by Dr. Thomas Jefferson, Superintendent of Schools
This fall the Harvard Public School system is pleased to welcome 25 new elementary students from Devens who will be attending school in Harvard through our contract with MassDevelopment. The administration and faculty of Harvard Elementary School (HES) and Maureen Babcock, School Committee liaison from Devens, have planned and executed a thorough and thoughtful transition plan for the students.
One of the most visible changes students and parents will note when they return to school is the proliferation of technology. SMART Boards have been installed in each classroom in grades 1 to 5. During this past week, 25 staff members participated in a graduate-level training program on how to best use these boards and related educational technology. Bromfield will start the new school year with myriad projection systems, SMART Boards, and other presentation systems. We hope to complete the process to upgrade each Bromfield classroom within the year.
As part of our professional development program, 20 teachers attended a week-long training session entitled “The Skillful Teacher,” a core program of one of the preeminent training organizations in the country, Research for Better Teaching, Inc. Also, we had a large contingent of teachers attend the International Conference on Thinking at Tufts University, where they learned more about the Habits of Mind program we have adopted at Harvard Elementary School. On a related note, this fall both HES and Bromfield faculty will be focusing much of their early release time on the complex issue of how we can infuse greater critical thinking skills and opportunities into the kindergarten to 12 curriculum. In addition to the curriculum revision and preparation done by all teachers over the summer, a majority of the faculty participated in some level of advanced or graduate-level training. Perhaps the most unusual experience was that of Bryce Mattie, our 10th-grade world geography teacher, who spent her summer teaching English and traveling in China.
We’ve upgraded the student database system to make all classroom, school, and district communication more efficient and accessible. The district will have the capacity to distribute all school forms and report cards electronically. In addition, we will have the capacity for items such as emergency forms to be completed online (although for the 2009–2010 school year we will still need hard copies).Teachers will also have the ability to post assignments, homework completion, and grades for individual students, who will have the opportunity to access that information on a password-protected basis. We ask that each school family register for Edline when they receive their codes and instructions.
To address our goal of increasing energy efficiency, we are completing a project to convert HES from oil to natural gas heat. This conversion promises to be a positive step both economically and environmentally. Part of the impetus for this project was the need to address removal of an underground oil storage tank at the school. Simultaneously, we are finishing a much-needed replacement of the air conditioning systems that cool the HES offices, media center, and computer lab.
The head of nursing, Colleen Nigzus, has attended state-level training regarding the H1N1 virus. She will be sending out information to school families reminding them of practices to observe at home and protocols that we’ll be implementing at school.
The custodial, maintenance, and office staffs have put forth a significant effort to help prepare for the opening of school on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
Interested residents are invited to visit the schools’ website at www.psharvard.org, to get answers to operational questions or to learn more about the district, and are also invited to contact the superintendent directly at 978-456-4140 or tjefferson@psharvard.org.