One of our goals this year was to improve student attendance at the high school. We are shooting to achieve the State Education Department’s goal for schools of a 95% attendance rate and, as the chart below indicates, we are getting closer! Click on the graph to see details.
Our students have been compiling an impressive list of college acceptances this spring. Check it out by clicking here.
We periodically become aware of various “urban legends” that circulate about student behavior, particularly at the middle and high school levels. As with other aspects of our schools, we find that the best approach in helping to distinguish fact from fiction is to collect data. A committee that includes parent members and a Board member has been tracking student behavior in grades 7-12 for the past two years. In addition, this year we began tracking student attendance as we worked on ways to improve it. By clicking here, you can see the actual data that we have collected so far. We believe it tells a story of behavior that is well within acceptable limits for the size of our student population and that has generally been improving.
It is pretty apparent when you drive by our school that our construction project is in full swing. The work in front involves construction of a three-story addition containing science and general education classrooms, a new high school library, a new health center, and new middle and high school offices. What you can’t see from driving by on Broadway is the work going on behind the school where the steel framework for our new auditorium and high school gym will soon be erected.
The Washington Irving School project has been scaled back in order to keep projected costs within our overall budget. The existing building will be renovated and reconfigured to allow two grade levels to spread out in the space currently occupied by three grade levels. Much of this work will have to wait until the middle school expansion is completed and the sixth grade can move up to join the 7th and 8th grade in that building. This is anticipated to take place in the spring or summer of 2009.
Click here to view our most recent project newsletter. Updates on the project are provided at every school board meeting. Periodic PowerPoint presentations are linked to our web site, where we have created a special section that is devoted to our construction project.
Most of you have heard about the No Child Left Behind act (NCLB). It has become increasingly controversial and things are heating up as it comes up for renewal. The recent NY Times article is illuminating (click to view the article).
Our goals for this year at the elementary level have focused on providing an intensive on-site professional development program for teachers in the areas of English Language Arts and Math. We have contracted with the AUSSIE consulting group to provide demonstration lessons and coaching right in teachers’ classrooms. They recently presented a report on their work with English Language Arts at the March 22nd Board of Education meeting, which can still be viewed on our cable channel. They will be doing a presentation on their work with our math program at the April 12th Board meeting. We have also been utilizing our technology integration specialists to develop applications involving our new spelling and handwriting programs and our math program for use with the Smart Boards that have been installed in all of our grades 2 – 6 classrooms and some of our kindergarten and grade 1 classrooms.
The middle and high schools have embarked on a multi-year process of exploring what 21st century middle and high schools should look like. The have been reviewing research on best practices, reading the major national studies on school reform, and visiting model school programs. The high school principal will report on progress to date and future directions at our April 24th Board of Education meeting. The middle school principal will present a similar report at the May 3rd Board meeting.
In keeping with our district’s reputation for staying on the cutting edge of technology, I decided it was time for me to join the world of Web 2.0 (don’t ask me exactly what that means) and start my own blog. Interestingly enough, I discovered that Microsoft Word does not yet recognize “blog” as a word. Anyhow, I want to explore the potential of this medium as a means of enhancing the overall level of communication between the school district and the community. My goal is to provide subscribers with regular commentary on local, state, and national issues of relevance to people who have an interest in our school district. I will also try to use it as a vehicle for responding to questions or comments of general interest that we receive via the online form from our District Web Site. Time constraints will undoubtedly influence how extensive and frequent my entries will be, but I hope you will find them to be of interest.
