Amherst Bulletin
By CATHERINE SANDERSON
Published on April 09, 2010
In 2007, the Massachusetts Board of Education unanimously approved a recommended high school program of studies (MassCore), which was intended to help students become college and career ready.
The MassCore program of studies includes four years of English, four years of math (including completing algebra II or the equivalent), three years of a lab-based science (including courses in both physical and natural science), three years of history (including U.S. and world history), two years of the same foreign language, one year of an arts program, and five additional courses (such as business education, health and/or technology). These requirements were developed based on research indicating that taking a rigorous set of academic classes helps students both prepare for and succeed in college and the workplace.
These requirements are significantly more rigorous than the current requirements at Amherst Regional High School.
Although our high school does require four years of English and three years of social studies, we require only two years of math (the minimum state requirement and the level required by only 16.4 percent of Massachusetts high schools), two years of science (also the minimum state requirement and the level required by only 27 percent of Massachusetts high schools), one year of physical education and one year of health.
In contrast, most other local districts, including Northampton, Hadley and East Longmeadow, require at least three years of high school math and science.
Similarly, most districts that are part of the Minority Student Achievement Network require at least three years of math and science, including Arlington, Va., Brookline, Cambridge, Chapel Hill N.C., Cleveland Heights, Ohio, Columbia, Mo., Montclair N.J., Princeton, N.J., Shaker Heights, Ohio, South Orange, N.J., and Windsor, Conn.
Although increasing graduation requirements may lead to concerns that students will simply drop out of high school, research indicates that most students do not drop out because they have a more rigorous curriculum and/or are asked to work harder.
In fact, studies demonstrate that students of all abilities benefit from taking a rigorous and comprehensive high school curriculum: students with this type of preparation are more likely to graduate from high school, get better grades, succeed in college without requiring remedial classes, are better prepared for the workforce and earn higher wages.
Research also demonstrates that the rigor of high school curriculum is a stronger predictor of whether a student graduates from college than standardized test scores, high school class rank or high school grades.
The benefits of completing a rigorous high school curriculum are particularly clear for students of color. Both African-American and Latino students who complete an academically challenging high school curriculum are more likely to successfully receive a college degree, and the rigor of one's high school curriculum is a stronger predictor of completing college than any other precollege indicator of academic resources.
In fact, taking a rigorous high school curriculum that includes at least completing algebra II cuts in half the gap in college completion rates between white students on the one hand and African-American and Latino students on the other.
Similarly, the Education Trust, an organization whose goal is to close the gaps in opportunity and achievement that particularly hurt those from low-income families or who are black, Latino or American Indian, states that "students rise to the rigor of the work they are assigned."
They, too, recommend a rigorous program of high school studies for all students, including four years of English, at least three years of science, including two lab courses, four years of math up to algebra II, four years of social studies and two years of a foreign language.
As they eloquently describe, "The Education Trust seeks to ensure that all students have access to an intellectually demanding curriculum and assignments/ prerequisites for a productive life after high school, be it in the classroom or on the job."
Perhaps more importantly, requiring that all students complete a comprehensive and rigorous high school curriculum sends a clear message that we believe all students can succeed at the very highest levels.
Catherine A. Sanderson is a professor at Amherst College, and a member of the Amherst and Regional School Committees. This views expressed in this column are hers alone, and not those of the School Committees.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Amherst schools may get additional Spanish teacher
Hampshire Gazette
By NICK GRABBE
Friday, April 9, 2010
The budget contains more money than expected, mostly because voters approved the Proposition 2½ override and teachers agreed to wage concessions. Administrators have added preschools for low-income children in all three buildings and increased funding for music, academic intervention and instructional technology. They also added one world language teacher.
Member Catherine Sanderson said there's a lot of funding for struggling students in the budget, between the preschool, summer school and afterschool program. If the budget could be trimmed slightly in music, intervention, and instructional technology, there could be enough money for world language in every school, she said.
"I think there is wiggle room," she said.
Member Steve Rivkin said he'd like Interim Superintendent Maria Geryk and the principals to push for making these trade-offs.
"We've had an override, so we're a well-funded elementary district," he said. "We want you to figure it out so we can have everything we're hoping for."
