This past week, the Reading School Committee held two meetings to discuss the Superintendent’s Budget.  On Monday evening, the School Committee heard the overview of the entire budget and a presentation on the administration cost center.  On Thursday evening, presentations were made on the Regular Day and Special Education budgets.  Several excellent questions were asked by the School Committee.  The answers to those questions are posted at the document located here. 

 

• January 20-The School Committee will be discussing the Other (Health Services, Extra-curricular, Athletics, Technology) and Facilities/Maintenance cost centers.
•  January 24-Public Hearing on FY12 Budget
•  January 31-Final Vote on FY12 Budget

We encourage you to attend these meetings and participate in the budget process.

The information below gives you a brief picture of the FY12 budget.  We encourage you to review the entire Superintendent’s Recommended budget here.  If you have any questions during the process, please do not hesitate to contact the Superintendent’s office at 781-944-5800 or jdoherty@reading.k12.ma.us.

Town Revenue and Expenses

The majority of the town’s revenues, of course, come from the local property tax levy as well as excise taxes. State aid is a major source of revenue as are state and federal grants. Lesser amounts are received through local permits and fees. In Fiscal Year 2012, the town is predicting an increase of $1.2 million in local revenues but a decrease of $1.6 million in federal and state revenues for a net projected decrease of $0.4 million.

The majority of accommodated costs, with the exception of energy and utilities, and special education tuitions are also projected to increase and, unfortunately, at a rate that outpaces the growth in revenue. Health insurance rates are projected to increase 7% with enrollment growth requiring an additional 3% increase in funding.

As a result of this shortfall, the town’s Finance Committee is recommending the use of up to $1.5 million from cash reserves to help stabilize the fiscal year 2012 budget. Even with this infusion of free cash, the remaining non-accommodated budgets appear to require a 0.5% reduction in order to balance. For the school department, that translates to a $385,485 reduction below the FY2011 budget.

School Department Budget Challenges

The school department faces a number of budget challenges in the upcoming year. Employee salaries comprise over 77% of the school’s budget. All of the school department’s collective bargaining agreements are due to expire at the close of the current school year and negotiations for successor agreements have only just begun. In addition to the expiration of collective bargaining agreements, contracts for transportation (regular education, athletics, and extracurricular buses) and substitute teachers are also expiring. Also, photocopier leases will need to be re-negotiated prior to the start of the next school year as well. There will also be curriculum needs as well that will focus on the implementation of the new anti-bullying law and the transition of our curriculum from the current Massachusetts State Frameworks to the new Common Core of Learning.

As mentioned earlier, the two bright spots on the FY2012 horizon are special education tuition costs and energy expenditures. Special education tuitions are anticipated to decrease slightly next year as a result of the transition of students out of some of the more costly placements. Decreases of over 10% in energy consumption are anticipated as a result of the extensive investment that the community has made in energy conservation measures throughout all school and town buildings. Furthermore, due to excess natural gas reserves brought about by new gas recovery technologies brought on-line over the last two years, natural gas prices are also on the decline. Our current natural gas contract is due to expire at the end of October 2011 and we are anticipating gas prices will be 20% below what we are currently paying.

Despite the cost savings in these two areas, however, the increase needed to fund a level service budget is projected to be just over $1.0 million. A level service budget would allow the school department to provide the same level of services to our students as we are providing in the current school year. It would allow us to maintain the staffing that is currently funded through the soon-to-expire federal stimulus grants as well as other federal grants that are projected to be reduced in the next fiscal year or which are not anticipated to increase sufficiently to pay higher salary costs. In total, this translates to 8.5 FTE employees. Also included in the level service budget is the addition of 2.8 special education teaching staff to ensure that current caseloads for existing staff do not increase and that the needs of a rapidly increasing population of students suffering from social and emotional disabilities are adequately addressed.

