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.
________________________________________________________________________________

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.
________________________________________________________________________________
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