Kensington School Board
Meeting Minutes
November 14, 2007
The Kensington School Board met on November 14, 2007
In attendance were Mrs. Dana Donovan, Mrs. Alice Mower, School Board members; Mrs. Barbara Switzer, Principal; Mr. Paul Flynn, Associate Superintendent of Schools
Manifests were signed by the board.
The meeting was called to order at 6:17pm
Dana Donovan made a motion to approve the minutes from October with the changes discussed prior to the meeting; Alice Mower seconded the motion, all in favor.
Principal’s Report - Mrs. Switzer reported that the Cross Country team had a very successful year and all the participating students did very well.
PTO - Mary Larson coordinated the PTO book fair. Sales were approximately $5200 and profits for KES will be $1400 worth of donated books for classrooms and the school library. Due to the resignation of Sue Cannon as PTO treasurer, the PTO appointed Jen Feiden as PTO treasurer for the remainder of this year.
Follies Night was cancelled due to lack of participation. It is possible that the event may be rescheduled for later in the year, but it has not yet been discussed.
The PTO is sponsoring a “drop and shop” movie night on November 30th. Parents will drop children off for a movie at KES and be able to do some holiday shopping then return for their children later in the evening.
Parent conferences were held last week and all was well. Mrs. Switzer said she received positive feedback from both parents and staff.
Mary Knightly coordinated a Veteran’s Day presentation. Students remembered and honored veterans, including Kensington Elementary staff members Mr. Ed Ruggeri and Mrs. Stephanie Klemarczyk. Songs sung by students, and led by Chris Vallone, made the program a particularly touching and emotional ceremony.
Friends and Family Day will be held on Tuesday November 20th. .
Curriculum Incentives - Sue Hill is coordinating a Holiday Writing Contest. The School Board will be asked to review the entries for prizes. Mrs. Switzer expressed disappointment that the Magical Mailbox has not been able to get up and running since Anne Markel moved away, but she is pleased that this writing event is taking place.
The SAU Science Committee met for the first time this year to discuss NECAP science testing. Jerry Frew and Angela Lennox will be involved as well.
Art Curriculum… Mrs. Switzer encouraged the board to notice all the art work decorating the school. Annie Beauchemin and the students are working hard to create family quilt. It is currently hanging near Chris Culver’s classroom. The Heart of Art group has created decoupage boxes, which are on display. Mrs. Beauchemin has even taken some pieces to the SAU Central Offices. Visitors will find some art work by KES students there as well!
Music… Holiday songs can already be heard throughout the halls as Mrs. Vallone and the students prepare for the holiday concert which will be held on Monday December 17th (Thursday December 20th in case of snow) Mr. Flynn reminded attendees the 17th was the same night as the joint board meeting.
Physical Education Curriculum… Mrs. Spinosa is now focusing on staying healthy through good nutrition. The walking club has ended for this season and she is now offering Dance Dance Revolution, dodge ball, and jump rope as extracurricular activities available before school.
Dan Chartrand, owner of the Time of Wonder book store in Exeter, recently funded an author visit by Judy Schachner. Mr. Chartrand purchased Skippy John Jones books for every student in grades K thru 2 and Ms. Schachner signed every one of them for the students. The new director at the Kensington Public Library, Janet Szarmach and KES librarian Susie Gilbert have coordinated a visit with author Michael Sullivan. Mr. Sullivan will be coming to meet students at KES during the afternoon of November 27th.
Technology… Mrs. Switzer reported that the staff participated in their 3rd Moodle training session last night with Kathy Weise. Additional training on scanning and digital applications will be given after the holiday in preparation for the student portfolios.
In Health and Wellness Mrs. Klemarczyk has been focusing on the importance of hand washing. Mrs. Donovan inquired as to how precautionary measures in place have been working to keep children with allergies safe. Mrs. Switzer said that it has been observed that in the classes where special care needs to be taken all of the students are concerned for the well being of their friends, they are already proficient in hand washing, but are still having a good time in class. Mrs. Switzer also noted that the first joint activity between the two first grade classes will be next week. A request has been made that people refrain from bringing in any foods with peanuts on that day. It has gone very well to date. The students are adaptable and they are learning to be considerate of the needs of others. Enrichment has also made sure their programs are safe for all students.
Enrollment… The number is down from 215 to 213 as one family has moved from Kensington.
