Ferndale Schools: Changes In The Air
By: Blake Prewitt, Superintendent, Ferndale Public Schools
Last month the Ferndale Schools Board of Education approved a plan to move our district into the future. This process started back in 2012 with the strategic planning process that identified a need to restructure the school district. The plan approved by the Board last month is the product of a comprehensive analysis of our buildings, an extensive engagement to determine the needs of the community, and a review of the most efficient and effective use of the School District’s resources.
This is an exciting time to be an Eagle! The positive changes coming to the district will allow Ferndale Schools to continue our tradition of the Open Class- room Program while introducing the rigorous Cambridge International curric- ulum at our elementary schools. This means that every child in our district will now have the opportunity to benefit from the Open Classroom philosophy combin- ed with a renowned international curriculum.
The plan approved by the school board is split into two phases, the first taking place at start of next school year (2015- 2016), and the second slated to be implemented in the 2016-2017 school year. Changes to be made in the 2015- 2016 school year include consolidating the Ferndale Schools Administrative offices from the Warren G. Harding Building to Ferndale High School. All district preschool programs will be moved to Harding, creating a single preschool building for all of Ferndale Schools’ outstanding early childhood education programs.
The Thomas Jefferson Center, which currently houses the Adult Education Program and the Digital Learning Center (Ferndale’s Alternative high school,) will be closed at the end of the current school year, and the two programs will move to a leased space starting next year. The William Taft Building, which most recently housed the DLC earlier this school year, will also be closed permanently over the summer.
Starting in the 2016-2017 school year, Ferndale Schools will begin the reinven- tion of its current elementary school model. This will result in a single unified elementary school utilizing Open Class- room principles and the rigorous and pioneering Cambridge International curriculum. This preserves strong parent volunteerism, student-directed learning, project-based education, outdoor educa- tion, focused learning, student-peer mentoring, and similar principles of the Open Classroom.
What else are we gaining in our elementary schools with this new school model?
– Return of Spanish K-5
– More opportunities for advanced coursework
– Individualized focus studies
– Service learning
– Individual computers or tablets available for students (grades 3-5)
– Systematic interventions to help all students when they struggle.
When your friends ask you what is so special about a Ferndale Elementary education, you can tell them that it is a globally-focused curriculum with a local heart.
The new elementary school will utilize two buildings which will house a lower elementary and an upper elementary campus. The lower elementary campus will be housed at the current Theodore Roosevelt Primary School and will be for students in kindergarten through second grade. The upper elementary campus will be located at the current John F. Kennedy Elementary School and will be for students in third through fifth grade.
Also as part of this phase, sixth grade students will be moved to Ferndale Middle School starting in the 2016-2017 school year. This move allows for our sixth graders to have access to the new Cambridge International Honors Program a year early. It also opens the door to the incredible world of opportunities that exist at Ferndale Middle School. Sixth-graders will now have more programmatic offer- ings than ever before, from expanded arts, athletics, and clubs to access to our new programs like Cambridge Interna- tional Honors, a Project Lead the Way STEM class, and our new Shark Tank business class.
The final piece of the 2016-2017 phase will be the movement of University High School from its current location at the Woodrow Wilson building to its new home at the Calvin Coolidge building. The Wilson building would then join Jefferson and Taft as buildings that would be closed permanently within the next two years. The proceeds from the sale of these properties will go directly back into the school district. This will allow us to purchase additional technol- ogy, renovate existing spaces, and pursue other possibilities to further education.
Starting in April we will begin holding monthly meetings with the community to update them on the progress that is being made on the transition. These meetings will be at the Ferndale High School Media Center on April 22 and May 26, with sessions at 9:00 A.M. and 7:00 P.M. I hope to see you all there!
If something happened with our health, we believe there is a solution to any maladies in a medicament. What medicines do patients purchase online? Viagra which is used to treat impotency and other states coupled to erectile disfunction. Learn more about “sildenafil“. What men talk about “viagra stories“? The most substantial aspect you should look for is “sildenafil citrate“. Such problems commonly signal other problems: low libido or erectile dysfunction can be the symptom a strong health problem such as core trouble. Causes of sexual disfunction include injury to the penis. Chronic disease, several medicaments, and a condition called Peyronie’s disease can also cause sexual dysfunction. Even though this medicine is not for use in women, it is not known whether this curing passes into breast milk.
