1983-01-31 School Committee Minutes

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Jl READING SCHOOL COMMITTEE MINUTES JANUARY 31. 1983 School Calendar The Committee unanimously agreed to adopt the calendar for the 1983 -84 school year as presented by the Administration, document B -3 -a, after consultation with the Reading Teachers Association. Superintendent's Middle School Recommendations In conjunction with his written recommendations on Middle School, document B -3 -b, Superintendent Wells said that he had reviewed the Middle School Report very carefully with Dr. Munnelly and the Junior High School Principals. He praised the Middle School Advisory Committee (MSAC) for the thoroughness and thoughtfulness of the report and thanked them for their efforts. Dr. Wells said there was nothing in the report he could find fault with and that, in fact, there is so much in it that he will probably have to say at some time that all of its recommendations cannot be carried out due to the constraints of the length of the school day and the configurations of the existing facilities. Dr. Wells said that as soon as an agreement has been reached with the RTA the staffing process will start, hopefully by the end of this school year so that initial in- service programs may be conducted during the summer. He added that there is a skeletal organization of team teaching in the Junior High Schools which the Adminis- tration plans to build on, and it is expected that workshops will continue during the next school year. The Superintendent pointed out that there will be a definite improvement in some curriculum areas. In the Social Studies area six graders will be taught by subject specialists fot the first time. Science labs will be available to grade six students for the first time, giving them opportunity for more advanced studies as seventh graders. Addressing a concern voiced in the report, Dr. Wells said that children entering Middle School will not immediately be in a situation of changing classes each period because it is planned to implement the Report's recommendations for a language arts block. He added that sixth graders will be full citizens of the schools and will have the opportunity to participate in all extra - curricular activities. Mr. Coco asked if students would have the same homeroom teacher for three years. Dr. Munnelly said the value of this had been discussed but it would have to be worked out in terms of scheduling. Both Principals favor the idea if it does not cause conflicts in scheduling. Mrs. Philbrick suggested that the Superintendent make quarterly reports on the progress of Middle School Organization to the School Committee. Dr. Wells said he plans to but would not wait for a quarterly report if something comes up in the interim. Progress Report - Superintendent's Evaluation Dr. Wells spoke on his goals for the current year. Goal #1 - The Middle School Issue - "We are committed to this change by 1984 as a sound educational practice even though we readily admit that declining enrollments