Update coming soon – RS

Mr. DeVito reported at the October PTO meeting that a request has been submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Education for consideration of Ferryway’s interest in changing to extended day in September 2007. Mr. DeVito explained in detail that the application was submitted in response to Ferryway’s receipt of a letter of “corrective action” from the state DOE. Ferryway, like other schools in the state, has fallen into “corrective action” status as a result of the past several years’ schoolwide performance on MCAS.

Ferryway has already undertaken a number of initiatives outlined in the DOE letter to address the need for improvement on MCAS. For example, Ferryway has worked for the past several years with Teachers 21, a private, non-profit organization that provides teacher training. Ferryway has also undergone rigorous changes in its daily schedule, designating blocks of time for mathematics and English language arts instruction. One of the initiatives not yet tried by Ferryway is an extended daily schedule similar to the one adopted by the Salemwood School in September 2006. Mr. DeVito said he felt it was essential for Ferryway to respond to the suggestion that we consider extended day given that the DOE specifically identified this initiative as one to be tried by school districts in need of improvement.

If implemented, the extended day would begin at Ferryway in September of 2007. All children, K – 8, would attend school from 7:45 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. If the planning grant requested by Mr. DeVito is approved by the state, work would soon begin to design a revised school day schedule. An essential component of the planning would be meetings with Ferryway families to address concerns. Ferryway may also conduct a paper survey to gauge families’ opinions about extended day.

In closing, Mr. DeVito stressed that he will maintain open lines of communication with Ferryway families about this proposed change, sharing information as it becomes available to him. Extended day will likely be discussed at future PTO meetings, as well as at School Council; interested parents and guardians are urged to stay informed and come forward with comments and concerns.