* * * ** SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING

The GLOUCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

2 Blackburn Drive Tel: 978-281-9800

Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930 Fax: 978-281-9899 www.gloucesterschools.com

SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETING

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 7:00 pm

District Office – Conference Room 2 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930

AGENDA

Meetings are recorded I. CALL TO ORDER/Statement of Mission

II. SALUTE TO THE FLAG

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IV. COMMENTS FROM THE CHAIRPERSON

V. RECOGNITIONS Promotional Videos – Gloucester High School VI. GHS STUDENT ADVISORY COUNCIL

VII. CONSENT AGENDA

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1. Program Sub-Committee of March 1, 2018 2. Program Sub-Committee of March 19, 2018

3. Building & Finance Sub-Committee of March 22, 2018 4. School Committee of March 22, 2018

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School Committee Meeting Agenda – May 9, 2018 Page 2

VIII. DELIBERATIONS ON EDUCATIONAL ISSUES/SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT

A. Access to and Regulation of Information/Sites on the Internet

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C. Coordinated Program Review Progress Reports Update

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

X. ACTION

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1. Gloucester Education Foundation in the amount of $13,192.00 XI. DISCUSSION/OTHER COMMUNICATION/OLD AND NEW BUSINESS

A. Massachusetts School Building Authority Project Update B. End-of-Year Calendar of Events

GHS

5/24/18 @ 7 pm Academic Recognition Night 6/1/18 @ 5:30 pm Grand Promenade

6/8/18 @ 7 pm Senior Award Night 6/10/19 @ 1:30 pm Graduation

O’Maley

6/19/18 @ 9:30 am Grade 8 Closing Ceremony Beeman

6/7/18 @ 5 pm Demonstration Night East Gloucester

6/7/18 @ 9 am Spring Concert 6/12/18 @ 5:30 pm Farewell

6/14/18 @ 5 pm Gr. 1 Celebration Plum Cove

6/8/18 @ 9 am Spring Concert, Grades 3, 4, and 5

School Committee Meeting Agenda – May 9, 2018 Page 3

Continued . . . Veterans’

5/23/18 & 5/24/18 @ 6 pm School House Rock, Jr.

West Parish

5/24/18 @ 5 pm Celebration of Learning C. Gift for the Top 5% of the Class of 2018

XII. ADJOURNMENT

The listing of matters is those reasonably anticipated by the Chair which may be discussed at the meeting.

Not all items may in fact be discussed and other items not listed may also be brought up for discussion to the extent permitted by law. Action items may include motions that come out of sub-committees.

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For items that are on the agenda, members of the public may address the Committee with the permission of the Chair. Persons speaking under Oral Communications shall be limited to three (3) minutes each and shall submit a copy of their prepared communication to the Recording Secretary. The School Committee Chair shall not allow complaints as to individual performance or character.

VII.A.1.

THE GLOUCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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

Program Subcommittee Meeting Minutes

Thursday, March 1, 2018 District Office Conference Room 2 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930

5:00 p.m.

Members Present Administration Present

Kathy Clancy, Chairperson Dr. Richard Safier, Superintendent Michelle Sweet, Vice Chairperson Gregg Bach, Asst. Superintendent

Joel Favazza Martha Jo Fleming, Food Service Director

Cindy Juncker, Nurse Leader

_________________________________________________________________________________

I. CALL TO ORDER – Chairperson Clancy called the meeting to order at 5:12 p.m. and stated the mission of the Gloucester Public Schools. Everyone present introduced themselves.

II. REPORTS/DELIBERATIONS/DISCUSSION

A. Review of Wellness Policy – Caroline Enos requested that the School Committee make an amendment to the Wellness Policy that would allow the Student Council to sell snacks at the school store for at least part of the lunch periods at the high school.

She read a statement by the GHS Student Council and the Class of 2018 (see attached).

Ms. Fleming reported that the Wellness Policy went into effect in 2010, which states that there will be no food sold by any fundraiser or store during school breakfast or lunch hours. She noted that the policy was approved again in 2014 and 2017.

Ms. Fleming reported that she had conversations with Mr. Cook last year and he decided to let the store operate last year. However, the store was supposed to be closed at the beginning of this school year. Ms. Fleming stated that she sent an email to Mr. Cook on September 14, 2017 informing him that the store was open, and he indicated he thought it had been closed. She spoke to him again on October 26, 2017, and he again thought it had been closed, at which time he started to enforce the

policy. Ms. Fleming expressed frustration that the Wellness Policy was put into place eight years ago and that time could have been used to come up with another type of fundraiser.

Ms. Fleming stated that there is a nutritional aspect as well as a financial aspect to allowing the school store to operate. She indicated that there is about $6,500 in debt that was forgiven for students who now receive free lunch, which needs to be

reimbursed to food service department by the School Committee budget. There is

Program Subcommittee Minutes of March 1, 2018 – Page 2

also over $13,000 in student debt. Regardless of whether the store is open, the food service department is required to be self-sustaining and any debt must be repaid by the School Committee budget.

Ms. Fleming reported that she is doing everything she can to increase food service sales and indicated that the “snack shop” in the cafeteria is part of the food service program. She also reviewed the makeup of the Wellness Committee and stated that all of the information regarding the obesity epidemic and the impact of a school store was taken into consideration by the committee, whose members believe that having a school store that sells snacks is not in the best interests of our students.

Ms. Juncker indicated that the Wellness Committee is trying to make sure that students get a nutritious meal while they are in school because they may not have access to nutritious food at home. She suggested that the school store could sell things other than food and drinks. Ms. Enos indicated that they also sell class t-shirts but people do not buy them. She stated that they also thought about adding other products, but DECA has its own store where they sell school supplies and other non- food items and the Student Council does not want to compete with them.

