Weekly News and Notes

First, thanks to everyone who attended graduation last week and provided me some feedback. It was extremely helpful to have so many people with a sense of history and tradition give me the background, in particular Ms. Guilfoil. Beyond that, it was nice to incorporate some new pieces that I'm told had not traditionally been part of the script, including putting the faculty in the graduation program and recognizing you collectively at the start of graduation.

While I know many of you had the occasional struggle with some seniors this year, and there was a pervasive rash of senioritis throughout the fourth quarter, I had great support from the senior class this year, as a group. By and large, they were respectful, polite, and responsible. I had a terrific time learning from and working with the class officers and advisors, and I will miss their counsel and follow-through. That said, it has provided me with a solid baseline as I look ahead to the future.

Lastly, the comments I have received have been by and large positive, in that graduation flowed well, was efficient and largely positive. That said, we're always looking for ways to improve, so if something jumps out, let me know. (Some of you have already offered some constructive ideas, for which I'm appreciative).

Speaking of: class elections will take place next week. Please refer to the High School conference messages posted by Mr. Christie regarding the schedule.

Handbook Updates

Our handbook revisions went to both School Council and School Committee in the past week. Most of the updates provide clarification on procedures that have been in place and just needed clarification, while a couple included some revisions.

We had many great conversations about topics ranging from class dues to electronic devices to dress code to chemical health, and the support has been fairly unanimous. I know there are many that will remain uncomfortable with the mere presence of cell phones, iPads, and laptops in their classes, but the town and School Committee has endorsed a "bring your own device" policy, and, thus, they aren't going away. Our discussions focused on what to do and what the consequences could be for consistent misuse of these items without teacher permission.

You can expect a summary next week of all the changes/updates. Again, there is nothing that will catch anyone truly off guard.

My sincere thanks to all who helped out on the handbook committee: Sharon Aigler, Sharon Guilfoil, Spencer Christie, Diana Rodgers, Jay Rojee, Amanda Webster, Grace Lamond, Dot Pearl, Shanley Heller, and Rob Pearl.

The Schedule

In the interest of transparency, and to respond to some concerns about the perceived secrecy about the schedule:

At this point, I have run the schedule about 4-5 different times. Each time, it has spit out classes meeting at different times, with different levels of balance. Truthfully, it's about finding the right order/sequence of running classes to ensure the greatest number of students get into classes they've selected.

On top of that, there will be some chess when certain classes move into different periods and create staff conflicts, on the basis of what the students need.

So... the short answer is not to get your hopes up for one class or another, or one particular schedule or another, or to expect that something you may have seen on the board last week is set in stone. I've repeated that fairly consistently, but some people are still asking questions, so it's just easier to work under the shroud of secrecy, inform the department chairs as necessary, and then solicit feedback as it is needed/desired. Please, if you have questions or requests, come ask. I can't promise that everything will be honored, but I'm doing my best, and I can promise you at the very least that I will listen.

Hiring Committees

We are in the process of finalizing candidates for history, English, tv/video, French/Spanish, music, and math, and our hope is to get all of those candidates to the final stages in the next week. Obviously, in an ideal world, we would be interviewing and selecting candidates before school ends, so we can put those teachers in touch with people with whom they'll be working closely come the fall.

Many thanks to those of you who have volunteered your time to read resumes, design questions, and interview:

Dianne Kaeli & Betsy Lynch: foreign language
Christine Ryan & Chris Jacobs: English
Amanda Webster: music
Neill Brandon and Kristin Oleksy: history
Spencer Christie, Maureen Coutu, Diana Rodgers: humanities leader
Jon Jasinski and Kelly Bliss: STEM leader

We have also had at least two students on every committee, who have been extremely insightful. Again, thanks to those who have suggested students to serve and for encouraging their leadership on campus.

Have a great weekend!