SCHOOL COMMITTEE METING * * * * *

The GLOUCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Our Mission is for all Students to be Successful, Engaged, Lifelong Learners

SCHOOL COMMITTEE METING

Wednesday, June 25, 2014 7:00 pm

Superintendent Conference Room — District Office 2 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930

AGENDA

Meetings are recorded

I. CALL TO ORDER/Statement of Mission II. SALUTE TO THE FLAG

III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS

IV. COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIRPERSON V. RECOGNITIONS

VI. GHS STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL VII. CONSENT AGENDA

A. Approval of Minutes

* 1. School Committee and Executive Session (Confidential) of June 11, 2014

* 2. Building & Finance Sub-Committee of June 18, 2014

* ^B. Approval of Warrants – Cover Sheets

* ^C. Acceptance of DESE Grants

* ^D. Approval of Transfers from May 20 to June 16, 2014 (As recommended by the

Building & Finance Sub-Committee at its meeting on June 18, 2014)

School Committee Agenda – June 25, 2014 Page 2

VIII. DELIBERATIONS ON EDUCATIONAL ISSUES/SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

* ^A. End-of-Year Literacy Benchmark Report

* ^B. Superintendent’s Mid-Cycle Evaluation Update

* ^C. Superintendent’s Report

IX. SUB-COMMITTEE REPORTS (Items listed under X. ACTION may be brought forward with reports)

A. Joint Building & Finance and Personnel Sub-Committee Report of June 18, 2014 — Chairperson Clancy & Chairperson Teixeira

Agenda: Administration’s Request for the School Department to fund from FY14 the June invoice for retirees health insurance; administration’s request for the School Department to fund from FY14 the increase in School Choice assessment; FY14 year end close-out; FY15 budget update; transfers; and Food Service update – monthly report and meal balances.

X. ACTION

DISCLAIMER: Listed below are all known items that may require action but action may not be taken on all items listed; i.e., action items that are known including all votes taken by all sub- committees previous to the Friday before a Wednesday School Committee meeting and items that may flow from the Superintendent’s Report

A. To approve a School Budget for FY15 in the amount of $38,038,748

B. To approve the Contract between the Gloucester School Committee and Dr.

Richard Safier, as amended

* ^C. 2014-2015 Handbook Approvals

D. Reconsideration to adopt PARCC as a replacement for MCAS as the State’s accountability measure

E. To acknowledge that the School Department has paid an unusual expense of

$176,794.74 to aid the City in paying for the retired teachers’ health insurance F. To authorize the Director of Finance and Operations to transfer $5,000.00

from the FY15 Main Office contingency fund to the appropriate account for

the purpose of recovering outstanding Food Service debt

School Committee Agenda – June 25, 2014 Page 3

G. To authorize the Director of Finance and Operations to transfer $13,000.00 from the Main Office contingency fund to the appropriate account for the purpose of settling a grievance

XI. DISCUSSION/OTHER COMMUNICATION/OLD AND NEW BUSINESS A. Massachusetts School Building Authority Project Update

XII. EXECUTIVE SESSION XIII. ADJOURNMENT

* ^Enclosure

VII.A.

THE GLOUCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Our mission is for all students to be successful, engaged, lifelong learners.

School Committee Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Superintendent’s Conference Room – District Office 7:00 p.m.

Members Present Administration Present

Jonathan Pope, Chairman Dr. Richard Safier, Superintendent

Melissa Teixeira, Vice Chairperson Gregg Bach, Assistant Superintendent

Kathy Clancy, Secretary Hans Baumhauer, Director of Finance

Tony Gross and Operations

Michelle Sweet Telena Imel, West Parish Principal

Acting Mayor Paul McGeary Matt Fusco, Veterans Principal

__ Recorded by Cape Ann TV I. CALL TO ORDER – Chairman Pope called the meeting to order at 7:06 p.m. and stated the

mission of the Gloucester Public Schools.

II. SALUTE TO THE FLAG

III. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS – None.

IV. COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIRPERSON – None.

V. RECOGNITIONS – Kathy Clancy recognized the O’Maley students who attended the Raytheon “Math Alive!” exhibit ribbon cutting at the Museum of Science for their wonderful behavior and enthusiastic participation. She thanked Raytheon for their hospitality and Representative Ann-Margaret Ferrante, who helped introduce Raytheon to our schools.

Dr. Safier congratulated the Class of 2014 and thanked the administration for their orchestration of the graduation ceremony. He also thanked the teachers for their efforts throughout the year to help bring students to the point of graduation. Ms. Teixeira thanked the administration for their efforts with respect to Scholarship Night, as well.

VI. GHS STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL – Leanne and Sam, co-presidents of the Student Council, introduced themselves and updated the committee on the following events at Gloucester High School: prom, senior events scheduled for next year, baseball, track, class elections, and the new performing arts position.

VII. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approval of Minutes

1. Building & Finance Subcommittee of May 21, 2014

School Committee Meeting Minutes of June 11, 2014 – Page 2 2. School Committee of May 28, 2014 B. Approval of Warrants – Cover Sheets

C. Acceptance of Project Bread Summer Food Service Program Incentive Grants 1. Gloucester High School, $900.00

2. Veterans’ Memorial Elementary School, $900.00

Mr. Gross removed Item B from the Consent Agenda since there are no warrants included in the packet.

On a motion by Ms. Teixeira, seconded by Kathy Clancy, it was unanimously

VOTED: 6 in favor zero opposed, to approve the Consent Agenda as noted above.

VIII. DELIBERATIONS ON EDUCATIONAL ISSUES/SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT A. Veterans’ Memorial and West Parish School Improvement Plans (SIPs) –

Dr. Imel stated that the elementary schools have focused on goals that directly

support the goals of the District Improvement Plan. She noted that the first two goals of the SIPs are the same across all five elementary schools, which are focused on implementation of the standards-based report card and an emphasis on aligning mathematics to the Common Core Standards.

