Vision

The Old Rochester Regional School District and Massachusetts Superintendency Union #55 (the District) is dedicated to creating a safe and nurturing learning environment that offers inclusive and engaging educational experiences. Through collaborative relationships with our school community members, we strive to foster a respectful culture that prioritizes academic excellence and social emotional readiness. Our primary objective is to provide every student with the necessary skills and developed mindset to embrace future opportunities and become responsible, lifelong learners and contributing global citizens.

Core Values

The core values of Old Rochester Regional School District and Massachusetts Superintendency Union #55 foster a strong sense of pride and belonging among all school community members.  These values represent how our school community embraces the pursuit of academic excellence, models the respect and appreciation of human differences and prepares students to be responsible and accountable global citizens.

Our school community will inspire us to:
THINK:  
Cultivate a culture of academic rigor and integrity which encourages critical thinking, creative thinking, collaboration, and effective communication.
LEARN: 
Strive for academic excellence in educating the whole child through authentic, rigorous, and evidence-based learning opportunities that foster real world application and a continuous pursuit of learning.
CARE: 
Ensure a caring and safe environment for all school community members by promoting a sense of belonging and respect for all.

Communication Goals

The Communication Plan will be utilized to ensure that all communications align with the District’s strategic goals. The plan will be evaluated and updated as needed. Our goal is to effectively communicate with all stakeholders and create an environment of cooperation, collaboration and sense of community. The activities contained in this plan ensure that the District will always be proactive in telling our story and responding appropriately to external events. This Communication Plan will be for families, students, business partners, media, employees and the community at large. Our goal is to develop and implement a clear and flexible communication plan for individual schools and the school-system to ensure family engagement and information sharing. The plan aims to ensure timely, consistent and transparent communication across all channels. Key messages that will be constituently communicated are student success, safe and supportive environment, community engagement, innovation and progress, and transparent communication with all stakeholders.

The objectives of this plan are to:

• Improve stakeholder engagement and understanding of school system initiatives.
• Provide timely and accurate information regarding important updates, events and policies.
• Enhance transparency and build trust between the school system and its stakeholders.
• Promote a positive image of the school system within the community.
• Create a consistent and unified voice across all communication channels.

Media Relations

The Superintendent’s or Principal’s office will serve as the point of contact with the media. If the media calls a person directly, the Superintendent’s or Principal’s office should be notified in order to track reporters, their contact information, and use that contact for other outreach. The District will utilize a public relations firm to develop press releases, communication materials and crisis management. This firm will share communications with their own thorough list of media contacts.

Parent & Community Outreach

The plan is designed to build support and reach out to the greater school community. The District will work with community groups, organizations, and key businesses and opinion leaders to inform, recruit and promote community involvement.

Crisis Management

In an emergency or crisis situation, the District will work efficiently and effectively to resolve crisis situations and/or emergencies, including the use of communication vehicles like emails/letters, social media, talking points and key messages. The District will maintain strong collaborative relations with local law enforcement agencies and first responders. The District will provide crisis media relations as appropriate.  Schools and departments should consult with the District’s crisis response manual and follow designated protocols as needed.

Communication Platforms

The Superintendent will keep employees and the community informed through the District website, videos, publications, events and social media. Multimedia presentations are produced for regular school committee meetings, school events and more. Photographs are also used in all of our publications, presentations, and District website. The communication platforms are used to relay information of school closures, good news and events. The pages aim to engage the community about local, state and national education news/topics, and post student and staff pictures and achievements. Email communication will be the primary mode of communication for families. 

Mobile App
ORRconnect is available in the Apple and Android store. This mobile app allows families to receive targeted, real-time updates right at their fingertips regarding school happenings along with app alerts. Families can filter content, calendars and settings unique to one building or all.

Mass Notifications
The District’s mass notification system is used to send out emails, automated phone calls and text messages by each school and the Superintendent’s office to share information and updates to parents/guardians and staff such as events, school closures and more. Parents/guardians can confirm contact information is accurate in PowerSchool.