 

• Increase Offsets by $125,000
• Reduce School Supply & Material Budgets by $100,000
• Eliminate 1.5 Support Staff Positions at a cost of $50,000
• Reduce Administrator Salaries by $20,000
• Eliminate After School Fitness Center at a cost of $20,000
• Reduce Salary Increases at a cost of $685,000  

This level funded budget represents a $1,000,000 reduction from the level service budget.  If further reductions were necessary to get from the Level Funded Budget to a -0.5% Budget, additional cuts totaling just over $385,000 would need to be made. The proposed cuts to get to this reduced level of funding would include:

 

•  Eliminate K-8 Instructional Specialist position at a cost of $ 50,000
• Reduce athletic expenses and/or increase user fees by $ 40,000
• Eliminate 6.3 FTE support staff positions at a cost of $120,000
• Eliminate 3.7 FTE teaching positions at a cost of $175,000

 

These reductions would have a significant impact on our students including elimination of athletics programs (e.g., elimination of freshman sports), reduced instructional support in classrooms, and an increase in class size, most likely in grades 3-5 and course sections in grades 9-12. The 3.7 FTE reductions in teaching positions may increase or decrease based upon kindergarten enrollment, which will become more solidified by early spring. We are currently assuming the same kindergarten staffing levels as FY11.

Beginning on Monday evening, the Reading School Committee and the Community will begin to hear presentations on the Superintendent’s Recommended Budget for FY12.  A copy of the budget is located here.  The School Committee will be discussing the budget over several nights.  These meetings will consist of hearing presentations on the various cost centers, followed by deliberations and questions about each cost center.  There will also be a public hearing on January 24 which will give the public the opportunity to discuss any aspect of the budget. 

We encourage and welcome the public to attend these meetings.  All meetings will begin at 7:30 p.m. and be held at the Reading Public Schools District Office, located at Reading Memorial High School near the RISE Pre-School.  The dates are as follows:

• January 10-Overview and Administration Cost Center
• January 13-Regular Day and Special Education Cost Center
• January 20-Health Services, Athletics, Extra-Curricular, Technology and Maintenance
• January 24-Public Hearing on FY12 Budget
• January 31-School Committee Final Vote on FY12 Budget

 

As we approach fiscal year 2012, all indications show that public education in this country is at a critical crossroads. Cities and towns across the country struggle to find the revenues necessary to maintain core services including public education. While some believe that the deepest recession to have hit this country is nearing an end, federal and state revenues have been slow to recover and, therefore, resources are still significantly constrained. Districts across the country are struggling to find ways to better prepare our children for this ever-flattening global society that defines our world today. As a result of this struggle, it is no surprise that words like innovation and restructuring are now being used to describe what is needed in public education as we progress further into this 21st century.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is expected to face a $1.5 to $2.5 billion structural deficit next year. The federal stimulus funding that has been used to prop up falling state revenues is now expended and the proverbial funding cliff that federal officials warned us about in fiscal year 2009 lies ahead. The evaporation of this one-time revenue is expected to result in drastic cuts to the state budget and, while educational funding has been largely spared over the past two years, there are limited areas of the state budget to be cut and most agree that Chapter 70 funds will be reduced by 7% to 10% for fiscal year 2012. For Reading, that translates to a reduction of nearly one million dollars in education funding. With health insurance and other fixed costs rising, less local revenue is available for core services as well.

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 the Town of Reading and Reading Public Schools. 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, the challenge is balancing what is necessary for achieving success with what is available.

Student performance has remained strong despite two years of little to no growth in funding for our schools. The school district has lost 28 positions in the last two years and, for the most part, we have been able to keep the impact away from the classroom as much as possible. However, our schools are feeling the strains of reduced staffing and reduced funding for materials, professional development, and technology. Fortunately, federal stimulus funding has helped to reduce that impact but that funding is nearing an end. 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 will be a challenge but many are also optimistic about the future. This Fiscal Year 2012 Superintendent’s Recommended Budget was developed in consideration of the challenge but also of the optimism for the future. The Level Service budget helps us to understand what would be required in order to maintain the same level of high quality services we are currently providing to our students. To do so would require $1.0 million in additional funding from FY11 levels. We are confident that maintaining current services would allow our district to continue to foster the same level of student success we have seen in the past several years. Recognizing the optimism for the future, however, it is crucial that we do not dismantle the core structures that have led to our past successes. History shows that it takes years of re-building once those core structures are eliminated.

Recognizing that funding will be constrained in the next fiscal year, we have also developed a Level Funded budget that shows what cuts would need to be made should we face a third year of little to no funding increase. Projecting some of our major expenses for fiscal year 2012 is challenging at this point in the year as many of our contracts, including our five collective bargaining agreements, expire at the close of this year. We have tried to incorporate realistic assumptions to ensure that the funding that is available is able to fund core instructional services. In addition, we will look to shift some of our instructional expenses to the EduJobs funding being mindful that using non-recurring funds for recurring expenses is not sustainable.