Henry Hardy indicated that all of the foods the school store sells are “up to the standards.” Ms. Fleming stated that just because a snack is less than 200 calories and has the right amount of sugar, etc. does not mean it is a nutritious snack. She noted that the cafeteria sells less nutritious snacks such as chips at higher prices to try to get students to spend less money on nutritious snacks such as fruit.

Ms. Fleming suggested having a bake sale on a weekend at one of the local grocery stores, where the students could make $500 to $1,000. Ms. Juncker reminded the students that the Wellness Committee also suggested selling snacks and drinks after school to the athletes and others who are going to be staying after school.

Ms. Juncker also noted that Ms. Puglisi researched other ideas for fundraisers, including talent or fashion shows, yard sales, can and bottle drives, trivia

competitions, car washes, gift wrapping, coupon books, etc. Mr. Hardy stated that those are short-term fundraisers which will not bring in the amount of money that they received from the school store. Ms. Enos stated that they do want to look into other fundraisers, but it is hard to have a constant stream of income coming in.

Gabriella Machado reported that there is a fundraising calendar so that there is no overlapping of fundraisers. Therefore, most of the dates have already been pre- booked.

Ms. Fleming reviewed food costs and profits and stated that when she started as Food Service Director, the program had been running in the red for a long time and she got it into the black the first year. She also stated that with the exception of West Parish,

Program Subcommittee Minutes of March 1, 2018 – Page 3

most of the kitchen equipment needs to be replaced and the Styrofoam ban is going to result in an additional $13,000 to $14,000.

Ms. Fleming expressed her frustration that the students have the opportunity to sell food and make money at other times and places and that the food service program can only make money during the breakfast and lunch periods. She asked the students what ideas they have found for raising money outside of school hours, and Ms. Enos stated they are having a snack stand at College Night. Chairperson Clancy asked whether they have considered selling snacks after lunch, and Mr. Hardy stated that teachers do not want students leaving class to sell or buy snacks. Ms. Machado indicated they have tried selling pizza and snacks right after school ends, but everyone either has sports or just wants to go home.

There was a discussion about the class gift, and Ms. Enos stated that the Class of 2018 does not want to spend $4,000 on a gift but does want to give something back to the school. They also do not want to make it hard for students to attend their senior events. Ms. Machado stated that before students are allowed to attend an event, they have to have paid all of their dues ($25 per year). For students who cannot afford to do so, the class covers their dues. Mr. Hardy reported that the current freshman class is talking about raising their class dues and possibly not having their semiformal event during senior year because they do not have the deposit to put down for that event.

Ms. Enos reported that the school store was open every day during both lunch periods and brings in approximately $7,500 per year. Ms. Machado indicated that the

students were never formally notified that the store had to be closed.

Ms. Fleming pointed out that the students can ask permission from the superintendent to have occasional fundraisers throughout the school year, for which there are no nutritional requirements. Mr. Hardy stated that those fundraisers will not bring in the same amount of money that they get from the school store. Ms. Fleming suggested installing a vending machine near the fieldhouse, even just to sell water. She also noted that years ago, the food service department prepared subs for the athletes that were getting on buses after school and gave a percentage of the sales to the Student Council for helping with that.

Mr. Bach commended the students on their advocacy and asked how many of the school districts they contacted stated they had a school store. Ms. Enos indicated that 80% responded and said they had a school store but she could not provide the number of schools they contacted or how many responded.

Mr. Favazza stated he would like to see data on whether the food service department was up or down during the last decade. Chairperson Clancy stated that she would be interested to see last year’s monthly sales plus September and October, when the

Program Subcommittee Minutes of March 1, 2018 – Page 4

school store was open, versus November, December and January when it was closed (i.e. a 15-month average versus past 3-month average to see if sales actually went up).

Ms. Fleming stated that the price increase is going to affect the data but she can go back and look at the average daily participation.

Ms. Fleming reported that her class dues 41 years ago were $25 per year, the same as the current class dues. Dr. Safier suggested having students pay the total amount ($100 for four years) during their freshman year and reported that class dues must be paid before a student can graduate. He also noted that adding $37.50 over four years to class dues (200 students) could replace the $7,500 income from the school store.

Ms. Enos stated that if they were allowed to open the school store for some portion of the lunch periods, they could sell healthier items that are not the same as what the cafeteria sells. She requested a trial run of being open a shorter time to see how much the school store impacts the food service department.

(The students left the meeting at 6:05 p.m.)

Chairperson Clancy stated that she would like to see information on the average daily participation and average sales for last year plus September and October and then for November, December and January. The next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.

III. ACTION – None.

IV. ADJOURNMENT – On a motion by Ms. Sweet, seconded by Mr. Favazza, it was unanimously

VOTED: 3 in favor, 0 opposed to adjourn the Program Subcommittee Meeting of March 1, 2018 at 6:10 p.m.

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

Maria Puglisi Recording Secretary

Program Subcommittee Minutes of March 1, 2018 – Page 5

Program Subcommittee Minutes of March 1, 2018 – Page 6

Program Subcommittee Minutes of March 1, 2018 – Page 7

VII.A.2.

THE GLOUCESTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS

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

Program Subcommittee Meeting Minutes

Monday, March 19, 2018 District Office Conference Room 2 Blackburn Drive, Gloucester, MA 01930

4:30 p.m.

