Superintendent's Message

 

Superintendent's Summer Message to the Community

July 2024

Dear Students, Parents, Staff, and Community Members,

As the school year has come to a close and we are now well into the summer, I want to reflect on the past school year. It was a year of growth, learning, and one of many successes for our entire Cranston Public Schools community. We seek to offer a wealth of opportunities for our students in Cranston. Our successes extend past academics into athletics, career preparation, and the arts.

As the year began, we celebrated the opening of Garden City Elementary School and the announcement of Woodridge Elementary School being named a 2024 National Blue Ribbon School. That our school year began with such exciting news and accomplishments was a sign of many great things to come. 

Throughout the school year, our students have shown us how remarkable they are as they thrive in our Cranston Public Schools. In October, the RI Department of Education notified us that several of our schools had surpassed their pre-pandemic RICAS scores from 2019, several schools had met or exceeded the state average in the area of English Language Arts, and several schools had met or exceeded the state average in the area of Math and Science. Cranston High School West not only surpassed their pre-pandemic scores in ELA but also surpassed the state average in both ELA and Math and increased their science scores by 10 points! Although we emphasize that standardized test scores are only one piece of the puzzle in discussing student achievement, we need to celebrate our growth and recognize the hard work of our educators and our students. 

We had several students from middle school to high school participating in and receiving top awards in multiple juried art competitions this year. Our theater program at CHSW exhibited a wide array of gifted actors and support cast who work together to perform for our community. Our talented musicians performed and competed individually and in ensembles at the state and national levels, making us proud and spotlighting that the arts are a priority in Cranston Public Schools. 

In the Career and Technical Education arena, we have expanded our offering for all our high school students. Providing opportunities for career growth is important to our students and our community. We spotlighted our new Maritime Pipefitting and Plumbing program at Cranston East and hosted many visitors to see the innovative space. Our CTE students compete each year in both DECA and SkillsUSA in the spring, and we continue to be a leader in Career and Technical Education in state and national competitions. Our students repeatedly bring home dozens of medals year after year, this year being no different.  Students from all three of our high schools competed and medaled in the statewide SkillsUSA competition. Our SkillsUSA students recently competed at the national competition in Atlanta and several of our students ranked in the top ten in the country in their competitions.

Our student-athletes made us proud all year long, season after season, with their hard work and dedication to their sport evident in the many successes that were seen this year. We had teams go to playoffs and state championships and we were cheering them on week after week, game after game, all season long. Balancing sports, or other extra-curricular activities, along with their academic responsibilities is not an easy feat. However, participating in extracurricular clubs, groups, or teams is encouraged because we know that students involved in school community activities have better attendance and feel more connected to their schools. 

In June we were thrilled to receive overwhelming support for our latest school construction bond which passed with a 78.56% approval rating from Cranston residents. This bond will impact schools across the district, including major projects at Eden Park and Gladstone, as well as improvements at our Apprenticeship Exploration School. Cranston Public Schools has been the leader in school construction in the state, region, and even the nation as we are building innovative 21st-century teaching and learning facilities like no other district. We have brought excited guests to see the school, hailing from all over the country and all levels of local and federal government. We were especially pleased to learn that Garden City Elementary School was recognized with both a construction award and a National Green Ribbon award this year. 

This past year, we had 80 teachers who had perfect attendance. I am truly grateful to those who were able to accomplish this admirable goal. We recognize how important good attendance is for not only our students but also for our faculty and staff. Our accomplishments and achievements are many, but students can’t achieve if we aren’t all in school together. We know that chronic absenteeism, which is defined as just two absences a month, impacts student academic success from kindergarten through high school and beyond. When our students and teachers are together in our classrooms each day, we achieve success!

We accomplish great things in our schools each day. We do this because we have dedicated staff, engaged families, and a community that supports our schools. While our budget is a large piece of the city’s financial responsibility, we know that our children are worthy of the investment. We are a fiscally sound district that manages to accomplish much with a lean budget. As always, we're grateful for the support from local and state governments to ensure the best for our students.  As we continue through the summer months, I encourage everyone to take this time to rest, recharge, and enjoy moments with family and friends. Summer is a wonderful opportunity to explore new interests, engage in outdoor activities, and create lasting memories, but don’t forget to do your summer reading!

Please stay tuned for updates and important information that will be shared throughout the summer. We are committed to keeping you informed and engaged using many different communications methods, as we prepare for another successful school year. As a reminder, our Family Community Message, which was just recognized by the National School PR Association as an award-winning school newsletter, comes out every Friday at 3:00 pm to families, high school students, staff and our community partners. In it, you will find all of the up-to-date information that you need to know and many resources for our students and their families. Follow us on social media (Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn) for even more information, and check our website for resources and updates as well. 

Have a fantastic rest of the summer, and I look forward to seeing you in the fall!

Sincerely,

Jeannine Nota-Masse
Superintendent
Cranston Public Schools