Rochester School Department Blog

The School maintenance staff and vendors completed many maintenance projects this summer.  They are listed below:

1.  The fire suppression systems in the High School, Middle School and William Allen School kitchens were replaced. 

2.  The Nancy Loud School was painted.  The County Correction’s Department work release program finished this project.  The School District provided the supplies.

3.  Exterior Painting at the Creteau Tech Center was completed.

4.  New playground equipment was installed at East Rochester School.

5.  The Boilers at William Allen and Gonic School were replaced.

6.  The hot water system at Spaulding High School was replaced with a new efficient system.

7.  Walkways to the side entrances at Spaulding High School were repaired.

8.  We have nearly finished replacing the canopies at the High School side entrances.

9.  New carpeting was installed at the Nancy Loud School.

10. New carpeting was put on the stage at Gonic School and East Rochester School.

11. The Step Cafe renovation at the Tech Center is nearly 95% complete.

12.  The Greenhouse at the Tech Center should be completed in the next few weeks.

13.  Home Depot completed improvements on the grounds at School Street School.

14.  Roof repairs were completed throughout the District.

15.  The trailer and out buildings were demolished on the Hillsdale property.

The Rochester Middle School fire alarm system had 19 false alarms last year.  Several of these were accidents or someone pulled the alarm.  Most of these are related to malfunctions in the alarm system.  The school is safe, the system is working, but sometimes the control panel incorrectly reads something amiss in a smoke detector.  We have tried to replace the electronics in the control panel, the circuit boards, and the entire panel. 

The system is out of date, and requires a complete replacement.  The City Council approved the funding for this project on Tuesday, September 1st.  We have sent out an RFP for an engineer to draw up the specifications.  Once we have the specifications completed, we will move forward with the project as soon as possible.  We will ask the installer to work evenings and weekends, so there is not a disruption to the school day.  When all of the components are installed, it should be an easy switch over to the new system.

There have a been few questions about if students in Rochester Schools will be viewing President Obama’s address on Tuesday morning. 

We are not mandating that schools watch the speech and are not restricting it. 

We have a goal for the District of increasing student engagement, increasing students going on to college, and increasing the effort of all students.  The speech ties directly into those goals.  The President of the United States should be able to speak live to students in our schools without anyone worrying about what he will say.  We can trust any of our Presidents to talk to students.

I remember going to the one television in my school career and watching Presdient Kennedy, President Johnson and President Nixon.  We dismissed school in my hometown when President Eisenhower came to town.  It is important that students know our elected officals.  Teaching Fifth Grade before the advent of 24 hour news stations, it was much harder to access news.  I required homework for students to view the evening news, so they could begin to think about national events. 

The following information was sent from American Association of School Administrators:  Bruce Hunter, from AASA, met with White House staff last week and they said the address would be entirely aimed at students (secondary more than elementary was his impression), urging them to study hard, stay in school graduate, be good citizens, and aspire to post secondary education – with no policy related message on any subject.  The staff told Bruce that the speech will reference web sites and materials that can provide instructional materials related to the need to work hard, have high aspirations, and graduate from high school.

If you would prefer that your child not watch the President’s address, just let the building principal know.  If the class is planning to watch the address, your child can be dismissed from the classrom for this time.

RCTA PUBLIC FORUM ON BSF

August 17, 2009

 Vision/idea (five years out)

* Spaulding High School – approx. 1000 students – one of the best comprehensive public high

   schools in the state.

* Bud Carlson Academy – approx. 100-150 students – one of the best small alternative schools in

   the state.

* new high school designed for the 21^st Century – approx. 400-450 students – one of the best high

   schools in the country.

 Critical indicators (problems/needs – and longer-term goals)

1. average daily attendance

2. discipline/culture

3. drop-out rate

4. percentage of graduates going on to post secondary education, 4-year colleges, successful 1-2

    years later.

5. standardized test scores (PSAT, SAT, NECAP, NWEA, ACT, AP, etc.)

 Process

* past 5-6 months (forums, discussions, preliminary research, prospective partnerships/funders,

   site exploration, etc.)

* now through December (nine more public forums – and preparation/completion of full proposal)

* full proposal/report to school board (December/January)

* approval/disapproval process (school board, city council, etc.) – December through spring.

 If approved, the new school would likely open to 100-200 students in the fall of 2012 – and rollout to full capacity (400-450 students) over the following three years – as SHS downsizes to approximately 1000 students.

 New school design elements

1 – integrated curriculum organized around questions/problems.

2 – real/adult world immersion.

3 – more direct, simple, and useful assessment systems.

4 – graduation/diploma when earned (elimination of the 4-year assumption/default).

5 – adaptive, proactive, entrepreneurial organizational structure.

 At the same operating budget (per student) as Spaulding – which is below the state average.

Start-up costs – estimated at $5 to $10 million – with an emphasis on state/federal assistance, foundation support, private contributions.

 Four important convictions

 * We absolutely have to do better for our high school students.

 * Importance of school size.

 * The need for a new approach/model.

 * Benefits/value of school choice – three options rather than one or two.

I have listed below the recommendations from the CDC on preparation for the H1N1 virus during the next school year.  The recommendations change on a regular basis.  We will be closely monitoring the situation throughout the school year. 

We should have new hand sanitizers in cafeterias, locker rooms and nurse’s rooms before the start of Fall classes.  We will also emphasis hand washing with all students during the Fall and Winter months. 

CDC Guidance for State and Local Public Health Officials and School Administrators for School (K-12) Responses to Influenza during the 2009-2010 School Year

 The guidance is designed to decrease exposure to regular seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 flu while limiting the disruption of day-to-day activities and the vital learning that goes on in schools. CDC will continue to monitor the situation and update the current guidance as more information is obtained on 2009 H1N1.

About 55 million students and 7 million staff attend the more than 130,000 public and private schools in the United States each day. By implementing these recommendations, schools and health officials can help protect one-fifth of the country’s population from flu. Collaboration is essential: CDC, the U.S. Department of Education, state and local public health and education agencies, schools, students, staff, families, businesses, and communities all have active roles to play.

Recommended school responses for the 2009-2010 school year

Under conditions with similar severity as in spring 2009

• Stay home when sick Those with flu-like illness should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever, or signs of a fever, without the use of fever-reducing medicines. They should stay home even if they are using antiviral drugs.
• Separate ill students and staff Students and staff who appear to have flu-like illness should be sent to a room separate from others until they can be sent home. CDC recommends that they wear a surgical mask, if possible, and that those who care for ill students and staff wear protective gear such as a mask.
• Hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette: The new recommendations emphasize the importance of the basic foundations of influenza prevention: stay home when sick, wash hands frequently with soap and water when possible, and cover noses and mouths with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or a shirt sleeve or elbow if no tissue is available).
• Routine cleaning: School staff should routinely clean areas that students and staff touch often with the cleaners they typically use. Special cleaning with bleach and other non-detergent-based cleaners is not necessary.
• Early treatment of high-risk students and staff: People at high risk for influenza complications who become ill with influenza-like illness should speak with their health care provider as soon as possible.  Early treatment with antiviral medications is very important for people at high risk because it can prevent hospitalizations and deaths. People at high risk include those who are pregnant, have asthma or diabetes, have compromised immune systems, or have neuromuscular diseases.
• Consideration of selective school dismissal:  Although there are not many schools where all or most students are at high risk (for example, schools for medically fragile children or for pregnant students) a community might decide to dismiss such a school to better protect these high-risk students.

The Rochester School District has several new administrators in the District for the start of the 2009-2010 school year.

William Allen Principal

Mr. Stephen Marquis is the new Principal at William Allen School.  Mr. Marquis previously worked as the Associate Headmaster at Thornton Academy in Saco Maine.  Prior to his work at Thornton Academy, he was the Principal at C.K. Burns School in Saco, Maine.  Mr. Marquis is a graduate of the University of Maine at Orono, with a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from the University of Southern Maine. 

Maple Street School Principal

Mrs. Robin Brown is the new Principal at Maple Street School.  She has worked in the Rochester School District since 1990 as an elementary teacher, Middle School teacher, reading specialist, and since 2005 an Assistant Principal at McClelland School.  She graduated from the University of New Hampshire and has a Master of Education from UNH, with reading specialist certification and administrative certification from Plymouth State University. 

McClelland School Assistant Principal

Mrs. Michelle McAllister is the new Assistant Principal at McClelland School replacing Mrs. Brown.  She has worked in the Rochester School system since 1986 as a first and second grade teacher .  She graduated from Plymouth State College, and is currently finishing her degree in Educational Leadership at  Plymouth State University.  She is certified as an Art teacher, elementary teacher, and as an Assistant Principal.

District Curriculum Coordinator

Ms. Mary Moriarty is the new District K-12 Curriculum Coordinator.  She has worked as a High School Math teacher, Department Head and Elementary Principal.  She graduated from Plymouth State with Math teaching certification, and has a Masters Degree in Leadership from Plymouth, and is completing her CAGS from Plymouth.  She will be working with staff in Math and Science, plus literacy throughout the District. 

William Allen Assistant Principal

Ms. Kathleen Crosby is the Assistant Principal at William Allen School.  She has taught at the McClelland School in Rochester since 2002.  She is a graduate of Keene State College, and is pursing educational leadership through Plymouth State University. 

