Sippican School

To the Editor:

As parents of six current Sippican School students, friend to countless other young students and (for one of us) a consistent presence as a regular in-class volunteer, we must respond to comments made in the February 5, 2016 article “FinCom Gives Candid School Budget Opinion.” Sippican’s population has increased, and alongside that uptick has come greater numbers of students needing extra attention for either behavior or academic support.

Volunteering twice weekly at the school informs our opinion. Every hour spent in the classroom, I admire our teachers anew. I observe patience and compassion not only for my child, (who is one of those kids who would benefit from the extra help our teachers are requesting), but the other 17 kids in that classroom, those who struggle and those who don’t. I am grateful for teachers who bring snacks and clothing from their own homes for students who would otherwise go without. I can attest to the fact that our Sippican teachers and staff work well beyond the hours they are in the school building, making plans and preparing lessons and materials before school, after school, and over the weekends. Every single time we walk through the Sippican hallways, we observe the great care taken by teachers and administrators who treat our children as their own.

The bubble mentality expressed by a FinCom member that “This is Marion” is outdated, incorrect and frankly, dangerous. There are behavior issues and worrisome incidents in EVERY town, regardless of zip code. And admittedly, though none has escalated to the extreme examples cited in the February 5 article, there are problems in our classrooms, our buses and beyond. These issues invite a respectful dialogue between parents, teachers, town administrators and other stakeholders.

We invite anyone to take a seat in the classroom, volunteer in the lunchroom, or ride the bus, and reacquaint themselves with the changing dynamics of our school community. It is our collective responsibility to see the reality on the ground, in order to respond to these changes, support our teachers meaningfully and take all the measures within our means to ensure the best education possible for our children. Sippican Proud!

Respectfully submitted,

Ixia Bongiorno and Nicole Long, Marion

 

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

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