The information below has been updated from the previous blog post to reflect the July 23rd School Committee Meeting discussion.

The summary below gives some background information surrounding the Elementary Space Study review, the need to conduct the study, and the reason why additional space may be needed for future programmatic changes at the elementary level.

What is the background for the Elementary Space Study?

Over the last month, the Reading School Committee has been reviewing an Elementary Space Study report which was completed in May, 2012 by Frank Locker Educational Planning Consultants.  The purpose of the study was to evaluate the educational adequacy of space at the pre-school and elementary schools, and to outline the short term and long term options to serve the elementary students.   A copy of the report and the backup information is found at the following Edline link: 

http://www.edline.net/files/_eGGi5_/7c8c612cf807d6443745a49013852ec4/SC_MEETING_7.9.12.pdf

This report was initiated in November, 2011 as a proactive way of looking at our growing space needs at the Elementary level due to programmatic changes.  These program issues and the need for additional space related to the program needs first began to be discussed in March, 2011, when Superintendent John Doherty presented to the Reading School Committee the results of his transition plan for the School District.  The Superintendent’s Transition plan was developed over an eight month period with feedback collected from interviews and surveys of hundreds of community members, parents, teachers and students, and the review of several School Department documents.  As a result of those findings, The Superintendent developed a multi-year plan called The Reading Public Schools Strategy for Improvement of Student Outcomes.  This plan has become the blueprint for initiatives that the district is exploring and will be implementing over the next three years as a way to improve the Reading Public Schools.  The district is currently implementing several of the initiatives in the plan including developing a Behavioral Health Task Force, Piloting a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiative for grades 7-12, and piloting the Elementary Standards-Based Report Card.  A review of our current elementary space needs and the development of a plan to address future needs was included as part of that plan.

Why do we need additional classroom space at the Elementary School level?

One of the areas that was a concern for elementary families who were interviewed during the Transition Plan development was the need to provide additional programs at the pre-school and elementary school levels, most notably, offering Full Day Kindergarten for all students and expanding the RISE Pre-School program.  According to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2011), 201 out of 328 Massachusetts school districts that offer kindergarten offer free full day kindergarten for all of their students.  Currently, the Reading Public Schools offer a tuition-based full day kindergarten program for 60% of our students and our RISE preschool program has grown significantly over the last several years.  However, in order for the district to continue to expand these programs and continue to improve the quality of these programs, additional classroom space will be required.  For the 2012-13 school year, the Reading Public Schools will not have any additional classroom space at the elementary level for further expansion of programs.  The reason for this is since the 2005-06 school year, which is the first year that we had five elementary schools operating in our district, we have increased classroom space needs in the following programmatic areas:

1.  Full Day Kindergarten-Due to the increased demand by families for Full Day Kindergarten, we have increased the number of classrooms designated for Full Day Kindergarten from 5 in 2005-06 to 9 in this upcoming school year.  The number of full day students during that time has increased from 92 students in 2004-05 to 182 students in 2012-13. 

2.  Special Education In District Programs-Over the last several years, we have developed strong in-district special education programs to address the needs of our students.  These programs allow our Reading students to stay in the school district with their peers, instead of being assigned to an out of district placement for an additional cost to the operating budget.  During the 2005-06 school year, we had one elementary special education program classroom in the district.  In the 2012-13 school year, we will have 6 classrooms at the elementary level dedicated to special education programs in the district.

3.  Maintain adequate class size-It has been the guidelines of the Reading Public Schools over the last few years to maintain Grade K-2 class sizes of 18-22 students and Grade 3-5 classrooms in the mid-20’s.  When classroom space is not available, class sizes will increase when additional students enroll in that grade.  Over the last two years, we have been able to re-assign students who move in to Reading from their home district as a way to balance class sizes across a grade level.  We have also attempted to keep cohorts of kindergarten students together geographically to start their entry in the Reading Public Schools with balanced class sizes. 

4.  RISE Pre-School Program-Over the last 7 years, we have seen an increase of 3 and 4 year old students that have been identified for Special Education services.  This has increased our RISE pre-school population from 72 students in the 2005-06 school year to 127 students at the end of the 2011-12 school year.  For the 2012-13 school year, we will have 7 classrooms for the RISE Preschool, an increase of 2 classrooms since 2005-06.  Next year, we will not be able to accommodate all of the students at the RISE Pre-School, so we will be using 1.5 classrooms at Wood End.

