Strategic Planning Committee

Updates

June, 2011

Year Four of the five-year Strategic Plan has been completed. A total of twenty-three possible projects were studied by the Curriculum, Personnel and Facilities committees. Following are the findings of those committees:

Curriculum Committee

1. Restructuring Band and Chorus Time

From the Winter Concert in December to the Spring Concert in May, our students have provided entertainment while putting their talents on display for parents, friends, peers and the McKeown stakeholders, in general.

As all of us are aware, it is quite difficult and time-consuming to find enough time both during the school day and after school to ensure a successful concert.

With that thought in mind, the Curriculum Committee investigated whether or not restructuring of both band and chorus time during the school day would give our students the opportunity that they needed to reach their full potential and talent in music.

The committee may consider studying other options that exist outside of the school day in order to restructure the band and chorus times to optimize instruction for the majority of students. For the present time, however, band and chorus times will remain as they currently exist.

2. Increase in Recess Time

The committee was given the task of looking at the possibility of increasing the school’s recess time. It was found that students at McKeown School may have a 15 minute daily-assigned recess, but that does not restrict them indoors for the remaining time. The staff does a wonderful job in integrating the curriculum, while at the same time making use of our wonderful al fresco environment. In addition, the recess time of 15 minutes on a daily basis is equal to, and, in some cases, better than, the recess time allotted by schools in our surrounding districts.

At this time, we will not increase the district’s recess time.

3. Instituting a Late Bus

In an effort to increase the number of students currently participating in after school activities, the committee was asked to investigate the possibility of providing a late bus for our students so that more students may participate in school activities.

While middle schools and high schools typically provide late buses for their students, it is not that straightforward when dealing with our young elementary school students. As such, the committee found that:

a. Several community stops must be designated to service the entire township. As such, students need to understand that they are to wait for someone, known to them, to pick them up. Adults picking up these children must be responsible in knowing when and where to pick up these students.

b. Inclement weather poses another problem. Young children easily can be upset when being exposed to the elements.

c. After school transportation comes with a price tag.

These issues must be considered when discussing the possibility of providing bus transportation to students for
after school activities. The committee will continue to investigate whether or not providing after school
transportation is viable.

4. Creating Family Math Night

The committee was given the task of creating ideas that would extend the learning opportunities, during and after the school day, for our students. One suggestion was to offer Family Math Night for parents. This night would be dedicated to educating parents on the basic information that is pertinent to a particular grade. For example, regrouping, introduced in grade three, is a term known by parents as borrowing. Parents would be able to leave the night with a reference packet of information detailing some of the concepts learned during the session.

5. Career Fair

Offering a Career Fair would present all of our students with an opportunity to learn about a variety of careers, the skills needed and the educational requirements necessary. It would expose students to fields that they may not know exist and possibly inspire them to seek additional information. A committee would be formed to work with the Sussex County Chamber of Commerce, Sussex County Community College, local businesses and McKeown parents to solicit participation in this fair.

6. Volunteer Programs

The committee was given the task of investigating the many ways in which volunteering currently is used and how we can increase the number of volunteers for the future. Volunteers are an integral part of our community as they support, mentor and enrich our students. The goal of the committee is to invite our school stakeholders to become involved with our students through these volunteer opportunities. Following are some of the programs, currently in place, that are manned by volunteers:

a. The Page Turner Program

b. After school tutoring by members of the National Honor Society at Kittatinny Regional High School

c. Clean-up of school grounds

d. Environment Day

e. Drama Day

f. Jump Rope for Heart

g. TREP$

h. An overnight trip for our grade six students to Fairview YMCA Camp

i. Fire Prevention Day

The committee has found that volunteerism increases when the opportunities are flexible and the potential volunteers have a voice in their level of commitment.

7. Differentiated Instruction

The committee was given the task of investigating the concept of Differentiated Instruction and how it can be applied to classroom instruction in kindergarten through grade six. We are quite aware that not all students are alike. As such, the concept of differentiated instruction allows our students to possess multiple options for understanding concepts and making sense of the ideas presented to them. Teachers need to be flexible in their approach to teaching and to assessment. The curriculum and its presentation must be adjusted to the learner rather than asking the learner to change in order to accommodate the curriculum. Differentiated Instruction is, therefore, based upon the concept that all instructional approaches should be modified as a result of the individuality and diversity of students in the classroom.

The committee found that differentiated instruction is alive and well at school. Our teachers always take into consideration the concepts of teaching to the various levels of the student. With our Reading Street series and the mathematics activities culminating in assessing students through a series of Criterion Referenced tests, students are able to learn critical thinking skills and problem-solving skills at their own pace and within their different learning modalities.

8. After School Tutoring

At Marian E. McKeown Elementary School, teachers and students, alike, have been very fortunate to be supported by a community and a Board of Education who have turned their attention to providing after school tutoring and summer school enrichment programs. Nearly every weekday evening, students can be found in groups of two, three or four working side-by-side with a classroom teacher beyond 4:00 pm. These sessions allow the student an opportunity to revisit a skill, ask burning questions and receive instant praise for a job well done. Nearly seventy students receive some form of tutoring after school. The numbers are steadily growing.

While much of the development of our tutoring program continues to unfold over the last few years, it is important to strive for improvement in this area. Our hope is to see more emphasis on this topic since parental involvement time is at a premium.

9. Weekly Technology Lab Instruction

This committee was given the assignment to investigate projects of study that could be incorporated or were already incorporated into the Core Curriculum Content Standards by grade level that students could employ in the classroom.

Students from every grade level visit the technology lab once a week. They have mastered the use of the computer. Students are able to conduct searches using a number of different research engines. Our students are avid users of Internet search engines. In addition, our students are shown how to use the Smartboard, the Smart Table and everything related to PowerPoint presentations.

10. Basic Skills Restructuring

Basic Skills Instruction (BSI) is, quite possibly, the most challenging of all topics researched by the Curriculum Committee. The committee found that combinations of co-teaching and modified pull-out programs exist in the classrooms. Strategies that have been deemed Best Practices have suggested that teaching accompanied by high-stakes testing often requires students to be heterogeneously grouped in order for students to understand what is required for success as they are exposed to all challenges.

Computer-driven instruction through such programs as Study Island has been found to be quite beneficial. These tutorial study programs are available online 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. Finally, our teachers will continue to examine this topic more closely as they look to shape the future with the new national core content standards.

Personnel Committee

1. Bullying and Social Aggression

The Hampton Township School District has aggressively addressed the topic of reducing and eliminating bullying and social aggression in our elementary school by implementing the following concepts:

a. Safe in School
A homegrown slide show presentation that details the basic tenants of bullying and how to stop it when it occurs. This program is discussed with students on a weekly basis by homeroom teachers.

b. Student Assemblies
Given by such well-known speakers as Jim Jordan, our assemblies are designed to present students with ways in which they must conduct themselves and how to work towards eliminating the bullying issue. These assemblies have proven to be quite productive. Students respond favorably to them.

c. Stop Boxes
These boxes, placed strategically around the school building, allow our students to provide information, anonymously, on students exhibiting signs of social aggression.

Additional resources are currently being explored as a new anti-bullying law has been signed and put into effect for New Jersey. This law details ways in which bullying episodes are to be dealt and the intense training that must be offered to all staff. As such, the committee will continue to examine this topic.

2. Utilization of Volunteers

Working in conjunction with the work done by the Curriculum Committee, the Personnel Committee has found that a program of this nature requires a part time volunteer coordinator who could maintain a desk and a phone at a station in the school building while organizing a host of valuable volunteer programs.

3. Technical Support for Staff

As the committee reviewed the use of technology, it was determined that teachers’ schedules demonstrate that more than 10 periods per week are designated as issues dealing with hardware that require technical assistance. A total of 19 periods per week are assigned to the direct instruction of the 19 homerooms in grades K-6. In addition, the school employs a technology assistant who is hired on an hourly basis. This assistant works three days per week solely to address technical problems and new software concerns. This represents a huge amount of time spent for the number of servers and computers that must be supported.

The new NJSmart database, currently being implemented in all schools across the state of New Jersey by the Department of Education, requires an increase in the time spent on data entry.

