Michele’s priority is for Somerville kids to feel supported, connected, and loved at school. As a teacher, instructional leader, and parent, she knows that when students are at the heart of our decision making, they thrive. When students thrive, communities thrive.
FEELING SUPPORTED
Creating supportive learning environments
Michele believes that building positive school cultures and nurturing social emotional learning are paramount to equity. Fostering inclusivity, addressing implicit bias, ensuring that students feel safe, connected and loved at school are critical. Advancing equity requires a collaborative process that builds collective understanding and a commitment to collective wellbeing. She will advocate for policies that ensure restorative justice occurs within our schools.
Michele will advocate for programs that support student mental health and social-well-being. She will ensure there are enough special education teachers, social workers, and counselors to meet the needs of every school.
Michele has worked to make schools more inclusive through her advocacy on SEPAC. She fought for interpretation services so all families could participate in meetings. She prioritized genuine outreach and education for families so they could build the skills needed to advocate, know their basic rights, and understand the complexities of navigating special education. This strengthened the cultural competency of SEPAC and the district as a whole.
FEELING CONNECTED
Inclusion and Access for All
Our students arrive at school with different sets of experiences; different interests and passions; different skills and understandings; and different psychological needs. Michele will fight for ensuring our educators are equipped with the skills they need to meet the growing needs of our students.
Michele supports the Career and Technical Education (CTE) programming at our high school. Students earn real certifications that lead to careers after graduation. These programs help students connect their education to their future goals.
At the end of the day, this work is about serving the families and students in Somerville Schools.
FEELING LOVED
Family Engagement and Community Partnerships
Family engagement is essential to student success, but educators need support to develop the skills and mindset necessary to involve families effectively. Michele recognizes that strong relationships are crucial for students to feel loved and connected at school. She will advocate for more after-school opportunities that meet student needs equitably and help educators build a school culture that values family contributions while providing strategies to enhance student learning.
Michele has organized events like Math Game Night to bring families together. She also created the first Scratch Coding Club at her school with Cambridge School Volunteers. She wants to see more programs like this that connect schools with families as true partners. She also coordinated a pilot program with the Young People’s Project to improve access to and engagement with math for our black and brown elementary students. These types of partnerships create connections across grade levels while addressing equity gaps in education. Michele will advocate for policies that strengthen these out of school time partnerships.