Teachers of Excellence

Belchertown Teachers of Excellence

Each year, the Harold Grinspoon Foundation sponsors a Pioneer Valley Teachers of Excellence awards program. In order to receive this honor, teachers must first be nominated, then selected by their School Council. Those teachers who are selected by their School Councils are recognized as Belchertown Teachers of Excellence.

I am pleased to announce the Belchertown Teachers of Excellence for the 2012-2013 school year: Mr. Brendan McCarthy, Kindergarten Teacher at Cold Spring School; Mr. Ryan Butler, Music Teacher at Swift River Elementary School; Mr. Karl Quist, Physical Education Teacher at Swift River Elementary School; Ms. Stephanie Davies, 7th Grade Mathematics Teacher at Jabish Brook Middle School; Ms. Christine Holesovsky, Spanish Teacher at Belchertown High School; and Ms. Louise Levy, Science Teacher at Belchertown High School. These teachers will be recognized at the March 26, 2013 School Committee meeting!

Pioneer Valley Teachers of Excellence

The Grinspoon Foundation allows us to select three teachers from our local nominees to be recognized as Pioneer Valley Teachers of Excellence Award (PVTEA) winners. One teacher can be within his or her first 3 years of employment at the district and the other two can be selected from any of the nominees. Once I receive the nominees' names, I interview each one individually before making a decision to select them to represent the Belchertown Public Schools. This is always a very difficult decision for me. I am pleased to announce that this year's PVTEA award winners are Mr. Brendan McCarthy as a first-year teacher in our district, Ms. Stephanie Davies, and Ms. Christine Holesovsky. In addition to being recognized by our School Committee, these three outstanding teachers will be part of an evening honoring all awardees from across Hampshire County at the Log Cabin in Holyoke on Thursday, April 25th. Congratulations to our PVTEA winners for the 2012-2013 school year!

School Committee to meet on March 5, 2013

The School Committee will meet on March 5, 2013 at 7:30 pm. Please note the later start time for the meeting, as there is another meeting just prior to it. Click here to see a copy of the agenda. The main focus of the evening will be the presentation of a proposed FY 2014 budget by the Senior Leadership Team.

As always, I'm glad to answer any questions or hear your thoughts about this blog post. Feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or email me at superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools