Submitted by Pamela Hensel, RSD #17.
Haddam-Killingworth Intermediate School
The RSD17 Restructuring Plan intended to achieve educational excellence with sustained efficiency has both the HK Intermediate School and the HK Middle School housed in the same building as separately operating schools, maximizing use of our newest facility with state-of-the-art instructional spaces. Each school will have their own Principal, school counseling staff, school nurse, and student support staff and will operate separate programs and school schedules. Unlike a 4-8 middle school, operating with one principal and one schedule with 4-8 students on the same buses, the RSD17 plan is intentionally and substantially different in that 4th and 5th graders are in their own school program, while under the same roof as the middle school, and will not be on the same buses with 6-8 students.
The best way to understand our philosophy in designing the Intermediate School is to think of it as an upper elementary school for 4th and 5th graders, not as a 4-8 middle school. Merging 4th and 5th graders into their own unique school presented an exciting opportunity to design a learning environment which enhances the experience of students at this special age span. The program supports both the curriculum and the developmental needs of students academically, emotionally, socially, and physically. Students will work in small, personalized structures for learning, within Duets or Trios as described below, which support connections between teachers and students. Keeping kindness and respectful relationships at the core of what we do, our model fosters strong communities in classrooms, grade levels, and the school.
The Principal of Haddam-Killingworth Intermediate School, Mr. Eric Larson, will be hosting Parent Information Sessions for current third and fourth grade parents on March 27, 2019 (at BES), April 1, 2019 (at KES), April 3, 2019 (at HES), and April 10, 2019 (at BES). All sessions begin at 6:30 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria. Parents can attend any one of the sessions that suit their calendar. The HKIS Parent Information Sessions are intended to capture the day-in-the-life of an Intermediate School student, including example student schedules. A video of the presentation will be posted to the HKIS website. Mr. Larson will also be hosting guided tours of the Intermediate School throughout the spring. Sign-ups for tours are underway.
Mr. Larson will host a Parent Information Session for K-2 parents interested in learning about HKIS on Thursday, May 2, 2019 in the BES cafeteria at 6:30 p.m.
Information About HKIS:
- School Size: 257 students
- Class Size: Using a class size guideline of no more than 22 students per class for grades 4 and 5, for 2019-20 4th grade classes will average 19.5 students per class; 5th grade will average 20 students per class. The historical 10-year (2009-2019) class size average for grade 4 has been 19; 5th grade has been 21.
- Bus Transportation: Intermediate School students will not be on school buses with middle school students. Details regarding school start- and end-times as it relates to transportation are in the final stages of completion.
- Students will spend most of their core instructional time with one teacher and will switch together as a class for subjects with the other teacher(s) within their “duet” or “trio”. Instructional time will be similar to the minutes existing currently in 4th grade, which will increase core academic instructional time for 5th graders from what they currently have. The model is the same as the current 4th grade instructional model, which we believe is beneficial to the developmental and learning needs of students in this special and unique grade span.
- The core academic program in English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies will be the same as what is in place now, with adjustments for the amount of time per content area. A Program of Studies for HKIS will be shared at the Parent Information Sessions and will be posted on the HKIS website, launching on March 28.
- Applied Academics teachers have been collaborating to design new and engaging courses for Intermediate School students. Courses will include Physical Education (once/week all year), Music (Roots of American Music-Gr.4 and Music of the World-Gr.5, Art (Imaginations in Art-Gr.4 and Early American Art-Gr.5), a Creation Rotation including Tech 101, Coding, and a DesignBuild course as well as a Skill Rotation including Research, Health, and Digital Citizenship. World Language (Spanish or French) become part of the program beginning in Grade 5.
- Literacy and Math Support will continue in the same manner it has at the elementary schools where students in need of supplemental instructional intervention will receive supports through a literacy and/or math intervention teacher.
- Special Education and Related Services Support will continue in the same manner it has with each student’s Individual Education Plan (IEP) as the guiding document. Each school is staffed according to student needs as detailed through IEPs. There has been no reduction to the special education program through the restructuring plan.
- LEAP enrichment will continue in the Intermediate School. LEAP currently exists through 6th grade and will continue to. There has been no reduction to the LEAP program through the restructuring plan.
- Grade level lunch and recess will occur for 50 minutes per day for each grade. This is an increase in recess time for 5th graders, which we believe is quite beneficial. Grade 4 students will eat lunch together for 25 minutes and will then have recess together for 25 minutes. Grade 5 students will eat lunch together for 25 minutes and will then have recess together for 25 minutes. The approximate lunch/recess time for the Intermediate School is 11:50-12:40; while one grade (i.e., 4th) is in lunch, the other is outside at recess (i.e., 5th).
— Recess Plans: Mr. Larson surveyed all current 3-5 students and met with focus groups at each school to have first-hand student voice in what they would like to do during recess. He also met with parent focus groups on this topic. Equipment procurement is underway and will be in place for the start of school. - The program will also include the addition of a social-emotional curriculum including weekly lessons in both grades 4 and 5 on the topics of empathy, self-regulation, managing emotions, and problem-solving to effectively deal with conflict. This program is in place in our elementary schools, is an important district priority, and will carry forward into the Intermediate School.
- The extracurricular program will include a robust offering of clubs per student interests (by way of surveys and focus groups) including but not limited to running, intramural sports, cooking, crafting, robotics, maker-space, drama, student council, science, and book clubs. There will also be opportunities for students to participate in Band and Chorus before school as well as band lessons during the school day.
— Intermediate School students will not ride the late bus. The late bus includes middle and high school students. This decision is in response to parent concerns about 4th and 5th graders on buses with older students. As is the case in our elementary schools, parents will transport students to/from extracurricular activities. - Student Movement to Classes: Fourth and fifth grade students will travel to their academic classrooms within their pods supervised by their academic teachers. Fourth and fifth grade students will travel to and from the cafeteria and their Applied Academic classes escorted by their teachers.
- Lockers and Bathrooms: Fourth and fifth grade students will have lockers and bathrooms adjacent to their classroom pod areas that will only be used by HKIS students.
HKIS Parent Information Sessions, Tours, and Orientation Activities for Students
Principal Larson, teachers from BES, HES, and KES, as well as representative parents have planned many exciting transition activities for current 3rd and 4th graders.
- Third and Fourth Grade Parent Information Sessions: March 27 (at BES), April 1 (at KES), April 3 (at HES), and April 10 (at BES). All sessions begin at 6:30 p.m. in the school’s cafeteria. Third and fourth grade parents can attend any one of these sessions if they cannot attend the session at their home school.
— An additional session for K-2 parents will be on May 2 at BES at 6:30 p.m. - Early April through May: Mr. Larson will conduct parent/family tours of the HKIS space during after-school and evening hours to accommodate parent schedules. Sign-ups for tours were sent to 3rd and 4th grade families on March 15th.
- March 28: Principal Larson will launch a webpage for the Intermediate School to house informational updates.
- By mid-April: Mr. Larson will visit with all of the 3rd and 4th graders at each school to talk about the Intermediate School program, lunch, recess, clubs and answer any and all student questions.
- By the end of April: 3rd graders and 4th graders, on separate dates, will visit HKIS for a tour.
- Mr. Larson will plan a “Step Up Day” to occur in late August with various activities to help students become even more familiar with their spaces in the building and to meet their teachers.
Merger Activities for the HES/BES School Communities
The Student and Family Merger Subcommittees crafted this set of activities:
- Starting in mid-March through early May: Tours for parents and students to become familiar with the BES building. Ms. Whidden has sent emails to families with tour dates.
- March 20th: All K-4 HES and BES students and staff will come together for a cultural arts event, a PTO-sponsored “Rock Out for Reading” assembly. Following the assembly, K-2 students will meet their pen-pals.
- March 22nd: a family movie night for both communities to be held at BES.
- By mid-April: HES K-2 students will take a tour of BES during the school day in partnership with their BES pen-pals.
- May: A spring social (i.e., barbeque) event at BES for students, parents, and staff to come together.
