November 8, 2016
Dear Wahconah Families:
We have successfully completed first quarter and we are now settling
into 2nd term. Since I last
wrote to you, we have engaged in a great deal of “behind-the-scenes” work to make
PowerSchool perform for the betterment of all of us. The vast majority of
feedback I’ve received from Wahconah families has been positive. Furthermore,
we have worked to enhance the look and function, as well as content, within our
school website. We hope the improved website provides more accessible
information for all of you. Finally, having been inspired by Mrs. Tierney’s “Friday
Family Focus” emails at Nessacus, I have begun sending home “Wahconah Wednesday”
emails to all families. Again, we’ve received great feedback on that as well. Below
you will find some updates regarding some ongoing efforts here at Wahconah
during the 2016-17 school year.
Faculty Meetings and
a Commitment to Learning
If you are an educator, then you understand that in recent
years the world of education has experienced frequent and sharp philosophical
shifts. Information has become so accessible and its transference so
diversified that many students have developed a view of school and learning
that may not be in line with what our view once was. Given all of that, one of
the most exciting elements of this school year has been our new approach to
faculty meetings. We have committed ourselves to focusing our monthly meetings
on true teaching and learning and less on logistical information and updates. We
are conducting a year-long deep dive into conversations about what it means to
be a teacher, our core values, and how to effectively collaborate with one
another across all disciplines. We are exploring some rather “heavy” topics in
an effort to enhance our craft so that we can better serve our students. We are
pushing ourselves to learn from one another and to celebrate the good work we
do more often. Furthermore, I have given more latitude to all teachers to
experiment with their teaching practices, whether it be through technology or
other forms of enhancements, so they can find new and creative ways to engage
our students in the never-ending process of learning.
Wahconah 2016-17
School Improvement Plan
Every year, each school is required to create and present an
annual School Improvement Plan to the CBRSD School Committee. That plan is also
posted on the school website under “Family Information”. Below are the 2016-17
School Improvement Goals we will be working on:
Student Achievement
- ·
To increase math MCAS performance of the high
needs sub-group.
- ·
To narrow overall MCAS performance gaps in ELA
and Science.
Content Areas
- ·
To explore the possibility of further expanding
AP Course offerings for the 2017-18 school year.
- ·
To analyze AP student performance data to inform
instructional changes and address student needs.
- ·
To actively seek out and enroll AP teachers in
College Board certified training.
School Climate
- ·
To continue to identify remaining barriers and
initiate improvement steps that increase access to general education for and
inclusion of ALL students.
Wahconah Building
Project Update
After submitting statements of interest for the past ten
consecutive years, the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) voted to
invite CBRSD into the Eligibility Period for a school building project to renovate
or replace Wahconah Regional High School. To learn more about what this means
and its implications for the future, I highly encourage you to click on the
link below to learn more:
http://cbrsd.ss10.sharpschool.com/m_s_b_a_building_project
That webpage will be updated regularly as we continue to
progress through the MSBA Eligibility Period. I will also provide specific
updates to all of you as they become available.
And finally…
I have had the privilege of living in the Central Berkshire
community most of my life. I have also been fortunate to work at Wahconah for
the past twenty years. During that time, I’ve fulfilled the role of teacher,
coach, Assistant Principal and parent. No matter the job, I’ve always felt that
our school community has risen above many others in the way we work to educate
and support our students. Now that I am Principal, I have been given a
tremendous vantage point to witness all of the facets of the Wahconah school
community. In just a short period of time, I have become overwhelmed by a sense
of pride in the way our students and staff work and the way in which our
families support our school. What drives me as an educator…what drives all of
us who work at Wahconah…is the opportunity to have a tremendous impact on the
lives of our youth and to work, in whatever way possible, to make them good, thoughtful,
educated people. We have some great things
happening at Wahconah and there’s more to come. In the meantime, I will
continue to relentlessly pursue what is going right and celebrate it like
crazy. To all Wahconah families…thank you for giving us such terrific students.
We are fortunate.
Sincerely,
Aaron M. Robb, Principal
