In the Holiday Spirit

Last week was a busy week as we concluded lots of activities before our holiday vacation break.

Students at all of our schools collected items for those less fortunate. Below is a photo of students from Chestnut Hill Community School with food items that were donated by the children. Our students are to be congratulated for their generous spirits!

On Thursday, December 19th, our first graders at SRE presented, "It's A Small World." This is the culmination of their study of the customs and cultures from across the globe. There were recitations, songs, and dances. Many of the children dressed in costume from the countries they represented. They did an outstanding job!

Students in costume, representing Sweden, share their country's holiday customs.

Children perform Nigun Atik, an Israeli dance.

On Friday, December 20th, BHS hosted our Senior Citizens for a concert and sing-a-long in the auditorium, followed by a brunch in the cafeteria. Musical selections were provided by the Women's and Mixed Choirs, the Percussion II Ensemble, and the Wind Ensemble. The food and beautiful cafeteria decorations were provided by the Student Council and National Art Honor Society students. The seniors thoroughly enjoyed both the music and the meal!

Seniors and students enjoy some time together over brunch.

Holiday Extravaganza! Concert Rescheduled

The BHS Holiday Extravaganza! concert was snowed out on December 17th and has been rescheduled to Friday, January 3, 2014 at 7:00 pm in the BHS auditorium. There are still tickets available for $5.00 per person and may be purchased at the door. We hope you will come and join us for an evening of holiday song!

Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent

Our second quarter Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent gatherings will take place on Thursday, January 9th, for parents/guardians of CSS, SRE, and CHCS at 6:30 pm in the CHCS Library (with thanks to the CHCS PTO for hosting). The gatherings for JBMS and BHS parents/guardians will take place on Thursday, January 16th, at 6:30 pm in the BHS Library. The topic of these gatherings will be school safety, with an opportunity for parents and guardians to learn about and give feedback to revisions to the district's Bullying Prevention and Intervention Policy and Plan, as well as our Emergency Operations Plan. So we can be adequately prepared for you, please call my office at 413.323.0423 or send an email to superintendent@belchertown.org to let us know if you plan to attend. 

Holiday Vacation

Our schools are closed for the December holiday vacation, Monday, December 23, 2013 through Wednesday, January 1, 2014. We will reopen on Thursday, January 2, 2014. On behalf of the Belchertown Public Schools, I would like to wish everyone a happy holiday season and we will see you all in the new year!

As always, if you have any questions or comments about this blog post, please call my office at 413.323.0423 or send an email to superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Congratulations to the Boys' Soccer Team and a Remembrance

Belchertown Boys' Soccer Team Recognized as Division III State Champions

On Tuesday, December 10th, I had the pleasure of recognizing our Boys' Soccer Team and their coaches for winning the State Division III championship at a School Committee meeting! Over the past few years, the team has won the Western Mass championship, but this was a year where they won at the state level - quite an accomplishment! In addition to their athletic abilities, they have worked hard academically, and they are to be congratulated for their respect of their opponents, win or lose, and their great sportsmanship. Varsity Coach, Tony Almeida, and JV Coach, Zach Siano, are also to be congratulated on their leadership and work with the team.

The Boys' Soccer Team and their coaches pose for a congratulatory photo at the
December 10th School Committee meeting.

Remembering the Victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School

At the December 10th School Committee meeting, a moment was taken to remember the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. I read a piece I had written and read at a vigil held the weekend after that shooting at the Belchertown United Church of Christ, excerpts of which I share here:

On Friday December 14th, the day at Sandy Hook Elementary School began just like the day began in our schools in Belchertown. Teachers and administrators, ready to begin the day with the potential of sharing opportunities for new learning, greeted their students, who arrived full of expectation for what they might learn, coupled with the excitement that the holiday season brings to young children. then the unthinkable happened. Someone who was suffering from an indescribably amount of internal anguish and spiritual pain took out his rage on the lives of twenty-six innocents as darkness pierced its way into a bright and sunny day. Those of us who are educators form a kinship that transcends our individual school houses. We feel the pain of those left behind to pick up the pieces and move on....

What happened during that rampage is something we can only imagine. Administrators and a school psychologist did what any of us would do - they put themselves in harm's way in an effort to protect their students from danger. Dawn Hocksprung, principal, did what any principal would do - giving her all for her children - along with Mary Sherlach, the school psychologist.

Teachers, trained in lock-down techniques as is our staff in Belchertown, sprang into action. Children were tucked away in corners, bathrooms, and closets while heinous acts of killing were carried out upon 20 children - Charlotte, Daniel, Olivia, Josephine, Ana, Dylan, Madeline, Catherine, Chase, Jesse, James, Grace, Emilie, Jack, Noah, Caroline, Jessica, Avielle, Benjamin, Allison - and 6 adults - Dawn, Rachel, Ann Marie, Lauren, Mary, Victoria - who were the first to encounter the shooter without sufficient time to protect themselves and their students. Those who survived as well as those who lost their lives that day are heroes.

We ask how - we ask why. These are questions that will never be sufficiently answered. Was there enough security? What could be done differently? As we try to make sense of this tragedy, we realize there is no sense to be made. As Governor Daniel Malloy stated, evil came to visit that town that day. We wonder, could this happen in our small New England community? However, mental illness is on the rise in our society, fueled by the stresses of fractured families, economic decline, exposure to graphic violence on a daily basis, and a step away from a spiritual connection. Mental illness is a disease we don't like to talk about as a nation, but it is an issue that we all must confront if we are to put an end to acts of senseless violence, such as this. The holidays are supposed to be a time of joy, but they also bring undue stress on those who are already at risk.

