Dear Gardner Parents, Students, and Community Members,
Welcome back to school for the 2009-2010 academic year. Please note that the new school year for students begins on Wednesday, August 26, 2009. I extend a special welcome to families whose children are entering our school system for the first time. The Gardner Educator is published annually to provide an overview of some of the programs and activities that took place during the previous school year and to give you practical information that you can refer to during the upcoming school year. We have included contact information for the district and all schools, the school calendar, school times, and school lunch information. Please note that more detailed information, including Gardner’s bus routes, can be found on our website at www.gardnerk12.org Also, bus routes will be published during August in local newspapers.
The Gardner School Committee spent many hours reviewing the budget for the fiscal year that began on July 1, 2009. As you are certainly aware, the state budget process was particularly difficult this year in the midst of tough economic times. At the same time that we were hearing good news about additional federal stimulus aid we were also hearing that Chapter 70 state education aid was being reduced. The state budget that was adopted left us over $400,000 below the budget previously voted by the Gardner School Committee. The actual shortfall was in excess of $500,000 but the budget was supplemented by federal stimulus funds. In the face of these challenges, the School Committee worked diligently to retain direct services to students.
Of the numerous positive initiatives in place for the new school year, there are two that I want to highlight. For the first time in many years, we will be providing transportation by yellow school bus to eligible students in grades pre-kindergarten through grade 8. This means that we are adding transportation for grade 7 and grade 8 students this year. We sent letters to parents/guardians of eligible students starting in January 2009 asking families to commit to using seats on the buses this fall. Using the responses, First Student, our transportation vendor, in conjunction with school administration, developed bus routes. We will send bus passes in the mail to the families who indicated their children would be riding. Please be sure to check the routes carefully as some look different this year. The inclusion of grades 7 and 8 in the transportation plan was made possible in part by altering the starting and ending times of Helen Mae Sauter School and Elm Street School. Both of these schools will now have school days that start at 8:30 A.M. and end at 2:45 P.M. This will also make it easier for parents with children at both schools.
The second change of which we are very proud is that we will be moving to full-day kindergarten for all students in the Gardner Public Schools. For the past few years, using state grant funds, we have added new full-day classes. Last year we had five such classes and parents/guardians paid tuition on an income related sliding scale basis. This year we will offer full-day kindergarten to all students at no cost to families. Research indicates that a full-day program gives students many academic advantages.
We have searched for grant opportunities to supplement our academic offerings. As a result, we offered many professional development programs for teachers and staff and several academic programs for students during the summer. As I write this, we just heard positive news from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education that, with a few alterations, our application for a grant (federal stimulus funds) for a new alternative middle/high school will in all likelihood be approved. This will enable us to address the needs of students who have difficulty in the usual educational setting. We will be able to provide closely supervised, small group instruction and counseling at our Prospect Street School location. This program would operate in conjunction with the CAPS Collaborative in Gardner but would be open to both regular education and Special Education students.
There was even more summer activity than usual this year. We were very fortunate to be granted 30 summer youth employment positions through federal stimulus funds that flowed through Employment Links. Our own students held jobs painting, landscaping, setting up computers, and serving as classroom helpers. As a result, our buildings look better than ever, but the real bonus is in seeing the pride the students have taken in the results of their work. Also, as another non-grant initiative, we will be expanding a Special Education program for students on the autism spectrum to include older students. We began a program for young students at Waterford Street School this past year
The Technology Department was extremely busy this summer installing new computers at Waterford Street School, Elm Street School, and Helen Mae Sauter School. Also included in this technology project was the addition of SmartBoards to these locations and summer training for teachers and other staff. This initiative actually places us ahead of the timeline developed for technology implementation in our schools. In addition, we completed the installation of security cameras at Gardner High School as part of a COPS Secure Our Schools federal grant.
Our focus continues to be the improvement of student achievement. Our teachers and other staff members have worked diligently using professional development programs, workshops, and coursework to enhance our instruction. Again, using mostly grant funding, we have offered Understanding by Design, Co-Teaching, Math Lab programs, and many other programs this summer. Whether it is a teacher working with other teachers to revamp the curriculum for a course or our maintenance staff lining athletic fields and making the many repairs that can only happen during the summer, the work is in service of our children. We all want the students to have the best we can offer.
We wish our retirees well and thank them for their years of service and dedication. We will miss them. I have been very impressed this summer with the newly hired staff members; they bring with them solid preparation and, in the majority of cases, experience as well.
We continue to improve because we have dedicated staff members and the support of our School Committee, City Council and City officials, parents, parent groups such as PTO’s, community organizations, and most of all wonderful students. Our students are both academically able and committed to community service. Both adults and children will not forget the ice storm that took place this past school year. That experience showed us how strong a community we have as everyone pitched in to help each other. We are moving forward, stronger than ever.
I wish everyone a productive, happy 2009-2010 school year.
Sincerely,
Carol L. Daring, Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools