Race to Nowhere Update

The most recent comment about 'Race to Nowhere' was posted just a few minutes ago, and the writer requested an update.  Prior to that, we heard from a reader on July 14th.  Well after the April viewing of the documentary film, its message is still on people's minds. 

Coincidentally, the Administrative Leadership Team meets tomorrow for our annual all-day summer retreat.  It is our first opportunity to talk together about the previous school year and to plan for the next one without the busy end-of-the-year workload.  Everyone is refreshed and ready to go. 

'Race to Nowhere' IS on our retreat agenda for tomorrow, August 18th.  I had already made copies of all of your blog comments, and we are planning to review them and discuss what this means for the school district.  That said, it never hurts to call your school's principal directly and ask about the school's homework policy and what can be done to help students who are overly stressed or unable to get enough sleep due to school work. 

Race to Nowhere: Share Your Thoughts!

The BLOG is being resurrected so that community members who have viewed "Race to Nowhere" on Wednesday, April 27th, or at another time, have a space to share their thought about the documentary.

1. Which topics from the film affect you and/or your family?
2. What ideas do you have for ways to combat student stress? Have you found ways to help your child manage stress?
3. What are ways that you would like to see the issues raised by
the film addressed in your school and/or community?
4. What are the guiding principles you would like to see for education on the local, state and national levels?

They're HERE! The TESTS Have Arrived!!

By

Lynn K. McMullin

In the midst of all our snow closings and delays and sub-freezing temperatures, the CMT and CAPT tests have arrived in Central Office – all 68 boxes of them.  We’ve gotten them color-coded and ready for delivery to the schools.  In fact, by the time you are reading this, they may have already arrived at the offices of our four school test coordinators: Chris Woods at CBPS, Lynn Kaufman at CIS, Bill Donovan at CMS, and Irene Urko at CHS.

What every farmer knows is that you can’t get the little pig fatter by weighing him.  I often use this statement as an analogy to standardized testing, such as the CMT and CAPT.  We certainly won’t make our children more skilled or academically successful by testing them.  And while, this blog is an inside look at the time and effort that goes into the “weighing,” we all know the real work is what our teachers do every day in their classrooms  to help our students achieve. 

On the other hand, I’d like you to also know it is no simple task making these tests happen… Imagine, our efforts are replicated in every school district across Connecticut, and for the most part, on a much larger scale.   Each year when I check-in our boxes, (which everyone in our office noted inevitably arrive wet and dirty), I remind myself that some districts (Hartford, for example) must be receiving literally 100’s and 100's of boxes and need a whole storage facility to store them.

Here are some facts to ponder!

Based on last year’s data, we can expect our students to spend a total of 58.5 total hours across the grades in the actual testing.  Our third graders have the least amount of testing -- 7.5 hours.  Our 10^th graders have the most – 13 hours!  Three of our schools were assigned to take supplemental tests this year, which adds to their testing window, as these students will be trying out questions and tasks for future CMT’s and CAPT’s.  Tenth graders will be taking an extra Interdisciplinary Writing Test, for example. 

We will likely administer about 340 different make-up tests for students who were sick or away from school during the test administration.  We will work with about 106 official accommodations, such as students who need a reader or scribe, or large print materials, or extended time and an alternate setting, per their Special Education individualized plan (IEP).  We will need 117 teachers, working as trained proctors, to follow a specific set of protocols and administer the tests. 

The four school coordinators and I will spend about 250 hours on the various administrative tasks, including 50 hours in unpacking and inventorying tests and supplies, 15 hours training proctors and readers, 15 hours in phone or email correspondence with Measurement Incorporated over interesting testing ‘issues’ (such as what to do with a booklet a child was sick on), and 30 hours repacking the test booklets for scoring.   I have 184 emails in last year’s ‘testing folder.’   Lest you think that even the inventory is simple, at the Middle School, for example, Bill Donovan will count '290 small blue paper rulers' and '170 formula sheets'.  There are individualized bar code labels to check for each student’s testing booklets.

In addition, your school administrators, and sometimes even their PTO’s and parent volunteers, will spend many hours planning whole school assemblies and pep talks, re-doing the bell schedule, finding appropriate space for small group accommodations, scheduling proctors and substitutes, writing letters home, and even arranging breakfast or wholesome snacks for our test-takers.

At the end of March, we’ll re-inventory and box it all up again – the completed tests and the materials -- and each box will be taped shut and affixed with its two security seals and two address labels. 

No one is complaining!!  (Well, maybe just a little!)  But, in Canton, we do take this time very seriously, intending that every detail is well planned and every eventuality, controlled.  It’s important to us that this community continue to enjoy its excellent test scores.  

But, more importantly, it’s crucial to us that your children continue to master the math, reading, writing, science, and analytical problem-solving skills that the Connecticut tests measure.  It wouldn’t be fair of us to send them into a testing situation feeling overwhelmed and underprepared.  Over the summer, we'll study our overall test results and make changes in the curriculum and instruction that will help more of our children reach the goal.  We'll also study the individual results and set personalized goals so that each child reaches the next benchmark.