5.  Dedicated Art and Music Classrooms-When Barrows was renovated and Wood End was built in 2005, the School District was committed to provide dedicated art and music classrooms at each elementary school so that art and music would no longer have to be taught with the teacher moving from classroom to classroom on a cart.  Teaching the art and music programs in a dedicated classroom allow for more hands-on learning experiences for the students.  At times over the last few years, due to classroom space needs in other areas, we have had to combine art and music classrooms in some of our elementary schools.  Next year, three of our schools will have dedicated art and music classrooms, and two will have a combined art and music classroom. 

Is the additional space needed created by an increase in enrollment?

In the Elementary Space Study conducted by Frank Locker, there are two enrollment projections that are included; a moderate enrollment projection which shows a slight increase over the next several years and a high enrollment projection, which indicates an enrollment issues at some of the elementary schools over the next several years.

In our analysis of space needs, we are assuming the moderate enrollment projection, not the high enrollment projection.  Currently, the elementary enrollment for the 2012-13 school year is consistent with the 2011-12 school year elementary enrollment. The need for additional space is based on the programmatic issues described above and not a significant increase in enrollment.

Will we see an increase in Chapter 70 funding or other grant funding if we move forward with Full Day Kindergarten for all students?

If the Reading Public Schools commits to providing free full day kindergarten for all students, there will be an increase in Chapter 70 funding due to the fact that all kindergarten students will count in the formula as full day students.  Currently, any half day kindergarten student or any full day kindergarten student that pays tuition is only counted as a half day student in the Chapter 70 formula.  For example, if we implemented free full day kindergarten this year, with 320 students, the Chapter 70 funding for FY14 would increase approximately 1.1 million dollars.  This amount would offset the expenses associated with hiring additional staff to implement full day kindergarten for all students.

There are also transitional grants provided by the DESE for communities who are transitioning from half day programs to full day programs.  If Reading qualified, we could receive up to $200,000 over a two year period.

What are the next steps?

The Reading School Committee has met on June 11, July 9, and July 23 to discuss the contents of the report and to explore additional information on Full Day Kindergarten, Pre-School, Special Education Programs, dedicated Art and Music classrooms and future expansion of these programs.  Members of the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee attended the June 11^th meeting.  At a future School Committee meeting, the School Committee will direct the Administration to move forward with some of the programmatic issues that are being discussed, as well as, a classroom space plan.

Will there be additional public meetings on this issue?

The Reading School Committee will continue to discuss this topic at the August 27th meeting, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the School Committee Conference Room at the Reading Administrative Offices.  An additional meeting is being planned in late August in continue this discussion.  We encourage all who are interested to attend. 

Elementary Space Study Review Summary

The summary below gives some background information surrounding the Elementary Space Study review, the need to conduct the study, and the reason why additional space may be needed for future programmatic changes at the elementary level.

What is the background for the Elementary Space Study?

Over the last month, the Reading School Committee has been reviewing an Elementary Space Study report which was completed in May, 2012 by Frank Locker Educational Planning Consultants.  This report was initiated in November, 2011 as a proactive way of looking at our growing space needs at the Elementary level due to programmatic changes.  These program issues and the need for additional space related to the program needs first began to be discussed in March, 2011, when Superintendent John Doherty presented to the Reading School Committee the results of his transition plan for the School District.  The Superintendent’s Transition plan was developed over an eight month period with feedback collected from interviews and surveys of hundreds of community members, parents, teachers and students, and the review of several School Department documents.  As a result of those findings, The Superintendent developed a multi-year plan called The Reading Public Schools Strategy for Improvement of Student Outcomes.  This plan has become the blueprint for initiatives that the district is exploring and will be implementing over the next three years as a way to improve the Reading Public Schools.  The district is currently implementing several of the initiatives in the plan including developing a Behavioral Health Task Force, Piloting a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiative for grades 7-12, and piloting the Elementary Standards-Based Report Card.  A review of our current elementary space needs and the development of a plan to address future needs was included as part of that plan.

Why do we need additional classroom space at the Elementary School level?

