Maple Street School Magnet School

The Rochester School Board approved the Maple Street Magnet School on February 9, 2012. 

We are moving quickly forward to hire staff and register students.  Please see the attachments to this posting for more information.

Application deadline: MARCH 28th, 2012

An Information Session is scheduled for March 13, 2012 -6:00pm at Maple Street School.

mag poster

MagnetSchool_Registration

Parent Expectations_Agreement2

 

Magnet School Focus Group, January 17, 2012

Elementary Parents and Pre-School Parents
Are you interested in providing your child with a unique and innovative school experience?

If your answer is yes, then please join us for the:

Maple Street Magnet School

Parent/Community Focus Group

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

6:00 p.m.

Central Office Downstairs Board Room

We look forward to sharing this exciting elementary school proposal with you!

Maple Street Magnet School will provide:

  • A 200 day school year.
  • Students in Kindergarten to Grade 5.  Grade 4  students in August 2012 and adding Grade 5 students in August 2013.
  • A personal Learning plan to accelerate all student’s learning.
  • French language instruction starting at Kindergarten.
  • A core instructional program focused on reading, mathematics, science, social studies and writing. 
  • An project  based academic/arts instruction on a daily basis.
    • Five terms based on an overriding theme of the school. Each term will have a theme based on the school year theme.  The integrated activities and content activities will be based on the themes.
    • Kindergarten will follow the regular school schedule 8:30 to 3 p.m.

Magnet School Focus Group

 Elementary Parents and Pre-School Parents
Are you interested in providing your child with a unique and innovative school experience?

If your answer is yes, then please join us for the:

Maple Street Magnet School

Parent/Community Focus Group

Monday, December 19

6:00 p.m.

Central Office Downstairs Board Room

We look forward to sharing this exciting elementary school proposal with you!

Maple Street Magnet School will provide:

  • A 200 day school year.
  • Students in Kindergarten to Grade 5.  Grade 4  students in August 2012 and adding Grade 5 students in August 2013.
  • A personal Learning plan to accelerate all student’s learning.
  • French language instruction starting at Kindergarten.
  • A core instructional program focused on reading, mathematics, science, social studies and writing. 
  • An project  based academic/arts instruction on a daily basis.
    • Five terms based on an overriding theme of the school. Each term will have a theme based on the school year theme.  The integrated activities and content activities will be based on the themes.
    • Kindergarten will follow the regular school schedule 8:30 to 3 p.m.

Magnet School Update

Here is a summary of November 15, 2011 meeting.

 

The Committee reviewed the proposed Hybrid Magnet School Calendar.  It was supported by consensus with just two changes.  The October 12th and April 26th Teacher’s workshops would be changed to the end of the year.  Two early release days may be added for parent conferences, one in October and one in April. 

 

The Committee discussed which language to teach and how to schedule and plan it.  The Committee supports French as the language for several reasons.  Everyone agreed that any language would be an improvement.  With Rochester’s heritage and history, plus a possible partnership with Club Victoire, French made a lot of sense.  Spanish and Chinese were considered, but French was the consensus decision.  Mrs. Brown has a great background in speaking French.  The classes would be 3 to 5 days per week, from 20 to 40 minutes depending on grade level.  The focus would be on proficiency in listening, speaking, understanding of cultures, and some proficiency in reading and writing.  

The Committee discussed the academic time schedule and a timeline for decision making.  It was agreed that we have several more items to finalize.  Once we have those finalized, we will have a focus group meeting with as many parents as possible.  Then the proposal would go to the Board.  The timeline may require a special Board meeting in January. 

 The Committee discussed several other areas to get agreement on.  They are listed below.

 Themes, focus of the school, logistics, 8 week themes, overall themes, kindergarten classes until 3, Child care, Art integration, Staffing issues, budget issues, transitioning new students, technology, transportation, teacher conferences, parental expectations, staff expectations, How to get the word out to the community.

 The committee is scheduled to meet again on November 22nd and November 29th from 5 to 7 p.m.

 The meeting adjourned at 6:20 p.m.

Magnet School Steering Committee

Maple Street School
Magnet Meeting
Boardroom #2

October 11, 2011
6:00 PM

 

Members Present:

 Michael Hopkins

Mary Moriarty

Anne Grassie

Robin Brown

Michael Case

Sara Cantrell

Nancy Loud

Dot Callaghan

Katie Herrick

Wendi Moore

Katie Hunter (check with Robin on name)

Members Absent:

Anthony Pastelis

Audrey Stevens

Lesley Unger-Mochrie

Also Present:

Robert Watson

James Gray

Doris Gates

Robert Gates

Sue O’connor

Dan Harkinson
 

 

The meeting was called to order at 6:00 p.m.

 

Mr. Hopkins reviewed the agenda and proceeded to introductions.

