A Fond Farewell

It's June and the season of fond farewells. We said our good-byes and gave our best wishes to the Class of 2014 in the gymnasium at Belchertown High School on Sunday. One hundred, ninety-five strong, the class made its mark on the audience gathered through inspiring speeches and singing the first class song composed by members of the class in my tenure as superintendent. On the Thursday night before graduation, the Seniors also gathered to receive a total of $74,850.00 in scholarship awards from a variety of organizations. Congratulations to all of you on achieving this milestone and best wishes on the next phase of your life's journey! Thank you to Mrs. Vigneux, BHS Principal, for a lovely ceremony, as always. Her hard work has created some very special memories for our newest alumni. The BHS undergraduates will receive their awards on Thursday, June 12th.

Jabish Brook Middle School hosted their annual awards ceremony last night and many students were recognized for their academic achievements. Congratulations to one and all! The eighth graders will be recognized for their work and celebrated for their move on to high school on Friday, June 20th in the BHS auditorium. Their recognition ceremony will be followed by an Aloha! Dance in the BHS cafeteria as they say good-bye to their middle school years and look forward to their high school years.

The rest of our students are wrapping up the year with many activities, saying farewell to their teachers, and moving on to new grades as well as, in some cases, new schools. Culminating activities are celebrating academic achievements as well as having some fun!

I will also be bidding you a fond farewell at the end of this month as I head on to other career ventures. As this will be my final blog post as Superintendent, I would like to say that it has been a privilege to serve the Belchertown Public Schools over the last five years. The citizens of Belchertown have a fabulous administrative team, incredibly talented teachers, and all of the staff are deeply committed to the children. The children are a delight to work with. They have brought joy to my heart each and every day.

Dr. Robert Gazda will be serving from July 1st to December 31st as Interim Superintendent as the School Committee searches for a full-time replacement. Dr. Gazda has already visited our schools, worked with our administrative team, and met with the School Committee in preparation for taking on the position in a few weeks.

I have been blessed to work in this district and the people in it will always have a special place in my heart. I am truly grateful for this opportunity to serve the children of Belchertown.

A fond farewell, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

PS - If you have any questions or comments regarding this blog post, feel free to call my office at 413.323.0423 or email me at superintendent@belchertown.org.

Lots of news!

It's been a busy spring with lots happening in our district. A ground-breaking ceremony has been scheduled for Jessica's Boundless Playground, teachers have been recognized for their excellence, students have also been recognized for their hard work, and we had a visit from the Massachusetts Secretary of Education.

Ground-breaking Ceremony for Jessica's Boundless Playground!

On Monday, May 12th, at 6:00 pm, Team Jessica will break ground on the site for Jessica's Boundless Playground! There will be a brief ceremony when the first shovel will dig into the site as we get ready for site preparation work to be done. This vision has been a long time in coming, but we are getting started and look forward to the result! If you have some time, stop on by and join in the celebration! The site for the playground is adjacent to the lower parking lot at Chestnut Hill Community School.

Teacher Recognition

Lawrence O'Brien, BHS Social Studies Teacher, received the William Spratt Award for Excellence in Teaching Secondary Social Studies by his state professional organization in April. Three other teachers were recognized, along with their peers from Hampshire and Franklin Counties, as Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching award winners on May 6th: Rachel Goldenberg, BHS Science Teacher; Melissa Gramuglia, JBMS Physical Education/Health Teacher; and Louise Levy, BHS Science Teacher. Congratulations to one and all!

Student Recognition

Congratulations go to Jordan Gamache, grade 10, and Quinn Roche, grade 8, for their winning essays submitted to the New England Outdoor Writers' Association contest! They were recognized at a recent School Committee meeting for their outstanding work.