One of the areas that was a concern for elementary families who were interviewed during the Transition Plan development was the need to provide additional programs at the pre-school and elementary school levels, most notably, offering Full Day Kindergarten for all students and expanding the RISE Pre-School program.  According to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (2011), 201 out of 328 Massachusetts school districts that offer kindergarten offer free full day kindergarten for all of their students.  Currently, the Reading Public Schools offer a tuition-based full day kindergarten program for 60% of our students and our RISE preschool program has grown significantly over the last several years.  However, in order for the district to continue to expand these programs and continue to improve the quality of these programs, additional classroom space will be required.  For the 2012-13 school year, the Reading Public Schools will not have any additional classroom space at the elementary level for further expansion of programs.  The reason for this is since the 2005-06 school year, which is the first year that we had five elementary schools operating in our district, we have increased classroom space needs in the following programmatic areas:

1.  Full Day Kindergarten-Due to the increased demand by families for Full Day Kindergarten, we have increased the number of classrooms designated for Full Day Kindergarten from 5 in 2005-06 to 9 in this upcoming school year.  The number of full day students during that time has increased from 92 students in 2004-05 to 182 students in 2012-13.

2.  Special Education In District Programs-Over the last several years, we have developed strong in-district special education programs to address the needs of our students.  These programs allow our Reading students to stay in the school district with their peers, instead of being assigned to an out of district placement for an additional cost to the operating budget.  During the 2005-06 school year, we had one elementary special education program classroom in the district.  In the 2012-13 school year, we will have 6 classrooms at the elementary level dedicated to special education programs in the district.

3.  Maintain adequate class size-It has been the guidelines of the Reading Public Schools over the last few years to maintain Grade K-2 class sizes of 18-22 students and Grade 3-5 classrooms in the mid-20’s.  When classroom space is not available, class sizes will increase when additional students enroll in that grade.  Over the last two years, we have been able to re-assign students who move in to Reading from their home district as a way to balance class sizes across a grade level.  We have also attempted to keep cohorts of kindergarten students together geographically to start their entry in the Reading Public Schools with balanced class sizes.

4.  RISE Pre-School Program-Over the last 7 years, we have seen an increase of 3 and 4 year old students that have been identified for Special Education services.  This has increased our RISE pre-school population from 72 students in the 2005-06 school year to 127 students at the end of the 2011-12 school year.  For the 2012-13 school year, we will have 7 classrooms for the RISE Preschool, an increase of 2 classrooms since 2005-06.  Next year, we will not be able to accommodate all of the students at the RISE Pre-School, so we will be using 1.5 classrooms at Wood End.

5.  Dedicated Art and Music Classrooms-When Barrows was renovated and Wood End was built in 2005, the School District was committed to provide dedicated art and music classrooms at each elementary school so that art and music would no longer have to be taught with the teacher moving from classroom to classroom on a cart.  Teaching the art and music programs in a dedicated classroom allow for more hands-on learning experiences for the students.  At times over the last few years, due to classroom space needs in other areas, we have had to combine art and music classrooms in some of our elementary schools.  Next year, three of our schools will have dedicated art and music classrooms, and two will have a combined art and music classroom.

Is the additional space needed created by an increase in enrollment?

In the Elementary Space Study conducted by Frank Locker, there are two enrollment projects that are included; a moderate enrollment projection which shows a slight increase over the next several years and a high enrollment projection, which indicates an enrollment issues at some of the elementary schools over the next several years.

In our analysis of space needs, we are assuming the moderate enrollment projection, not the high enrollment projection.  Currently, the elementary enrollment for the 2012-13 school year is consistent with the 2011-12 school year elementary enrollment. The need for additional space is based on the programmatic issues described above and not a significant increase in enrollment.

What are the next steps?

As a result of the decrease in available classroom space at the elementary level, the Reading School Committee authorized an Elementary Educational Facilities Planning study which was completed by Frank Locker Educational Planning in May, 2012.  The purpose of the study was to evaluate the educational adequacy of space at the pre-school and elementary schools, and to outline the short term and long term options to serve the elementary students.  A copy of the report and the backup information is found at the following link.

The Reading School Committee met on June 11 and July 9 to discuss the contents of the report and to explore additional information on Full Day Kindergarten, Pre-School, Special Education Programs, dedicated Art and Music classrooms and future expansion of these programs.  Members of the Board of Selectmen and the Finance Committee attended the June 11^th meeting.  The School Committee asked the administration to provide additional information on this topic for the July 23^rd meeting.  At a future School Committee meeting, the School Committee will direct the Administration to move forward with some of the programmatic issues that are being discussed, as well as, a classroom space plan.

Will there be additional public meetings on this issue?

The Reading School Committee will continue to discuss this topic at the July 23^rd meeting, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the School Committee Conference Room at the Reading Administrative Offices.  We encourage all who are interested to attend.

I apologize for the long delay inbetween blog posts.  As you may or may not know, January begins the community presentations for the FY13 budget.  The first of several discussions will be on Monday, January 9th, at 7:30 p.m. in the School Committee Conference Room of the Reading Public School Administrative Offices.  You can access a copy of the Superintendent’s FY13 Recommended Budget here.

Described below is the opening message for this recommended budget.  Over the next month, the School Committee will hear the presentations for all of the different cost centers of the budget (Administration, Regular Day, Special Education, Other (Health Services, Athletics, Extra-curricular, District Technology), and Town/School Facilities.  The meeting dates for January are as follows:

January 9-Overview of Budget, Administration, Regular Day

January 19-Special Education, Other, Facilities

January 23-Public Hearing on FY13 budget

January 30-Final vote on FY13 budget

Once the School Committee votes on a budget, it will become the School Committee budget.  That budget is then submitted to the Town Manager who will develop a complete Town and School budget that he believes is affordable for the community with the resources that are available.  The Town Manager will then submit his budget (Town Government and Schools) to the Finance Committee who will review the budget during the month of March.  The Finance Committee advises Town Meeting on the budget and they will take a vote on each of the different areas of the budget.  The budget will then be presented to Town Meeting, who will vote on each area of the budget.  Town Meeting has the final authority on the budget.

I encourage you to attend the School Committee meetings and the Public Hearing and give your input on the budget.  I also encourage to read the budget book linked above which tells a story of the Reading Public Schools.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Superintendent’s Office at 781-944-5800 or by email john.doherty@reading.k12.ma.us.

Superintendent’s Budget Message for FY13

The last three fiscal years have been extremely challenging for the Reading Public Schools.  A reduction in state aid, coupled with rising in health insurance costs have led to stagnant school funding during FY10, FY11, and FY12.  During this time, the change to the school budget has been a net of 0% (0% in FY10, 1.1% increase in FY11 and a 1.1% decrease in FY12).  This overall lack of increased funding has resulted in the elimination of 34.8 FTE positions, primarily in the areas of secretary, paraeducator, and custodian support.  In addition to the staffing reductions, allocations for instructional supplies, curriculum, professional development and technology replacement have been significantly reduced with the school having to survive on a fraction of the funding that they have had years prior to FY10.  These reductions have created a strain on our support and instructional staff and a void in instructional supplies and technology replacement in our classrooms.  The reductions in instructional supplies and technology replacement in FY12 were meant as a one year budget reduction only to avoid reducing classroom teachers.  These reductions, while challenging, were strategically selected to avoid reductions to our teaching staff over the last three years.

We are at a point as a school district where we can no longer sustain reductions in personnel or supplies and expect to maintain a high quality school district that focuses on continuous improvement and innovation.  This FY13 budget is critical in that we must restore some of the reductions that were intended to be one year reductions.  We must also address some critical areas that have clearly been adversely impacting our students.  Other needs have surfaced as well.  Over the next few years, we will need to transition all of our curriculum areas to the Common Core of Learning, which is the newly approved Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks.  As part of this transition, curriculum work and materials adoption will need to occur in mathematics, writing, and science.  In addition, common assessments will need to be developed in all subject areas and grade levels as part of the new Massachusetts Educator Evaluation system.

However, the most critical need in our school district is to address the overall behavioral health of our students.  Behavioral health refers to the social, emotional, and behavioral well-being of all students, including but not limited to students with mental health needs.  Behavioral health initiatives seek to both reduce problem behaviors, and to optimize positive and productive functioning.  The research clearly shows that when programs and policies to improve behavioral health are in place, academic achievement improves, students are more engaged in school, and negative behaviors decrease.

Last year, to begin a dialogue about these concerns, the Reading Public Schools hosted three showings of the documentary, Race to Nowhere, which focuses on the increasing stress and anxiety that our youth are facing in today’s society.  As a result of the community discussions from Race to Nowhere, a group of dedicated teachers, administrators, parents and the Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse formed a Behavioral Health Task Force.  This group met throughout the summer and identified the behavioral health needs of the school district using a DESE Behavioral Health Assessment Tool.  From these results,  the task force developed a set of recommendations as to what our schools and our community can do to support students, reduce their anxiety, and help them become more emotionally ready to learn and thrive in this community.  Several of these recommendations have begun to be implemented while others will require additional resources.  In addition to the Behavioral Health Task Force Recommendations, our latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2011) showed some areas of concern, most notably in the number of students who are at emotional risk, and have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety disorder, or other mental illnesses.  These students often show symptoms of chronic absenteeism, excessive tardiness and may have engaged in cutting, seriously considered suicide, made a plan about committing suicide, or attempted suicide.  These students require a level of clinical counseling, therapeutic, and programmatic support that we currently cannot provide.  Another area of concern exposed by the YRBS is the lack of a PreK-12 Health Education program.  These two areas will be a key focus of the FY13 budget.