While it will be a few months before we know for certain what level of state aid we will receive and what the increases in some of our major costs such as health insurance will be, the town’s revenue projections suggest that even level funding of budgets may not be possible in fiscal year 2012. In response to this possibility, we have also developed a list of reductions that would be necessary in the event that budgets would need to be cut by an additional 0.5% below fiscal year 2011 levels. This .5% reduction budget is the budget level that has been advised by the Reading Finance Committee. These cuts are far more costly to our district than those required to get to level funding. If budgets were reduced by 0.5% from fiscal year 2011 levels, for example, we would have to eliminate an additional $385,485 from our budgets; that is in addition to the $1 million that would be cut to get from level services to level funding. Those cuts would require significant personnel cuts and would result in less instructional support in our classrooms, higher class sizes across the district, and reductions to athletic programs. While we are hopeful that the revenue and expense pictures will improve and not require such reductions, we are prepared to implement the innovation and restructuring necessary to maintain our academic excellence.

As we developed the level funded and -0.5% reduced budgets, the priorities listed below were used to guide our decisions. As we developed these less than optimal budgets, it was 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 administrators, directors, and feedback received during the Superintendent’s transition sessions with the community. These priorities provided the guidance necessary to make decisions which will sustain the core educational services necessary to continue to move our school district forward during these difficult economic times.

FY12 Budget Priority List (in no particular order)  

• Protect low class sizes (18-22) in grades K-2 where possible
• Preserve the middle school interdisciplinary model
• Continue to support 21st Century learning initiatives throughout the district

• Sustain our PreK-12 technology infrastructure
• Maintain our school facilities while controlling the long term cost of operating those facilities
• Avoid elimination of any regular day programs (e.g. art, music, physical education, foreign language, etc.)

We will continue to use this blog and other venues to update you on the FY12 budget.  If you have any questions or comments about the budget, please do not hesitate to contact the Superintendent’s Office at 781-944-5800, attend the School Committee Meetings, or email the Superintendent directly at jdoherty@reading.k12.ma.us.

Happy New Year!  I hope that you and your family had a restful and relaxing holiday season.

Over the last several months, I have been meeting with groups of parents, students, teachers, and community members as part of my transition plan as Superintendent of Schools.  These groups have included 19 neighborhood coffees, school PTO meetings, school council meetings, staff meetings, community meetings, and meetings with Town and community leaders.  As of today, over 500 members of the school community have been asked questions and engaged in coversation about our school district.

In order to increase the number of community members who participate in this process and to provide greater access to give input, I am sending out this survey, which will take about 20 minutes to complete. The results of this survey will be combined with the data gathered in the other sessions to provide information to me and the Reading Public Schools as we continually improve our school district.  A complete Transition Plan report will be given to the community in February.

You can access the survey above or through the link below.  If you have already participated in one of the discussion groups or neighborhood coffees, feel free to complete the survey.  The deadline to complete the survey is January 15.
Click here to take survey
Thank you in advance for your feedback.

As the 2010 calendar year comes to a close, this is a good opportunity to reflect, as well as, celebrate. During the last several months all of us have had to endure several challenges, whether it is dealing with shrinking budgets, a weakened economy, helping struggling neighbors or friends and their families, working with struggling students or addressing setbacks in our personal lives. We have also had many opportunities this year to celebrate the successes and accomplishments in our schools. As we enter 2011,  those challenges and successes will continue to occur. However, I truly believe that in every situation or event, our school community will find a way to persevere through those challenges and celebrate our accomplishments as a community. What makes the Reading Public Schools such a special place is that our parents, teachers, administrators, and staff seem to always work together towards a common cause, which is to do what is in the best interest of our students and your children.

One of my favorite movies to watch this time of year is, It’s a Wonderful Life.  Although the plot at times may seem a little unrealistic in today’s society, the message is still as powerful as it was when the movie was made in 1946.  This message of giving helps us reflect on the tremendous positive impact that we can have on the lives our students and our children.  Sometimes, we may never see the positive results of that impact for several years.  However, when it happens, it is powerful, just like the ending of Its a Wonderful Life.  I see evidence everyday of our parents, teachers, administrators and staff working together to provide these experiences for our children and students.  It may not always look perfect the first time, but we continually find ways to improve what we are trying to do.