Our response as a school district is to become more vigilant, more aware of our surroundings. We are working with the Belchertown Police Department and our staff to do everything humanly possible to ensure the safety of our staff and students. We are trained to recognize warning signs in our students, staff, and other adults...However, we cannot, by ourselves, be the eyes and ears of every person in our community. This tragedy and others like it, serves as a wake-up call to communities across our country. We need to get back to knowing our neighbors and community members and be willing to speak up and take action when someone seems to be in distress. Robbie Parker, father of six-year-old Emilie Parker who lost her life that day, said it best, "Let this inspire us to be better, more compassionate, and caring toward other people." No school district, including ours, can do this alone. We need you, the community, to notice the hurting among us and to be proactive in reaching out to them. We readily share our lives on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, but what is required of us as a society is to reach out to one another face-to-face. No computer or smart phone can replace the power of human interaction: a smile, a nod to acknowledge someone who is experiencing spiritual pain, a gentle touch, a hug.

Life is precious - may we all be reminded...of what's really important - family, friends, and caring for one another. Thank you.

Unfortunately, almost a year to the day of this tragedy, another tragedy unfolded in a Colorado High School. Another reminder that we must be vigilant and aware of those who are struggling and not stand by, but stand up and seek out assistance. Our district is working to partner with other service and mental health organizations to meet the needs of struggling students and their families in our town. A School Safety Task Force has also been brought together, working over the past few months on an Emergency Operations Plan to address safety issues on a variety of fronts. The Healthy and Safer Schools Committee is also revising the district's bullying prevention and intervention plan. Both plans are due to be presented to the School Committee in February.

Parents and guardians are invited to join me for the second quarter Coffee & Conversation with the Superintendent gatherings to discuss both of these plans. A gathering for parents and guardians of students at CSS, SRE, and CHCS will be held in the CHCS Library on January 9th at 6:30 pm. A session for parents and guardians at JBMS and BHS will be held on January 16th at 6:30 pm in the BHS library. Please call my office at 413.323.0423 or email superintendent@belchertown.org by January 3rd to let us know if you plan to attend so we can be adequately prepared.

Our last day of school in December will be on Friday, December 20th. The holiday recess begins on Monday, December 23rd and lasts through January 1st. School will reopen on January 2nd. I wish everyone happy holidays as you gather with friends and family to celebrate the season.

As always, if you have any questions about this blog post, please feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or email superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Giving Back This Holiday Season

Our students are focusing on giving back this holiday season. Our CSS students will be bringing in non-perishable food items for distribution to local pantries. First grade students at SRE are donating hats, scarves, and mittens for children in need. At CHCS, the students are bringing in non-perishable food items and socks for distribution. The running club at JBMS ran in the Hot Chocolate run in Northampton on Sunday, December 8th, for Safe Passage and to raise awareness about domestic violence. BHS students are encouraged to donate $1.00 at lunch to help those who are in need. These activities represent one of the basic tenets of our PeaceBuilders program, which is to build peace at home, at school, and in the community.

I am also pleased to announce that my superintendent colleagues across the valley have also stepped to the plate to join in. The Connecticut Valley Superintendents' Roundtable met on Friday, December 6th. I am serving as the Roundtable president this year. The group was treated to some performances by the BHS music department: a saxophone quartet and the Women's Choir. The students did a fantastic job! Thanks go to Ms. Boysen and Ms. Comstock for coordinating and preparing their musicians. This is one of two traditions the group has. The second is to collect toys and non-perishable food items or to give a cash donation to families in need in the president's school district. I will be distributing food items and $195.00 in donations to Belchertown CAN and the toys will be distributed to families in need in Belchertown.

Owl Release Photos

As I mentioned in last week's blog post, Jean Brunelle, JBMS Science Teacher, released an owl that had been sprayed by a skunk she rescued this summer. After going through some rehab, the owl was ready to be released at Lake Wallace. As promised, pictures are posted here.

Jean Brunelle describes how she came to the aid of the owl in the carrier prior to its release.

The owl takes flight! Photo courtesy of Aimee Henderson, Belchertown Sentinel.

Holiday Extravaganza!

The BHS music department will cap off this season's musical performances with the Holiday Extravaganza! Concert on Tuesday, December 17th at 7:00 pm in the BHS auditorium. Come join us for some holiday cheer and be sure to bring your singing voices for the "Super Sing-a-Long"! Tickets are $5.00 each. Call the school at 323.9419 to reserve your seats as this concert tends to sell out!

As always, if you have any questions or comments about this blog post, please call me at 413.323.0423 or send an email to: superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Where did November go?

Wow! Between parent-teacher conferences, Veterans Day, and Thanksgiving, November flew by in a flash! December is upon us and many activities are in full swing in our schools.

Concert season began on November 21st with the BHS Music Department fall concert. The students, under the direction of Lyndsay Boysen and Susan Comstock, did a fabulous job as always! Our middle schoolers will be performing on Thursday, December 5th, at 7:00 pm in Veterans' Memorial Auditorium at BHS. Topping off the concerts of this season will be the Holiday Extravaganza concert, performed by the BHS music department on December 17th at 7:00 pm. There is a $5.00 admission charge to this one, so be sure to contact the school for tickets. This one usually sells out!