Congratulations also go to the BHS music department for their awards as a result of performances at the Heritage Music Festival in Chicago, IL on May 2nd:

• Wind Ensemble: Gold medal, first place, Division 3A
• Symphony Band: Gold medal, first place, Division 2A
• Concert Band: Silver medal, second place, Division 1A
• Percussion Ensembles 1 and 2: Gold medals and first place in Divisions 1A and 2A
• Concert Choir: Silver medal, third place, Division 2
• Women's Choir: Gold medal, first place, Division 2A
• Percussion 2: Sweepstakes award - high score for percussion
• Wind Ensemble: Highest Scoring Band of the Festival
• All bands: Overall Band Award
• Jennifer Ollari Barry: Maestro Award.

Congratulations also go to Ms. Lyndsay Boysen, Director of Bands, and Ms. Susan Comstock, Choir Director for an outstanding job!

Massachusetts Secretary of Education, Matthew Malone, visits BHS

Dr. Malone visited BHS on Tuesday of this week as part of his goal to visit every district in the Commonwealth. He was in the area for a meeting of a state task force on school safety that was held later that day and was very impressed with the work we have done as a district on our Emergency Operations Plan. He spent time talking to staff and students along the way.

Secretary of Education, Matthew Malone, reads an essay written by a student in Ms. Letseizen's class.
He was impressed with the work he saw!

The past few weeks have been busy ones, to say the least! We are now on the home stretch for this school year. The Class of 2014 will be graduating on Sunday, June 8th at 2:00 pm in the BHS gymnasium. It doesn't seem possible that this year is almost over.

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

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

Professional Development and a couple "Save the Dates"

Last week was a week of learning opportunities for all the staff in our district. In line with our strategic plan goal of rigorous and relevant instructional practices being implemented in all our classrooms, our district Leadership Team spent two hours last Thursday (March 13th) discussing practices that have been proven by research to have a positive impact on student learning from the work of John Hattie, known as "visible learning". The Leadership Team delved into seven different practices that have been identified as very effective and tied them to the new Educator Evaluation System. We also talked about how these practices would look in action in our classrooms. After working in small groups, ideas were shared with the whole group. Our Leadership Team has been working with teachers to foster the best practices possible in our classrooms and to ensure that the proper resources are provided to assist them in that process.

BHS Principal Christine Vigneux presents her group's work on "questioning" as an effective instructional practice to the Leadership Team.

On Friday, March 14th, teachers and paraprofessionals gathered for Edcamp Btown 2014. This is the second time we have used this model for professional growth across the district. Teachers and paraprofessionals had direct input into the design of the day with over 40 sessions offered on a variety of topics, most of which were facilitated by our own staff. Topics included: curriculum alignment in a variety of areas, using assessments to inform instruction, how to work with students with autism, using technology in the classroom, and much more. It was a very successful day with a lot of positive feedback from teachers and paraprofessionals alike on the variety and value of the sessions. Our thanks go to the BHS cafeteria staff for making a yummy lunch that all could enjoy and to our district's PTO groups: CSSR PTO, CHCS PTO, and Jabish Brook PTO, for sponsoring the lunch.

Physical Education Teachers learn about orienteering from Mr. Cowles, BHS PE Teacher

Teachers learn ways to integrate technology in the classroom from Mr. Butler, Music Teacher and Instructional Technologist at SRE

Grade 5 teachers from CHCS work together on curriculum planning

Save the dates!

There are two dates coming up in the near future where we will work to promote awareness of a couple of important issues to students and families in our district. The first is is "Light It Up Blue" on Wednesday, April 2, 2014, in cooperation with our district Special Education Parent Advisory Council. This event is to promote awareness of Autism as part of Autism Awareness month. We are asking students and staff to wear blue in commemoration of April 2nd as World Autism Day, sponsored by the United Nations. More information will be forthcoming in this blog and on our web site - stay tuned!

The second date is Tuesday, April 15th, as we celebrate Purple Up! for Military Kids. Several of our students and staff members in Belchertown have family members who are serving our country in the military. These families face special challenges that go with military service, including long periods of separation during periods of deployment. Purple Up! is a way to show support for our military families. Why purple? Purple is the color that symbolizes all branches of the military blended together into one unifying color. So get your purple ready for April 15th and wear it as a show of support for families who have members who are sacrificing in service to our country!

