ORlEANS ANNUAl TOwN REPORt FOR YEAR ... - Town Of Orleans

SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLSTo the Citizens of Orleans:It is a privilege to submit my report for calendar 2007, and a privilege, too, to serve asyour Superintendent of Schools. The public schools of Orleans and Nauset have beenwell-supported by our citizens, and the benefits of that support are manifest in ourclassrooms, and throughout the community.Continuity is a cornerstone of our success: our students spend at least thirteen years inschool before they earn a high school diploma, and successful programs and activitiesoften take almost that long to put in place as successfully as we wish. For example, wehave been improving our Reading program for the past seven years, starting (logicallyenough) with our youngest students, and reaching the Middle and High Schools overthe past two years. It will be several more years before we have trained everysecondary teacher to provide effective reading comprehension instruction within theirparticular subject, but it is an effort that is necessary and productive. How many of us,or our classmates, were assigned homework (“Read Chapter 14”) we simply were notable to complete successfully because the text was too difficult to comprehend?Reading is a skill that can and should be taught at every level of the public schools, thatevery teacher should include in their instruction. Nauset is committed to making thathappen.Those who wish more information than can be included in his brief annual summary areinvited to visit our web site, www.nausetschools.org. There are links to each of ourschools, information for parents and the public, and many resources for our staff. In thepast few years, we have turned increasingly to electronic communication, from puttingour High School Program of Studies on the internet (instead of on paper) to this year’saddition of an internet-based telephone network. With it, we can contact hundreds ofstaff or parents in minutes with a taped message, explaining some unusual event, orreminding of some upcoming activity or assignment. Who knows what might be next –e-books?In Orleans, the close of the 2006-07 school year saw the departure of longtime PrincipalGail Briere, who moved just down the road from OES to her new assignment asAssistant Superintendent of the Nauset district. Gail earned the respect and affection ofher staff and colleagues, and has already made an impact leading Nauset’sprofessional development program forward. In her place, we welcomed Mrs. DianeCarreiro, most recently principal of the Northwest Elementary School in Leominster.Diane brings a strong commitment to high achievement, the Arts, and literature, and iswell-prepared to lead Orleans Elementary to new levels of excellence in service to theTown and its children.Respectfully submitted,Michael B. Gradone, Superintendent of Schools163