If you really want to get into the holiday spirit, the BHS Drama Department is performing King Wencelas on Friday, December 13th, at 7:30 pm and Saturday, December 14th, at 3:30 pm. This production will feature the Belchertown Youth Singers, a group of almost 50-strong elementary students who work with Ms. Comstock during the evening hours to sing and be a part of this play!

There are a host of other events going on in our schools this month. Check the district calendar for more information on the when and where!

Owl Release

Jean Brunelle, a seventh grade science teacher at JBMS, was contacted by construction workers at the new Easthampton Savings Bank this summer to retrieve an injured Great Horned Owl. After taking it to be rehabbed, she brought it to Lake Wallace on the old State School property to release it back to the wild today. More information and photos will appear on my next blog - stay tuned!

As always, if you have any questions or comments about this blog post, call me at 413.323.0423 or send an email to: superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Celebrations and a Remembrance

Celebrating Excellence

At the Tuesday, November 12th, School Committee meeting, we took time to recognize Joseph Brozek, of the Class of 2015, for his participation in the All-National Concert Band at the National Association for Music Education Conference in October. The conference was held in Memphis, TN. This is a first for Belchertown! In order to be accepted in All-National ensembles, students audition and are judged against their peers from across the country. Joe was one of nine participants in the concert band from Massachusetts. We are proud to recognize Joe for his musical excellence!

Joseph Brozek, second from right, surrounded by his parents, Margaret and Paul Brozek,
holding his Certificate of Excellence. Congratulations!

Sports Honors this Weekend

Congratulations to the Girls' Volleyball Team for being recognized by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) with Sportsmanship Award at the state finals this past weekend! The MIAA recognized them for their hosting of a Spike It for Life event for the second year in a row. These events help raise money for cancer research and support for patients. A job well done, Lady Orioles!

Congratulations also go to our Boys' Varsity Soccer Team, who won the Division III championship in overtime against Medway on Saturday! Read all the details from masslive.com's website. All of our fall athletic teams had a great season and we are proud of all of them!

In Memoriam

Belchertown High School lost a member of the Class of 2014 on November 10th. Nathan Curran died of injuries sustained in an automobile accident in Granby on November 9th. Nate came to BHS from New Hampshire as a freshman and was a quiet, gentle young man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, the students who were his friends, and staff who knew Nate as a student. I attended Nate's funeral, along with Mrs. Vigneux, BHS principal, several staff members, and a large group of students. Our students did our school district proud with the respect they showed to Nate's family. I want to thank Mrs. Vigneux, her staff, and the students who welcomed Nate with open arms and supported him during his time with us. He will be missed, but their kindness will live on as a legacy to Nate.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or send an email to superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Appreciating Veterans

Veterans Day Observances

Belchertown High School held its annual Veterans Day observance on Friday, November 8th, in Veterans' Memorial Auditorium. As always, Mrs. Vigneux, BHS Principal did a fabulous job with the Student Council organizing this observance with the entire student body and staff. Larry DiCara, among Boston's most recognized attorneys and civic leaders, was the keynote speaker. Mr. DiCara is involved with Boys and Girls State, which several of our students participate in, thus the invitation to speak. Musical selections were provided by the Concert Choir and Wind Ensemble. Our own Dean of Students and Athletic Director, Douglas Daponde, a U.S. Air Force Master Sargent, posted and retired the colors. The most touching moment was when the entire student body stood in absolute silence while Joe Brozek and Joe Auclair played taps in memorty of those who gave of their lives in service to our country.

MSGT Daponde in uniform

On Monday, November 11th, I attended and participated in the town's Veterans Day observance in Veterans' Memorial Auditorium at BHS. Veterans from all branches of the military were present and played a role in the ceremony. Music was provided by the CHCS 6th grade band and chorus. The keynote speaker was MSCT, William Lafever, Retired, US Army. 

MSGT William Lafever addressed attendees at the Belchertown Veterans Day Observance

I was pleased to be invited to say a few words to recognize our Veterans, which I share with you here:

Good morning. On behalf of the Belchertown Public Schools, I welcome all of you who have served or are currently serving our country in the armed forces and I thank you for your dedicated service. We owe you and your families a debt of gratitude that can never be repaid.

Over the course of history, America has had mixed reactions to those who served their country. Some veterans, such as those who returned from combat in World War II, came home to a hero’s welcome. Others, like my oldest brother who served in the United States Army in Vietnam, found themselves returning from politically unpopular conflicts, coming home to a country divided and to the disdain of those who did not agree with our involvement in them.

Three years ago, my mother pulled out a box of letters from my brother. He wrote home almost daily while in Vietnam and she saved every one of them. She wanted to give them back to him, but her failing health kept her from being able to organize them, so I took on this task. As I opened every envelope to put them into notebooks in chronological order, I took the time to read each letter. In doing so, a flood of memories came back to me of my freshman year in high school and the sacrifices we made as a family – the constant worry that my parents carried until he came home safely, the holidays and birthdays missed, the void we felt without him there, and the pain of separation he felt while away from us. The lesson for all of us is that, despite our political views, the service and sacrifice of our warriors, no matter where and when, are still to be honored.

Today, we honor those who have served, those who have died, and those who continue to serve our country and their families who have given so much on our behalf. It is right and fitting that we do so in this place, named to honor those from our town who have served its citizens with brave dignity. Abraham Lincoln spoke these words almost 150 years ago on the battlefield at Gettysburg, and they are still true today:  

It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

The sacrifices of many have given us what we often take for granted; the ability to speak freely, to worship freely, to participate in a democracy that thrives on our ability to vote according to the dictates of our conscience, and to enjoy liberties that many others across the globe cannot. Our highest gratitude for the service of those gathered here and so many others is to not allow their sacrifice to be in vain, but to cherish the gifts we have been given as a result and to use these freedoms wisely. Thank you to all our veterans and active duty military personnel for your service and ensuring that we continue to enjoy these freedoms on which our country was built.

