USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Lincoln > Town Report on Lincoln 1963-1965 > Part 28
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The schools were once more recognized for their work in the teaching of modern mathematics through a grant from the Madison Project to con- tinue the work in the Hartwell School. Mrs. Elizabeth Bjork has been employed as teacher-con- sultant in mathematics and has contributed greatly to the over-all mathematics program. Through the cooperation of the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Committee and Superintendent, Mr. Alexander Marshall, Head of the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School Mathematics Department, is acting as con- sultant to the Lincoln Elementary School Mathe- matics Committee. This committee, which is made up of representative mathematics teachers from the Lincoln Schools, has been at work up-dating, the over-all mathematics curriculum and co-ordinating it at the upper levels with that of the Regional High School and Bedford High School. Hanscom stu-
dents attend the latter. Continued use of the American Association for the Advancement of Science Curriculum materials is being made at the Hartwell
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and Hanscom Schools under the direction of Mr. Joseph Fallo, Science Co-ordinator. In addition, the schools through Mr. Fallo have been invited to participate in the School Science Curriculum Pro- ject of the University of Illinois. This is to be used with children ages 9 to 11 in Hartwell, Smith and Hanscom Schools.
School wide study committees have been organ- ized, in addition, in the areas of Social Science and English to review current practices. Con- sultants from outside the school system will work with staff members to help develop understandings of some of the basic instructional problems in these subjects and to offer concrete suggestions for improvement.
Vital to any school system is the quality of its teaching staff and the ideas and enthusiasm they bring to their work. Many of the improve- ments which have come about in the schools stem directly from the professional inquiry and inter- est of the staff. As Mrs. Moss commented in her article on the schools ... "teachers must throw away their clocks. In Lincoln the teachers are at work before 8, and planning and appraisal keep them there long after the late bus has taken the children home. Although classes are dismissed at noon each Wednesday, there is no time off for teachers. They reevaluate, regroup, review films or new curriculum materials. In fact, the time when the children are not in school can be the most important hours of their week".
Some problems which continually confront us are those of effectively providing instruction to meet the wide range of individual differences, of providing instructional materials to meet these needs, in identifying special abilities and talents in children, and helping them to develop these abilities and talents with all of the resources at our disposal.
The staff, through the use of a variety of materials and teaching techniques, continues to meet these needs. Large group instruction, small group instruction, the use of teaching devices such
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as taped materials, programmed texts, individual study, the use of films, filmstrips, television, manipulative devices, kinescopes, the school libraries and the use of resources in the general community have been some of the means used.
The use of programmed instruction in the areas of Reading, Social Studies, Math, English and other subjects designed to permit individuals to learn and move at their own learning rate will be used on an experimental basis in 1965 with se- lected groups of children. In preparation for this, the staff with over-all responsibilities for curriculum, visited schools in Connecticut and New York where this kind of material has been used for two years to observe its use and to consult with staffs there concerning it.
Another major effort in 1965 will be that of providing supplementary instruction by specialists on the staff for those children who have particular abilities in the various subject matter areas. This was done during the summer school this year when Dr. Bennett, Director of Music, worked with children with a special aptitude in music. It is hoped this kind of instruction can be developed more fully in other areas as well.
Constant re-appraisal and adaptability are necessary to maintain an educational program of quality. As brought out in the report of the Massachusetts Education Study Commission, technol- ogy, mobility and urbanization are effecting and will continue to effect modern education. It points out that Route 128 circles Boston like "the perimeter of a plate". ( It also borders Lincoln.) As it absorbs more and more business and industry requiring higher and higher levels of skill, more education for all people becomes an imperative.
It is the view of the commission that "needed improvement and required investment in education must be set against the backdrop of technology, mobility and urbanization if public education is to fulfill its public trust".
These problems have implications for the Lin- coln Schools as well as other schools in the Com-
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monwealth and the nation. As we move ahead into the second half of the 1960's, this must be kept in mind.
