, Welcome Back - District Newsletter

District Newsletter

Volume 3 Issue #1

9.7.22

Welcome Back to School!

Choose Love - Scarlet Lewis Presentation

Welcome back families and staff!

I know this time of year can bring on mixed emotions - joy, surprise, and sometimes fear. As our children prepare for the first day of school they start to get excited, they become curious, and then they start to think of a dozen questions and may feel a bit anxious. This whirlwind of emotions for our children is normal. Honestly, as parents we sometimes feel the same way as we think of the last minute items we need for lunches, school supplies, or back to school clothes. My wife and I find ourselves running around for these last minute items, too!

The start of the school year is also a symbol of new beginnings and a fresh start. After two years of navigating through a pandemic we are able to welcome our staff and students back to a typical learning environment. Students will be welcomed back to the Lawn School with new flooring in the 6th grade wing, as they enter the main entrance they will see the newly installed school logo and the R.O.C.K. mantra. In fifth grade students will have a new layout in their area. All students at the Lawn School will benefit from the renovations of a collaborative learning space and STEM lab. At the Melrose School, students and staff will be able to experience a brand new Podcast Studio in the library.

This year students at the Melrose School will have a new 21st Century Skills class that will introduce them to the skills in our Portrait of the Graduate. This class will be taught at each grade level by either our Art, Music, Media Specialist, or Physical Education Teacher. At the Lawn School, a new R.O.C.K's Block class is being introduced to all seventh and eighth graders. This class will also focus on the skills in our Portrait of the Graduate. These additional classes will focus on deep learning competencies like critical thinking, communication skills, character, and citizenship to prepare our students to be successful members of our community.

New and innovative classes along with renovated learning spaces are some of our highlights for this school year. I look forward to the excitement of a new year, our students' aspirations to learn, and the partnerships we will create!

Please feel free to reach out to me at any time.

Ken Duva, Ed.D.

Superintendent

22/23 Revised School Calendar

Upcoming News & Events

Back to School Beach Night: Friday, September 9 5:00 pm @ Mackeral Cove
Primary Day/No School for students: Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Yom Kippur/No School or Activities for students: Wednesday, October 5, 2022
Lawn Open House: October 11 @ 5:30 pm
Melrose Open House: October 13 @ 5:30 pm
School Committee Meeting: Thursday, September 15 6:30 pm at Lawn School

Meet our New Staff and Staff Changes...

Sarah Desrochers-

School Nurse

I have been a Registered Nurse for over ten years, mainly home care and school nursing throughout Rhode Island and New Hampshire. I have two children in the Jamestown School Department. When deciding to move back to Rhode Island, my husband and I knew we wanted to live in Jamestown for the beauty and sense of community that Jamestown is known for. In my free time I enjoy hiking, Nordic skiing, camping, reading, sewing, and exploring the beautiful Rhode Island coast. I am looking forward to a safe, fun, and healthy school year for everyone!

Diandra DelSignore -

Special Educator

Greetings everyone!

I am Diandra DelSignore and I will be starting as the Elementary Special Education teacher at Melrose beginning this Fall. I am a recent graduate of Rhode Island College as of this past May where I received a degree in Elementary and Special Education (Mild to Moderate and Severe and Profound Disabilities). I am overjoyed to be a part of this district and am excited to embark on this new journey in Jamestown! I am looking forward to acquainting myself with new faces and am open to learning from both my colleagues and students. I cannot wait to utilize and share the knowledge and experience I have gained in this opportunity with my future students.

Ashley Amsden -

First Grade

Hi! My name is Ashley Amsden, a fellow Jamestown resident and new first grade teacher. I have a degree in Elementary Education as well as a Master’s Degree in Literacy. I’ve taught in multiple districts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, but Jamestown is by far the best! Although the last 10 years of my teaching career has been in upper elementary classrooms, I am so thrilled for my upcoming adventure in first grade. I can’t wait to meet and get to know my new first grade friends!

Jay Juhnowski - Grade 5

I am very excited about my move to fifth grade this year. I have enjoyed a full summer of family activities including trips to Cape Cod and Ocean City, NJ. I have also made plenty of trips to my favorite place - the golf course. I'm looking forward to working with some familiar faces as I see some of my former students become current students again. I am also excited about using our new ELA curriculum. I hope to keep my students engaged throughout the year with meaningful discussion and humor to keep us laughing.

Michele Fick - Social Emotional Learning Coach

I believe that when students feel safe and supported, they are more likely to learn. This is the same for teachers, administrators, and parents. I look forward to helping our community of learners better understand social and emotional learning and apply that knowledge towards having a healthy identity and achieving personal goals.

"Just one positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.” Dalai Lama.

Julie Geary - Grade 6 ELA

Hello Jamestown! Many of you will remember me from Grade 4, but this year, I will be teaching Grade 6 ELA! I’m excited to see all of my former students, and meet some new students as well. This year will be an adventure for us all!

MJ Moynihan - Grade 4

I graduated from Providence College with a BA in Elementary/Special Education ‘95 & an MA in Special Education ‘02. I was hired by Jamestown School Department in 2000 and have had the honor of being an elementary special educator, 2nd grade teacher and now 4th grade teacher. My husband, Matt, and I have been married for 24 year and have 2 sons Aidan (19) and Connor (17).

Carla Menditto - Lawn School Secretary

I moved to RI recently after spending my entire life in CT. I worked in a middle school for almost twenty years and can't see myself working anywhere else but in education. I have already met many wonderful people here in Jamestown and I am learning many new things. On a personal side, I like gardening, antique shops, remodeling and my two cats. I am happy and excited to be here.

Additional New Staff:

Abby Durand, Part-Time Nurse at Lawn School
Allyson Murphy, Physical Therapist
Shelley D’Andrea - Teacher Assistant, 1:1 Melrose
Regula Rothen - Teacher Assistant, 1:1 Melrose
Lisa Cadawalader - Teacher Assistant, 1:1 Lawn
Nina Garfield - Teacher Assistant, 1:1 Lawn
Christine Parkhurst - Teacher Assistant, 1:1 Lawn
Christian Silva - Long Term Sub Teacher Assistant, 1:1 Lawn

Health & Safety Procedures

We are happy to let our families and staff know that there are no restrictions in place for the start of the school year. We still need to be cautious and remember to monitor for symptoms of COVID.

Updated RIDOH Outbreak Response Protocols
COVID 19 Symptom Monitoring - page 10 in the above protocols
RIDOH is recommending masks to be worn inside the school clinic to prevent the spread of any virus/symptoms. Your child will be offered a mask when in the clinic.

Important COVID-19 Sick Procedures:

Per the RI Department of Health, if an individual tests positive for COVID they must remain home/isolated for 5 days. They may return to work/school on day 6 with a well fitting mask if they are feeling better.

Individuals may remove their mask before day 11* if they get two negative antigen tests in a row 48 hours apart (first test on day 6 at the earliest). If the antigen test results are negative, they may remove their masks around others (day 8 at the earliest). (page 14 in the protocols)

For any questions please contact our school nurse, Sarah Desrochers jsd.nurse@jamestownschools.org

District Curriculum

Teaching & Learning 2022

ELA Curriculum - We are excited to announce that in June our School Committee adopted new high quality ELA programs for kindergarten through eighth grade.

In kindergarten through fifth grade the school committee adopted, a reading/writing workshop program, Into Reading.

Into Reading is a comprehensive literacy curriculum that meets the needs of all students to become successful readers and writers. The core instruction is organized around a variety of text sets and explicit, systematic foundational skills. It integrates reading, writing, listening, speaking, language development, and phonics and word study. Learning occurs as a whole class and in small groups with multiple options for differentiation.

As the school year begins, please ask your students what they are learning and ask to go on their online portal to explore the program. Our curriculum site is being updated to provide access for parents to learn more about the program. We will also host parent workshops throughout the year.

EL Education is the ELA program that we adopted for grades sixth through eighth grade. This program was piloted in the middle school for the last 2 years.

The EL Education Language Arts curriculum is a comprehensive, research-informed, core language arts program that engages teachers and students through compelling, real world content. This program has a strong focus on vocabulary, knowledge-building, syntax, fluency,and comprehension. Instruction of the writing process is integrated within the program and use the core texts as focus ideas.

You can learn more about the scope and sequence of the program here.

Right to Read Act - By the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year, all teachers employed in a teaching position in grades Prek-5, Special Educators K-12, and Reading Teachers shall demonstrate proficiency in knowledge and practices of scientific reading and structured literacy instruction. All other teachers in grades 6-12, specialists, and related service providers shall demonstrate awareness in knowledge and practices of scientific reading instruction and structured literacy instruction.

Last year we partnered with the AIM Institute for Learning and Research to provide the Pathways to Proficient Reading training to our Prek-5 classroom teachers, reading teachers, and special educators k-8. Part 2 of this training will be provided during the 22/23 school year. This training is designed to strengthen educators' knowledge and skills in the science of reading instruction. It will meet the requirements of the Right to Read Act.

The RI Department of Education is partnering with BRIDGE-RI to develop courses to provide the Awareness of Reading training. Our teachers in grades 6-8, Specialists, and Related Service Providers participated in the BRIDGE-RI Awareness of Reading courses. By the end of this school year all administrators, educators and teacher assistants will successfully complete the Proficiency or Awareness training based on their content areas.

Arts & Engineering:

Last year during budget meetings there were requests from our Melrose community to increase Art at the Melrose School to full time. At that time we did not have the funding to do so. Since then we have received a grant that will be applied to Art Education at the Melrose School.

For the 22/23 school year, Mrs. Connolly will be 5 days a week providing an Arts and Engineering class to our students. The Arts Initiative grant from RIDE is to provide additional art education to students to increase their awareness and connection to the arts post-COVID. We are excited to have Mrs. Connolly providing this experience to our students.

Jamestown School Department Curriculum

JSD Strategic Plan 21-25

Theory of Action...

If we . . .

- Engage students in learning utilizing a rigorous standards-based curriculum;

- Provide students with access to innovative resources and technology;

- Invest in the professional learning of teachers, leaders, and school staff;

- Collaborate with our families and community partners; and

- Align school and central office supports and resources to our core beliefs.

Then every student in the Jamestown School Department will develop the skills and qualities of a Jamestown 8th grade graduate.

Back to School Pictures

Fun in PE

Singing and learning names in Music!

Learning together in Math

R.O.C.K Block digging into the Portrait of the Graduate

Kindergarten smiles!

Learning about the Portrait of the Graduate

Coding in 6th grade

JSD Athletics Information

(Click the above link for the Athletics page)

For the 22/23 school year, there are newly adopted procedures and policies for our student Athletic program. All Coaches will be required to participate in specific training for the RI Interscholastic League and the Jamestown School Department. The required training is stated in our new Professional Conduct Policy. Coaches are also required to communicate to parents and athletes using a Jamestown School Department issued email. All correspondence from a student's coach will be through email only. (Coach's JSD email to student's JSD email) Parents are to be included in all correspondence. We are reviewing an app, Teamsnap, to purchase for all coaches to use in the future.

Parents please review the Professional Conduct Policy.