Sunday, April 21, 2013

"Scout's Honor" video & discussion: Tuesday, 4/23

Scoutmaster Peter Miller has asked that we post the following:


Video Screening & Discussion:
  • PBS Documentary "Scout's Honor"
  • Should the Boy Scouts continue to exclude homosexual scouts and leaders?

Tuesday, April 23, 2013
6:30 pm
Durham Community Church

Next Tuesday evening, 4/23, Scouts for Equality and the Durham Community Church will host a viewing of "Scout's Honor," the documentary about a 12 year-old Boy Scout who nearly succeeded in overturning the BSA ban on homosexuals.  4/23 is also the day that we expect BSA to release the wording of the question that board members will consider during their 5/22 meeting in Grapevine (Dallas), Texas.
I realize 4/23 is spring break for the Oyster River schools, but please attend if you can, and please share the announcement widely!
Thanks,
Peter




Thursday, April 18, 2013

Letter to SB re: elementary school enrollment

Durham resident Erin Sharp has asked that we post the following:

April 16, 2013
Oyster River Cooperative School District
Attn: School Board
SAU #5, 36 Coe Drive
Durham, NH 03824
Dear School Board Members:
Due to professional travel, I am unable to attend the meeting about equalizing elementary school enrollment in the district. I am an ORCSD parent (current 3rd grader and a 4 year old) and I am faculty member in the department of Family Studies at UNH. My area of expertise is lifespan Human Development with a focus on adolescent development. I am knowledgeable about the developmental research on school transitions, as well as other significant life transitions, and based on the empirical data I would strongly encourage School Board members to avoid any decision that would add an additional school transition to our children’s educational experience.
Although changing the grade spans served by the two elementary schools would potentially benefit the district budget and administrative structures, the message from developmental and educational research is fairly clear. An additional school transition would certainly negatively impact many of our children’s academic performance, attachment to school, and their well-being. This negative impact would be greatest for the most vulnerable students in our district. Why? It takes time for students to adapt to an environment, attach to a setting, establish a routine, and feel confident in their educational setting. The space matters. Children change grades, teachers, and classmates each year; we have a responsibility to make sure their comfort in their physical space and with the staff and administrators remain stable for as long as possible.
Developmental psychologists have recognized that they got it wrong when it came to recommending a middle school transition. The research is clear – the ideal educational grade span is K-8 and 9-12 – leaving schools trying to find ways to take the middle school years out of the middle. Less empirical data exists on transitions during the elementary school years, but research that has been done indicates that even these early transitions are associated with negative academic, social, and psychological change. Children often rebound from these transitions, but it would take up to a year and then the children would experience another school transition.
We are very attached to our 3rd grader’s school. We would be disappointed if our younger son was required to attend a different elementary school. However, my concerns about the long term educational experiences of the children in our district (as a whole) far outweigh concerns about overcoming those personal disappointments. Also, from a personal perspective, I have observed the positive impact that it has had on my son to be a 3rd grader in a school setting that feels like his. With each new year attending the same school, his confidence, sense of belonging and ownership, and his view of himself as an ambassador to the younger (and new) students increase. In part this is due to his maturity, but this is also because he feels like an expert of his environment.  

Here is a list of some citations if you are interested in reading the empirical work:
Alspaugh, J.W., and Harting, R.D. (1995). Transition effects of school grade-level organization on student achievement. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 28(3), 145-149. (much more work by Alspaugh)

Anderman, E. M., & Midgley, C. (1997). Changes in achievement goal orientations, perceived academic competence, and grades across the transition to middle-level schools. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 22, 269-298. (much more work by Anderman but this is a commonly cited article)

Eccles, J. S., & Roeser, R. W. (2011). Schools as developmental contexts during adolescence. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21, 225-241.
Coladarci, T., & Hancock. J. (2002). Grade-span configuration. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 17, 189-192.

Epstein, J. L. & Mac Iver, D. J. (1990). The middle grades: Is grade span the most important issue? Educational Horizons, 68, 88-94.

