Shipbuilder News
September 8, 2008
This year bring us not only a new school year, but a new school district. It is exciting to be part of Regional School Unit 1. The fact that Bath and Union 47 are the first school districts to consolidate is a testament to how forward-thinking, hard-working, and committed we are to improving education for all of our students. We should be proud to be number one, and it’s our goal at Morse to make our high school the number one highest performing high school in the state of Maine. Being part of such a strong, consolidated school system such as RSU1 is just the first step in that process.
Here are just some of the changes we have made at the high school to help our students become successful:
In our May/June newsletter I had referred to the exciting news about an innovative program coming to Morse. I can now happily tell you about that program. Funded with the help of Bath Iron Works, Morse will now be offering Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG). JMG is an independent private non-profit corporation established in 1993. The program provides students who are disconnected from school with the skills and motivation needed to succeed in education, the work force, and in adult roles. JMG’s vision is to be a champion of all Maine students who face barriers to education and to guide each one of them onto a successful path to a brighter future. At Morse, it will help to reduce our dropout rate, and ensure that all our students have the skills needed to successfully complete their education.
In addition to JMG, we will be offering a new reading program called Read 180. READ 180 is a proven solution that produces measurable learning gains among struggling readers. It is working in thousands of high school classrooms across the country. The program directly addresses individual needs through adaptive and instructional software, high-interest literature, and direct instruction in reading skills. At Morse we recognize that students who are not able to read at grade level cannot perform as well in their classes as those students at or above grade level. It is essential that all students have the ability to comprehend their texts, to understand the intricacies of literature, and to navigate through non-fiction texts and instructional manuals.
Finally, we are starting the school year with a new student information system called Infinite Campus. Infinite Campus will help us to internally track the progress of our students. For the community, Infinite Campus will enable parents to monitor their son or daughter’s grades, assignments, and attendance. It is a much more powerful student information system than our previous system. Please note, though, that during the first quarter of school, parents will not be able to access the system. As a school system we decided not to open the Internet portal immediately to ensure that Infinite Campus is working at full capacity, and that the information it contains is the most accurate and up-do-date.
Before closing, I would like to take this opportunity to officially welcome the following people:
Tammy Heathco – Guidance
Kari Vigue – Special Education
Robert Rossignol – Special Education
Justin Voldman – Social Studies Teacher
Maria Morris – JMG Instructor
As always, your active participation in your student’s education is the single most critical factor in her/his achievement. It promotes student attendance, a focus on studies, and it reinforces the importance of achievement and education. Parents as partners with the school send a very clear message to their students that learning matters. There are many ways to be involved, and we encourage you to do so throughout the year.
If at any time during the year you have questions or concerns, please call me at 443-8250 or stop by and see all the recent renovations to our building.
See you soon.
Peter G. Kahl