In a few weeks, I’ll blog about what you can do as parents to help us ensure your student’s best performance.

What does 'Parents 4 A Change' Have to Do with You?

by
Lynn K. McMullin

On Tuesday, in the midst of all the snow calls and AlertNow hullabaloo, you also got a message from me and the Community of Concern's Substance Abuse Council about an upcoming program February 2nd.  Here are the details, and then I'll tell you more about why the program might be of interest to you.

WHO: Mary Marcuccio, from Parents 4 A Change, a dynamic speaker featured on Good Morning America! Along with an informative display to help you recognize today's drugs and paraphenalia sponsored by our local Narcotics Enforcement Officers Association

WHEN: February 2, 7:00 p.m.
WHERE: Canton High School Auditorium -- with childcare provided.

 WHY?

The first time I heard Mary Marcuccio speak I was impressed with her intensity, honesty, and passion for sparing other families the same grief she experienced in her own family with a teenage son, now lost to drugs.  The tragedy struck at a time in his life, and hers, when she thought they had already beat the odds and were 'free and clear.'   I remember her talking about the little elastic bands he would have on his fingers, picking at them, flipping them around from finger to finger, in plain sight.  She had noticed the little elastic bands and just thought they must have come from his girlfriend's hair.  But, they came from baggies.  The baggies held cocaine.  Her son, like so many others, was a middle class honors student, college-bound, well cared for and living in the suburbs.  His parents were smart and knowledgeable.  They had a 'typical' parent-teen relationship.

That's one reason to come -- not because we're trying to scare you, but simply because knowledge is power.

Another reason to come is this:
Even if your children aren't yet teens themselves, you might have teens in your home.  It's not uncommon for teens to take a quick peek into the bathroom cabinets of neighbors, families for whom they babysit or mow the lawn, to collect prescription medications.  Bringing pills to share at parties is more common than any of us would like to think; and sometimes kids who will not participate in pill-taking, still contribute.

Several years ago, we did a Drug and Alcohol Survey at the high school. We asked our students about almost everything -- family patterns, friends, seatbelts, smoking, academics, and sports, church, etc.  What we learned wasn't earth-shattering, but it was worth sharing.

By filtering the responses we found that students with three or more of these indicators were significantly MORE likely to make unsafe choices, including illegal drinking, riding in cars with people who are drinking, using illegal drugs, and misusing legal drugs. Click here to read the full survey results.

• Students who spend 0 – ½ hour per day on homework
• Students who spend 3+ hours alone per day
• Students who do not eat 1 meal per day with their family
• Parents who “rarely” or “never” know where their teen is when the teen is away from home
• Parents who “rarely” or “never” know with whom their teen hangs out
• Parents who “sometimes,” “rarely,” or “never” set clear rules about the use of alcohol or drugs
• Students who report they “rarely” or “never” feel comfortable sharing their thoughts with their parents
• Students who smoke
• Students whose friends smoke, drink, or use marijuana
• Students who report no close friendships within Canton High School
• Students who feel they are in “fair” or “poor” mental and physical health
• Students who spend more than 3 hours during the school week “hanging out with friends”

Based on those findings, and the filtered responses of the 'safest' students, the Community of Concern wrote a plan called "What Parents Can Do Immediately."  Here are those suggestions:
1. Eat 1 meal per day with your children
2.  Set expectations for homework (in terms of stress, the healthiest two groups of students do 1 – 2 and 2 – 3 hours of homework per night)
3.  Arrange the schedule so that your children are not home alone more than 1 - 2 hours daily
4.  Know where your children are, and with whom, when they are not at home.
5.  Set clear and firm rules about the use of alcohol and drugs
6.  Become more aware of your teen's stress levels and more informed about stress reduction
7.  Help your student become involved in civic organizations and volunteering in the community
8.  Limit the amount of time your student spends “hanging out with friends”

One more thing parents can do: 
Join us February 2nd at 7:00 and become as informed as you can be!

Window to the Night Sky

By Lynn K. McMullin

A wonderfully magical, boxy-drumlike-kind of instrument, a telescope!, on the sidewalk of Cherry Brook Primary School becomes exactly what it advertises – 'a window to the night sky.'  Through these 'windows', last night, I saw the half moon, dusty-gray and looking as big as a basketball, and Jupiter with her four bright moons all in a row!

I love the way Canton is teaching science!!

I know we’re not perfect -- our Grade 5, 8, and 10 science scores have room for improvement -- but I love that we help our kids do things with science, not just spout back to us what they know. I love Gizmos, Robotics Club, Search, experiments in Mills Pond, in the redesigned CBPS courtyard, the CIS weather station, BrainPop, and all the regularly scheduled science labs where kids can experiment and talk about the results.

