Tuesday, June 26, 2018

June 26, 2018 End of School Year Post


SUPERINTENDENT'S BLOG
JUNE 26, 2018

Congratulations to our class of 2018 EWG graduates! The full commencement can be viewed by following the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bUq6H8NIuU

Highlights included some amazing musical performances from both our chorus and band, as well as the awarding of a diploma to one of our students who has been serving our country since January. The event was streamed live so that he could view the ceremony in real time.

Principal Chandler also gave a special tribute to several remarkable graduates, as well as a final farewell to members of the SHS faculty who will be leaving EWG at the conclusion of this school year:

Mr. Jim Alves, Assistant Principal
Mrs. Sue Blake, Mathematics Teacher
Mrs. Linda Sawicki, Family and Consumer Science Teacher
Mr. Doug Wilson, Science Teacher

A special thank you to our SHS administrative team, Mrs. O'Brien, Mrs. Lacombe, Mr. Searle, Mr. Hamlin, and all who made this another memorable graduation ceremony. Congratulations class of 2018!

During these last weeks of school, there have been so many exciting events for our students. Here are a few.....


 Stone Carving at the     SHS - Grace Dallas
















Students in Mrs. Barbour's third grade class created their own businesses, and presented their plans to an audience of parents and school district administrators. Mrs. Barbour described her students as "global thinkers" who went way above and beyond what she expected to see from them with this project. It was Amazing!

YouTube channels, fashion designers, coding dog collars, and more. The students thought outside of the box, for sure. Thank you Mrs. Barbour for taking a risk and allowing project-based learning to be a part of your classroom.








Students in Ms. Buckler's JHS ELA classes wrote their own modernized version of a scene from Midsummer Night's Dream and performed for an audience of peers and invited guests. Complete with costumes, a staging, and i-pads!

                                              

                                              

Here are some photos from today's JHS moving up ceremony. Congratulations to our new high school students!









Have a fantastic and safe summer break!





Friday, June 1, 2018

June 1, 2018

Superintendent's Blog6/1/2018


The school year is winding down! We look forward to our graduation ceremony next week at the Ryan Center. These last several weeks of school are always quite busy with many opportunities for students to celebrate their success and showcase the work they have done during the entire school year. Here are a couple of highlights as well as some information about opportunities in the near future.

The Senior High School World Language Department announced that 6 of our senior students will receive the Seal of Bi-literacy as an endorsement to their diplomas for demonstrating proficiency in both English and French. Congratulations on this incredible achievement to both the six students and to our French teachers, Mrs. Hubertus and Mrs. Nothnagle!







Wawaloam hosted a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Science) night for students and families with engaging opportunities for our kindergarten and grade one students to showcase their learning. The event was a tremendous success - so well attended and much positive feedback!






Thank you Mrs. Marino and the entire staff of Wawaloam for your commitment to this exciting event!


Our Unified Basketball team played a recent home game in front of the entire SHS community. All of our students played with heart and made us very proud. Congratulations on another outstanding season!




This summer, EWG is offering its first annual STEAM camp at Metcalf for students entering grades 2, 3 or 4 in the 2018-19 school year. Two SHS students have been working very hard as part of their senior project requirements to put together a fun, week-long educational opportunity for students to explore Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math. Thank you to Kierra Giarusso and Catherine Hood for making this amazing idea a reality for our students!

In late April, a committee of 30 teachers, administrators, parents, students and community members participated in a two-day Visioning process as we continue to explore 21st century learning environments and capital project needs for EWG. We are taking the necessary steps to put our district in the queue for eligibility to access funds through the Governor's proposed $250 million school construction bond expected to be on the ballot for voter approval in November. EWG could be eligible for up to 80% reimbursement from the State for needed projects based on various incentives. This is hard to pass up - an incredible, never seen before investment in our school buildings and facilities. A special thank you to the students who offered the most important perspective to this work:
Griffen Francoeur
Lacey Griffen
Rebecca Kilday
Francesca Pande
Nathaniel Powers
Andrea Ricciutti


Through the generosity of a community donor, EWG will offer FREE summer enrichment in reading and mathematics to selected elementary students who may benefit from ongoing practice to maintain skills, continue on their current growth trajectory, and avoid the summer slide. If your child was invited to attend, consider his/her participation!