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

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Teachers of Excellence to be Recognized

Each year, the Belchertown Public Schools recognize teachers of excellence. These individuals are nominated by colleagues and selected by their School Councils to receive this recognition. The 2014 Belchertown Teachers of Excellence are: Ryan Butler, SRE Music Teacher; Rachel Goldenberg, BHS Science Teacher; Melissa Gramuglia, JBMS Physical Education Teacher; and Louise Levy, BHS Science Teacher. These teachers will be formally recognized at the March 18^th School Committee meeting.

The Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Awards program allows us to move three of our candidates forward to be recognized. This is always a very difficult decision to make, but I am pleased to announce that Rachel Goldenberg, Melissa Gramuglia, and Louise Levy have been named as the recipients of this award. They will be recognized at an awards dinner at the Log Cabin on Tuesday, May 6^th. These awards are sponsored by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and other generous corporate donors, to whom we are grateful for their support of educators across the Pioneer Valley.

Congratulations to these teachers on your achievements!

Professional Development Day on Friday

This is a reminder that there will be no school for students on Friday, March 14th, as our staff will be attending professional development workshops for the day.

Budget for the 2014-2015 School Year

The Senior Leadership Team and program directors have been working on a first draft of the budget for the next school year. The budget will be presented to the School Committee on Tuesday, March 18th (please note that this meeting has been changed from the originally scheduled date of March 11th). The meeting will take place in the SRE library at 7:00 pm. Following the initial presentation of the budget, but prior to a final vote, parents/guardians and community members will have three opportunities to give input into the process. There will be two Coffee & Conversation with the Superintendent gatherings (TBA) and a public budget hearing prior to a School Committee vote on April 29th. Watch this blog and our web site: www.belchertownps.org for more information.

End-of-the-Year Calendar

What a winter! At this moment in time, we have used six snow days, making the last day of school Monday, June 23rd. The forecast for the middle of this week does not look promising, so let's hope that maybe the snow will pass us by! I had the opportunity to get a breath of spring at the Mount Holyoke flower show over the weekend. It was nice to see and smell all the beautiful flowers and have hope that spring will be coming soon.

A preview of Spring at the MHC flower show!

Graduation for the Class of 2014 has been set for Sunday, June 8, 2014 at 2:00 pm in the BHS gymnasium. I know our seniors are excited about this upcoming event and milestone achievement in their lives!

A rumor seems to have started...

A rumor seems to have started via a student Twitter account that a $20,000.00 piano was purchased with district funds. I would like to set the record straight on this matter. No such instrument has been purchased, nor are there any plans to do so in this budget or next year's budget. Thank you for doing your part in helping to set the record straight.

As always, feel free to contact me regarding this blog post: 413.323.0423 or superintendent@belchertown.org.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

CHCS students recognized, BPS Emergency Operations Plan, new Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan approved

It's been a busy past few weeks in the Belchertown Public Schools. The School Committee was pleased to recognize fifth grade teacher, Suzanne Dudley, and students whose poetry works were published in A Celebration of Poets: Summer 2013. Because of the number of poems published, CHCS received a Poetic Achievement Award for having more than 50% of the submissions included in the book. Congratulations go to the following students: Daniel Arends, Anna Auclair, Nicole Beaumont, Hannah Bernard, Ceren Cayan, Nate Courchesne, Kyleigh Girard, Hunter Klingensmith, Kate Mas, Janan Patel, Landen Pease, Kalleigh Samson, Noah Soutier, Matthew Talbot, Andrew Teixeira, and Mackenzie Thomas. Mrs. Dudley and her students were presented with award certificates at the February 11th School Committee meeting.

Suzanne Dudley, back row/left, with some CHCS award-winning poets!

