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This Common Core presentation was presented to the community on January 30, 2013 at Maranacook Community School by Sarah Caban and Barbara Bourgoine. Many requested to have it posted since they were not able to make the presentation.
For more information regarding the Common Core, visit the following websites:
The RSU #38 School Board met on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 to identify goals and priorities for the development of the FY14 budget. The Board unanimously agreed that moving forward with academic progress will be the priority of this budget season.
Results of last year’s budgetary efforts aimed at supporting academic progress have resulted in remarkable student success at the midyear. For example, a math interventionist position was added to the FY13 budget. The interventionist has been working with first and second graders who did not meet district benchmarks. As a result of this effort, 22 students throughout the district have been served as of December 20, 2012. 100% of students who scored in “area of concern” in September 2012 have increased their skills and have moved to a higher level after working with this interventionist. Early intervention has been shown to decrease the number of district dollars that are needed throughout a student’s school career by addressing needs and closing gaps at an early age.
NECAP (New England Comprehensive Assessment Program) data from 2009 to 2012 shows a rising trend in RSU #38 test scores. With a strong budget development focus and with a dedication to our mission of providing a “caring school community dedicated to excellence” we are determined to move forward with academic progress in RSU #38. As one member described the dedication of the Board to this goal, “This is what we want for our kids.”
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Launch of Social Media
RSU#38 Maranacook Schools is pleased to announce the launch of a new School Messenger service that will enhance communication by allowing us to deliver information to you via SMS text messaging (Short Message Service). This service is not intended to replace our existing means of communication,
rather it will supplement and enhance it.
The SMS text messages will be short messages about special events, conferences, reminders, meetings, etc. that would not be sent by phone alert or posted on the web. These same messages will also be sent to Facebook and Twitter. You can "opt in" right now by sending a text message to 68453 (in the To: field) and in the message field type YES. You will immediately get a reply saying,
"You're registered to receive aprox 3 msgs/mo. Txt STOP to quit, HELP for help..."
You can choose to just Like us on Facebook and that Maranacook post will appear on your Facebook wall. You can just Follow us on Twitter and that message will show up in your feed. You can just Opt in for SMS text messages. The same message will go to all three social media services...or you can choose to do two or all three services!
On behalf of the RSU #38 School District I would like to extend our condolences to the Sandy Hook School community. Although we can not possibly imagine the grief the Newtown citizens are experiencing, we do know the close feelings of family that occur in a school setting. As we return to school this week we will be reminded that our students and staff are true gifts and each day with each other must be treasured.
It is expected that parents and families in RSU #38 are wondering about the security of our schools. Reports tell us that Sandy Hook administration and staff had taken every precaution to ensure the safety of their students. Unfortunately, even though these precautions were in place, the reality of our world is that sometimes all that you do to prepare just isn’t enough. However, we can only imagine that if the staff at Sandy Hook were not prepared, and had not gone into lock-down as soon as they did, the results might have been even more horrific.
The RSU #38 newly adopted vision reads as follows:
Vision Statement: Maranacook Schools will be safe, dynamic learning communities where people of all ages
will think, aspire, and participate as responsible citizens in an everchanging global society
We are dedicated to the safety of our schools. Last Tuesday night I met with the crisis teams from each of our school buildings, and with many of our local and state emergency responders. As is the practice for these annual meetings, we met in school teams and discussed the school reaction to a fictional situation. Eerily, this situation was strikingly similar to the situation that occurred in Sandy Hook just two days later. Our teams discussed their lock down procedures that are practiced on a regular basis, and developed lists of needs that are to be addressed as they meet with their school staffs. While this was an uncomfortable discussion, many ideas arose that will increase the safety in our schools. We never could have imagined that three days later our fictional scene would come to life in Newtown.
After the annual Crisis Team meeting, I met with Paul Criss, the RSU #38 Director of Maintenance, to discuss plans to address the needs that arose as a result of our discussion. While we can never predict what might happen, we work continually to ensure the safety of our students and staff.
As our students return to school this week our staff will not dwell on the tragedy at Sandy Hook. Rather, any discussion will focus on the safety measures that we take at our schools. Staff will be available to counsel any students who are in need of extra support. Parents should talk with their children in the way that they believe is best for the individual situation. The Maine Sunday Telegram published the following suggestions from the National Traumatic Stress Network for talking to children:
Start the conversation. Talk about the shooting with your child. Not talking about it can make the event even more threatening in your child’s mind.
Start by asking what your child has already heard about the events. Listen carefully for misconceptions and underlying fears or concerns.
Gently correct inaccurate information. Take time to provide the correct information in simple, clear, age-appropriate language.
Encourage your child to ask questions, and answer those questions directly.
This may be a time to review plans your family has for keeping safe in the event of any crisis situation.
Let your child know that the person can’t hurt anyone else.
Limit media exposure, both your child’s and your own. Do not allow your very young children to see or hear any TV/radio shooting-related messages.
Maine Department of Education has set up a website with resources for schools and families in the aftermath of the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School...Read more >>
Also check the Center for Grieving Children site for additional information...Read more >>
Donna Wolfrom, Ed.D
Superintendent
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Learning Targets
The Administrative Team has completed a book study on the topic of learning targets called Learning Targets: Helping Students Aim for Understanding in Today's Lesson by Moss, Connie M., and Susan M. Brookhart. Twelve important statements have been drafted to help guide our work...Read more >>
Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principle
I am happy to announce that on December 5, 2012 the RSU #38 School Board approved the district’s Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles. This document was created based on the work of a strategic planning committee that met during the 2010-2011 school year and consisted of many community members along with RSU #38 staff, students, and the Administrative Team (A-team). As a result of this work a capstone statement and a vision were created.
In August, 2012 the RSU #38 School Board and A-team met to review the statements. The A-team was then charged with the task of creating a final product that integrated the previous work with the new ideas. A draft was created and shared with the leadership teams at the high school, middle school, elementary schools, and teacher representatives from the Maranacook Area Teachers’ Association. Input from all groups was considered by the A-team before the resulting document was presented to the RSU #38 School Board for approval.
This important document conveys the beliefs and vision of the Maranacook Community schools and will act as a lens through which we examine policy, budget, resource, and curricular decisions. The intent of this document is to guide and focus the work of RSU #38. I would like to thank those many citizens and staff members who contributed to this effort.
