All-School News:
SIZE, CHARACTER, ATMOSPHERE
Respect for all students and adults
Civil atmosphere
Hardworking students, self discipline
Small school atmosphere with a large school curriculum
All adults know all or most kids
Students are known and not slipping through the class
House system
Better learning environment in high school
Completely drug free schools
Character education K-12 (broad based) to reduce harassment, etc.
Stay relatively small but consolidate – perhaps with Union 47
A community that teachers want to both teach and live
More diversity among student body
Still maintain friendly atmosphere
Control size of classes for healthy, lively discussion
Flow of parents into schools to be involved
Active tie with alumni
Area elementary schools/north, south
House structure/looping at middle school
Keeping intimacy of middle school houses but branch out for independency
When starts Kindergarten, he/she could read
COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND INVOLVEMENT
Incredibly supportive
Parents putting on breakfasts, lunches to support teachers
Involvement in Art Auction
Closer relationship with local press
Community businesses fund technology i.e. software
Local business present to students re: career opportunities
Adopted schools by business i.e. First Federal
Navy support of schools
Community service involvement by students
College education mentors sophomores through seniors
Better use of volunteers – webmasters, homework club, etc.
Entire community involved in our schools
Every parent involved in child’s education
Every parent comfortable in our schools
Every child’s basic needs met
Business sponsorships of schools/school programs
Greater community links – all community members contributing to schools
More publicity in Times Record
Community liaison between schools and community
More information in Neighbor’s Section of Times Record
More information on cable station
Bath school publication
Get parents to access opportunities
The parent involvement in support of all the school programs is excellent
Policy presence in the schools is appreciated and helpful to students, faculty
and
parents
PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATION (Faculty, staff, administration, structure)
“Better” transition for 9th graders
House system
Advisory program
A guidance counselor or advisory for each child/additional staffing
Different procedure for budgets/negotiations that is more collaborative
Every teacher with master’s degree
Variety of educational structures within buildings i.e. traditional, looping,
multiage
Certified librarians and computer teachers
Small class sizes
Longer school year
Size – stay small but consolidate resources – merging with Union
47 may be option
College courses for credits during high school through University College
Staff for website management and communications
Clearer guidelines/organization for volunteers to support functions like website
calendar
updating, homework club, etc.
Faculty need to feel they are supported
The administrators and faculty are an extension of the individual families
COMMUNICATION
Parent recognizes teacher/advisor voice or email address
Brilliant parent-teacher communications
School board minutes posted
Great websites all can see – grandparents
Voicemail for all
School-community communications
Ingrain communication in classroom culture – kids write letter –
integrate into the life of
the school
Continue Navigator
Fast communication with issues and emergencies – being proactive
Forum for students to give input – perhaps SCLC and student government
and younger
kids too
Consistency between schools – communication behavior expectations through
high
s chool
Parent conference days 3/year
Improved communication from high school
Common staff development/meeting time with Union 47 and Bath staff; more
communication among teachers and coordination of summer programs, etc.
More community-school connections i.e. community service, mentoring
Website more up-to-date, homework posted, extracurricular calendar
More “newsletter” type of communication
Continue email, web page
STAT – Public Cable
Parent conferences – spread out, make more useful
Improve ways for more parent involvement for those who need to be there
CURRICULUM (classes and course offerings)
Raise standards – and give teachers and students tools to achieve them
Foreign language – all grades
Music – instrumental earlier, include strings
All students required to do community service
Every child participates in extra curricular or more PE K-12
More college prep in high school
More gifted/talented programming
Every student grade 4 and up with computer
Time available for teambuilding and character education – not totally
squeezed out
by more academic focus
Technology – laptops come home
Technology – laptops move on into high school and down into elementary
grades
After school/summer school support
Balance of use of instructional time between teaching/enrichment and testing/
Assessments to meet accountability laws
Real world experiences in curriculum for students not successful in traditional
a cademics
Entrepreneurship, small business management, etc. encouraged through vocational
p rograms that integrate internships
Wellness embedded into all grade levels/school
More staff for health and music at middle level (not all kids ever get music
now)
Foreign language alignment of curriculum among levels (K-5, 6-8, 9-12)
More foreign language staff at middle school
Curriculum coordinator
Enriching the course for those ready to be challenged
Community college offerings for high school students
Guidance curriculum K-12 especially at elementary
K-12 strand for organization, study skills, deadlines
Advisor/advisee programs to counsel, support, manage (career develop)
K-12 laptop proficiency – all using them
EXTRACURRICULAR PROGRAMS/ACTIVITIES (such as sports, math team, MoHiBa…)
Late bus for Union 47
Early/late buses for extracurricular activities at K-5 (for Odyssey of the Mind,
etc.)
Induction into honor society high school twice (junior and senior year)
Excellent (school, recreation department, YMCA, Performing Arts)
SPECIAL CAMPUSES (Huse, Vocational Center….)
Morse on Kennebec River
Partnership with local community college
Vocational Center geared to learning business management skills/business
Connections, internships, etc.
Vocational Center used by more students (middle level)
FACILITIES
Parking at Vocational Center
Better facilities – MHS, all elementaries
Capital improvement account
Well-maintained buildings
More custodial and facility workers
Wiring
Laptop access K-12 and support
Central place to organize/develop community service opportunities
Safe, up-to-date, healthy and practical facilities
Long-term capital investment on maintenance/facilities proactively
Money for maintenance issues – impacts our students/teachers physical
and emotional health
Aesthetics and how it affects ethos
Source of pride in environment is healthy and alive
Extensive renovation of high school
Need state generated incentive for consolidation - financial
TRANSPORTATION
After school transport – late bus
Late bus for after school activities for Union 47
Early/late bus for elementary students for computer labs, homework clubs, etc.
Late bus
UNION 47/WOOLWICH
Late bus for Union 47 students
Opportunities to consistently meet for Union 47 and Bath staff
Provide opportunities for parents to volunteer in schools
STUDENT RECOGNITION
Portfolios and presentations (senior project) for graduation
Published student work in Times Record. Program to encourage
students writing.
Have resources to offer recognition opportunities
Have adequate resources to provide positive rewards for students needing it
OTHER COMMENTS
Educational Options Committee:
How information goes back and forth between forum groups and options group
Publicize opportunities to talk with Educational Options Committee about sentiment
from general public
Differentiation:
All children are challenged
Brightest children challenged in whatever their area of strength is (art, music,
etc)
Additional support for children with special needs who just miss identification
or are dismissed early for special education
Politics:
Assessments – kids over assessed – or we’re moving that way
Parents and even some educators may not realize the impact this will have
All parents need to know how this will impact their child
Pressure on educators and students
What will we do???
No increase in school day and school year
Mandates preventing kids from taking advantage of elective programs that are
important to their future
Remediation and additional school
Consequences in MLR – funding and programming for kids who doesn’t
achieve – after 2:00 PM in summer?
Better, more nutritional lunches
Helping students aspire to be whatever they want to be – to be the best
students
possible
Promoting student engagement in learning process
Parent re-orientation to student achievement
Bring alumni back to talk to students about what they achieved and how Bath
schools
(Morse) benefited their lives
Need to have measurable aspiration and excellence at the student level (motivation)
Support to faculty is essential
More traditional physical education program
Require community service for Morse diploma
Have fundraising as option – not required – offer donation of cash
as possibility
Include wellness into philosophy of Bath Schools
Help students take ownership/responsibility for their work so they can feel
accomplishment and pride
Council needs to spend yearly tax increment permitted by federal law
Need to change parent attitude towards student abuse of drugs and alcohol
Family atmosphere in all the “institutions” of the city