SAUGUS — Middle school special education teacher Traci Rodrigues and Belmonte STEAM Academy teacher Brigitte Vaudo spoke to the School Committee about the year’s enrichment programs and future plans for both schools.
Vaudo presented three goals for the school’s programs: creating additional academic programs that support student learning and align with state standards, providing more STEAM-related experiences that include critical thinking and teach problem-solving, and continuing to expand program options and student access.
“Our program at Belmonte is huge. We include between 250 and 300 students in each session, with additional students on our waitlist. So, maintaining that current program and continuing to grow it is my goal,” she said.
For the 2026-27 school year, programs will be offered in the summer (the Summer Enrichment Academy) along with the fall, winter, and spring sessions. An MCAS test-prep course will also be offered in the spring.
Vaudo said the goal of the summer program is to provide incoming students in grades two through five with academic support before the school year begins.
“Students were selected for this program based on academic needs. I talked to teachers. I reviewed the student learning data from our ELA and math coaches, and some of the district’s common assessment data to make lists, and we currently have 20 to 25 incoming second, third, fourth, and fifth graders ready to join us in August,” she said.
This school year, Vaudo hosted programs including the STEAM Squad After-School Club, run by teacher Renee Doucette, which provided students with different hands-on projects that mixed the aspects of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math together.
Another program was Homework Skills with teacher Anita Cafarelli, which assisted in math and ELA homework to help students “achieve academic proficiency” and gain confidence.
Teacher Catherine Cancelliere also ran a book club for students with the goal of making reading fun.
One popular program, according to Vaudo, was the Junior Reporters: News Hours program, where students produced a show, developed their own plan, and created episodes that focused on researching relevant school topics, interviewing teachers and community members, writing, producing the narrative skit elements, weather reports, sports news, and more.
Other programs included Adventure in Animation, Video Game Design: Coding & Development, Comics and Digital Animation, Lego Adventures, Lego Challenges, Lego Architecture Lab, Lego Future Cities, Hands-On Science Lab, and Weird Science TV.
“I’m really proud of the programs that we were able to host here at Belmonte, the positive parent feedback, and most importantly, the academic gains that our students have achieved through participating in these courses,” Vaudo said.
Rodrigues presented next, stating that the first enrichment session this year had 143 students; session two had 164; session three and MCAS Prep had 148; and session four had 121.
“In addition to that, we get about 10 to 15 drop-ins in our strategy for success room, which is our homework help room,” she said, adding that there has been a 33% increase in enrichment attendance in the seventh grade and a 20% increase in the eighth grade.
One of the programs Rodrigues was proud of was Math Peer Remediation, a new program that involved students in the National Junior Honor Society who provided peer academic support in math.
“You could see it build a culture of collaboration,” she said.
Rodrigues also spoke about the Dungeons & Dragons program, which provided enrichment in reading comprehension, writing skills, mathematics, and critical thinking and problem-solving through fun.
“Another thing I wanted to highlight was our track program. … Our high school track coaches, Mr. Alba and Mr. Martin, were so kind and inclusive of students, and they would often practice at the same time,” she said. “They helped Ms. Bogdanski run a meet for our track where the parents were able to come, and they borrowed shirts, and they got them little medals.”
Rodrigues said two students from the program joined the high school track team this year and told her the partnership influenced their decision to stay at Saugus High School next year.
This summer will include targeted ELA and math enrichment for students in grades six through eight to strengthen skills and rebuild confidence.
“Looking ahead, we’re really committed to expanding enrichment opportunities that will support direct student achievement through academic engagement, critical thinking, and real-world problem-solving,” she said.
