Newsletter

In This Issue –

Middle School Feeder System Planning – Play a Part

New Start Times and Transportation – It’s Final

School Committee Planning and Workshops Lead to Goals

Curriculum Update

Summer Construction Work

Good-Bye’s and Thank You’s

DATTCO is hiring

Middle School Feeder System Planning – Play a Part

With redistricting the school system into four elementary schools, our current system of sending students from fifth grade in elementary school to sixth grade in middle school is disrupted. While this does not affect current fifth graders moving to middle school, it affects next year’s fifth graders, who move to middle school in September, 2006. At its June 14 meeting, the School Committee reviewed a planning process that will guide us through the transition.

The planning process is designed to get community input early in order to assure that all options are analyzed and understood. In that way, the final selection of a feeder system will best meet the objectives of the school system. There are several options available to us, each with strengths and weaknesses, and it is essential that these are understood so that our choice is an informed one.

To get the process started, a summer workshop is scheduled. In the summer workshop, we’ll explore the components of each option and its applicability to our situation while seeking to develop additional alternatives. In September and October the focus will shift to option development and analysis, with a planned decision in November.

Middle School Workshop #1

Tuesday, August 30 – 7:00 PM, HS Library

Significant issues identified to date include:

Keep a school-based feeder system?

What’s the best configuration?

How equal do enrollments need to be?

Create grade 5/6 and grade 7/8 middle schools?

What to do until we have space for that move?

Establish new middle school districts?

What parameters should be set for districts?

How will we transition into the new system?

What transitional factors have to be addressed?

What other options are available and feasible?

New Start Times and Transportation – It’s Final

In May the School Committee adopted new start times and transportation system to begin in September. These changes were written about in articles in this newsletter and local newspapers. They are designed to accommodate the longer school day that begins in elementary and middle school in September and in the high school in 2007.

School Level Start End Length of Day

High School 7:35 1:45 Six hours and ten minutes

Middle Schools 7:48 2:00 Six hours and twelve minutes

Elementary Schools (Hazard too) 8:45 3:05 Six hours and twenty minutes

Over the past year, the School Committee has been conducting a series of workshops designed to better focus their own work. The workshops included topics such as how to improve working effectiveness, identifying critical issues, establishing the School Committee’s relationship to the district strategic plan, and creating goals for the School Committee. As a result of this work, three goals were identified.

1. Establish full-day kindergarten

2. Establish the success of all high school students

3. Examine alternative elementary organizations, including multi-year models

In addition to the three individual goals, the School Committee adopted an overarching goal to establish accountability structures and systems that apply to all areas of the Committee’s work.

To follow up on these goals, the School Committee will establish a calendar of actions it plans to take to accomplish each one. This will include how accountability measures will be put in place across all goals and how the work of the School Committee will be communicated to the entire community. This work, in part, was supported by a SAELP II leadership grant awarded by the Rhode Island Department of Education.

There’s so much to share about our curriculum work! Throughout the past school year teachers in both Matunuck and South Road piloted math materials to determine which program best aligned with our new curriculum and Rhode Island’s grade level expectations. As a result of their efforts, we selected Everyday Math, the program developed through the University of Chicago School Mathematics Project. Beginning in September, all students, kindergarten through grade 6, will have and use Everyday Math materials. To further support our work in math, teachers can participate in summer trainings and will have a math coach to work with them throughout the school year.

In addition to our efforts in math, teachers are hard at work revising two other curriculum areas – library media and social studies. Our library media document weaves technology throughout the grades and emphasizes the importance of evaluating the reliability of Internet sites. Our social studies curriculum is aligned with the national standards and identifies grade level themes. For example, grade 3 will study South Kingstown and grade 4 will examine Rhode Island. This sequence of topics is designed to guide a child through the study of the family unit to the role we play as citizens in a global society. Teachers will continue this work during the summer. Some of their next steps will be to identify grade appropriate primary sources, as well as historical fiction that further support this work.

Next year our curriculum design work will focus on science and health. Science is the next content area to be assessed state wide, and it is important to make sure our curriculum aligns with Rhode Island’s grade level expectations. Health instruction has also taken on an increased emphasis at both the state and national levels, and we need to be certain that our curriculum framework reflects the importance of physical activity and a nutritious diet.

Finally, in October our students in grades 3 through 8 will participate in the new state assessment. Called the New England Common Assessment, a collaborative effort of Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont, this examination will provide us with valuable feedback on the progress of our students, guide our instruction, and help us address specific curriculum needs. More updates on assessment and teaching and learning in South Kingstown will be provided throughout the year.

It used to be that summer was a slow time for school systems, no longer. One of the changes that made summer so busy is the work being done to protect and improve our school buildings. This work is laid out in the Five-Year Capital Plan that the school district develops and provides to the Town each year. The plan is reviewed and approved and becomes part of the Town’s Capital Improvement Plan. Work underway this summer includes:

A new roof for the original section of Matunuck – While this roof has not yet failed, roofs in the district of the same material and age have failed without warning. Consequently, it is being replaced now to avoid an emergency situation. Because it is a low-sloped roof, yet provides a strong visible impression as you approach the school, it is being replaced with a metal roof. Also, since there is asbestos encapsulated between roof layers, abatement is being done at the same time. West Kingston, which has a similar roof, is planned for next summer.

Roof replacement at Curtis Corner Middle School – Roof replacement at Curtis Corner has been underway for several years. This summer’s work will complete that project with the exception of the 500 wing, which is newer and still has considerable life left in its original roof.

High School renovations – Work continues on the renovation of the original section of the high school. Last year, flooring and doors were done on the first floor. This year, tile will be replaced on the second floor and doors on the third floor. Last year’s work taught us to split up the flooring and door replacements, and we’ll do second floor doors and third floor flooring next summer. Additionally, the high school will, finally, receive replacement window shades for school opening in September.

Good-Bye’s and Thank You’s

This year we say good-bye to three administrators: High School Principal Kevin Sheehan and Assistant Principal John Sanders are retiring; and Peace Dale Principal Deb Pendola returns to Westerly, her home community. We are grateful for their service to South Kingstown.

We also say good-bye and thank you to several excellent and dedicated employees who are retiring. We wish them well for they will be missed: Barbara Allen, Secretary to the High School Principal; Dan Almeida, Curtis Corner Math Teacher; Susan Angelo, High School Science Department Chair; Robert Congdon, Adaptive Physical Education Teacher; Rosemarie Laurent, High School English Teacher; Marcia Nerny, West Kingston Teacher Assistant; Jane Roche, Grade 2 teacher at West Kingston; and Janice Willett, District Human Resource Secretary.

DATTCO is hiring Bus Drivers, Monitors, Aides, and Mechanics

If interested call 284-0472.

Job Fair

June 25 from 9:30 to 12:30

Fairgrounds Road Terminal

Starting Wages

Drivers – 12.55/hour

Monitor - $9.00/hour

Aide - $9.50/hour

Mechanic - varies