Rochester Acts to Attract Substitute Teachers

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Finding substitute teachers is an ongoing problem in all four Tri-Town school districts, and the Rochester School Committee on January 7 was the first district to officially adopt a measure to increase substitute teacher and paraprofessional pay by $5 in the hopes that it will attract more candidates.

Before the vote, Superintendent Doug White stressed the importance of creating a larger substitute teacher pool and the factors that may be keeping the Tri-Town districts’ sub pool further in the shallow end.

“We continue to find ourselves in a position of not having enough subs and not having enough coverage when teachers are out,” White stated. “Our rate of pay may be something of an issue.”

The current rate for substitute paraprofessionals is $60, non-certified teachers is $65, and certified teachers is $70. White proposed a $5 increase in each category, commenting that it had been quite some time since the rate district-wide had been increased.

Furthermore, other surrounding school districts utilize a digital portal system for employing substitute teachers, where potential employees can view online a list of available assignments and pick and choose according to their desired specifications of the jobs.

White said another factor that could be limiting the substitute teacher pool is the cost those employees would incur for state-mandated fingerprinting to be eligible for placement in the role of substitute teacher.

“I will say that anecdotally there have been conversations about fingerprinting … and that’s a cost out of their pocket,” said White. The current cost is $35 for non-licensed teachers and $55 for licensed teachers, White said.

Another factor, White pointed out, could be the state increase of the minimum wage to $10, which would render the hourly rate for a substitute paraprofessional substantially lower, for example.

“So we have to consider that and what we are paying subs,” said White. “We only have eleven substitutes on our (district-wide) list currently that we can pull from on a daily basis…. We need a bigger pool considering our needs.”

The typical school district, according to School Committee member Sharon Hartley, is about 40 to 50 substitute teachers on their list.

“That is the number to a school that is very near us,” said Hartley, “so the number that we have is also a concern, I think.”

On any given day, White said Rochester Memorial School requires 2.6 substitute teachers on average. There simply is not enough interest in filling those assignments, White conceded.

Hartley suggested approving the $5 increase for the remainder of the school year with the chance to revisit the matter in regards to another rate increase for September as budgets are built over the next few weeks.

All districts must approve the pay increase before it can take effect district-wide.

In other matters, RMS Principal Derek Medeiros presented the committee with the results of the state 2015 Accountability Report that show student growth continues to go up, although results keep RMS as a Level 2 school.

The all-student category did not meet the target of 75, with a total of 68; however, the high-needs student category did meet the 75 target with a score of 78. Students with disabilities just missed the mark with a score of 74.

Medeiros said, despite the rigor of the new PARCC exam that was piloted this year, this was the best the school had performed so far.

“We did not meet the targets, but we can see some significant improvement,” said Medeiros. “If we can sustain what we are doing … we feel that we’ll get our building into the Level 1 status that we are all hoping for.

Also during the meeting, Business Administrator Patrick Spencer gave the committee a brief introduction to the progress of the fiscal year 2017 budget. As of that day, the district is looking at an approximate $90,000 increase, roughly $40,000 in regular education and just under $50,000 in special education, to maintain a level-service budget.

In other business, Assistant Superintendent Elise Frangos described an ongoing discussion about changing the Grade 1-6 report card format, hoping to move away from the “A,B,C,D,F” format to a more standards-based report card similar to what kindergarten students currently receive.

“To keep it simple, yet informative, so that parents know what to do to help their children at home,” Frangos said.

White also informed the committee on the state’s new PARCC testing sessions, which will be limited to one session per day during the testing window of April 25 to June 6.

Grade 3 will have two 90-minute timed sessions to finish their tests and one 75-minute session in ELA, and three 60-minute sessions in Math.

Grades 4 and 5 will have three sessions of 90 minutes to finish the test in ELA, and three 60-minute sessions for Math.

Grade 6 will have two 110-minute and one 90-minute testing period, and three 80-minute testing periods on Math.

“Sounds like it didn’t go on much of a diet, did it?” Frangos said to School Committee members who reacted to the amount of sessions with a degree of shock.