4. Building Security

A main topic of study for the Strategic Planning Committee has been that of building security. As a result, this committee has worked on a number of different issues from the submission of an REMI stimulus grant, in conjunction with Kittatinny Regional High School and the Hampton Township Municipal government, to that of the development of an H1N1 flu virus control plan.

This committee is proud to report that, over the past three years, our PTA, working in conjunction with our Board of Education, accepted the recommendation of administration and financed a major portion of a $54,000 all-weather playground. This asphalt playground has enabled the staff to take our students off the roadway during winter recess. Students are now able to enjoy basketball, four square, hop scotch and just getting some fresh air in a safe location.

This committee does, however, recommend that the Board of Education pursue the installation of speed bumps on School Road to reduce the access to the area used by students for play. The committee also recommends the installation of fencing that would control access to the playground by members of the public, especially along the back parking area near the well house. The fencing would give the staff additional time to identify security threats and would allow additional time for staff and students to return safely to the school building if, indeed, a threat were present.

The committee recommends the hiring of a school architect to assist with the recommendation for fencing in strategic areas of our playground. Additional recommendations involve the internal security of the front entrance to our building.

Facilities Committee

1. Small Group Instruction Rooms

The committee was charged with the task of researching ways of providing alternatives to our divided classrooms for small group instruction. At one point in McKeown’s history, small group instruction was held in the front and back corners of the library as well as in classrooms that had been divided. While research shows that in-class support should be used, if possible, there still remains the need for time and space to allow instructors to work either one-on-one or in small groups to develop the skills that can be conveyed in a small setting.

A professional architect, as well as the committee members, felt that the two wings of the current McKeown library were under-utilized. The side extensions containing the weather station and the professional collection as well as the area in front of the current speech room are also areas that are under consideration.

Classroom space for 8-10 students and a teacher could be created. The rooms could be constructed of walls with opaque panels up to four feel high and clear glass the remainder of the way up to the ceiling. Each room could have two access doors. It is important to note that this construction would be much less costly when compared to new construction, which would involve breaking ground for new footings. The renovations have been estimated at $150 per square foot and the walls could be removed if the original space were needed for another configuration.

It is also the recommendation of the committee that an architect should be formally obtained by the Board of Education for the 2011-2012 school year in order to begin the formal planning stages of this project.

2. Instrumental Music Room

Under the direction of the current administration, the instrumental music program has moved from a part-time arrangement to a full-time instructional opportunity. Of course, with the increase in time comes the additional problem of finding space to hold small groups of students.

This committee explored the possibility of creating a small classroom on the stage and using the space behind the current music room as a small group instructional area. The stage, although currently under-utilized, possesses some of the greatest challenges to overcome. However, if created, the room would be able to accommodate 5 students and an instructor. An upgrade in lighting and flooring would be required along with the moving of one or two walls.

A second consideration is the utilization of a recently-vacated classroom – Room 300. This room is the former eighth grade gym office and shower room. Sound-proofing the door separating the gym from this classroom would be required.

It is advisable that the decision to create an instrumental music room be moved to the forefront of the to-do list.

3. New School Roof

The committee was given the task of investigating all the possibilities of improving and enhancing the school’s structure for the foreseeable future. One possible enhancement is replacement of the current Carlisle Roll Roofing, which is on the fringe of its life expectancy. We must weigh roof replacement against continued repair and patching. Both the Board of Education and the community, at large, asked that the use of solar panels be explored. This roofing would then be considered replacement. The new material would provide an increase in the R factor, better known as the insulation factor.

To that end, members of the committee visited a new elementary school located in Bridgewater, NJ. to examine the Modified Bitumen Roofing System (MBRS) used in the construction of this school. Mr. Scott Prisco, our guest architect, compared the Modified Bitumen Roofing System to the Carlisle Roll Roofing and stated that:

a. The MBRS is multi-layered and reinforced with polyester, fiberglass or composite carriers.

b. The top layer of the MBRS contains modified bitumen top ply.

c. The roofing of the MBRS is fire resistant.

d. UV protection and a weather protecting surface can be factory-applied to the MBRS, giving it a long life-expectancy.

e. The flashing around the roof perimeter, equipment and projections is much improved. Given the location of the school (middle of a field, susceptible to wind), the protection from the elements would be greatly enhanced.

f. The R factor would assist in conserving energy.

g. The estimated cost of removing the old roofing, professional design of the new roof and installation of the MBRS is estimated at $17.25 per square foot.

