Old Rochester Regional Psychologist Philip Allessi addressed the ORR School Committee during its October 20 meeting to talk about social-emotional learning, a familiar staple of ORR curriculum but one that for many feels largely untapped.
With a private practice and work at reputable colleges and schools, Allessi discussed social-emotional learning and the responsive classroom, a model that facilitates the mainstreaming of social-emotional learning with academics.
Allessi summarized the staffing at the high school and junior high.
In the junior high are two guidance counselors, a social worker, one school psychologist, and one Individual Support Program (ISP) special-education teacher. In the high school are three guidance counselors, two social workers, one school psychologist – “That guy is really busy,” and two ISP special-education teachers.
Committee Chair Heather Burke described herself as having come into the ORR District as an elementary-school parent focused on academic rigor, but she heard all the discussion about social-emotional learning and thought her ideas were unwelcome until she learned what social-emotional learning means.
“(ORR HS Principal) Mike Devoll was very good explaining to me that they’re not in conflict with each other, but in order for people to learn they have to be not anxious,” said Burke. “You know, the information won’t come in.”
Allessi agreed, saying, “You can’t really process if you’re in a state of anxiety and depression, it’s going to be really difficult.”
Noting that her child will be entering the junior high next year, committee member Frances Kearns asked if the information laying out the resources and services can be centralized so that people can be aware of it.
Burke said that ORR needs more repetitive efforts to match up against the regular activities that reveal the need to tap into the resources. She said the Joint School Committee plans to hold a discussion on the matter.
Superintendent of Schools Mike Nelson pointed out staffing increases over recent years.
Committee member Matthew Monteiro suggested an even deeper dive into the role of school psychologist, for instance, perhaps sending home information with a student so a family could learn enough to get through the stereotypical reaction and maybe even take advantage of the opportunities presented.
Senior High School Assistant Principal Vanessa Harvey and Junior High School Assistant Principal Kelly Chouinard shared proposed amendments to the Student Handbook for 2021-22.
One change at the high school level is changing the result of missing a final exam. Presently it results in failure of a course; the proposed change would result in failure of that exam pending arrangements to schedule a makeup test.
Another proposal will treat three instances of tardiness as one absence.
Harvey said dress code is a controversial subject. Clothing must cover undergarments and cannot be see-through. Safety has replaced gender identification as a focal point. “It’s not a huge change in policy, it’s more the presentation of that,” she explained.
In order to leverage the return of school-owned Chromebooks, Harvey said a new proposed change would require the students exchange their cell phones as collateral to borrow a Chromebook for the school day.
“It’s not a consequence, it’s just a reminder because the first thing the students go for when they leave school is their cell phone,” she explained.
Students will now be allowed to charge their phones at school.
Asked about changing “he/she” language to “they/them” for the sake of inclusivity, Harvey explained that student feedback played a role, along with advice from the School Council and what is happening outside the ORR District.
ORR Junior High, according to Chouinard, will use the same language as the high school handbook in its changes in pronoun usage and adding “caregiver” to parent and guardian.
The dress code will also align with a key exception; the junior high will omit the section on wearing gang-related items. “We feel like that doesn’t pertain to the junior high school,” she said. “Also the bullet on wearing pornography, nudity and sexual acts, just more neutral, to wearing anything sexual in nature.”
Both handbook revisions drew unanimous votes in the affirmative.
The committee also voted to approve two-year School Improvement Plans that align with the ORR District’s Acceleration Road Map and the five-year Vision 2023 plan, albeit with local distinctions.
High School and Junior High principals Mike Devoll and Silas Coellner presented respective two-year plans.
As a member of the worldwide U-Gen Network, high school administrators and department coordinators will meet with colleagues from around the world, the first session on Friday, November 5, at 6:00 am ET. The topic: What does a good student look like at your school?
Devoll told the committee that ORR staff now participates in a group called the Building Anti-Racist White Educators, an opportunity that Nelson said is the byproduct of ORR’s partnership with the locally based, grassroots organization Tri-Town Against Racism.
Nelson and Devoll credited Rick DaSilva from Tabor Academy for sharing resources leading to a significant level of involvement for ORR in the U-Gen association.
Focusing on project-based learning, Coellner said the goal is to make sure every student has an opportunity to complete a project and then two more during the 2022-23 school year.
The committee voted unanimously to accept both the high school’s and junior high’s two-year School Improvement Plans.
The ORR Athletic Booster Club presented a new effort called a corporate solicitation plan. The volunteer organization wants to tap into new revenue streams to help support ORR sports programs and student-athletes.
The club’s “Build the (Bulldog) Nation” fundraising effort surpassed its $50,000 goal, but the Booster Club is looking to introduce engagement with corporations in fundraising for ORR activities.
In the creation of a timeline to solicit from now into January 2022 for the support of tri-town-area companies and beyond, the Booster Club is mapping out a plan to reach out beyond the traditional horizons of booster-club support. The proposal would include advertising.
Levels of introduction to the support program will be initially categorized as follows: Varsity Sponsor $2,000; Junior Varsity Sponsor $1,000; and Super Fan Sponsor $500.
Discussion ensued and committee member Jim Muse said anything he would be willing to vote on would necessarily maintain absolute control by the administration and the school committee.
Burke said a committee vote would violate school policy but will bring the information to the Policy Subcommittee for further discussion.
The committee voted 8-1 to grant the Mattapoisett Recreation Department permission to hold a flag-football jamboree at the high school’s all-purpose field on one of two weekday nights in November.
The committee entered executive session and only returned to adjourn. The next meeting of the Old Rochester Regional School Committee is scheduled for Wednesday, December 8, at 6:30 pm.
ORR School Committee
By Mick Colageo