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The
Northampton Public Schools has received a $15,000 grant from the
Massachusetts Department of Education to study whether or not to redesign
our Bridge Street and Jackson Street Elementary School programs through an
expanded learning time model. This is solely a feasibility study, no
decisions have been made. Based on the information gathered through
the feasibility study we will decide whether or not to expand our current
schedule and how the time in the redesigned day will be used to better
provide for our students' educational and developmental needs.
Knowing
that the prospect of redesigning the school day can be unsettling to
students, staff and families, their needs and concerns must be considered
and must inform this process. In
order to ensure that end we are creating three committees to lead this
project.
District Steering Committee:
This committee will look carefully at district issues, including finances,
equal access, professional development needs, and community feedback on
the initiative. In addition
the district steering committee will be charged with ensuring that the
grant is being implemented as planned.
Site Based Steering Committees: Bridge
Street and Jackson Street Elementary School will each have a site based
steering committee. The
committees will look carefully at site based issues, including feedback of
the members of the school community and programming opportunities for
students.
The
committees will report out and seek input from the community on a regular
basis. Each committee will set meeting dates and times, study and answer a
range of essential questions, and develop a draft of what the schedule
might look like if it were expanded.
Meeting dates and times will be announced via the district web
site, local media, and through the individual schools. In addition, meeting minutes will be posted to the district
web site.
We
expect to complete the feasibility study no later than mid-summer.
If as a result of the study the decision is made to move forward
with implementing a redesigned school day at Bridge Street and Jackson
Street Elementary Schools the district will submit a tentative plan to the
state in August of 2007 with a final plan being submitted in December of
2007.
Where To Go For
More Information
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