Coalition for Glen Cove

 

Finley Middle School Principal , Anael Alston, speaks at December 2006 meeting of the Coalition for Glen Cove

Coalition president Helen Kotzky, Anael Alston, and Coalition member Claudio Delgrosso

Guest speaker, Anael Alston said that the middle school, and the entire school district, is working to ensure that all students learn study skills and learn how to organize their notes in a Master Notebook, which was introduced this year. Each student keeps one notebook in which they enter class notes, homework, and other assignments for all of their content subjects. At the end of a unit or chapter, the teacher “culls” the notebook and guides students on what is not necessary to have in the notebook at that time. Each month there is a school-wide notebook check to assist students with their organization. Students who are identified as needing additional assistance are referred to their guidance counselor to help get reorganized. As an additional support for students, there is a homework club that meets in the library Monday through Thursday. At least one teacher supervises and supports students who need help with their homework or with the organization of their notebook.

There are many other things at work to support students in their growth and development. Teachers from grades three to nine have been trained in teaching study skills by national consultant, Joan Sedita. In addition the faculty has enthusiastically responded to the staff development and curriculum training of Dr. Elliot Bird (mathematics) and Dr. Nancy Doda (content area curriculum). Also, for the first time this year, each sixth grader took a diagnostic reading exam which indicates, among many other things, the vocabulary and comprehension grade level each child is on. The reading teachers are using these data to adjust and personalize their instruction in reading class.

To assist the entire school in vocabulary comprehension, teachers are teaching vocabulary in all of their classes. This helps students acquire new vocabulary in context and makes it more meaningful and more likely to be retained. Mr. Alston indicated that he is investigating “self-select” honors for English and Social Studies in the seventh and eighth grades. In schools that already have this model, students are heterogeneously grouped and they and their parents choose if they want to go above and beyond the curriculum with work that requires higher order thinking, assigned reading with reading logs, and extended essays, among other things. Mr. Alston restated that he is in the investigatory phase.

To better address the social and emotional needs of our student body, the school will begin movie night this winter. The school auditorium will serve as the movie theater and students will be treated to a PG-13 or G rated movie for a small fee. Mr. Alston expects this to begin in January. In early spring, school administration will host a “Spring-Bling" dance with a ‘70s theme. New middle-school clubs support the academic, social, and emotional needs of students. The new clubs include a film club, an engineering club, a newspaper club, and a homework club. Mr. Alston feels that if the middle school had a bus that left the school at the end of the club hour, more students could be involved in these clubs. The administrative team is looking into ways of getting this late bus. Also, the school administration holds regularly scheduled grade-level meetings to review upcoming events, student expectations, the need to live in harmony, and any other pressing issues.