SCHOOL COMMITTEE ARTICLE THREETO SEE IF THE TOWN WILL APPROPRIATE FROM FREE CASH $316,000 TO FUND: FOUR INTERVENTIONISTS, THREE SPECIAL EDUCATION STAFF, SPORTS UNIFORMS AND A PART-TIME CURRICULUM DIRECTOR.

Town Meeting December 1, 2015

Four Interventionists Intervention is a term used to describe an approach to building a child's

reading and/or math skill level. This is typically done through one-on-one or small group instruction. Students are given individualized instruction particularly in areas of weakness. This is in addition to their normal reading or math instruction. It does not replace current instruction, but builds up skills they may be missing or struggling to grasp.

Progress is followed through the processes of benchmarking and progress monitoring through a series of ongoing assessments. Through intervention, many students make more rapid gains then they typically would through normal instruction alone.

Intervention has become an important tool for servicing students who struggle particularly in reading and/or math. School intervention programs are very popular in elementary schools. The truth is that the older the student is, the more difficult it becomes to get a student who is behind back on grade level.

If we address our most at risk youngsters now, we may not need to sustain as many of these positions next school year. A student typically only gets one chance in each grade. Why wouldn’t we want to provide them the tools this year to be successful?

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Three positions: To Meet Special Education Legal

MandatesFree Appropriate Public Education Guaranteed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),

FAPE is defined as "special education and related services that A) are provided at the public’s expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge, B) meet the standards of the State educational agency, C) include an appropriate preschool, elementary, or secondary school education in the State involved; and D) are provided in conformity with the individualized education program under section 614(d). (Pub. L. No. 94-142, § 602(9))” To provide FAPE, schools must provide students with an “… education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living.”

Some of the criteria specified in various sections of the IDEA statute includes requirements that schools provide each disabled student an education that:

Is designed to meet the unique needs of that one student Provides “ …access to the general curriculum to meet the challenging

expectations established for all children” (that is, it meets the approximate grade-level standards of the state educational agency)

Is provided in accordance with the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) as defined in 1414(d)(3).

Results in educational benefit to the child.

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Special Education staffing requestsTo meet our legal mandates we need:

Two Teaching Assistants – both for the Macomber School

One LPN for the self-contained program at WJHS

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Athletic Uniformshttp://www.gladiatorguards.com/_blog/our-blog/post/with-custom-team-apparel-your-athletes-looks-sharp-play-sharper/

You know how the old saying goes … “The clothes make the man.”

Well in the sports world, some would argue it’s more appropriately: “The apparel makes the team.”

Custom team apparel is one of the simplest ways to effectively increase the confidence of our players, improve our team’s moral and psychologically enhance athletic performance. There are 3 reasons why teams truly benefit from custom gear:1. Look Good, Feel Better, Play Best

Most athletes would tell you they play their best when they feel good about themselves. One of the easiest ways to boost self-confidence is dressing to impress. So why shouldn’t that apply to the field?

Psychologically speaking, self-esteem is a major factor when it comes to performance. With custom team apparel, our players won’t just look like champions, they’ll feel like champions. And feeling like a champion is the first step to actually becoming a champion.

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http://www.gladiatorguards.com/_blog/our-blog/post/with-custom-team-apparel-your-athletes-looks-sharp-play-sharper/

2. Clothing Cohesion Custom team apparel doesn’t just boost our individual players’

self-esteem, but the moral of our team as a whole. (Team apparel … it’s not just a clever name!)

With new custom gear, our players won’t just look good; they’ll become more cohesive as a unit. The unifying power of wearing a shared color and logo helps to develop a strong identity and build camaraderie between teammates. Custom team apparel goes a long way to helping players feel like they are a part of something bigger -- a group, a collective, a family, a team. 

Whether it’s warm-ups they wear together to meals, hoodies or track jackets worn while traveling or a great looking uniform opponents instantly recognize, custom gear gives our team an identity.

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http://www.gladiatorguards.com/_blog/our-blog/post/with-custom-team-apparel-your-athletes-looks-sharp-play-sharper/

3. Be Proud… When you give your team custom apparel, we’re not simply giving them an

identity, but pride as well. Athletes feel instant pride in their team when they sport their custom apparel.  Picture a team eating a meal together in a dining hall, or a group of players

walking through an airport on their way to a tournament: they walk tall and proud because they know they are representing their school/team/club, teammates and themselves.

This sense of pride -- born from custom team gear -- reminds them that they play for more than the name on the back of the jersey, but for the others wearing those colors around them.

Our students do not currently have adequate sports uniforms in all sports programs. We have many more younger students now playing on our fields. They, too, deserve that opportunity to develop a sense of pride in their school and in their community. Student athletes develop the “soft skills” necessary to become college and career ready.

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Curriculum CoordinatorWestport Community Schools District Review

RecommendationsLeadership and Governance The district should explore ways to reestablish

the structures needed to adequately supervise and coordinate the instructional program.

A. The district may wish to redefine the administrative roles in the system to include district-wide coordination and articulation of instructional programs.

B. The district should re-examine its budget for the upcoming year in an effort to recapture funds from positions and/or programs that are not effective or do not meet the needs of students and reassign them to support the district’s priorities.DESE recommends more oversight in curriculum in order to become a Level One school district.

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