WARE SCHOOL COMMITTEE NOTEBOOK

By Melissa Fales
Reporter
mfales@turley.com

Moment of silence

At the start of their Nov. 4 meeting, the School Committee observed a moment of silence in memory of committee member Kara Brown’s husband, Aaron, who died Nov. 2 from injuries he sustained in a motor vehicle accident on Oct. 31.

Cell phone use to remain prohibited on school buses

The committee met with Paula Crowther, a representative of First Student bus company, regarding the district’s policy banning cell phone use on school buses. The committee has been reviewing this policy since concerned parent Paul Morris questioned whether asking bus drivers to enforce it took their attention away from the road at the risk of student safety.
Crowther said that Ware’s approach to student cell phone use is not unique. To her knowledge, none of the other local towns First Student services, including Granby, Belchertown and the Pathfinder district, allow cell phone use on school buses. Committee member Danielle Souza said that times are changing and with cell phone use so widespread, parents expect to be able to reach their children at all times. Committee member Brian Winslow said that even the longest student bus ride is only 45 minutes long. He said there is no reason for students to be on their cell phones, pointing out that the district’s policy is that all changes to student drop off locations have to be in writing, in advance, through the school. Committee member Aaron Sawabi said he wanted First Student to understand that the school district doesn’t expect bus drivers to enforce the policy in any way that would jeopardize the students’ safety. “They need to focus on driving,” said Sawabi.
Superintendent Mary-Elizabeth Beach asked First Student to post a sign on the bus stating that the use of cell phones, MP3 players, and cameras is not allowed. Students caught using any of these devices will simply be written up. It will then be up to their school principal to determine the consequence, just as it would be if they were found misbehaving on the bus in any other way. Beach asked bus drivers to be consistent as possible. “If you see the phone, give them the ticket,” she said.
A notice will go out to parents with report cards on November 9 reminding them of the district’s cell phone policy.

Principals present information on the Growth Model

The principals of the three district schools presented information on a new method educators are using to assess student MCAS scores. The Growth Model is a way to measure individual student progress on the standardized tests by tracking their numerical scores from one year to the next. Some benefits of using the Growth Model are that it helps educators identify strengths and weaknesses, it highlight areas where extra help might be needed, and shows how the same group of students performs over time. Beach said the state has put the Growth Model in place in answer to the No Child Left Behind mandate to have multiple methods of evaluating the test data. For more information on the Growth Model visit www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/growth.

Order Thanksgiving rolls now

By popular demand, the Stanley M. Koziol Elementary School cafeteria staff will once again make their dinner rolls available for Thanksgiving meals. The cost is $5 for a pan of 16 rolls, with all proceeds going to the Ware’s Christmas for Kids fund. To order, call the SMK cafeteria at 967-5248 between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. by Wednesday, Nov. 18. The rolls will be available for pick-up on Wednesday, Nov. 25 from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.