In the 60’s, I was a perfect science student – I studied and got an A on every science test I took; and yet, (amazingly, you might think!), I never really understood a single thing!  If the teacher asked, “Why does an apple look red?” I could explain in a perfect cursive paragraph that 'white light, like sunlight, is composed of all the possible wavelengths of light. The different surfaces of things caused them to either reflect or absorb some of the light’s wavelengths.  The reflected wavelengths determined the color.  For example, if the apple is red, the apple reflects the red light to our eyes and it absorbs all the other colors in the light.  That's why it’s red!'  Uh-hunh?

In fourth or fifth grade, I built an A+ solar system out of painted papier-mache covered styrofoam balls, coat hangers, and string.  The planets colors, sizes, and distances from each other were more a function of what my mother could find cheap at Woolworth’s five and dime than any application of scientific principle.  I still remember it: “Mary’s Velvet Eyes Make Johnny Stay Up Nights Proposing.” (although, now I realize the ‘proposing’ has been demoted.)  I knew that the sun was a star, only closer, and stars were ‘masses of burning gasses’ held tightly together by gravity.  Uh-hunh?

My ‘night sky’ education, naming the constellations and studying two dimensional pictures of artist-drawn planets like I've recaptured here, didn’t prepare me for the ‘adventure’ over 40 years later of looking through the telescope for the first time and seeing Saturn's rings for myself.  I had that chance four years ago at Cherry's Brook's first 'night sky' event, and I've been a convert ever since! 


That’s why Cherry Brook’s “Window to the Night Sky,” originally the dream and now a labor of love for teacher, Ms. Linda Caraher, is so special.  The event, which is held each year for 2nd graders and their families (and for all the various interlopers who want to a chance at the telescopes) is unforgettable.  What you see through the telescope is real – not a picture in a book or on TV.

The event was postponed twice due to miserable weather forecasts in December, but not even temperatures in the teens and a blustery wind could squelch the spirit and enthusiasm of the second graders and their guests who took turns at four magnificent telescopes set up along the sidewalks. Two local astronomers, Mr. Scott Tracy and Mr. Victor Leger, along with seventh graders from Ms. Marsha Jorgensen’s science class manned the telescopes, providing assistance as needed. The telescopes were fixed on Jupiter and the moon; and this morning, I wonder how many Canton residents will be logging into amazon.com to check out the price of a telescope for their own homes.  It’s that wonderful of an experience!

Like any remarkable educational event, “Window to the Night Sky” takes a lot of people, planning, and preparation. The program began at 5:00 with students singing a song led by Ms. LuAnn Saunders and listening to a brief presentation about the relative sizes of things in space (If Jupiter was the size of a basketball, Earth was a marble.)  This was followed by varied activity stations for students and their families to visit.  At the Star Finder Station, additional seventh graders helped families use devices they had made themselves to find prominent constellations in the winter sky.  In the driveway, Mr. Bill Phelps and Mr. John Sherman showed students how to use a program on the i-pads to locate constellationsand night sky objects.  In the cafeteria, students could work on science experiments with Ms. Kathy Magarian and her fifth graders.  In the gym, after listening to a question, students could use the ‘planet parachute’ with Ms. Pam Keagan and Ms. Robin Nardini and try to finesse a ball into the hole next to the correct planet's name.



Students worked together to maneuver the 'planet parachute'
trying to get the ball into the hole labeled "Venus," the brightest planet.



Mr. Scott Tracy showed students pictures of his backyard conservatory,
with its sliding roof which opened the room to the sky.  Then, he let them take turns
 at one of the telescopes he has built himself.



Several of the telescopes were fixed on the half-moon;
the rest were fixed on Jupiter.  One student, who looked through
the telescope at the moon summed it up perfectly: "Whoa!" she said.



TELL US: How well are we communicating the District’s news?

By Lynn K. McMullin


Several times over the past year, I’ve had the chance to mention the BOE’s Strategic Planning document -- the plan that has become the cornerstone of changes, when we initiate them, and so much of what we regularly do day-to-day.


Communications is one of the five goal categories in the plan: it became a goal when members of the strategic planning committee focused on the need to improve the quality of communication at all levels of the school system.  The committee members felt that leadership in a highly communicative environment should be more about orchestrating conversations, than dominating them.  In other words, our communications should be more responsive and collaborative.  Rather than ‘share information,’ communication should build confidence and trust.


We're over a full year into the Strategic Plan, and it's time to measure how we’re doing with this particular communications goal.   So, we’re putting out a survey today, January 7th, and one of our key questions is specifically about trust: How confident are you with the information you receive? We sincerely want to know more about the quality of our communications and their impact on our relationships with you and our wider community.


Thus, I'm hoping that you’ll take the time you would normally spend reading this blog to go to the on-line survey and weigh in.   Click here… and tell us what’s working and what isn’t.   (Or, type or copy and paste http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/boecommunicationssurvey in your browser's address bar.)  The survey, which takes less than 5 minutes to complete, will remain open through Friday, January 21st.


In the end, every communication avenue we try is always aimed at finding the most effective means of connecting you to what is going on across the school system.

___________________________________________________

A follow-up to the December BLOG on our students kind hearts....
This fall, 18 students came to Walter Lowell’s home in Avon to help with fall clean-up
The students donated the money they were paid by the Lowell's to the Canton Food Bank located at the Trinity Church in Canton. Another way our students give back to their Community.

Two Amazing Canton Graduates

By Lynn K. McMullin

This week’s BLOG is a follow-up to last week’s look at the altruism of our classrooms and clubs.  I want to celebrate with you the success two amazing CHS graduates, Ryan Abraham and Chris Robitaille, who exemplify the epitome of civic-minded initiative and problem solving.  For over three years, these two young men have impressed us with their creativity and verve in their efforts to support the Lance Armstrong Foundation.  It began with their Senior Project.  In March 2009, following their first cross-county bike race, which raised over $20,000 for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, they were recognized by Jodi Rell and each received a Red Cross ‘Local Hero’ award.

Now, three years later, they (along with several of their peers Peter Leung, Brian Beaulieu, Miranda J. Conary, and Mark-John Clifford) have organized a foundation of their own called R.F.A.R. (Riding for a Reason).  Check out this foundation’s extensive website at http://www.rfarchallenge.org/index.php?CID=11.  I can guarantee you will feel both astounded and proud!

Click on the link above and check out the RFAR Foundation's website.

Clicking on the Foundation’s history lets you know that R.F.A.R. was “founded in 2008 by Canton High School seniors Ryan Abraham and Chris Robitaille in an effort to combine their passion for an active lifestyle and supporting cancer victims.  RFAR’s first event raised over $20,000 and the second event nearly tripled the revenue and raised almost $60,000!  Riding for a Reason has now expanded its organizational leaders to help create a unique and exciting event each and every year.  Riding for a Reason will also be expanding across the nation, adding new states each year!”

Recently, Ryan Abraham sent an email to Gary Gula, principal at Canton High School to share with him the latest accomplishments of their foundation.  Ryan wrote, “After creating a new partnership with Robin Williams and creating 'The Power of Laughter Gala: An Evening with Robin Williams' to be held in October 2011 at New York City’s Gotham Hall, Mr. Williams has graciously offered up the idea and his list of contacts and we have created 'The Power of Laughter Tour.'

We will be sending celebrity comedians including Ellen Degeneres, Jimmy Fallon, Jerry Seinfield, Ray Ramano, Dennis Leary, and Jeff Dunham across the 50 states to top cancer centers!  While everything is still very much in the works, we will be coming out with a press release and a website page for this new addition to the Riding for a Reason Foundation shortly!

We will be hosting 50 events across the 50 states up until October 2011. These events will lead up to the main event - the Gala, where we will bring in all the comedians to honor and thank them for their support as well as 500-1000 other guests.

We are incredibly excited to have live entertainment provided by Robin Williams, himself, and Robert Holden as a keynote speaker - the leader in the true power of laughter, and the top researcher on how leading a happy life can help cure cancer.”

In a rather humble closing to his email, Ryan wrote, “I just thought I would let you all know of this great new addition!”

Both young men are currently college students!

The Value of Empathy

By

Lynn K. Mcmullin

At every grade level, involving students in community service projects makes sense.  Not only do students learn empathy, (which adds value in every potential future endeavor), but they learn a little bit about the responsibilities of citizenship in our democratic society.  Community service projects are particularly meaningful when students design and carry them out themselves.  In those instances, they learn skills such as problem solving and participating in groups, both as leaders and followers.

Our Senior Project course at the high school includes a community service component.  In this course, students identify a significant need and design and implement their own community service project to meet this need.  The most meaningful projects involve developing new initiatives, rather than supporting one that already exists.  The Grade 6 community outreach projects and Grade 8 Odyssey Projects incorporate this same kind of civic responsibility learning.

In addition, many of the clubs and activities Canton offers have community service components to them, thus helping students to understand why people volunteer.   As adults we are likely to have experienced many kinds of civic volunteerism and service which have helped us build a sense of belonging in our wider community.  And, let’s face it… helping out others makes us feel good about ourselves -- we feel worthy, energized, capable, and connected to others.  

There’s no better time to tell you about some of the community-minded projects that our students are fulfilling.  I hope you feel as proud as I do of their accomplishments:

Canton Middle School



Students sent packages of snacks and hygiene
items to our soldiers overseas
through http://www.anysoldier.com/

 On November 12, the Middle School sent 94 packages off to Afghanistan and Iraq.  This was, by a good margin, more packages than the school had ever sent before.  First, the students visited http://www.anysoldier.com/ to find a soldier, who makes a single request on behalf of his or her whole group, (watch “Tango Mike” on this website if you’d like to learn more about the value of this outreach program).  The students then spent several weeks collecting and boxing necessities (such as body wash or Chapstick), snacks, and some items just for fun.  In the Collinsville PO, Barbara worked 90 minutes off the clock to get the packages out and donated $20 to cover a little postage.  The rest of the postage was covered by the Community of Concern, the Student Council, and the PTO.  Within days the students got their first correspondence:

 Canton Middle School Students,

On behalf of Delta Company, 3rd Battalion, 10th Aviation Brigade I would like to sincerely thank you for supporting the "Dukes", as we call ourselves!  The fantastic Christmas decorations and cards have all found homes in the hangar where our Soldiers work.  Our job here is to provide 24 hour maintenance support to the many AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Blackhawk, CH-47 Chinook and OH-58 Kiowa helicopters throughout Afghanistan.  The soldiers work very long hours, both day and night, to ensure the helicopters are ready to fly at a moment's notice.   



Everyone stops to read the cards and smiles when they see the decorations.  We definitely feel the love and support you have sent! Thank you again for being a part of the Any Soldier program and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Respectfully,

1LT Sarah M. Brisson



Middle School students packed a police trailer with
donations for the Canton Food Bank.



This month the Middle School has undertaken a canned food war with the competitive goal of filling a police cruiser which came to the school last Friday and was packed with over 1000 non-perishable food items for the Canton Food Bank.

Cherry Brook Primary School

At Halloween, students collected donations for UNICEF, (which you and I also may remember doing when we were children).  After Halloween, CBPS collected and took donations of candy to share with the Food Bank and the troops overseas.

 Then, on December 6th, a collection began for new, unwrapped toys for Canton’s Gifts of Love.  The following week, they set up their annual “Mitten Tree” display in the hallway by the library.  Students have been bringing in children's hats, gloves, and mittens to decorate the tree.  On December 17^th, the items will be collected and given to the Canton Food Bank, who will help distribute the items to local families. 

Canton Intermediate School

Just before Thanksgiving, students and teachers participated in their annual “Jack Bannon Turkey Trot” collecting canned goods to help our neighbors in need.  Grades 4, 5, and 6 competed in a spirited rivalry that brought together more than 2,100 lbs. of non-perishable food items.

This month, CIS is busy with a number of projects.  Students are putting the final touches on their annual Holiday Gift and Toy Drive of books, toys, cash donations, and gift cards which will be given to Canton neighbors in need.   The “Kids Care Club” is making ornaments for the senior citizens and Cherry Brook Health Center.   The “Kids Care Club” is a nationally-recognized, student-driven community service group that generates projects and activities to benefit the community and is facilitated through the school’s Quality Council.

Another group, the CIS “Circle of Friends” in collaboration with the Boy Scouts is collecting crayons to send to the “Crayons for Cancer Center” to be melted, recycled into different shapes, and sold.  They are asking CIS students to contribute old crayons to this very exciting project. The money they raise will help families stay with their kids while they are getting treatment at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. 



In one example of the Grade 6 outreach projects mentioned above, a Grade 6 student in Mrs. Perry’s class decided to ‘reach out’ globally.  In order to bring supplies and food along with her and her family on a mission to the Dominican Republic, she and other students held car washes, raked leaves, and collected $107 towards her project. 

One of CIS’s major service initiatives took place on Thursday, December 16, when the “CIS Flying V's" met the "Cherry Brook Spikers" on the CIS volleyball court for the third annual staff match.  All proceeds from the game, attended by families from both schools, will be donated to the Kilimanjaro Education Foundation, which is an excellent example of a school community making a long-term commitment to help others.  Proceeds from many previous fundraisers funded the building of a classroom in Tanzania; proceeds from this year's volleyball match will be targeted specifically to purchase lesson plan books.   If you’d like to read more about the Kilimanjaro Foundation click here http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/kef/47544/.

Canton High School

The student members of the high school’s ‘Substance Free Students’ found the idea for a very different kind of service project on the Nike website at http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/.  In an effort to promote “green” thinking, they are collecting 200 pairs of used sneakers which will be recycled into indoor tracks, basketball courts, and gym floors.  Approximately 30 students are involved in this project which required publicity, (including writing promotional articles for the newspapers), collecting and counting the sneakers, and finally, transporting the very large collection to the Nike store at West Farms. 

CATA (Canton Adolescents Taking Action)
meets regularly to plan community
service and civic-minded projects.



Students involved in CATA, “Canton Adolescents Taking Action,” recently baked Thanksgiving cookies for the Canton Food Bank and delivered in them in time for the holiday. Now, and through the beginning of January, CATA is holding a winter clothing drive for people in need. 

CATA cookies were packaged with this message:
"Happy Thanksgiving from CATA!...Baked with love at
Canton High School just for you!"

Another civically-minded group, the FCCLA Club (Family, Career, & Community Leaders of America) spent an afternoon putting together cookie-making kits for the Canton Food Bank -- the kind that you see beautifully layered in decorative jars.  These “cookie jars” are available to families at the Canton Food Bank (which despite the efforts of the schools and other local civic groups will continue to need support throughout the year.)