Principal Fusco reviewed Goal 3 of the Veterans’ Memorial SIP, namely

improvement of parent involvement and attendance at PTO and school events. He described an incentive program called the “Eagle Card” where parents will receive prizes for attending a certain number of events.

Dr. Imel reviewed the third goal of the West Parish SIP, namely the fostering of social responsibility in the community and the environment, including the hosting of a bullying awareness presentation, hosting of more parent/family events, and student involvement with community organizations. Dr. Imel reported that the adjustment counselor and psychologist are preparing students emotionally for the transition to St. Ann’s next year.

Finally, Principal Fusco described the activities of the Veterans governance team and the implementation of “peace time” after recess, and Dr. Imel spoke about the

ongoing packing process at West Parish and how hard the teachers are working. She noted that bookcases and storage are going to be one of the challenges at St. Ann’s.

On a motion by Kathy Clancy, seconded by Mr. Gross, it was unanimously VOTED: 6 in favor zero opposed, to accept the Veterans’ Memorial and

West Parish School Improvement Plans.

School Committee Meeting Minutes of June 11, 2014 – Page 3

B. MCAS vs. PARCC – Mr. Bach presented a slide show demonstrating PARCC practice tests, and the committee discussed the following matters:

• Accommodations for special education students

• Online versus paper tests – Dr. Safier stated that elementary students will take papers tests for the next three to five years.

• Developmentally appropriate use of technology – Mr. Bach reported that students were very comfortable with navigating through the PARCC pilot test this year but had trouble typing answers.

• Middle school students who are uncomfortable using a computer having the option to take the test on paper

Dr. Safier reviewed several publications from the DESE regarding PARCC, including information regarding educator evaluation and reporting of data. He noted that in comparing MCAS and PARCC results, the DESE assumes that students will perform similarly on both tests. Mr. Gross disagreed with that assumption, stating that they are totally different tests and students’ scores could be completely different.

Dr. Safier reiterated that the district will be held harmless on its accountability and assistance level and that parents should be notified that since this is a pilot year for PARCC, students may not have the same results that they did on the MCAS. The advantage of that scenario is that if the baseline is slightly lower, the student growth percentile will show larger growth the following year. There was a discussion about the need for DESE to have representative samples to balance the results.

Ms. Teixeira stated that she does not believe a district should be held harmless because there is no accountability. Dr. Safier replied that the PARCC scores will be reported out and the district will see the same data that it sees for MCAS.

Ms. Teixeira questioned whether teachers have concerns about the curriculum being aligned to the PARCC test. Mr. Bach noted that MCAS has shifted over to the same Common Core standards and stated that the teachers’ only concerns related to elementary school students taking the PARCC test online.

Acting Mayor McGeary expressed concern about the psychological and educational impact on high school students who have been taking MCAS all along and then perform poorly on PARCC. Dr. Safier stated that high school students will still be taking MCAS. However, if the DESE switches to PARCC at some point, high school students will be required to take that test. Dr. Safier stated that MCAS results are not part of a student’s record that goes to colleges.

Dr. Safier reiterated that this is a pilot year for PARCC throughout the state. He believes it is important to see what it’s all about and to begin to adjust our instruction more closely to the questions that are being asked. He believes it is the district’s responsibility to seek the expectations and rigor that are being brought forward and to take a chance on raising the bar and stated that the district has an opportunity to begin that process next year while being held harmless. Therefore, Dr. Safier recommended that the district implement PARCC next year for Grades 3 through 8, with the

elementary grades taking it on paper and the middle school grades taking it online.

School Committee Meeting Minutes of June 11, 2014 – Page 4

Chairman Pope reminded the committee that the PARCC pilot program is first come, first served and that the DESE is asking districts to commit by June 30th.

After discussion, on a motion by Chairman Pope, seconded by Kathy Clancy, it was VOTED: By Roll Call Vote

Kathy Clancy – yes Mr. Gross – no

Acting Mayor McGeary – yes Chairman Pope – yes

Ms. Sweet – yes Ms. Teixeira – yes

To adopt the PARCC pilot program for Grades 3 through 8 for the 2014-2015 school year.

Mr. Gross expressed concern that the DESE just instituted a new evaluation system and now the game has been changed for teachers, which is unacceptable to him. He also believes that some students are not able to think that way. He expressed concern that PARCC will create a bigger gap between the “haves” and the “have nots,” and the state is not giving our district anything to help us get there. Mr. Gross also noted that there are twice as many test days for PARCC and pointed out that keyboarding is not taught in any of the schools. Finally, he stated that his lack of support of the motion should not be seen as any lack of confidence in Dr. Safier’s leadership but a lack of confidence in the DESE.

Ms. Teixeira stated that she supported the motion with a lot of reservations. She does not believe every student at O’Maley is on the same level with respect to computer skills, and she is very uncomfortable with the idea that there is no option for taking a test on paper in the pilot year. She also believes implementing a new test next year is adding more pressure to a district that is already overburdened. However, she trusts Dr. Safier’s judgment and therefore supported his recommendation to move forward with PARCC.

Acting Mayor McGeary stated that whatever test the district ends up taking is going to be more focused on the Common Core anyway, and computer skills are a

necessary part of life these days. He believes it is important that the district move toward that kind of environment.

Chairman Pope stated that PARCC is coming our way and to be able to get on board a year early and be held harmless for that year makes sense to him. He noted that the district has many other assessments and the committee will be able to see how

PARCC scores relate to what we know our students can do. We will also have a seat

at the table to comment on the PARCC test. Therefore, he does not see any reason

not to go ahead with it.

School Committee Meeting Minutes of June 11, 2014 – Page 5

Kathy Clancy requested that when the PARCC scores come out, that we are sensitive to the fact that it is a new test and we defend our teachers and what they do every day.