I want to thank each of you for your support and commitment to our school community. My holiday wish for you is peace of mind, prosperity through the year, health for you and your family, the opportunity over the holidays to surround yourself with those who matter most to you, the energy to chase your dreams, and the joy to fill your emotional “bucket”. I would like to extend my best wishes to you and your family for a happy and healthy holiday season. I hope that you will be able to find the time to relax with family and friends and enjoy this wonderful time of year!

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Recently, several educators had the opportunity to attend and present at the Blue Ribbon Schools Blueprint for Excellence Conference.  This conference is one of the many opportunities that our educators have in our district to continue to grow as professionals.  This conference over the years not only gives us the opportunity to network with outstanding educators from across the country, but it allows us to share our best practices from Reading with other educators.  Being able to present at a national, state or regional conference has many advantages, the most notable being that our teachers and administrators are recognized for the hard work and effort that they put into the job that they do in the classroom.  It validates that the best practices that we use are good for our students.  The funding for this conference does not come from our operating budget, rather from a variety of other sources including PTO funds and Title 2A grant funding.  Some educators who attend use their own personal funds to pay all or a portion of the expenses.  The benefits of this conference to the district over the years have been tremendous and have led to several initiatives and practices which have continually improved the Reading Public Schools over the last several years. 

Here are some examples of the presentations that the Reading educators offered at the conference:

• The Coolidge team of Craig Martin, Christian Huizenga, and Laura Warren gave three presentations that included topics such as classroom management and classroom relationships, school culture, and social, emotional, and academic support.
• RMHS teacher Amy Dyment presented on how to make a classroom instructional video using the SMART Board notebook software. 
• The Joshua Eaton team of Marie Kiley and Sarah Sansom shared the Fundations program and daily lesson ideas with participants.
• Killam teachers Melissa Hotchkiss and Jo-Ellen McGinnity discussed how they have transformed their special education program to include more direct services with students and how they have used student data to improve student achievement.
• RMHS teacher April Goran and Superintendent John Doherty presented on how to lead and transform a school district into the use of technology and 21st Century skills.
• Parker teacher Brian Cormier provided an interactive workshop aimed at helping teachers create and catalog daily lessons using the SMART Board notebook software.
• Parker teacher Jeffrey Zilch presented a workshop with teachers on of to design video podcast projects in the classroom.

In addition to the presentations, our staff attended workshops on a variety of topics including positive behavioral techniques, glogster (web 2.0 tool), Voice Thread (web 2.0 tool), photo story (web 2.0 tool), technology integration, how brain science informs the art of teaching, developing global partnerships with schools from other countries, and using cell phones in the classroom as a learning tool.  Several teachers and administrators attended institutes on Leadership Excellence and Inspiring Creativity.  Dr. David Walsh, one of the world’s leading authorities on children, teens, parenting, family life, and the impact of technology on children’s health and development, presented on how using new discoveries from brain science can help educators and parents prepare children and youth to be more successful in school and in life.

In addition, the Birch Meadow Elementary School was recognized as a Blue Ribbon Lighthouse Point of Light School for their efforts in using the Blue Ribbon School Improvement Process to improve their school.  Congratulations to the Birch Meadow School Community for this recognition.

But the experience does not end there.  The ideas, thoughts, innovations, and reflections that were developed and learned at the conference will now be shared with our schools.  It is here that the true learning begins where our educators that have seen and heard how these best practices work in other schools across the country work with our teachers to foster these ideas in our schools.  When these ideas and initiatives come to fruition in schools and classrooms in our district, that is when the excitement begins.  It is a formula that we have used in our district for several years and it has allowed us to continually look at what we do and how we can do it better.

Special thanks goes to the School PTOs for helping to support this professional development opportunity for our teachers.

Stepping Stones….

