Brimfield Elementary School

Brimfield-Brookfield-Holland-Sturbridge-Wales School Union #61 Brian Ledbetter, Principal   Telephone Number (413)245-7337 Dear Parents and Guardians: On January 8, 2002, President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 into law. The law calls for sweeping changes in public education. Among these is a new federal requirement that all states and school districts in receipt of Title I assistance must, by 2003, issue annual "report cards" to parents. The purpose of the report card is to give parents information about their child's school in terms of academic achievement and the professional qualifications of its teachers. By making this information available each year, parents will learn how their school is doing, what its goals are, and what they can do to work more effectively with their teachers and administrators. In addition to sharing good news, the report card helps parents make informed decisions about what to do in the event that their school is determined to be "in need of improvement," based on annual test results, such as the Massachusetts Comprehensive Achievement System (MCAS.) Attached is our school's first "report card." The information contained is divided into three parts: Part I: Teacher Qualifications Part II: School Achievement in Mathematics and Reading Part III: School Performance Ratings As you will see from Part I, our teachers are highly qualified to work with our students. No Child Left Behind requires that all teachers be highly qualified by the end of the 2005-2006 school year, an thus what you will see in the percentages are indications of how far our school has to go in order to comply with this deadline. No Child Left Behind requires that test results for reading and mathematics be reported annually. Part II summarizes how we did on the last round of MCAS examinations. The reporting is similar to what you receive documenting your own child's scores, but these show the combined scores for each of our grades; not for individual students. Part III provides information about how well our school is doing relative to others and to our performance in past years. The "Proficiency Index" (PI) scores for Mathematics and English Language Arts are part of Massachusetts' School Performance Rating system. No Child Left Behind will require that each school make adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward meeting a national goal of all students being "proficient" in mathematics and English by the year 2013-2014. The information describing our school's performance shows that we have made AYP for mathematics and reading for four consecutive years. Therefore we are not "In Need of Improvement." If we fall into this category, you will be able to send your child to a neighboring school that is performing better. If we are "In Need of Improvement" for three consecutive years, we will have to provide your child with supplemental educational services. There are many factors that are promoting our school's high achievement levels. The following information summarizes the features of the school that stand out. The Tantasqua and Union #61 report card is available for viewing on the district web site, at the Superintendent's office or at the town library. If you have any other questions about the report card or its process, please contact me at the school. From funding educational programs and the facility to the efforts of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO,) Brimfield supports its elementary school in many ways. Two volunteer programs run throughout the school year. The PTO sponsors volunteers who work primarily in support roles out of the classrooms as well as efforts in such endeavors as the Book Fairs, School Arts Programs and Artists in Residence, School Pictures and numerous others. Teachers train volunteers to be helpers within the classroom. These parents can assist in different subject areas and grade levels. The PTO runs fundraisers during the year with money raised designated for particular programs or put into a general fund to be used as needed. The PTO members are very generous with their time and efforts. The physical plant was originally built in the early nineteen-fifties. A large addition was built in the early nineteen-seventies and included eight classrooms and a multi-purpose auditorium, cafeteria and gym. A larger addition was completed in 1994. Along with construction of an updated gymnasium, an art studio, science lab, thirteen classrooms, a music room, an administrative suite and some smaller learning spaces, the earlier spaces were updated and refurbished. The Brimfield Elementary School serves approximately 370 students in Pre-Kindergarten through sixth grade. There are four integrated pre-Kindergarten groups serving approximately 55 students in either morning or afternoon sessions, two or three meetings per week. Brimfield School Committee policy targets class sizes of 15 students in Kindergarten through grade four and 18 in grades five and six. Current average class size is approximately 16.5 students. Class sizes range from thirteen to twenty-one. Students are in mixed ability, heterogeneous groups in their homerooms. Upon promotion from our sixth grade, the students matriculate to the Tantasqua Regional School District for grades seven through twelve. At that level they are integrated with the students from the other four communities of Union #61, Brookfield, Holland, Sturbridge and Wales, who follow the same curriculum that we do. Academic support services are available through a number of venues. Title I Reading and Math support along with remedial reading are available to all designated students. There are three Special Education Inclusion and Resource Room teachers, each shared between two grades. Occupational and Physical therapies along with Speech and Language support are also available to those students who are evaluated under the special education regulations. Students with additional needs are taught in combined inclusion and pullout programs, too. Students who are not on Individual Education Plans and score in the Needs Improvement or Warning ranges on the third grade Reading MCAS and the fourth grade Mathematics or English Language Arts MCAS, are offered the opportunity to take before or after school tutoring during the following year. After school enrichment classes are also available in multiple terms during the school year. A variety of courses are offered ranging from recreational to academic subjects. Students work in their major subjects daily. Reading, writing/language arts, social studies and science are taught within the homeroom classes or by the grade level team. During the daily grade level common planning time, the students attend classes in Art, Computers, Library, Music and Physical Education; each meeting once per week per class group. Fourth, fifth and sixth grade choruses meet once per week and perform three times during the year. Semi-private instrument lessons are taught to fourth, fifth and sixth graders who also perform in the school band. The band performs thrice annually, also. A full-time nurse and three-day guidance counselor are also on staff. All of these important facets of our school help to maintain a learning environment that is conducive to the academic growth and achievement of our students. The support of you as parents along with the overall support of the town of Brimfield, our terrific faculty and staff, our progressive curriculum and our hard working students go together to avail our school as a dynamic place of learning. Sincerely, Brian Ledbetter, Principal