This week has been an especially busy week with some unexpected twists and turns along the way.
As everyone continues to settle in, I finished off my visits to all the schools and classrooms, welcoming back our staff and students. I always enjoy chatting with the students as the year begins. I asked how things were going and everyone was all smiles and I heard a few comments like "Great! Awesome! and Excellent!" coming from students in grades Kindergarten through 12!
The School Committee's Technology Advisory Committee met on Wednesday, September 5th to discuss the implementation of a survey of all teachers regarding how they use technology and how they would like to be able to use technology as a teaching tool in the future. Final touches will be made to the survey and it will be sent out soon so we can get their feedback.
Looking ahead to that future, some of our staff will be visiting school districts that have integrated a high level of technology successfully into their classrooms to see how they use it and what hurdles they have had to overcome to realize their vision along the way. We hope to use the information from the teacher survey and our visits to these districts to help us continue to plan for creating 21st century learning environments that harness the power of technology to enhance our curriculum and instruction.
The Playground Committee also met on Wednesday, September 5th to see a preliminary set of plans and concept drawings for Jessica's Boundless Playground. It was wonderful to see the excitement in the room as ideas were exchanged and a vision began to come together for our town for a playground that will allow full handicap accessibility for both children and adults with disabilities while being able to play and interact with others who are not disabled! Team Jessica - a fundraising group working with the Playground Committee - is gearing up for a fundraiser on September 16th: a motorcycle ride followed by a dinner at the Ludlow Elks Club.
On the unexpected side, the remnants of Hurricane Isaac hit with a vengeance on Wednesday morning, September 5th, just as our middle and high school students were coming to school. A lightning strike to a transformer knocked out power to the middle and high schools at approximately 7:30 am, so a lot of scrambling to address the situation happened very quickly. I am very proud of the work of our bus drivers who delivered the students safely despite the torrential rains, and of the administration and staff in both buildings who managed to get students moving into classes and continuing on with instruction while Gary Brougham, our Town Administrator, and I worked with National Grid to expedite the repairs. Power was restored shortly after 9:15 am and the day went on as usual.
Another unexpected turn of events in our town was precipitated with the discovery of a case of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) found in a horse stabled in town. The Department of Public Health (DPH) issued a "critical" warning for Belchertown and strongly recommends that we reschedule outdoor activities after dusk in order to reduce the risk of exposure until we get a hard frost. We are complying with this request for our athletic and after-school events. See our web site's main page for more information and to access documents from the DPH related to EEE.
One of DPH's recommendations is to use insect repellent with DEET. A trick suggested by our School Nurse Leader for those who might not be comfortable spraying directly on to themselves is to spray a bandana or neck scarf with the repellent and wear that to reduce risk of exposure. The breed of mosquito that spreads this disease is particularly resistant to insecticides and repellents, so caution is the word of the day.
The Board of Health and Board of Selectmen will be meeting together on Monday, September 10th to discuss next steps with regard to the critical alert issued by DPH. The School Committee will take this matter up as part of their agenda on Tuesday, September 11th. Click here to see the agenda for the School Committee.
Enjoy the weekend and stay safe! Dr. Houle
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