The challenge for our community and our school district will be to find ways to maintain the high quality services that our residents expect from Reading Public Schools while providing additional programs and services to address the needs expressed above.  One of the primary responsibilities of the Superintendent is to develop a recommended budget request each year that represents what is necessary to provide a high quality educational experience for our children.  In prosperous times, that budget would reflect the resources necessary to accomplish all of the district and school improvement goals aimed at maximizing student success for all students.  In difficult times such as now, the challenge is balancing what is necessary for achieving success with what resources are available.  We are hoping that this is a transition year where we can restore some of the resources lost in the previous three years, while addressing some current and future needs.

Student performance has remained strong despite three years of little to no growth in funding for our schools.  However, we are beginning to see the impact of the loss of curriculum, professional development, technology, and support staff over the last three years.  The school district has lost almost 35 positions over the last three years and, for the most part, we have been able to keep the impact away from the classroom as much as possible.  But the real reason for our continued success in light of limited funding is the commitment of our staff to our students and our mission and the strong support of our parents and community organizations.

Most agree that surviving fiscal year 2012 has been a challenge but many are also optimistic about the future.  This Fiscal Year 2013 Superintendent’s Recommended Budget was developed in consideration of the challenge but also of the optimism for the future.  The Superintendent’s Recommended Budget shows an increase of 2.9%, which allows our district to restore some of the support staff and instructional supplies while addressing some of the critical needs in behavioral health, health education, technology replacement, and professional development, and curriculum work.  Although this increase is above the 2% amount recommended at the Financial Forum, we feel that it would be disingenuous to not recommend a budget that addresses the critical needs in our school district.  This is not an increase that we take lightly, as a significant amount of deliberation occurred with administrators and staff on what we felt was needed to address the critical issues that face our students today while investing in their future.

As we developed our budget, the priorities listed below were used to guide our decisions.  It is our overarching goal to preserve the integrity, stability, quality, and culture of our school district.  This priority list, which is in no particular order, was developed with input from our administrators and is consistent with the strategic objectives and initiatives described in the Reading Public Schools Strategy for Improvement of Student Outcomes. The Superintendent’s FY13 Recommended Budget ensures sufficient resources to adequately support the following priority areas:

• Behavioral Health of all of our students
• Growth and development of our staff
• Low class sizes (18-22) in grades K-2 where possible
• Middle school interdisciplinary model
• 21^st Century learning initiatives
• Technology infrastructure
• Maintenance of our school facilities while controlling the long term cost of operating those facilities
• Regular day programs (e.g. art, music, physical education, health education, foreign language)

Many of you know about the Reading Technology and Education Foundation (RTEF), which has supported our school with various technology grants over the last decade. RTEF is now REF-the Reading Education Foundation. By dropping the T, REF has expanded its mission and focus in order to be able to support all innovative programs in the Reading Public Schools. REF has also expanded its board from four members to 10 and has created a new website which I strongly encourage you to visit to learn more about REF’s mission. http://readingef.org/  . As one of their fundraising efforts, REF is hosting an iPod raffle. The winner will be selected at the Festival of Trees in December. Tickets will be available in school offices and at the Hitching Post in Reading.

The Reading and Education Foundation will now play a key role in the research and development of new initiatives and ideas for the Reading Public Schools.  Over the last several years, we have taken pride in trying to find new innovative ways to do what is in the best interest of our students.  The Reading Education Foundation will be key in helping us continue to improve even in this difficult economic times.

The Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse (RCASA), Reading Public Schools, Reading Police Department and Town of Reading will be hosting its third community dialogue on substance abuse and violence on Tuesday, October 18, at 7:00 p.m. in the RMHS Field House.  This forum will feature a panel discussion with Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, RCASA Executive Director Erica McNamara, Police Chief James Cormier, and Superintendent of Schools John Doherty.  The discussion will be led by Town Manager Peter Hechenbleikner.  The focus of this forum is to present information learned from the previous two forums , as well as, listening to the community about possible ideas to address substance abuse and violence.

As part of the presentation, the school department has prepared a power point presentation to help inform the community of what is currently going on in the schools to address this issue.  The power point and the full task report also describes some future initiatives.  You can access both below.