As always, if you have any questions or comments about this blog post, please feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or send an email to: superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Final Coffee and Conversation Session and Upcoming Veterans Day Observances

The last of our fall series of Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent gatherings will take place on Tuesday, November 5th, at 6:00 pm in Cold Spring School. We will continue our conversations about our new curriculum, new math series, and assessments - particularly the DIBELS and the Work Sampling System that are being implemented at the Kindergarten level. We hope that you will join in the conversation. The four previous sessions have resulted in good dialogue about curriculum, technology, and assessment. We will also offer a time for parents and guardians to raise any other questions and concerns they may have in general. Mr. Cameron, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, and Mrs. Bremer, Cold Spring School Principal, will be joining me. If you are able to attend, please call my office at 413.323.0423 or send an email to superintendent@belchertown.org so we will be sure to have enough refreshments and handouts for you.

Veterans Day Observances

On Friday, November 8th at 8:45 am, the BHS community will gather together to observe Veterans Day. Mrs. Vigneux, BHS principal, always coordinates a wonderful event with a guest speaker, music by the band and choir, and a time to observe, with staff and students, the service and sacrifice of our veterans and active duty personnel.

On Monday, November 11th at 11:00 am, there will be a town-wide observance of Veterans Day in the BHS auditorium. Our CHCS grade 6 band and chorus will present musical selections as part of this observance. This event is open to our entire community. This is also a reminder that our schools will be closed on Monday, November 11th, in observance of this day. 

Please be sure to take the time to thank both veterans and active duty military personnel for their service as you encounter them in your travels over the next couple of weeks. We are blessed to enjoy the freedoms that we have as Americans because of their and their families' sacrifice. As the sister of a Vietnam Veteran, I know first-hand what this sacrifice entails.

As always, if you have any questions or comments about this blog, feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or send an email to superintendent@belchertown.org. Congratulations to the Belchertown Orioles Boys' and Girls' Soccer teams on a successful season and best of luck in your quarterfinal games on Monday and Tuesday!

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Recognizing Excellence!

One of the great privileges I have as a superintendent is to recognize students for outstanding achievement. Over the past couple of weeks, I have had two opportunities to do just that with students at BHS.

Tri-M Induction

On Wednesday, October 16, 2013, an induction ceremony for new Tri-M (Modern Music Masters) inductees was held in Veterans' Memorial Auditorium at BHS. Sixteen students were selected and inducted into this society, which recognizes students with musical and academic excellence. In addition to the 16 students who were inducted into this honor society, Mr. Joshua Guerrez, General and Vocal Music Teacher at CHCS, was inducted as an honorary member. Following the induction ceremony, the audience was treated to a recital by the newly inducted members. They all did a fabulous job playing and singing!

New inductees join current members of Tri-M following their induction ceremony.

Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents Excellence Award

At the October 22nd School Committee meeting, I had the pleasure of presenting the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (M.A.S.S.) Excellence Award to Claire Nauman, a member of the Class of 2014. These awards are given to high school students who have distinguished themselves in the pursuit of excellence during their high school careers. The recommended criteria are: three (3) year cumulative average, rank in class, and personal selection by the Superintendent. M.A.S.S. gives the Superintendent leeway among the top 5% for his/her personal selection. Claire was nominated by Ms. Christine Vigneux, BHS Principal, to receive this award.

This is a very prestigious award given only to a select number of graduating seniors in the Commonwealth. Claire meets all the criteria established by M.A.S.S. and has contributed much to her school community academically, athletically, and through the performing arts and other extra-curricular activities. It is a pleasure to recognize Claire for her outstanding achievements.

Claire Nauman, left, receives the M.A.S.S. Academic Excellence Award

Update on Coffee & Conversation with the Superintendent

Four of the five Coffee & Conversation with the Superintendent gatherings have been held for the first quarter of the year. Four parents/guardians joined us at CHCS, 3 at JBMS, 5 at SRE, and 17 at BHS. I would like to thank all of you who took the time to join us and talk about our curriculum initiatives and assessments that are being used to help us better understand how to help our students achieve at high levels. The conversations have been rich. I would also like to thank Mr. Brian Cameron, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, and the principals who joined me in the dialogue. The last session for this quarter will be held at CSS on Tuesday, November 5th at 6:00 pm. If you haven't had a chance to join a gathering at one of the other schools, please plan to join Mr. Cameron, Ms. Bremer, and me next week. Please call my office at 323.0423 or email superintendent@belchertown.org to RSVP. This will help us plan for enough refreshments and handouts for you.

As always, if you have any questions or comments about this blog, please call the number above or use the email link to contact me. 

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Coffee and Conversation Dates Set and Celebrating Seniors!

Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent Dates Set

I would like to thank the 147 parents/guardians of our students for participating in the survey about our Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent gatherings. The topics of our fall quarter gatherings, based on your responses, will be our new curriculum - mathematics in particular - and information about the PARCC assessment pilot some of our students will be taking next spring. You are encouraged to the session at your child's school, however, if you have a scheduling conflict and wish to attend a different session at another school, you are welcome to do so. You are also welcome to raise any other concerns and questions you may have about our schools. 