I will post one more blog later this month with highlights of more end-of-year activities. 
Enjoy the last few weeks of this school year!!

Thursday, April 12, 2018

April 13, 2018

Superintendent's Blog
April, 2018

A HUGE thank you to our communities for their support of the 2018-2019 school department budget!!

Spring Musical


Can I have the definition? Join an eclectic group of six mid-pubescents as they vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming "ding" of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves! At least the losers get a juice box. A riotous ride, complete with audience participation! Three audience members at each performance will have their chance in the spotlight spelling alongside our cast. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a delightful den of comedic genius. Come join in the fun! 
April 27th, 28th at 7pm
April 29th at 2pm


Senior Workshop Day - March 30, 2018

The first of two senior workshop days was held on Good Friday. Seniors only had the opportunity to attend school and work with staff to address any number of tasks to support their road to graduation:
  • Senior Project support
  • Completion of major course assessments
  • Senior Research Paper guidance
  • Scholarship Essays
  • and more....
Our next Senior Workshop Day is scheduled for Saturday, May 5th, just before the start of AP exams.

Most importantly, our graduation date of June 9th remains unchanged!!!







Thank you to our teacher and staff volunteers who joined me to help make this a successful day:
Mrs. Borges, Mrs. Wilmot, Mrs. Cornell, Mrs. Chandler, Mr. Alves, Mr. Gardiner, Mr. Bartley, and Mrs. Cadieux

Metcalf Rooster Games:
The tradition continues at Metcalf as students celebrate reading week by competing in the Rooster Games. Teams are engaged as they work through a series of challenges related to this year's books. A big thank you to Mrs. Steever and all the staff and volunteers who helped make this another successful event!!






Have a restful and enjoyable April break. 

Monday, February 26, 2018

February 26, 2018

Superintendent's Blog
February 26, 2018


Welcome Back! I hope everyone had a chance to take advantage of the time away to enjoy their families and re-energize for spring.... which we hope will be here (consistently) soon.

The past weeks have been a challenge for many of us as we continue to reflect on the tragic events in Florida. There appears to be an incredible focus at the national, state and local levels, on the safety of schools. This is an issue that we have always maintained as a priority in EWG, and we will continue to analyze our procedures, protocols and policies to ensure that we do everything in our power to create and provide the safest learning environment possible.

In the coming days, we will be meeting with high school students to engage in a meaningful conversation about school safety, with a focus on the roles they can play to enhance the safety of our schools. We will also listen to their feedback and concerns, as the voices of our students can be a powerful lever for change. The power of student voice has become increasingly evident in the wake of the Florida school shootings. In addition, we are working with the West Greenwich Police Department and the Emergency Management officials of both member towns to provide advanced training to our staff and students so that they are fully prepared to respond in the event of an emergency situation.

I will be scheduling a staff conversation as well to listen to their feedback and concerns. An open meeting for parents will be advertised soon. This will be an opportunity for us to summarize current activity at the national, state and local levels in response to the school safety discussion. We will also share resources for families and have an opportunity to answer questions and listen to feedback.

More than ever, it is time for us to come together on an issue that we can all agree on - the safety of our children. I am grateful for your ongoing support and concern and look forward to our collaboration as we continue to address this most critical of needs.
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Over the recent break, several of our high school students had the opportunity to conduct research and collect/analyze data about the conservation of sea turtles in the Bahamas through the Earthwatch organization. High School Biology teacher Gwynne Millar organized this incredible opportunity for our students - something I am sure will be an everlasting memory for these young scientists.



             






Prior to vacation week, I spent some time in our early-learning classrooms - always an enjoyable experience!
                                              Reading to Mrs. Schofield's PK class (above)

(Below) Participating in a measurement lesson in Ms. Ricci's Kindergarten classroom


 
Congratulations to the cast of Inn Cognito for making the front page of the local newspaper for their most recent production.
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EWG School Department Budget
The School Committee will vote to adopt the Superintendent's recommended budget on Tuesday, 2/27/18 at the regularly scheduled meeting. The meeting will be held at 6:00 PM in the JSHS library/media center.
Look for mailings outlining key dates and events related to the school department budgetary process:
Public Hearing - Monday, March 26, 2018 at 7:00 PM in the JSHS Auditorium

All-Day Referendum - Monday, April 9, 2018