Behavioral Health Task Force Presentation

Behavioral Health Task Force Recommendations

All are invited and encouraged to attend.  During the first two sessions, we have had excellent participation and attendance.  It is critical for us to keep this dialogue continuing in our community.

If you have any questions, please contact RCASA Executive Director Erica McNamara at EMcnamara@ci.reading.ma.us

Dear Members of the Reading Community:

We are all saddened by the recent events that have involved young men who grew up in our community, attended our public schools, and who many of us knew as friends, family members, teammates, or students.  At times like this, we are reminded that these senseless acts can happen anywhere, even in a suburban community likeReading.  When events like this occur, there may be concerns about the type of community that our children are raised in and how they will be affected. We begin to ask questions about what could have been done differently to help these young adults.  During times like this, it is important for us as a community to reassess what we are doing, evaluate if it is still effective, and make changes where necessary. In addition, we need to listen to our children and their concerns, reassure them that they are safe, and educate them to make good decisions that will positively impact their lives.  These tragic situations have shaken our community and have shone a bright light on an issue that so many communities must face.  Sadly, they also have provided us an opportunity, even a challenge perhaps, to work collaboratively with everyone in our community to examine the issue more thoroughly and to better understand that this is not solely a law enforcement problem, or a family problem, or a school problem . . . it is a community problem that we all must address together.

During the last few weeks, there has been a significant amount of conversation about the role that the school system can take in addressing not only the substance abuse issue, but also the overall behavioral health of children and teens.  This has definitely been an area of focus for the school system, and a topic for which the Reading Public Schools can continue to provide leadership in our community. Over the last four years, since these young adults graduated from high school, significant progress has been made by this community and the Reading Public Schools in addressing the societal pressures that our youth face each and every day.  One of the actions taken several years ago was the formation of the Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse (RCASA), a community organization consisting of representatives from town government, the school district, law enforcement, clergy, behavioral health providers, pharmacies, parents, youth groups, businesses, and the community at large.   The letter that was published last week by the Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse (RCASA) youth crew outlines the different initiatives that RCASA and its partners have accomplished over the last six years.  These initiatives have begun to show positive effects in some areas in our community and in our schools. 

There has also been dialogue in the community about establishing zero tolerance policies in our schools for students in the classroom, in athletics, and in extra-curricular activities.  Two years ago, the Reading School Committee approved a progressive Search and Seizure policy, which included the implementation of breathalyzers at all high school student dances.  As this policy was deliberated, some members of the community felt that the policy went too far and did not give students a second chance if they were caught under the influence of alcohol.  In addition, we have enforced on several occasions the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) regulations on substance abuse for athletes.  Annually, the captains and coaches for all of the athletic teams participate in leadership training that focuses on the negative consequences of substance abuse and risky behaviors.  We will continue to identify ways to educate our students in our classrooms and on our playing fields to make good decisions, impose consequences when they have not abided by the rules and policies, and provide interventions to help them recover from the mistakes that they have made.  Zero tolerance policies are only effective when you provide supports for the students after they have been accused or involved in an incident.  While we need to hold our teens accountable, we of course cannot just make examples of them and give up on them.  We need them to effectively learn from their mistakes and to move forward as productive members of our community and society. 

As the community of Reading, we need to understand that the substance abuse issue is the symptom of a greater problem:  the growing emotional and behavioral health needs of our students.  Last year, the Reading Public Schools held three showings of the documentary, Race to Nowhere, which highlighted the stress and anxiety that our children face each and every day.  One reason for this increased stress and anxiety is the pressure for our students to succeed, a characteristic found in many suburban communities.  We create cultures where our children have to get into the best colleges, take all of the right classes, and over schedule themselves to gain that competitive advantage.  For some students, this works; for others it can lead to distress.  In addition, some of our students come to school emotionally unprepared to learn because of what is happening in their lives outside of school.  As a result, they may come to school late or not at all, get into trouble frequently, or not be able to focus on learning.  They may have a family member who is out of work, clinically depressed, or involved in substance abuse.  There may have been a death recently in their family.  The student may have been abused, using drugs or alcohol or hanging around with peers who could have a negative influence on them.  It is very possible that these same students play sports, are involved in extra-curricular activities, or take honors level courses.  These are not “bad kids,” but kids who have lost their way and are at risk.  As a community we all need to work together to identify who these students are, get them the help that they need, and help them  get back on track with school and their personal lives. If we do not get them those critical supports, it can result in risky behaviors including theft, overdose, cutting, attempted suicide, and possibly death.    It is very difficult for anyone to get out of this downward spiral unless they get the help that they need.  That is where our community can play a critical role. 

