Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The Braintree School Committee approved the use of Monatiquot School for full-day kindergarten in February.
The school department may have to reduce the number of full-day kindergarten classrooms at Monatiquot School next year to two because enrollment in the program has not kept up with an initial surge of demand that saw more than 200 Braintree families express interest. School officials originally envisioned three or four classrooms at the former elementary school, but during Monday's School Committee meeting Superintendent Dr. Peter Kurzberg said enrollment in the tuition-based program is fluctuating between 150 and 152 students. That would mean enough to fill one full-day classroom of 21 students each at Morrison and Hollis and three at Braintree High School, but leave only enough for two classrooms of approximately 22 and 23 students at …
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The school department is also reviewing plans for nursing at the second full-day kindergarten center.
Everyone that has requested a placement in Braintree's full-day kindergarten program and made a deposit has a seat for their child, Superintendent Dr. Peter Kurzberg said. That adds up to 158 students – eight classrooms of about 20 students each, Dr. Kurzberg told the School Committee Monday night. There are still one or two spots left at both Braintree High School and Monatiquot School. Full-day kindergarten for 2013-2014 also includes one classroom each at Hollis and Morrison. School Committee members approved using Monatiquot as a kindergarten center earlier this year despite lingering worries about nursing and security at the school, which is half-used by Meeting House Montessori. Dr. Kurzberg said Monday that the school department is …
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Hollis Principal Tim MacDonald has been selected as the Monatiquot full-day kindergarten program director.
Based on the 142 full-day kindergarten deposits made by Monday, there could be seven to eight classrooms available system-wide next year. That could mean up to three classrooms at Monatiquot School, plus three at Braintree High School and one each at Hollis and Morrison, depending on who from the waiting lists are willing to commit, Superintendent Dr. Peter Kurzberg told the School Committee Monday night. Enrollment could also depend on the resolution of concerns that parents and School Committee members have raised about the lack of a full-time nurse and secretary at Monatiquot. Hollis Principal Tim McDonald has been selected to oversee the program at Monatiquot. He would spend some time there along with his duties at the nearby …
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Some members had concerns about security at the former Braintree elementary school.
As many as five more classrooms will be available for full-day kindergarten next fall with the use of Monatiquot School. The School Committee approved a plan Monday night to re-open the portion of Monatiquot not being used by Meeting House Montessori, despite concerns from some members about a potential lack of security at the building. As officials continue to discuss a long-term approach to space needs, the committee made the decision to use the former elementary school because demand for full-day kindergarten had far exceeded the space available at Braintree High School and in home schools. Prior to the committee's decision, there were potentially only 100 spots available (60 at BHS and 20 each at Hollis and Morrison) for the families …
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
School officials plan to have a more finalized vision for Braintree FDK by the end of February.
With the ongoing discussions among school officials about how to provide more than the three full-day kindergarten classrooms at Braintree High School next year have come questions from parents about how that will affect the waitlists at each elementary school. During Monday night's full-day kindergarten information meeting at East Middle School, parents learned about the curriculum, transportation details, who their teachers might be and when tuition payments are required. Several also asked what would happen if home school full-day classrooms opened at Hollis and Morrison schools, as Superintendent Dr. Peter Kurzberg said is possible depending on enrollment projections. He also mentioned that the school department is working on having at…
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Full-day kindergarten was part of a larger space needs discussion by Braintree School Committee members Monday night.
Less than a week after more than 220 students applied for 60 full-day kindergarten spots at Braintree High School, department officials now say that the program could offer additional seats for next fall. Based on projected elementary enrollment, Superintendent Dr. Peter Kurzberg said it is "conceivable" that one classroom each be opened at Hollis and Morrison schools. Shifting some students slated for BHS to those schools could then open space for more Liberty students at the high school and in turn reduce fifth grade class sizes at Liberty, which are projected to reach 25 and 26 students. Parents responded to this proposal at Monday night's School Committee meeting with some skepticism, though, questioning the fairness of adding spots …
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Included in the space needs discussion is the high demand for full-day kindergarten in Braintree.
School Committee members voted unanimously Monday night to request more detailed proposals on both regular and modular classroom additions to Braintree's elementary schools. Department officials will provide the committee plans that show design specifications and costs for construction that could help alleviate some of the district's space problems. The committee will likely decide on an option by March 1, said Mayor Joseph Sullivan, who proposed that the town might be able to sell Eldridge to Montessori and put the proceeds toward expansion costs. "We have to do our due diligence and homework," Committee Chair Shannon Hume said. "We have to do what's right for now and the future." With funding at a premium – preliminary budget requests by…
Friday, January 25, 2013
An informational meeting will take place on Monday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. at East Middle School.
The full-day kindergarten lottery held earlier this week provided space for 60 students in three classrooms at Braintree High School – 10 from each of the town's elementary schools. A total of 226 students entered the lottery, with Liberty (50) and Morrison (49) leading the number of entrants. Following were Flaherty and Hollis with 36 each, Highlands with 32 and Ross with 23, according to Superintendent Dr. Peter Kurzberg. Students not selected can join a wait list. Following the lottery, an informational meeting will take place on Monday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. at East Middle School. Parents were emailed the results on Wednesday. Many of them expressed frustration with the low percentage of students who received a spot, writing on the wall of …
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Schools officials say Braintree needs more classroom space as soon as possible, not just to increase full-day kindergarten offerings, but primarily to avoid higher class sizes and provide room for projected enrollment increases.
The School Committee meets later this month to discuss and possibly vote on a solution to Braintree's space crunch. Several options have been laid out by the school administration and by the architectural firm Habeeb & Associates, including adding 24 modular classrooms, re-opening Monatiquot and larger-scale projects. Superintendent Dr. Peter Kurzberg has said that the top priority for any solution is keeping class sizes down throughout the elementary level and providing space for specialists. Full-day kindergarten would also likely benefit from the addition of more classrooms. Adding four modular classrooms to each elementary school, for example, could mean at least one FDK offering at each home school, Dr. Kurzberg said. This year, the …
Monday, January 14, 2013
Later this month the Braintree School Committee plans to vote on a proposal to add more space for younger students by next fall.
For years, Tony Fama has taught foreign language to eighth grade students in a modular classroom, separated from the rest of South Middle School by a pre-fabricated corridor and a set of double doors. Fama’s classroom, identical to the space where his colleague Jim Joyce teaches Social Studies next door, is lined with posters, student assignments and other decorations that spill out into the corridor. The ability to easily tack items to the walls – the inside material is essentially cork board – is one of the design features that set the modular rooms apart from regular classrooms. “I love it,” Fama said. Braintree may soon install 24 more modular classrooms, augmenting the two each at South and Highlands Elementary, depending on a vote …
kerry
12:53 pm on Tuesday, May 7, 2013
If each elementary school offered full day kindergarten, I would assume the demand would grow. The logistics, lottery, tuition, transportation, safety and security issues are the top challenges to the program. Wonder how the resolutions for space in the schools is developing? more ›