Members Present Administration Present

Kathy Clancy, Chairperson Dr. Richard Safier, Superintendent Michelle Sweet, Vice Chairperson Gregg Bach, Asst. Superintendent

Joel Favazza Martha Jo Fleming, Food Service Director

Ann-Marie Jordan, Preschool Director _________________________________________________________________________________

I. CALL TO ORDER – Chairperson Clancy called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. and stated the mission of the Gloucester Public Schools.

II. REPORTS/DELIBERATIONS/DISCUSSION

A. Review of Wellness Policy – Mr. Favazza asked how he can compare the monetary figures for FY17 to the FY18 figures on the chart provided. Ms. Fleming indicated that the chart shows average daily participation rates, which cannot be compared to dollars. Mr. Favazza stated that the chart is not very helpful unless it can be

compared to a year when the school store was open, and Ms. Fleming stated that the pricing and enrollment were different in previous years, so one year cannot be compared to the next just by looking at the figures.

Ms. Fleming indicated that the chart shows the average daily participation rate for September and October, before the store was closed in October, and the average daily participation rate for November through February. Mr. Favazza stated that he wanted to see the previous year’s figures because the numbers fluctuate throughout the year.

He indicated it is not helpful to look at November versus October and he would have liked to have seen November of 2017 compared to November of 2016. He does not see the month-to-month differences as helpful to the argument that the school store is a detriment to the food service department. Dr. Safier reported that Mr. Lafleur does not have access to a lot of the data that was requested at the last meeting and

indicated that there are too many variables, such as revenue numbers and declining enrollments.

Dr. Safier shared a report showing that of 15 neighboring schools that were called, not one of them has a school store that sells food during breakfast and lunch. He also made the following points:

Program Subcommittee Minutes of March 19, 2018 – Page 2

· Any shortfalls in the food service budget would have to be made up by the operating budget.

· Who is going to provide oversight that the students are following the Smart Snacks in Schools regulations from the USDA?

· Risk of food allergies and potential for liability

Dr. Safier reminded the committee that class dues have not changed in decades and that if students paid $35 per year (an increase of $10 per year), that would make up for the loss of the $7,500 income from the school store.

Dr. Safier emphasized that the Wellness Policy was put in place in 2010 and that members of the School Committee voted it on multiple occasions to enable the school to ensure that healthy food is being provided from a central location, which has to be self-sustaining as well. Ms. Jordan stated that school districts, including school stores, are required by law to follow all of the established USDA regulations. She pointed out that the Wellness Committee met with the students in the early fall and told them that they were more than happy to work with the students to look at alternative non-food types of fundraising activities.

Mr. Favazza stated that he does not think the students should be able to do anything outside of the regulations but he believes the school store is a valuable resource for running a “mini business.” He understands that class advisers help with monitoring the store and believes they have the capacity to ensure that their inventory is in compliance with the regulations. He has not seen any evidence that it would be a monumental financial burden to the district by letting the students siphon off a few sales. He thinks the experience is worth it as long as they do it within the required nutritional regulations.

Ms. Fleming reemphasized that any debt in the food service program has to be covered by the School Committee budget. She stated that the food service program charges enough money to cover the cost of the food; however, there are also labor costs, supply costs, and repair costs. She indicated that she cannot even purchase new measuring spoons at this point because there is no money in her budget. She also pointed out that managers who have been working for 15 years are only making $16 an hour, and they put their hearts and souls into trying to bring in every penny they can. To take away anything from the food service program is very disheartening to her because there are other ways the students can make money by selling other things, but the food service program cannot do that.

Ms. Sweet stated that she would like to see the school store reinstated until the end of the year since the students were not given fair warning until October. She also understands that the fundraising calendar has already been filled by all of the other groups holding fundraisers. She believes that taking away the school store without any warning is disingenuous to the students. She thinks it should be reinstated until

Program Subcommittee Minutes of March 19, 2018 – Page 3

the end of the school year and then the committee can figure out what to do with raising class dues and getting them on the fundraising calendar for next year.

Chairperson Clancy stated that she would like to request that the students consider raising class dues and collecting the dues during their first three years at the high school. Ms. Jordan noted that the students can reach out to other communities for ideas on how to raise money and pointed out that they have been asked to follow the guidelines on how and when food can be sold in school for the past ten years.

After discussion, on a motion by Ms. Sweet, seconded by Mr. Favazza, it was unanimously

VOTED: 3 in favor, 0 opposed to recommend to the full School Committee that the “Fundraising” section of the Wellness Plan be suspended and that the Class of 2018 be allowed to operate the school store for the remainder of the 2017-2018 school year.

Mr. Favazza noted that moving the location of the school store to be more accessible to the atrium and the sports door would allow kids to buy sandwiches and snacks after school.

Mr. Bach noted that at the last meeting, the students reported that most of the districts they contacted have school stores. However, the report provided by Dr. Safier

indicates that none of the 15 districts contacted by administration have a school store.

Finally, Chairperson Clancy requested that someone ensure that the Wellness Policy is properly reflected in the handbooks. Dr. Safier noted that the Wellness Policy should be what is currently reflected in the Wellness Plan. Therefore, he suggested that the policy be revised so that the plan becomes the policy or is attached to the policy.

III. ACTION – See Item II.A.

IV. ADJOURNMENT – On a motion by Ms. Sweet, seconded by Mr. Favazza, it was unanimously

VOTED: 3 in favor, 0 opposed to adjourn the Program Subcommittee Meeting of March 19, 2018 at 5:05 p.m.

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

Beeman Memorial Elementary School Improvement Plan 2018-2019

Kids Shine Brightly At Beeman!

