Dear FBMS Families & Staff,.
I am excited to inform you that I have selected Ms. Patricia Casey to be the next Principal of Furnace Brook Middle School (FBMS). She will replace Principal Maureen Kemmett, who will retire at the end of the school year.
After teaching in the Randolph Public Schools for six years, Ms. Casey has had an exceptional career in the Marshfield Public Schools over the past eleven years. She began her work as a classroom teacher (English) at Marshfield High School. She was then promoted to the role of English Department Head and oversaw one of the largest departments at MHS. In her final two years at MHS, Ms. Casey served as the Interim Assistant Principal. This past school year, Ms. Casey was selected to take on the districtwide role of Assistant Director of Special Education & Pupil Personnel. In addition, in 2016, she was appointed to serve on the Grade 10 MCAS Assessment Development Committee for the Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE). She spent five years in that role. In every role she has undertaken, Ms. Casey has had success and has continually displayed leadership, empathy for the needs of students and staff, along with a tireless work ethic.
As English Department Head, Ms. Casey led a department-wide collaborative revision of the 9-12, standards-based ELA curriculum using the UbD model and collaborated with the FBMS ELA Coordinator on their curriculum. While working as the Interim Assistant Principal, she assisted district leadership in revising Section 504 procedures and documentation. Beyond working with over 600 MHS students and evaluating staff across all disciplines, she also revised Student Study Team protocols and articulated a streamlined electronic records process for bullying/alleged bullying reports to ensure effective communication, compliance, record keeping, and data reporting;
In her current role, Ms. Casey has been invaluable in coordinating a committee that updated the MPSD Safe School Bullying Intervention & Prevention Plan. She has also assisted with developing and implementing Professional Development to prepare staff for the new Massachusetts IEP forms. Moreover, for three months, she stepped in as acting Team Chair at Martinson Elementary during a staff leave and developed organizational processes to ensure compliance.
Throughout her career, she has been a classroom leader, a department and curriculum leader, and a building and district leader. As a colleague at MHS noted, “Patty is a problem solver, and she worked tirelessly not only to address students’ needs but to improve the overall climate at MHS.”
Ms. Casey has a BA in English from Sacred Heart University. She also has a Master of Education degree in Curriculum & Instruction and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Educational Leadership & Management from Fitchburg State University. In addition, she received a Certificate in School Leadership and Management from Harvard Business School.
I would like to thank the Principal Search Committee for their hard work and attention to detail throughout this process. Their main job was to assess all candidates, hold initial interviews, and eventually select two qualified finalists who they felt could serve as Principal. They were clear in their support of selecting two exceptionally strong finalists, and it was challenging to select just one to take on this role.
Last week, the two finalists met with FBMS parents/guardians, FBMS staff, and district leadership representatives. The input from the Focus Groups was helpful to the process, and I appreciate the time these stakeholders put in. I assessed feedback from all aspects of each finalist's extensive search process before I made my final decision.
In reviewing a few of the responses from the FBMS stakeholders about Ms. Casey, it was noted that she “spoke from the heart” and that she was “professional and articulate.” One respondent highlighted that she “inspired growth and collaboration,” while another FBMS staff member added, “Her experience at the elementary and high school gives her an excellent and unique viewpoint of the challenges of our middle school - and the ways we need to be supported to support our kids.” One other FBMS educator summed it up by saying, “She is what we need at FBMS for the staff, the students, the parents, and the community.”
Ms. Casey is thrilled to join the team at FBMS and is scheduled to begin her new position on July 1st. I am excited to have her take on this new role and look forward to the great work that she and the talented staff at the FBMS will be able to accomplish on behalf of the FBMS students.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey W. Granatino
Superintendent