In going about improvement and necessary change, the words of Sterling McMurrin, former U. S. Commissioner of Education, in his report to the Massachusetts Education Study Commission, will be a source of help. He writes: "So when the question is asked, what is the purpose of educa- tion, what are its ends, to what are the commit- ment and energies of our schools properly directed, the answer must be sought across the total spectrum of human interest, experience and value. It con- cerns first the well being of the individual and student But it concerns as well the strength of the Nation And it concerns the quality of the culture The question of edu-
cation is nothing less than the question of how we are to achieve and preserve a genuinely free society in which men are authentic persons who are masters rather than slaves of the forces that shape the world and where there is culture in which the spirit of man can flourish freely and whose vitality is not a threat of decline and disintegration but promises a future of even greater achievement".
PRINCIPALS, HARTWELL, SMITH AND BROOKS SCHOOLS
(Mrs.) Joan B. Warren, Principal, Hartwell School Stefan Vogel, Principal, Smith and Brooks Schools
STAFF
The teaching staff of Hartwell School consists of thirty teachers, twenty-six of which are full- time with four teaching part-time. Of
the full- time staff twenty-three are assigned to teams with one specialist each in library, art and physical education. Of the four part-time teachers, two are assigned to the teams with one specialist each in reading and math.
The total teaching staff of Smith and Brooks Schools is thirty, twenty-eight of which are full- time teachers with two teaching part-time, one as reading consultant and the other as lay reader in the English Department.
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In addition to the above stated totals, seven full-time teachers are shared with the Smith, Brooks, Hartwell and Hanscom Schools, as is a part- time speech therapist.
Of the sixty-eight full and part-time members of the teaching staff, eighteen represent replace- ments in faculty, and three represent the creation of new positions: an elementary science co-ordina- tor for Teams R-N, a physical education teacher for Hartwell and Smith, and a part-time math specialist co-ordinating Teams R-N.
Members of the faculty at Hartwell, Smith and Brooks Schools continue to distinguish themselves through educational contributions within as well as outside the Lincoln School System. As of this writing, the following teachers: Mr. Richard Cowell, Mrs. Phyllis McKenney, Mrs. Jean Shub and Mrs. Catherine Mitchell are acting as consultants and/or try-out teachers for The Children's Museum of Bos- ton, which is conducting curriculum materials studies under a federal grant. Mr. Cowell is also associated with the Harvard Social Studies Curricu- lum Center.
The following teachers: Mrs. Marguerite New- berg, Mr. Neil Jorgensen and Mr. Christopher Hale are contributing to curriculum improvement in sci- ence and Mrs. Carol Nassab and Mr. David Conrad in the social studies in conjunction with Educational Services, Inc. of Watertown, Mass.
An article by Mrs. Helen Horn on new art mater- ials was published in the School Arts magazine last year, and an article on the teaching of history by Miss Betsy Thompson is soon to be published in The Independent School Bulletin.
BUILDING UTILIZATION
The new unit for Hartwell School was made available by the opening of school in September and Team R (98 five year olds) took up residence in this new facility. The two middle rooms known as "the Common Room" are used not only by Team R, but daily by a reading group (Team O) and physical
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education classes. Other activities (particularly involving large groups) are scheduled as the need arises. Having this multi-purpose space available alleviates our most pressing problem of the past few years. Team O (125 pupils) is housed in Unit A and Team G (116 pupils) in Unit B. The main building houses Teams Y (104 pupils) and Team B (113 pupils). The library has moved from the lobby to a classroom and for the first time chairs and tables are part of this set-up, thus insuring a more effective program particularly for the two older teams. The multi-purpose room is no longer used for reading groups, and therefore is available for large group activities as well as physical edu- cation classes.
Smith School now houses Team N and grade 6. Team N is located in the south wing of the school and consists of 118 students. Grade 6, with 117 students, is housed in the main wing of the build- ing. Seventh and eighth graders are based in Brooks School with 118 seventh graders and 98 eighth graders. A total of 451 students are en- rolled in Smith and Brooks Schools, representing an increase of 39 students over last year's enroll- ment.
Certain facilities are shared between the two schools. Team N and grade 6 pupils make use of the lecture hall, auditorium, music and art areas in Brooks School, while 7th and 8th graders have Physical Education, Home Economics, Shop and French in Smith School. Both groups make exten- sive use of the central library. The recently completed covered walkway has been a welcome addi- tion for those travelling between schools.
