Welcome back to the 2013-2014 school year. Classes for students in the West Boylston Public Schools will begin on August 28, 2013. Teachers and support staff have been diligently working to ensure a smooth start to this new school year.  I’d like to share with you what we have worked on this summer to improve our campus and to staff our schools.

 

Every summer our buildings are cleaned and updates are made to our facilities in anticipation of the start of a new year. This summer, in addition to regular maintenance, two major projects are underway. First, the Middle/High School Media Center renovation and repair is underway. Some leaky windows are being repaired and the interior of the media center is being repainted and fitted with new flooring. Additionally, a security system has been installed at both Major Edwards and the Middle High School. This system will allow us to monitor the building more effectively at all hours of the day and night.

 

Continually improving our classroom technology resources is a priority in our schools. This year, we will launch several new mobile tablet labs at both the elementary school and our middle/high school. As we piloted the use of mobile technology during the last school year, we were pleased to hear from more and more teachers that they are interested in bringing these tools into their classrooms.  There is a high level of excitement and energy about the plethora of opportunities for teaching, learning, communicating, and collaborating that our wireless infrastructure and mobile devices will allow us to explore in the coming years.

 

In West Boylston we seek to hire and retain talented educators who are committed to helping our schools to meet every child’s educational needs.  This summer, we were able to do just that. It is my pleasure to introduce you to our recently hired teachers. These new faces bring with them a wealth of experience, energy, and enthusiasm and we are delighted that they have accepted our offer to serve the community.  Please join me in welcoming these new staff members. A photo and biography of each newly hired teacher will be available at my blog, www.wblionslog.blogspot.com soon. Please stop by the blog and feel free to leave a comment or word of encouragement for our new staff members.

 

Major Edwards Elementary School

 

Anna Bacchiocchi – Long Term Substitute – Art

Christal Bello – Board Certified Behavioral Analyst

Caitlin Casamassa – Grade 5

Natasha Dziokonski – Music

Candice Johanson – Instructional Technology

Marion Karsina – School Nurse

Jillian O’Connor – Instructional Assistant

Joanne Vanderhoof – Elementary Life Skills Teacher

 

Middle High School

 

Danielle Cody – Science

Colby Harvey – Mathematics

Alicia McHugh –English Language Arts

 

High School

 

Kevin Gray – Special Education

Erin Klemm – Media Specialist

Stephanie Madrigal – Environmental Science

Kristen Tokarz – Guidance Counselor

 

 

In closing, I wish to express my gratitude to the Town of West Boylston for the opportunity to serve as your superintendent.  I grow more optimistic as the years pass about the wonderful work that we are accomplishing together to build a world-class school district.  As always, we invite you to join us in this process through your active participation in events and your work to support your child’s learning. I believe that we do our best work when we listen to what families tell us their children need in order to be successful and then work together to ensure that children’s school days are marked by joyful engagement in learning.  We have everything we need to be able to accomplish great things; wonderful students, a caring community, and a highly skilled teaching staff. Let’s make this the best year ever!

 

I hope you all enjoy a satisfying end to the summer. We look forward to welcoming you back to school in a few weeks. 

 

Sincerely,

 

Beth Schaper