Hopefully, by learning empathy and experiencing the positive rewards of helping others, our students will become more responsible, less self-centered citizens.

Student members of the FCCLA Club made cookie mixes
for the Canton Food Bank.

Extended Day Kindergarten Family Event

By Lynn K. McMullin


Every day, the news coming from our 'Extended Day Kindergarten Pilot' gets better and better. Our teacher, Jessica Papp, is a real find!  She is inventing the structures and curriculum as she goes – observing the children in their morning classes, and then incorporating what she learns about their strengths and weaknesses into the afternoon lessons. We can see that the children are making great strides in both the academic and social arenas, but it’s too soon for me to report any data.

I would, however, like to report on the recent family event hosted by the Bushnell in Hartford and attended by 80% of our extended day kindergarten families… about 55 people in all!  As you may recall, our families agreed (when they applied for the pilot program) to help out in the afternoon classroom occasionally and to attend the planned social events designed to build community among the students and their families. The first of these events was held Tuesday, November 30, at 5:30 in the Seavers Room of the Bushnell, where our Choice and Canton resident kindergarten families -- moms, dads, brothers, and sisters -- joined for an evening of friendship, education, and fun.

The Bushnell, thanks to the kind and meticulous attention of Yolande Spears and her staff, treated us to a beautiful hall complete with linen covered tables and a stage with a grand piano -- where a charismatic professional storyteller engaged the students in a funny and interactive performance.  Then, Max’s provided a delicious (kid-friendly) meal of macaroni-and-cheese (comfort food to die for!), chicken fingers, (roasted chicken for the adults), salad, and desserts.  It didn't end there, as the kindergarteners were then invited to take home a book to add to their family library. The books, all mainstays of the Bushnell’s Education Department, featured diverse characters, settings, and themes.

Amanda Potrya, with whom we have been working to ensure the quality of our program, shared her thoughts with us the next morning. She wrote, “I'd really like to highlight the efforts of the Cherry Brook Primary School's Extended Day Program to welcome in our [Choice] families, and create a welcoming school/family partnership. Tonight was priceless. I know I walked away with great memories, and a lot to look forward to. Thanks a million for making a difference in our young student's lives!”

So what’s up next?

Amanda, Margaret Miller of Canton’s CPAT, and I met this past week to see if we can extend our CPAT program to Choice families of two- and three-year-olds who already have siblings in the Canton Schools, (but perhaps not until the weather changes again in late March). Meanwhile, Andy Robbin and I are working on a proposal to offer the kindergarten extended day to additional Canton families next year. It’s important to remember that we have accomplished everything thus far without spending any local Board of Education money.

 

What Does it Mean to Be 'Educated'?

By Lynn K. McMullin

This BLOG is a bit of a departure – a little more philosophical than newsworthy or practical; but I’d love to know what the members of our community are themselves thinking about the direction of education.

What does ‘being educated’ mean today?

Somewhere and sometime in the past few years, I’ve heard two separate anecdotes which illustrate an interesting paradox in defining what is means to be educated. The first was in a speech by Vartan Gregorian, the past-President of Brown University and current president of the Carnegie Corporation in New York. Gregorian cited a study in which Brown’s graduate students – supposedly among the best and the brightest young people in the country! – were asked, ‘What causes the seasons?’ About 85% of these graduate students (none of them science majors) explained and graphically illustrated on a piece of paper, with a great deal of confidence, an elliptical orbit, which when the earth was closer to the sun gave us summer and when it was farther away, gave us winter. Something approximating the diagram below:



Close to the sun -- it's summer!  Far away, it's winter!



But this, of course, is wrong! If it were true, the entire Earth would experience the same seasons at the same time. Yet, we know that summer in North America occurs at the same time as winter in Australia, and vice-versa. In fact, the Earth's orbit is nearly a circle, and the difference between its smallest distance from the Sun and its largest distance is proportionally very small. Furthermore, the Earth is furthest from the Sun in June when summer is beginning in the north! The seasons are caused by a combination of the tilt of the earth on its axis and its rotation.

Does this then make Brown University’s graduate students unprepared for the real world? They probably knew this concept at one point, but have forgotten it along their paths to learning something else in depth.  Should we label them 'uneducated' as they go off into the 21st century’s market place to become tech specialists, business executive, lawyers, manufacturers, social workers, Spanish teachers, and so on?  Or, should we accept that they will function exceptionally well with their particular skill set, enhanced with what is called 'just-in-time' knowledge, i.e. the ability to analyze accurate information as needed.

This second anecdote I heard at a curriculum workshop for differentiated instruction: eighth graders in a California school were given a portion of a standardized math test in which they were asked to generate their own answers and show their work. A word problem asked them, ‘How many buses will the army need to move 367 soldiers if each bus holds 48 soldiers?’ Students in the highest level math classes were more likely than students in lower level math classes to take their long division answers to the third decimal place and then round their answer to 7.65.  Yet, what’s .65 of a bus?  In this case, the students were well-schooled, but not practical. They were more concerned with being precise or accurate, than they were with being right.

