Page 256 - BOXFORD

During the 2014-2015 school year we conducted a variety of training programs for staff
as well as instituted a few new monitoring procedures in order to ensure full compliance.
These training programs and monitoring procedures were approved by the DESE review
team and have resulted in our district now being considered fully compliant with all the
regulations and standards. The Boxford Public Schools offer high quality special
education and other supportive service programs for all types of learners and will
continue to ensure our practices align with regulatory requirements.

Enrichment Program: Starting in the fall of 2015, the Specialist teachers have been
collaborating on a new enrichment offering for students: “Innovation in the Arts:
Inventors, Composers, Artists and Athletes”. This program is a 3-4 consecutive week
Enrichment program in which each student in our school participates at some time during
the 2015-2016 school year. Students rotate through each Specialist class during the RTI
block for their grade level. The focus is an integrated approach to studying modern day
innovations in each of these disciplines.

Google Classroom: This year, the school email service has been switched over to Google
Mail and transferred all boxfordschools.org accounts to Google servers. Google Apps for
Education is free for schools, and can be used with any computer, tablet, or smartphone.
As a school, we are using Google Docs to share information and store documents that can
be accessed by every staff member. Having a central location for information saves
instructional time and infrastructure resources. Teachers can create a lesson repository,
and can work on lessons and units collaboratively with each other and with students. We
can use Google forms to collect, share, analyze and graph data.

Extended Learning Opportunities: In the 2015-2016 school year, we continue to work to
intrigue and challenge our students through extended Learning Opportunities.
Participation and achievement have been outstanding in The Online Math League
program (grades 2-6) reaching over 120 students before school. We also have excellent
participation and stimulating mental activities with our Math Olympiad Teams (grades 4-
6). We service over 80 students during their RTI block, 1 time per week through this
worldwide program. We also are participating in a community Literary Magazine through
the Collaborative for Regional Education and Training (CREST). Students are invited to
submit writing, music composition or artwork for possible publication in this magazine.
Several students were published in the winter and spring editions.
Students in our schools have also continued to enjoy and learn from cultural enrichment
activities provided by funds from the PTO including:
Miss Frizzle Story Telling
The Audubon Ark and Drumlin Farm (3 programs) – Winter Survivors, Miraculous Mice
and Which Comes First, Chicks or Eggs?
Museum of Science–Animal Habitats, Rock Detectives & Building Bridges
New England Aquarium – Water Properties
Windows on Wildlife
Young Audiences of Massachusetts–Ben Franklin
Leeny Del Seamonds, Master Storyteller
World of Owls

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