Friday, December 18, 2015

Dolores Gribouski's farewell

Dr Gribouski took her minutes of her school committee goodbye to give a clear rundown on what those in the  Quadrant office (and the offices they work with) do. I post it here for perspective. 


Thank you for your kind words.

I truly have experienced a wonderful career with the Worcester Public Schools  - as a student, teacher, principal, and as a Quadrant Manager for Curriculum, Instruction and School Leadership.

In each of these roles I have had the opportunity to learn with and from remarkable, dedicated colleagues and to work diligently with them to guide the educational journeys of our students.

However, I know that the depth and breadth of my work over the last five years as Quadrant Manager truly has had the most impact on the lives of our staff, students and families.


The Quadrant work in Curriculum focuses on guiding and supporting the efforts of our talented Curriculum Liaisons as they review content and process standards, develop curriculum, design assessments, analyze data, and plan and deliver professional learning opportunities for teachers across the grade levels.  Our liaisons are knowledgeable in their content areas.  They possess a broad repertoire of instructional strategies and they work collectively to deepen the capacity of our teachers. They are an extraordinary group of professionals.  

Our work as Quadrant Managers also includes a focus on our Guidance Counselors who serve as shepherds for our secondary students in a manner that is to be commended.  They strategically and compassionately guide and encourage students along the path to graduation.

The Quadrant work in Instruction includes working closely with our Focused Instructional Coaches, ESL implementation coaches, and technology coaches to align their work with the High Quality Teaching &Learning framework so that all instructional staff has the capacity to support the learning needs of our diverse student body.  As Quadrant Managers, we collaborate with the office of professional learning to plan and facilitate learning opportunities for our coaches.  Our Focused Instructional Coaches are key members of the school-based leadership teams and play an essential role in our school-based and district-wide improvement efforts.  It has been an honor to work with them.

People may not think about athletics as being related to instruction but it truly is.  As Quadrant Manager I have had the pleasure of working with our Athletic Director, David Shea, to maintain a focus on the scholar athlete – to encourage strong academic performancerespectful, collaborative characterdevelopment, and a focus on wellness for all student athletes. 

The School Leadership focus of our work as Quadrant Managers includes working with principals, assistant principals, coordinators of alternative programs, Instructional Leadership Teams and teacher leaders to continuously build the leadership capacity and competencies of these individuals.  We support opportunities for our school leaders to collaborate and bring positive outcomes to scaleacross the district.  Our principals and school leaders are knowledgeable, focused in their efforts and dedicated to the staff, students and families they serve.

Our work as Quadrant Managers for Curriculum, Instruction, and School Leadership also includes working collaborative with other departments in Teaching and Learning as well as in Finance and Operations, Human Resources, and Research and Accountability.  The Teaching and Learning team includes the Manager of Special Education, Kay SealeManager of ELL and Supplemental Supports,Bertha-Elena Rojas, and the Manager of Professional LearningAl Ganem as well as, until recently the Chief Academic Officer, Dr. RodriguesI have had the good fortune of working with these team members who are not only knowledgeable about their areas but also passionate about their belief in all students.  Through Dr. Rodrigues’ leadership we maintained a collaborative stance in our work and aligned our efforts to better serve our students. 

As Quadrant Managers we collaborate with David Perda in Research and Accountability to gather, analyze, and use data to inform strategic improvement efforts.  We work closely with Mark Brophy and his team in Human Resources to secure and retain high quality staff throughout the district. 

I can not say enough about the support we receive from finance and operations under the leadership of Brian Allen.  We frequently draw on the expertise ofthe grants office, nutrition, IT, accountingclericaland facilities.  Each department truly works to support our school improvement efforts in a focused, timely manner.

must also acknowledge, in particular my colleagues in the Quadrant Office: Mark Berthiaume, Mary Montaque, Minerva Madera, and Cassandra Elliot. I am truly thankful for the skill and positive approach that they take to our work to make our office welcoming and productive in service of our students and families. My appreciation can not really be captured in words.

As Quadrant Managers we also work collaboratively with our families and community members to support each student along the way.  I appreciate our parents and college and community partners for their advocacy and support of our students.

One of our former superintendents talked about educators as merchants of hope, opening doors of opportunities through education.  To instill hope in others one must be hopeful themselves and see that opportunities for remarkable outcomes lie in every situation.

I am a “hope-filled person. I am hopeful and confident about the future of the students of the Worcester Public Schools.  I know the capacity, compassion and dedication of our current district and school leaders.  I have been blessed to work with them and I know that our students are in good hands.

I thank my colleagues for the pleasure of working with them throughout the years.  I thank all of my students who have helped me learn so much, and I thank the parents of the Worcester Public Schools for sharing your most precious gifts with me, your children.  I hope you believe I have served them well.