One of the areas that the Reading Public Schools has been focused on over the last year is identifying ways to improve the behavioral health of all our students.  As a result of the discussions emanating from the showing of Race to Nowhere, a group of dedicated teachers, administrators, parents and the Reading Coalition Against Substance Abuse formed a Behavioral Health task force.  This group developed a set of recommendations for what our schools and our community can do to support students, reduce anxiety, and help them become more emotionally ready to learn and thrive in this community.  Over the next several weeks, you will hear about those recommendations and have an opportunity to give us feedback.  If you wish, you may also join this group as we begin to move forward with the recommendations. 

One of these recommendations is to begin the conversation on these topics. On September 21^st at 7:00 p.m. in the RMHS Field House, the Reading Community will be holding a community dialogue on substance abuse and violence prevention.  This conversation will continue on October 6^th at 7:00 p.m. in the RMHS Fine and Performing Arts Center when the RCASA annual meeting will be held.  At that meeting, the biannual results of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, a key set of data used to assist us in making decisions to support our youth, will be presented.  We will then hold a third session on October 18 (time and location to be determined) to address the concerns raised in the first two sessions.  These three sessions will allow the community to express their concerns, brainstorm possible solutions, and hear some of the initiatives that are already underway.

It is also important for our community to be proactive when they observe incidents involving any form of risky behavior.   We need to teach our children and our students that it is okay to share information when one of their peers is at risk.  One of the comments that has been frequently mentioned over the last few weeks is that so many people often know what is going on in the lives of some of the at-risk young adults, but are reluctant to come forward—even though they realize that the behaviors they’re witnessing may be extremely dangerous.  It is important to speak up and notify the proper officials what is going on in the community.  One way to do this in the schools is to talk to school administrators, guidance counselors, school psychologists, teachers, or a trusted adult.  Recently, the Reading Police Department initiated a new anonymous “Text a Tip” program to help the community give information to the police.  It is important for all of us to feel like we can report information when we see it.  If we don’t, we may regret that we never did.

The Reading Public Schools looks forward to these community conversations aimed at identifying programs, policies, and resources which will support our at risk students.  We can and will play a leadership role in addressing what has become a growing problem in suburbs all across this country.  It is time to recognize that our community has a problem and begin to work together as a community to solve this problem.  The overall well-being of our youth and the vitality of our community are at stake.

Good Morning:

I hope that you are having a great Labor Day weekend.  I would like to welcome you back to the Reading Public Schools for the 2011-12 school year.  I am pleased to announce that we had a very smooth opening on Wednesday and Thursday.  Thank you for helping your children transition back to school after the summer break.

As always, the start of the school year brings excitement and hope for our students.  We are committed to doing everything we can to assure that the school year goes smoothly for your child.  If your child is having any transition issues back to school, please make sure that you contact your child’s teacher, building principal, school psychologist, or guidance counselor.  The research has shown that the first two weeks of school can be critical to a child’s success for the entire school year.

I would like to take this opportunity to update you on some of the things that have been happening in the Reading Public Schools this summer. 

Office of Learning and Teaching-I am excited to announce that we have created the Office of Learning and Teaching, which is located on Main Street at Reading Memorial High School, where the former district special education office was located.  This office will be the home of the Assistant Superintendent, the Director of Student Services, and our Behavioral Health Coordinator with a focus on integrating student services and curriculum and instructional practices to support all students.   This change will result in increased collaboration, more discussion, and a greater emphasis on providing support for all students to be successful.

Professional Development-Several of our staff were involved in summer work that will enhance and improve our schools.  The Teaching of American History Grant, Common Core of Learning, Anti-bullying initiative, Moodle, iPads and Elementary Standards Based Report Cards are just some of the topics that were worked on this summer by Reading Public School staff.  In addition, a group of 30 teachers, administrators, parents, and community members have been participating in a Behavioral Health Task Force, which has developed a series of recommendations for our district and our community on how to improve the social and emotional welfare of all of our students.  In addition, I am also pleased to report that we have been accepted as an early adopter district for the new Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Educator Evaluation system.  By being an early adopter, we will be able to use our current Teacher Evaluation System (Called TAP) and administrator evaluation system to influence and shape decisions to be made by the DESE regarding teacher and administrator evaluations.  In an upcoming post, I will explain more about the new teacher and administrator evaluation system.