Replacing the roof with MBRS is worth further investigation. Roof replacement should be added to the list of items to be reported upon by a professional architect during the 2011-2012 school year.

4. Solar Panels Installation

This committee has most enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to examine the solar energy component of the study the most since it is new, it is educational, it is on the cutting edge and it has the greatest chance to produce a savings, which can be translated into other opportunities for children.

Once again visiting the new elementary school in Bridgewater, NJ, the committee found that the solar energy equipment installed in this school produced about 30% of the needed energy for the annual usage of the building. Several members of the community then visited a Hampton residence where the entire home has been powered by solar energy for over one year. The energy bills for this residence have been quite favorable.

The research and quality of the equipment continues to improve. The impact of the JCP&L offers and New Jersey’s Solar Financing Program should be taken into consideration when studying the possibility of utilizing solar energy.

5. Lockers in the Fifth and Sixth Grade Classrooms (Unit III)

Over the years, students leaving any elementary setting and moving on to a middle school with more classrooms and hallways and further distances to travel usually have a great level of anxiety prior to the actual transition. One of those fears that student verbalize is the fear of dealing with lockers.

The committee conducted a walk-through of the Unit III wing. It was determined that hallway lockers were out of the question due to the small size of the hallways. However, coat closets, located in each classroom, could be converted to a locker area. While the lockers would be half the size of the lockers usually found in high school settings, these areas could accommodate two rows of up to 13 lockers in each row. The wing, then, could house 160 lockers with combination locks on them.

The committee has recommended that this item be added to the list of items to be investigated and reported upon by a professional architect during the 2011-2012 school year.

6. Electric Service Upgrade

The most difficult part of examining an upgrade to the current electrical service is to predict which direction technology will take in the next 10 to 15 years. Currently, our school is at capacity and further upgrades are needed. The following recommendations were made by the committee after many hours of review:

a. Installation of two 75 KVA transformers

b. Installation of two 42 CKT 3 PH 120/208 panels

c. Four QOB 230 breakers

d. Six QOB 220 breakers

e. Four QOB 120 breakers

The estimated cost of the material and labor is between $17,000 and $18,000. However, this electrical upgrade will allow our school to continue to add and to upgrade power to each classroom as demand requires.

7. Electric Generator

After several reviews of our facility by electricians, architects and electric company represents, we do not have a firm decision on the following items:

a. Cost

b. Location of the generator on the electrical service line coming into the building

c. Limitation

d. Alternative for powering just the kitchen, cafeteria, gym and bathrooms in one wing.

While the idea of a generator remains an excellent investment for emergency use, there is not enough solid information available to make the decision to proceed with this study. The topic, however, does require additional research.

8. Upgrade Lobby and Main Office for Security

The committee examined the concept of redesigning the front lobby and main office to enhance the features of our present school security measures for the benefit of students and staff. The discussions centered on renovations that would include:

a. Installing a new door in the main office

b. Placement of a counter to separate visitors from clerical and staff

c. Placement of secretaries’ desks behind the counter

d. Moving teachers’ mailboxes to the copy room

e. Expanding the office area into the current storage

f. Re-assigning administrative staff offices

g. Adding security locks with a switch to the current office door

h. Installing electrical locks on the inner lobby doors

i. Enhancing the security installation in the lobby near the front doors

The cost of the above enhancements has yet to be determined.

9. Additional Parking Spaces

Members of the community have suggested that consideration be given to increasing the number of parking spaces in and around the school building. Additional parking is need at concert times, class trips, before all holidays, class parties, National Education week, parent conferences days and recreational sporting events held by the Hampton Township Recreation Department.

Some relief will be gained when the township completes the roadway to the upper field.

Anticipated cost for additional parking would be $75,000 and could be accomplished over a period of three years. For a small additional fee, directional lighting fixtures in the front parking lot could be installed to better cover the new parking spaces.