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Date: 4/7/2022
LONGMEADOW – In the Longmeadow Public School’s (LPS) efforts to align the curriculum with Universal Design for Learning guidelines and create an environment in which all students can learn, the School Committee’s Curriculum Subcommittee is creating a curriculum task force made up of community and school stakeholders.
At the School Committee meeting on March 29, Superintendent M. Martin O’Shea explained that the district is considering a proposal by the firm, New England School Development Council (NESDEC,) to help conduct interviews and receive feedback from parties within the LPS community.
O’Shea said there will be a “flurry” of work in the spring with conducting interviews and compiling documents. The task force will work on the data over the summer and a report will be issued by the end of October.
Wolf Swamp Road School Principal Jared Materas and Assistant Principal Kristen Heath presented a video in which students talked about how they practice the CARES program. CARES stands for cooperation, assertion, respect, empathy and self-control – all aspects of social-emotional learning that young students must master.
The program, which Wolf Swamp Road School began in 2019, allows students to engage with expected behaviors. Students who are seen exhibiting these behaviors and being peer-role models are given tickets, which they turn in to the office. At the end of the week, a ticket from each grade is chosen and the student is given a small prize and a certificate. At the end of the month, a ticket is chosen from the whole school and that student’s class gets a reward.
The students in the video spoke about ways they exhibit CARES behaviors, including sharing, comforting friends, listening to their teacher and speaking up when others are being bullied.
Assistant Superintendent for Learning Susan Bertrand said a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) teacher will be added to Williams Middle School. Glenbrook Middle School already has a STEAM teacher, and the two teachers will collaborate on the curriculum.
In related events, a Westfield State University professor who wrote a grant for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) technology and laboratory courses has invited Longmeadow Public Schools to partner.
Ron Jones, a diversity, equity and inclusion advocate, will be speaking to students at LHS April 11 and 12, and to parents and community members at 7 p.m. on April 11.
The Middle School Scheduling Group, which consists of teachers with input from students, parents and faculty, has been working on recommendations for changes to scheduling for next year. Among those recommendations are longer blocks and more effective use of blocks when students are not in academic classes. Next year’s committee will work to incorporate the feedback into scheduling.
Student Representative Deagan Connolly told the committee the Longmeadow High School robotics team came in first at a recent tournament. Meanwhile, the senior class put on its production of “Shrek” between March 25 and March 27. LHS will be organizing and hosting a Model Congress and has invited Agawam High School, East Longmeadow High School and Minnechaug Regional High School to participate.
The School Committee approved the acceptance of a foreign exchange student from Spain to LHS for the 2022-2023 school year. O’Shea and LHS Principal Thomas Landers both supported admitting the exchange student. School Committee member Gianna Allentuck thanked the family that will host the student. This is the second time the family has done so.