USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Tewksbury > Town of Tewksbury annual report 1959-1963 > Part 13
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Here at North Street School and Foster School, you can see evidence of this most desirable experience area, creativity .....
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One means of providing creative experience is by participation in the various programs and assemblies in which all pupils and personnel share. Another outstanding Spring Program and a delight- ful Christmas Program in addition to the various classroom pro- grams were presented by North Street School pupils. Lack of stage facilities did not dampen the efforts of the Foster School pupils in their presentation of an inspiring Christmas Program.
The North Street School was included as a participating train- ing school for the Lowell State Teachers College student teacher program. Miss Martha Quinn and Mrs. Charlotte Johnson gave most generously of their time and effort in the supervision of two apprentice teachers.
We are grateful to have once again been included to receive the services of the State Bookmobile. It is hoped that during the school year it will be possible to establish a central library at North Street School upon completion of shelving.
Aware that many parents are unfamiliar with the scope of the children's school work, the teachers of grade one prepared a special presentation as a part of the Open House Program during National Education Week. An oral explanation was given and a special booklet was prepared by the North Street personnel and presented to the visiting parents of grade one pupils.
The Tewksbury P.T.A. most graciously presented a 21 inch television set to the North Street School in order that this school could take advantage of the educational TV being presented for the elementary school pupils in this area. One 21inch set is recom- mended for each class. A set was provided for Foster School by the regular school funds.
HEATH BROOK SCHOOL (Daniel G. O'Connor)
During the past year the improvement of the classroom teaching-learning situation has been the prime interest of the staff and administration.
Recognizing that different pupils learn at different rates, grouping has been made a part of grades 4, 5, and 6. The pupils are grouped on the basis of reading achievement, and social factors. It is possible through this method of grouping to minimize the teaching range thus the attempt to increase the teaching efficiency and learning efficiency. This kind of grouping might well be called "common sense" grouping as it does not meet the criteria for homogeneous grouping and therefore cannot be designated as such.
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It is the opinion of the teachers that this arrangement is preferable to that we formerly had.
Another attempt at the improvement of instruction has been accomplished by the School Committee.
In the past three years, a large change in staff members has made it difficult to maintain teaching efficiency. For example, this school opened in September, 1959, with 12 of the 20 teachers who had been with us in September, 1958. Most of this turnover problem occurred through the advent of a marriage or the outcome thereof. It becomes imperative that the staff ratio comprised of persons most likely to be affected by the major cause of turnover be lowered in order to lower the incidence of turnover.
The School Committee in its salary deliberations has taken steps which should prove to be fruitful and it could well be the most important step towards improving our schools, for it is the staff that is the backbone of a school.
Educational television has been a useful teaching tool. While it is too early to draw definite conclusions, as yet, about the effective- ness of Educational Television, certain patterns appear to be emerging.
Educational Television has
1. Brought about a re-thinking of the curriculum and its objectives.
2. Presented superior teachers to be viewed by pupils.
3. Made available richer experiences than are possible in a classroom.
4. Through open-circuit broadcasting shown parents what is being done in a few areas of the child's education.
5. Stimulated pupil reading and research. The rise in the use of library materials has been the most encouraging outcome to date.
6. Shown us that large class teaching, while not perfected as yet, is possible.
7. Shown us that the classroom teachers are a part of present structure of educational television. Without the classroom teacher the televised programs lose their effectiveness.
Problems of Educational Television have also emerged. Some of these problems are:
1. Auditoriums and cafeterias are not designed as classrooms and are not ideal for large television classes.
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2. Problem of finding, recruiting, and instructing good television teachers.
3. The problems of training classroom teachers in the tech- niques of handling large classes, particularly in the tech- niques of eliciting student participation.
4. Students, too, need to learn the techniques of learning in a large class.
5. Television programing and classroom follow-up unity needs integrating.
6. Finally, the never ending problem of quality of the "what and how" of the television teaching.
Our hot-lunch program is experimenting with a different ap- proach to the business control factors. A ticket system has been instituted. It is too early to measure any definite success as yet, but we do know receipts have increased and the classroom time necessary for the new procedure apparently is less than we have previously experienced.
The P.T.A. presented the school with a View-Graph. This audio-visual aid is very expensive but its cost has been justified by the many uses it is receiving here in the classroom.
It is necessary for me to include here a word about the im- portance of parent participation in the P.T.A., especially at the monthly meeting usually held the first Wednesday of each month. Attendance of parents who visit the teacher in the classroom at these times has been excellent. However, attendance at the busi- ness meetings held in the auditorium has not been comparable.
The 1954 Building Committee authorized the construction of a baseball diamond at the school. The diamond is intended for the use of the younger boys and girls and has been built to scale con- sistent with this thinking. The Committee's efforts are appreciated.
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In September of 1959 because of increased enrollments, it became necessary to send two classes of sixth grades to the new high school. There were 67 children affected by this change. The enrollment of the Heath Brook School at the writing of this report is 651 pupils. Thus, school district No. 2 has 718 elementary pupils. Next year another large first grade is expected. Indications are that the present class sizes will be increased and also additional "classrooms" will be made by remodeling certain areas. In any event, the staff of the school stands ready to help the town provide educational opportunity to those pupils who come to us to the best of our ability.
The Heath Brook School has been relatively free from acts of
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vandalism. There have been those instances, however, where dam- age has been done to the building. This occurs for the most part late at night. The police department has been cooperating fully with us to protect public property. A warning is extended to those who would cause such damage of prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.
SHAWSHEEN SCHOOL (Edward F. Pelletier)
During the summer of 1959 the Tewksbury School Committee, due to the resignation of Mr. Harold Hershfield, shifted Mr. Edward F. Pelletier to the principalship of the Shawsheen School. The new duties commenced immediately with work being completed on the curriculum and organization of that school.
As of October 1, 1959, I had under my supervision two schools, the old building and the new building with a total enrollment of 621 pupils in twenty rooms.
A review of the first four months reveals that satisfactory progress is being made in many areas of the curriculum and in related activities.
The summer academic program was made available again in two areas of the curriculum, namely; reading and arithmetic.
Extra curricular activities such as basketball, baseball, bad- minton and games are now in progress in all elementary schools for boys and girls in grades five and six.
The Shawsheen School P.T.O. is a well organized group of interested parents whose sole purpose is to work for the betterment of its school. This year's goal is to contribute a large sum of money from the proceeds of the many activities, toward the building of a school library with books of all levels and interests.
Educational T. V. is being viewed by grades two through six in such areas as Science, Language, Reading and in one fourth grade class, French.
Other Audio-Visual Aids, such as 16mm. and 35mm. films are being viewed regularly.
The Junior Fire Marshal's Program, under the direction of Mr. Pelletier, will serve for the first time all elementary schools.
The Bicycle Road-E-O will again take place during the Bicycle Safety Week in May.
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JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL (Edward J. Farley)
This school year found the Junior High School housed in its own quarters. With the building of a new Senior High School we now had use of the complete facilities which for the past few years had been shared by both schools. In anticipation of this the class- rooms were painted and some areas reconstructed to enhance the Junior High Program. Laboratory tables were installed in two rooms, giving a total of three rooms with such a facility. In order to meet the pressing need for more space, a former locker room was completely overhauled and has become a permanent classroom.
At the moment every possible space is occupied by classrooms. The former high school gymnasium is now five permanent class- rooms, and the former cafeteria is a shop and an art room. What once was a shop is now two permanent classrooms. Needless to say, the building is now just about at capacity as far as student enrolment is concerned. Such a fact must be kept in mind if one is to understand the reasons for our tight educational program.
PROGRAM
Every pupil basically follows the same program. One of the great advantages of having our own building is that we can now have a six hour day. This has enabled us to add a few periods in the major subjects and also provide a supervised study period for each pupil about four times a week. Every pupil has five periods of English, mathematics, and science; three of geography; three or four of history; and one period of art, group guidance, and shop or home economics. Where deemed profitable, an extra period of shop or home economics has been provided in place of one history period a week. The shop program, relatively new in the school, has been growing and is now on a par with the other departments.
As our program now stands one can readily see a need for expanded facilities so that more categorizing into college courses, commercial courses, etc. can be offered. By such a program the pupils would have a sounder sense of direction for future goals.
One of the means used to try and give a sense of direction is a program of ability grouping. In this pupils are placed with students of similar ability. This is done by testing, scholastic achievement, and by the evaluations of teachers and guidance personnel. This program is considered the foundation upon which the educational achievement of the pupil must be built. It is not so rigid that a pupil cannot move to a faster or slower group if his all-around
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performance indicates the need for such. Every child needs the challenge of meeting standards but such standards can only be meaningful if they are within the reach of the pupils asked to meet them. We feel that our ability grouping enables the pupil to be daily faced with a challenge which he has the ability to accept and bring to a successful conclusion.
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES
One of the main reasons for the organization of a Junior High School is to provide youngsters with a wider variety of educational ideas. One means of accomplishing this is the school library. This year the library was moved to larger quarters and about sixty new books have been added. Most of the reference books which formerly belonged to the Senior High School were presented to us along with the building. Under the capable direction of a member of the English department the library is fast becoming a great asset to pupils desiring to expand their knowledge beyond that found in the classroom.
This year each pupil attends one class a week in group guidance. A full time guidance counselor teaches the majority of these classes and likewise has a full schedule of testing and counseling. These services have been heralded as a necessity for every school and we feel fortunate in having them handled so capably.
A few years ago a faculty member took it upon himself to coordinate the audio-visual materials and equipment. This has led to increased activity in this area on the part of all teachers and has proven itself a great help in bringing ideas into the classrooms which cannot be gained in any other way.
The most common problem facing pupils at the junior high level is difficulty in reading . This causes concern both to teachers and pupils, and all subjects are affected by it. Thus there is always a need for a strong reading program, both developmental and remedial. The English department has a developmental program which assists each pupil in becoming a better reader. One faculty member devotes about one fourth of his time to remedial reading. These programs are not adequate for a school of this size and we are continually striving to strengthen this area as much as possible.
Although our athletic program is limited to varsity participa- tion, we have coaches assigned for the three major sports. About eighty boys tried out for the football and basketball teams. The girls showed great interest in becoming cheerleaders for the football team. Boys and girls interested in music have the opportunity to receive individual instrumental lessons and to possibly become members of the Junior-Senior High School Band. On very special occasions dances are held at the North Street School Cafeteria.
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These are restricted to members of our Junior High School and have been most successful.
In conclusion I must say that in spite of the limitations of the building, I feel the pupils of Tewksbury can truly be proud of the education they are receiving in their Junior High School. There is much to be done in the future but I certainly would be remiss if I did not point with pride to the faculty and say, with all sincerity, that they are unmatched in their effort to do all in their power to make our school the best. A school is a reflection of its staff, and indeed, there is the reason the Tewksbury Junior High School is so successful in what it is attempting to do.
GUIDANCE (Joseph Bastable)
Assisting each boy or girl to realize his full potential is the objective of our Guidance Service in Tewksbury. To implement this objective our Guidance Services are organized into three general areas: informational services, counseling, and placement. This report will discuss our activities in these areas and, wherever possible, give objective results of our efforts.
Our informational services aid the student to learn: (1) what his aptitudes, interests, and scholastic achievement are as indicated by standardized tests; (2) through regularly scheduled Career Conferences, what various occupations offer in opportunities and what they demand in training; (3) through student conferences with various admissions officers, what college admissions officers look for in students seeking admission; (4) through school-sponsored visits, what a particular college campus is like; and (5) a wealth of information about job opportunities, scholarships, civil service ap- pointments, occupational information, college and technical school catalogs, and apprentice-training programs.
During this past year, our school's Guidance Services qualified for Federal aid - this aid was approximately $2500. We used this aid to amplify our testing program and to add to our occupational and scholarship materials. We believe that, at present, we have ample resources in this area to answer our students' current needs.
Our objective in counseling is to meet each student individually and to make him aware of the school's and his counselor's interest in him and his success now and in the future. At this individual interview or subsequent ones, his counselor will reveal to the student various information about his test scores, his class marks
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and standing, and encourage the student to discuss his post- graduate plans so that the counselor may guide him in obtaining accurate information about this plan and to help the student formu- late a plan of attack in order that the latter may achieve success.
Other matters are, of course, often discussed, analyzed, and various plans of action outlined in a counseling interview. Prob- lems of adjustment to school, curriculum changes, personal prob- lems, and scholastic difficulties are some of the topics often brought to the counselor for his help. The student knows that his confidence will not be violated, thus he places his trust in his counselor.
Because of our increased growth, two new school counselors were added to our staff this year. Mrs. Ruth Cullinan was assigned to work in the Tewksbury Junior High School. Mrs. Katherine Pigott joined the guidance service at the High School. Mrs. Pigott was granted a leave of absence in November and was replaced by Mrs. Helen Hunter. These staff increases have helped us to in- crease the quantity as well as the quality of our guidance services.
Placement is the third area on which we are reporting. In many ways this is our most important area. If the student's place- ment is a good one, he achieves success and he is happy. All of the work, his teacher's and ours, can be marred by improper placement on the job, in college, in nursing schools, or in technical schools. We strive for perfection because of the importance of each indivi- dual to us, yet we realize that absolute perfection is denied to human beings.
Reporting on our placement for last year's graduates, we are heartened by the steady increase of students going on to further education. About 48 per cent of the 1959 graduates are attending schools of higher learning and, at this writing, on the whole doing well. The remainder of the graduates are working in satisfactory jobs, helped in most instances by our guidance services. Many of our business education graduates have well-paying positions in electronic plants in this area.
It is interesting to note the range of our graduates' major fields of concentration. One student is majoring in higher mathematics and another is majoring in the field of education for the mentally retarded. Several have gone into nursing; other field of concentra- tion are Forestry, Agriculture, Teaching, Biology, Engineering, Pharmacy, Business, Dentistry, Art, Aviation, and the Engineering Technical field.
These college bound students earned scholarships which have a potential worth of approximately $8300, inasmuch as many of their scholarship grants are renewed yearly if the student does satisfactory college work.
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In conclusion, we wish to let all citizens know how much we appreciate our new school with its splendid facilities. We believe that these new facilities will help us all to perform more efficiently. We in the Guidance Services look forward to working closely with administration and staff members in improving our curriculum, in affording opportunities for the academically gifted student, and in helping remedy the scholastic deficiencies of students.
We feel that our close contact with the students' school adjust- ment and his performance later in college and industry, and our close working relationship with these two groups afford us a unique opportunity to act as a liason agent between the school and indus- try and higher education agencies that receive our graduates.
ELEMENTARY VOCAL (Shirley Laman)
The Philosophy of Music Education
It is not the single purpose of music in the new school to provide future concert audiences. Its prime purpose is to present such a variety of experience that each child may discover some phase of musical activity in which he finds enjoyment. If the right contacts and experiences are provided, every life can find, in music, some answer to its fundamental need for aesthetic and emotional outlet. Education fails of its cultural objectives unless it brings to every child the consciousness that his own spirit may find satisfying ex- pression through the arts.
A new approach has been initiated in elementary education. The music specialist is now a Supervisor, whose duties are as follows:
Planning the music program for all the elementary schools and working with the sixty-four teachers.
Providing helpful suggestions for techniques to be used.
Demonstration of such techniques.
Observing the music class as teachers work with children in order to cooperate with them in giving further suggestions.
Suggestions for materials to be used in each area of music (singing, playing, creating, rhythms, listening and reading,) which should enrich the entire school curriculum as well as the music program.
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Conferences with other specialists, Principals, and teachers to develop meaningful projects.
Assistance in the organization and direction of special events and programs such as the five Christmas Programs pre- sented at the schools this year.
It is the Supervisor's responsibility to acquaint the teachers with all the facilities available to them, to make their music lessons more meaningful to each child, and in this way substantiate the philosophy of Music Education.
ELEMENTARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION (Nicklos Andonikos)
Physical Education as part of education requires time in the curriculum, facilities for activity, a well balanced progressive pro- gram, and good teaching. It has a definite place and is now part of the elementary school curriculum.
ELEMENTARY PHYSICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM
The physical education program during this past year has been reorganized. All the children in the elementary grades (1-6) are scheduled to at least one physical education period per week.
An up to date program is offered to the children, in which each child is given the opportunity to participate in each of the following activities, sometime during the school year - story plans and mimetics, games, relays, stunts, self testing activities, rhythmi- cal activities, individual athletic activities and classroom games.
Some of my specific duties are - preparing a written program of studies at each grade level, preparing assignments for teachers on a weekly basis, and teacher conferences. On my visit with the teachers I observe them in the act of teaching, and also demonstrate methods and techniques that should be used. I help the teacher to solve special problems and to select and obtain material that will enrich the teaching program.
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM
The after school program has also been reorganized. It is an intromural program climaxed with an interscholastic program. The program is conducted under the supervision of instructors at each
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of the three school districts - Shawsheen, Heath Brook, and North Street. Attendance is voluntary and any child (boy or girl), who is in the fifth or sixth grade, is eligible to participate in this program. The activities being offered are basketball for the boys and girls from December through March, and from April through June base- ball for the boys and softball for the girls. After the fundamentals of each sport have been taught, all the children are given the opportunity to compete in interclass competitive games, then the program is climaxed with an interscholastic program in which all the school districts are given the opportunity to play each other.
LEARN TO SWIM PROGRAM
Attendance and interest continues to increase in this program which was sponsored by the Lowell YMCA. The youngsters from all the elementary schools (ages 9-14) showed excellent progress during this program, considering the fact that they were all non- swimmers to begin with. Without doubt, this program should be continued from year to year because of its valuable attributes.
SUMMER RECREATIONAL PROGRAM
The summer playground program was sponsored again by the Tewksbury Public Schools. The attendance at the Junior High School district was very encouraging, and from the opening day until the closing day, games, sports and special events made an interesting summer for children in this district. The daily program included games of all types (quiet and active), sports, small and large group play, team games and it was also supplemented by feature events which included arts and crafts projects, contests, all day beach outing, and movies. This program is worthwhile and should be continued for there is a definite need for some type of guided activity during the summer months.
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