• DON’T MISS IMPROVOSAURUS!-Don’t miss IMPROVOSAURUS, the resident Improv troupe of the RMHS Drama Club this Friday night at 7PM at the Reading Memorial High School Fine and Performing Arts Center. This talented group of performers will have you laughing your heads off. Admission is the bargain of the season at only $3 per person. Come and Enjoy!
• Congratulations to Parker Middle School students under the direction of Art teachers Amy Ropple and Diane Davis for the work that they have done on their Artsonia website. Parker is now ranked #1 on Artsonia for middle schools in the state of Massachusetts, and is 3rd in the country.  The ranking is based on the amount of work posted and the use of the site by students and parents. Parker Middle School now has over 7,000 pieces of student art online. 
• Congratulations to the RMHS Community Service Club, under the direction of RMHS teacher Frank Buono who recently held a very successful concert/coffee house fundraiser which raised an astonishing $550 for Veterans Village.  Veterans Village is a non-profit organization, featured on 60 Minutes, which provides services to US Military veterans such as mental health counseling, drug rehabilitation, job training, and educational opportunities. 
• Congratulations to the RMHS Red Cross Club, under the direction of RMHS teacher Frank Buono, who ran a very successful blood drive in the Field House last Friday.
• A special thanks to the following school groups who donated a tree to the Reading Technology Education Foundation Festival of Trees:  Barrows PTO, Birch Meadow PTO, Class of 2011, Class of 2012, Class of 2013, Coolidge Peer Leaders, Joshua Eaton, Joshua Eaton Student Council, Killam Elementary School, Parker Peer Leaders, PSST, Reading School Committee, RMHS Administration, RMHS Art Club, RMHS BPO, RMHS PTO, and the Wood End Elementary School.  Because of their efforts and the efforts of the Reading Technology Education Foundation, over $12,000 was raised at the Festival of Trees.
• There will be a Reading School Committee meeting on Monday, December 13, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Wood End Elementary School.  School Committee Office hours will be held from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at Wood End.  You can access the agenda here.

As we enter the holiday season, I would like to inform parents about School Committee policy GBEBC and the Massachusetts Conflict of Interest law (MGL chapter 268A) as it relates to the giving of gifts by parents or parent organizations to individual staff who are employed by the Reading Public Schools.  Recently, the State Ethics Commission has approved amendments to the section of the law on gift giving and acceptance.  These new regulations are currently in effect and it is recommended that teachers and parents follow them accordingly.  A copy of these regulations can be accessed here.

In summary, the new regulations on gift giving and acceptance are as follows:

• Teachers are allowed to accept a gift(s) with a combined value of up to a maximum of $150 per year from their current public school students and/or their parents as long as the gift is identified only as being from the class, and the identity of givers and the amounts given by each individual are not identified to the teacher receiving the gift.
• A teacher accepting a gift of less than $50 from a current student, according to the regulations, will need to complete a disclosure form and send that disclosure form to Laura Gemme, the Town Clerk, at Town Hall.  A copy of the disclosure form is can be accessed here.
• A teacher may accept a gift to the classroom that is to be used for the class and which will become the property of the school district.  The teacher should let the building principal know so that the gift can be properly accepted as a gift by the Reading School Committee.

 Here are some examples:

Example:  A teacher has a class with 23 students.  Parents of 20 of the students collect money and give the teacher a $150 gift certificate to a book store, indicating that it is a class gift.  One of the parents who did not contribute to the class gift gives the teacher a $25 certificate to a spa.  The teacher may accept the $150 class gift certificate and no disclosure is required; the teacher may not accept any other gift from the parents who contributed to the class gift.  The teacher may accept the $25 spa certificate, but must file a disclosure.

Example:  A teacher has a class with 23 students.  Parents of 13 of the students collect money and give the teacher a $130 gift certificate to a book store, indicating that it is a class gift.  Parents of the other 10 students collect money and give the teacher a $100 gift certificate to an office supply store, indicating that the gift is a gift to the classroom and that the teacher should use it to buy necessary classroom supplies.  The teacher can accept the first gift on his/her own behalf and the second on behalf of the classroom.  He/she must spend the $100 office supply gift certificate on classroom supplies and should keep receipts documenting those purchases.  Items purchased with money that is a gift to the classroom are the property of the school district.  The teacher may not knowingly accept any additional gift from parents who participated in the class gift.

An appropriate way to recognize and thank the efforts of a staff member is to follow the guidelines of Reading School Committee policy GBEBC which states that, “When families, students, or others wish to express personal appreciation to a teacher or other staff member, the Reading School Committee urges them to find modes of expression that do not involve personal gifts.”  This could include donating to a worthwhile charity, the PTO, the Reading Technology Education Foundation (RTEF) or the school itself in the name of the teacher.  We also encourage letters of appreciation which are highly treasured by staff.