All gatherings will take place from 6:00-7:30 pm. The fall quarter meetings will be held on the following dates:

• October 17th, Chestnut Hill Community School
• October 21st - Jabish Brook Middle School
• October 23rd - Belchertown High School
• October 24th - Swift River Elementary School
• November 5th - Cold Spring School.

Please RSVP by calling the Superintendent's Office at 413.323.0423 or emailing superintendent@belchertown.org so we are sure to have enough refreshments and handouts available for you. We look forward to having you join us for these gatherings!

John and Abigail Adams Scholars Recognized

Ms. Vigneux, Belchertown High School Principal, and I recognized 65 seniors who were named as John and Abigail Adams Scholars. This prestigious award gives students who scored in the advanced level in either English Language Arts or Mathematics and Proficient or higher in all other aspects of the MCAS test free tuition at any state college or university in the Commonwealth. If a student does not elect to attend one of these post-secondary institutions, it is still a great accomplishment that can be listed on college applications. Congratulations!

John and Abigail Adams Scholars

Spirit Week at BHS

This past week was spirit week at BHS. The week was full of celebration for our students, designed to build community. Our seniors posed for their annual photo on the stadium field, all decked out in their black and orange Oriole colors!

Seniors pose for their Class of 2014 photo

Spirit week at BHS has come to an end, but JBMS will start their spirit week on Tuesday, October 15th. The week will culminate in the first dance of the year on Friday, October 18th! The students are looking forward to building community throughout the week.

As always, if you have any questions about this blog post, please feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or email me at superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Common Core State Standards and Belchertown Curriculum and Adams Scholarship presentations

Last week's post was about the new PARCC assessments and the pilot that our students will participate in. The Massachusetts State Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the adoption of these assessments in October as the potential replacement to the current MCAS system in the next few years. As I mentioned in that post, they are designed to measure student learning on the Common Core State Standards.

What are the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and why the change from our former state standards?

The Common Core State Standards are a set of common curriculum standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics. Forty-five of the fifty states in the country, including Massachusetts, have adopted them as the basis for their state curriculum frameworks. They were developed to ensure that we are sufficiently preparing our students for college and career in the context of skills that are necessary for success in the twenty-first century. The Common Core State Standards web site describes the history of their development that was led by the National Governors Association for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Joining in the development were teachers, school administrators, post-secondary educators, parents, and experts. The standards:

• are aligned with college and work expectations;
• are clear, understandable and consistent;
• include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills;
• build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards;
• are informed by other top performing countries, so that all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society; and
• are evidence-based.

One of the big changes from our former state standards is the clearer set of expectations by grade level versus a cluster of grades that teachers would then have to figure out how to sequence themselves. This clearer set of expectations has fueled our own curriculum development in Belchertown. Our English Language Arts and Mathematics curriculum guides have been fully aligned with the new Common Core. For more information on the Common Core State Standards, click here.

What are our next steps in Belchertown?

Our next steps are to ensure that all our educators become fully familiar with the standards and expectations for student learning and to translate that into content delivery with proven instructional strategies to ensure that our students achieve the highest levels of achievement possible in our classrooms.

New curriculum and news on our assessments, including the PARCC pilot, will be topics of conversation at our first Coffee and Conversation sessions with the Superintendent, scheduled for the next few upcoming weeks. More details to come on these in the next few days.

John and Abigail Adams Scholarships

I am pleased to announce that 65 members of the Class of 2014 are eligible for John and Abigail Adams Scholarships as a result of their performance on the MCAS! Ms. Vigneux, BHS Principal, and I will be presenting the award letters to the recipients on October 10th at BHS. I will post a photo from the event on my next blog post - stay tuned!

As always, if you have any questions about this post, please feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or email me at superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers

Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)

Some of you reading this blog may have seen the story on CBS 3 Springfield regarding the PARCC pilot in Belchertown (click here to read the story and see the video). PARCC stands for Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, a consortium of several states working to establish an assessment system designed to help us determine how well our students are prepared for the twenty-first century challenges in college and the workplace. You can read more about PARCC and look at some sample test items at: http://www.parcconline.org/.

Purpose of the PARCC

If all goes as expected at the October State Board of Education meeting, PARCC will be chosen to eventually replace our current state assessment system, the MCAS. In order to prepare for its implementation, pilot assessments will be given to selected students in many districts across Massachusetts this spring. These assessments will take place in two windows of time: mid-March to mid-April, and early-May to early-June. There will be two types of assessments. The first type, given during the earlier window, is a performance-based assessment (PBA). These assessments are designed to assess students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills. The second type, given during the later window, are end-of-the-year assessments (EOY). These are designed to assess students' content knowledge and skills after a year of instruction.

PARCC Pilot

This year's PARCC assessment will be administered to a small number of students, about 15% of the total population state-wide. This will give us information about the nature of the assessments, what it will take to administer them, and what issues might need to be ironed out in the process. Because this is a pilot, there will only be limited results reported and none of these results will be used to rate schools or educators. We recently received information from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) indicating which grades will be tested, how many classrooms will be randomly selected, and how many sessions each. The grades and assessments that will be given in Belchertown are as follows:

School Name	Grade/Course	Subject Area	Number of Classes	Mode of Admin.	Component	Number of Sessions1
Chestnut Hill Community School	4	Mathematics	2	Paper	EOY	2
Swift River Elementary	3	ELA	2	Paper	EOY	2
Jabish Middle School	7	ELA	2	Online	PBA	3
Jabish Middle School	8	ELA	2	Online	PBA & EOY	5
Belchertown High	Algebra I	Mathematics	2	Online	PBA	2

Why the upcoming switch?