Although the committee approved the budget's bottom line of $20.4 million, "this is not the end of the conversation" about the specifics, Geryk said.
###
Conservation exercise
April 16 will be the fourth annual Trash-Free Lunch Day in the Amherst elementary schools.
Last year, Crocker Farm and Wildwood schools produced less than .5 cubic inches of trash per student, according to Recycling Coordinator Susan Waite. It's a challenge for children and parents to think about reducing their waste, she said.
Whitsons Culinary Group, the district's food service provider, will create lunches on April 16 without disposable trays, utensils and containers. Students who bring lunches from home are asked to use compostable or reusable containers.
Each elementary student will receive a free reusable Smithsonian Institution lunch bag on April 16, courtesy of Paul Stavropulos, owner of two Subway restaurants in Amherst.
###
ARHS students volunteer
About 35 students at Amherst Regional High School will travel to Louisiana April 17 to 25 to help rebuild homes damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
It is the fifth year that students have paid for their own transportation and living expenses to help Louisiana residents. A group of eight parents will supervise the travel and construction projects.
For the first time, building materials will not be available for free in Louisiana, so the students are raising money from friends, neighbors and businesses.
The projects include removing flood-damaged interiors, replacing sheetrock walls and repainting them, replacing floors, re-siding homes and replacing windows.
###
Penny drive for Haiti
The sixth grade at Wildwood School has organized a penny drive to benefit areas of Haiti damaged by an earthquake, and have raised about $1,000.
The money will go to Hope for Haiti, which is working in the Les Cayes region on nutrition, clean water and education projects. The organization distributes emergency relief buckets containing fortified dried food supplies, matches, candles, antibacterial soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, detergent and water purification tablets. It also provides medical supplies.
###
Honors bestowed
Fourteen Amherst Regional High and Middle School students received gold medals summa cum laude on the National Latin Exam, said teacher Sean Smith.
Spencer Diamond of Latin 5 and Morgan Anastasi of Latin 1 achieved perfect scores. The test is administered every March to over 100,000 Latin students across the country.
The seniors earning gold medals will be able to apply for $1,000 college scholarships, renewable every year they study Classics, Smith said.
Nick Grabbe can be reached at ngrabbe@gazettenet.com.
By NICK GRABBE
Friday, April 9, 2010
The budget contains more money than expected, mostly because voters approved the Proposition 2½ override and teachers agreed to wage concessions. Administrators have added preschools for low-income children in all three buildings and increased funding for music, academic intervention and instructional technology. They also added one world language teacher.
Member Catherine Sanderson said there's a lot of funding for struggling students in the budget, between the preschool, summer school and afterschool program. If the budget could be trimmed slightly in music, intervention, and instructional technology, there could be enough money for world language in every school, she said.
"I think there is wiggle room," she said.
Member Steve Rivkin said he'd like Interim Superintendent Maria Geryk and the principals to push for making these trade-offs.
"We've had an override, so we're a well-funded elementary district," he said. "We want you to figure it out so we can have everything we're hoping for."
Although the committee approved the budget's bottom line of $20.4 million, "this is not the end of the conversation" about the specifics, Geryk said.
###
Conservation exercise
April 16 will be the fourth annual Trash-Free Lunch Day in the Amherst elementary schools.
Last year, Crocker Farm and Wildwood schools produced less than .5 cubic inches of trash per student, according to Recycling Coordinator Susan Waite. It's a challenge for children and parents to think about reducing their waste, she said.
Whitsons Culinary Group, the district's food service provider, will create lunches on April 16 without disposable trays, utensils and containers. Students who bring lunches from home are asked to use compostable or reusable containers.
Each elementary student will receive a free reusable Smithsonian Institution lunch bag on April 16, courtesy of Paul Stavropulos, owner of two Subway restaurants in Amherst.
###
ARHS students volunteer
About 35 students at Amherst Regional High School will travel to Louisiana April 17 to 25 to help rebuild homes damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
It is the fifth year that students have paid for their own transportation and living expenses to help Louisiana residents. A group of eight parents will supervise the travel and construction projects.
For the first time, building materials will not be available for free in Louisiana, so the students are raising money from friends, neighbors and businesses.
The projects include removing flood-damaged interiors, replacing sheetrock walls and repainting them, replacing floors, re-siding homes and replacing windows.
###
Penny drive for Haiti
The sixth grade at Wildwood School has organized a penny drive to benefit areas of Haiti damaged by an earthquake, and have raised about $1,000.
The money will go to Hope for Haiti, which is working in the Les Cayes region on nutrition, clean water and education projects. The organization distributes emergency relief buckets containing fortified dried food supplies, matches, candles, antibacterial soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, detergent and water purification tablets. It also provides medical supplies.
###
Honors bestowed
Fourteen Amherst Regional High and Middle School students received gold medals summa cum laude on the National Latin Exam, said teacher Sean Smith.
Spencer Diamond of Latin 5 and Morgan Anastasi of Latin 1 achieved perfect scores. The test is administered every March to over 100,000 Latin students across the country.
The seniors earning gold medals will be able to apply for $1,000 college scholarships, renewable every year they study Classics, Smith said.
Nick Grabbe can be reached at ngrabbe@gazettenet.com.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Amherst School Committee Meeting, Wednesday, April 7, 2010
We had a long but productive meeting tonight -- and to answer the questions I've had from people regarding the cancelling of last night's meeting -- that meeting was cancelled (at the request of Irv/Steve, in their roles as Chair/Vice Chair) because the SC didn't receive budget documents until 3 pm yesterday (it has been our practice to receive budget info 24 to 48 hours in advance so that members can have a chance to review the materials PRIOR to having to discuss them at a meeting). I believe this was the right decision, and commend Irv's leadership on this front. However, that did make for a long meeting tonight -- which I will now do my best to summarize.
First, we had 3 people give public comments. Ernie Dalkas spoke about rumors he had heard regarding members of the SC attempting to do various things (choose the MS principal, choose a curriculum director, etc.). He expressed concern about these rumors, and his respect for the SC. (And on one side note, I've heard these rumors as well, including one spread by several members of the community widely that said "ACE SC members are planning to overthrow the interim superintendent" and another one suggesting that I was calling for the SC to ask for the resignation of Mark Jackson!). I would hope that people take the time to actually investigate the veracity of rumors before spreading them to others -- the rumors that I've heard have all been completely false, which I was glad to clear up as soon as someone had the courtesy to contact me directly! Michael Aronson then read a statement regarding his concerns about the special education evaluation (he has posted these concerns using his name in the comments on the prior blog post -- where I have the agenda -- so I'm going to refer you to those words directly). I have been contacted by several parents about the nature of this evaluation, and look forward to hearing a response from the administration about these issues at the next meeting. Third, Tess Domb Sadof (ARHS student) presented a report she had conducted in 6th grade regarding bullying, and expressed her hope that an anti-bullying initiative could be implemented in our schools.
We then turned to the superintendent's update, which was brief. Ms. Geryk noted she will hold a coffee tomorrow, Thursday April 8th, from 12 to 1 pm, and that the district (under the leadership of Dr. Guavara) is working on an anti-bullying initiative.
Next, we turned to continuing business. We voted to continue our policy of not accepting school choice seats, and then turned to discuss whether the Amherst SC should look into getting legal service to investigate our options for leaving the Union 26 agreement (in this agreement, Amherst and Pelham are in a "union" in which each town has three members). The Union 26 agreement thus gives Amherst and Pelham equal representation at the elementary level, and the superintendent is hired by both Union 26 and the Regional SC. The SC voted unanimously to have the Amherst legal services subcommittee (me, Irv, Rob) look into our options regarding legal services. We then had a brief quarterly budget update from Rob Detweiler.
Finally, we turned to the "big topic" of the night, which was the recommended budget. It was announced that the sum total of savings from closing Marks Meadow is $840,554. The superintendent recommended a few changes to the budget (given the override passage), which include adding 1.2 intervention teachers ($60,000), a computer teacher ($50,000), afterschool/summer support for struggling students ($15,675), .6 instrumental music ($33,516), 1.0 world language ($50,000), and curriculum materials ($40,000). These increases would mean that each school would have a full-time computer teacher (right now there are two positions shared in the four schools), a total of 12.7 intervention teachers (3.5 at CF, 4.4 at FR, 4.8 at WW -- and this is in addition to staff members who focus on ELL -- 3 to 4.5 positions in each building -- and those who focus on special ed -- 6 to 7.4 per building), and 1.55 to 1.8 music teachers (combining instrumental and classroom). The world language teacher would be a single teacher shared across all three schools, meaning world language would only be provided to kids in a couple of grades (this position could be in Spanish, but could also be in a different language).
There was then a long discussion about these budget priorities -- which I will encourage you to watch on ACTV to get a full sense of! However, I will share what I said, which is that I believe this budget is doing a ton of stuff for struggling students, which I think is great (educationally and morally). This budget adds a preschool class for low income kids (which includes free transportation), a summer enrichment program (for struggling kids, which also includes free transportation), and afterschool care (for struggling kids). And I believe that the budget needs to reflect very tough choices among things that many of us would like -- including art, music, computer, and world language.
But I also believe, and I stated strongly at the meeting (as did Steve), that we should add K to 6 world language, meaning a dedicated teacher in each building. Right now, CF has about 60% of the kids compared to the other schools, and thus some staffing at CF is at .6 (e.g., the art teacher, the PE teacher). Thus, one could imagine easily that we could provide K to 6 world language in all the schools for just an additional 1.6 positions (a cost of $84,000). There are lots of ways we could prioritize this in our budget -- going to a .6 computer teacher at CF (instead of a 1.0 position) would save .4. So could reducing instrumental music at CF (it is now at .8, the same as the other schools, although there will be fewer kids), or a reduction of a .4 intervention teacher in each of the schools (still providing staffing of 3 to 4 intervention teachers in each building). I believe that K to 6 world language would be very valuable, in multiple ways, for our community, and I really hope the superintendent considers how we could implement this program fully this fall. If you have thoughts about this proposal (pro or con), please email the superintendent (gerykm@arps.org) and/or the SC (schoolcommittee@arps.org).
We voted a final budget line (which we need to give to the town), but noted that we would return to the issue of budget priorities and specific lines at a later meeting.
Our next topic was new business. We voted to allow the CF playground to be named the CF Rotary Club Playground IF the playground receives a $25,000 rotary fund donation they have applied for. We voted to accept a gift (for a WW student to register for camp). We discussed having a "retreat" of the SC to focus on working effectively with the administration (and co-led by the MA School Committee Chair and the MA Superintendent Chair, as the SC did last summer after the arrival of Dr. Rodriguez). We discussed having a line item budget, as is seen in Northampton, and it was agreed by all that this will be the approach now used. Interestingly, Rob Detweiler noted that the practice of the SC at the time of his arrival four years ago had been to have a line item budget, but the SC had found this too "headache inducing" and preferred a more summary form.
Finally, we discussed subcommittee reports. Irv added himself to the policy subcommittee (since I'm now alone on the subcommittee with Andy's departure). We tabled a discussion of a wage/salary review. We briefly discussed a proposal submitted to the Joint Capital Planning Committee of the town of Amherst that the town build a $250,000 addition onto the South Amherst Campus to allow for the merging of the two alternative high schools. This topic was tabled (since it is a Regional issue), although I spoke (as a member of JCPC) that I had asked for a regional SC meeting to be convened this week so that the Regional SC could discuss it, and that apparently was unable to happen. Thus, I noted that I will not be able to speak on behalf of the SC at the final JCPC meeting this Friday, which had been requested by this committee at the last meeting. We then briefly discussed items for upcoming meetings, which included an update on the superintendent's goals (and progress), a report on the state of the special education evaluation, and the potential for moving our meeting back to 7 pm (from 6:30 pm). I think that was all!
First, we had 3 people give public comments. Ernie Dalkas spoke about rumors he had heard regarding members of the SC attempting to do various things (choose the MS principal, choose a curriculum director, etc.). He expressed concern about these rumors, and his respect for the SC. (And on one side note, I've heard these rumors as well, including one spread by several members of the community widely that said "ACE SC members are planning to overthrow the interim superintendent" and another one suggesting that I was calling for the SC to ask for the resignation of Mark Jackson!). I would hope that people take the time to actually investigate the veracity of rumors before spreading them to others -- the rumors that I've heard have all been completely false, which I was glad to clear up as soon as someone had the courtesy to contact me directly! Michael Aronson then read a statement regarding his concerns about the special education evaluation (he has posted these concerns using his name in the comments on the prior blog post -- where I have the agenda -- so I'm going to refer you to those words directly). I have been contacted by several parents about the nature of this evaluation, and look forward to hearing a response from the administration about these issues at the next meeting. Third, Tess Domb Sadof (ARHS student) presented a report she had conducted in 6th grade regarding bullying, and expressed her hope that an anti-bullying initiative could be implemented in our schools.
We then turned to the superintendent's update, which was brief. Ms. Geryk noted she will hold a coffee tomorrow, Thursday April 8th, from 12 to 1 pm, and that the district (under the leadership of Dr. Guavara) is working on an anti-bullying initiative.
Next, we turned to continuing business. We voted to continue our policy of not accepting school choice seats, and then turned to discuss whether the Amherst SC should look into getting legal service to investigate our options for leaving the Union 26 agreement (in this agreement, Amherst and Pelham are in a "union" in which each town has three members). The Union 26 agreement thus gives Amherst and Pelham equal representation at the elementary level, and the superintendent is hired by both Union 26 and the Regional SC. The SC voted unanimously to have the Amherst legal services subcommittee (me, Irv, Rob) look into our options regarding legal services. We then had a brief quarterly budget update from Rob Detweiler.
Finally, we turned to the "big topic" of the night, which was the recommended budget. It was announced that the sum total of savings from closing Marks Meadow is $840,554. The superintendent recommended a few changes to the budget (given the override passage), which include adding 1.2 intervention teachers ($60,000), a computer teacher ($50,000), afterschool/summer support for struggling students ($15,675), .6 instrumental music ($33,516), 1.0 world language ($50,000), and curriculum materials ($40,000). These increases would mean that each school would have a full-time computer teacher (right now there are two positions shared in the four schools), a total of 12.7 intervention teachers (3.5 at CF, 4.4 at FR, 4.8 at WW -- and this is in addition to staff members who focus on ELL -- 3 to 4.5 positions in each building -- and those who focus on special ed -- 6 to 7.4 per building), and 1.55 to 1.8 music teachers (combining instrumental and classroom). The world language teacher would be a single teacher shared across all three schools, meaning world language would only be provided to kids in a couple of grades (this position could be in Spanish, but could also be in a different language).
There was then a long discussion about these budget priorities -- which I will encourage you to watch on ACTV to get a full sense of! However, I will share what I said, which is that I believe this budget is doing a ton of stuff for struggling students, which I think is great (educationally and morally). This budget adds a preschool class for low income kids (which includes free transportation), a summer enrichment program (for struggling kids, which also includes free transportation), and afterschool care (for struggling kids). And I believe that the budget needs to reflect very tough choices among things that many of us would like -- including art, music, computer, and world language.
But I also believe, and I stated strongly at the meeting (as did Steve), that we should add K to 6 world language, meaning a dedicated teacher in each building. Right now, CF has about 60% of the kids compared to the other schools, and thus some staffing at CF is at .6 (e.g., the art teacher, the PE teacher). Thus, one could imagine easily that we could provide K to 6 world language in all the schools for just an additional 1.6 positions (a cost of $84,000). There are lots of ways we could prioritize this in our budget -- going to a .6 computer teacher at CF (instead of a 1.0 position) would save .4. So could reducing instrumental music at CF (it is now at .8, the same as the other schools, although there will be fewer kids), or a reduction of a .4 intervention teacher in each of the schools (still providing staffing of 3 to 4 intervention teachers in each building). I believe that K to 6 world language would be very valuable, in multiple ways, for our community, and I really hope the superintendent considers how we could implement this program fully this fall. If you have thoughts about this proposal (pro or con), please email the superintendent (gerykm@arps.org) and/or the SC (schoolcommittee@arps.org).
We voted a final budget line (which we need to give to the town), but noted that we would return to the issue of budget priorities and specific lines at a later meeting.
Our next topic was new business. We voted to allow the CF playground to be named the CF Rotary Club Playground IF the playground receives a $25,000 rotary fund donation they have applied for. We voted to accept a gift (for a WW student to register for camp). We discussed having a "retreat" of the SC to focus on working effectively with the administration (and co-led by the MA School Committee Chair and the MA Superintendent Chair, as the SC did last summer after the arrival of Dr. Rodriguez). We discussed having a line item budget, as is seen in Northampton, and it was agreed by all that this will be the approach now used. Interestingly, Rob Detweiler noted that the practice of the SC at the time of his arrival four years ago had been to have a line item budget, but the SC had found this too "headache inducing" and preferred a more summary form.
Finally, we discussed subcommittee reports. Irv added himself to the policy subcommittee (since I'm now alone on the subcommittee with Andy's departure). We tabled a discussion of a wage/salary review. We briefly discussed a proposal submitted to the Joint Capital Planning Committee of the town of Amherst that the town build a $250,000 addition onto the South Amherst Campus to allow for the merging of the two alternative high schools. This topic was tabled (since it is a Regional issue), although I spoke (as a member of JCPC) that I had asked for a regional SC meeting to be convened this week so that the Regional SC could discuss it, and that apparently was unable to happen. Thus, I noted that I will not be able to speak on behalf of the SC at the final JCPC meeting this Friday, which had been requested by this committee at the last meeting. We then briefly discussed items for upcoming meetings, which included an update on the superintendent's goals (and progress), a report on the state of the special education evaluation, and the potential for moving our meeting back to 7 pm (from 6:30 pm). I think that was all!
Michael Hayes Named Middle School Principal
AMHERST - Interim Superintendent Maria Geryk has announced that Michael Hayes will become the principal of the Regional Middle School on April 26.
Hayes, 35, has been a math teacher and administrator at the middle school for over 12 years, and is currently senior assistant principal. Geryk selected him over the other finalist, Karsten Schlenter, a middle school principal in Michigan for nine years.
"Having been a recent candidate in a different community which was very interested in his candidacy, we are particularly pleased that Mr. Hayes will remain in our community," according to a press release from Kathryn Mazur, the human resources director.
Mark Jackson, who has served as principal of both the middle and high schools since the departure of Middle School Principal Glenda Cresto last September, will go back to supervising the high school full time on April 26.
For more details, see story in the Thursday Gazette.
AGENDA for Meeting of Amherst School Committee - April 7, 2010
There are a number of topics on the agenda for tonight's Amherst School Committee Meeting, so interested parents/community members/teachers/staff should definitely come. Unfortunately this meeting will be held in the library at the high school, so it will NOT be broadcast live on ACTV (but will be available later "on demand" and shown on Channel 15). The agenda is as follows:
1. Welcome 6:30 p.m.
- A. Call to Order & Chairperson's Welcoming Remarks
- B. Agenda Review
- C. Minutes - March 1 and March 25, 2010
2. Public Comments 6:35 p.m.
3. Superintendents Update 6:45 p.m.
4. Continuing Business 6:55 p.m.
- A. Quarterly Update
- B. FY11 Budget Presentation
- C. Vote Bottom Line Budget Number
- D. School Choice Vote
- E. Legal Services Sub-Committee Charge to seek legal council
to explore Union 26 agreement
F. Discussion Regarding Spanish Recommendation
5. New Business 8:30 p.m.
· A. Line Item Budget Discussion
· B. Crocker Farm Rotary Club of Amherst Grant
· C. School Committee Retreat
· D. Gift Acceptance
§ Fran and Nancy Lattuca
6. Subcommittees 9:00 p.m.
· A. Subcommittee Appointments
· B. Legal Issues Subcommittee Appointment
· C. BCG Update
· D. Policy Update - Wage and Salary Review
· E. JCPC Update
7. Adjournment 9:30 p.m.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) Meeting
Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) Meeting Notice
The Massachusetts special education law, Chapter 71B of the Massachusetts General Laws, requires a school district to establish a PAC, and assigns both an advisory and a participatory function to the PAC.
For additional information, please refer to the Guidance for Special Education Parent Advisory Councils guidelines on-line at: http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/pac/default.html.
The District would like to take this opportunity to thank the previous SEPAC officers, Gail Whitlock and Denise Andler for their service, contributions and efforts last year and in previous years. At this time SEPAC is without officers and parents within the community have expressed interest in holding an open meeting this month to identify new officers. Therefore, we are sharing the following message and details from one of the parent organizers of the meeting schedule on Monday, April 12th, 2010.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Fellow Parents/Guardian,
You are invited to a Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) meeting for the Amherst, Pelham, and Amherst Regional School Districts on Monday, April 12th, 2010 at the Amherst Regional Middle School library from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Childcare and light refreshments will be provided.
The agenda for our first meeting includes:
~Creation of the SEPAC Board
~Discussion of upcoming Special Education Evaluation
~Creation of Peer support for parents/guardian
~Open discussion on any issues of interest
SEPAC is a family oriented organization. It is free and open to ALL parents and guardian with an interest in Special Education.
Sincerely,
Pat Ononibaku
for the Organizing Committee
Friday, April 2, 2010
Middle School Principal Candidates Talk to Parents
Hampshire Gazette
By NICK GRABBE, Staff Writer
April 2, 2010
AMHERST – Interim Superintendent Maria Geryk can choose an outsider or an insider as the next principal of the Regional Middle School.
She will announce her decision Tuesday, she said. On Thursday night, as 50 parents sized up the two finalists, Geryk sat in the back of the room, listening and interacting with children.
Karsten Schlenter, 47, has been a middle school principal in Michigan for nine years, while Michael Hayes, 35, has been a math teacher and administrator at the middle school for over 12 years. The third finalist, Paul Goodhind, withdrew on Wednesday.
“I believe as an outsider I can bring some good ideas to this community, not only from Michigan, but from growing up in a different country,” said Schlenter, a native of Germany. “With an outside perspective, I can say, 'Have you ever thought about doing it this way?' and think outside the box.”
Hayes said that “being an insider creates a lot of value and a lot of challenges. The value is I know the school very well. I know the staff, students and community. My wife went to school here.” He said that if he's the new principal, “on the first day, we're going to take off.”
Schlenter's school in suburban Saginaw has seen major cutbacks. It has much bigger class sizes than Amherst and no assistant principal, and Schlenter said he expects to be laid off soon. “I need a job,” he said.
He said he arrives at the school at 6 a.m. every morning to deal with administrative responsibilities, so he can spend more time later in classrooms, mentoring teachers and prodding them to reflect on what techniques work best.
Asked what makes a good teacher and principal, Schlenter said, “You need to be able to relate to kids and build trust. They don't care about your subject knowledge until they know you care about them.” Likewise, he said he wouldn't “come here and change everything” but would first work to build trust with staff, students and community.
He said he likes working in a middle school, where students are at “a crucial age and like to explore and take chances. High schoolers are more set in their ways, while middle school educators can have some influence.”
Schlenter said he has no ambition to be a superintendent. “If I was hired here, I would be here to stay,” he said, adding that his wife and daughters would join him.
“When you take a position like this, it isn't just a job, it's a lifestyle, and your family has to be on board,” he said.
Asked to define “rigor,” Schlenter said, “You want kids to enjoy education, to experiment and apply knowledge. To me, that is rigor, because it makes it so much more meaningful.”
Hayes grew up in California and started in the Amherst schools as a paraprofessional before becoming a teacher.
“The importance was not the math I was teaching, but trying to help 100 students understand something important,” he said. “The challenge is making it work for all those learners. It's about as hard a job as you could do.”
A parent challenged Hayes's insider status, asking about his association with a math curriculum that is going to be under review. “I'm not ever stuck in one model,” he responded. “I believe in continuous improvement.”
Another parent asked if increased interest in private and charter schools means the middle school needs to change. Hayes responded that although parents at open houses speak positively about the school, “I'm not someone who likes to sit around and do the same thing over and over.”
Hayes said he has learned a lot from consultant Barry Beers, who delivered a critical report about the middle school last month. (Schlenter was not familiar with Beers' report.) Beers told Hayes he wrote to Geryk saying that as principal he could carry out the report's recommendations, he said.
“I know this staff and I know how to bring them forward, and they will follow me,” Hayes said.
Asked about bullying, he said that on Monday, English teachers at the middle school will do a lesson on misuse of the words “gay,” “retarded” and “sped.” “At the end of the lesson, we'll say, 'Now you know, so we're going to call you on it,” he said.
Asked about his commitment to stay on the job, Hayes said he just bought a house in Pelham and wants to be principal at the middle school when his young daughter is there.
“In six years, if I'm not here, it's because I wasn't doing a good job,” he said.
By NICK GRABBE, Staff Writer
April 2, 2010
AMHERST – Interim Superintendent Maria Geryk can choose an outsider or an insider as the next principal of the Regional Middle School.
She will announce her decision Tuesday, she said. On Thursday night, as 50 parents sized up the two finalists, Geryk sat in the back of the room, listening and interacting with children.
Karsten Schlenter, 47, has been a middle school principal in Michigan for nine years, while Michael Hayes, 35, has been a math teacher and administrator at the middle school for over 12 years. The third finalist, Paul Goodhind, withdrew on Wednesday.
“I believe as an outsider I can bring some good ideas to this community, not only from Michigan, but from growing up in a different country,” said Schlenter, a native of Germany. “With an outside perspective, I can say, 'Have you ever thought about doing it this way?' and think outside the box.”
Hayes said that “being an insider creates a lot of value and a lot of challenges. The value is I know the school very well. I know the staff, students and community. My wife went to school here.” He said that if he's the new principal, “on the first day, we're going to take off.”
Schlenter's school in suburban Saginaw has seen major cutbacks. It has much bigger class sizes than Amherst and no assistant principal, and Schlenter said he expects to be laid off soon. “I need a job,” he said.
He said he arrives at the school at 6 a.m. every morning to deal with administrative responsibilities, so he can spend more time later in classrooms, mentoring teachers and prodding them to reflect on what techniques work best.
Asked what makes a good teacher and principal, Schlenter said, “You need to be able to relate to kids and build trust. They don't care about your subject knowledge until they know you care about them.” Likewise, he said he wouldn't “come here and change everything” but would first work to build trust with staff, students and community.
He said he likes working in a middle school, where students are at “a crucial age and like to explore and take chances. High schoolers are more set in their ways, while middle school educators can have some influence.”
Schlenter said he has no ambition to be a superintendent. “If I was hired here, I would be here to stay,” he said, adding that his wife and daughters would join him.
“When you take a position like this, it isn't just a job, it's a lifestyle, and your family has to be on board,” he said.
Asked to define “rigor,” Schlenter said, “You want kids to enjoy education, to experiment and apply knowledge. To me, that is rigor, because it makes it so much more meaningful.”
Hayes grew up in California and started in the Amherst schools as a paraprofessional before becoming a teacher.
“The importance was not the math I was teaching, but trying to help 100 students understand something important,” he said. “The challenge is making it work for all those learners. It's about as hard a job as you could do.”
A parent challenged Hayes's insider status, asking about his association with a math curriculum that is going to be under review. “I'm not ever stuck in one model,” he responded. “I believe in continuous improvement.”
Another parent asked if increased interest in private and charter schools means the middle school needs to change. Hayes responded that although parents at open houses speak positively about the school, “I'm not someone who likes to sit around and do the same thing over and over.”
Hayes said he has learned a lot from consultant Barry Beers, who delivered a critical report about the middle school last month. (Schlenter was not familiar with Beers' report.) Beers told Hayes he wrote to Geryk saying that as principal he could carry out the report's recommendations, he said.
“I know this staff and I know how to bring them forward, and they will follow me,” Hayes said.
Asked about bullying, he said that on Monday, English teachers at the middle school will do a lesson on misuse of the words “gay,” “retarded” and “sped.” “At the end of the lesson, we'll say, 'Now you know, so we're going to call you on it,” he said.
Asked about his commitment to stay on the job, Hayes said he just bought a house in Pelham and wants to be principal at the middle school when his young daughter is there.
“In six years, if I'm not here, it's because I wasn't doing a good job,” he said.
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