In summary, the Reading Public Schools is not attempting to discourage gift giving or saying thank you to a special employee.  Rather, our purpose is to inform the community about the state law and School Committee policy and ask for your voluntary compliance with these requirements.

Parents with questions are encouraged to contact their building principal or go to the State Ethics Commission website.

Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated.  With the holidays quickly approaching, I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season.

If you have attended a Reading Memorial High School athletic contest, drama production, marching band performance, and/or a middle school or elementary open house or PTO meeting, you have seen the participation and dedication that we receive from our parent support groups.  You may be a participant in one or more of these groups.  These groups include, but are certainly not limited to, our Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO), Parent Supporting Student Theater (PSST), Band Parents Organization, Friends of Reading Football, and the Reading Athletic Boosters.  Each year, our parent support groups contribute thousands of dollars and countless hours of their time for school, athletic, and extra-curricular programs and events.  For example, our PTO groups have generously donated thousands of dollars to support new technology in our district.  Without these groups, we would not have the level of programs and services that we currently have in our school district.  They are certainly a key partner in the success of our schools.

Recently, I have been able to see first hand three of our parent support groups in action.  With each group, I was thoroughly impressed with the organization, the leadership, and the support that these groups provide for our students.  For example, in late October, the Band Parents Organization played a critical role in coordinating the New England Marching Band Competition that was held at Reading Memorial High School.  The competition ran smoothly and efficiently.  They also help support the band at other marching band competitions, parades, football games, and other endeavors.  Recently, I was able to see another parent support group, the Friends of Reading Football, working diligently behind the scenes of a home football game to make sure that everything was set up and organized so that the game ran smoothly, both on and off the field.  Their fundraising efforts have provided the additional resources necessary for the football team to maintain additional coaches, film support, and additional supplies that the school department budget cannot afford.

The final group that I was able to see in action was the Parents Supporting Student Theater.  For two weeks, this group worked with the school drama staff collaboratively to run a very organized and outstanding production of The Scarlet Pimpernel.   They organized ticket sales, ad book, flowers, and refreshments, ushered the public to their seats prior to the show, provided support behind the scenes during the show, planned the student gatherings before/after the show and helped break down the entire set on the last night of the show.

It is because of the dedication and effort of all of our parent groups that helps the Reading Public Schools provide great experiences for our students.  On behalf of all of our students and staff, thank you for your continued support.

Stepping Stones….

• The third and final Community Forum will be held on Monday, November 29, beginning at 6:30 p.m., in the Superintendent’s Office.  There will be a presentation on the anti-bullying plan at 6:30 p.m., followed by a discussion of the FY12 budget process.  Your input is valued and critical to the success of both of these items.
• Bullying Plan Comments Due by the End of this Week-The comment period for the Draft Anti-Bullying Plan will be ending this week.  To access the draft plan, click here.  If you would like to give any feedback on the plan, use the form located here.
• Congratulations to the Reading Memorial High School girls swim team, under the direction of Coach Lois Margeson, who won the Massachusetts Division 2 State Championship last week.
• Congratulations to the Reading Memorial High School Football Team, under the direction of Coach and RMHS teacher John Fiore, who finished the season a perfect 11-0 and captured the Middlesex League Championship.  They will play in the Division 2 State Semi-Finals this Tuesday against Dracut.  The game will be played at Reading Memorial High School.
• Last Monday evening at the Reading School Committee, RMHS students Emily Crampe and Katchen Lachmayr accompanied by mentor Dr. Alex Ballantyne, presented on their journey to Iceland during the summer of 2010.  You can view their presentation here.  During this school year, both students will be doing an independent Senior Project to extend their learning on the geography and environment of Iceland.

Have a great week!

As the first quarter of the school year winds down and the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, we have a short window of time to catch our breath and reflect on our school year.  We certainly have a lot to be thankful for in the Reading Public Schools.  We have a community that is very supportive of education, committed parents, hard working teachers, staff, and administrators, and most importantly, great students.  Like every community, we have our share of challenges, but we know that if we work together as a team, we can overcome many of those challenges.

To that end,  I came across this inspirational poem by an unknown author who helped remind me to appreciate all that I have, including the challenges and difficulties that life at times presents.  There are days when everything does not go as planned.  I read this poem and it helped me turn a “not so great day” into a better one.  This poem focused my thoughts on the positive and reminded me to give thanks for what I do have.  For the most part, it all comes down to our attitude, how we see, how we react, and what we do.