Dr. Safier stated that he does not see the PARCC results having a direct impact on teacher evaluations.

Chairman Pope noted that Jack O’Maley is recovering from hip replacement surgery.

C. BSRI Partnership Report – Mr. Bach stated that the district has an agreement with BSRI to create a joint exploratory committee to look at the needs of the district and the available options with respect to writing and to have a representative group of teachers work with BSRI this summer to come up with a proposal, professional development, and a timeline. He stated that he will report out on that in the fall.

Dr. Safier emphasized that teachers need to be part of the decision-making process and noted that they possess a wealth of knowledge, experience and expertise, which was clearly demonstrated through the process of adopting a new math program.

Dr. Safier reported that BSRI has been running a program that pairs principals and reading coaches between schools. There will be a number of sessions where schools will partner together with BSRI, which reduces the workforce of BSRI coming in and gives our principals and reading coaches an opportunity to have more extensive conversation about the nature of instructional practice. Dr. Safier anticipates this will also provide some savings for the district.

IX. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS – None.

X. ACTION

A. Acceptance of Veterans’ Memorial and West Parish School Improvement Plans – See Item VIII.A.

XI. DISCUSSION/OTHER COMMUNICATION/OLD AND NEW BUSINESS

A. MSBA Project Update – Dr. Safier updated the committee on the following matters with respect to the West Parish project:

• Traffic signage process with Traffic Commission and City Council

• Packing instructions for West Parish teachers

• Increased trash and recycling pickups at West Parish

• Room numbers and square footage at St. Ann’s

• Copier locations and staffing at new West Parish School

• Rehab project at St. Ann’s – completion date between August 1-10

• Modulars

• Interiors Committee – colors of brick

• Existing West Parish time capsule

The committee discussed the appropriate time for a groundbreaking ceremony at

West Parish. Chairman Pope suggested the last day of school.

School Committee Meeting Minutes of June 11, 2014 – Page 6

B. Governance Workshop – After discussion, the workshop was scheduled for Monday, August 11, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. Chairman Pope will ask Dorothy Presser to attend.

C. FY15 Budget – Chairman Pope reported that the City Council voted to increase the school budget by $40,000 and to increase the appropriation for user fees from

$65,000 to $75,000. Acting Mayor McGeary added that the St. Ann’s expenses will be paid by the city.

D. City/School Facilities MOU – Mr. Gross requested that a discussion be held with Acting Mayor McGeary to try to get this agreement signed. Acting Mayor McGeary said he would be happy to do so and indicated that he proposed some language months ago.

XII. EXECUTIVE SESSION – On a motion by Chairman Pope, seconded by Ms. Teixeira, it was unanimously

VOTED: By Roll Call Vote Kathy Clancy – yes Mr. Gross – yes

Acting Mayor McGeary – yes Chairman Pope – yes

Ms. Sweet – yes Ms. Teixeira – yes

To enter into Executive Session at 9:00 p.m. for the purpose of discussing salary increases for non-union personnel, contract negotiations, and settlement of a grievance and to enter back into regular session for the purpose of

adjournment only.

XIII. ADJOURNMENT – On a motion by Mr. Gross, seconded by Chairman Pope, it was unanimously

VOTED: 6 in favor zero opposed, to adjourn the School Committee Meeting of June 11, 2014 at 9:39 p.m.

All reference documents and reports are filed in the Superintendent’s office.

Maria Puglisi

Recording Secretary

K  –  5  Assessment  Data  Review  

School  Commi7ee  Mee9ng  

June  25,  2014  

DIBELS  Measures  

Basic  Early  Literacy  Skill  

•  Phonemic  Awareness  

–  First  Sound  Fluency  (FSF)*  

–  Phoneme  Segmenta9on  Fluency  (PSF)  

•  Alphabe9c  Principle  and  Basic  Phonics  

–  Nonsense  Word  Fluency  

•  Correct  Le7er  Sounds  (CLS)  

•  Whole  Words  Read  (WWR)*  

•  Advanced  Phonics  and  Word  A7ack  Skills  

–  DIBELS  Oral  Reading  Fluency  (DORF)  

•  Accuracy*  

Using  DIBELS  with  an  outcomes-­‐driven  model.  

Iden9fy  the  Need   for  Support  

Validate  the  Need   for  Support  

     Plan  Support    

         Evaluate      Effec9veness        of  Support  

Review  Outcomes  

Implement   Support  

Benchmark  Assessment  

Progress  Monitoring  

Benchmark  Assessment  

Descrip2on  of  the  PSF  Measure    

•  The  PSF  measure  assesses  a  student's  ability  to  segment   three-­‐  and  four-­‐phoneme  words  into  their  individual  

phonemes  fluently.  The  PSF  measure  has  been  found  to  be   a  good  predictor  of  later  reading  achievement  (

Kaminski  &  Good,  1996).  The  PSF  task  is  administered  by   the  examiner  orally  presen9ng  words  of  three  to  four  

phonemes.  It  requires  the  student  to  produce  verbally  the   individual  phonemes  for  each  word.  For  example,  the  

examiner  says  "sat,"  and  the  student  says  "/s/  /a/  /t/"  to   receive  three  possible  points  for  the  word.  Aeer  the  

student  responds,  the  examiner  presents  the  next  word,  

and  the  number  of  correct  phonemes  produced  in  one  

minute  determines  the  final  score.    

