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Northborough, MAssachusetts Patricia B. Grenier, Principal Thirty years ago the doors of Lincoln Street School opened for the first time. There must have been tremendous excitement and pride within the neighborhood as the children eagerly began their schooling in the new facility. Thirty years later, the newness long absent, the faculty, students, and parents still began the year with tremendous excitement and pride. Each year offers all of us a new beginning. In the same spirit of excitement and pride, the Lincoln Street School faculty began the 1995 school year with a continued focus on providing our students with an excellent educational program. Towards this goal, a number of our teachers and I participated in professional development opportunities over the summer which enhanced our knowledge and understanding of effective teaching and learning practices. Through the Education Reform Act of 1993 the State of Massachusetts has advanced this focus by establishing Curriculum Frameworks in seven major content areas. The frameworks describe the vision, content and strategies for teaching and learning a particular discipline. They also include a philosophy of instruction entitled the Guiding Principles. These 8 principles establish a direction for instruction which is characterized by high expectations, meaningful learning, a curriculum based on inquiry and problem solving, multiple approaches, purposeful student interaction, effective assessment, interrelated curricula, and thoughtful integration of technology. The formation of district wide curriculum study teams and school based effective practice teams helps to insure that each aspect of our teaching and learning meet the expectations of our school district and the State of Massachusetts. As a result of our training and research a number of initiatives were undertaken in the seventeen (17) K-4 classrooms at Lincoln Street School. Our annual "academic celebration" is one way in which teachers connect subject area content under a common theme. Last year's theme, "Lost in Space - An Exploration" allowed our 440 children the opportunity to study space flight, constellations, planets, and space environments over a three week period of time. An exciting end result was a special time for children to share their projects and knowledge with one another. Teachers continue to use this model of interdisciplinary and thematic instruction as an effective strategy for connecting curriculum across disciplines and allowing students to explore how knowledge has meaning. Our faculty has also devoted energy toward developing students' abilities to apply knowledge in various situations and to effectively communicate understanding. Toward this end, our students have participated in journal writing, reflection logs, portfolio development and a focused writing program for open-ended questions. Each of these activities is adapted for the age and grade level of our students and can be implemented in all content areas. This year at Lincoln Street School we are piloting a "restructured" approach to traditional classroom placement. Through the generous support of an Education Foundation Grant, four teachers researched alternative approaches to the annual grade placement structure. As a result of this exploration, two teachers in our school have agreed to create a two year placement for their students. This program has been entitled "looping" because of its design. One teacher starts the cycle with a first grade and keeps the students through their second grade experience. In the second year of the program the other teacher begins the cycle anew with another first grade. The advantage of this program is that both the teacher and the students in the second year are familiar with one another. The teacher has an in-depth knowledge of her students and can quickly begin the second grade program. Students will not experience the anxiety of the new year and friendship will have been established and nurtured. As we evaluate the strengths of this pilot program, we may seek to implement it further in our school. The School Council continues to guide and support our efforts. One of our school improvement plan goals was to develop responsible students. A strategy to accomplish this goal was to focus on homework. In keeping with the newly developed district wide homework policy, the school council and our faculty have instituted a homework assignment notebook system. Through a mutually agreed upon contract, teachers, parents, and students promise to regard homework as an integral part of our educational program, which fulfills both academic and non-academic purposes. Homework is seen as an opportunity for integrating home and school experiences and should help to foster the concept of life long learning. Our students have accepted this challenge in an exemplary fashion and are a model for accepting responsibility. Additional efforts aimed at developing more responsible students include providing students with opportunities to be more self-directed in their learning. The establishment of a program entitled, "What I Want to Learn This Year" asked students during the first week of school to verbalize their "goal" for learning. This process is a beginning for asking students to accept greater ownership in their learning. The addition of a school librarian, to be shared by the four Northborough schools, has also established an opportunity for students to leam library and research skills to assist them in their learning experiences. Technology enhancements in the form of additional computers, a scanner, and a digital camera are all efforts funded by the district and the PTO which aid teachers and students in their teaching-learning process. Our goal of developing responsible students and self-directed learners was also evident in our efforts to provide a more inclusive environment for all students. As a school community we are committed to the beliefs that all children can leam and that all children have a right to be educated in their neighborhood school. Toward this vision we have examined our instructional practices, have trained faculty, and have added supportive staff members, which allows some previously excluded students the opportunity to benefit academically and socially from our educational programs. In addition, it has communicated to all children in our school the acceptance of their individual differences and the celebration of their personal uniqueness. It has truly been a busy year; one which was filled
with hopes and dreams, excitement, and pride. Our
teachers, students, and parents work diligently to
accomplish our goals and to create a learning environment
which will be a model of innovation for the next thirty
years.
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