Frangos assured them, though, that the sessions were only the amount of time allotted to complete the exam, with most students finishing earlier with enough time to read their personal books until the session ends.

The next meeting of the Rochester School Committee is scheduled for February 4 at 6:30 pm at the Rochester Town Hall.

By Jean Perry

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Cigarette Causes Fire in Mattapoisett

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Cigarette Causes Fire in Mattapoisett

By Jean Perry

The Mattapoisett Fire and Police Departments responded to a call at 3:14pm on Friday, January 15, of a reported fire at the Mattapoisett Housing Authority public housing at 1 Acushnet Road.

When firefighters arrived they found smoke filling the building and evacuated all residents of the 54-unit Village Court senior housing complex, said Mattapoisett Fire Chief Andrew Murray at the scene.

A fire broke out in a trashcan in unit #45 after the tenant improperly disposed of a cigarette in the trash. Murray said nobody was injured, but the Mattapoisett Police E.M.S. evaluated one individual who later refused further treatment.

Murray said damage inside the unit was limited to the trashcan and surrounding area and did not spread to any other units.

Due to the cold, firefighters allowed the elderly tenants to re-enter the lobby of the public housing complex as the fire was being extinguished, since smoke had not spread into that part of the building.

The Town of Marion was called for assistance and the Fairhaven Fire Department provided station coverage for the Town of Mattapoisett during the incident.

Moths – No End In Sight

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You’ve been vigilant, completed your due diligence, spent money to protect and defend both deciduous and evergreen trees that provide shade and beauty to your property. But you can’t rest on those laurels – the fight continues against the mighty moth.

Thanks to the Mattapoisett Tree Committee, the Tri-Town populace has been provided with information on how to try and protect trees against the 2015/2016 Canadian moth mating season. If you have driven down North Street in Mattapoisett, you’ve seen a number of trees that have been “banded” in an effort to capture and kills mating moths.

During an interview with Mattapoisett Tree Committee member Debra Smiley, she shared information on best practices and processes moving forward in what will now be a yearly fight against moth infestations.

Smiley said the Tree Committee has posted a video clip on their Facebook page demonstrating how to remove the banding.

“The bands have served their purpose,” Smiley explained, by capturing moths in the mating season. By mid-January, the Canadian moth-mating season has ended.

She continued, “The next generation eggs have been deposited all over the place. The bands need to come off so the trees can dry out. If left in place, they may promote disease and bark damage.” Smiley warned, “Let the tree recover from the banding.”

Smiley said egg masses have been deposited in the crevices of the trees and behind lichens. At this point, the eggs are an orange color. In early spring, the eggs change color to a shade of dark blue. The color change indicates the eggs are about to hatch.

“In early spring, March, after a series of 45-degree days, you can apply dormant oil,” Smiley suggested. She said the oil smothers the emerging caterpillars. Again, she warned against spraying too soon describing it as a “waste of product and time.” She also advised not to spray trees now because of the possibility of damaging the bark during extreme cold weather.

Smiley said the Tree Committee will continue to monitor University of Massachusetts extension information and other sources to provide the community with the most up-to-date details. However, after all is said and done, the moths can only be controlled – not completely annihilated.

In 2004, Southeastern Massachusetts began to experience the winter moth invasion. But it wasn’t until last year – a year that found the region also fighting a gypsy moth outbreak – that trees really began to show signs of severe distress.

“I understand that if the trees have fifty percent defoliation over a four or five year period, that tree won’t make it,” Smiley said sadly. “The best you can do is give the trees a chance,” she then added with a trace of hope in her voice.

And what does the future hold?

“This is an annual event,” said Smiley. “You have Halloween, Thanksgiving, and then Tree Banding,” she said with a chuckle.

For more information and to stay abreast of the latest information published by the Mattapoisett Tree Committee, you may visit their Facebook page or go to www.mattapoisett.net and visit their webpages on the Town’s web site.

By Marilou Newell

 

Substitute Teacher Pay

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To the Editor:

Thoughts on Substitute Teacher Pay….

Having just graduated from college, unemployed and with no money to stay in Boston, I returned home to Mattapoisett. Needing some income, I signed on as a substitute teacher at Old Rochester where, only four years before, I had graduated. Over a year and one half, I taught over one hundred days then left for a “real” job. The experience would pay dividends years later when, after 30 years successfully doing something else, I became a full-time high school teacher. The experience was like money in the bank, but the paycheck, $20 per day, was not.

Since 1968, 47 years ago, the pay for a substitute teacher in the district has just recently risen to the princely sum of $70 per day, $75 for licensed teachers. Substitute teaching is clearly not a growth industry. Five years ago when I retired, the day rate for a licensed substitute at the school where I taught was $90. For a non- licensed teacher it was $85. Today, it is $75 for a teacher with an Associate Degree, $85 with a Bachelor’s and $95 if one is licensed. They prefer to hire retired teachers who taught in the system, who know the school culture and often know the students or have taught their brothers and sisters. A win/win for the school, the students, and the subs.

Substitute teaching is a real job and a very difficult one. Few people who are qualified want to get a call at 5:00 am to face a group of usually unknown students to teach an unfamiliar lesson for little money, no benefits and a 20 minute lunch break. Though I know all the tricks a good sub needs to know (that’s another story for another time), don’t call me. I sleep late.

Richard Morgado, Mattapoisett

 

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.

Early Childhood Office

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Project GROW applications are now available. Please call the Early Childhood Office at 508-748-1863 for information. The application deadline is January 29.

There is still room in our Friday preschool playgroup! Come join us from 9:00 – 10:15 am at Old Hammondtown School for our 3-4 year old preschool playgroup. Call the office to sign up! 508-748-1863.

Sippican Choral Society

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The Sippican Choral Society in Marion begins its spring rehearsal schedule on Monday, January 18 at 7:15 pm in the Mattapoisett Congregational Church’s Reynard Hall on Church Street. New members are welcome to join the chorus that night.

The chorus will begin rehearsing for its spring concert to be held on Saturday, April 30, when it will perform a program of mostly French music, including Haydn’s “Missa Brevis Sancti Joannis de Deo in B flat,” “Cantique de Jean Racine” by Gabriel Fauré, and “Notre Pere” by Maurice Duruflé. Leonard Bernstein’s “Make Our Garden Grow,” from Candide and a Les Miserables medley will also be on the program.

Questions? Call Nancy Sparklin at 508-763-2327. Please let her know if you plan to sing but cannot make this rehearsal.

Marion Seeks Regional Wastewater Grant

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The Town of Marion is joining up with surrounding towns including the Town of Wareham to pursue an EPA Southeast New England Program (SNEP) grant to fund a feasibility study for a regional wastewater treatment system.

Spearheaded by the Town of Wareham, the grant would fund a study to look closely at relocating the outfall points of each of the towns to one into the Cape Cod Canal with its swift current that would ideally prevent the build-up of nitrogen pollution. The study would include assessing the possibility of interconnecting the facilities of each of the towns into one cohesive system.

“What this grant is looking to do is look at a regional approach to wastewater management … treatment, [and] discharge … to the area of the Cape Cod Canal where there is significant flushing,” said Marion Town Administrator Paul Dawson on Friday, January 8 during a special morning meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen. “It’s an effort to look at each participating community’s wastewater treatment capabilities [and] infrastructure and standardize that.”

The final goal, Dawson said, is perhaps a concept for a model for future development.

The notion, Dawson added, would be of particular interest to Marion as the Environmental Protection Agency considers its final conditions of the town’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

“I think it bears good reasons as to why we should consider participating in this,” Dawson told selectmen. “It has at least the potential to help the town…. I think the EPA would look favorably upon our participating in a program like this.”

There would be no upfront costs to pursuing the grant or the feasibility study, should the grant be awarded, Dawson said, since the $10,000 matching contribution by the town could be paid with in-kind services, such as town staff assistance in filing the grant application as well as preparation and sharing of information by engineers employed by the town.

“It’s a concept that’s driven in each community by different reasons, but it’s a situation that’s worthy of investigation,” said Dawson. “I think it’s an opportunity for us to look at it … and there is no commitment beyond this grant. It could only be good for the town, and I don’t see any reason why we should not pursue this.”

The grant opportunity already has the support of the Wareham Board of Selectmen, and Selectman Jonathan Henry supported the idea, just as long as present efforts to pursue a grant to study the feasibility of hooking up specific areas of Marion and Mattapoisett to the Marion Wastewater Treatment Facility aren’t affected. He also expressed a concern over the “touchiness” of inter-municipal projects. He said neither town involved should “screw it up by leaving someone out of the equation.”

“We’re still under the gun when it comes to the NPDES permit,” Dawson said.

“It makes all the sense in the world to sort of hitch our wagon to someone else,” said Selectmen Chairman Stephen Cushing. “We’re looking down the barrel of a shotgun right now.”

The selectmen voted to pursue the grant.

Also during the meeting, selectmen ratified the contract for the Planning Board’s newly hired part-time town planner, Kenneth Buckland.

Town Meeting back in 2015 approved $30,000 for the Planning Board to hire a part-time planner to assist in the creation of a Master Plan.

The next meeting of the Marion Board of Selectmen is scheduled for January 19 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Town House.

By Jean Perry

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Mattapoisett Recreation Winter Programs

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MATTREC has openings in the following winter programs:

Gymnastics & Tumbling, Session 3: Ages 5 & up; Fridays 3:15 – 4:15 pm, 4:15 – 5:15 pm, 5:15 – 6:15 pm; February 5 – April 8 at Old Hammondtown Gymnasium; 8-week session; cost $140; registration is open through January 29.

Bay State Gymnastics Academy for Gymnastics and/or Tumbling classes are perfect for beginner gymnasts as well as students with previous gymnastics experience. Qualified instructors will work individually with each gymnast on all four gymnastic events: Floor Tumbling, Balance Beam, Bars and Vaulting. Tumbling classes are designed for any gymnast or cheerleader interested in working solely on their floor tumbling skills.

Yoga: Ages 6-10 years; Tuesdays 3:00 – 4:00 pm; March 1 – April 26 in the Center School Gymnasium; 8-week session; cost $80; registration deadline is February 25.

Certified Yoga instructor Lynda Jacobvitz will teach your child age-appropriate yoga poses, basic stretching exercises and creative movement to promote strength, flexibility and coordination. Breathing and visualization techniques will teach kids how to focus, relax, develop self-control and improve concentration.

Candy Making Workshop: Grades 2-6. Four sessions on Wednesdays 3:00 – 4:00 pm; February 3, March 16, April 13 and May 4 in the Center School Cafeteria; cost $50; sign up online at www.mattrec.net; registration deadline is January 27.

Join Maria Lynch for a candy making workshop. Each session will have a different theme: Gifts for your Valentine, Spring Sweets, and Mother’s Day delights. Each participant will be able to make candy items to bring home. All supplies will be provided.

Crafting: Creation Imagination: Grades K-3; Thursdays 2:45 – 4:00 pm; January 14 – March 17 (no class February18 and March 10) in the Center School Cafeteria.

Each week a specific theme will be introduced and supplies provided. Children will use their imaginations to bring their very own creations to life. So many fun projects in store! Join instructor Maria Lynch for eight sessions of afternoon fun.

To sign up online, visit our website at www.mattrec.net or download registration form from website and drop it off at Mattapoisett Town Hall.

Shelter Operations Training Drill

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A shelter operations drill will be held at Sippican School in Marion on Thursday, January 28 at 6:30 pm. Come learn how you can help your family and community in a disaster. Free and open to all Marion and Rochester residents as well as persons interested in helping this community in the event of an emergency.

All volunteers are welcome and no medical background or experience is required. We need “all hands on deck” to protect our community in the event of a disaster.