Table of Contents

Beeman Memorial Elementary School Mission Statement ...3

Executive Summary ...4

2018/2019 School Improvement Plan Summary ...5

Goal 1: Student Growth Percentile Increases in ELA & Math ...6

Goal 2: Writing Goal ...7

Goal 3: Science Goal ...8

Goal 4: Social/Emotional Goal ...9

The Gloucester Public Schools Mission Statement

Our mission is for all our students to be successful, engaged, life-long learners.

Beeman Memorial Elementary School Mission and Vision Statement

Beeman Elementary School recognizes the importance of our districts’ mission for all students to be successful, engaged, life-long learners.

We respect our students’ diverse learning styles and provide students with the highest quality education and respectful environment.

• Set high expectations for personal and academic growth for all students

• Respect and appreciate diversity

• Develop Curiosity, competence and confidence in all learners

Executive Summary

The Beeman Memorial Elementary School Improvement Plan was developed in collaboration with district-wide elementary principals and aligned to the district improvement plan to provide consistency among all five schools. Our goal is to provide quality researched-based instruction that employs best practices to effect high impact on student achievement. Using the established district-wide programs in math, reading, writing, and social-emotional learning we can provide learning experiences for our students that align with the Common Core and Twenty-first-century skills.

The 2018-2019 plan focuses on refining internal structures like the science program, RTI, scheduling, and data-driven instruction to create opportunities for all learning styles and abilities to grow and achieve within our classrooms.

This year we have spent time reviewing school policies and procedure to examine their effectiveness in promoting positive school culture and student achievement for all. With the creation of the school leadership team, we collaborate with representation from all stakeholder groups across the building. This provides a whole school lens when considering change or new initiatives. This group also works to share out ideas with their respective departments to allow for greater transparency across the building when determining plans of action. Our vision is to encourage a culture of collaboration where all staff members have a voice in how our school is managed and therefore work together toward common goals and fidelity to changes in order to meet them. To date, this committee has accomplished many tasks to refine the functioning of our school. They began by reviewing and refining our staff handbooks and posting it online for greater accessibility. This winter they built a safety plan quick reference guide to assist teachers with identifying critical responsibilities in a crisis event. This committee also established a set of school-wide expectation to promote a common language when discussing behavior with our students. They are now working on a new process for creating classes for the 2018-2019 academic year that allows students to meet their new teacher before the last day of school reducing anxiety over the summer.

The special education department had a busy year refining their protocols and sharing information with colleagues to better align special education and general education for the success of all students. This team worked with a consultant throughout the year to develop a new protocol for child study team that is succinct, supports a collaborative approach between general and special education and recognizes the need to create plans to close gaps as well as to challenge our brightest students. They hosted a series of staff workshops to clarify the special education referral process, shared resources and best practices for general education classroom to support all learners, reviewed our district accommodation plan for all students and generated a quick reference guide for classroom teachers to better access it.

Our facility has seen many fantastic updates this year, and we are thankful for the efforts of the department of public works. Hallways were given a fresh coat of paint to brighten and unify our space. New exterior doors were installed this spring to provide greater security to our staff and students. The playground and fields received new grass, fresh wood chips, and new pavement. Our parking lots were relined with paint to indicate safe crossing spaces and fire lanes. Our PTO continued these efforts with freshly painted games of hopscotch and foursquare and a refreshed garden at the entrance to the building.

Together we are a team of collaborative professionals with the knowledge and resources to create an institution of learning where the common belief is that all children can learn and be successful members of our community. Our first year together has been a successful first start toward this belief and we will continue to build on this ideal as a team during the next academic year.

Beeman Memorial Elementary School Improvement Plan Summary Goals

The Beeman Memorial School Improvement Plan plan supports the needs of the district while supporting the school’s existing efforts and undertaking of new initiatives in the FY19.

Existing and New Efforts

! Continue consistent delivery, with fidelity, of vertically and horizontally district-wide core programs and district-wide expectations aligned to the Common Core State Standards and assessed on our standards-based report cards. (Math in Focus (K-5), Calendar Math (K-5)

Empowering Writers for Gr. 3-5, Essential Guide (Gr. 2-5), Reading Street (K-5), Project Read Written Expression/Framing Your Thoughts (K-2) and Pacing Guides.

! Continue to integrate the already-selected high-leverage instructional best practices previously identified as Reciprocal Teaching (Gr. 1-5), Debate (Gr. 3-5), and Close Reading (Gr. 2-5).

! Continue data meetings for both ELA and Math to look at the school needs as a whole, the grade-level needs, classroom needs, and then individual students’ needs to ensure student success through a consistent and effective system of interventions (RTI).

! Continue to refine implementation of RTI (Response to Intervention) across all grades for ELA through coaching on instructional practices for small group instruction for both our struggling students and our high achieving students. There is a need to expand the tiered intervention system to Math, however at this time the resources to deliver the interventions are limited.

! Continue in the implementation with fidelity of teacher-led Second Steps Social/Emotional program and use it to assist in the development of common language between staff and students in discussing and addressing social challenges. Increase knowledge and understanding of what adults can do to make our school a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for all students to learn and grow.

! Continue the partnerships with the GEF, Backyard Growers, Cape Ann Museum, Maritime, and our P.T.O. which provides multiple and varied enrichment opportunities for our students.

! Establish policies and procedures that encourage staff collaboration on school- based decisions. This will allow for greater fidelity to new initiatives and a positive work environment that results in high impact for students.

! Create opportunities for teachers to take on leadership roles.

! Design a master schedule that maximizes resources and shares them equitably across all grade levels which supports a personalized learning experience that is receptive to varied learning styles and abilities within our student population.

! Engage students in pro-social education that promotes self-advocacy and problem solving skills.