Rochester Middle School Assistant Principal

Mr. Mark Dangora is the new Assistant Principal at the Rochester Middle School. Mark was the Assistant Principal at Parkside Middle in Manchester since 2008.  Previously he was a World History teacher at Alvirne High School, History Professor at Boricua College in Brooklyn, NY, and Education Coordinator for AmeriCorps in Chelsea, MA.  He has a degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College, with a Master’s Degree from Curry College, and is currently enrolled in a CAGS program at the University of New Hampshire.

Spaulding High School Deputy Principal

Mr. Rob Seaward is the Deputy Principal at Spaulding High School. His position was changed to include more day to day leadership at the school with designation of Deputy Principal. Mr. Seaward has been an Assistant Principal at Spaulding High School since 2007, a teacher at Spaulding High school since 2003, and at Rochester Middle School teacher starting in 2001.   He started his teaching career in Noble High School.  He was in the Navy prior to seeking work in the education field.  Mr. Seaward is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, with a Master’s degree from the University of New Hampshire.  He continues his education at Plymouth State in educational leadership.

Spaulding High School Assistant Principal

Mr. Michael Foss is the new Assistant Principal at Spaulding High School.  He has experience as an Assistant Principal at Newport Middle School and Springfield High School.  He has worked in the Claremont School as an out of District coordinator, Athletic Director, and special education teacher.  He is a graduate of Goddard College, with a Master’s degree from Goddard. 

Spaulding High School Assistant Principal

Mr. Ryan Kaplan is the new Assistant Principal at Spaulding High School. He has been a Social Studies teacher at Coe Brown Academy since 2005.  He has worked as the event director for the adventure cycling Association, a graduate intern at Oyster River High School, underwriter for the MassMutual Financial Group, and various extra-curricular positions at Coe Brown.  He graduated from the University of New Hampshire, with a Master’s Degree from UNH and is currently enrolled in the CAGS program an UNH for educational leadership.

Spaulding High School Special Education Coordinator

Ms. Lori LaBranche is the new High School Special Education Coordinator.  She has worked in the Rochester School system for many years.  She began as our Title  I volunteer coordinator.  She has worked at the Rochester Middle School and Spaulding High School as a special education teacher.

Here is information from the documentary film I viewed on June 30, 2009.  I will check with Peter Francese to see if has presented in Rochester.  If not, I will schedule a session in the Fall.  This is an interesting film to start a dialogue in the community. 

The documentary examines how community decisions are fueling unbalanced growth and a frightening demographic shift, with unintended results. The film confronts and questions many long-held myths that have

heavily influenced local development decisions, including those of explosive population growth, the aging of New Hampshire as simply a natural trend, and the belief that families with children will increase property taxes.

Award-winning filmmaker Jay Childs travels with expert demographer Peter Francese to communities across New Hampshire to talk to business owners, town officials, young professionals and active citizens about the causes and consequences of a rapidly aging state.

Communities and Consequences reveals what is happening in many cities and towns to cause the unbalancing of our human ecology. The film follows a town meeting in Marlborough as a new school is voted down for the seventh time because residents fear it will bring in more children, a burden they cannot afford. It looks at the difficulties business owners in Hanover, Weare, and Portsmouth are having hiring and retaining workers. And the film takes us to Deerfield, where despite a shortage of work-force housing, community members are fighting a new development that would include affordable homes because they are afraid of the impact on their town and schools.

Francese argues that New Hampshire’s demographic imbalance-a population that is aging more rapidly than normal, combined with exceedingly slow growth and the exodus of too many young people-is depleting the future workforce. He believes that a balanced human ecology, with a mix of workers of all ages, is vital to the long-term economic and social health of the entire New England region.

The film was sponsored by nearly a dozen Granite State civic and community organizations. To schedule a screening in your community visit www.communitiesandconsequences.org

I am currently attending a workshop with Dr. Tim Tyson on blogging.  We have already heard about how a teacher can record their lessons from powerpoint or the Smartboard. 

We are currently learning about using RSS, really simple syndication. 

This should offer some improvements to the blog, and we will get more staff members involved in blogging. 

More later. 

11 AM  June 12th

We will have graduation outside this evening beginning at 6:30 p.m.   Thank you for your patience while we made this decision.

We will make a final decision on the location for graduation later this morning.  At this time, we are leaning toward an outside ceremony.  The field is dry enough to walk on.  

The weather forecast and the radar show the front passing through with just some scattered showers from noon time on.  We will continue to monitor the weather, and make a decision by noon. 

We will send out an Instant Alert to the Grade 12 students, and post it on this blog.

Spaulding High School’s graduation is planned for June 12, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. on the football field.  We are watching the weather forecast closely, but unless steady and heavy rain is forecast, we expect to be outside.  Right now the forecast is for scattered showers, but that has changed several times during the week. 

Seniors will be handed tickets, in case we need to move the program indoors, but an outside ceremony is much nicer, even if it is a little cool or wet.