BACK TO SCHOOL

New Faces, New Programs To Greet Students Next Week

by Alan Pollock

            Enthusiastically or otherwise, students will return to classes next week after their summer break, and they’ll be greeted by some changes in the Chatham and Harwich public schools.

            In Chatham, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mary Ann Lanzo said there have been several faculty additions, including Elementary School Principal Gaylene Heppe, Director of Student Services Joan Goggin  new Middle School math and science teacher Matthew Barnes, and several new staff members.

            Most of the other changes this year are behind the scenes, Lanzo said.

            “We’re continuing with our professional learning communities that we began last year,” she said.  As part of that initiative, teachers will continue collaborating together at the grade level to grade students’ work and develop teaching strategies, Lanzo said.  The district has also just undergone a full review of its social studies curriculum, she said.

            Two teachers will be returning from foreign studies to develop mew classroom material in foreign languages and marine sciences, she added.

            Talks are ongoing with the Harwich Public Schools to explore opportunities to share resources, Lanzo said.  Chatham has written a visual and performing arts curriculum, and will be collaborating with Harwich and the Nauset Public Schools in that program, she said.

            Classes in the Chatham Public Schools begin on Tuesday, Sept. 2, for students in all grades.

            In Harwich, Superintendent of Schools Carolyn Cragin said there have been a number of faculty additions in all three schools.  They include high school technology teacher David Breski, grade 5 teacher Donna Chase, kindergarten teacher Nancy Gifford, Pre-kindergarten teacher Jennifer McIlvin, high school math teacher Janis McGrory, high school chemistry teacher Haley McMurray, high school foreign language teacher Elizabeth Hoff, high school math teacher Eileen Harrington, grade 7 reading teacher Georgia Petrasko, grade 5 teacher Melissa Peterson, grade 1 teacher Patricia Smith, high school biology teacher Rebecca Stang, and high school history teacher Janice Barton.

            Students at the high school will also notice some new equipment, Cragin said.

            “The most exciting thing this year is the infusion of technology that comes out the article that passed at town meeting,” she said.  The high school now has 13 “smart boards” to assist with instruction, and two laptop computer laboratories-on-wheels.  The improvements not only improve the classroom experience, but help address concerns raised by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges during its accreditation process.  Jim Birchfield has been named the new instructional technology specialist, and will work with teachers to integrate the new technology into their lesson plans, Cragin said.

            At the elementary school, there will be a full-time foreign language teacher on staff this year, allowing students more time to study foreign languages.  “It’s exciting for them, and it becomes a natural part of the learning process,” Cragin said.  Last year, the school shared a foreign language teacher with the high school.

            New prices are in effect for school lunches in Harwich this year; lunch will cost $2 for elementary students and $2.25 for students in the upper grades.  Breakfast will be 60 cents for elementary and middle school students, and 70 cents for high school students.  Milk is 50 cents.

            Classes in Harwich begin on Wednesday, Sept. 3 for all grades except kindergarten and pre-kindergarten, which begin Sept. 8.

New Middle School Principal Getting Acclimated To Harwich

by Alan Pollock

            HARWICH — John Riley has set about the business of becoming the new principal of the Harwich Middle School.  He’s met most of the staff, he can find his way around the building, and he’s even taken in a Harwich Mariners game.  All that’s left is for school to start, and that happens next Wednesday.

            Though he’s been on the job since the beginning of July, Riley said he’s already got reason to believe things will go well, thanks largely to the efforts of former Principal Mary Childress, who left the job after nine years to become principal of the Bourne Middle School. 

            “Mary left this place in good shape,” Riley said, taking a break Monday from the pre-opening-day bustle at the middle school.

            For the past six years, Riley has been an assistant principal at the Robert E. Melican Middle School in Northborough.  While there, he established a very successful “Friday Club” for students having trouble completing their work earlier in the week.  The voluntary program was a big hit with parents, and proved its success by causing its own enrollment to decline over time, as more students caught up with their work. 

