Dear Everyone Learning @ Amherst, Region, and Pelham Schools:
Last week, two administrators, two middle school teachers, and I attended a conference with presentations by Joseph Renzulli and Sally Reis. For those of you reading this from the education field, you will recognize the names as the design team of the School Wide Enrichment Model.
For the past three decades, this model has been implemented in schools across the country. The model promotes school culture and organization that creates activities and opportunities for all students to stretch their talents and learning and to complement classroom lessons with additional enrichment and depth. Having worked with this approach previously as a teacher, principal, and superintendent, I was reminded of the common sense components of the model, yet the need for "intentionality" in the effort.
As I listened, reviewed the materials, and read about the activities taking place in other schools in the Commonwealth, I was reassured. In our schools, similarly, classroom teachers incorporate motivating and engaging projects and activities to teach and complement lessons. As you skim our "State of the Schools" report (online at
www.arps.org - click on "Homepage"), you will see examples of activities that fit well into the enrichment model, activities such as participation in... school wide exploratory time - geography bees - science fair projects - sculptor-in-residence project - MathCounts - JETS teams - Russian essay contest - National Latin exam - and others. And, we utilize individual acceleration of students or participation in various academic endeavors, too. These three categories, essentially, illustrate the model: enrichment opportunities for all students in classrooms, opportunities for students interested in various topics and projects, and individual endeavors for some students.
As we explore this concept of what is "optimum" for our schools, certainly our approaches toward enrichment and enhancing our skills as professionals in differentiation have been in our thinking. Similarly, as we review cuts from previous years, we see where we need to recoup critical areas where such enrichment has been affected. Looking ahead, like so many other areas we are addressing, we will examine descriptors of consistency, continuity, and challenge in these efforts.
We are enhancing components of our district website. Please look for a "Spotlight" section where will highlight student and professional accomplishments and an "In the News" section where will post position statements and timely documents of interest. We are also modifying links and buttons for easier navigation.
All three School Committees are in process of reviewing budget assumptions and worksheets. Information and documents related to the budget process can be found on the website by going to the HOMEPAGE link and then clicking on Budget Development for the FY09 Budget.
As noted above, as we concentrate on building next year's budget, we are looking ahead three years to determine "What is optimum?" When you look forward just a few years, what do you envision? We are not discussing a "wish list" or an unrealistic plan, but a practical picture of schools that attends to your and our expectations. For example, we envision elementary schools with paraprofessionals working on projects and research with children and our librarians. We envision a high school schedule where students have a full set of classes and class sizes that do not approach or exceed 30. We envision a comprehensive plan for professional development and keeping everyone in touch with latest developments in pedagogy and curriculum.
If you have thoughts or insights about this destination, you can send an email to me responding to this email or at
hochmanj@arps.org. The Regional School Committee will discuss this portion of budget development at its meeting Tuesday night.
Thank you for your continued interest in our schools!
Jere Hochman
Superintendent