The PARCC is designed to measure new national standards in English Language Arts and Math, known as the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Massachusetts is one of 45 states to have aligned its state curriculum frameworks to the CCSS. Teachers in Belchertown worked together to write curriculum in these two areas that align with the new standards. There's a lot to this topic, so check this blog next week with more on the CCSS.

As more information about PARCC and the pilot becomes available, we will be sure to update you via this blog. Be on the lookout in the next couple of weeks via this blog and our district web site, www.belchertownps.org, for information about an opportunity to discuss both the PARCC and the CCSS during our first quarter Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent gatherings in each of our schools.

As always, if you have any questions about this blog post, please feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or email me at superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Pinwheels for Peace on Display!

Every student in the district made a pinwheel as a kick-off to this year's PeaceBuilders program and as a participant in the Pinwheels for Peace project (see my September 7th post for details). On Friday, September 20th, a crew of students and adults from Swift River Elementary School, Chestnut Hill Community School, Jabish Brook Middle School, and Belchertown High School gathered in front of the tennis courts on State Street to place the 2,500 pinwheels in the ground as an art installation in celebration of World Peace Day.

Students putting up the pinwheels.

Ms. Kenneally, the art teacher at SRE, laid out a peace symbol pattern that the children followed, then the BHS students took her lead and made a second one! The rest were lined up from the driveway leading from CHCS down to the Belchertown Day School. It was an impressive sight!

Pinwheels lined up on State Street.

As we worked together, traffic slowed, some honked their horns, others gave a wave! It was great to see the excitement in the faces of the passersby at our massive gathering of pinwheels. The pinwheels were out for people to see as they made their way to the Belchertown Fair over the weekend. We hope you got a chance to see them!

An up-close view of some of the creations!

The installation crew poses for a picture after their work was done.

I would like to thank Mr. Brian Cameron, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, for coordinating the project and all those adults who helped students create pinwheels and install them. Your efforts are much appreciated! As always, if you have any questions or comments about this post, feel free to contact me by phone: 413.323.0423 or email: superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Friend of Education Award and Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent

Country Bank for Savings receives Belchertown Public Schools' Friend of Education Award

The Belchertown School Committee recognized Country Bank for Savings at their September 10, 2013 meeting with the 2013-2014 Friend of Education Award. Paul Scully, President and CEO, and Shelley Regin, First Vice President and Director of Marketing & Public Relations were on hand to receive the award. The award was given in recognition of their 10+ years of funding for the Jabish Brook After School Program. During this period of time, they donated over $175,000 to provide enrichment and academic support activities, keeping students engaged in positive ways beyond the end of the school day.

In addition to their support of the after-school program at JBMS, they provide financial literacy education to our elementary students through their banking program. Mr. Scully and Country Bank have also been major corporate sponsors of the Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award program, along with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. Many teachers in the Belchertown Public Schools have been recognized through this program over the years.

This award presentation allowed the School Committee to formally recognize Country Bank's support for education in Belchertown and beyond and for that, we are truly grateful.

Paul Scully, center, and Shelley Regin, left, receive the BPS Friend of Education Award.

Paul Scully shares smiles with JBMS after-school program coordinators, Sarah Becker (L) and Sheila Mulvaney (R).

Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent

Parents and guardians of all our students are cordially invited to share in a "Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent" gathering once per quarter at each of our schools. The principals of each school, along with other district-level administrators will be joining in for what we hope will be an exchange of ideas regarding the many activities in our district. In order to best prepare for these sessions, we have put together a quick survey. It will only take a few moments to complete the survey. Please be sure to complete the survey by September 23rd. Click here to go to the survey site.

If you have any questions or comments about this blog post, please feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or send an email to superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Rembering 9/11

I'm sure that most of us can remember vividly where we were and what we were doing twelve years ago on this day, as a tragedy of unspeakable magnitude fell upon our nation at the hands of those who would do us harm. Belchertown High School marked this event this morning. Principal Christine Vigneux's remarks were eloquently spoken and so, with her permission, I share them here:

Good morning. Today we at BHS remember, as we have every year, the events of September 11, 2001 as they unfolded in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania. We remember with grief and sadness the lives lost and changed forever. We remember with pride, gratitude, and admiration those who acted so selflessly on behalf of others, in many cases, perfect strangers. We remember the difficult days immediately thereafter made a bit easier by the outpouring of patriotism and generosity that swept across our country. And, sadly, we also remember that 9/11/2001 was neither the first tragic day for our republic, nor the last. Whether it is the lives lost at the attacks on Pearl Harbor, or the Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City, or the bombings at this past April's Boston Marathon, there will always be those who seek to undo the American way of life. And sometimes we may wonder what we can do in the face of such evil. Today, I suggest we consider this: let us carry on in doing what we do...teaching, learning, thinking, living, and loving...continuing to do all the everyday things that so many heroes of 9/11 did: got up, went to work, lived their lives. After all, this day is about them...not us. As President Lincoln said at Gettysburg: "We cannot dedicate...we cannot consecrate...we cannot hallow this ground. The brave [men], living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember, what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced."

So let us remember the heroes of 9/11 by pausing to reflect and then carrying on the daily routines of life to which they were so committed. That indeed may be the highest tribute any of us can pay to them. With that, I ask that we now all observe a moment of silence to remember all those who lost their lives or loved ones 12 years ago today. Thank you for your attention this morning.

