2nd Quarter Letter from the Principal

November 8, 2016

Dear Wahconah Families:

We have successfully completed first quarter and we are now settling into 2^nd 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