For WHS Teachers, the Learning NEVER Stops!

Unfortunately, due to a winter storm on Friday, January 21st, a much anticipated 'staff inservice training day' at WHS was cancelled. Like any school closure, this cancellation was a huge disappointment for our staff. We had been planning our staff training program for many weeks and the prospect of losing the day was a tough one for all of us. Nonetheless, we will have other opportunities to learn and grow together and get better and better at what we do. The reality is, as a teacher you can never stop learning.

In the field of education, there are always new methods, strategies, programs and systems to learn. Furthermore, with the advent of computer and other information technologies all over the world and in its in schools, there has been a resulting exponential increase in the breadth of human knowledge and a corresponding increase in a teacher's required skill base. For our teachers, it can sometimes feel as if they are running endlessly on a hamster wheel (without ever quite reaching the cheese!). Add to all of that the ever-increasing demands, challenges, and expecations for our public school system, and you see that it is more complicated and more difficult to become(or remain)a successful teacher with each passing year.

What does this mean for teachers? Continuous learning and continuous improvement. WHS teachers are afforded four 'inservice training days' (i.e., you are 'on the clock' learning and working for the school district on those days). Beyond those inservice days, our teachers spend countless hours reading books, journals and magazines, and taking graduate level college courses. The attend weekly committee and team meetings expanding their depth of understanding, and sharing that professional growth with fellow staff members. In addition, they are continuously researching promising new opportunities for learning on the internet, and spend large blocks of time over the summer immersed in curriculum or program development work with their colleagues. It is also over the summer months that teachers receive the bulk of of their training on new district or school-based initiaitives.

LEARNING is the name of our game, and as career educators, we've grown pretty good at working either side of the desk. It's just part of what we do as 21st Century teachers at Woodland Heights School. Lifelong learning is definitely in the future for our students as well, and we love to model the workplace of the future for them at WHS!

Snow Days, Early Dismissals, and Delayed Openings, Oh My!!

Living in New Hampshire offers so many rewards and so many charms. As those of us who have called the 'Granite State' our home for any length of time know well, there is much truth in the old addage: "If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute."

This truism creates real headaches for school superintendents during the wintertime. Our long, difficult winters and their associated storms can be very hard to forecast accurately. If the storm appears severe enough, superintendents need to make very important decisions regarding school closures, delays or early dismissals. Oftentimes, those decision must be made with limited or unreliable weather information. When the possibility of inclement weather presents itself, they often need to make their 'call' well in advance of achieving any real certainty about what the weather will actually hold. This is because the school district needs to give significant notice to families and school staff about school closure plans when when poor weather is imminent. Our superintendents need to make certain that families have ample time to make necessary arrangements for the care of their children when school is closed.

The uncertainties of the weather and the consequences of making the 'wrong call' make the superintendents uneasy, and the rest of us,too. What we need to remember when these decisions are made is that the underlying reason for the closure decision is to assure the safety of the students; first, last, and always. If a superintendent cannot be certain that the buses will be able to safely make their routes and that students walking are sufficiently visable to motorists (over high snowbanks, etc.), then s/he needs to make the school closure call. Although content in his or her heart that the call was made in the best safety interests of children, they also know how 'the call' can inconvenience families who need to make arrangements to miss work or have a trusted party care for their children so that they can go to work (sometimes incurring a considerable babysitting expense).

Living in New Hampshire is not easy, and long, uncertain winters are the norm. There is excitement in that uncertainty, and prospect of a 'snow day' for the children always seems like a gift -- at least to them!

As the coming weeks of winter unfold and new storms head our way, please remember that school delay, cancellation, or early dismissal decisions are not made lightly, but always with the right thing as the first priority: the safety and well-being of your children.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

WHS Begins the Year with Assessments and Technology

The main themes of our school since returning from the Holiday Break are Assessment, and Technology (sometimes both).

In the area of assessment .....

Mrs. Bergman and our team of 'Interventionists' (Title I Tutors and Special Educators) began the new year administering the DIBELS reading assessment to all of our students in Grades K-5. This test is quick and easy to administer, and gives students an opportunity to work one-on-one with a teacher who administers the test and analyzes student performance. These test results are then used by our interventionists and classroom teachers to measure student progress, effectiveness of programs, and organizing students for new instructional groups.

The F&P Benchmark Assessment is administered by our Grade 3-5 classroom teachers and measures student reading levels. This helps teachers chart student progress, connect students with 'just right' books, and form reading groups (Literature Circles).


A computer-based test of reading and math proficiency, the NWEA Measures of Academic Progress, was administered by Mrs. Bergmann and Grade 3-5 classroom teachers during the weeks of January 10th and 17th.


There are formal mid-year tests specific to our district-wide reading program, Houghton-Mifflin, that teacher teams in Grades 1-5 administer to students that help us track their performance relative to the literacy program adopted by the school district four years ago.


Meanwhile, our Kindergarten teachers have been administering a comprehensive mid-year assessments of their own. The PALS tests measure student progress in key academic areas. This assessment is administered by our Kindergarten teachers.


In the area of technology ...

The new WHS Commons has been buzzing with activity during the school day, after school, and in the evenings.


Both small and large groups of students have been visiting the Commons on a daily basis now, and the area is already becoming a powerful new component of our overall school program for students. The access that this cluster has offered our students and staff has been remarkable. It is such a joy to see an under-utilized part of our school come to life with such vitality and energy.

The Commons has also been used by Project Extra! for some closely supervised academic enrichment opportunities during the after school hours. Additionally, it has been wonderful to open the area to families during our 'Family Night in the Commons' series which is really starting to catch some steam and is growing into an important opportunity for students and their families to access some great technology and receive computer training and support in the process!



Did you notice that we have a new look? That's right, WHS now has a brand new website. As part of a district-wide initiative to clean-up, upgrade,and update our school websites, we had the district's team of 'webmasters' (we are pleased to be represented by Mrs. Plourde in this group)meet this past Monday to begin the transitional process of moving to the new website format. We still have a lot of work to do, and are hopeful that you will be pleased with the final result. Please do not hesitate to share any feedback that you have to offer about our new website -- you can email Mrs. Plourde at mplourde@laconia.k12.nh.us with compliments or suggestions.

Lastly, our school's new 'Pathways to Learning' computer cluster was networked and made available to students just today. Some of Mr. Beyer's students were the very first to use the new computers. This cluster was established through a grant for reading and math interventions (to afford students extra support for their learning).

That should do it for now. Many thanks for your ongoing support of our school, its staff, and (most of all) its students!