CHCS fifth graders were also treated to a visit by members of Team Jessica on Tuesday, February 11th. As part of a multi-disciplinary unit on boundless playgrounds, that started with a story in their reading series, the children researched boundless playgrounds, which is the concept on which Jessica's Boundless Playground has been designed and will be built. Vicky Martins-Auffrey, Jessica's mother (the student in whose memory the playground has been named), spoke with the children. The children wrote letters, drew pictures, and made suggestions for possible ways to raise funds and gave ideas about how they would like the playground to be built. She shared the preliminary design with them and got some other suggestions for activities they'd like to see included. Alexandra Holcomb, a student in Mrs. Robinson's class, presented Mrs. Martins-Auffrey with a rainbow loom bracelet and $100.00 she raised by making these bracelets and selling them to family members!

Vicky Martins-Auffrey explains Jessica's Boundless Playground's proposed design to the students.

Alexandra Holcomb (L) presents Mrs. Martins-Auffrey with her donation and a bracelet she made.

Belchertown Public Schools Emergency Operations Plan to be presented to the School Committee on February 25th

The School Safety Task Force has completed its work on a new Emergency Operations Plan for the district. The School Committee will consider adoption of the plan on Tuesday, February 25th at 7:00 pm in the auditorium at Belchertown High School. There will be a presentation on the plan and there will be a period for public comment at that meeting.  If you would like to read a draft of the plan, please go to the main page of our web site: www.belchertownps.org and click on the link in the district announcements section.

At their February 11, 2014 School Committee meeting, the School Committee approved a revised Bullying Prevention and Intervention Policy and Plan. The plan will be uploaded to our district web site later this week.

As always, if you have any questions about this blog post, please feel free to call me at 413.323.0423 or send an email to superintendent@belchertown.org. Enjoy the extended vacation week, thanks to our snowy winter - school is closed this week. We look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday, February 24th.

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

CHCS kicks off Read to Achieve program and Safety Plans

Chestnut Hill Community School kicked off a month long reading incentive, known as Read to Achieve,  for the students at CHCS sponsored by the Springfield Armor, a semi-pro basketball team. Students will log reading in ten minute increments and will be awarded prizes weekly. Every student can earn a prize each week. Students and families will also be invited to attend a basketball game on Friday evening March 21^st if they complete the reading log during week four. Mr. Brad Medeiros and, Steel, the Armor Mascot visited CHCS on Wednesday January 8^th to kick-off our program and encourage our students to read every day. The Read to Achieve Program will run January 13^th through February 7^th. 

Steel gets CHCS students excited about reading!

Prizes will be awarded to the students throughout the month as they meet their goals. The final prize will be a free ticket to a Springfield Armor basketball game! The winner will receive his/her free ticket and an order form to purchase additional additional discounted tickets for family and friends. The winner will also be recognized on the court at the March 21st game!

Good luck CHCS readers in achieving your goals! We can't wait to hear who the grand prize winner will be!

Safety Plans

I would like to thank the parents and guardians, as well as staff members, who attended the recent Coffee & Conversation with the Superintendent meetings to discuss revisions to the district's Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan and the new Emergency Operations Plan. We appreciate your interest and concern. The Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan is scheduled to go before the School Committee at their February 11, 2014 meeting for approval and the Emergency Operations Plan will go before the School Committee on February 25, 2014 for approval. You can review copies of the drafts from links posted on our district web site, www.belchertownps.org.

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

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

BHS featured on local news and some safety items

WGGB, the ABC local affiliate in Western Mass, came to BHS this morning as part of their weekly Honor Roll Live series every Friday morning. Approximately 200 students came in the wee hours of the morning (most were there by 4:30 am when I arrived) to join in the fun! Lots of school spirit, musical performances, and showcasing the various activities at the school were all part of the morning's festivities. It was a great time!

The host for the morning was Brittany Decker, news reporter for WGGB, who did a fabulous job! In addition to highlighting all the wonderful things our students do at BHS, she was gracious enough after the newscast to pose with our students who requested pictures. Thanks go to Mrs. Vigneux, BHS Principal, for coordinating the visit and to the staff and students who came so early to be a part of the day! If you'd like to the video footage from the morning, click here to go to WGGB's web site.

WGGB's Brittany Decker with our Oriole Mascot and students at BHS this morning!

