March 24, 2016

Superintendent's Blog

This past Tuesday, Metcalf students, teachers and administrators presented to the Exeter-West Greenwich School Committee about the exciting work that is happening at their school. Mrs. Ratigan and Mrs. Fish introduced the presentation as a focus on how learning at Metcalf has been designed to deeply engage students in meaningful work. School Committee members and district administrators visited several stations where students demonstrated examples of truly engaging learning experiences. We had the opportunity to talk with children as they enthusiastically explained their learning and answered probing questions to assess the depth of their understanding. It was absolutely fabulous!

Grade 3 students Paul and Katherine demonstrate how they have applied statistics and graphing across the entire grade level to learn that there are multiple ways to display data.

Grade 5 students from Mrs. Jordan's class (Maci-Grace, Kailey and Sofia) demonstrate to Mr. Erinakes and School Committee member Mrs. Zuercher strategies they learned to separate mixtures. We heard students using appropriate scientific vocabulary to explain their learning.

Domenic and Brielle explained some of the projects they have completed as part of the maker-space enrichment offered at Metcalf. Director of Administration, Mr. Ross, and School Committee member Mrs. Green see a demonstration of the marble drop construction.

Metcalf student selected as a finalist in the Governor for a Day essay contest!

Congratulations to Rebecca Kilday for being named a finalist in Governor Raimondo's Governor for a Day essay contest. Rebecca is one of over thirty students from Metcalf School to submit an essay to Governor Raimondo, and she was informed this week that she is in the running for the distinction. Best of luck, Rebecca! If you are selected as the State winner, I have some things I would like you to sign into law while you are serving as Governor for the day!

Metcalf after-school program is up and running! 

I had the opportunity to visit the Metcalf after school program last week to see a sampling of the variety of activities being offered this year to our students. The program has expanded quite a bit, with offerings in karate, foreign languages, and technology applications. Students in Ms. D'Amico's jewelry making class presented me with a new piece of shoelace jewelry and then wanted their photo taken for the blog. Thank you Macie-Grace and Victoria! 

Happy Spring!!

My next blog will be posted in mid-April.

March 1, 2016

Superintendent's Blog

Teams from across the district are competing against each other in a new fitness challenge. By wearing Fitbits, each team is able to log the number of steps they take each day and the team totals are easily viewed by all participants to see which team is in the lead. "Witness the Fitness," the administration building team, consists of Sharon Roberts, Donna Boteiri, Steve Bailey, Kerry Beaudry, Patty SanAntonio, Carmella Farrar, Bob Ross and Robin Cerio. Thank you to all who are participating, from every building, to model healthy behaviors for our students!

The annual operating budget for the school department was approved by the School Committee last week. It represents level funding from the previous year, as requested by the Superintendent. This budget includes funding to support expansion of our pre-school program, a full-year foreign language opportunity at the Junior High School, increased teacher assistant support for our youngest classrooms, and additional reading services at Metcalf.   Unfortunately, even a level funded budget is problematic because of reductions to various components of the state aid to education. The School Committee, Exeter Town Council, West Greenwich Town Council, Superintendent and members of the district and school-based administrative teams attended a State House event this past Monday evening, along with representatives of the Bristol-Warren, Foster-Glocester, and Chariho Regional School Disticts and member Town Councils, to address funding issues impacting regional schools. An article summarizing the event was published in the Providence Journal on Tuesday of this week:

http://www.providencejournal.com/news/20160229/regional-ri-school-districts-upset-at-lack-of-funding?rssfeed=true

On Monday, March 28th, the school department will host the annual public hearing for the school department budget. We are hoping to report on any adjustments made as a result of the joint advocacy of all of the state's regional schools. Please plan to attend and learn more about our progress.

 

I think it is fair to say that we have all been saddened by the number of recent traffic fatalities in ours, and our neighboring communities. This has been a difficult time for many of our students, their families, and our staff because of the personal and family connections to the individuals who lost their lives. These unfortunate tragedies remind all of us of just how fragile our lives really are. We must all commit to maintaining ongoing communication with our children and our students about the risks involved in driving and the impact that their choices can have on themselves and those who care about them.

 

Please look for my next blog post, scheduled to be published in mid-March. 

January 29, 2016

Superintendent's Blog

As we approach the month where the majority of snow days have historically hit us, I want to take this opportunity to remind people about signing up for automatic text notification when Exeter-West Greenwich Schools are cancelled, delayed, or released early. Use the link below to take advantage of this very convenient benefit. The link can also be found on the main page of the District website.

http://www.wpri.com/generic/weather/closings/Closings_Signup

I am very happy to announce the return of Mrs. Erica Killian to the mathematics department at the Senior High School. We are so excited to have her back with us! Mrs. Killian's return certainly adds to an already strong and dedicated department.