 

The Committee discussed working rules for the Committee.  It was agreed to the following rules:

 

  1. The Superintendent will keep the minutes, and they will reflect actions and recommendations of the steering committee. 
  2. Decision making will be by consensus. 
  3. We will try to schedule regular weekly meetings for the first six weeks.
  4. The Steering Committee will make recommendations to the Board and items to share with the focus groups.
  5. The Superintendent will facilitate the meetings. 

 

The Committee schedule the next several meetings:  October 18th,  5 to 7 p.m., October 25, 5 to 5:50 p.m, November 1, 5 to 7 p.m.

 

 

The Committee discussed personal learning plans.  It was suggested some examples of personal learning plans would help the Committee. These will be brought to the next meeting.

 

The Committee discussed two 200 day calendars.  Examples of both calendars will be brought to the next meeting.

 

The third items of discussion included needing to clearly explain the expectations for students, staff, and parents in the magnet school.  The Steering Committee agreed that this should be part of its recommendations. 

 

 

 

The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m. The motion passed unanimously.

 

 

Rochester studies elementary magnet school

Rochester studies elementary magnet school
From the Foster’s Daily Democrat

Monday, July 11, 2011

For the third consecutive century, this is the time of year when American schoolchildren put away their schoolbooks and begin a ten-week vacation of fun and frolic, just as their parents and grandparents did.

The 180-day school year has been a part of American life for well over 100 years. Students begin the school year in September and end it in June. In days gone by, there were very good reasons for this schedule. The current school calendar is a remnant of when America was an agrarian nation, and schoolchildren were needed during the summer to work the family farm.

Yet even as farming was replaced first by factories and now by technology-driven industries as the country’s major job-providers, schoolchildren are still available to work the fields.

Sounds silly, doesn’t it?

What isn’t so silly is that the United States is no longer renowned by all as having the greatest educational system on the planet. A few years ago Microsoft founder Bill Gates asked Congress to allow an unlimited amount of highly skilled workers into the country to meet our needs for more technically-skilled workers. Why? Because America’s schools were not meeting the needs of companies like Microsoft for skilled workers, specifically engineers with enhanced skills in science and mathematics.

Is it a coincidence that some of the nations where these highly skilled workers come from have a school year of approximately 220 days per year (China, South Korea and Taiwan) to approximately 230 days (India)?

Probably not. As Thomas Jefferson was reported to have said, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.”

Not all schools in the United States are stuck in that 180-day rut. Many communities have begun innovative programs, often schools of choice, featuring a longer school day, a longer school year, or a specialized curricular focus.

The Rochester School Board has authorized the exploration of opening a Magnet School at the elementary level. This school, in my opinion/research, should feature the following hallmarks:

— A school year of at least 200 days

— Have students from Kindergarten through Grade 5

— Have a specific curricular focus (to supplement the existing curriculum)

— ave enhanced technology available to students

— Require significant parental involvement

A number of interesting ideas for the Magnet School surfaced at the two public forums held this past spring, including a science/math/technology focus, starting foreign language instruction earlier, a focus on the environment, and many others.

This school, tentatively planned for the Maple Street School building (which has the available capacity to accept additional students), would be the first Magnet School in the state and the first traditional district public school of choice in New Hampshire. (‘school of choice’ meaning that if a parent likes the idea of the longer school year and/or the curricular focal areas, they could choose to enroll their child, on a space-available basis. If they are opposed to the idea, their child could remain in their current district public school.)

Preliminary ideas call for the existing Maple Street School building to retain its neighborhood school atmosphere, with existing students and their siblings to have preference in enrolling in the new Magnet School, while still leaving space for other Rochester schoolchildren. If there is no or not enough parental interest, then this Magnet School idea likely won’t come to fruition. If there is too much parent interest and there is a waiting list for the school? This may indicate that since demand is exceeding supply, then increasing the supply would need to be considered.

As one who has studied Magnet Schools and other innovative education concepts for years, this idea is just good old-fashioned common sense. But having a good idea, or being on the right track, isn’t enough. You need to do something. Over the next few months there will be a number of opportunities for parents, other community members, School Board members and other city officials to meet and discuss this concept.

As noted American cowboy, comedian, social commentator, and actor Will Rogers once said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there”

Dr. Anthony Pastelis is a member of the Rochester School Board, a member of the New Hampshire School Boards Association’s board of directors, and a teacher education professor at Endicott College.

Magnet School Meeting

We had almost 40 participants at our first magnet school focus group meeting.  I will attach the powerpoint used in the meeting.  We have not decided on any of the issues.  We are at the exploratory stage of a magnet school.

On Monday, April 25 at 6 p.m. in the first floor Boardroom, we will continue our discussion.  We will focus on what parents would like to see in a magnet school at this meeting

Thanks,
Mike

Powerpoint on Magnet School

Magnet School