Herein lies the paradox of the ‘educated’ student in the 21st century! To be educated, our students have to do much more than avail themselves of knowledge; they must apply what they know in a logical, meaningful way.  To be educated, they must both seek out information and develop critical minds capable of differentiating between pure academic knowledge and its real-life application. They need to be able to ask deep questions, observe meaningful patterns, make predictions.

In the past century, the ‘educated student’ knew a comparatively small body of work extremely well -- Shakespeare, ancient history, algebra and geometry, the Bible, the Fall of the Roman Empire, the function of cells, and so on. Today, however, with knowledge expanding exponentially, we know less and less about a whole lot more.  We cannot worry about our students being ‘academically’ educated in the same way they were in 1985. Our fear should be whether or not we are creating one-dimensional students who are unsure of what they know and how to use it.  In fact, recognized mathematician Grisha Perelman has said, "Learning is what most adults will do for a living in the 21st century."

Recently someone complained to me that the kids today don’t even know their state capitals. In truth, I wondered why that was such a problem.  In the argument that students can't locate states, countries, continents in the world -- an important global concept -- knowing the state's capitals contributes very little. Learning the state capitals requires rote memorization, a low-level skill that could potentially be reserved for life’s necessities, maybe spelling and multiplication facts (although even that is debatable in 2010).  But, should today’s students spend time memorizing the 50 state capitals?  Keep in mind, no thinking or problem-solving is involved! 

My grand-daughter, who’s a freshman in another school system, could find you a list of the state capitals on her cellphone in less than a minute.  In fact, one day when she, her mother, and I were driving through Vermont, my daughter wondered aloud if every state had a Springfield.  We started naming them, when from the back seat, my grand-daughter soon reported that about 35 states had Springfields… and several countries did… and then there was the Simpsons’ fictional city of Springfield… and three famous people with the last name of Springfield (‘Who’s Dusty?’ she asked!).  In about two minutes, she ‘knew’ more facts about Springfield than anyone cared to know.

That’s why as we work on Canton’s new social studies curriculum, we’re spending a great deal of time on the kinds of questions we want students to be able to answer.  In 5th grade, about the same age they might learn their state capitals, for example:  Not, “What is immigration?” but, “What factors cause groups of people move?”  Not, “What were the major inventions of the Industrial Revolution?” but, “How do we determine when change is 'progress'?”  Not, “What is the capital of Maine, Maryland, or Minnesota?” but, “How do our geography, climate, and resources affect the way we live and work?”

Your thoughts?

Improvement and Maintenance of Our Facilities

By
Kevin D. Case

A major responsibility of the Board of Education is the oversight and maintenance of Canton’s school facilities. The Canton Public School System is comprised of three school buildings: Cherry Brook Primary School, housing Grades Pre-K through 3; Canton Intermediate School, housing Grades 4 through 6; and Canton Middle School and Canton High School, located in one campus facility, housing Grades 7 through 12.

To address ongoing facilities needs, a Facilities Subcommittee of the Board of Education was formed comprised of representatives of the Board of Education, the district’s Business Manager, and me, the Superintendent of Schools. This subcommittee has the responsibility to ensure that our students and the Canton community are provided with safe and modern facilities and equipment that support the extraordinary educational opportunities our students are engaged in.

As we prepare our District Budget for the 2011-2012 school year, one of the areas we look at is the improvement and maintenance of our facilities. Throughout this process, we identify Capital Improvement Projects, which are long range and long term in nature. These projects range from roof replacement to comprehensive renovation or replacement and are normally above the $50,000 threshold. We also identify Current Operating Projects, which are projects that are preventative-based and can be accomplished during the fiscal year to prevent further deterioration of the facility. These projects can range up to $50,000.

During the 2009-2010 fiscal year, due to effective management of the district’s budget, the Board of Education was able to purchase equipment and furniture and accomplish projects to improve our schools. Examples include: new cafeteria tables for Canton High School; new performance risers for the stage at Canton Middle and High School; new lockers for the Canton High School locker room; refurbishment of bleachers in the gym at Canton Middle and High School; renovation of the locker room and weight room/wrestling room at Canton High School; and the replacement of the back windows at Cherry Brook Primary School which will result in energy cost savings to the District.

It is at this time of the year that we solicit input from the public as to what projects you feel are necessary to upgrade our school facilities. The Board of Education and I look forward to working with all members of the Canton community throughout the budget process as we look to continuously improve our school system.

Please send me your thoughts or questions at kcase@cantonschools.org.

I wish you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.

How to Make the Most of a Parent Conference!



You're Invited!

by

Lynn K. McMullin

When I was a high school teacher, both in East Granby and Canton, I remember a few of my colleagues pulling their parent teacher conference schedule from their mailboxes and complaining, “I’m always seeing the wrong sets of parents.”  I understood what they meant by this, but it made me cringe then, and still does today. 

