Monday, November 16, 2009

The End of the First Marking Period Already!

It’s Friday afternoon and I realize that next week begins the new marking period. Where has time gone?

We opened our doors this year and welcomed 286 new families to our school, bringing our enrollment to a slightly higher point than has been typical. Because of the increased student population as well as the lengthened class time to 55 minutes per class, we anticipated our hallways might become more congested and louder, we were happily surprised when they were not. The faculty and administrative staff congratulates our students for making this first marking period the kind of transition back to school which any school would be proud!

Some other noteworthy news
Longer core academic classes are not the only change that faced our community. This is the first year that students will not have the opportunity to participate in every foreign language (seventh graders) or special (eighth graders) due to the tough economic times and budget reductions. What does this mean exactly? For seventh graders the unified arts rotation will offer two (of three) languages as well as art, music, health and phys. Ed. Eighth graders will continue with a full year of their selected foreign language and will be offered four (of five) special classes (art, theater, AE/PE, health, literacy club). We have been asked if it is possible for students to select the special and/or language they would like. Unfortunately this is not an option at this point given the number of staff available for each subject.

On a brighter note, the literacy club debuted this year and has been an overwhelming success. Each day for six weeks students go to the library and join me (on most days) in finding a comfortable spot to sit and read a book for 40 uninterrupted minutes. At the end of six weeks we share our books, our thoughts about reading and what we’ve discovered about ourselves as learners. This is done in a presentation format to a panel of people; teachers, parents and students. Despite their nerves about presenting to people they may not know (which we all feel), students have been prepared and they presented themselves quite capably. It is amazing to watch the students step outside of their comfort zones as they present their reports and then when we witness their sense of pride for their accomplishments.

PRMS ~ a Reason to Celebrate

PRMS opened its doors this year with the announcement that the Middle School was no longer in corrective action under NCLB. In a collaborative effort we looked in the mirror and confronted our MCAS challenge (8th grade math was the subject for which we were in corrective action). We identified and made some necessary changes to our schedule, our practice and the curriculum and the result is that we have come out on top; actually out performing nearly 87% of the Commonwealth in the area of math.

Success brings with it opportunity
Since MCAS results became public we have received a number of requests for advice and technical assistance from districts facing similar challenges. Middle School staff has responded by opening their classrooms to discuss and share practice. It is a wonderful opportunity to share expertise as we learn about other middle school programs.

The middle school has also been selected to participate in a federal research program targeting reading assessments for eighth grade students. More information about this opportunity will be provided in the coming months.

Building on a tradition of excellence
Pentucket Regional School District has a long reputation of excellence in education and this fall both the Middle School and High School were invited to participate in a 3 year research grant opportunity. The focus of the grant is building quality performance assessments that support improved student learning as well as creating a cross-school assessment system that is valid and reliable. We were selected in recognition of the work and direction that our district has taken and are working with 11 other middle and high schools across the Commonwealth in this effort.

A Warm Welcome to PRMS Families

Welcome to the Principal’s Corner! Our new blog is designed as an additional way for us to be in touch with families about the wonderful things that happen in our school. While I will be writing most of the blog, other contributors will also be featured. We also look at this as a way to continue building a strong sense of community during the two very quick years students’ families have at our school. We will be updating the blog on a regular basis ~ which will be more frequently as we become more adept at the technical aspects of technology!

As always we welcome your ideas and thoughts and ask that in the spirit of community any questions or concerns be directly communicated with our office via email or phone call and not posted on our site (978-363-2957 or wilson@prsd.org).

And away we go…!