There will be short presentation about the work done by the Medical Reserve Corps to protect the community followed by a walk through mock shelter operation. Time for discussion and questions, preparation materials and refreshments will be available after the walk through.

To attend, please register with the Marion Board of Health at 508-748-3530 or email mmurphy@marionma.gov. Enter the school by the Park Street entrance at the back of Sippican School.

If interested, but unable to attend, please email mmurphy@marionma.gov for volunteer information.

A Yearbook is Worth a Thousand Words

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As the school year chugs on and students are enjoying the various clubs and sports they are involved in, one group of students is working hard to create a tangible recreation of the school year through pictures. It’s a group of dedicated students who care enough about their peers to donate their time to creating a lasting memory: the yearbook.

The Yearbook Club meets Tuesdays after school until about three o’clock in order to pull the book together. Currently, there are seven people working on the yearbook, plus Editor Samantha Kirkham and Advisor Alison Guard.

Contrary to popular belief, however, the club is most definitely not senior-exclusive. In fact, the Yearbook Club is urging underclassmen to join and learn the ropes in order to make next year’s transition a smoother one.

“Right now, we have just seniors working on it, but it’s not a ‘just senior’ club. Anybody can do it,” said Kirkham. “We’re actually looking for underclassmen; that way there’s people for next year so Mrs. Guard doesn’t have to do it by herself.”

“It is a sort of an understated thing,” said Guard. “Most people don’t realize how much time goes into it, and how involved it is. And we’d always love to get more people involved.”

Putting together a yearbook is a much more labor-intensive project than one might imagine. Kirkham has paid a lot of special attention to the “Introduction to the Seniors” page, with over eight hours under her belt.

Kirkham has worked together with members of her class, including Kyle Costa –who is putting together the senior slideshow – in order to create a yearbook that encompasses the spirit of the past year.

Once the yearbook is distributed, students sit in groups and eagerly flip through to find pictures of themselves and their friends. But just how does the Yearbook Club get every person equally represented in a school of 700+ students?

“We try to do our best job. You can tag everybody in the photos with the software, so it keeps track of how many times people are in the book,” said Kirkham. “Also, for the senior section and semi, I’ve made a list myself to tally how many times each person was in each section, and tried to get everybody in as much as possible, because I don’t want people to be left out. Especially if you buy the book. You don’t want to buy a book that you’re not in.”

The cover of the yearbook is always an exciting surprise. Some years the cover even features student artwork. Being the first thing one sees when looking at the book, it’s arguably one of the most important parts. How does the club figure out which cover to use to represent the Old Rochester spirit? Kirkham explained how they find the perfect cover.

“We had our yearbook rep come in, and he brought a binder with lots of cover options and he had examples with colors and fonts you can change,” Kirkham said.

And to give students an opportunity to make their yearbook a more personalized experience, there is an option to get your name monogrammed on the cover.

This year, the Yearbook Club members have taken it upon themselves to introduce some changes to the book in order to make it more affordable for the student body.

The book size will be reduced (but don’t fret – the same amount of content will be included). The Yearbook Club also plans to incorporate more business ads into the book, as having more businesses advertise will reduce the cost to purchase a book. These slight changes will offset the price of the yearbook for next year and upcoming years. So, underclassmen, rejoice!

The price isn’t the only thing the Yearbook Club plans to change. The club is trying to give the book a more connected feel, as Kirkham explained.

“In the past, the underclassmen were after the staff, so this year we’re putting them before the staff and after the seniors, so that they’re not as separated,” said Kirkham, “and it doesn’t feel like it’s just the senior book … it’s everybody’s book.”

Although the club needs to finish the book by March, it is not due to be shipped to Old Rochester until sometime in mid-April – just in time for distribution at the annual Senior Picnic.

For any questions, or to place a business ad to help make the yearbook affordable for all Old Rochester students, contact Alison Guard at 508-758-3745 ext. 1823 or email aguard@orr.mec.edu.

By Sienna Wurl