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August 21, 2008

By Bethany Bray

Doherty Middle School

Bartlet Street

Principal Theresa McGuinness-Darby, 978-623-8751

PAC co-presidents: Shari Wilson and Susan Costello

Date of orientation/open house: A back-to-school night is planned for Thursday evening, Sept. 25. Parents are invited to follow their child's schedule through the evening, meeting teachers.

School theme for 2008-09: "'Respect, responsibility and civility, the Doherty way' is our new mantra to use as a springboard as it relates to academic, social and ethical pride," said McGuinness-Darby, who is taking the helm from the retired Bruce Maki.

New and different for fall 2008: A new system for dropping off Doherty Middle School students in front of the school, on Bartlet Street. A traffic pattern change was approved by the Board of Selectmen on July 28 that allows parents to drop off students and park on the school side of the road, for safety reasons.

Up until now, parking was allowed on the other side of the street, where homes are, meaning students had to cross the sometimes busy road to get in and out of cars. It also meant that people's driveways became blocked at times.

"A sign reading 'Drop Off/Pick Up Only — 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. — School Days' will be posted directly adjacent to our front sidewalk, extending from the Doherty parking lot exit to the Town Offices entrance. All-day parking will be available on the east side (the Doherty side) of Bartlet Street from Morton Street to the Doherty Middle School exit. There will be no parking on the west side of Bartlet Street from Punchard Avenue to Morton Street," according to the principal. "A diagram reflecting the traffic changes will be posted on the front doors and in the main office at Doherty."

Information for the first day: "School begins on Thursday, Sept. 4. All students who arrive early should meet in the bus drop-off area behind the school to await the first bell at 7:35 a.m. At that time, sixth-grade students will report to the cafeteria while seventh- and eighth-grade students will go to the auditorium. At 7:45 a.m. students will meet their homeroom teachers and receive team assignments. As always, students who do not take a bus should report to either the cafeteria or the auditorium each morning thereafter, prior to 7:35 a.m.," wrote McGuinness-Darby in an e-mail.

West Middle School

Shawsheen Road

Principal Steve Murray, 978-623-8700

PAC co-presidents: Marjorie Andresen and Deb Begos (wmspac@gmail.com)

Date of orientation/open house:

r On Sept. 9, from 6 to 8 p.m., the PAC will host a schoolwide ice cream social for students and families.

r A back-to-school night/schoolwide open house has been rescheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 1.

r In October, three "morning coffee" events will be held, each at 8:30. They will be on Oct. 16 (sixth grade), Oct. 18 (seventh grade) and Oct. 19 (eighth grade). Parents are invited for coffee and a chance to meet administrators, ask questions and learn about the school, said Murray.

School theme for 2008-09: "Respect, responsibility and civility"

New and different for fall 2008: West Middle has received all new windows in the cafeteria, the lobby area, and near the auditorium, gym, locker rooms and science rooms, said Murray, who begins his first full year as principal.

"Those areas were just freezing before. They had the original single-pane windows, and now have new double-paned ones. This will save energy, too," he said.

A new special-education program, "Excel," will start this year at West Middle School. Susan Chiaccio has been hired as its lead teacher. Excel is meant to educate special-education students at West Middle who otherwise would have been placed in out-of-district schools.

This is a very positive change, said Murray, because the special-education students can now stay in the same school as their peers and friends.

West Middle will have several new staff members this year. Besides Chiaccio, there are a new sixth-grade social studies teacher, seventh-grade social studies teacher, seventh-grade language arts teacher, seventh-grade math teacher and a long-term substitute for sixth-grade language arts.

"I'm looking forward to this year. We have a real solid staff and fantastic new hires. I'm looking forward to seeing the kids and parents again," Murray said. "My favorite thing about the first day is seeing the kids' excitement when they come in; hearing them talk to friends they haven't seen all summer, getting caught up and meeting their new teachers."

Wood Hill Middle School

Cross Street

Principal Patrick Bucco, 978-623-8925

PAC president: Barbara Wait, thewaitfamily@comcast.net

Date of orientation/open house: The sixth-grade open house and orientation will be this Friday, Aug. 22. The event will be an afternoon cookout, and a letter has gone home with details, said Bucco. Upperclassmen "student ambassadors" will give tours of the school and answer questions.

School theme for 2008-09: To be determined and related to expeditionary learning design principles, said Bucco.

New and different for fall 2008: Wood Hill is hoping to hire an engineering teacher for this year, said Bucco, but the school is still searching for someone to fill the position. The staff also has been participating in professional-development work during the summer, he said.

On the first day: "I always look forward to the kids," Bucco said. "It's like a vacuum in here without them. It's always nice to see them. They're the ones that provide the energy here, so that's what I look forward to.

"(Education) is one of the only professions, in a way, where we always get a clean slate. We're starting from ground zero, in some ways. It's a whole new beginning, year to year," he said. "Even though I've done this for a few years now, I still lose sleep the night before."