Beeman Memorial Elementary School Improvement Plan

Goal 1: The 2019 MCAS Student Growth Percentile will fall in the 40%-60% median range for both ELA and Math.

Goal Strategies and Action Steps Responsibility TIMELINE

ELA & Math Data Meetings: 3 times per year

Administer and analyze DIBELS, EasyCBM, MBSP, ENI, and ongoing curriculum common assessment measures

Principal, Reading Coach, Math Coach, Teachers

Fall, Winter, Spring 2018-19

Dedicated common planning and staff meeting time to analyze data

Student performance data will be used to track student achievement in literacy and math and plan specific strategies for modification of instruction at the classroom, intervention group and at individual student levels

Principal, Grade Level Teams, SPED and Interventionists

Ongoing

Keyboarding Instruction Grades 2-5

Utilizing “All the Right Type” and Google Classroom students in Grades 2-5 will practice typing skills heavily at the beginning of the year with the goal of

meeting state set Keyboarding WPM expectations

Gr. 2 Familiarity with Home Row and Correct Hand Position Gr. 3 15 WPM 85-90% accuracy

Gr. 4 20 WPM 85-90% accuracy Gr. 5 25 WPM 90% accuracy

Principal, Teachers

Ongoing

Online Realize Assessments

Utilize the Realize platform to take Reading Street Unit Tests in Grades 3-5. Principal, Reading Coach, Gr. 3-5 Teachers

Ongoing

MCAS Practice Tests and Released Test Items

Teachers will use MCAS Practice Tests and Released MCAS Test Items as a tool for implementing rigorous practice using test data to determine areas of focus. Greater emphasis on test taking skills

Principal, Teachers

Embedded

throughout the year

Provide specific instruction on general

navigational skills

Through the use of online reading and math programs, students will develop and refine general navigational skills (using navigation buttons, pointing and selecting, browsing tabs and windows, scrolling, video/audio player,

magnifying/zooming, dragging and dropping).

Teachers Ongoing

Google Classroom (Google E-mail and Docs)

Utilize Google E-mail and Google Docs in Grades 3-5 to practice response to text and process writing (draft, revision & final) including sharing writing with teacher and or peers and using the comment feature to give and receive immediate feedback

Principal, Reading Coach, Teachers

Training 2018

Evidence of Effectiveness

An increase of SGP to a median of 40%-60% for all students in Grades 4 and 5 on the MCAS exam.

The administration and application of benchmark testing and progress monitoring data (including data from intervention groups), including MCAS

Professional Development

Half Day for MCAS Analysis and Action Planning

Beeman Memorial Elementary School Improvement Plan

Goal 2: Using Empowering Writers, Written Expression, Reading Street Realize and continued emphasis on using data to drive

instruction through collaborative scoring and data analysis: there will be a 2% increase for all students in written responses on MCAS.

Goal Strategies and Action Steps Responsibility TIMELINE

Implementation of Empowering Writers Response to Text and

continued

implementation of Essential Guide (Gr. 2-5), PR Written Expression

/Framing your Thoughts (K-2) Following Pacing Guides

Staff will meet in grade level teams during CPT & Professional development time to:

• Ongoing discussion of rubrics and pacing guides

• Determine individual student needs

Principal, Literacy Coach, Teachers

Ongoing 2018-2019

Continue to improve student response to text writing and genre writing.

Administer and analyze common assessments through collaborative scoring for on-demand writing based upon a district-wide common scoring prompts (K- 5)

• Collect and share exemplars identified with grade level teams across buildings

• Utilize building-based time to share student work (K-5), rubrics and exemplars vertically across grade levels.

• Discuss and provide specific, meaningful, and timely feedback to students on their writing

Principal, Literacy Coach, Teachers

6 per grade (1-5)

3 per year (K) Throughout year

Evidence of Effectiveness

Written responses on MCAS will increase by 2%

Teachers will use the results of the on-demand writing prompts in their planning and daily instruction Student Work including development of exemplars

Professional Development

Time for common scoring district-wide and building base Time for vertical alignment 2 times per year

Beeman Memorial Elementary School Improvement Plan

Goal 3: Implement Year 2 of the new science standards (Life Science, Earth Science, Physical Science, Technology/Engineering).

Goal Strategies and Action Steps Responsibility TIMELINE

Knowledge of 2016 Science Standards

Teachers will continue to unpack the new science standards and document needed resources

Assistant Superintendent, Principal, Science leaders, Classroom Teachers

Ongoing

The school will determine appropriate and proportional K-5 time allocations for Science

Dedicate 1 X 30 and 1 X 60 (lab day) for science Principal, Classroom Teachers

Ongoing

Refine and revise the physical science unit for each grade level and identify the appropriate

connections to the various academic subject areas: ELA, Math, and Social Studies.

Grade levels will use building-based time to discuss and plan curriculum/program lessons from the Building Blocks unit.

Principal, Science Leader, and Classroom Leaders

Ongoing

Implement district units of Earth and Life Sciences.

District-wide teams will develop and pilot units of study that specifically draw from core literacy resources (e.g. non-fiction texts and response to text).

Principal, Science Leader, Reading Coaches, Classroom Teachers

Summer

Evidence of Effectiveness

Each grade level will refine, revise, and teach units for each science strand.

Student assessments at the end of each implemented unit.

Use of NGSS practices regularly in classrooms--classroom observation Professional Development

Time to discuss successes and challenges of the science implementation

P Beeman Memorial Elementary School Improvement Plan

Goal 4: To provide a safe and supportive learning environment that fosters a positive school community with a focus on social emotional learning character and education as measured by a 5% decrease in behavioral referrals.

