Salemwood
Ron
Eckel
Principal K-8
Phyllis
Brandano
Assistant Principal K-4
Joanne
Lambert
Assistant Principal 5-6
Donna Worcester
Assistant Principal 7-8
529 Salem Street
(781) 388-0642 (K-4)
(781) 388-0646 (5-8)
Description
Salemwood School is a K-8 school with almost
1200 students and well over 100 staff members. We
are committed to full inclusion experiences for
special education and ELL students. Our grade 3-8
teachers have all been trained in the PeaceBuilders
social competency program and will be expected to
fully implement that program in 2006-2007. We are
planning similar training for K-2 staff in the fall
of 2006. We have a strong Leadership Team model,
an active School Council, a supportive and busy
PTO, and several on-going committees, including
the Arts Task Force, an Inclusion Study Group, and
a Data Analysis Team. Many of our current staff
have been/will be involved with the Lesley Math
Program, the Tufts Fulcrum Project and the TriTec
PBU experience. Our Professional Development experiences
for 2006-2007 will focus on arts integration, project-based
learning and teaching in longer time blocks.
A new program for the 2006-2007 school
year involves a partnership with the Bay State Reading
Institute, initially for K-4 staff and students
and expanding to upper grades in future years. This
program includes required training for staff, frequent
assessment and analysis of students’ reading
skills and the supervision by building administrators
and the Humanities and Reading Directors, as well
as collaboration at grade levels and peer coaching
by our Literacy Coach. This new program, aiming
for increased achievement in literacy for all students,
will be a major focus at our school for the next
several years, as we improve teaching instruction
and assessment methods.
Lastly, the Expanded Learning Time
grant will change the school day for our students,
staff and parents. All students K-8 will attend
Salemwood from 7:45-3:30 each day. Staff hours will
be from 7:35-3:40. Teaching blocks at the upper
levels will be longer (approximately 75 minutes
for each block). In grades K-6, the minimal time
for ELA will be 120 minutes per day and for Math
it will be 90 minutes per day. Grade level teams
will meet frequently with each other, with special
education, ELL and exploratory partners, with building
administrators, with curriculum directors, with
a grade level team leader (a new position in grades
K-6) and with instructional coaches (K-8) and a
literacy coach (K-4). In addition to longer teaching
blocks and a longer school day, the Expanded Learning
Time Project will require that all staff participate
in designing and implementing several new curricula.
These include A.C.E. (Academic and Creative Enrichment),
Advisor/Advisee, Connections (older students and
younger students working together), 21st Century
Skills (K-4) and Directed Study (5-8). The longer
day will also bring an expectation of integrating
arts experiences across all other curricula as we
strive to bring alive our school’s theme of
Visual and Performing Arts.