            Before taking the position in Northborough, Riley was an elementary school principal in the Tantasqua Regional School District in Central Massachusetts; prior to that, he was an elementary school principal in Sturbridge.  All tolled, he has 30 years in education, both in public schools and in parochial schools in the Worcester area.  Riley was also an ordained clergyman in the Worcester Diocese.

            In choosing Riley to lead the middle school, Superintendent of Schools Carolyn Cragin said she was impressed with his ability to identify expectations for students at each grade level, and helping students improve performance by ensuring they get the resources they need.  Cragin was also impressed by the Friday Club, and by the fact that Riley embraces a team approach to education, making positive connections with students, parents and staff.

            In the days before the first buses arrive, Riley will continue learning about the way things are done at Harwich Middle School.  Having met most of the teachers and employees, Riley said he is already impressed.

            “It’s a great energy here that I’m experiencing already,” he said. 

            Riley said his job will eventually be to raise questions about the way things are done, “and I’ll get the answers as I go along.”  For now, he’s focused on ironing out scheduling challenges and budget items.  “The learning curve is the main thing,” he said.

            The new principal has found a rental house in Harwich, but said he will be keeping watch on the real estate market in hopes of buying a home here.  He’s already made an effort to learn more about the community, and even caught a Harwich Mariners game at Whitehouse Field.  “It was great,” he said.

            Riley was chosen from a field of 25 applicants for the middle school principal’s job, and when he was offered the job, he took the weekend to decide.  Though Harwich Middle School is about half the size of the Melican School, Riley said that would give him a better chance to interact more closely with students, staff and the community.

New Principal Readies For First Day At Chatham Elementary

by Alan Pollock

            CHATHAM — With pupils set to arrive on Tuesday, there are plenty of youngsters starting to get butterflies.  They’re not the only ones.

            “Everybody’s nervous on the first day of school,” Gaylene Heppe said with a smile.  For the new principal at Chatham Elementary School, there will be nothing but new faces.

            Heppe started work on July 1, having come to Chatham from Attleboro, where she was principal of the Thomas E. Willett Elementary School.  Before that, she was the assistant principal of an elementary school in Thompson, Conn. for a year, before which she was a staff developer in reading at the Hudson Public Schools in Hudson, Mass.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Nevada, and a master’s degree in reading and language from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.  Heppe also holds a certificate of advanced graduate study in early childhood and literacy.

            Before her stint as an administrator, Heppe was in the classroom every day, teaching pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first and fourth grades.  Her teaching career began in 1970, and she has taught in Massachusetts, Nevada and California.

            But Heppe’s no stranger to Cape Cod.  In 1999, she and her husband bought a house in Harwich Port, and they’re now in the process of converting that summer residence for year-round use.  Though she said she wasn’t looking for a new position, she was tempted by the chance to become a full-time Cape Cod resident.

            “I’m just absolutely delighted to be here,” she said Monday. 

            Though she took some vacation time over the summer to work on her house and to indulge in some golfing, Heppe has spent most of her time in Chatham getting to know the workings of the elementary school.  Only once she has learned the organization will she set about “fine-tuning things to make sure things run smoothly,” Heppe said.

            She has met most of the teachers and staff members, though she hasn’t learned all their names yet.  The elementary school is fortunate to have years of experience at work in its classrooms, she said.

            “We have a lot of staff members who’ve been here a long time,” Heppe said.  That means that there will be lots of continuity and stability in the school’s programs and procedures.  Things appear to be working well at the school, and Heppe said she doesn’t intend to make any sweeping changes right away.

            Heppe takes the place of Daniel Deneen, who left the position after two years to become principal at the elementary school in Boylston, Mass.  His predecessor, Ann Mahoney, was Chatham Elementary School’s principal for six years.

            Heppe said she was attracted to the Chatham job because of the small size of the school, and the commitment the community has shown to its public schools over the years.

            Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mary Ann Lanzo said Heppe was chosen for the job because of her background in literacy, her experience mentoring teachers, and her skills as a principal.

New Chatham Middle School Principal Lisa Sjostrom Eager For First Day

by Alan Pollock

            CHATHAM — The way Lisa Sjostrom sees it, the role of the schools aren’t to produce students who score well on tests at any cost.  It’s to help youngsters grow into responsible citizens, moral beings, and people who are passionate about learning.

            On Monday, the new principal at Chatham Middle School was putting the finishing touches on a welcome letter to her incoming students.  In it, she asks them to work together as a team, treating their peers with respect and learning from their mistakes.  She signs it “Lisa Sjostrom, Principal/Perpetual Learner.”

            Sjostrom comes to Chatham from Newton, where she was the assistant principal of the Oak Hill Middle School.  She is also the director of Helping Kids Thrive, an educational consulting firm that focuses on helping kids develop socially and emotionally, and she is a research associate and project director at McLean Hospital in Belmont, where she has helped establish an program designed to prevent eating disorders in pre-teen girls.   This will be her first experience as a principal.

            A writer and curriculum designer for the Ms. Foundation for Women, Sjostrom has also written extensively on eating disorders, bullying prevention and student-to-student sexual harassment.  She also worked as a financial analyst for the J. Henry Schroder Corporation.

            Her teaching career began in 1986 at the Polytechnic Preparatory Country Day School in Brooklyn, N.Y., after which she taught at the Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn and at the Bennington July Program in Bennington, Vt.  She holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Yale, and a master’s degree in education from Harvard.

            The new principal said she doesn’t know what changes may be made at Chatham Middle School, but she’ll be examining what works “and what we can do better.”  If there are kids who can be better served, that will need to be explored, she said.  “But I want to hear from everybody in the school first.”

            Sjostrom has been meeting not only with teachers but with other staff members, custodians and cafeteria staff, looking for ways to improve school operations.

            One change she will put in place immediately is the resumption of regular all-school assemblies, which had more recently been held when there was a pressing need.  Sjostrom said the students need to regularly come together as a group, possibly as often as each month.

            Chatham has a reputation of strongly supporting its public schools, which is one factor that attracted Sjostrom to the position.  But she said she is keenly aware of the fiscal challenges facing the school district next year.  Last year, Newton voters were faced with a Proposition 2½ override to help fund the schools, and voted down the override request.  The results, likely including cuts in support services like special education, will be felt this year, she said.

            Sjostrom takes the place of Marie McKay, who has been hired as the new assistant superintendent of the Barnstable public schools.  Having been with the Chatham Public Schools for nearly 25 years, McKay served as middle school principal since 2005, first on an interim basis and then permanently.

Sandwich Woman New Director Of Student Services 

            CHATHAM --- The school department has hired a new director of student services.  Joan Goggin comes to the system from  the Norton Public Schools, where she was director of pupil support services; previous to that, she worked in the Plymouth school system as out of district liaison.  In Chatham, she will serve as director of special education, coordinator of professional development and civil rights coordinator.  She also oversees district-wide support services including guidance and curriculum development.

            “She really functions as the other person in the central office,” said Lanzo, who held the same position before becoming superintendent.

            It took two searches to find Goggin, Lanzo noted.  “In that kind of a crucial position, we need someone seasoned, who is a forward thinker, someone who can problem solve,” Lanzo said of Goggin, who lives in Sandwich.

            Goggin said she is committed to the Cape and saw the position as an opportunity to give back to the community.

            “I think I’ve come into an idea situation,” she said of the position.  In just 10 days on the job, she’s got a sense of the commitment of the staff and parents to “roll up their sleeves” and do what is right for children.  Faculty was due to start work on Wednesday with two days of professional development.

            “The initial part of my job is to sit back and listen,” Goggin said, “to hear what people have to talk about planning and moving forward together.”

8/28/08