Students-We had many students in our schools this summer involved in a variety of programs.  Our schools were busy with students from the Reading Enrichment Academy, school based summer programs, Five Star Theater Camp, Club Invention, Reading Recreation Camps, Rocket Camp Extended Year Programs and student orientation programs.  These opportunities expand learning for our students outside of the school year and provide them with an opportunity to pursue talents and interests that they may not normally have during the school year.

School Maintenance Projects-We have had many school maintenance projects going on this summer, most notably, the Killam Roof project, which should be completed by the end of this week.  This fall, the Birch Meadow Elementary School will be undergoing window replacement, which should be completed by December.  Both of these projects are made possibly through the state funded Green Repairs Grant program and the efforts of Director of Finance and Operations Mary DeLai and Director of Facilities, Joe Huggins. 

Dedications-During the next few months, we will be having some dedications of different parts of of schools to remember educators and individuals.  On September 11^th at 10:00 a.m., we will be dedicating a 9/11 Memorial in front of Reading Memorial High School for all of those individuals who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, including Kevin McCarthy, a graduate of Reading Memorial High School.  In a few months, we will be renaming the RMHS Library Media Center the Patrick A. Schettini, Jr. Library Media Center.  If you come to the library, you will notice that the lettering has already been installed above the library doors.  We will also be dedicating the football field after John Hollingsworth, who was a football coach, athletic director, and math teacher in the 1960’s and 70’s.  Finally, we will be naming the Wrestling room after Tom Darrin, a Reading educator and coach who retired two years ago.

Joshua Eaton Playground Dedication-Due to the efforts of the Joshua Eaton Playground Committee and the Reading Recreation Department, a brand new playground will be dedicated this Wednesday, September 7th, at 5:00 p.m. at Joshua Eaton.  This dedication is in conjunction with the Back to School picnic.

As you can see, we have had a busy, but productive summer in the Reading Public Schools.  In future posts, I will be discussing the work that the Behavioral Health Task Force did this summer, the recommendations that are being discussed, and how this work will help support the behavioral health of all students.

A few weeks ago, over 500 students at Reading Memorial High School, under the leadership of the RMHS Student Council and Student Council Advisor Michael Springer, decided to develop a “Lip Dub” video.  For those of you that do not know, lip dub is “a is a type of video that combines lip synching and audio dubbing to make a music video. It is made by filming individuals or a group of people lip synching while listening to a song or any recorded audio then dubbing over it in post editing with the original audio of the song. There is often some form of mobile audio device used such as an MP3 players. Often they look like simple music videos, although many involve a lot of preparation and production. Lip dubs can be done in a single unedited shot that often travels through different rooms and situations within a building. They have become popular with the advent of mass participatory video content sites like YouTube. (Wikipedia, 2011)”

It was amazing to watch the development of this video unfold on the afternoon of May 18 as hundreds of RMHS students lined the corridors to create the video.  The official first viewing of the video was last Friday at the RMHS Senior Class Day.

You can view the video below.  Enjoy the lip dub experience!

Over the last week, the Reading Memorial High School community has celebrated the many accomplishments of the Class of 2011.  If you need one more reminder of how creative and articulate this group of students is, take a look at this year’s installment of This I Believe:  http://tib-rmhs.wikispaces.com/This+I+Believe+2011.   This I Believe is based upon the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow.

Here you will find essays of personal reflection from ten members of this year’s graduating class.  While all seniors wrote a This I Believe essay for their English classes, these ten were among the most beloved by students.  Special thanks to RMHS English Department Chair Mike McSweeney and his department for coordinating this assignment.  Enjoy!

After a very busy spring which included an exciting spring sport season, an outstanding spring musical (Chess), a “lip dub” video (which we will post here in the future) and two great concerts, the Class of 2011 is entering the final week of their high school career.  Last week, the Class of 2011 finished up their final exams and celebrated the official end of coursework with the Senior Prom at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.  Senior Week continues this week with the traditional graduation practice sessions and some exciting activities listed below:

May 31st-Senior Banquet/Boat Cruise in Boston Harbor followed by the all night party in the Walter Hawkes Field House

June 1st-Reading Scholarship Foundation Awards Night in the RMHS Fine and Performing Arts Center

June 2-Senior Baccalaureate Ceremony and Ice Cream Social

June 3-Class Day

June 5 (1:00 p.m.)-RMHS Commencement at Walter Hawkes Field House

Special thanks to Senior Class Advisors Jessica Lynch, Sarah Meunier and Karen Irmer for coordinating these events.

We wish the Class of 2011 good luck, godspeed, and a safe journey into their future.