Students and staff are very appreciative of the excellent facilities provided by Brooks School. The smaller wing at Brooks School is used pri- marily for English and History classes. The faculty offices and conference area provide an ex- cellent climate for staff work, and the students are making worthwhile use of the study cubicles. The larger Brooks building houses mathematics, two fine science laboratories, an excellent double art suite, and a music room with its own rehearsal stage and practice rooms. Also located here are
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the auditorium and lecture hall and a number of study carrels in which students may work inde- pendently.
The additional space offered by Brooks School has enabled us to make good use of space now avail- able at Smith School. One room is now devoted to remedial work; another to care for the overflow of Home Economics projects; one is an activity room for the 6th grade (large group projects, small group work, meetings, and recently, a student museum exhibit); and another room is now used pri- marily for French classes, in which the language laboratory is housed. A major improvement in space allocation has been the elimination of the need for using science and art rooms as homerooms.
ORGANIZATION
Hartwell School continues in its fourth year of organization as a non-graded team teaching school. For this current school year, the size of teams ranges from 98 to 125 pupils with from three to six teachers assigned per team. Mrs. Jane Stewart continues as Team Leader for Team R, Mrs. Julia Cole has the responsibility for both Teams Y and B, with Mrs. Peggy Turner, Senior Teacher for Team Y, and Miss Phyllis Johnson, Senior Teacher for Team B. Miss Patsy Lamb re- places Mrs. Betty Bjork as Team Leader for Team G and Mrs. Joan Bennert serves as Senior Teacher. Mrs. Marguerite Newberg continues in Team O with Miss Diane Furber as Senior Teacher. Team Leaders meet at least weekly with teachers in their res- pective teams and weekly with the principal to in- sure improved communication in all phases of school life.
Team N continues as a full teaching team under the guidance of Mr. Joseph Lessard, Team Leader, and Mrs. Phyllis McKenney, Senior Teacher. The housing of this group in Smith School has increased effectiveness in the following programs: library, physical education, music and art, which in the past have had to contend with difficulties incurred by the physical separation of Team N (once in Cen- ter School) from the rest of the school.
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Grade 6 continues as a departmentalized teaching team under the direction of Mr. David Conrad as Team Leader and Mr. Christopher Hale as Senior Teacher. With the exception of two teachers (one teaches one math group in Team N, and another teaches two 7th grade classes), the others instruct only in the 6th grade.
Grades 7 and 8 are organized academically on a departmental basis, and may be viewed as overlapping teams. Teachers in grades 7 and 8 instruct only in these grades, although depart- ment heads have responsibilities in grades 6 - 8. Co-ordination and improvement of curriculum is handled in departmental meetings, inter-départ- mental meetings, special study groups, and in bi- weekly meetings of the Faculty Council, - which includes representatives from all instructional areas. Co-ordination of student activities and problems (guidance) are handled in weekly meetings of the teams, and in bi-weekly meetings of the team leaders with the principal.
SUMMER SESSION
INSTRUCTIONAL
The summer session of July, 1964, with 90 students receiving extra help, also produced im- portant advances in curriculum and teaching method. To cite some of these:
1. Study group in Social Studies (Hartwell) in- vestigated current programs and met with an outside consultant, Dr. Gil Wilson of Boston University, coming up with a proposal for ex- perimental program to be used in Team Y. This study group will continue to meet during the school year to work on improvement of curriculum in this area.
2. Curriculum in the Social Studies (N-8) re- vised and published.
3. Correlation of Figlish and History for the 8th grade this year.
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4. Language Arts curriculum revised and pub- lished (Teams R-O). This will be used during the current year and evaluated be- fore official adoption.
5. Standardization of doing research reports for Teams O through Grade 8.
6. Experimental use of the language laboratory resulting in a special project for this year in the English Department (grades 6-8).
7. Inclusion of new science co-ordinator on summer school staff who worked along with several team members rewriting science units for use in Teams B, G and O.