Stars of the Week

On January 20th, I was notified that our District was chosen to represent excellence in Visual Arts learning through the "Gift of Art to the State of Rhode Island." Each year, the Rhode Island Alliance for Arts Education selects one District that best exemplifies the following criteria:

• Enthusiastic, positive, and personalized learning
• Interdisciplinary curriculum
• A variety of creative resouorces
• Qualified and dedicated leadership
• Exploration of a wide variety of activities with diverse solutions

Congratulations to our District art teachers: Kristen Beaulieu, Sharon LaFrenaye, Amie Ray, Nicole Pichette and Elizabeth Lind for inspiring our learners to be creative. Nine pieces of student art representative of the K-12 program will be professionally framed and permanently exhibited at the University of Rhode Island Providence campus. Teachers, administrators, student artists and their families will be recognized at a ceremony on May 19th at the exhibit site in Providence. Additionally, the School Committee will recognize this outstanding group of educators at its next regularly scheduled meeting on February 9th.

As a side note, Mrs. Lind, our Fine Arts Department Chair at the Junior-Senior High School, will be giving a lecture this weekend with a Brown University archaeologist at the RISD Museum. Check out the write up below....... VERY impressive!

Double Take: Marble Sculpture 

January 31, 3 pm 

A carved marble portrait offers the opportunity to explore not only the powerful Roman woman depicted, but also the 18th-century practice of combining ancient pieces with other sculptural elements. Sculptor Elizabeth Lind and Anne Hunnell Chen, from Brown University's Department of History of Art and Architecture and Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World, discuss the history and construction of the Portrait of Agrippina the Younger.

Additional Information

Don't forget about the annual Metcalf BINGO event this Sunday at Metcalf Elementary School starting at 1:00 PM. This is a lot of fun for the whole family - Please come and join us!

Thank you to the Exeter-West Greenwich School Committee for their continued commitment to our schools. This week, the School Committee committed funds to update band instruments at Metcalf and the JSHS. Additionally, they have committed funding necessary to complete the STEM park at the JSHS and update/improve the Lineham playground. The District continues to ensure that our facilities and programs are designed to optimize the learning environment for all kids. Thank you!!

Have a wonderful weekend. Look for my next blog post scheduled for publication just prior to the February winter recess.

January 18, 2016

Happy New Year! My first blog post of 2016 features several staff and student highlights. If there is ever an individual, and event, or an accomplishment that you would like me to highlight, please send a quick e-mail to my attention.

Stars of the Week:

Last Tuesday evening, the School Committee recognized Jenna Bridges for being named the Rhode Island Girl's Volleyball Gatorade Player of the Year. This is an incredible honor for Jenna and the Exeter-West Greenwich Regional School District.  Included below is an excerpt from the official press release announcing Jenna's accomplishment:



EXETER-WEST GREENWICH HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE® RHODE ISLAND VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR CHICAGO (December 8, 2015)

In its 31st year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Jenna Bridges of Exeter-West Greenwich High School as its 2015-16 Gatorade Rhode Island Volleyball Player of the Year. Bridges is the second Gatorade Rhode Island Volleyball Player of the Year to be chosen from Exeter-West Greenwich High School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Bridges as Rhode Island’s best high school volleyball player. Bridges joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including USA Volleyball players Kim Glass (2001-02, Horseshoe HS, Penn.), Kim Willoughby (1998-99, 1999-00, Assumption HS, La.) and Ogonna Nnamani (1999-00, University HS, Ill).

The 6-foot-2 senior middle hitter recorded 501 kills, 108 digs, 74 blocks and 37 service aces this past season, leading the Scarlet Knights (16-3) to the Division I state quarterfinals. The 2015 Division I Player of the Year, Bridges posted a .507 kill percentage and a .378 hitting percentage. A two-time First Team All-State selection, she concluded her prep volleyball career with 963 kills and 212 blocks.

Bridges has maintained a 3.36 GPA in the classroom. An avid musician who plays the piano, trombone, clarinet, flute and drums, she has volunteered locally as a peer math tutor and as part of multiple community-service initiatives through her church youth group. “Even when trying to set up a specific game plan against Jenna, she still was able to be effective,” said Doug Bliven, head coach of Chariho High. “Even though we knew where the ball was going, it still didn’t matter. If not for her, there is no way that team would have been that successful this season.”

Bridges has signed a National Letter of Intent to play volleyball on scholarship at the University of Hartford in the fall of 2016.

Staff Recognitions:

Congratulations to Karen Purtill, a member of the Senior High School mathematics department, for fulfilling her dream and placing FIRST in the United States in her age group in the 2016 Cyclocross National Championship. Mrs. Purtill is an amazing math teacher who can now add this impressive accomplishment to her resume. Check out her interview upon completing the race earlier this month by following the link below:

                                      Karen Purtill 2016 Cyclocross National Champion


The Rhode Island Department of Education is featuring a monthly blog post that highlights one of the 2016 District Teachers of the Year. This month, Exeter-West Greenwich is the featured District and Sharon LaFrenaye has posted a thoughful piece about how the arts are critical to student achievement. Please take a moment to read Sharon's post called STEM to STEAM by following the link below:

http://www.ride.ri.gov

Last week, I had the opportunity to listen to a group of kindergarten students from Mrs. Cash's class meet with their principal to share their science notebooks and discuss their learning about the parts of trees.

Above, Henry, Keara and Gabriella proudly answer questions posed by Principal Marino as they share their favorite drawings included in their science ntebooks. Well done!!!!

Congratulations to Jenna, Karen, Sharon, and the students from Mrs. Cash's kindergarten class for making us all proud to be members of the EWG community.

Please look for my next blog post, which will be released in approximately two weeks (roughly February 1st). Enjoy the snow!

December 29, 2015

Happy Holidays! I wish you all a very happy and healthy New Year. It is hard to believe that after a spring-like Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we woke up to snow this morning. Welcome to New England!

Stars of the Week

 

 

 

December is a very busy time of year in all of our schools. I had the chance to visit every building during the last few days before winter break and saw many happy, excited children involved in an array of holiday activities. Perhaps one of the most special performances came from Mrs. Gaumond's third grade class, as they sang and signed several holiday songs for their peers, staff and families on Tuesday morning. On Monday, the class performed for the residents of a local Exeter nursing home. Last year, I was able to attend the performance with Mrs. Gaumond's class and the residents were so appreciative.

 

Thank you, Mrs. Gaumond, for providing such a unique and memorable opportunity for the students in your class. It was obvious from watching your prior year students sign along with the class on Tuesday morning that your children will remember what you have taught them for a long time. Your class holiday performance is something I look forward to every year. It is very special and so are you!

 

 

Other News

 

On December 9th, the District hosted a parent & community forum to discuss the results of the first round of the new state assessment program (PARCC) that took place last year. Those who attended learned that the students in EWG performed exceptionally well, relative to the state and relative to other similar communities. In fact, our junior high school scored in the top ten of all Rhode Island public middle schools in both English Language Arts/Literacy and Mathematics, and our senior high school scored in the top five of all Rhode Island public high schools in both ELA/Literacy and Mathematics. Our math scores were the second highest in the state!

 

Given the historical performance of the students in our District, the results come as no surprise. We have an exceptional staff, supportive families and communities, and children who consistently try their best. There is no doubt that Exeter-West Greenwich will continue to shine, regardless of what assessment measure is used by our State. For a full copy of the presentation slides that were released on December 9th, click the link below.

 

http://s3.amazonaws.com/EWGRSDweb/contentweb/HomeAnnoucements/LEA%20PARCC%20Results%2012-09-2015%20%20Presentation.pdf

 

In other news, Exeter-West Greenwich ranked #5 in the State according to the annual golocalprov high school report that was published last week. For a full review of the rankings, click on the link below. Exeter-West Greenwich has maintained a top-five ranking every year since the annual report was first published. Congratulations students, staff and families!

 

http://www.golocalprov.com/news/the-top-high-schools-in-rhode-island-2015

 

Stay informed throughout the annual school budget development process. Look for a mailing that will be sent to every household in our member towns next week that outlines the important dates and meetings open to the public prior to School Committee adoption of the 2016-17 school budget.

 

January 12th - School Committee meeting; Initial draft of the budget is presented

January 27th - Budget workshop

February 11th - Joint meeting of the School Committee and Town Councils to review the school

                          budget draft

February 23rd - School Committee meeting; Scheduled adoption of the Superintendent's proposed

                          budget

 

Stay warm and wish for a mild winter with snow falling only on weekends. Happy New Year!

 







December 4, 2015

I hope you all enjoyed a restful Thanksgiving break with families and friends! Now, the countdown to a new year begins. December is always a very active month in our schools as children prepare for the excitement of the upcoming holidays and an extended winter break.

