information from the School Committee

To: Cambridge City Council From: Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui Date: March 20th, 2023 Subject: Communicating Information from the School Committee On Tuesday, March 7th there was a regular meeting to discuss the ELA/Literacy Department curriculum and improvements made to ensure all students will be able to meet grade level. The Cambridge Public Schools will partner with Citizens of the World and bring ten CRLS students on the HBCU tour during April vacation. The School Committee also passed Recommendation #23-034: Approval of Revisions to the School Entrance Age Policy to lower the school entrance age for preschool programming for the year prior to kindergarten to age 4 by August 31st. Recommendation #23-035: Approval of Revisions to the School Admission Policy was passed to require advance registration for prospective preschool students who meet the entrance age criteria. On Tuesday, March 14th there was a budget presentation of the Superintendent’s proposed FY24 budget. In order to support the city's work with universal preschool, the Superintendent is proposing to create a position for an executive director of early childhood education. Additionally, to improve the work of college and career exploration, Dr. Greer is expanding the early college program and looking to hire an Executive Director of College and Career Pathways. On Monday, March 6th I visited the day-long social justice summit, created by 9th grade English teacher Molly Roach, for her 61 students. The students chose a social justice issue to research and present about to their class. It was an engaging visit and wonderful to hear students' opinions on abortion rights, AP African American history, and discrimination in sports. I also read “Grace for President” to a third grade sheltered English immersion class at the Kennedy-Longfellow in honor of Read Across America. We talked about the importance of voting and my role as the Mayor of Cambridge. This year’s Youth Equity Summit is on April 13! This is a partnership between the Office of Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (OEIB) and CRLS. High school students are currently working hard to plan an amazing day of workshops and events around the theme, “How do equity issues CITY OF CAMBRIDGE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR SUMBUL SIDDIQUI Mayor@cambridgema.gov Phone: [phone removed]

intersect in Cambridge? Stay tuned for more details! Please contact OEIB Youth Advocacy Specialist Sam Musher at smusher@cpsd.us with questions. The Cambridge Rindge and Latin School Epee Fencing team won the State Championship. The team went undefeated across 13 rounds. Congratulations to Jaeyi Song, Phoebe Chisholm, Mariela Abramson, Alma Barak, and Eva Asraf. The Friends of Cambridge Athletics (FOCA) invites families to participate in the 35th Annual Cambridge CityRun/Walk 5K! Proceeds will fund CRLS athletic teams and scholarships for college-bound student-athletes. • Sunday, April 2 | 9AM • Fresh Pond Reservation (located at 250 Fresh Pond Parkway) • Click here to register. There will be a regular meeting and public hearing on the FY24 budget on March 21st. Following the meeting, the School Committee will entertain a motion to convene in Executive Session to discuss strategy for collective bargaining (CEA Units A&B) as an open meeting may have a detrimental effect on the bargaining position of the School Committee. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Sincerely, Sumbul Siddiqui