8. Attendance of several staff members at the NASA Workshop in Framingham, Mass.
9. Adoption of SRA Greater Cleveland Mathematics Program in Teams R-N.
10. A semi-programmed unit in mathematics devel- oped by a math study group (grades 7 and 8).
11. Preparation of transparencies for use in overhead projectors.
12. Study guides, taped materials and various units developed.
13. The development of a philosophy of approach based on research about slower-learning chil - dren in science; 6 units worked out for these classes. (Grades 7 and 8).
14. An improved art curriculum; certain pro- cesses specified and explained; continuity and sequence strengthened.
15. Music curriculum revised; experimental work- shop with a select group of students con- ducted; continued work on the cataloging of records.
16. Physical Education curriculum further de- veloped with specific plans for the coming year .
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ACADEMIC SCHOOL YEAR 1964-1965
A Spalding Workshop for all new teachers, Teams R through grade 7, was held September 1-4 at Hartwell School with Mrs. Adrienne Rubin con- ducting the in-service workshop course which proved to be invaluable to all concerned.
In addition to the instructional changes and improvements resulting from the summer session, the following warrant mention:
Hartwell and Smith School: Teams R-N
1. Use of SRA Math Program and continuation of the Madison Enrichment Program. All math in Teams R-N is co-ordinated by Mrs. Betty Bjork who not only teaches and super - vises, but also holds periodic in-service meetings.
2. Use of SRA Social Studies Program, Our Working World, on trial basis on Team Y. This is an economic-based program extremely well organized.
3. Co-ordination of the Science curriculum by Mr. Joseph Fallo who is available to con- sult and teach in Teams R-N.
4 . Increased use of the large group method of instruction in English, Social Studies and Science (Team N).
5. Employment of an additional physical educa- tion teacher resulting in an improved physi- cal education for Teams O and N, and in a more effective after-school sports program.
Smith and Brooks School : Grades 6, 7 and 8
Reorganization of three slower-moving classes, two in the 6th and one in the 7th grade which re- sults in the teaching of both English and Social Studies by the same teacher. This approach is de- signed to provide an improved program for helping students to better develop their English skills as
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the teacher can effectively include such skills in the Social Studies program.
English and Social Studies
1 . Increased use of large group instruction, use of tape recorders in English classes for oral reading improvement and more atten- tion to small group needs when desirable.
2 . In social studies, active work with The Children's Museum in helping to develop specific materials relating to studies of Indians and Greece.
3. A try-out of an American Revolution unit developed last summer at ESI in Watertown in which two staff members participated.
Mathematics
1. The mathematics study group is continuing to evaluate and to further develop materials based on the SMSG math program which will increasingly provide students with opportun- ities to move at their own rate, and for teachers to work with small groups when de- sirable.
Science
1. Work with ESI in Watertown in the develop- ment of experimental units. Mr. Donald Ford, now employed by ESI, taught two of these units last fall, - one in the 8th grade and one in the 6th grade.
2. Mr. Neil Jorgensen and Mr. Christopher Hale will be using some of the ESI Sampler Units on a trial basis this year .. Sampler units are those being given their final classroom test prior to marketing for sale to schools.
Schedule
1 . Certain changes made last year have been in- corporated into this year's schedule:
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a . Double periods continue to be provided where the need exists: Art, Science, Home Economics and Shop, and some in English, History and Math.
b. Excepting Social Studies, all staff members have planning time co-ordinated such that departmental meetings may be held once a week during the school day.
c . The study periods have been consolidated into three activity periods at the end of the day for grades 7 and 8, and one for 6th grade. During these periods, the following are now possible during school hours:
Study Orchestra - Chorus (Boy's and Girl's) Library use - ( individual basis) Student Council and Committee meetings Lincoln Leger Extra help in certain areas
Boys'; Cooking and Girls' Shop (Grades 7 and 8) Grade level student meetings
PRINCIPAL, HANSCOM SCHOOL
Robert A. Leach
Following a continued pattern of growth and expansion, Hanscom School has operated this year at full building capacity. In addition, it has been necessary to rent two rooms at the Center School in Lincoln to accommodate our kindergarten classes.
STAFF
Our present staff consists of 40 full and part time teachers. In addition our staff has worked with Boston University and Lowell State College in their respective teacher training pro- grams. These highly-qualified young profession- als are meeting the educational needs of approxi-
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mately 650 students. This enrollment figure repre- sents a gain of 75 students over the last year's opening figure.