Kindergarten-­‐  Phoneme  Segmenta9on  Fluency  

(PSF)      

Descrip2on  of  the  NWF  Measure    

•  The  student  is  presented  an  8.5"  x  11"  sheet  of  paper  with  

randomly  ordered  VC  and  CVC  nonsense  words  (e.g.,  sig,  rav,  ov)   and  asked  to  produce  verbally  the  individual  le7er  sound  of  each   le7er  or  verbally  produce,  or  read,  the  whole  nonsense  word.  For   example,  if  the  s9mulus  word  is  "vab"  the  student  could  say  /v/  / a/  /b/  or  say  the  word  /vab/  to  obtain  a  total  of  three  le7er-­‐sounds   correct.  The  student  is  allowed  1  minute  to  produce  as  many  le7er-­‐

sounds  as  he/she  can,  and  the  final  score  is  the  number  of  le7er-­‐

sounds  produced  correctly  in  one  minute.  Because  the  measure  is  

fluency  based,  students  should  receive  a  higher  score  if  they  are  

phonologically  recoding  the  word,  as  they  will  be  more  efficiently  

producing  the  le7er  sounds,  and  receive  a  lower  score  if  they  are  

providing  le7er  sounds  in  isola9on.  The  intent  of  this  measure  is  

that  students  are  able  to  read  unfamiliar  words  as  whole  words,  

not  just  name  le7er  sounds  as  fast  as  they  can.    

Kindergarten  –  Nonsense  Word  Fluency  -­‐    

Correct  Le7er  Sounds  (NWF-­‐CLS)  

1 ^st  Grade  –  Nonsense  Word  Fluency  -­‐  Correct     Le7er  Sounds  (NWF-­‐CLS)  

1 ^st  Grade  –  Nonsense  Word  Fluency  -­‐  Whole  

Words  Read  (NWF-­‐WWR)  

Descrip2on  of  the  ORF  Measure    

•  ORF  is  a  standardized  set  of  passages  and  

administra9on  procedures  designed  to  (a)  iden9fy   children  who  may  need  addi9onal  instruc9onal  

support,  and  (b)  monitor  progress  toward  instruc9onal   goals.  The  passages  are  calibrated  for  the  goal  level  of   reading  for  each  grade  level.  Student  performance  is   measured  by  having  students  read  a  passage  aloud  for   one  minute.  Words  omi7ed,  subs9tuted,  and  

hesita9ons  of  more  than  three  seconds  are  scored  as  

errors.  Words  self-­‐corrected  within  three  seconds  are  

scored  as  accurate.  The  number  of  correct  words  per  

minute  from  the  passage  is  the  oral  reading  fluency  

score.    

1st  Grade  -­‐  Oral  Reading  Fluency  -­‐  Words   Correct  (DORF-­‐Words  Correct)    

DORF  Histogram  

1 ^st  Grade  -­‐  Oral  Reading  Fluency  -­‐  Accuracy  

(DORF-­‐Accuracy)    

2 ^nd  Grade  -­‐  Oral  Reading  Fluency  -­‐  Words   Correct  (DORF-­‐Words  Correct)    

DORF  Histogram  

2 ^nd  Grade  -­‐  Oral  Reading  Fluency  -­‐  Accuracy  

(DORF-­‐Accuracy)    

3rd  Grade  -­‐  DIBELS  Oral  Reading  Fluency  -­‐  

Words  Correct  (DORF-­‐Words  Correct)    

3rd  Grade  -­‐  DIBELS  Oral  Reading  Fluency  -­‐  Accuracy   (DORF-­‐Accuracy)    

4th  Grade  -­‐   DIBELS  Oral  Reading  Fluency  -­‐  Words  Correct    

(DORF-­‐Words  Correct)    

  4th  Grade  –  DIBELS  Oral  Reading  Fluency  -­‐  Accuracy  (DORF-­‐

Accuracy)    

  5th  Grade  –   DIBELS  Oral  Reading  Fluency  -­‐  Words   Correct  (DORF-­‐Words  Correct)  

  5th  Grade  –   DIBELS  Oral  Reading  Fluency  -­‐  Accuracy   (DORF-­‐Accuracy)    

DIBELS  Composite  Summaries   2013-­‐2014  

•  Kindergarten  

•  1 ^st  Grade  

•  2 ^nd  Grade  

•  3 ^rd  Grade  

•  4 ^th  Grade  

•  5 ^th  Grade  

Notable  Individual  School  

Indicators  -­‐  DIBELs  

  Kindergarten  –   DIBELS  Phoneme  Segmenta9on  

Fluency  PSF  –  East  Gloucester  

  Kindergarten  –   DIBELS  Phoneme  Segmenta9on  

Fluency  PSF  –  Veterans  

  Kindergarten  –   Nonsense  Word  Fluency  -­‐  Correct   Le7er  Sounds  (NWF-­‐CLS)    -­‐    EGS  

