November 21, 2018
The 2018-2019 school year is steadily moving along. We welcomed our new Interim Superintendent, Dr. Johanna Ruberto, to our staff. Dr. Ruberto brings with her a wealth of knowledge and expertise in all facets of education. We have been working hard to get her up to speed with information about our great school, and she has been working hard to learn about the school, the community, and our staff and students!
It is an exciting time to say the least. On October 13th, members of the school community held an open house in honor of the 100th Year Celebration! Planning for the event started all the way back to last school year. Students provided sample work, shared memories of their time here, and painted rocks for the rock garden. Teachers provided information for a brochure which was distributed to visitors, hung sample work, and also gathered old pictures from past yearbooks. Actual yearbooks were also on display. The PTA gathered information about the history of the school, put together an informative brochure, made display boards, and provided refreshments. Our middle school community service students did a great job offering tours for all of the visitors! It was great to see current parents and staff members, past parents and staff members, and alumni visit and tour the building!
As always, much work needs to continue as we strive to offer the best possible education for your children. Over the past several days, we have been refining our structure regarding committees and Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). We are working towards even more collaboration among staff members throughout the schedule in order to speak a “common language”, participate in meaningful dialogue, and provide worthwhile professional development.
We are focusing on all aspects of technology. For example, teachers have been integrating coding into their instruction or implementing technology based learning centers. The 8th grade students are being introduced to video production methods. The first week in December students will participate in the “Hour of Code” in which students will take part in various technology based computer science activities.
Our staff is currently looking at maximizing our data platform to differentiate their instruction according to each student’s needs. We are working towards continuing to refine our Go Math instruction through specific professional development opportunities. Our new science program is now in its 3rd month. Teachers were originally trained on the program in August and will now have follow up webinars in the near future.
We currently have two after school clubs operating: the Debate Club for middle school and an art club for students in grades 4 and 5. Our Cross Country team had an excellent season as we had 5th grade student, Daphne Roskowski, and 8th grade student, Will Keiser, win the girls and boys individual championships respectively! The girls team won second place overall! We are also looking forward to a brand new basketball season.
As I close, I would like to place a shout out to the PTA and to Gloria Winter and her committee for continuing to provide alternative funds for our staff. The staff certainly appreciate it, and without these funds our students would not reap the benefits that they provide. Thank you!
Now it’s time to clean up the driveway and walkways from…. What? SNOW… already!
Have a happy Thanksgiving with family and friends!
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