Posts Tagged ‘RK Finn Ryan Road Principal search’
May 3, 2013 Weekly musings:
Posted on: May 3, 2013
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The R.K. Finn Ryan Road principal search committee recommended Sarah Madden for appointment and a small group of us conducted a very successful site visit Thursday afternoon. Sarah has accepted our offer and we are all very excited to collaborate with our new colleague.
The high school principal first round interviews began yesterday afternoon and continue today. Leeds principal first round interviews will be conducted next Monday and Wednesday. Further information regarding finalists and public forums will be offered soon.
Our ALT team completed work on the priority list of personnel and programs available for restoration following a successful override vote. The draft was shared with Mayor Narkewicz this week. We will work on finalizing this list and possibly present it to the School Committee next Thursday.
Jennifer Towler and I conducted the School Choice lottery this week. We opened 56 spaces and selected 51 students. The families will be notified starting today.
In our continued efforts to provide a safe and secure high school environment, new internal and external cameras have been added to the current camera system. Effective immediately we have a total of 30 cameras in use inside and outside of the building. Of course, these cameras play an important role in our overall plans and procedures for school safety, yet continual communication among students, families, and faculty will always be our best protection and prevention. We are thankful for the Northampton Police Department who donated these cameras for our use.
At Bridge Street School, Craig Murdock (PE teacher/head teacher), Carol Ruyffelaert (special education teacher), and Principal Beth Choquette have been accepted into the Harvard University: School Turnaround Leaders program. The team will be attending June 3-7. Together with Harvard faculty, expert practitioners and a cohort of fellow school turnaround leaders, this team will analyze elements critical to the school’s turnaround plan. They will develop a theory of action, gain key leadership skills, and learn strategies for success.
Sincerely,
Brian Salzer
April 26, 2013 Weekly musings:
Posted on: April 26, 2013
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By: Arvind Balaraman
The R.K. Finn Ryan Road principal search committee completed the first round of interviews and recommended three finalists who will interview on April 30th. David Potter, Principal of Patrick E. Bowe Elementary School in Chicopee; Sarah Madden, Principal of Brayton Elementary School in North Adams; and Maureen Ryan, Principal of Newton School in Greenfield. Times will be posted for parent and community meetings, faculty meetings, and the final interview.
Our ALT team began the exciting work of creating our priority list of personnel and programs we will be able to build back into the budget following a successful override vote. The draft is nearly ready to be released and is scheduled to go the Mayor on Wednesday, May 1st.
Thursday evening we enjoyed the banquet honoring our four Excellence in Teaching (Grinspoon) Award winners. Catherine Smith, Andrea James, Michele Andrews, and Sue Crago were joined by family, principals, colleagues, and loved ones for dinner and ceremony at the Log Cabin Restaurant.
Angelo Rota, Director of Innovative Instruction and Technology, sends congratulations to the winners of the “iPad for the classroom” contest and to all teachers who participated in this contest. Teachers showcased the use of technology in classroom instruction and these are the winning submissions:
Barbara Bitgood: Multimedia presentations on clothing of the French-speaking world. She included very entertaining student-created videos as well as other multimedia presentations. Her work demonstrated excellent use of differentiated instruction techniques and outstanding teacher/student interaction.
Dinah Mack: Created a comprehensive lesson of the European Union. She offered extensive supporting material using Prezi, PowerPoints, Websites, and student reflections demonstrating differentiation to engage all levels of learners. Ms. Mack included many extra artifacts incorporating dynamic instruction, learning, and interaction.
Beth Brady: Created a unit on science and writing. Based upon the students’ experiences from a walk in the woods with Mr. Ted, she submitted student narrations and reflective multimedia pieces. A booklet produced by students completed the entire class experience.
Sincerely,
Brian Salzer
Northampton Public Schools Superintendent Blog 