Sunday, September 13, 2015

Summer is over but summer was busy for the school district

Over 2500 students participated in one or more of the summer activities that were offered by the schools. Highlights of the various events and sessions occupied most of the School Committee meeting on Tuesday, Sep 8.

It is heartening to see the involvement and variety of offerings. If I had the time, I would go back for a course or two. Summer school does not have the stigma that it used to have. 

The programs reviewed covered music and art, science and adult education activities, the high school experience, Solutions programs, math and the STAR program. Additional details on each of these are in the notes from Tuesday evening.

Two new high school students were introduced as the student representatives for the School Committee; Julie Harrington (Student Body President) and Alanna Lynch (President of Senior Class).

The District Improvement Plan was revised for the current year and is worth repeating here.

Goal

"We will define, identify, develop, and implement strategies to advance increased complexity and rigor across all curricula, instructional practices, and assessments within the Franklin Public Schools."

Sub-Goals:


Standard 1 Instructional Leadership


  • We will continue to align curricula to the Massachusetts Frameworks and develop corresponding common assessments to ensure that all students in each grade and course have the same opportunities to develop and demonstrate mastery in the required concepts and skills.


Standard 2 Teaching All Students


  • We will utilize differentiated instructional strategies to meet needs of students at all levels, by using a Response to Intervention Program (RtI) and the implementation of high expectations for increased complexity and rigor for all learners.
  • By implementing research-based curricula to support social/emotional learning all students will benefit from a safe and supportive learning environment.


Standard 3 Community Engagement


  • Through effective partnerships with families, community members, and organizations, educators will promote learning expectations and initiatives that enable all students to grow academically, socially, and physically.
  • Expectations for the appropriate mastery of concepts and skills and the demonstration of proficiency in these content and skills will be shared with families and the community, including celebrations of success.
  • Through school-based activities and initiatives, we will create inclusive communities in all of our schools for all students and families, especially those coming from diverse backgrounds.


Standard 4 Professional Culture

  • All staff will participate in the alignment of curricula, the development and implementation of common assessments, and will provide evidence of differentiated instruction in their classrooms.
  • Using the Professional Learning Community (PLC) model, faculty and administration will collaborate and engage in professional activities to implement instructional practices that engage all students and establish expectations that challenge students to meet or exceed their potential.


Franklin will take part in the Think Taylor Concussion Awareness week scheduled for Sep 21-25. Many of the MIAA school districts are taking part. For additional info visit the Think Taylor webpage here  http://thinktaylor.org/

Think Taylor Concussion Awareness Week 9/21 - 9/25
Think Taylor Concussion Awareness Week 9/21 - 9/25


Additional details from the meeting can be found in this collection of notes published live from the meeting room.

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