Franklin, B., & Glascock, C. (1998). The relationship between grade configuration and student performance in rural schools. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 14(3), 149-154.

Howley, C. (2002). Grade-span configurations. The School Administrator, 3(59), 24-29.


I appreciate the opportunity to express my opinion on this issue and wish I was able to attend the April 18th meeting. If I can provide additional information to the board, please feel free to contact me.
  
Sincerely, 
Erin Hiley Sharp, PhD
Assistant Professor of Family Studies

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Reminder: Equalizing Enrollment Meeting

Superintendent Jim Morse would like to remind you about the meeting this coming Thursday, April 18th pertaining to equalizing enrollment between Mast Way and Moharimet for the 2014-15 school year.  This meeting will be held at Oyster River High School from 6:00 – 8:00 PM in the school auditorium.  He will present options the School Board is considering, followed by a question and answer period.
Babysitting will be provided.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Right-To-Know Law Educational Session: Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Also from this week's "Friday Updates":

The members of the Town of Durham’s boards, committees, commissions, Town Council, and Library Board of Trustees serve as members of public boards and are therefore responsible to act in accordance with the Right-to-Know law in the State of New Hampshire. The Preamble of the Right-to-Know law reads: “Openness in the conduct of public business is essential to a democratic society. The purpose of this chapter is to ensure both the greatest possible public access to the actions, discussions and records of all public bodies, and their accountability to the people.”

In order to ensure that the members of Durham’s public boards are given the resources they need to act in accord with RSA 91-A, a Right-to-Know law educational session has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 28, 2013, beginning at 7:00 PM in the Town Council chambers.

Attorney Christine Fillmore from the Local Government Center will be present to provide an overview of the Right-to-Know law and to answer any questions that board members may have. The general public and Town department heads are invited and encouraged to attend the session, or to view it on Durham Community Access Television (Channel 22).

Oyster River School Board members are also invited to attend, as well as the Selectmen and board members from the communities of Lee and Madbury.

Survey re: Tuitioning Students Into ORCSD

From Durham's "Friday Updates":

The ORCSD will be asking the Durham residents within the district to take part in a voluntary survey pertaining to tuition students. The survey will be a scientific random telephone survey administered through the UNH Survey Center and not all residents will receive a call. The district would like to take this opportunity to thank residents in advance for their input. For more information regarding the survey, visit https://www.ci.durham.nh.us/administration/orcsd-survey-letter

Monday, April 8, 2013

Community Meeting on Equalizing Enrollment at Mast Way, Moharimet--4/18, 6:00 p.m. at ORHS

Superintendent Morse recently announced the following:

Hello Parents,

I would like to invite you to a meeting pertaining to equalizing enrollment between Mast Way and Moharimet for the 2014-15 school year.  This meeting will be held on Thursday, April 18th 2013 at Oyster River High School from 6:00 - 8:00 PM in the school auditorium.  I will present options the School Board is considering, followed by a question and answer period.

Thank you.

Superintendent Morse

Monday, April 1, 2013

Reminder: panel discussion on learning styles, tomorrow 7:00 p.m. at ORHS

The organizers of tomorrow's panel discussion have asked me to post the following reminder:

Just a reminder that tomorrow evening (April 2) our first educational panel discussion on the practice of engaging our learners will be held in the Multi purpose room at the high school.

The event will begin at 7pm.

Tom Newkirk will facilitate the discussion and the following educators will talk about their particular expertise with learning. We look forward to seeing you!

Panel participants:

Rebecca Yerkes, Grade 2 MW
Susan O'Byrne, Grade 3 MOH
Dennis Harrington, Principal MOH
Sunny Sadana, Grade 5 ORMS
Nate Grove, Grade 8 ORMS
Kip Deese-Laurent, Guidance Department, ORMS
Matthew Pappas, SS teacher ORHS
Kara Sullivan, English teacher ORHS