Thank you, Mrs. Vigneux, for taking the time to observe this moment and for your inspiration that we all attend to the hope of the future - our children - in honor of those who lost so much that day. As I look into their faces when I am in our schools, I am always full of hope for the promise of the future that is in their hands and ours, who work to keep that hope alive.

If you meet an emergency responder or military service person/veteran today - please be sure to thank him or her for the work they do every day to ensure our town, state, and nation remain safe and free from those who would choose to bind us in the tyranny of fear. This is a day of sadness for them as they, too, remember the lives of colleagues lost on this day twelve years ago.

As always, if you have any questions or comments about this blog, feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or email me: superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Pinwheels for Peace Project

As we launch into year 3 of our PeaceBuilders program, September's kick-off activity in all of our schools is to participate in the "Pinwheels for Peace Project." Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two Art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, who teach at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, Florida, as a way for their students to express their feelings about what's going on in the world and in their lives. The project was quickly embraced by their students and the entire school community and by millions of art teachers, teachers, parents, children and adults who desire peace in our world. The project is timed to coincide with World Peace Day, which is September 21st of each year, with the theme "Imagine Whirled Peace."

In our schools, all students will create pinwheels and encouraged to decorate them with messages related to the PeaceBuilders guiding principles: to praise people, to give up put-downs, to seek wise people, to notice and speak up about hurts I have caused, to right wrongs, and to help others. These messages are part of the broader theme of PeaceBuilders to build peace at home, at school, and in the community.

Since World Peace Day 2013 coincides with the Belchertown Fair, the pinwheels will be collected and installed along State Street and near the fair as a welcoming message to visitors!

As always, if you have any questions or comments about this blog post, please feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or email me at superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Week One - a Success!

Our first week of school was a successful one! It began on Monday with a professional development day for teachers and paraprofessionals. A variety of activities were held to equip them for the new school year.

On Tuesday, we held our opening day convocation for all staff at Belchertown High School. We welcomed 18 new staff members, celebrated with 9 teachers who achieved Professional Teacher Status, and honored staff who have achieved longevity milestones: 9 employees with 10 years of service, 10 employees with 15 years of service, 12 employees with 20 years of service, 9 employees with 25 years of service, 3 employees with 30 years of service, and 2 employees with 35 years of service. The longevity of our staff is a tribute to the fact that the Belchertown Public Schools are a great place to work and learn! The theme of our opening day was "Know Thy Impact," which comes from a book our Leadership Team began studying this summer, Visible Learning for Teachers, by John Hattie. This book presents research on instructional practices and their impact on student learning. We discovered that the #1 impact on learning is students' own expectations of themselves. Our job as educators is to make learning visible to students by making our intentions clear, setting challenging expectations, and instilling confidence in students to achieve those expectations. Students make their learning visible to us when they achieve success in meeting those expectations, even if they have to work through errors to get there.

On Wednesday, the children arrived! Although our summer was jam-packed, it was great to see our schools full of students again. When I arrived at BHS for a check-in on how the day was going, Mrs. Vigneux, the principal, was meeting with the seniors. At the end of their session, they posed for a picture in their class t-shirts.

The Class of 2014 poses for their first official group "seniors" picture!

New administrators on board

We have hired two new administrators as part of our Leadership Team this year. Mr. Douglas Daponde joined the BHS staff as the new Dean of Students & Athletic Director. Mr. Daponde is a former high school teacher, coach, and assistant principal and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience, which also includes military service, to our district. His first week was this past week and we are pleased to have him with us. Please be sure to stop and say hello if you should meet him in the hallways, on the field, or on the court.

Swift River Elementary School will welcome a new assistant principal next week, Ms. Eileen Farrington. Ms. Farrington comes to us from the Holyoke Public Schools and has a wealth of experience as a teacher, Education Team Leader, and teacher mentor. Ms. Farrington's experience is at the elementary level and we are looking forward to her sharing her knowledge and expertise with us. Take a moment to stop by SRE next week and extend a welcome to Ms. Farrington.

Adjustments to morning bus times

The first week of school always brings some adjustments to the run times of our buses, as we see how everything works with students on board. The following buses will be starting 5 minutes earlier, beginning on Tuesday, September 3rd: buses 1, 2, 14, 16, and 19. Bus 9 will start 5 minutes later, beginning Tuesday, September 3rd. These adjustments will ensure that our students will be on time for the start of their day. Thank you for your cooperation with First Student, our bus contractor.

New web site

Our web server crashed last weekend, causing our IT department to try and get a web site up and running from a backup copy - spending much of the weekend getting the job done. In the interim, they have put together a new web site on a new server, which just went live late today. Please take a moment to check it out at www.belchertownps.org. If you have any comments or suggestions, click on the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of the main page and you will find a link to the webmaster's email on the page of contacts at the bottom.

As always, if you have any questions or comments about this blog, please feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or email me: superintendent@belchertown.org.

Enjoy the long weekend! Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Another year is upon us!

The current flurry of activity in our schools these days is clear evidence that summer is on the wane and a new school year is upon us! I often get asked what we do during the summer in schools. Here's a brief summary of what we've been up to over the past two months.

We welcomed Paula Fitzgerald as our new principal at Chestnut Hill Community on July 1, 2013. Ms. Fitzgerald comes to us with a wealth of experience from both the Holyoke and Monson Public Schools and we are looking forward to what she brings to our district. New staff members have also been hired at each of our schools and we are looking forward to their becoming part of our Belchertown Public Schools family. A new teacher orientation session is scheduled for them on Friday, August 23rd.

