Superintendent's Update February 9. 2016

Post date: Feb 10, 2016 2:23:25 PM

Please remember that school will be in session Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, February 17, 18, & 19 next week.

The 50th edition of the Competitive Class Plays will open on Thursday, February 11th at 6:00 pm in the Cushing Auditorium of Lunenburg High School. An encore performance of the plays is scheduled for Friday, February 12th at 6:00 pm. The Competitive Class Plays are always entertaining and a lot of fun for the entire family. Please join us!

School Building Committee Meeting February 10, 2016

The next meeting of the Lunenburg School Building Committee is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, February 10 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at Town Hall and will be televised. The meeting agenda located at http://www.lunenburgma.gov/content/79/default.aspx

Public Forum Reconfiguration Scheduled for March 2, 2016 at Town Hall

On Wednesday, March 2, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. the first public forum regarding district reconfiguration will take place at the regularly scheduled School Committee meeting at Town Hall. This meeting will be televised, but we encourage you to attend to hear presentations from the administrative team and ask questions.

The District will return to a four school configuration with the opening of the new co-located middle/high school in August, 2016. Each building will have a smaller student population than the current configuration. The Primary School will serve students PK-2. Grades 3-5 will be at Turkey Hill (a process for renaming the school is currently underway). Grades 6-12 will be in the new co-located middle/high school.

Each building will have a full-time principal after the reconfiguration, however the number of assistant principals will decrease. Currently there are six building administrators in the district with three principals and three assistant principals. Next year there will be four principals as follows: Brian Spadafino will continue as the high school principal; Timothy Santry, will remain as principal for the middle school, and Elaine Blaisdell will stay at the primary school as principal. We are currently taking applications for principal of the elementary school grades 3-5. The total number of building administrators will remain unchanged in the reconfigured district, however there will be four principals and two assistant principals.

Please note that we are looking for parents/guardians of children currently enrolled in grades 2, 3, and 4 to serve on the interview committee. This will require time in the late afternoon/evening to interview candidates as well as during the day to participate in site visits. Mr. Santry will be facilitating the search committee. The interview and site visits will be determined as soon as possible. If you are interested in serving, please submit your name and contact information to lps@lunenburgonline.com.

Have you Submitted Your Feedback on the School Name and School Calendar?

There is still time to provide feedback. Submit your choice in writing to the Superintendent’s Office by 4:00 pm on Tuesday, March 1, 2016. You can email your choice to lps@lunenburgonline.com or you can mail or drop off your written choice at room #12, Thomas C. Passios Building, 1025 Massachusetts Avenue, Lunenburg, MA 01462. Three names were proposed for the elementary school for grades 3-5 that will open in the fall of 2016. This is the last year that Turkey Hill Middle School will utilize that school building. The policy for naming the schools begins with the principal and school advisory council who make recommendations to the school committee. The primary and middle school advisory councils recommended the following three names to the School Committee:

• Lunenburg Elementary School

• Turkey Hill Elementary School

• Oak Ave Elementary School

Calendar -Utilizing the guidelines recommended by last year’s Calendar Advisory Committee, two attached calendar options are under consideration by the School Committee. The most notable difference in the calendars is the length of the 2017 February Break. Calendar Option A 2016-2017 School Calendar Option A for Feedback 12-12-2015.pdf includes a five day February Break while Option B 2016-2017 School Calendar Option B for Feedback 12-12-2015.pdf includes an extra day for the Winter Break on December 23, a two day February Break, and a day off on March 17, 2017. The School Committee invites your feedback on these calendars. They will take a vote establishing the official calendar for 2016-2017 at their televised meeting on March 2, 2016. Please send feedback no later than 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1, 2016 via electronic mail to lps@lunenburgonline.com or via US postal service to the Lunenburg School Committee, 1025 Massachusetts Ave., Lunenburg, MA 01462.

Sincerely,

Superintendent Loxi Jo Calmes

Lunenburg Public Schools

1025 Massachusetts Ave.

(978) 582-4100 x211

(978) 582-4103 fax

------------------------------------------------------------------------

The contents of this e-mail and any attachments are the property of the Town of Lunenburg including the Lunenburg School District and subject to the Public Records Law, M.G.L. c. 66, § 10 . When writing or responding, please remember that the Secretary of State's Office has determined that email is a public record and not confidential. To conform to federal mandates, the Town of Lunenburg and Lunenburg Public School District archives all electronic messages and Internet activity for a minimum of 7 years.