Local News

HERD INSTINCT Smith Voke students find lesson in the barn

Posted on Wednesday, January 20th, 2016 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Stephanie McFeeters, The Gazette
Date: 1/20/16
Link: Complete Article

NORTHAMPTON, MA – Tucked away in a red barn at the back of the Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School campus, there’s a different kind of learning going on. Students study with sheep, llamas, cattle and other furry exemplars. In the classroom, students use Play-Doh and gummy bears to model skeletal systems and understand anatomy…. [Read More]

Swift River School forum on standardized testing draws large crowd

Posted on Tuesday, January 19th, 2016 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Martha Maloney, Collaborative for Educational Services
Date: 1/19/16

The Swift River School School Committee hosted a public forum on standardized testing Thursday evening. Sharing information about standardized testing was one of the goals of the forum during the planning stages, according to Johanna Bartlett, school committee chair. Town officials and school committee members from Wendell and Union #28, Hatfield, Longmeadow, Holyoke and Gill-Montague… [Read More]

Educators focus on Connected Teaching and Learning at the 2016 Technology in Education Conference

Posted on Sunday, January 17th, 2016 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Martha Maloney, Collaborative for Educational Services
Date: 1/17/16

Over two hundred educators attended the Collaborative for Educational Services 2016 Technology in Education (TiE2016) Conference, held Thursday at Holyoke Community College. Keynote speaker Antero Garcia, Assistant Professor of English at Colorado State University, opened the conference with a lively discussion on “Beyond “Dead Channels”: Hope, Activism, and Learning in a Participatory Age.” Garcia drew… [Read More]

North Adams schools Superintendent James Montpare to announce retirement

Posted on Wednesday, January 13th, 2016 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Adam Shanks, Berkshire Eagle
Date: 1/4/2016
Link: Complete Article

NORTH ADAMS, MA — North Adams Public Schools Superintendent James Montepare will announce his upcoming retirement at a School Committee meeting on Tuesday. Montepare, who has served as the district’s superintendent since his appointment in 2003, has been employed in the district for more than four decades.

Search committee for new Frontier superintendent develops questions for candidates

Posted on Thursday, January 7th, 2016 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Tom Relihan, The Gazette
Date: 1/7/16
Link: Complete Article

DEERFIELD, MA — The Frontier Regional and Union 38 Superintendent Search Subcommittee on Thursday will continue its work toward hiring a replacement for outgoing superintendent Martha Barrett. The meeting will begin at 7:45 a.m. in the Frontier Regional School Media Center. It will focus on developing questions that the finalists will be asked during their… [Read More]

New Athol-Royalston superintendent appointed

Posted on Thursday, January 7th, 2016 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Chris Curtis, The Recorder
Date: 1/7/16
Link: Complete Article

ATHOL, MA — Pending negotiations, Steven Meyer will be the new superintendent of the Athol-Royalston Regional School District. Athol Selectman and Athol-Royalston School Committee member Mitchell Grosky said that Meyer will take over the job in the coming school year, pending successful contract negotiations. “I think that bodes well for the future of the schools… [Read More]

As Massachusetts charter schools enroll more students with disabilities, who exactly are they serving?

Posted on Monday, December 21st, 2015 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Shira Schoenberg, Masslive.com
Date: 12/21/2015
Link: Complete Article

At Lawrence Family Day Charter School, which caters to poor and minority students, fewer than 7 percent of students have special needs – far below the statewide average. Director Ralph Carrero said one reason for the low numbers is the school has an intensive program to catch problems and intervene early, so students improve and… [Read More]

Charter school debate looms over raising state caps

Posted on Monday, December 21st, 2015 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Dave Eisenstadter, The Gazette
Date: 12/19/2015
Link: Complete Article

NORTHAMPTON, MA — As government officials debate whether to lift a cap on the number of charter schools allowed in the state, the local chapter of the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts is doing research of its own on the subject. The nonpartisan organization will likely take about a year to research its position… [Read More]

Granby offers superintendent’s job to Agawam High School Principal Steven Lemanski

Posted on Friday, December 18th, 2015 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Eric Goldscheider, The Gazette
Date: 12/18/2015
Link: Complete Article

GRANBY, MA — The School Committee voted 4-1 Thursday night to offer the job of superintendent to Agawam High School Principal Steven Lemanski. The school board still must negotiate a contract with him. The vote came after deliberations of nearly two hours during which the committee members said they were torn between two of the… [Read More]

‘Hour of Code’ engages Pioneer Valley students

Posted on Wednesday, December 16th, 2015 by Collaborative for Educational Services

Source: Stephanie McFeeters, The Gazette
Date: 12/16/2015
Link: Complete Article

Julia Levesque was trying to give the snowman arms, typing as she looked at the image on her screen to make sure the limbs were positioned correctly. But something went wrong and the illustration’s torso shifted off to the side. She started again — this time labeling each line of numbers and symbols so she… [Read More]