Printer Friendly Version - Old Saybrook Schools Open Aug. 31

Replacing a Goodwin Elementary School play area’s old fence with a new white one was just one of the capital maintenance projects the school district completed this summer in advance of the first day of school, Wednesday, Aug. 31. Photo by Becky Coffey/Harbor News

With the schools opening to students on Wednesday, Aug. 31, school district staff members are busy getting the buildings ready and planning for staff training that starts on Monday, Aug. 29.

With district enrollment contracting, the district has adjusted its staffing profile to reflect the changes. Overall, the district will have four fewer full-time certified teaching positions than it had last year. Those new staff members on the district lists, therefore, replace staff members who retired or left the district at the end of the last school year.

The one exception is Megin Sechen. She was hired to fill a new district position, that of math coordinator/coach.

A new hire, Michael Cunningham, will fill the open slot of athletic and student activities coordinator this fall.

Watch for these new faces at Kathleen Goodwin Elementary School this fall: Alexandra Borsari, a student teacher, and two interns, Alexandra Nassimos and Erica Mastronardi.

Joining the staff at Old Saybrook Middle School this fall are Hannah Newton, teaching art at both the high school and middle school; Nancy Stover, in a one-year position teaching French and Spanish; Barbara Cromeenes, starting in the middle school office as a 12-month secretary; and Brandon Steban starting in language teaching specialization (LTS) guidance.

There are five new hires joining the Old Saybrook High School staff: Taylor Pacekonis as LTS Spanish teacher, James Gowdy, in a one-year English teaching position; Michelle Zimberlin, teaching earth science, physics, and chemistry; Kara Donnelly, in a one-year LTS English teaching slot; and Jena Audette, starting in the main office suite as a 12-month secretary.

On Aug. 23 (after press time), Superintendent of Schools Jan Perruccio and Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessments Amity Goss were scheduled to present to the Board of Education the school district’s new five-year strategic plan, the product of a year-long effort that included many committee meetings, staff work, and workshops with facilitator Betty Osga.

“What we’re most proud of is that the plan is focused, with three big goals. Two are squarely focused on curriculum and instruction because teaching and learning needs to look different in the 21st century,” said Perruccio.

The two goals focused on learning and teaching are these: “consistent implementation of a well-developed, state-of-the-art, and fully articulated series of standards and outcomes for learning” and “innovative and highly focused instructional design and practices that maximize student engagement while streamlining student work to that which is meaningful and essential.”

“Students commented that the workload is excessive and spoke of how stressed they are. [This year] district staff will talk with students about the work load,” said Perruccio.

Building on this topic, Goss continued, “We’re looking at ways to economize work by seeing the way the standards are integrated across the curriculum. We need to be sure that we are clear about the standards ourselves—and the students, too. It might mean providing more flexibility: in the product, in the tools and resources students use, and the amount of time it takes to master a standard.”

The third goal focuses on the school district’s demographic trends and developing responses to them. To fulfill this goal, the district will develop “proactive and flexible plans that respond to changing demographics including declining enrollment, increasing numbers of students who speak English as a second language, increasing social and emotional needs of students, and the increasing expenses of education in a setting where the number of households with school-age children is declining.”

During the 2016-’17 school year, district staff and faculty will work to develop action plans designed to address each of three goals over the plan’s five-year term.

This fall, the Old Saybrook school district will pilot two math programs from the same developer, one for grades kindergarten through grade 5 and another for grades 6 through 8; a third pilot math program is an integrated kindergarten through grade 8 program.

“Both are extremely rigorous and aligned with the standards. We will choose [between] the two math programs, whichever one that student data shows that the most student learning is demonstrated,” said Goss.

At the high school, the biggest change is tied to a new program and school day scheduling model called the “8 Drop 2 Model.” The model is based on a four-day rotation of eight class periods numbered from one through eight; on each of the four days, two of the eight periods drop off the schedule, so in any four-day rotation, each class period is held three times.

The biggest change for students and teachers is that the standard class period will be longer than last year. Instead of periods that are 43 minutes long, class periods will now be 57 minutes.

There is one exception: the unchanging 43-minute long midday period called the X-Block. During that period, students will take their lunch break, teachers will have office hours, and advisories will be scheduled.

The goal of the new schedule was to provide more flexibility in course placement, to provide more time in each period to delve into subjects, and to minimize passing time between class periods.

At the middle school, last school year’s change to put two specials slots in each student’s schedule instead of just one proved popular and will continue this school year, with minor tweaks.

In the U.S. News and World Report rankings of top high schools issued this month, Old Saybrook High School was ranked 30th of all Connecticut public high schools, earning the school a silver medal. This ranking system is based various criteria including whether students do better than expected, whether disadvantaged students perform better than expected, graduation rates, and college readiness. In the school ranking website Niche 2016 ratings, Old Saybrook High School ranks at number 27 in Connecticut.

The school district website www.oldsaybrook.k12.ct.us provides detailed documentation about school programs and curriculum, a list of staff members and contact information for them, and school calendars and bus routes.

At the Goodwin School, this summer saw the removal of the underground oil tank and the installation of a new partially-underground oil tank. The State Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) requires that underground tanks be replaced when they are 30 years old, as Goodwin’s was, whether or not they are still in good shape.

Goodwin’s foyer also got a face lift this summer with new paint and benches, a new phone system was installed throughout the building, and to the rear of the school, the two temporary classrooms were removed. Also a new white fence was added around the pre-kindergarten play area.

All three schools are getting new public presentation systems in their auditoriums and cafetorium spaces.

At the middle school, students will find a restored middle school courtyard, complete with the new oversized chessboard finished last spring and Adirondack chairs. The Project Adventure course behind the school also has been upgraded and the gym lockers replaced. A new electronic message board sign is being installed in front of the middle school.

At the high school, this summer saw the installation of new outdoor surveillance cameras in the athletic field and facilities areas. The school’s language labs were improved with the addition of individual student carrels. In a few areas where there were still old floor tiles, those were removed and replaced. Electrical work was completed in the technology education area to accommodate the program’s new equipment including lathes.

The price for school lunches in Old Saybrook for the new 2016-’17 school year will remain the same as last year.

At Old Saybrook High School, the lunch price is $3.25 while at the middle school, lunch is $3. At Goodwin Elementary School, the price of lunch is $2.75. The cost of milk remains the same as last year at $.50 and the cost breakfast will also remain the same.

The Old Saybrook school district also provide meals to St. John’s School; for students at St. John’s, the price to buy a lunch for the next school year will also be the same as last year at $3.25.