Sippican School on Top with MCAS

Sippican School ranked highly in state MCAS scoring, and Marion School Committee Chairman Joseph Scott, Superintendent of Schools Doug White, and Sippican School Principal Lyn Rivet congratulated the students and educators October 1 during a relatively brief school committee meeting.

In third grade math, Sippican School ranked 12th out of 942 Massachusetts elementary schools and 14th out of 544 for sixth grade English, bringing the school’s rating up from a Level 2 to a Level 1 school.

“This is a great accomplishment,” said White, “and everybody should be proud of this accomplishment.”

The Sippican School received a certificate from the commissioner of elementary and secondary education, recognizing it as one of just 42 Commendation Schools in Massachusetts. This is to applaud the school for its high achievement and progress in the MCAS exams last year. White referred to the achievement as an “A plus” of sorts.

The committee held off on approving new guidelines for the Student Activity Account so they could be reviewed more closely. The Student Activity Account is used to fund field trips, for example, and the new guidelines will ensure proper management and operation of the account.

“I think it’s important that we get a strong process … in place,” said White.

Key elements, said White, are the involvement of Business Manager Patrick Spencer, who will review the account with Sippican staff members on a monthly basis to ensure that everyone is “on the same page.” White added that the guidelines would also protect employees via diligent documentation of receipts and deposits.

“It seems to make sense to me,” said Scott. “[It] hopefully will help us handle our funds a little better.” Not that there have been major problems in the past, of course, Scott emphasized.

In other matters, White briefed the board on his recent exploration of practices pertaining to technology classes with a “one-to-one environment,” looking for ways to integrate the instructional use of personal electronic devices such as iPads and tablets. White said he has visited classrooms outside the district that have implemented similar programs with success.

The next meeting of the Marion School Committee is scheduled for November 5 at 6:30 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

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