  Kindergarten  –   Nonsense  Word  Fluency  -­‐  Correct  

Le7er  Sounds  (NWF-­‐CLS)    -­‐    Plum  Cove    

  Kindergarten  –   Nonsense  Word  Fluency  -­‐  Correct  

Le7er  Sounds  (NWF-­‐CLS)    -­‐    W.  Parish    

  1 ^st  Grade  –   DIBELS  Nonsense  Word  Fluency  -­‐  Correct  

Le7er  Sounds  (NWF-­‐CLS)  –  East  Gloucester  

  1 ^st  Grade  –   DIBELS  Nonsense  Word  Fluency  -­‐  Correct  

Le7er  Sounds  (NWF-­‐CLS)  –  Plum  Cove  

  1 ^st  Grade  –   DIBELS  Nonsense  Word  Fluency  -­‐  Correct  

Le7er  Sounds  (NWF-­‐CLS)  –  W.  Parish  

  1 ^st  Grade  –   DIBELS  Nonsense  Word  Fluency  –  Whole  

Words  Read  (NWF-­‐WWR)  –  Beeman  

  1 ^st  Grade  –   DIBELS  Nonsense  Word  Fluency  –  Whole  

Words  Read  (NWF-­‐WWR)  –  East  Gloucester  

  1 ^st  Grade  –   DIBELS  Nonsense  Word  Fluency  –  Whole  

Words  Read  (NWF-­‐WWR)  –  Plum  Cove  

  1 ^st  Grade  –   DIBELS  Nonsense  Word  Fluency  –  Whole  

Words  Read  (NWF-­‐WWR)  –  West  Parish  

1st  Grade  -­‐  Oral  Reading  Fluency  -­‐  Words  

Correct  (DORF-­‐Words  Correct)  –  W.  Parish  

  2nd  Grade  –   DIBELS  Oral  Reading  Fluency  (DORF-­‐

Words  Correct  –  East  Gloucester  

  2nd  Grade  –   DIBELS  Oral  Reading  Fluency  (DORF-­‐

Words  Correct  –  Plum  Cove  

  3rd  Grade  –   DIBELS  Oral  Reading  Fluency  (DORF-­‐

Words  Correct  –  East  Gloucester  

  4th  Grade  –   DIBELS  Oral  Reading  Fluency  (DORF-­‐

Words  Correct  –  Beeman  

  5th  Grade  –   DIBELS  Oral  Reading  Fluency  (DORF-­‐

Words  Correct  –  Beeman  

  5th  Grade  –   DIBELS  Oral  Reading  Fluency  (DORF-­‐

Words  Correct  –  East  Gloucester  

GRADE  Results  

Group  Reading  Assessment  and  

Diagnos9c  Evalua9on  

GRADE  Subtests  

•  Pre-­‐reading  

–  Visual  Skills,  Concepts  

•  Reading  Readiness  

–  Phonological  Awareness,  Early  Literacy  Skills,  Phoneme-­‐Grapheme  

•  Vocabulary  

–  Word  Reading,  Word  Meaning,  Vocabulary  

•  Comprehension  

–  Sentence  Comprehension,  Passage  Comprehension  

•  Oral  Language  

–  Listening  Comprehension  

2012-­‐14  District  G1  -­‐  GRADE  

2012-­‐14  District  G2  -­‐  GRADE  

2012-­‐14  District  G3  -­‐  GRADE  

2012-­‐14  District  G4  -­‐  GRADE  

2012-­‐14  District  G5  -­‐  GRADE  

Individual  School  Results  –  All  

Grades  

Beeman  –  GRADE  –  All  

Listed  Grade  1  –  5  Fall,  1  –  5  Spring  

E.  Gloucester  –  GRADE  –  All  

Listed  Grade  1  –  5  Fall,  1  –  5  Spring  

1  

2  

3  

4  

5  

1  

2  

3  

4  

5  

Plum  Cove  –  GRADE  –  All  

Listed  Grade  1  –  5  Fall,  1  –  5  Spring  

Veterans’  –  GRADE  –  All  

Listed  Grade  1  –  5  Fall,  1  –  5  Spring  

W.  Parish  –  GRADE  –  All  

Listed  Grade  1  –  5  Fall,  1  –  5  Spring  

Notable  Individual  School  Results  

Beeman  G1-­‐  GRADE  

Veterans  G1-­‐  GRADE  

Plum  Cove  G1-­‐  GRADE  

Beeman  G2-­‐  GRADE  

EGS  G2-­‐  GRADE  

Plum  Cove  G2-­‐  GRADE  

Vets  G2-­‐  GRADE  

West  Parish  G3  -­‐  GRADE  

Beeman  G4  -­‐  GRADE  

Plum  Cove  G4  -­‐  GRADE  

Veterans  G4  -­‐  GRADE  

Beeman  G5  -­‐  GRADE  

Plum  Cove  G5  -­‐  GRADE  

Veterans  G5  -­‐  GRADE  

  1  

VIII.C.

The Gloucester Public Schools

Our mission is for all students to be successful, lifelong learners

Report of the Superintendent of Schools

School Committee Meeting June 25, 2014

1. Update on PARCC - MCAS Choice in 2015

As part of the state's two-year "test drive" of PARCC, school districts and charter schools are choosing whether to administer PARCC or MCAS to students in spring 2015.

Decisions made by the first deadline of June 30 are binding. Other districts must select by October 1, the final deadline. As of June 20, a total of 127 districts or charter schools with students in grades 3-8 have made a decision, with 56% choosing PARCC and 44%

choosing MCAS.

As for the MCAS graduation requirement, at least through the Class of 2018, all grade 10 students are required to continue to take and pass three MCAS tests (English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science and Technology/Engineering) in order to meet the state's high school graduation requirement.

2. Update to Model Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan

DESE has updated its Model Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan to reflect changes to the anti-bullying statute (G.L. c. 71, §370) that resulted from the signing of Chapter 86 of the Acts of 2014 in April. As amended, the law requires school districts to:

(1) "recognize" in their bullying prevention and intervention plans that certain categories of students may be more vulnerable to being targets of bullying based on actual or perceived differentiating characteristics; (2) notify parents and guardians of targets of bullying of the availability of the DESE’s problem resolution system and assist parents and guardians in understanding the problem resolution process; and (3) administer a Department-developed student survey at least once every four years to assess "school climate and the prevalence, nature and severity of bullying in schools."

The amendments to the anti-bullying statute also require school districts to collect and report the following data to the Department: the number of reported allegations of bullying or retaliation; the number and nature of substantiated incidents of bullying and retaliation; the number of students disciplined for engaging in bullying or retaliation, and other information required by the Department. The Department has posted the updated Model Plan, which contains new language highlighted in yellow for easy reference, at http://www.doe.mass.edu/bullying/.

  2   3. Update on Student Discipline

As a reminder, the discipline-related provisions of Chapter 222 of the Acts of 2012 take effect July 1, 2104. The Student Discipline Regulations, 603 CMR 53.00, approved by the Board at its April meeting, are also effective in July. The Department has created a Student Discipline web page, located at http://www.doe.mass.edu/ssce/discipline/, to provide schools with resources and information related to the implementation of the law.

DESE will provide additional guidance to school administrators and a Frequently Asked Questions document on this page in the coming weeks.

Among the resources that the DESE is providing are the following:

• A High School Exit Intervention Model Protocol which includes all of the required exit interview steps described in Chapter 222. The model protocol expands beyond the statute requirements and also describes additional best practices garnered from Massachusetts schools and nationally.

• An Impact of Dropping Out Student Flyer, a brief resource that can be shared with students and their families as part of the exit intervention process to share the potential negative impacts of dropping out of high school.

• An Impact of Dropping Out Staff Resources Summary which provides a summary of research findings on the impacts of dropping out, listed by the following categories: personal income and employment, economy, crime, literacy, health, and family formation. Following the summary of findings is a listing of references.

4. June Leadership Retreat

On Thursday and Friday of this week, the Leadership Team will be holding its first of two retreats this summer. In addition to our ongoing work on the evaluation system, we will be covering some of the topics listed above. Topics for discussion include:

• Attendance procedures and the work of the attendance officer with administration;

• A review of the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan;

• Student Discipline in relation to Chapter 222;

• Investigations—policies and procedures

• Contract updates and evaluation instrument changes

• Second Step—full implementation of the social and emotional curriculum.

  3   With respect to the evaluation system, we will be focusing on establishing “priority rubrics”. These priority rubrics would concentrate the work of the district to those instances which not only highlighted skills associated with, say, curriculum, instruction, and assessment, etc. but also with promoting reflective practice in each and every educator—teacher or administrator. Quite simply, we want educators to discuss their practice: what works; what requires modification; why they might continue or modify what they do; and, how evidence impacts on this reflective process.

5. Machinery from North Shore Regional Vocational

In an email dated June 18, 2014 from David Sommerville, a Machine Instructor at the Essex Technical High School (and forwarded by School Committee Member Melissa Teixeira), he indicated that Gloucester High School will be receiving the following tools for its machine shop: 2 saws, 4 mills, and 5 lathes.

6. Public Relations Committee

Over the course of the last three months, a parent public relations committee has been formed. This group of parents would like to assist the district in promoting the schools.

Subcommittees have formed which are currently considering the following:

• Public Relations—this group will reach out to the publicists at each school to assist in highlighting the activities of the schools and the group will monitor what is presented in the press;

• Presentations at Elementary Schools by O’Maley by staff and/or students, and Coffees for Parents at O’Maley—this subcommittee wants to introduce elementary school parents to the middle school as early as possible, and they would like elementary students to see firsthand what is taking place at O’Maley;

• High School Visits and Presentations for Grade 7 Students—there is a feeling that outreach for students going from the middle to the high school requires that we start early and get Grade 7 students involved;

• Promoting an Understanding of the High School and Outreach Efforts—similarly, the committee would like to reach out to parents and the community to further their understanding of the many options for students at the high school;

• Elementary School Open Houses for Preschool Parents

• Sponsoring of Gardening Clubs at O’Maley—this, obviously, will be an attempt to beautify the grounds at O’Maley

There have also been a number of proposals involving graduates returning to both the high school and the middle school to discuss their college and career experiences, and an alumni college fair

7. Gloucester U. Summer Program

  4   Gloucester High School Students, including next year’s Grade 9 students, can now register for the Gloucester U. Summer Program. Course begin on July 7, and there are many different offerings such as:

• Entrepreneur Boot-Camp, in collaboration with the HIVE;

• Sailing Gloucester Harbor;

• Becoming a Peaceful Warrior;

• Grade 9 Transition Program;

• Drama Workshop ;

• Read, Write Anywhere

• Mass Audubon Ipswich Sanctuary Program;

• Career Readiness

• Cape Ann Museum & Gloucester U: Historical Tours of Downtown Gloucester;

• Artists Way;

• Calligraphy;

• Yoga; and,

• The Greenhouse Initiative

Gloucester U is developed and designed to offer more learning opportunities for Gloucester High School students and new Grade 9 students. The goal of the grant-funded program is to assist our students in improving academic performance and ignite a desire in them to be successful in the future and to become “21st century navigators.”

Instructed by teachers and professionals in our community, the high-quality and hands-on

series of courses are designed for small groups of students and offer the opportunity to

heighten their achievement, skills in critical thinking, and strengthen links between peers,

our community, home, and school.

Gloucester Public Elementary Schools

Student Handbook

2014-2015

Kids Shine Brightly

At Beeman!

Contents

Introduction ... Page 1

Gloucester Public Schools Contact Information ... Page 2

General Information ... Page 3-5

Policies and Procedures ... Page 6-15

School Behavior and Discipline ... Page 16-21

Bullying Policy ... Page 22-27

Special Education Students ... Page 28-29

MCAS Testing Schedule ... Page 30

Bus Transportation Policies & Procedures ... Page 31-34

Title IX Policy ... Page 35

Harassment Policy ... Page 36-39

Homeless Student Policy ... Page 39

Physical Restraint………..Page 40

Internet Acceptable Use Policy ... Page 41-44

Tobacco Policy ... Page 45

Signature Page ... Page 46

2014-2015 District School Calendar ... Back Cover

1

Introduction

Welcome to the Gloucester Public Elementary Schools. This handbook serves as a common document for all five GPS elementary schools. Each school will add custom inserts at the beginning of the year that will contain, among other things:

• Principal’s Welcome Message

• School Mission Statement

• Detailed Contact Information

• PTO Information

Our District mission is for all our students to be successful, engaged, life-long learners, and we expect to achieve this through a school system that engages in an active partnership with families and the community, is proactive in honoring diversity and meets the academic, physical, social, and emotional developmental needs of all our students.

We are proud to serve our educational community, and look forward to a fulfilling year ahead.

