School opened in September of 1999 with an enrollment of 381 students. The reduction in enrollment is due to the fact that we no longer have kindergarten students from Moharimet. Because of the decrease in enrollment, we have been able to make a significant change in the use of space in the building. Prior to this year, we had a computer lab that could accommodate twelve students or about half a class at one time. With an additional classroom available, we were able to relocate our Title I and ESL programs to that classroom, and to convert the space formerly known as The South Commons into a class-sized computer lab.
Each spring, the faculty reviews the goals on which we have worked during the year to determine which ones need to remain as a focus, and what new goals we might add. The following are goals on which we are working this year.
The Mast Way teachers and staff will continue to model our core values, reinforce them in daily conversations with students, publicize the values, and integrate them into the life and culture of the school.
The Mast Way faculty and staff will continue to examine technology needs:
to determine the most appropriate allocation of hardware within the building;
to find the most effective use of our newly designed computer lab, building technology coordinator and volunteers;
to identify ways technology use can be integrated into classroom programs to enrich education in all learning situations; and
to examine and provide staff development opportunities in the area of technology.
The Mast Way School will continue to integrate the theme "The Art and Form of a Book," focusing on the third year of the three year project, "Presenting Stories."
During the 1999-2000 school year, the Mast Way staff will continue to review and discuss the demands placed on the school community by the increasing number of special needs children and support staff being included in classroom programs. We will explore ways to maintain the integrity of both classroom and special needs programs. As part of this focus, we will assess the effectiveness of changes made as a result of work done on this goal during 1998-1999.
We will review the current progress reporting system and determine whether or not revisions or changes are recommended.
Two years ago, the parents, faculty, and staff went through a process of developing core values to guide the children and adults of our community. This process yielded the following core values that continue to guide our work. We have continued to work with the students to understand the core values and to make them a part of every day language in the school. Since these values are so important to our community, I reprint them here once again.
RESPECT: Respect for oneself and others, with our commonalities and differences, will guide the actions and rules, the teaching and learning environments of the Mast Way community. We will respect the natural world. We will treat others as we would like to be treated.
INTEGRITY: We will strive to act with integrity, to match our actions to our values. We will think for ourselves and take responsibility for our own actions. We will have the courage to do the right thing, even when others disagree.
LEARNING: We will cultivate curiosity about life and enthusiasm for learning. We will develop the skills, knowledge, and strategies to become self-directed learners and to succeed in literacy, mathematics, science, social science, technology, and the arts
PERSONAL BEST: We will take responsibility for our own learning. We will be willing to take risks and explore our strengths and weaknesses. We will create an environment in which everyone is challenged to achieve his or her personal best.
COMMUNITY: We believe our lives are richer when we are part of a community. That community can be as small as our family or school, as large as our country or world. Our community is strengthened when we cooperate, respect community standards, include everyone, resolve conflicts, and give of ourselves in a spirit of service.
Technology use continues to build at Mast Way, with an active Technology Committee providing direction and support at the building level. Mast Way has a Power Macintosh in every classroom and each of these has a CD-ROM drive and is connected to the building network. All classrooms also have a second and, in some classrooms, a third Macintosh, connected to the building network. Each computer has access, through our Ethernet network, to the building servers, which facilitate the use of educational software programs, file storage, and e-mail. This network allows access to printers, building e-mail, Internet mail and the World Wide Web. Each classroom computer also has access to the automated library catalog. We have established a World Wide Web site for Mast Way School. Community members and parents are invited to visit us on the web at
We believe that the use of technology should be integrated into the curriculum, but with a lab that could only accommodate half a class, the teacher rarely was able to accompany students to the lab. Now that the teacher can go to the lab with the class, the activities in the computer lab can truly be an extension of the classroom, and can be integrated into the curriculum. Teachers can design lessons for the computer lab that are part of what is happening in the classroom. We are proud of our new computer lab and invite members of the community to visit Mast Way and see this wonderful new addition to our facility.
A school wide arts integration theme has been developed which is currently in the third of three years. The theme is "The Art and Form of a Book" and integrated the arts into literacy develop-ment. During the current year, the focus is on Presenting Stories. A number of visiting artists, including a mime performance artist, a fabric artist, and a puppeteer have visited or will visit the school and share their talents and skills with students and staff members. We are carrying over the work done in the previous two years of the project. The residencies of these artists have been made possible through combined funding, including a grant from the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, funding support from the Mast Way PTO, and some funding from the school district budget.
The Mast Way PTO continues to provide strong support for the school in many ways, including financial support for many curriculum related projects, for playground equipment, and for arts related projects. In addition, the PTO creates many opportunities for the community to come together, building the community which is one of our articulated core values. We are proud of the environment, which has been created at Mast Way and of the strong academic program provided for children. Our faculty is talented and committed. Our support staff is strong and an integral part of the life of the school. The community's continued and expanded involvement in the school will help us grow. We cordially invite community members to visit the school and observe the students and staff in action.
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Last update on 22-Feb-00 at 10:07 PM.
http://www.orol.org/district/elections/2000/report/mastway.html
This page is edited by David K. Taylor. Please send questions or comments to editor@orol.org.