Field Trips… The 1st grade is seeking permission to travel to the Music Hall to see Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. They have read the book and would now like the opportunity to expose the children to live theater. The 3rd grade is seeking permission to travel to the Jordan’s IMAX Theater to see the movie Across the Sea of Time in conjunction with the end of the unit on immigration. Alice Mower made a motion to approve both requests, Dana Donovan seconded, all in favor.
Enrichment…The teachers will again be given an allotment to enrich their class curriculum. There has already been discussion about two speakers coming whose visits will be in conjunction with the cultural passport program. This year the students will travel to Jamaica and New Zealand. Mrs. Vallone hopes that Randy Armstrong could come back and this time help students write and perform their own program which would also be in conjunction with the cultural passport program. Mrs. Donovan inquired as to who decided how the money raised is spent. Mrs. Switzer said there is a core group of enrichment coordinators Julie Hall, Chris Vallone, Cheryl Camacho, Cindy Eaton, Chris VanScoy and herself. The money is offered to all of the staff and they decide among
themselves how they will apply it. The board expressed their appreciation for the offer of additional funds to KES.
Assistant Superintendent – Mr. Flynn reminded the board of upcoming meeting dates. Tuesday December 4th the joint chairs meeting will be at 5:00. The main focus will be to discuss the SAU budget. On Monday December 17th the joint board will meet followed by the public budget hearing. Mr. Flynn updated the board on the progress of the search for a new superintendent. The 12 member search committee has begun reviewing resumes. They hope to have first round interviews completed December 13th. They anticipate asking finalists back for second interviews by January 7th public forum. The hope is also to have the search narrowed down to two or three candidates who will tour the schools and then meet with parents and staff in separate forums. A feedback sheet will be provided so people may offer their thoughts for consideration. On or around January 28th the joint board will meet to conduct final interviews and make an offer to the final candidate in hope that he/she will begin July 1, 2008. Mr. Flynn also wanted to remind the board that the search so far has not yielded many applicants despite an aggressive (websites, national school publications, newspapers, and the American Association of School Administrators) ad campaign nationwide. .
Tuesday Mr. Flynn traveled to Newfields to participate in their 100th anniversary celebration. A portion of the original school building is 100 years old. Also celebrated on that special day were veterans honored and thanked for their service. Mr. Flynn noted that the youngster, who had been so ill early in the school year with EEE, has made a significant recovery and he was feeling well enough to attend the ceremony.
Mr. Flynn reported that after 21 years at the Main Street School as their principal, Mr. Ford is retiring at the end of this school year. He said that after so many years of service, the search to find a replacement will be a challenge.
CoOp – The board was presented with information regarding a three year comparison study regarding testing, mixed ability grouping. The data relayed that regardless of the grouping, the high achieving 8th grade students were on an equal plane in comparable districts and that the students will do well regardless of how they are grouped. The down side to that data was that lower achieving students who were in similar economic groups, did not perform as well as the peers groups observed.
EHS - The girls soccer team won a 2nd place title. The boys football team is scheduled to play a championship game this coming Saturday.
KES - The budget workshop will be Thursday November 29th 10:30 – 12:00 (noon). The preliminary insurance information and oil figures have not yet been received. A packet of information as well as the insurance will be available by the meeting. Alice Mower requested a copy of the school goals in advance of their workshop so they could view the figures ahead of time and so they would be familiar with the figures
Since the next meeting date is an interview day for the superintendent search committee, the KES board’s meeting has been changed to December 10th @10:30-noon. All dates for upcoming meetings should be confirmed by November 26th and will be based on how the superintendent’s search moves forward. The KES school board will meet January 9, 2008, public forum. The February meeting date has been changed to February 6, 2008, at this time the deliberative session will be held with a regular meeting to follow afterwards.
KES teacher, Elizabeth Mosher is due in February. She would like to remain on leave from February through the end of the school year. Interviews for a permanent substitute will be held.
Building and Grounds – The water has been monitored and the filtration system has maintained levels below what the state allows for arsenic levels. However, the system is in need of preventative maintenance.
Kitchen - Mrs. Donovan and Mr. Flynn met with a local contractor and he will prepare a plan. Although this is not a large project, it will involve a general contractor. Still in question is whether propane stoves are an option vs. electric. KES is designated as a shelter and the generator is shared with the fire station. It only generates limited power, not enough to run everything. Contacts from East Kingston and the Exeter food service director continue to be very helpful with suggestions. Mrs. Donovan is still waiting for a reply from the contractor.
Alice Mower made a motion to adjourn, Dana Donovan seconded, all in favor.
Meeting adjourned at 7:22pm.
Respectfully Submitted,
Susan M. Lalime
Kensington School Board Secretary