Special to the Journal
More than seven thousand Revere Public School (RPS) students will head back to school on Tuesday, Aug. 27 for grades 1–12 and on Wednesday, Sept. 4, for kindergarten to start an exciting 2024–2025 school year.
With the new school getting underway, school leaders are hoping to implement several initiatives that will make the educational experience better and more fulfilling for both students and families this year.
Revere Public School Superintendent Dianne Kelly laid out additional goals for the new school year with a focus on ensuring teaching practices across classrooms focus on effective, student-centered, deeper learning experiences, providing additional supports for staff and students, and increasing the district’s capacity to provide social, emotional, mental, and behavioral health interventions.
“First and foremost, we want all students and staff to feel welcomed, supported, and heard in our diverse community,” said Kelly. “We are heading into year five of the district’s five-year strategic plan and some of these strategic goals we’ve worked on before but we are going to use this school year to double down on these efforts.”
Some of the benchmarks Kelly hopes the district hits by the end of the school year are: 90% of parents will report feeling welcomed in their child’s school(s) and that information about the schools and their child’s progress is readily accessible to them; 90% of parents, students, and staff will report feeling welcomed and included in the Revere Public Schools; 80% of students will report feeling supported socially and emotionally in the Revere Public Schools; 80% of students will report feeling in control of their academic progress and capable of managing and thriving through social and emotional challenges; and 100% of policies and procedures will be grounded in equitable practices.
Last school year, the district moved one step closer to building a new Revere High School. In a monumental move, the Revere City Council approved a $493 million bond authorization for the new high school, approximately $238 million of which is bolstered by MSBA Grant funding.
“We also invested in our school buildings, installing new windows at the Lincoln School, new classroom heating and cooling univents in every classroom at the Beachmont, and updating furniture at all buildings to create a comfortable atmosphere for educating and learning for all our staff and students,” said Kelly.
Kelly said she looks forward to working with and meeting all the district’s staff as they embark on another exciting school year that is sure to be filled with learning, challenges, triumphs, and, if this school year is anything like last year, a tremendous amount of success for RPS students.
“Last year kicked off with Revere High School being named to the Advanced Placement Program School Honor Roll and earning a Bronze Distinction,” said Kelly. “That same month, State Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler visited our CityLab High School to celebrate the school’s new Clean Energy Pilot Grant. Then, in the fall, we also celebrated Beachmont School being named a National “ESEA Distinguished School” by the National Association of Elementary and Secondary Education.”
Kelly said RPS also strengthened the district’s DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) work and spent the year celebrating the rich cultural diversity of the district through celebrations, regular discussions, and panels with students and families, as well as honoring the heritages of students, staff, and families each month.