Goal Strategies and Action Steps Responsibility TIMELINE

Continue Year 2 Bi-weekly School- wide community meetings

• School staff participates in bi-monthly meetings with character education /SEL learning themes

• Classrooms present special projects for school community to celebrate and share learning

Whole School Principal,

Bi-weekly

Sept. – June 2019

Continue Year -2 School Leadership Advisory

Committee

Representatives from all school staff stakeholders meet bi-weekly to review and refine school policies, procedures, and develop action plans for issues impacting our school culture and the education of students.

Principal, Leadership Team members

Bi-weekly

Sept. – June 2019

Continue to focus on Second Steps Social Emotional Learning Program

Second Steps provides direct instruction in the classroom to address students social emotion learning with strategies to improve inter personal relationships.

• Dedicate 30 minutes weekly for Second Steps Instruction at all grade levels within the master schedule

• Update material necessary to maintain current instruction

• Train all new staff in the Second Steps Program

Principal, School Social Worker, School

Psychologist, Leadership Team

Ongoing

Identify best practices and resources for supporting positive student behavior

Clarify the roles of:

• The behavior support paraprofessional

• The School Adjustment Counselor

• The School Psychologist

• The Students Support Center

As it relates to student behavior support plans

Principal, School Social Worker, School

Psychologist, Behavior ESPs, Student Support Center Teacher, Leadership Team

Fall 2018

Establish a set of school-wide expectations with common language for all students

Consistency in student and adult interactions with common language

• Posted expectations around the school

• Dedicated time during school-wide and classroom meetings to explicitly teach children the expectations

• A monthly reward system that highlights students following the expectations and models positive behavior

Principal, Whole Staff

Ongoing

Evidence of Effectiveness

School Community bulleting board dedicated to school-wide meeting themes and promoting student learning Visual displays across the school highlighting expectations and promoting positive messages for students 5% decrease in the number of referrals for social emotional issues.

Leadership Team meeting agendas Professional Development

In-house training for Second Steps

Annual Report of the

Plum Cove Site-Based Management Council

Plum Cove Elementary School Improvement Plan 2018-2019

Submitted to the School Committee, April 2018

Table of Contents

2018-2019 School Council Members and Statement of Purpose... 3 Plum Cove Elementary School Vision Statement ... 4 Executive Summary... 5-6 2018/2019 School Improvement Plan Grids Summary ... 7

Goal 1: Student Growth Percentile Increases in ELA & Math... 8 Goal 2: Writing Goal ... 9 Goal 3: Science Goal ... 10 Goal 4: Social/Emotional Goal ... 11

2018-2019 School Council Members

Name Position Status Term Expires

Tammy Morgan Principal Permanent N/A

Laurie Mott Teacher YR2/2 YRS October 2019

Lauren Querze Teacher YR2/2 YRS October 2019

Jessica Bean Parent: Co-chair YR2/2 YRS October 2019

Phoebe Potts Parent YR1/2 YRS October 2020

The Plum Cove Elementary School

Site-Based Management Council Statement of Purpose

The Plum Cove Site-Based Management Council is a planning and advisory group comprised of the principal, parents, teachers, and a community member. The principal works with the council to identify the educational needs of the students attending the school, review the annual budget, and prepare a school improvement plan. The plan addresses issues such as professional development, student learning time, parent involvement, safety and discipline, and ways to meet the diverse learning needs of the students in the school. Each school council in the district submits its school improvement plan annually to the school committee. During the school year, the Council will develop the school’s budget while also addressing other school-wide goals.

With Education Reform so clearly in the spotlight, and with particular emphasis on the new Common Core, MCAS 2.0 Next Generation, and student growth, Plum Cove will continue to address student achievement as our primary goal, with a specific focus on math and literacy. This plan reflects an alignment and commitment to the Gloucester Public Schools School District Improvement Plan.

The Plum Cove Site-Based Management Council will continue to facilitate and support positive change while advocating for students. The Council works with teachers, parents, and the community to ensure the best possible education for each Plum Cove student.

The Gloucester Public Schools Mission Statement

Our mission is for all our students to be successful, engaged, life-long learners.

The Plum Cove Elementary School Mission and Vision Statement

Plum Cove Elementary School recognizes the importance of our district’s mission for our students to be successful, engaged, life-long learners. We respect diverse learning styles and provide our students with the highest quality education in a safe and respectful environment.

Vision:

˜ To promote a culture of collaboration, with a focus on best practices in instruction that leads to increased student achievement.

˜ To promote academic excellence through a consistent delivery of vertically (between grades) and horizontally (across classrooms at the same grade level) aligned curriculum and performance standards.

˜ To promote in each student a positive sense of self in a climate of mutual respect.

˜ To encourage all students to value best effort and assume increasing responsibility for their own learning.

Executive Summary

The Plum Cove Elementary School Improvement Plan was developed with input from the Site-Based Management Council, PBIS team, and collaboration of the district-wide elementary principals to allow for consistency among our schools and alignment with the District Improvement Plan.

The development of this plan has focused on available data, both state and local, the needs of our students, the alignment to the Common Core, and how our school can take the work that has been accomplished at the district level to continue to make improvements that are specific to the Plum Cove school community. With district-wide programs in place for reading, writing, math, social/emotional skills, and with the new adoption of our district-wide science program, the 2018-2019 improvement plan, reflects the need to have time to continue to develop the alignment and deepen the understanding of the common core standards and district-wide expectations. Our efforts have focused on all students (at-risk, some risk, and low risk as identified by local and state data). Those students who are meeting or exceeding benchmarks will continue to do so and be challenged to go deeper with their learning. All students will show appropriate growth according to the state’s Student Growth Percentile (SGP).

Our school improvement plan has been based on a level-funded budget with financial support from our Parent/Teacher Organization,

teachers, and community organizations (GEF). Plum Cove has held the designation of a “Level 1” school according to the DESE. Plum Cove School Community believes in and follows the district’s overarching strategic objectives:

• Unification and Coherence—the creation of a systemic approach to the work of the district, which places a primary focus on high-priority, high leverage goals of the elementary schools, middle school, and high school;

• Meeting Individual Needs—a focus on the individual needs of students, the barriers to achievement, and the means for remediating those challenges. Meeting individual needs also means attention to enrichment opportunities and an array of diverse offerings for students.

• Use of Data—to ensure that data management and analysis support and inform instruction; and,

• Professional Culture and Community—the continuous development of a culture of professional growth and dialogue about curriculum, instruction, and assessment through collegial partnerships, along with a community outreach program that seeks to partner with the community at- large.

Our biggest strength comes from our constant data analysis to provide the appropriate instruction to students at risk of not meeting grade level benchmarks. Through this process we create grade-level instructional groups that target the specific needs of students and we have an “all hands on deck” mentality, which allows us to effectively use the master schedule to utilize special education teachers and support staff to maximize the number of students receiving additional support beyond the classroom. However, our special needs students, who do not qualify for or lack of specific district-wide programs, receive a separate curriculum taught by our one of our two special education teachers, which does not allow our special education teachers to provide the extra RTI in ELA or Math, a model that has been very successful for us in the past. We utilized all of our ESPs to provide limited scripted ELA interventions leaving very little time to provide math interventions.

For the successful implementation of this plan adequate staffing is needed. The FY19 school improvement budget proposes the following additional funds (it is mentioned but not included in the budget submitted to School Committee):

Math Coach (from 0.33 to 0.5 FTE) to provide focus on instruction and appropriate interventions and progress monitoring.

1. Our special education department has been providing sub-separate curriculum for students in Grades 1-2 in both Math and ELA. Thus, leaving no time to assist in keeping borderline students off IEPs.

2. New teachers will need to be trained in Math in Focus and Calendar Math as well as teachers who require more support.

Priority Acceptance Into District-wide Academic Learning Centers –for students who have not made effective progress and are in need of separate curriculum in both Math and ELA.

Request for 3 (1:1 ESPs) - to support behavior plans for students who have consistently shown unsafe behaviors, harm to themselves, other students, and staff.

The goals, action steps/strategies and evidence of effectiveness reflect the work that will be continued and initiated as we (administrators, teachers, staff, and coaches) implement district-wide expectations via curriculum guides, analyze data (state and local) to inform instruction, and strengthen best practices in teaching to sustain improvement in student learning.

Achieving the four goals in this plan will have a direct impact on the District Improvement Plan Goals and sustaining improvement at Plum Cove.

To the extent practical and as required by law, the Plum Cove Elementary School will work with all students and their families, including homeless students and families, to provide stability in school attendance and other services. Homeless students will be provided district services for which they are eligible, including preschool programs, Title I services, free or reduced school meals, transportation, special education services, and English Language Services.

Respectfully submitted:

The Plum Cove School Site-Based Management Council, 2018-2019

Jessica Bean, Co-Chair: ____________________________________________________

Tammy Morgan, Principal/Co-Chair: ____________________________________________

On behalf of:

Laurie Mott, Teacher Lauren Querze, Teacher Phoebe Potts, Parent

Plum Cove Elementary School Improvement Plan Grid Summary Goals

The Plum Cove Site-Based Management Council read and reviewed both the District and the Plum Cove School Improvement Plans to discuss how our school improvement plan supports the needs of the district while supporting the school’s existing efforts and undertaking of new initiatives in the FY19.

Existing and New Efforts

˜ Continue consistent delivery, with fidelity, of vertically and horizontally district-wide core programs and district-wide expectations aligned to the Common Core State Standards and assessed on our standards-based report cards. (Math in Focus (K-5), Calendar Math (K-5)

Empowering Writers for Gr. 3-5, Essential Guide (Gr. 2-5), Reading Street (K-5), Project Read Written Expression/Framing Your Thoughts (K-2) and Pacing Guides.

˜ Continue to integrate the already-selected high-leverage instructional best practices previously identified as Reciprocal Teaching (Gr. 1-5), Debate (Gr. 3-5), and Close Reading (Gr. 2-5).

˜ Continue data meetings for both ELA and Math to look at the school needs as a whole, the grade-level needs, classroom needs, and then individual students’ needs to ensure student success through a consistent and effective system of interventions (RTI).

˜ Continue to refine implementation of RTI (Response to Intervention) across all grades for ELA through coaching on instructional practices for small group instruction for both our struggling students and our high achieving students. There is a need to expand the tiered intervention system to Math, however at this time the resources to deliver the interventions are limited.

˜ Continue in the implementation with fidelity of teacher-led Second Steps Social/Emotional program and Year 3 of PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) these programs have resulted in more common language between staff and students in discussing and

addressing social challenges and emotions, and increased knowledge and understanding of what adults can do to make our school a safe, respectful, and supportive environment for all students to learn and grow. The addition of a SAC, School Adjustment Councilor, has had a positive impact on our community.

˜ Continue the use of technology for both teaching and learning. Teachers continue to utilize online programs such as, All the Right Type, Realize Online Assessments, Google Classroom for writing prompts, Lexia, Moby Max, and online MCAS practice tests. These instructional websites allow students to practice and reinforce literacy and math skills and provide students with general navigational skills needed for computer based assessments.

