Well it was an extremely busy week at Hale, with the open house last Thursday night and the first dance of the last Friday night.   Dances are great events as the kids have a lot of fun and it is great to see them at the school relaxing and enjoying themselves.   One goal I have as prinicipal is to perfect, or at least vastly improve, the after dance pick up routine!

I was very pleased with how many people were able to attend the open house last week.  I received a lot of positive feedback from the staff  as to the number of people they were able to talk to.  I hope it was obvious to everyone attending what a vibrant school this is, a great staff and kids who are eager to be an active participant in their education.  I really enjoy being able to be part of it.

Last Friday was an early release day for the students, but the staff was busy at work beginning to analyze the MCAS scores.  We have a multi step process when we do this.  First we look at the overall results and analyze which standards the largest number of students struggled with.  We then reflect upon the curriculum and instruction to see what actions can be taken to help students become proficient in the standards in which we underachieved.  When that work is done we turn to individual student scores and analyze them in depth and develop an individualized improvement plan for any student in the needs improvement or warning levels.  There is a great deal of work that goes into this process from beginning to end.

I know some people have MCAS fatigue, as it has been often mentioned to me.   Although I understand that sentiment, the reality is MCAS is the standard to which we are presently held to as public educators.  What I think is great about the approach in this District is that although our curriculum is aligned with the state standards and therefore should produce positive MCAS results, we do not just teach to the test.  We work hard to assure a full, well rounded learning experience that should be reflected in our students experiencing true learning, while being prepared to meet the MCAS requirements.

A Big Week Ahead at Hale

The fourth week of school at Hale is going to be a busy one.

On Thursday evening our annual back to school night open house will be taking place.  The program begins at 6:30 pm. with a presentation in the auditorium, and is followed with full run through the schedule of classes.  This is an informative night that hopefully as many people as possible will be able to attend.

Friday evening is going to be the first dance of the school year for all grades.  The dance is held in the gym from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  The cost is $5.00 and it is sponsored by the student council.  It is important to note that attendance at the dance is limited to current Hale students.

MCAS results are being mailed today and should be received later this week.  Overall the performance at Hale was very good.  The new reporting format is informative and I am hopeful you will have a clear idea of the strengths and weaknesses of your child’s answers.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions.

Please continue to suggest any blogging topics of interest to you.

Voting Day at Hale

One think I really like about blogging is I have the space and opportunity to write about many different things.  One of the problems I have is that I often get writer’s block as to what people may be interested in reading about.  So if there is a subject you would like me to possibly write about, be it a trivial matter, a general question, a desire for a look “behind the scenes” or whatever else please send me an email.

The answer to our trivia question from last week is two of our new staff members.  Kelly Devlin, our school guidance counselor, and Jamie Tucker our P.E. teacher, are both graduates of Nashoba Regional High School.  I must admit this was a coincidence I was unaware of myself until last week. I thought it was an interesting fact about two people new to Hale.

Yesterday morning we had our first monthly meeting of the Hale Parent Support Group for this year.  The PSG is a great group of dedicated people who raise money for important school functions and perform tremendously in support roles.  The publication of the monthly newsletter is a major undertaking for them.  The first edition will be out next week.  Please use this great resource.  Their  major fundraising project, which is a magazine drive, will be undertaken later this fall.  I appreciate all the work these people do for Hale under the leadership of Karen Wall.  I know they are always looking for more volunteers to assure the organization stays strong.

Today being the state primary voting day, Hale School has been open to the community hosting the Town of Stow’s only polling place.   We generally have been able to accommodate students and voters alike with minimal adjustments on past election days.  Today was no exception.  I suspect the turnout has been light as it seemed like a very quiet day voting.

Again please feel free to send any ideas for blog topics!

Friday Afternoon!

Another week of school coming to a close here at Hale and it has been a busy one, as I guess it always is.


The heat has finally left the building which is a refreshing change. I love heat and the summer as much as anyone and this has been a great summer. However, it is not a great combination in a school with a couple of stories and no air conditioning. It was a great job by staff and students alike to tolerate the heat last week and get school underway. I hope the weather remains mild but not hot.

In addition to my blog I am also using twitter, more for fun and occasional comments. You can find me at @haleprincipal on Twitter. The other day I put out a trivia question, that I have yet to answer so I will add it here. So this weeks trivia…what two Hale faculty members are a graduate of Nashoba Regional High School? Sometimes trivia can be a fun way to learn interesting facts about the Hale community so I will offer more in the future if you can’t get this one.

Our back to school night is only two weeks away, Thursday, September 23rd. Be sure to mark it on the calendar as I look forward to meeting as many people as possible that night.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

A Forum to Discuss Bullying

When the legislature passed the new anti-bullying law last spring it put the spotlight clearly on the issue. My experience at Hale has been that this is not a pervasive problem, though there are some challenges from time to time. I think overall as time has passed since last spring perhaps the issue is in better perspective overall.


Although it is a long way off right now, I have arranged for Elizabeth Englander to present a parent forum on bullying prevention on February 10th at 6:30. We are very lucky to get her at Hale as she is one of the most renowned speakers on this matter in Massachusetts. Not only will she be conducting the parent forum she will also be doing a staff training session that same day. If you have your 2011 calendar already I urge you to reserve this date, as I guarantee it will be a dynamic and worthwhile event.

If you are aware of any bullying situations, in any form, it is important to let us know here at the school. We want all students to feel safe and secure at all times and we will work hard to make that happen.