Monthly Archives: March 2017

H.V.R.H.S. parent committee and administration meeting update on Thursday nights meeting Reply

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H.V.R.H.S. parent committee and administration meeting update on Thursday nights meeting:

Pam Vogel Assistant Superintendent for Region One reported last night to Robin Hood Radio on the first meeting with the newly formed parents group on setting up schedules at Housatonic. Pam reported that at the initial meeting, all were going to work under the assumption that the schedule for next year currently is open. The committee will develop long term goals, but initially the talk last night was on mastery based learning and a few other other related issues. According to Vogel, the parents committee and administration will be working towards a schedule for next year.

Region 1, Patricia Chamberlain and Pam Vogel just shut down transparency at Region 1 1

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The players have changed, the behind the scene dealings obviously have not..its a sad but true story of the administration of Region One. I have just been told that we can NOT tape tonight’s meeting with parents. Here is the email string. This all came AFTER Pam had agreed to let us tape the meeting (and several of the parents also agreed) at a little after 9:00 AM this morning. This is NOT inclusive, this is NOT transparent.  And as Tom Hennick says in his response …”With the caveat that my opinion is not a formal ruling by the FOI Commission”. Read the email chain from the bottom up.

 

Patricia Chamberlain
1:22 PM (2 hours ago)
to me, Pam

Good afternoon Marshall,

I have received an inquiry regarding a meeting held by the Assistant Superintendent as a public meeting.  Please see Tom Hennick’s response to our inquiry regarding FOIA regulations. This is not a public meeting and will not be recorded as such.

Thank you for your assistance in our communication effort. Dr. Vogel will provide ongoing updates as the process progresses.

Patricia Chamberlain

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Pam Vogel <pvogel@region1schools.org>
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2017 at 1:15 PM
Subject: Fwd: Our Question
To: Region One School District <pchamberlain22@gmail.com>
———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Hennick, Thomas A <Thomas.Hennick@ct.gov>
Date: Thu, Mar 30, 2017 at 1:11 PM
Subject: RE: Our Question
To: Pam Vogel <pvogel@region1schools.org>

Hi Pam,

With the caveat that my opinion is not a formal ruling by the FOI Commission, I would have to say that a school official meeting with a group of parents is not a meeting of a public agency subject to the FOI Act. If this were a formal subcommittee established by a public agency or public official, then I probably would feel differently.

I hope this is helpful.

Tom

 

 

From: Pam Vogel [mailto:pvogel@region1schools.org]
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2017 12:11 PM
To: Hennick, Thomas A <Thomas.Hennick@ct.gov>
Subject: Our Question

 

Hi, Tom,

The nature of the meeting tonight is to discuss some possible school schedules for the high school.

We have requested that a group of parents (we have nine now) meet to discuss options for a schedule.

There are no board members involved.

Please let us know if this is a public meeting? We have received a request to film the meeting.

Thank you.

Pam

“The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”   – Dr. Martin Luther King

Dr. Pam Vogel

Assistant Superintendent, Regional School District No.1

246 Warren Turnpike Road

Falls Village, CT  06031

Phone: 860-824-0855

Fax: 860-824-1271

 

 

 

 

Update from Pam Vogel sent to us today via email on the teachers meeting yesterday on scheduling and next year 2

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Here is an update from Pam Vogel sent to us today via email on the teachers meeting yesterday on scheduling and next year:

From Pam Vogel to me this morning concerning the scheduling at H.V.R.H.S.

Marshall- we can talk in a bit– but this was what I prepared for the principal to speak about at yesterday’s meeting.

See below the memo for the meeting with the teachers yesterday

March 29, 2017

Communication to Teacher Group:

We held three meetings with Parents (Feb. 23, March 21, March 22)
Students and some faculty also attended

Topics: 4 x 4 Schedule / Mastery Based Learning/ Grading Practices

Over the last two weeks, Dr. Martinez, Dr. Vogel, and Mr. Samaha met with four student groups, totaling about 40 students, ranging from sophomores to seniors.

We have notes from the student meetings that will be shared with the Leadership Team and a means to share out all of this information will be planned

At the conclusion of the March 22 Parent/Community Meeting –
It was decided that we would not go with the 4 x 4—which means core subject areas would not be taught in a single semester. Core subjects would instead be taught all year long.

No other promises were made regarding a final schedule.

We stated that these four areas were continued goals for us in the schedule we develop:

Intervention time for all students
Time in the school day for teachers from community and area colleges to teach dual credit (college and high school) classes (or for students to travel to the community college)
Allow students to be released at the same time every day for internships/work experiences
Allow common planning time for teachers

We stated that we would meet with a group of teachers representative of different content areas. Purpose is to seek their opinions on different options and to take our four points (above) when looking at options.

We would then establish a parent group, representative of different interests, to meet and hear options- both pros and cons to different schedules. Discussed we wanted the group to not be too large. Plan for 6-8 parents.

We are working through a process and we should have a clear plan for a schedule soon.

We are developing a menu of professional learning opportunities for all high school staff. Department chairs weighed in on topics they feel are important for teachers. This list will be coming out in the next week and consist of a study team, Skypes, and several dates in June for teachers to attend.

Additional Considerations:

We offer 93 electives. This is a high number. Our parents and students want us to continue to offer a wide range of electives.

We have over 200 students who will no longer be in study halls and will need to be enrolled in classes. Therefore, our enrollment in classes will be increased.

The Region 1 Board of Education has looked at the number of instructional hours that we currently have for students. The number is low in our current schedule, when compared with other schools. (See document.) The Board is carefully reviewing our staffing. They are supportive of offering a wide variety of classes, but as we have retirements and also reduced number of students, the Board is carefully analyzing if we are using our instructional time in our school day to the fullest extent.

An update on Region 1 schedule changes 1

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An update on Region 1 schedule changes:

Region One parents and teachers are upset at what appears to be a change of heart on Assistant Superintendent Pam Vogel after the last parents meeting.

Looking back at that last parents meeting videotape, Pam Vogel talks about how the parent and teacher committee will be “that group” to create a schedule. That the schedule will be similar to the current schedule….. how they will have input into the schedule and roll it out a little at a time. But in the notice just posted for the next Region One BOE meeting, the agenda included:

Discussions on Scheduling-Grading
Practices, & Mastery Based Learning

We at Robin Hood Radio have been informed from in-school sources that at yesterday’s faculty meeting, the following was made official: Beginning next fall, there will be four 80 minute blocks a day alternating every other day (A/B). Tonight Pam Vogel has a meeting with a group of eight parents from 6-8pm at the high school. Parents and teachers reached outlate yesterday with their he main source of concern being that quite simply that Vogel closed out thelast public meeting by saying that there would not be a block schedule next year and that any schedule change would be based on input from teachers and parents. To those teachers and parents that appears not to be the case.

Boost Post

The Times, They Are A Changing….. 1

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It’s TRUE! Congrats to Asst Superintendent Pam Vogel..the block changes will not happen next year..and at last night meeting Pam also indicated that parents and teachers will be on committees that formulate a new plan as well!  There will be some changes, but not the 4 X 4 block. Well done Pam, thanks for taking the time to listen and communicate and react with the students, taxpayers, parent and grandparents in Region 1.  This is a new experience in Region 1, as over the past 8 years the public has been excluded and left in the dark more and more.  Now folks, lets get to work, volunteer to participate with teachers and the administration for the future of our region…..its a brave new world in Region 1…and yes it appears The Times They Are A Changing.