ENROLLMENT AND BUILDING PLANS
Construction of 200 additional units in the base housing area, now well underway, will cause a projected enrollment increase of approximately 300 students starting next September. Under construc- tion at this time is a building which will contain the equivalent of 12 classroom spaces, a health room and administrative office space. This building will be sited adjacent to our present kindergarten wing and will house a greater part of our primary unit. In addition, facilities for a gymnasium, or all-purpose room, will be built near the wing of the building presently housing our upper levels, grades 6 through 8. Cafeteria expansion and additional storage areas are also a part of the current phase of construction.
INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM
Several innovations in our instructional pro- gram have taken place this year. In conjunction with Hartwell and Smith Schools, Hanscom School con- ducted a pre-school reading workshop for new teach- ers and substitutes, under the direction of Mrs. Charlotte Rothstein, our reading supervisor. This endeavor has proved to be a very successful one and we plan to continue this approach next year. An - other successful reading workshop, this one for our parents, was completed last fall. A ten week work- shop in modern math for parents, an adult evening art class, and a woodworking class for parents have rounded out an interesting program of adult educa- tion.
SUMMER WORKSHOP
Our summer school workshop this past year pro- vided an opportunity for introducing several re- visions to our instructional program and the sched- uling format at the upper levels. A major revision
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in scheduling of our academic subjects at grades 6 through 8 has resulted in a greater flexibility for varied project work by subject-area teams. By scheduling a larger time block of 90 minutes once each week in major subject areas, daily meetings of classes have been reduced from 5 to 4 times a week. In turn, this has allowed our special subject teach- ers to meet with upper level classes more frequent- ly in morning sessions, thus freeing them for more afternoon class meetings with elementary or primary groups. The use of so called "prime" morning time for music and art at the expense of reading and arithmetic is now avoided, to a large extent. Varied groupings, individual and group project work characterize classes meeting in these large time blocks.
Another significant change this year in our upper level math program has included the use of a laboratory approach, based upon programmed SMSG Math materials. A joint committee of math instructors from Smith, Hartwell and Hanscom developed this in- dividualized approach with one unit of SMSG material during the summer workshop. This individualized method of teaching some rather new and difficult material is of great value to our Hanscom students, particularly those who are transferred to us during the school year. The work may be covered by each individual student at his own pace, rather than at- tempting to "catch up" with a given class upon en- rolling in our school.
Our individualized reading program for all levels, utilizing the facilities of our library, has been expanded this year following work in our summer school session. Also new units in our so- cial studies program were completed at the inter- mediate levels.
PARENT SUPPORT AND HSA ACTIVITIES
One of the rewarding aspects, from the stand - point of our staff and administration, has been the active interest of our parents in our school program.
Our room mothers have rendered invaluable aid in scheduling conferences and assisting staff members
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in planning various room activities. In addi- tion to helping our librarian and nurse with their programs this year, our parents have given generously of their time serving as bus mothers for our kindergarten classes at Center School.
Our Hanscom School Association, patterned after the LSA, has been most active and helpful in supporting many school activities during the year. Because of the large influx of new families in base housing last summer, an orientation meeting for parents enrolling their children for the first time at Hanscom was held last September prior to the opening of school. This affair was very well attended and was followed by an orientation tea for kindergarten parents, held in the basement rooms at Center School. These initial meetings are being followed by four general membership meetings held on alternate months during the school year.
FUTURE PLANS
The limits of the future growth and expansion of Hanscom School are yet to be defined. We ex- pect to have nearly 1000 students enrolling at Hans- com next fall as a result of the additional new housing units. This increased enrollment will be reflected by the fall of 1966 with a junior high student body of approximately 300 students. This in turn, would seem to indicate the necessity for the planning of additional junior high school facil- ities, perhaps planned in connection with the build- ing of the gymnasium wing included in the present phase of construction. Thus we may expect to see a sizeable complex of school buildings at Hanscom which will house at least one half of the school population of the Lincoln School system in the near future. We look forward to these developments with great interest.
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