Page 12A/The record-review
School Reports
Back to School
Friday, August 19, 2011
Katonah-Lewisboro keeping up with advancing world By DR. PAUL KREUTZER Katonah-Lewisboro Schools Superintendent
T
he Katonah-Lewisboro School District is progressing on a positive path that will play a strong role in preparing our students to be successful adults in the 21st century. Our educators, our parent council and our district leaders continue to review student data and fine-tune plans that we have been developing over the past few years. Thanks to the dedication of our staff, students and community members, Katonah-Lewisboro is regarded as a highperforming district with excellent programs that present a variety of opportunities for our children. The 2011-12 school year will officially begin for students on Sept. 7, opening day. During this year, some aspects of our program will change while others will stay as they have been. The district’s goal of providing students with a high-quality and challenging education remains consistent, and we are pleased to maintain so many programs that were introduced in previous years. In that same vein, changes are necessary in certain areas in order to keep
up with the rapidly advancing world. The new school year will bring new courses, new staff members and new phases of longterm plans. The district has announced three major administrative appointments over the last several months. I have already introduced myself as the new superintendent of schools, and you are probably also aware that Ms. Connie Hayes joined the district as director of special services. We are also fortunate to welcome Mrs. Jessica Godin as principal of Katonah Elementary School. Like myself, Mrs. Godin has relocated to the area with her family, after living in Colorado where she most recently served as the pre-k-8 principal in the Cheyenne Wells School District. Across the district, upgrades have been made to the curriculum over the past year, and we continue to support these advancements in 2011-12. Project-based learning units were piloted last year in grades k-12, and project-based learning remains an important element of our academic program across all grade levels. The opportunities developed through this approach will be enhanced so that every student will experience some level of project-based learning instruction. The sustainability curriculum, which was piloted in grades k-2 and 3-5 in past years, will now be implemented in grades k-8. Additionally, we have adopted
John Jay High School will introduce several new courses that will prepare students to meet the challenges of a world centered largely around communications. Response to Intervention (RTI) framework created by the New York State Department of Education to ensure that assessment and instruction are linked and needs of all students are met. Preliminary RTI developments that were made in the district previously will be put more strongly into place through the work of a committee that has been formed with the goal of providing even more avenues for students to learn within the general education setting. Katonah Elementary School, Increase Miller Elementary School, Lewisboro Elementary School and Meadow Pond Elementary School are maintaining most curricula and instructional units, but are piloting some new science programs to
create a more hands-on approach while keeping content consistent. Elementary school parents will have opportunities to hear more detailed overviews of grade level curriculum and plans for the school year during curriculum nights scheduled at each elementary school on Sept. 13 and 21. Families that are new to our district will be introduced to their respective elementary schools during new family orientations on Aug. 31. The kindergarten bus runs will also be held at each of the four buildings on Aug. 31, and will include an opportunity to meet and greet the administrators and kindergarten teachers. At the middle school level, project-based learning goals that were introduced last year will be continued as part of our long-term plan. Project-based learning initiatives have been under way in various subject areas, including mathematics, language and music, and teachers are enthusiastic about improving and refining interdisciplinary units this year. In the subject of science, teachers are creating and implementing more inquirybased units that were developed through a plan to add and enhance lab experiences. The inquiry-based approach was introduced last year, and its expansion is intended to provide students with a greater level of academic rigor. Also at John Jay Middle School, a new Continued on the next page