There is a lot of activity in our school buildings as well in order to enhance the learning environment for our students. Our custodial staff has been working hard to make sure that all our buildings are in shape for the school year. It's always exciting to see that beginning of the year shine! Teachers, administrators, and other staff members have been working to prepare classrooms and other learning spaces for the students who will enter them next week.

We are also upgrading our security systems to ensure that our staff and students are as safe as possible. In addition to the building upgrades, a School Safety Task Force was established this summer with a variety of stakeholders to update our Emergency Operations Response Plan to reflect best practices in the prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery to a variety of potential emergency situations. We hope to have a draft of the new plan to the School Committee for approval in January, 2014.

Our technology staff has been hard at work upgrading systems and bringing in new equipment that teachers can use to enhance instruction across the district. Of particular note, the CHCS library has received a major upgrade, providing the means to facilitate the infusion of technology into the library as an information literacy hub for the school.

On the academic side, the School Committee approved the purchase of new K-8 mathematics texts last spring that will help us more effectively deliver the recently revised curriculum in this area. The new texts have arrived and teachers will receive their initial training on these materials during a professional development day on Monday, August 26th. New curriculum documents in the areas of visual arts, music, history and social sciences, and physical education have been approved and teachers will be using these to shape their daily lessons this year.

The Jessica's Boundless Playground Committee has also been hard at work this summer, along with Team Jessica, to come closer to the realization of a fully accessible playground for our community on the grounds next to Chestnut Hill Community School. Please plan to join us at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, August 21st, as a sign will be unveiled to mark the site of the new playground!

On Wednesday, August 28th, we will welcome back the students as we begin anew for the 2013-2014 school year! We look forward to the opportunities the new year will bring to us.

By the way - be on the lookout for our first PeaceBuilders project of the year - Pinwheels for Peace! More details will be coming shortly.

As always, if you have any questions or comments about this blog post, please feel free to contact me at 413.323.0423 or by email at superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools 

Farewell to the 2012-2013 School Year

The end of the 2012-2013 school year has arrived. The last day for the children is Monday, June 24th, which is a half day for the students. It seems like this year flew by! We've accomplished a lot. Our teachers worked hard to complete curriculum writing projects under the direction of Mr. Brian Cameron, our Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning. All content areas, except for 2, now have standards-based, School Committee approved, coordinated K-12 curriculum guides that provide the framework for classroom instruction. The Physical Education curriculum is due to come before the School Committee at their July meeting. The last content area that needs work is science. We are waiting to see how the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will respond to the Next Generation Science Standards, which is a multi-state effort, recently completed, to strengthen science education across the United States.

Our Office of Information Technology has worked tirelessly to upgrade classroom technology across the district. A proliferation of digital projectors, laptops, document cameras, and the like have filtered into classrooms in every school. All of our schools now have wireless access, enabling staff and students to make use of the rich resources of the Internet to implement our curriculum.

We are also working on measures to enhance our security systems, making our schools as safe as possible for our students and staff. A School Safety Task Force will be convening this summer that will involve administration, law enforcement and emergency responders, and others in working together to ensure that our schools are safe places for students to learn and staff to work.

This past week has been a week of good-byes and looking forward to the future. Our students who will be transitioning from one building to the next engaged in a step-up day to visit their new schools. The culminating event of the week was the eighth grade celebration, held on Friday, June 21st, at Belchertown High School. Each eighth grader was recognized with a certificate of achievement for having completed their middle school studies, followed by their Aloha! Dance in the BHS cafeteria, an opportunity to say good-bye to JBMS and hello to BHS. There will be an orientation evening on August 20th for incoming freshmen and new students to BHS. More details will be forthcoming soon.

SRE Day

The students at Swift River Elementary School celebrated the end of the school year at SRE Day on Thursday, June 20th. The day was organized around a variety of cooperative games and activities with a PeaceBuilders theme. Thanks go to Mr. Baker and Mr. Quist, Physical Education Teachers at SRE, the rest of the SRE faculty and staff for organizing the day and to the CSSR PTO for all the volunteer work they provided to make it happen!

SRE students created a giant peace sign with the letters "SRE" in their PTO-donated t-shirts!

Children played cooperative parachute games during SRE Day.

Pennies for the Playground

On Friday, June 21st, the CHCS students celebrated a fundraiser for Jessica's Boundless Playground, which is a fully accessible playground we hope to build soon! The students raised over $750.00 for this endeavor, which was sponsored by Team Jessica in cooperation with the CHCS PTO. The fourth graders, who came in at 3rd place, had the opportunity to "silly string" members of the CHCS staff and "yours truly." Fifth graders (2nd place) got to throw pies in our faces, and sixth graders (1st place) got to slime us! It was a messy, but fun time!

Pies in the face for selected staff members!

CHCS Interim Principal, Dr. Irizarry, wears his slime with pride!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our administrators, faculty, and staff for your hard work during this past school year. You have taken on a lot of work, infused many state and federal mandates into an already packed work day, and have provided our students with the foundation to be productive thinkers and citizens in our society. I would also like to thank the many volunteers who have donated countless hours of time, money through fundraising activities, and support to the work we do. I am also grateful to our students' families who have supported their learning along the way. This truly is a group effort with the goal of ensuring that all of our students meet with success every day.

This will be the last weekly post of the 2012-2013 school year. Less frequent posts will be uploaded during the summer months. I would like to wish everyone a safe and relaxing summer! As always, please feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or send me an email at superintendent@belchertown.org with any questions or comments.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools