot and having some
fun in the process.
Recently, our Programs participated in 100th day celebrations incorporating curriculum based skills in creative and fun ways! Students practiced skills in the areas of mathematics, reading, and writing. It has been
inspiring to go into classrooms and see the student's
work.
Our students and staff got "Olympic Fever" and participated in their own versions of the Olympic
Games. There was fierce training and competition
among our participants. All of the students and staff
worked hard, had fun, and demonstrated great sportsmanship and team spirit. In our opinion, they were all
Gold Medalists!
It is a sure sign of spring when Prom Planning begins.
Our Prom Committee is in the midst of working on
TEC's 2nd Annual Prom. Our Middle and High School
programs will be participating in the Prom which will
take place on May 23rd at Westwood High
School. Last year's theme was " Enchantment Under
the Sea" and our TEC students along with some of the
Westwood High Students enjoyed dressing up and had
an elegant time. Stay tuned for more details!
Another sign of spring is when MCAS testing begins. Our students will be participating in the MCAS
and the MCAS Alt in March, April and May. The tests
have arrived and have been distributed to our various
programs and staff are busy preparing our students. We look forward to the opportunity for our
students to demonstrate their hard earned skills and
all that they have learned during the past year.
Happy Spring to Everyone!
NEWSLETTER
Page 7
NEWSLETTER
TEC’s Commonwealth Virtual School Proposal Accepted by BESE
On February 14, 2014, Commissioner Mitchell Chester’s recommendation to approve TEC’s proposal to establish the TEC
Connections Academy Commonwealth Virtual School, known as
TECCA, was unanimously approved by the Board of Elementary
and Secondary Education (BESE). Assistant Superintendent of
the Walpole Schools, Dr. Jean Kenney, and TEC Executive Director, Liz McGonagle attended the DESE Board meeting. The
3-year certificate granted permits the TECCA Board of Trustees to establish and operate a statewide K-12 virtual public school
that will serve up to 2000 students (1000 students year 1, 1500 in year 2 and 2000 in year 3). Additionally, TECCA will offer
supplementary courses for students interested in taking single online classes without enrolling as a full time student in the
virtual school.
On March 14, 2014 the TEC Board of Directors voted to appoint the following education and business leaders to the independent TECCA Board of Trustees responsible for overseeing this school: Dr. Peter Sanchioni, Chair, Dr. Jean Kenney, Vice Chair,
Bob MaGuire, Liz Pape, and Kirby Salerno.
It is important to acknowledge and thank the committee who met and worked diligently for months to develop and submit the
virtual school proposal to the DESE. The group met weekly throughout the summer and continued to meet right through the
fall and spring, generously volunteering countless hours to research and explore various models of virtual schools, touring a
number of schools, developing a thorough understanding of the legislation and selecting an educational partner. Their commitment to excellence and perseverance led to the development of the only proposal received by DESE, is a tribute to their fortitude and courage. The founding committee included the following members Dr. Brad Jackson, Dr. Peter Sanchioni, Dr. Jean
Kenney, Nancy Gallivan, Liz Pape, Kirby Salerno, Dan Shovak, and Liz McGonagle.
After fulfilling DESE’s documentation requirements for the opening of the school, due April 1st, TECCA will begin the enrollment of students for the Fall, 2014 school year. TEC has already received many inquiries from interested students and families.
To sign up to receive additional information including how to enroll in TECCA please go to:
www.connectionsacademy.com/Massachusetts
SUMMER 2014 ENROLLMENTS NOW BEING ACCEPTED for
TEC ONLINE ACADEMY COURSES
& TEC CONNECTIONS ACADEMY COURSES
GO TO: http://www.tec-coop.org/tec-online-academy
DID YOU KNOW?....
33%
is saved
on classroom supplies by districts using TEC’s
cooperative purchasing bids. Learn how you can save more!
Go to: http://www.tec-coop.org/member-services/cooperative-purchasing