Playground recognition
The School Committee discussed with playground committee chair Mary Traphagen the sign that will be placed at the playground at the Hildreth Elementary School. The 48-inch by 48-inch engraved sign panel, with a rounded top, will acknowledge the organizations that contributed to the new playground and also thank the “volunteers of the community build.”
“My feeling is it should be there and we should recognize the people who contributed their time, their money, and their dedication to the playground,” Traphagen said.
There was an opening celebration and ribbon-cutting for the new playground on Monday, Aug. 29, at 4 p.m.
Subcommittees and liaisons
The School Committee assigned its members to subcommittees or as liasons to existing committees to work on the School Committee/superintendent goals for the 2011-12 school year. The goals are:
- Investigating and assessing the feasibility of all potential operational models for the future leadership of the Harvard School District.
- Creating and implementing a school budget development and management plan for fiscal year 2013.
- Reviewing and updating the five-year School District Financial Expenditure Plan.
- Providing an assessment of the school district’s progress against the existing five-year strategic plan, developing an action plan to address any goals not on target to be accomplished by 2013, and creating and implementing a process to regularly review and update the assessment, as needed.
- Developing a technology plan that identifies how the integration of technology in the classroom will support the K-12 instructional process.
- Modifying the Harvard School District’s websites and communications structures to achieve consistency, accuracy, and ease of use.
- Creating and implementing annual assessment procedures and instruments that will effectively and accurately evaluate the school committee and superintendent.
- Preparing and presenting a capacity study and five-year enrollment projection.
- Conducting a comparative study of user fees.
- Executing general performance goals.
School readiness report
As the first day of school approached, the principals of the Hildreth Elementary School and the Bromfield School reported inward and outward migration during the summer months. The elementary school has received 32 new registrations, and eight students transferred away, interim Superintendent Joseph Connelly reported. At Bromfield, Connelly said, 36 new students registered and 18 transferred away.
“That’s certainly worth noting,” Connelly said, but he cautioned the board that enrollment numbers aren’t official until Sept. 1, after school starts.