Facebook Accounts 
ORRconnect                                         https://www.facebook.com/ORRconnect/
ORR High School                                 https://www.facebook.com/ORRHS
ORR Junior High School                      https://www.facebook.com/orrjhs/
Center School                                      https://www.facebook.com/centermattapoisett/
Old Hammondtown School               https://www.facebook.com/OHSmattapoisett/
Rochester Memorial School              https://www.facebook.com/rochestermemorial
Sippican School                                   https://www.facebook.com/sippicanschoolmarionma

Superintendent’s Newsletter
The Superintendent's Newsletter is a monthly publication emailed to all families, employees and school committee members within our school community. The monthly newsletter highlights school happenings by sharing information on past and upcoming events, providing news, and sharing photographs. It is shared on the District website, the ORRconnect Facebook page and the ORRconnect mobile app.

Annual Report
Annually, each school contributes to a report that showcases achievements and accomplishments as it relates to the strategic plan including staffing and school committee updates, student activities, and school improvement progress. This report is available at each Town Hall.

Strategic Plan Updates
The District’s five-year strategic plan, Vision 2028, is reviewed and approved by the Joint School Committee. The District provides regular updates of achievements and accomplishments as it relates to the strategic plan. These updates are provided to the Joint School Committee in the fall and spring.

School Improvement Plan Updates
Each school has a school improvement plan which aligns to Vision2028. School Improvement Plan updates by each individual school are provided at their corresponding school committee meetings in the fall and spring. The school improvement plans are available on each school’s website.

School Newsletters
Each school publishes a weekly newsletter promoting school activities and functions. They are issued on Sundays at 3:00pm. Parents receive timely information about the school and district highlighting learning, students, and staff. Newsletters are shared via email, the school’s Facebook account, on the school’s website and on the ORRconnect mobile app.

School Events
The District hosts annual open house(s), informational nights (ie: new curriculum), community forums, student events and meetings throughout the school year.  Dates, times and subject matter will be communicated to the school community via weekly and monthly newsletters.

School Committee Meeting Broadcasts
School Committee meetings are broadcasted live utilizing a virtual platform. You may find the meeting dates and virtual links on the District website. The agenda and meeting resources are published 48 hours prior to the meeting. The following are the regular school committees:
Joint School Committee
ORR School Committee
Marion School Committee
Mattapoisett School Committee
Rochester School Committee

School Committee subcommittees also meet as needed depending on the nature of the subcommittee. These subcommittees include:
Budget Subcommittee
District Wellness Committee
Equity Subcommittee
Facilities Subcommittee
Negotiations Subcommittee
Policy Subcommittee
Superintendent’s Goals Subcommittee

School District Website
The District’s website is a comprehensive source of information about district programs, schools, curriculum, policies, events and operations. It was designed to meet the informational needs of parents, students and the community.

District https://www.oldrochester.org/
ORR High School https://orrhs.oldrochester.org/
ORR Junior High School https://orrjhs.oldrochester.org/
Center School https://cs.oldrochester.org/
Old Hammondtown School https://ohs.oldrochester.org/
Rochester Memorial School https://rms.oldrochester.org/
Sippican School https://ss.oldrochester.org/

Parent/Teacher Conferences
Parent/teacher conferences are available in each elementary school. Dates are available on the school calendar at the beginning of each school year. Communication will also be shared in the Principal’s weekly newsletters, and on the school’s website calendar.

District Employee Communications

The Superintendent’s monthly staff newsletter is an internal communication for employees and is used for a variety of informational purposes.

Elected Officials Communications

The Superintendent actively collaborates with town officials and state representatives for transparency and open dialogue, advocacy for our schools and promoting educational advancement for our students.

Conclusion

The District’s Communication Plan for the 2020-2025 school years will be utilized as a tool to ensure that all communications align with the strategic goals of Vision2028. The plan will be continually evaluated and updated as needed.