Bits and Pieces 6/12, 6/19, and 6/26/05

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=130 BGCOLOR="#66CCCC" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000820ezvthe.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#CCFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Clare Whitbeck's Web Site</B></FONT><B>   |  </B><B> </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Clare Whitbecks Web Site"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Column 2/14/05"><U>Column 2/14/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Day of Infamy 3/7/05"><U>A Day of Infamy 3/7/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dysons Bill"><U>Dyson's Bill</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Excuses, Excuses 3/14/05"><U>Excuses, Excuses 3/14/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Lots Win, Children Lose 3/28/05"><U>Lots Win, Children Lose  3/28/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Three Strikes! 4/3/05"><U>Three Strikes!  4/3/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Effects of Larger School Size 4/10/05"><U>Effects of Larger School  Size  4/10/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id70.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="It Was Inevitable 4/17/05"><U>It Was Inevitable  4/17/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id69.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Its All My Fault 4/24/05"><U>It's All My Fault 4/24/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Site Struggles 5/1/05"><U>Site Struggles  5/1/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Learning for All 5/8/05"><U>Learning for All 5/8/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mechanicsville Elementary Schools Feedba"><U>Mechanicsville Elementary School's Feedback Report  5/15/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Adventures With Miss T 5/22/05"><U>Adventures With "Miss T" 5/22/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Less Is Better, Mr. Mattingly 5/29/05"><U>Less Is Better, Mr. Mattingly  5/29/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Litany for the Community 6/5/05"><U>A Litany for the Community  6/5/05</U></A>   |   <B>Bits and Pieces 6/12, 6/19, and 6/26/05</B>   |   <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Computers and Technology 7/3/05"><U>Computers and Technology  7/3/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id66.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="School Sites 7/10/05"><U>School Sites 7/10/05</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id65.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="11 Month School Year? 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Across all grade levels, students demonstrated an average increase of 6 percentage points.”  “At the elementary and middle schools, positive increases were also noted in the content area of reading, with an average increase of 4.1 percentage points.“ </div> <div>      These facts are good as far as they go, but there are some serious facts which are not mentioned.</div> <div>      1. For example, Mechanicsville Elementary School, the school where parents and teachers staged a protest of the treatment of  popular kindergarten teacher Margaret Palko, dropped from 5<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> place in 2004 in average overall proficiency to 12<FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >th</FONT> place among St. Mary's County Elementary Schools.  </div> <div>       Whether this was a result of the protests, overall poor teacher morale, or diversion     of attention from making sure children learn toward attaining a U.S. Senate Productivity and Maryland Quality Award, will never be clear.  </div> <div>      Director of Elementary Education Linda Dudderar says she has a plan for the school.  One wonders why she didn't have a plan last year.  With all the data binders that float around the school as a result of using the Baldridge approach to education, you would think someone must have known what was coming.  But then, the feedback report from the Maryland Quality Report noted that, “MES's (Mechanicsville Elementary School's) approach does not appear to encompass the use of data for organizational learning.”  I'll say!</div> <div>      Meanwhile, test scores seem to indicate that the students at Mechanicsville Elementary School may not have received the education they deserve.</div> <div>      2.  What about the students at George Washington Carver and Lexington Park Elementary Schools?  An average of 50.3% of Carver's students are proficient or better at reading as compared with 77.7% for the system.  Lexington Park students tested as having 56.7% of their students scoring proficient or better.  </div> <div>      Everyone believes that the methods being used at these two schools “will eventually bear fruit”, but how many children will go through the system without learning adequate reading skills before we get it right?  The Commissioners offered extra money to solve the problems at Great Mills, how about a similar study for these two schools?  We should determine what's needed, then FUND it.  We might even prevent another gang of 73 students who are responsible for half of the referrals at Great Mills by actually teaching students to read at the elementary level.  </div> <div>       </div> <div>      <U>Bit #3</U> - The Board of Education voted unanimously at its June 8 meeting to surplus the former Carver Elementary School Building which is in the Air Installation Compatible Use Zone.  Because this building was financed with school bonds which have an unpaid balance of $523,000, the Board of County Commissioners will have to “assume the remainder of  $523,000 bond debt on the facility.  This debt is a balance for the roof replacement and the replacement of the heating and air conditioning system.”  What is not mentioned is that if the school system makes some use of the property, the State will continue to assume the $523,000 debt.  </div> <div>      Ouch!  That was an expensive vote for St. Mary's County taxpayers.</div> <bR> <div>      <U>Bit # 4.</U>  Every year at this time,  the school system singles out some excellent teachers, principals, and students for special notice.  These are people who do more than is usual as they carry out their responsibilities.</div> <div>      This year SMECO honored two outstanding mathematics teachers, <B>Claudia Buchanan </B>of Mechanicsville Elementary School, and <B>Nancy Lewis</B> of Chopticon High School at the Annual Awards Dinner.</div> <div>      Three outstanding science teachers were also honored.  They are <B>Peggy Burton</B> of Oakville Elementary School, <B>Melissa Dell</B> of Chopticon High School, and <B>Margaret Johnson</B> of Spring Ridge Middle School. </div> <div>      The Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award for principals who create an exceptional educational environment went to <B>Kelly Hall </B>of Leonardtown Elementary School.</div> <div>      <B>Julia Wolfe</B>, of Park Hall Elementary School will represent St. Mary's County at the Maryland Teacher of the Year Program.</div> <div>      <B>Stephani Rachelle Roark,</B> a student from Chopticon High School, has been recognized as the Service-Learning Star from St. Mary's County.   <B>Kay Cross</B>, a social studies teacher from Spring Ridge Middle School, was selected as a Student Service Learning Fellow.</div> <div>      <B>Melissa Dell</B> of Chopticon High was selected as the recipient of the Hope Swann Educators Hall of Fame Award.  </div> <div>      If you are fortunate enough to have these teachers at your child's school, in your neighborhood, as members of your church or other organization, please congratulate them and thank them for what they have done for our children.  Likewise, please thank Principal Kelly Hall for all she does for her school and its students and teachers.</div> <div>      If you know Stephani Rachelle, please congratulate her and thank her for her outstanding service to St. Mary's County.</div> <div>  </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>