I wanted to share this poem with you and to thank you for your support of our school district.  Reading is a very special place because of the commitment that is exhibited every day from parents, teachers, administrators, staff, and students. 

On behalf of the Reading School Committee and the Reading Public School Administration, I want to wish you and your family a happy and healthy Thanksgiving holiday.

                                                                                                                             
  Be Thankful 
 By Author Unknown

Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary,
because it means you’ve made a difference.

It’s easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

Recently, Reading Memorial High School Athletic Director Phil Vaccaro and a group of RMHS students submitted a video as part of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) video contest on anti-bullying.  Students were challenged in this competition to respond to the role of athletics in preventing bullying.  We are pleased to announce that the video won first place in the contest.  You can view the video below:

Reading will receive the award for this submission at the annual Sportsmanship Summit to be held at Gilette Stadium on November 19th.  Congratulations to the students and Phil Vaccaro for a successful submission and communicating a powerful message about anti-bullying.

On Saturday, November 6th, the Reading School Committee had the opportunity to listen to several community members who presented their nominations for the naming of different parts of our schools.  As part of the new school committee policy on the Naming of Facilities or Places Within Or On School Property, nominations are accepted annually in the fall and each nominating group has 10 minutes to present at a School Committee meeting.  This meeting gave the community the opportunity to present why educators and community members were nominated.  Over 30 community members attended the meeting.  The following  people were nominated:

John Hollingsworth Field

William Endslow Performing Arts Center

Veteran’s Memorial and Hal Croft Athletic Stadium

Hal Croft Track

Thomas Darrin Wrestling Room

Charlotte Harlan Library or Playground at Barrows Elementary School

Cutcliffe Field

Patrick A. Schettini, Jr. Library Media Center

Patrick A. Schettini, Jr. Performing Arts Center

Kevin McCarthy Memorial

Phil Vaccaro Field

Each of the nominating groups did an outstanding job articulating why the nominee was worthy of such an honor.  It was evident from each of the presentations that a significant amount of thought went into each submission.  Community members talked about the positive effect nominees had on the community or on Reading students.  One person called the nominees, “legends”, who have made a significant impact on the students of the Reading Public Schools.  A common thread that existed among the educators who were nominated were that they taught life lessons about sportsmanship, respect, appreciation for differences, and work ethic.  It was evident from the stories that were told that the nominees had a positive impact on the lives of children.

The committee also received nominations for people that were not educators.  One community member asked the committee if they would consider recognizing a memorial to remember the lives that were lost on September 11, 2001.  Kevin McCarthy, one of the nominees, was a graduate of Reading Memorial High School who lost his life on September 11th in the World Trade Center in New York.  The citizen suggested creating an outside garden area with a plaque and seating that would appropriately honor those victims of the attacks.

Overall, it was a very positive experience and it speaks volumes to the quality of educators and students that we have in our community.  We are very fortunate in Reading to have both past and current educators who make such an impact with our students.

The next step for the School Committee is for them to vote which nominations will move forward to a subcommittee who will research each nomination and make a recommendation to the School Committee.  The subcommittee will consist of a member of the School Committee, a building principal, one member of the Board of Selectmen, one local business leader, one student representative, and one member of the historical commission.  If you would like to be on the subcommittee, contact the Superintendent’s Office at 781-944-5800.

Stepping Stones…..

1.   First Community Forum will be held this Tuesday-The first community forum will be held this Tuesday, November 9, at 6:30 p.m., at the Walter S. Parker Middle School.  At this forum, the new anti-bullying plan will be discussed, as well as, the FY12 budget process.  This forum will give the community an opportunity to give input on the Antibullying Plan and the FY12 budget process.  If you cannot attend this forum, we will have two additional forums; November 16 at Killam, and November 29 at the Superintendent’s Office. 

2.  Bullying Reporting Form is now online-As part of our anti-bullying plan, we now have an online reporting form to report any incidences related to bullying.  The form is found here or accessed on the district Edline website at http://www.edline.net/pages/ReadingPublicSchools.  This form can be submitted anonymously.  Once it is submitted, it will be sent to a secure email address where it will be forwarded to the appropriate building principal or administrator.  It should be noted that according to the new anti-bullying law, reports made anonymously will be investigated, but no disciplinary action will be taken against an alleged aggressor solely on the basis of an anonymous report.

Have a great week!