During its final meeting of the school year on June 12, the Mattapoisett School Committee lingered over the events, celebrated the end of the current school year, and discussed its goals for the next academic year.
In her introduction to the committee of the School Improvement Plan, Center School Principal Rose Bowman first thanked the School Council members, who developed the plan, for their dedication, saying, “It was a very committed group, strong attendance at the meetings and a great cross section of community members, teachers and parents.”
With a strategic plan being developed in the spring of next year, this plan will only cover one year but was replete with many challenging initiatives.
Bowman highlighted the use of the standards based report cards, and expressed her hope that parents will take an active role in providing feedback to the school on the report cards’ effectiveness after the first trimester.
Bowman also underscored the new Salty program, which is modeled after a successful program in Marion in which parents and students are brought together monthly to learn in a variety of workshops developed by the school.
Tina Rood, who heads up the Destination Imagination program for ORR, will be speaking to parents in September about starting a program in the younger grades. Students will also be exposed to a variety of local organizations that provide opportunities for experiential learning.
“We are very fortunate to have strong relationships with organizations in the area like the Mattapoisett Land Trust, the Buzzards Bay Coalition, and the League of Women Voters [which] has helped us tremendously in the fifth grade,” said Bowman.
Superintendent Doug White thanked everyone “for a very good year, for demonstrating a commitment to the students.”
“Everyone should be proud of this school year,” White said.
Continuing in the celebratory tone, Associate Principal Kevin Tavares described the Senior Walk, in which the graduates from ORR come back to Center and Old Hammondtown Schools to visit.
The students at the schools made banners and posted pictures of the seniors as younger students. For their part, the seniors wore their caps and gowns, and while at Center School broke into song, singing the old Center School theme song written by a former music teacher.
Tavares described the moment, saying, “The kids lined the hallway and they started singing. There were a lot of tears!”
Bowman highlighted the major transition that all students are going through at this time of year, saying, “As we think about transition, it is so important – every grade has little nuances you have to address…. The kindergarteners coming in to see their classroom, so they have a visual for the summer. One kid brought his backpack – and asked if he could come back tomorrow!”
The third-graders, Bowman said, are excited to move on to Old Hammondtown after their visit to the school, in which they eat in the cafeteria and visit the classrooms. However, there is also a let-down, she says, and so the day after the last day of school, the third graders are sent to the YMCA for the day to be with their friends, play, and eat pizza to help ease the transition.
Bowman recognized retiring kindergarten teacher Audrey Riley, who unfortunately was unable to attend the meeting. Bowman spoke of Riley’s dedication to her students as well as to her generosity with her colleagues and broader school community. Bowman detailed Riley’s many attributes, thanking her for “her extraordinary leadership.”
“Audrey has supported each kindergarten teacher by sharing strategies … [and] the knowledge she has gained over the years with her colleagues,” said Bowman. She then held up a copy of Mother Goose Rhymes that will become part of the Center School collection in Riley’s honor, noting that rhyming is a gateway to reading in early childhood.
In other business, School Business Administrator Patrick Spencer provided a brief financial report, noting that the committee will be returning approximately $70,000 to $100,000 back to the Town at the end of the fiscal year.
The committee elected Rachel Westgate as its new chairman, keeping Patrick LeClair as vice chairman.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett School Committee is scheduled for September 18 at 6:30 pm.
By Sarah French Storer