Westford Superintendent Everett "Bill" Olsen. File photo
The School Committee met on Sept. 12 and discussed a number of topics including homework for full-day kindergartners.
Kindergarten Homework
At Monday’s School Committee meeting on Sept. 12, Assistant Superintendent Kerry Clery presented what she termed a “bingo-like” sheet for teaching kindergartners how to do homework. Clery said the sheet had been devised last year by Nabnasset School kindergarten teacher Kate Maguire and is being embraced by the school principals, who met recently to discuss homework in general. Included in the discussion was whether full-day kindergartners should have homework in the same vein as their half-day counterparts.
“This is something that stopped us all in our tracks,” said Clery. “We felt like ‘yes,’ this is something we can sink our teeth into.”
The homework sheet gives students a variety of tasks from which to choose and requires the completion of four by the end of each week, Clery said.
One such assignment directs students to “look outside for five signs of fall” and “clap out the syllables in the five words.”
Enrollment by School
Student enrollment is down by about 40 students overall, as compared to the previous school year, according to Superintendent Everett “Bill” Olsen, who presented numbers to School Committee members, Sept. 12:
Westford Academy — 1,687
Blanchard Middle School — 612
Stony Brook — 701
Crisafulli — 334
Abbot School — 355
Day School — 357
Robinson School — 272
Nabnasset Elementary School — 361
Miller School — 334
Millennium Pre-School — 128
Completed maintenance projects
School Committee members received a report Sept. 12 from Kathy Auth, school finance director, on maintenance completed on school buildings over the summer break. The improvements were funded from the general fund appropriation for Building and Grounds Maintenance, according to Auth.
Carpet and flooring replacements
Westford Academy, Blanchard, Nabnasset, Miller, Robinson
Gym floor refinishing
Westford Academy Auxiliary, Westford Academy Main, Blanchard, Stony Brook, and Day Schools
Roofing and Windows
Millennium roof seam repairs and repairs to window frames
Parking lot and pavement repairs cracks and holes systemwide, Nabnasset concrete berms replaced,
Westford Academy and Nabnasset front entrance sidewalks repaired
Painting
Abbot gym and Day School ceilings, cafeteria, gym, art room, “new wing” classrooms
Doors
WA aux gym lobby and bus
lobby, Day cafeteria
Carpentry
construct closets in Miller admin area, add bookshelves to Blanchard library, build
bookcases for four schools
Electrical
wiring for additional projectors in all schools
Replace torn padding in Blanchard gym
Handicap
accessibility bathroom renovations at Day School
conversion of boys room to an adult restroom in Abbot main lobby
Remove walls
created a larger classroom at Stony Brook
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