Some Safety Notes

Dr. Nancy Spitulnik, Superintendent of the Northbridge Public Schools, shared a very important message with her families that bears passing along to you:

As you may have seen in the news, two young children in Franklin died a few days ago when they suffocated in a cedar chest that locked automatically, trapping them inside.  These chests were recalled by the manufacturer a number of times since 1987, and replacement locks were provided to prevent this problem.  However, many of these unmodified chests are still in homes, and people are not aware of the potential danger.  See the information below about checking your cedar chest and obtaining free replacement locks.  Hopefully we can prevent any more tragedies.
“Between 1912 and 1987, Lane and Virginia Maid manufactured and sold an estimated 12 million cedar chests. Cedar chests made during these years latch shut without having to depress a button. In recent years, several children have suffocated inside chests with old style locks. As a result, Lane has launched several successful programs concentrating on lock replacement. However, there are still an estimated 6 million chests that need the locks replaced. The chests are often handed down through families, and it is likely that many were purchased second-hand.  (Chests manufactured after 1987 already have the new safety lock.)
Lane is providing new locks, free of charge, that will prevent entrapments because they do not automatically latch shut when the lid is closed. The new locks are easy to install by consumers in their homes.
To prevent another tragedy, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Lane are urging consumers to check their “Lane” and “Virginia Maid” brand cedar chests. The brand name “Lane” or “Virginia Maid” is located inside the cedar chest. If the lid latches shut without depressing a button on the outside of the chest, the lock needs to be replaced. Consumers should have the chest's serial and style numbers, which are branded on the outside bottom or outside back of the chest, available when contacting Lane.

Contact Lane toll-free at (800) 327-6944 anytime or order the free replacement lock online at http://www.lanefurniture.com/CustomerService/Lock-Replacement.aspx .” 

In other safety news, I would like to thank the parents and guardians who came to our most recent round of Coffee and Conversation with the Superintendent gatherings and learned about revisions to our Bullying Prevention and Intervention Plan and our new Emergency Operations Plan. I appreciate your interest and feedback on both plans. Both plans will be presented to the School Committee for approval in February. If you would like to see drafts of the plans, you can find links to them on the main page of our web site, www.belchertownps.org. 

As a way to increase communications about issues of concerns as well as a way to push out information to the community, we have established a Twitter feed, @Belchertownps. Feel free to follow us for updates of all sorts. Please understand that we will not be checking the feed for Tweets being sent our way on a regular basis, so if you have issues and concerns it is best to contact the appropriate school or my office by phone or email. All of that contact information can also be found on our web site.

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

Just a reminder - no school on Monday due to the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. Enjoy the long weekend!

Best regards, Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendennt of Schools

Let it Snow!

You know the song, "Well the weather outside is frightful..." and it looks as though we are in for it! The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for late tonight through mid-morning on Friday. We are in for a good amount of snow over a long duration and some sub-zero wind chills, especially on Friday morning. Neither type of weather is safe for students either in buses or waiting for them to arrive at a bus stop. Not wanting to risk any child's safety, I felt it was in their best interests to not have them come to school over the next couple of days. Many other school districts in the region are making the same types of decisions for the same reasons. I'm sure the children will be happy to have a 2-day extension to their holiday vacation!

To remind you of the beauty of the snow - despite its hazards, I thought I would share this picture taken on a trail in the Quabbin Reservoir last winter while my husband and I were out snowshoeing.

We are blessed to have this beautiful resource in our backyard!

Unfortunately, this means the Holiday Extravaganza Concert scheduled for Friday evening has been canceled. We look forward to the next concert at Chestnut Hill Community School by our young musicians there in January. Both JBMS and BHS music departments will share their talents with us again in March as we celebrate Music In Our Schools month. I hope you will plan to join them then!

For more information on these events and other events in our district, check our District Calendar. I also hope many parents and guardians will join me and other administrators for the next round of Coffee & Conversation with the Superintendent Gatherings in the next two weeks. See the main page of our district web site for more details. 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 superintendent@belchertown.org.

Stay safe and warm and enjoy the snow! Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

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