Three meetings for the
Melrose School Committee in September as we’re back in full-time action. Notes
from our meetings:
September 13th
The schools had a smooth
opening day in late August and students and teachers kicked off the year on the
accelerator. Italian and Spanish exchange students visited, sharing their
cultures with our community. Supt. Taymore held a safety summit with the DPW
and Melrose PD to ensure preparedness for any issues.
Ribbon cuttings were held
for the building projects at Hoover (windows) and MHS (Learning Commons,
administrative office suite, and maker space). All that remains are the punch
lists; any remaining monies will be allocated in December. The maker space may
be the recipient of tools funded by a grant.
Supt. Taymore is planning
to assemble four working groups this year (elementary instrument lessons,
activity fees, focus groups for web site redesign, and Competency Based
Education/Curriculum Materials Working Group) to advise her on issues for which
she’d like input.
Initial enrollments saw
increases close to those expected, with MHS currently hosting 992 students.
100% of Kindergarten students (of those not requiring placements for special
education, ESL, or other services) received their first choice of school
placement. Specialists (art, music, etc.) are needed at the elementary level as
their class sizes are high, and this issue will be reflected in next year’s
budget.
Concussion reporting to
the state was submitted with numbers creeping up to 21, reflecting more
elementary reporting (which is not required, but which Melrose engages in to be
more proactive in protecting students).
September 24th
The Committee held a
three-hour retreat to work on goal setting for the year ahead. MASC Field
Representative Dorothy Presser led discussion and activities in the areas of
Committee roles and responsibilities, priority setting, and reflection on
improving Committee work. We agreed that another retreat would help us bring
this work closer to fruition, with another Saturday session preferred.
September 27th
Asst. Supt. for Teaching
and Learning Dr. Margaret Adams and Humanities Director Angela Singer reported
on the mid-cycle review for English Language Arts. The intent of the review was
to “evaluate the effectiveness of curriculum, instruction, and assessment in
English Language Arts grades preK-12 as measured by student achievement,
student work, curriculum alignment, instructional practices, and by teacher,
student, and parent surveys. Seventeen educators engaged in this effort, and in
their Statement of Impact they noted: “By outlining current programming, an
action plan can be developed to meet identified areas of need and also build
upon existing strengths of the program.” The team will present its final report
in the spring of 2017.
Rental rates were approved
for the new MHS Learning Commons, which will only be offered to school groups
and Melrose non-profits for the FY17 school year in order to monitor the use of
equipment and maintain the cleanliness of the space.
The Committee heard a
final presentation by representatives from the Permanent School Building
Committee regarding siting and placement of the pre-fabricated classrooms
discussed and agreed on in June. The PBSC is recommending a fiscally
conservative approach and has analyzed all impacts (parking, green space,
connection to the main building, etc.). Three classrooms were recommended at
Hoover and two at Winthrop. Horace Mann can’t realistically accommodate
additional on-site classrooms, but key issues of equity for all students and
student safety resulted in the renovation recommendation. The price tag is
expected to be around $4.4M. The Committee voted to “accept, endorse, and
approve” the plan. Next step: the Appropriations Committee of the Board of
Aldermen is expected to vote on funding $400K for design and project management
services on Thursday, October 13th. If approved by the full board at
a later meeting, parent meetings will be held in late fall in the respective schools
and the plan will move forward.
Next…..
As always, our packet
documents are posted at melroseschools.com under School Committee, and you can
find videos of our meetings at mmtv3.org. Our next regular business meeting is
scheduled for Tuesday, October 18th at 7:00 p.m. in the Aldermanic
Chamber at City Hall.
(Reminder: official minutes of the Melrose School Committee can be found on the melroseschools.com web site following approval by the Committee. The above are my notes, and edits and errors are mine alone.)
