New breakfast program to debut at CHS next month

Starting in February, Canton High School will be offering a new “grab and go” breakfast program with the goal of helping students perform better academically.

Breakfast will be offered prior to the start of school between 6:45 and 7:10 a.m. The cost will be $1.50, or 30 cents for students who qualify for the reduced school lunch program.

Martha Lawless, director of the district’s food service program, announced the new pilot program to the School Committee on Thursday, January 17. Lawless said the program, if successful, could be expanded to other schools, beginning with the Hansen Elementary School.

She said the breakfast menu will include basic items such as milk, juice, fruit, whole grain products, bagels, and one or two hot selections.

“We are hoping that this will help the students get going and be ready for their classes,” Lawless said.

In other news Thursday night, CHS adjustment counselor Donna Creed Bauman presented an update on the Garden’s Gate Project, a voluntary initiative aimed at restoring and beautifying the high school’s five existing courtyards.

Bauman, who started the project two years ago with no funding, informed the committee that she is now within $10,000 of being able to construct the first two courtyards. She has retained landscape architect Ken Costello to serve as the designer of the project, and Costello appeared with Bauman Thursday night to present his designs.

Costello said he designed the areas as gardens but also for use as outdoor classrooms and music areas. The cost for both areas is estimated at $27,000, although Costello said that figure could be reduced with community donations of materials and labor.

Bauman said donations and grant opportunities continue to come in, adding that she has already received a grant from Home Depot and is working with Blue Hills Regional School to recruit student volunteers. She also hopes to meet with representatives of the Canton Association of Business and Industry and Waste Management. At this point, Bauman said she has enough labor but needs money for materials and supplies. Bauman will have design plans available for viewing at the high school, library, and Town Hall.

Meanwhile, the School Committee also heard from April Goran, the district’s technology integration administrator, who provided an update on the work of the Technology Committee, which includes a representative from each school. Besides integrating technology into the curriculum, the committee has worked to implement online report cards, attendance records, and student demographic reports; new technology courses at the middle and high schools; and new resource pages for parents on the Canton Public Schools’ homepage at www.cantonma.org.

Goran also discussed the installation of 248 new thin client units (monitors, wireless keyboards, and mice) in schools throughout the district. Goran described a thin client as a device that depends heavily on a server to fulfill its traditional computer role. Thin-client computing is a way of maintaining computer services at a reduced cost of ownership. The equipment takes up little space and cuts the expenses of individual computer licenses.

The committee also asked Goran to study the potential cost and impact of laptops and iPads in future years.

In other news:

* Katey Swanson, K-12 wellness coordinator, received permission from the committee to organize a trip to Italy for 20 CHS upperclassmen during February vacation next year. Swanson, who is coordinating a similar trip to Ireland in April, said students must be in good standing and have an interest in social studies and foreign languages.

* The committee gave permission to School Committee member Reuki Schutt and Jeremy Comeau to supervise 15 students on a trip to Washington, D.C., to attend the upcoming Junior Statesmen of America Winter Conference in February.

* Granatino announced the completion of a new three-year contract for bargaining unit E, which covers educational assistants, aides, and tutors. The agreement expires June 30, 2015, and is very similar to the other school employees’ contracts.

* Student Services Director Debra Bromfield, CHS adjustment counselor Benjamin Stich, and Larry Epstein of Mass. General informed the committee about a new pilot program at CHS that will be based on the Collaborative Problem Solving model. The initiative will help staff deal with day-to-day behavioral problems and to identify the root cause of these problems. Staff will be trained to identify and deal with students who are acting up in class, not doing their homework, struggling with academics, or showing a lack of social interaction.

* Granatino praised the work of GMS Assistant Principal Meredith Carey, who filled in for Principal Dr. Bill Conard while he was out on medical leave. Granatino said Dr. Conard was recently given a clean bill of health after undergoing a series of medical treatments over the past few months.

* Granatino announced that the CHS Athletic Department is now on Twitter, providing “real time” updates on game results.

* The School Committee will next meet on Thursday, February 7, at 7 p.m.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Jan 23 2013. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.