Superintendent's Update: January 24 Post

It is officially the halfway point of the school year! As with any good "race," this is when the coach tells you to start picking up the pace. Not too much, mind you, because you have to reserve a burst of energy for the final leg, but it is always at the halfway point of any long-distance run that you begin to give just a little more to ensure you can finish the race strong!

What does this mean for students? It means putting in just that little extra effort on your homework, studying a little more for your assessments, or perhaps making it a point to participate just a little more in class. It also means making sure that you are at school every day, putting in just that little bit more effort for good attendance, which we know can make all the difference in the success of our students!

Whatever you are doing, push yourself to do just that little bit more. You will find it rewarding to a) know that you can and b) see the results at the end of the race! ☺

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks in our schools...then on to the information.

ELEMENTARY S.A.I.L. STUDENTS HELP SULLIVAN HOUSE BAKERY!

Elementary School students in our S.A.I.L program recently collaborated with the Sullivan House Bakery in Gorham to help them describe the food on their menu to customers. Sullivan House Bakery generously donated some very tasty treats for students to sample and then students revamped the descriptions of the food items using figurative language incorporating language techniques such as onomatopoeias, personification, similes, and hyperboles. The bakery was so impressed with their work that they are now displaying these creative descriptions in their store to help customers order the best-baked goods around!

Check out the pictures below and DEFINITELY head to Sullivan House Bakery to read for yourself! I bet you won't be able to walk out without buying something yummy!

RESULTS OF RECENT POLL ON LATE START VS. EARLY RELEASE DAYS

I try not to do surveys of parents, students, or staff without sharing back the results so that you too can benefit from whatever learning may be contained within. If you recall in my last blog post, I asked families to chime in on their thoughts regarding the use of late start days vs. early release days to help inform some upcoming discussions from the School Committee on this topic. I wanted to make sure folks saw the results.

- There were 114 parent responses to the survey

- The largest percent of participation came from GMS families (38.6%). Other school participation broke out as follows: Village (28.9%), GHS (26.3%), Narragansett (26.3%), Great Falls (15.8%).

As can be seen in the chart above, approximately 63.2% of the respondents preferred Early Release Days, while about 36.8% of respondents indicated they wouldn't mind giving late start days a try.

Folks were then asked to share their thoughts/questions/concerns about a potential move to late start days vs. early release days. A summary of those responses (created by A.I. from Chat GPT) is below:

Support for Early Release Days:

Routine & Focus: Many parents find that maintaining the regular morning routine helps children start their day focused and ready to learn. Early release days allow for this consistency.
Childcare Benefits: Early release days are easier for families to manage childcare, as they align better with existing afternoon arrangements. Late starts create challenges for working parents and those without morning childcare options.
Flexibility for Appointments: Families use early release days to schedule appointments without disrupting the school day significantly.
Independence for Older Students: Early release days provide opportunities for middle and high school students to practice independence, socialize responsibly, and support local businesses. Some parents see this as a valuable life skill.

Concerns About Late Start Days:

Childcare Challenges: Many parents expressed difficulty in finding morning childcare or ensuring younger children get to school safely, especially if older siblings are unavailable to help.
Transportation Issues: Some parents worry about students missing the bus or lacking a ride in the morning, potentially leading to absences.
Disruption to Routines: A late start disrupts established morning routines, which could cause stress for younger children and families.

Support for Late Start Days:

Sleep Benefits for Teens: Some parents and staff highlighted the potential benefits of additional sleep for middle and high school students, which could improve focus and well-being.
Less Unsupervised Time: Late start days might reduce unsupervised gatherings of students in town after early dismissal, addressing community concerns about behavior downtown.

Suggestions & Other Feedback:

Local Business Engagement: Some parents noted that businesses appreciate the influx of students during early release days, as it boosts the local economy. Others suggested collaborating with businesses and community organizations to manage student behavior.
Community Dialogue: Parents suggested more engagement with families and local stakeholders to find balanced solutions that address everyone's needs.

Conclusion:

While opinions vary, many respondents favor keeping early release days due to their predictability, ease of childcare, and alignment with routines. Late starts are seen as beneficial for teens' sleep but pose logistical challenges for families with younger children and working parents. Many urge the school to consider alternative solutions that preserve existing benefits while addressing concerns.

STUDENT VOICE SURVEY RESULTS SUMMARY

In early December 2024, all students in grades 5-12 were asked to participate in a student voice survey. This is the first time Gorham Schools have used such a tool to collect student voices locally on matters important to our schools' overall climate and culture. We intend to give this survey annually and track the data longitudinally to help us identify the effectiveness of programs we may implement to address areas of concern/challenge shared by our students.

Over 1,200 students participated in this survey, with 80% of GMS and GHS students and over 70% of grade 5 students participating. This is a robust sample, and there is lots of rich data to explore and discuss in ways that can strengthen our schools and our community!

I want to provide some highlights of the survey results below, but please know you can view a more comprehensive summary using 61 slides by CLICKING HERE. This slide presentation was recently shared with the Gorham School Committee at its workshop meeting this past Wednesday night and with the Gorham Anti-Racism & Equity Committee at their most recent meeting last night. This data has also been shared with the Gorham District Leadership Team and will be shared and discussed more in-depth at each school. At the end of the slide show, you can see some initial analysis of the data, and the last slide indicates some "next steps" we plan to take as a school system moving forward.

Again, just a sampling below! Please review and reach out with questions you may have!

Please note that the general slides show district-wide data, which can be broken down by school, grade level, and ethnicity. When you review the full slide deck using the link above, some key questions are highlighted for you to view.

The slide above shows student responses to the statement, "The overall energy/climate at my school is positive." Of those students who decided to share an opinion (in other words, those who did not respond "neither agree nor disagree"), the vast majority agreed with this statement. However, 101 students responded strongly disagree or disagree, which gives us a good opportunity to pause and wonder why students might have responded this way.

The 101 students who responded strongly disagree or disagree were asked to explain why they selected this response and provide examples if they could. Their statements included things like bullying, disrespect, and fights. They also mentioned mean behavior, racism, sexism, homophobia, and verbal abuse. Some students shared examples of uncaring teachers and/or descriptions of generally feeling unhappy. These students felt they needed better support and wanted to see adults better communicate and respond to bullying behaviors among students so that the behaviors stopped.

This slide shows student responses to the statement, "I feel like my teachers care about me and would notice if I were absent." A smaller percentage of students decided to take the middle ground. While 762 students responded strongly agree or agree to this statement, 100 responded either disagree or strongly disagree.

For this slide students responded to the statement: "I feel like my voice matters with the adults in my school." In this case, a larger percentage of students took the middle ground while a smaller group agreed or strongly agreed and a slightly larger group indicated that they disagreed or strongly disagreed with this statement. I am very confident that our staff will be digging more into this question response and trying to better understand why 161 of our students don't feel as though they have voice and/or agency in our schools.

For this slide, students responded to the statement: I feel like people of different cultural backgrounds, races, or ethnicities get along well at this school. A pretty large group, 74%, either agreed or disagreed with this statement, while a smaller group took the middle road and indicated that they either disagreed or strongly disagreed.

Once again, the 49 students who indicated that they disagreed or strongly disagreed were asked to provide examples of why. Students shared their concerns about discrimination against other students, bullying behaviors, body shaming, and sexism. Some students also shared that language barriers may cause barriers and force students to feel more isolated than they should.

For this question, students were asked if they felt they followed our code of conduct online. Only 26% of students agreed or strongly agreed that students followed the code when online. At the same time, many (the most significant number of all questions) strongly disagreed or disagreed with this statement.

This slide provides some food for thought regarding screen time and the importance of digital citizenship. It begs the question: What more can we do to help students understand that the Code of Conduct applies in these spaces as much, if not more so, than in our classrooms?

In this slide, students were asked to respond to the statement: I feel safe at this school. 60% of students agreed or strongly agreed with this statement. 7% disagreed or strongly disagreed, and 33% took the middle ground. Once again, the 84 students who responded that they disagreed or strongly disagreed with that statement were asked to provide context or examples. These students mentioned threats of violence, bullying, school shootings, discrimination against transgender youth, and general rude behaviors as reasons they did not feel safe.

Finally, I wanted to share this last slide. On it, students were asked to rank the work that they felt would strengthen the climate and culture of their schools.

The TOP THREE priorities for our students were 1) Mental Health, 2) More work on understanding and appreciating differences (ethnic, cultural, religious, gender, etc.), and 3) Making sure students feel safe.

Again, this is just a portion of the full results summary, which can be viewed by clicking on the above link.

Overall, I was highly impressed with our students and their willingness to think critically about their school's climate and culture and to offer up areas to focus on moving forward. Based on an overall view of all the data, I would say THREE key regions of importance come to the surface that can assist us in moving forward:

1. We need to do more to provide meaningful opportunities for students to share their voices in our schools and help them feel "agency" that their voices matter and have an impact.

2. We need to do more to better and more holistically address issues of bullying, cyberbullying, and discrimination to ensure that our students feel safe in our schools and that our students feel as though they belong.

3. We must do more to support our students' mental health.

Please take the time to examine this survey's results more thoroughly and engage your child(ren) in some conversations about what they think. Our students are deep thinkers and often see far more clearly than we think they do!

CONGRATULATIONS TO NEW SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBER JACI REYNOLDS!

Congratulations to Jaci Reynolds, our newest School Committee Member. Jaci will fill the slot left open by the recent resignation of long-time school committee member Stewart McCallister. She will serve as an appointed member until the next municipal election in June 2025.

Here's some information about her for those who may be interested. Jaci Reynolds is new to the community of Gorham but has served many years on a School Board in her previous home. She served on the School Board in Brattleboro, Vermont, for several years, including navigating COVID-19 and selecting and onboarding a new Superintendent. While on the board, she served on the Finance Committee. Following her time on the Board, she served on the Independent Budget Review Committee, which assessed the school and town budgets and presented them to the public. Jaci recently moved to Gorham and has two children in elementary school.

Thank you, Jaci, for being willing to step into this critical role at such an essential time of the year!

KINDERGARTEN PRE-REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR!

Please see the information below regarding Kindergarten Pre-Registration Meetings at all elementary schools for any students who will be entering Kindergarten in the Fall of 2025.

Great Falls Registration Link

Narragansett Registration Link

Village Registration Link