Thank you.


Thank you for your kind words.

I truly have experienced a wonderful career with the Worcester Public Schools  - as a student, teacher, principal, and as a Quadrant Manager for Curriculum, Instruction and School Leadership.

In each of these roles I have had the opportunity to learn with and from remarkable, dedicated colleagues and to work diligently with them to guide the educational journeys of our students.

However, I know that the depth and breadth of my work over the last five years as Quadrant Manager truly has had the most impact on the lives of our staff, students and families.

The Quadrant work in Curriculum focuses on guiding and supporting the efforts of our talented Curriculum Liaisons as they review content and process standards, develop curriculum, design assessments, analyze data, and plan and deliver professional learning opportunities for teachers across the grade levels.  Our liaisons are knowledgeable in their content areas.  They possess a broad repertoire of instructional strategies and they work collectively to deepen the capacity of our teachers. They are an extraordinary group of professionals.  

Our work as Quadrant Managers also includes a focus on our Guidance Counselors who serve as shepherds for our secondary students in a manner that is to be commended.  They strategically and compassionately guide and encourage students along the path to graduation.

The Quadrant work in Instruction includes working closely with our Focused Instructional Coaches, ESL implementation coaches, and technology coaches to align their work with the High Quality Teaching &Learning framework so that all instructional staff has the capacity to support the learning needs of our diverse student body.  As Quadrant Managers, we collaborate with the office of professional learning to plan and facilitate learning opportunities for our coaches.  Our Focused Instructional Coaches are key members of the school-based leadership teams and play an essential role in our school-based and district-wide improvement efforts.  It has been an honor to work with them.

People may not think about athletics as being related to instruction but it truly is.  As Quadrant Manager I have had the pleasure of working with our Athletic Director, David Shea, to maintain a focus on the scholar athlete – to encourage strong academic performancerespectful, collaborative characterdevelopment, and a focus on wellness for all student athletes. 

The School Leadership focus of our work as Quadrant Managers includes working with principals, assistant principals, coordinators of alternative programs, Instructional Leadership Teams and teacher leaders to continuously build the leadership capacity and competencies of these individuals.  We support opportunities for our school leaders to collaborate and bring positive outcomes to scaleacross the district.  Our principals and school leaders are knowledgeable, focused in their efforts and dedicated to the staff, students and families they serve.

Our work as Quadrant Managers for Curriculum, Instruction, and School Leadership also includes working collaborative with other departments in Teaching and Learning as well as in Finance and Operations, Human Resources, and Research and Accountability.  The Teaching and Learning team includes the Manager of Special Education, Kay SealeManager of ELL and Supplemental Supports,Bertha-Elena Rojas, and the Manager of Professional LearningAl Ganem as well as, until recently the Chief Academic Officer, Dr. RodriguesI have had the good fortune of working with these team members who are not only knowledgeable about their areas but also passionate about their belief in all students.  Through Dr. Rodrigues’ leadership we maintained a collaborative stance in our work and aligned our efforts to better serve our students. 

As Quadrant Managers we collaborate with David Perda in Research and Accountability to gather, analyze, and use data to inform strategic improvement efforts.  We work closely with Mark Brophy and his team in Human Resources to secure and retain high quality staff throughout the district. 

I can not say enough about the support we receive from finance and operations under the leadership of Brian Allen.  We frequently draw on the expertise ofthe grants office, nutrition, IT, accountingclericaland facilities.  Each department truly works to support our school improvement efforts in a focused, timely manner.

must also acknowledge, in particular my colleagues in the Quadrant Office: Mark Berthiaume, Mary Montaque, Minerva Madera, and Cassandra Elliot. I am truly thankful for the skill and positive approach that they take to our work to make our office welcoming and productive in service of our students and families. My appreciation can not really be captured in words.

As Quadrant Managers we also work collaboratively with our families and community members to support each student along the way.  I appreciate our parents and college and community partners for their advocacy and support of our students.

One of our former superintendents talked about educators as merchants of hope, opening doors of opportunities through education.  To instill hope in others one must be hopeful themselves and see that opportunities for remarkable outcomes lie in every situation.

I am a “hope-filled person. I am hopeful and confident about the future of the students of the Worcester Public Schools.  I know the capacity, compassion and dedication of our current district and school leaders.  I have been blessed to work with them and I know that our students are in good hands.

I thank my colleagues for the pleasure of working with them throughout the years.  I thank all of my students who have helped me learn so much, and I thank the parents of the Worcester Public Schools for sharing your most precious gifts with me, your children.  I hope you believe I have served them well.

Thank you.

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