Sincerely,

The Principals of the Gloucester Public Elementary Schools:

Ellen Sibley – Beeman Memorial School Carol Bratt – East Gloucester School Tammy Morgan – Plum Cove School

Matthew Fusco – Veterans’ Memorial School

Telena Imel – West Parish School

2

THE GLOUCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS GENERAL INFORMATION

Beeman Memorial 978-281-9825 978-282-3011 (fax) 138 Cherry St.

East Gloucester Elementary 978-281-9830 978-281-9864 (fax) 8 Davis St. Extension

Plum Cove 978-282-3030 978-282-3006 (fax)

15 Hickory St.

Veterans’ Memorial 978-281-9820 978-281-9717 (fax) 11 Webster St.

West Parish 978-281-9835 978-281-9886 (fax)

60 Pleasant St.

Central Office

Superintendent Dr. Richard Safier 978-281-9800

Asst. Supt. of Teaching and Learning Gregg Bach 978-281-9833 Director of Special Education Patricia Wegmann 978-281-9804

Bus Transportation

Kathy Verga 978-282-3001

Food Services

Philip Padulsky 978-281-9818

School Committee

Jonathan Pope, Chairperson 978-283-2546

Melissa Joy Teixeira, Vice Chairperson 978-281-1101

Kathleen Clancy, Secretary 978-283-4731

Anthony Gross 978-281-5593

Mayor Carolyn Kirk 978-281-9700

John “Jack” O’Maley 978-281-1434

Michelle Sweet 978-283-3620

Dr. Richard Safier, Superintendent 978-281-9800

3 GENERAL INFORMATION

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Conferences with teachers are easily arranged by a phone call to the school, or by a note to the teacher.

Conference times are best held before or after school when the teacher does not have to interrupt classroom responsibilities.

There are Early Release Days scheduled for October 23

for the purpose of parent/teacher conferences. Evening conference times will be available November 4

. Sign-ups for the fall conferences will be available at each school’s Open House in September. There will also be one early release day on March 12

for a conference, which may be requested by the parent or teacher.

Report Cards

Term Ends December 6

/Report cards go home December 13

Term Ends March 7

/Report cards go home March 14

Report Cards go home on the last day of school Lunches

The Gloucester School Lunch Program sent out a calendar for the entire year, and additional copies may be requested at your school’s office. Menus are available online at http://www.gloucesterschools.com/administration/food-services. The Gloucester Daily Times also publishes the menu for the week ahead, usually in the Wednesday paper. It is expected that all meals will be paid for either prior to or before they are taken.

The Food Services Director, Philip Padulsky, would like to work with parents and welcomes comments and suggestions from families. He may be reached by phone at 281-9818 or e-mail, [email protected].

Elementary Breakfast and Lunch prices The costs of Food Service are:

Full Price Breakfast $1.20 Reduced Breakfast $0.30

Full Price Lunch $2.90 Reduced Lunch $0.40

8 oz. Milk $0.75

Free and reduced Price Benefit Applications are sent home with your child at the beginning of

each year and are available online. Please fill it out and return it immediately to your school. In

addition to reduced price or free meals, you may be eligible for much more. Each approved

application benefits the school district by improving our grant standing and making more

services available. You can apply throughout the year. All information is kept confidential.

4 Gloucester Public Schools Meal Payment Policy

The Gloucester Public School District seeks to administer a fiscally sound, self-supportive School Food Service Program across the district. In doing so it shall offer low and competitive pricing for breakfast and lunch. Pricing shall be approved by the School Committee.

The Gloucester Public Schools utilizes a computerized cash register system that assigns each student an account, tracks his/her sales, and accepts prepayments.

Gloucester Public Schools shall not deny any child a meal based on inability to pay. A meal, composed of standard menu options, as defined by the USDA, will be available to all students.

In the event of non-payment, Gloucester Public Schools will endeavor to collect all outstanding balances. If after due course payment is not forthcoming, legal action will be taken.

Extra Help

Teachers are available one day after school each week to provide extra help for students who may need it. Talk with your child’s teacher if you have concerns about how your child is doing.

Playground Rules

Students must stay within the designated playground area. Fighting, pushing, profanity, disrespect or activities that would be harmful to other children are not permitted. If verbal warnings and other measures are not sufficient, a Student Behavior Report will be sent home to parents. Repeated notices will require intervention from the principal who will take whatever action is necessary to ensure a safe playground. (See School Behavior and Discipline for more information).

Electronic Devices/Games

Students should not bring to school i-Pods, cell phones, Game Boys or other electronic toys or video games. Certain toys, such as hard balls, bats and expensive toys (i.e., radios) are prohibited.

Art, Music and Physical Education Programs

All students in grades K-5 will receive a minimum of 2 music periods, 2 P.E. periods and 1 art period weekly with the specialist.

Lost and Found

If possessions are lost, please have child inquire at the office. To avoid amassing large quantities of lost articles, please label the child’s belongings with his/her name and classroom.

Dress Code

There is no formal dress code, but as in the past, parents are asked to show good judgment in helping

their child choose appropriate clothing for comfort and safety. During the warm months students may

wear shorts as long as they are at an appropriate length. Beachwear, including flip-flops, spaghetti

straps and halter-tops, should not be worn. Sneakers are always acceptable for active play and must

be worn on your child’s physical education days.

5 School or Classroom Celebrations

Treats for school and classroom celebrations, such as birthdays, should be scheduled through the classroom teacher. Due to an increasing number of students with life threatening food and nut allergies, as well as students with special dietary needs, any food for classroom distribution must be nut free and be approved by the school nurse. According to the district’s wellness policy and the Gloucester Health Department, only individually wrapped foods, with ingredients listed on the labels may be sent in.

Birthdays

If you are planning a party outside of school, we ask that you please handle the invitations outside of school or in the following manner: 1) invitations for all students in a class, 2) invitations for all boys in a class, or 3) invitations for all girls in a class. Due to privacy and confidentiality requirements the school will not be able to provide addresses or phone numbers.

