School committee reviews Park Ave. project

By Brittany Gleim
Patriot correspondent

WEBSTER - The Park Avenue renovation was one of the main agenda items at the October 23^rd school committee meeting. Overall, the project is going well and the committee members are pleased with the current results. The original anticipated deadline of October 22 has been extended another two to three weeks. This will not have a huge impact on the overall schedule of the project because the original expectance date was self-imposed. Members had met with the Webster public safety committee on October 23 to address concerns about traffic and parking during the renovation.

The Webster School Committee was also given the privilege of being selected to attend the Association of School Business Officials (ASBO) Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. Only twenty recipients were selected to attend throughout the nation. The Webster Public Schools look to incorporate new ideas and strategies focusing on transportation efficiency, increasing staff morale, and tiered learning instruction into their curriculum.

Principal Jennifer Lundwall of the Webster Middle School shared recent success stories of the school as well as new ideas to implement to improve the school even more. Through the use of professional development meetings, Principal Lundwall and her faculty have been able to differentiate standards based upon the different learning needs of students. As any educator knows, this is an extremely important aspect of effective instruction because no two children are alike and they should not be instructed as such. Webster Middle School has also replaced the traditional homeroom period with an advisory session to help build a sense of culture and community within the classroom.

The school committee meeting concluded with the announcement of a new teaching position in the Webster elementary school. With the funds granted to the school by Title I, the new position asks for a mentor to instruct a small group of students in grades one and two in math and reading skills. There are numerous benefits to introducing this position into the faculty, including reducing the number of special education referrals, developing knowledge of needs of specific students, and working a flexible schedule.