Our Junior-Senior High School theater production of A Christmas Carol will take place this month from December 10th through December 13th. Our talented cast has been rehearsing for quite some time, but they are now in overdrive. A few photos from this afternoon's rehearsal as things were just getting underway:



            

Join the cast as they present the Charles Dickens classic holiday story A Christmas Carol - A family friendly adaptation of the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, London's most infamous miser who is given a rare chance to change his life for the better by welcoming in the spirit of Christmas.

Performance Dates:

Thursday December 10th @ 7:00PM

Friday December 11th @ 7:00PM

Saturday December 12th @ 7:00PM

Sunday December 13th @ 2:00PM

For more information regarding tickets email: EWGDramaTickets@gmail.com or call 1-800-607-8150

This Saturday, Dec. 5, don't miss the annual EWG Holiday Bazaar, happening at Metcalf Elementary from 9 am to 3 pm. Nearly 70 vendors are on hand to sell their unique gift items, including some of our own EWG teachers, staff and students! Professional Santa photos are available, as well as a full kitchen café, baked goods, kids shopping area (all items $5 or less!), penny social, and a 50/50 raffle, this year benefitting a couple of staff members who are bravely battling cancer. This is a great community event that supports a lot of small businesses as well as our three elementary schools...please join us!

 

Next Wednesday, the District will host a community forum to present and discuss the results of the first round of PARCC testing that took place last year at Metcalf and our Junior-Senior High School. The event will begin at 6:00 PM in the Metcalf cafetorium. As you may be aware, the District performed very well relative to state averages  and similar communities in both ELA and math. We will be discussing our strengths, areas in need of focus, and action steps going forward. Please join District and school-based administrators, RIDE representative(s), School Committee members and other staff members for what should be a very informative presentation highlighting our schools and our students.

 

I will be publishing one more blog post before the winter break. Take some time to enjoy some of the many events sponsored by our schools during this time of year to help get you in the holiday spirit!

 

 

 

November 16, 2015

Once every two weeks, I publish a blog to highlight some of the many outstanding individuals and events that remind us all of the privilege we have to be a part of Exeter-West Greenwich!

Stars of the Week:

 

Sometimes, the work that goes on "behind the scenes" goes unrecognized. However, I can assure you that our support staff is absolutely critical to the success of Exeter-West Greenwich schools. Although we probably don't say it enough, THANK YOU for what you do every day for our children , our communities and our schools.

 

Above: Metcalf Secretary Jeanette Rathbun, District Data Clerk and Student Information System Technician Julie Dionne, and Teacher Assistant Karen Taraska collaborate in the Metcalf office recently. This dynamic trio is just one of many examples of the talented staff that help make our schools great places to learn.

 

Recently, I was invited to a kindergarten student's presentation of the individualized work he has been completing with teacher Mrs. Pigeon. Ethan loves dinosaurs, so Mrs. Pigeon helped to design a project-based learning opportunity where Ethan completed dinosaur math, read about and wrote stories about dinosaurs, and built a Lego representation of "Jurrasic Park" as part of his culminating project.

 

Ethan invited many individuals to his presentation, including his mom and several school staff members. He proudly read us the book that he wrote with Mrs. Pigeon about dinosaurs and then talked about his Lego creation.

 

As a school district, we are committed to finding the right "hook" for every child. We want to build academic and social skills, but also encourage creativity and love for learning. Ethan's huge smile says it all. I look forward to the many more amazing things that he will do with Mrs. Pigeon as they continue their work together at Wawaloam!

Ethan W. and Mrs. Pigeon

 

 



Additional Information:

 

The support of families and our community has made the PTA annual walk-a-thon fundraiser a tremendous success. The PTA continues to support our schools with funding for amazing learning opportunities - including resources, school-wide field trips, and guest performances. Thank you to the PTA officers and members for their efforts to make this new event such a success. We all appreciate it more than you know!

 

On Wednesday evening (11/18/15) the district will host a parent forum to educate parents and the community about drug use, recent state and national trends - including misuse of otherwise legal substances, and dangers and warning signs. The event will be held at 6:00 PM in the JSHS auditorium, and it is open to all. Awareness is everyone's responsibility. If there is ever a topic that requires us all to be unified and consistent - this is it. Our children deserve our support.

 

PARCC scores will be public this week. I am planning an evening presentation to share our district's results and discuss how they will be used in EWG as one measure to inform our work. As Superintendent, I do not support nor encourage "teaching to the test." We will continue to focus on providing a high quality education for all children that focuses on academic rigor and engaging instruction. If we continue to do these things well, then the evidence of learning will naturally occur. Once we have identified the date for this event, it will be widely publicized.

 

My next blog post will be after the Thanksgiving recess. I hope you all enjoy this time with your families. I am looking forward to it myself!

 

Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Jim Erinakes

Superintendent