I’ve always looked at parent conferences this way: First, if your child is doing very well in class, you deserve to hear that message in person.  Second, and more importantly, if your child is excelling in class you deserve to know what the teacher is doing to challenge your child above and beyond the everyday expectations… what are his or her goals for your child this year?   Third, if your child is struggling, the teacher should lead a discussion about what you can do together to support your child’s motivation and/or achievement.  You have some information about what works and doesn’t work with your child, and the teacher has additional strategies to suggest.

It’s very important to attend conferences if your child is struggling academically or socially. It’s equally important to go if your child is doing very well.  Every parent has a right to be at conferences, to be treated with respect, and to be given a current progress report, with clear goal statements and suggestions for working together as partners in the student’s best interests.   You should never feel like you don’t belong or are taking up the teacher’s time.  If your schedule does not permit attending conferences, or if you have too many conferences to squeeze them all into one day, call and ask for an alternative day and time.

Maybe you’re asking yourself why you should attend for the umpteenth time and what you're supposed to say or ask during a parent teacher conference.  After all, you’ve got a progress report; you can check grades in PowerSchool; you’ve seen papers coming home; you have, or will receive, a report card.  What’s left?  Face-to-face communication can be much more effective than a number or letter on a report card.  You can learn so much about the teacher’s expectations and your child’s progress when you and the teacher review a few of your child’s papers together.  Facial expressions and body language can also help you and the teacher better understand each other’s perceptions.

The Art of the Elementary School Conference:
1. Ask how your child is doing overall in the classroom. Is your son or daughter behind, ahead, or on target academically and socially? Is your child happy in the classroom?
2. Ask to review some specific information about your child’s work in comparison to a benchmark. The teacher should be able to show you examples of what the grade-level expectations are for writing or what a sample math problem or task looks like. The teacher should be able to show you and explain your child’s reading level. Together, you should compare your child’s papers or written work to a benchmark or standard. Some teachers can also provide rubrics which describe what they are assessing.
3. Wherever your child is on the spectrum, ask what the teacher’s goals are for your child, when your child might reach those goals, and how your child is going to get there.
4. Ask about your child’s personal performance. Is your child working hard? To his or her full potential? Does your child enjoy the academic work? Share what you observe during homework time. Share any strategies that motivate your child … or circumstances that shut him/her down.
5. Ask about your child’s social growth. Does your child get along with others? Is your child friendly and respectful towards others? Does your child handle frustration, disappointment, guilt, or anger appropriately? Is your child accepted by others?
6. Both the teacher and parents must try to give vague observations a clearer context. If you can’t picture your child in a particular scenario, say, “Tell me more about that.” Ask the teacher to describe a particular time, place, and situation. Provide the same specifics for the teacher, when necessary. The goal is to determine ‘what works.’
7. Ask the teacher about your child’s good qualities and strengths. How can you, together, as a team, capitalize on those qualities and strengths?
8. Ask the teacher for suggestions about what you can do at home to support what the teacher is doing in school. There are specific ways parents can help children develop number sense, engage in critical thinking, read and follow multi-step directions, or make connections between stories (or even movies) and their own lives.
9. Ask what’s coming next. What’s the next unit in math or science? The next skill in reading?
10. If necessary, plan a follow-up conversation. Sometimes the teacher needs to think through a question or research new information. In that case, the teacher will need to get back to you. Sometimes, you’ll agree to try new strategies at home or in school and a follow-up will be necessary to evaluate the strategy.

Middle school and high school conferences are much tougher. Because teachers must see 40 or more parents in three days, secondary school conferences are considerably shorter. As a result, specific details about the student (rather than generic observations) and the facial expression and body language from both parties become the key communication devices. There IS time to be friendly; but there’s no time to chat about older siblings who went off to college, where the student is currently working, or the outcome of a recent sport or music event.

The Art of the 8-Minute Conference:
1. Ask how your child is doing overall in the subject. Is your son or daughter behind, ahead, or on target academically for that course? Is your child engaged, interested, and involved in the classroom?
2. Bring the last progress report with you and ask the teacher about any patterns you’ve observed. For example, your student might be struggling with homework or tests and quizzes. Ask the teacher for strategies which can strengthen weak areas. Ask for content-specific studying tips, such as flash cards or out-loud practice in front of a mirror. If you don’t know the amount of homework time expected each night, ask.
3. Ask to see your child’s work in comparison to a grade-level or department benchmark. The teacher should be able to show you what the expectations are for some elements of the content area -- a sample of a lab report, a one-page essay, or an essay test question response, for example. The teacher should be able to define the work qualities being assessed, such as labeling, showing all steps in a process, using complete sentences, or providing specific examples. Most teachers can provide rubrics which describe what they are assessing.
4. If necessary, plan a follow-up meeting or phone call, especially when a parent-teacher collaboration is required for the student to improve.


Conferences are November 16th, 17th, and 18th. Early release days are scheduled to accommodate the greatest number of parents.