Superintendent’s Report – October 2018
Our ribbon cutting ceremony for the new HES addition/renovation project was well attended on Saturday, September 22nd. The ceremony began at 10:00 am. After remarks by our Board Chair, Holly Kennedy, and the Chair of the Building Improvement Committee, Jim O’Malley, all five Hinsdale School Board members cut the ceremonial ribbon. Then those in attendance were ushered into the new addition where they toured the rooms and hallway. All who spoke expressed sincerest gratitude for all the help that made this needed facility improvement possible. The speakers thanked the following: our voters at our 2017 District Meeting, the Hinsdale School Board, the New Hampshire Board of Education, Governor Sununu, the New Hampshire Legislature, the New Hampshire Department of Education Chief Engineer Amy Clark, New Hampshire Commissioner of Education Frank Edleblut, Hinsdale resident Smoky Smith, former State Senator Molly Kelly, current State Senator Jay Kahn, State Representatives Mike Abbott, Lucy Weber, Paul Birch, Cathy Harvey and Hinsdale resident Kathy Bean. We also thanked the Hinsdale School District Building Improvement Committee whose members include: James O’Malley-Chair, Steve Fecto-Vice Chair, James MacDonell, Joe Boggio, Sean Leary, Deb Carrier, Shawn Lee, Courtney Hodge, April Anderson, Jeana Woodbury, Kaylah Hemlow, Jason Sisko, Kathy Bean, and Tom O’Connor. We also thanked our technology team and our custodians worked particularly hard to make the opening of school deadline for the new addition and the renovated rooms. Special guests in attendance included: New Hampshire Commissioner of Education Frank Edleblut, New Hampshire Department of Education Chief Engineer Amy Clark, New Hampshire Senator Jay Kahn, State Representatives Mike Abbott, Lucy Weber, Paul Birch, and Cathy Harvey. Additional special guests included Frank and Paul Marinace from Marinace Architects, and John Edwards and Walter Latiolais from the MacMillin Company, and last but not least Hinsdale resident Smoky Smith.
We are continuing to eliminate items on our Hinsdale Elementary School project punch list. The work to clear the items on the punch list is being done after school or on weekends to avoid disturbing our HES learning environment.
District administrators are continuing to develop Action Plans for the newly adopted 2018-2019 District Goals. We hope to finalize all the Action Plans at our October 17th Administrative Team meeting and then review the actions plans with the Board at the November 14th Board meeting. Our staff have made progress already toward our 2018-2019 Board approved District Goals.
The 2018-2019 Hinsdale School District Goals are as follows:
- HSD will personalize learning for each student which will result in improved student learning and higher numbers of students reaching proficiency on targeted learning standards by: a. Using a Response to Intervention model, which includes core instruction, intervention, and extension, we will provide students with educational opportunities and learning based upon each student’s unique needs, interests and learning styles. While we will continue to address learning needs in all content areas, during the 18-19 school year, we will intentionally focus on improving student learning in mathematics, as evidenced by MAP data/results.
We have used our Measure of Academic Assessment as a universal screener for all our students using a 40% benchmark to determine proficiency.
The Hinsdale High School/Middle School staff designated their first six hours of the Hinsdale Intervention Plan period (HIP) towards assisting our students toward improving student learning in the area of mathematics. Staff used a variety of strategies including free on-line instruction such as lessons found on Kahn Academy. Our technology staff assisted with providing additional hardware when needed.
This year our Hinsdale After School Program staff have offered additional math support for our Hinsdale Elementary School students. The HASP staff are concentrating support on math facts and math fluency.
Although we are still creating the plan, HASP has been awarded a $22,000 grant that may be used to provide professional development to our HASP staff. Some of the PD could be used to support math instruction.
- Staff will support the successful implementation of the Tech Committee’s Five-Year Plan.
Our Director of Technology, Deborah Trabucco and her technology team have successful initiated the second year of the Hinsdale School District Five-Year Technology Plan. Now each of our fifth, sixth, ninth, and tenth grade students have access to a Chromebook while at school. The technology staff are working with teachers to help staff effectively include these devices to improve learning.
Our District Technology Committee plans to meet soon to review the implementation of the five-year plan and determine if modifications should be recommended to the Board.
- Staff will provide students with social/emotional learning opportunities which will enhance students’ capacity to integrate skills, attitudes, and behaviors to deal effectively and ethically with daily tasks and challenges; and which will result in students learning the skills they need to in order to be successful in today’s world – at home, in school, and later in college and work.
Administrators are working with student support staff to create an improved social emotional learning curriculum. We are hopeful that the Board will allow time at the November Board meeting to hear our recommendations. We are also hopeful that the Board will sponsor a public forum where our staff can outline the recommendations. We hope the Board would then approve recommended changes to our existing social emotional learning curriculum at the December Board meeting.
- HSD will recruit best quality staff, grow best quality staff, and retain best quality staff.
Our administrators reviewed hiring practices in regards to substitute teachers and substitute paras at our October 3rd Administrative Team meeting. The upcoming budget recommendations will illustrate our suggestions to improve our ability to hire the best quality substitute teachers and substitute paras.
- HSD will conduct financial business in an efficient and effective manner.
Our business administrator Tom O’Connor met with the District administrators in late September where a rough timeline for budget inputs was established.
The Facility Committee is recommending a modification to our Board approved five-year capital improvement plan. The Facility Committee believes the revision better reflects our priorities.
We continue to work to improve our revenue. For example, our business manager recently wrote a $8,315.00 grant for a new over for our elementary school cafeteria. We learned on October 2, 2018 that the grant was approved.
A draft budget is due to the Hinsdale Town Budget Committee on December 3, 2018. At present we are on schedule to have a draft budget ready for the November Board meeting.
5. HSD will continue to review security audit information and move forward, in a fiscally responsible manner, to ensure our buildings are secure and our students are safe.
We are continuing to improve the safety and security of the District. On Monday, October 1st, security film was applied to HES windows. On Tuesday, October 2nd, security was applied to windows at Hinsdale Middle High School.
The District Safety Committee is planning to meet soon to determine the safety drill schedule for the 2018-2019 school year.