˜ Continue the partnerships with the GEF, Backyard Growers, Cape Ann Museum, Maritime, and our P.T.O. which provides multiple and varied enrichment opportunities for our students.

˜ Continue to review the new science standards to identify appropriate connections to various academic subject areas: ELA, Math, and Social Studies both with response to text and non-fictional texts.

Plum Cove Elementary School Improvement Plan

Goal 1: The 2019 MCAS Student Growth Percentile will fall in the 40%-60% median range for both ELA and Math.

Goal Strategies and Action Steps Responsibility TIMELINE

ELA & Math Data Meetings: 3 times per year

Administer and analyze DIBELS, EasyCBM, MBSP, ENI, and ongoing curriculum common assessment measures

Principal, Reading Coach, Math Coach, Teachers

Fall, Winter, Spring 2018-19

Dedicated common planning and staff meeting time to analyze data

Student performance data will be used to track student achievement in literacy and math and plan specific strategies for modification of instruction at the classroom, intervention group and at individual student levels

Principal, Grade Level Teams, SPED and Interventionists

Ongoing

Keyboarding Instruction Grades 2-5

Utilizing “All the Right Type” and Google Classroom students in Grades 2-5 will practice typing skills heavily at the beginning of the year with the goal of meeting state set Keyboarding WPM expectations

Gr. 2 Familiarity with Home Row and Correct Hand Position Gr. 3 15 WPM 85-90% accuracy

Gr. 4 20 WPM 85-90% accuracy Gr. 5 25 WPM 90% accuracy

Principal, Teachers

Ongoing

Online Realize Assessments

Utilize the Realize platform to take Reading Street Unit Tests in Grades 3-5. Principal, Reading Coach, Gr. 3-5 Teachers

Ongoing

MCAS Practice Tests and Released Test Items

Teachers will use MCAS Practice Tests and Released MCAS Test Items as a tool for implementing rigorous practice using test data to determine areas of focus. Greater emphasis on test taking skills

Principal, Teachers

Embedded

throughout the year

Provide specific instruction on general navigational skills

Through the use of online reading and math programs, students will develop and refine general navigational skills (using navigation buttons, pointing and selecting, browsing tabs and windows, scrolling, video/audio player,

magnifying/zooming, dragging and dropping).

Teachers Ongoing

Google Classroom (Google E-mail and Docs)

Utilize Google E-mail and Google Docs in Grades 3-5 to practice response to text and process writing (draft, revision & final) including sharing writing with teacher and or peers and using the comment feature to give and receive immediate feedback

Principal, Reading Coach, Teachers

Training 2018

Evidence of Effectiveness

An increase of SGP to a median of 40%-60% for all students in Grades 4 and 5 on the MCAS exam.

The administration and application of benchmark testing and progress monitoring data (including data from intervention groups), including MCAS Professional Development

Half Day for MCAS Analysis and Action Planning

Plum Cove Elementary School Improvement Plan

Goal 2: Using Empowering Writers, Written Expression, Reading Street Realize and continued emphasis on using data to drive instruction through collaborative scoring and data analysis: there will be a 2% increase for all students in written responses on MCAS.

Goal Strategies and Action Steps Responsibility TIMELINE

Implementation of Empowering Writers Response to Text and continued implementation of Essential Guide (Gr.

2-5), PR Written Expression /Framing your Thoughts (K-2) Following Pacing Guides

Staff will meet in grade level teams during CPT & Professional development time to:

• Ongoing discussion of rubrics and pacing guides

• Determine individual student needs

Principal, Literacy Coach, Teachers

Ongoing 2018-2019

Continue to improve student response to text writing and genre writing.

Administer and analyze common assessments through collaborative scoring for on-demand writing based upon a district-wide common scoring prompts (K- 5)

• Collect and share exemplars identified with grade level teams across buildings

• Utilize building-based time to share student work (K-5), rubrics and exemplars vertically across grade levels.

• Discuss and provide specific, meaningful, and timely feedback to students on their writing

Principal, Literacy Coach, Teachers

6 per grade (1-5)

3 per year (K) Throughout year

Evidence of Effectiveness

Written responses on MCAS will increase by 2%

Teachers will use the results of the on-demand writing prompts in their planning and daily instruction Student Work including development of exemplars

Professional Development

Time for common scoring district-wide and building base Time for vertical alignment 2 times per year

Plum Cove Elementary School Improvement Plan

Goal 3: Implement Year 2 of the new science standards (Life Science, Earth Science, Physical Science, Technology/Engineering).

Goal Strategies and Action Steps Responsibility TIMELINE

Knowledge of 2016 Science Standards

Teachers will continue to unpack the new science standards and document needed resources

Assistant Superintendent, Principal, Science leaders, Classroom Teachers

Ongoing

The school will determine appropriate and proportional K-5 time allocations for

Science

Dedicate 1 X 30 and 1 X 60 (lab day) for science Principal, Classroom Teachers

Ongoing

Refine and revise the physical science unit for each grade level and identify the appropriate

connections to the various academic subject areas: ELA, Math, and Social Studies.

Grade levels will use building-based time to discuss and plan curriculum/program lessons from the Building Blocks unit.

Principal, Science Leader, and Classroom Leaders

Ongoing

Implement district units of Earth and Life Sciences.

District-wide teams will develop and pilot units of study that specifically draw from core literacy resources (e.g. non-fiction texts and response to text).

Principal, Science Leader, Reading Coaches, Classroom Teachers

Summer

Evidence of Effectiveness

Each grade level will refine, revise, and teach units for each science strand.

Student assessments at the end of each implemented unit.

Use of NGSS practices regularly in classrooms--classroom observation Professional Development

Time to discuss successes and challenges of the science implementation