Document Translation

A verbal translation can be provided of all documents being sent home in English, if requested. If you need any announcement, counseling materials, notice of extra curricular activities or any other school document translated into your native language, please call Leslie Guthrie, 978-281-9884 or Special Education Director, Patricia Wegmann, 978-281-9804

Español Estimos Padres: Si Uds. necesitan algún anuncio, material de cosejeria, avisos de actvidades extracurriculares o cualquier otro documento traducido a su propio idioma, por favor llamen a Leslie Guthrie, 978-281-9884 o Director de Educación Especial, Patricia Wegmann, 978-281-9804

Italiano Gentili Genitori: Se avete bisogno di tradurre documenti in italiano che reguardano annuci, materiale d’aiuto, informazioni sulle attivita extracurriculari o altri documenti scolastici per favore chiamate Leslie Guthrie, 978-281-9884 o Istruzione Direttore Speciale, Patricia Wegmann, 978-281- 9804

Portuguese Caros Pais/As Pessoas Responsaveis: Se voces precisarenm de um tradução, avisos, ou materias de conselhar, notices de actividadies de curriculo, ou mais notices informações de escolar, fazan favor de telefonor Leslie Guthrie, 978-281-9884 Diretor de Educação Especial, Patricia Wegmann, 978-281-9804

Gifts to School Personnel

While the faculty has appreciated the generosity of students and parents in the past, we would like to encourage the practice of giving gifts to one of the many non-profit organizations that support our district's educational endeavors. Contributions to such organizations, in the name of the teacher or school, would be greatly appreciated. The following are examples of non-profit organizations:

Gloucester Education Foundation, Gloucester Fisherman's Athletic Association, Gloucester School

Connection, Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center, and the Gloucester Public Schools/Name of

Individual School.

6 POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

ELEMENTARY ATTENDANCE POLICY

A. ATTENDANCE - Grades 1 – 5

The Gloucester Public Schools recognizes the importance of attendance and its relationship to academic success. Numerous studies show that even a few days of missed school can result in lower test scores and other difficulties in school. We need the help of every family in our school community to ensure that a consistent education is provided to all of our students.

Massachusetts General Law Chapter 76, Section 2 states that it is the duty of parents/guardians to assure that children attend school regularly. The statute defines regularly as no more than 7 standard absences and 14 half days in any six-month period. Additionally, M.G.L. c. 119, § 21 (a.k.a. Child Requiring Assistance (“CRA”) and formerly known as “CHINS”) states that the school district may file a CRA petition when a student is habitually truant. The statute defines “habitually truant” as a school-aged child, not excused under the lawful and reasonable regulations of the school for more than eight (8) days in a quarter.

NOTIFICATION OF ABSENCES (M.G.L. Chapter 76 §2)

The parents or guardians of each pupil shall, annually, at the commencement of each school year be sent a notice instructing them to call a designated telephone number at a designated time to inform the school of the absence of a pupil and the reason therefore. Said notice shall also require such parent or guardian to furnish the school with a home, work, or other emergency telephone number where they can be contacted during the school day. If a pupil is absent, and the school has not been notified by the designated time, the school shall call the telephone number or numbers furnished to inquire about said absence.

ABSENT FROM SCHOOL

The Gloucester Schools recognize that children are sometimes sick and should stay at home for their benefit and the benefit of others. For this reason, we allow up to 15 days of absence before taking more significant action. Absences designated as Urgent/Medical (detailed below) will not count toward this maximum of 15 absences, but all others will. All guidelines below are subject to Principal’s discretion.

Absence (Standard) counts toward maximum total of 15

• Common illness not requiring hospitalization or emergency care

• Scheduled doctor’s appointments

• Dentist appointments

• Family vacations

• Family gatherings

Absence (Urgent/Medical) does not count toward maximum total

• Absence requiring emergency/urgent medical care (may require doctor’s note indicating that treatment could not take place outside of the school day)

• Death in the family

• Religious holiday

• Required court appearance

7 District/school actions to address standard absenteeism:

1. After 6

day absent per year, parent/guardian receives notification letter.

2. After 8

day absent per year, parent/guardian conference requested.

3. After 10

day absent per year, parent/guardian required to attend parent

information/training night, to be held at a central District location. The purpose of the information sessions will be to share information regarding the linkage between attendance and academic performance.

4. After 15

day absent per year, school or district staff may take action including petitioning the Court for remedy and/or filing with the Department of Children and Families.

5. After 20

day absent per school year, student may be considered for repeat of grade based on academic readiness.

Except in the case of excused late arrivals and early dismissals, a student absent from school will not be eligible to participate in any after school activity on the day of the absence (subject to discretion of principal).

Students are entirely responsible for making up work missed during their absences. Students must make up work on the teacher’s designated additional assistance day or at some other prearranged time (this may include recess or other non-academic time).

B. TARDINESS

Promptness to school is very important for your child and for every child in a classroom. A few minutes late for a parent seem insignificant, but a few minutes late for a child means that he or she disrupts the flow of the classroom and also find themselves behind the rest of the students until he or she catches up. Continued, daily interruptions like this adversely impact all children in a classroom.

A student is considered tardy after the opening times stated under school hours. If a student arrives after the starting time, an adult must accompany the student to the office to sign the student in.

Students arriving to school three hours after the start of school (which is more than half the day) will be marked as TA (tardy-absent) and will not receive credit for the day. Tardy-absences apply toward the maximum 15 absences per year.

District/school actions to address tardiness:

1. After 6

day tardy per year, parent/guardian receives notification letter.

2. After 8

day tardy per year, parent/guardian conference required.

3. After 15

day tardy per year, parent/guardian required to attend parent

information/training night, to be held at a central District location. The purpose of the

information sessions will be to share information regarding the linkage between

attendance and academic performance.