Costa “on-target” with goals for Lenox Public Schools

LENOX – The school committee has deemed Superintendent Edward W. Costa II’s work in furthering his goals for the district “on-target.”

At the Dec. 10 Lenox School Committee meeting, the members agreed Dr. Costa was making strides in pursuing his five district goals for the 2012-13 school year.

As part of a state-mandated mid-cycle review of his goals, the school committee was tasked with deeming him as “on-target,” “off-target” or “not started” with each one.

His goals are to facilitate training for administrators and educators on the new evaluation system, supervise the implementation of the new federal and state food and beverage regulations, assist the school committee in the collective bargaining process, help develop a district-wide wellness policy and work on growing the positive school culture in both buildings. (Dr. Costa’s strategic planning goal was dropped, as it was later decided to be a goal of the school committee, not the superintendent.)

Dr. Costa has already gone through training sessions with the school committee, administrators and teachers for the educator evaluation system (which will be in-place for the 2013-14 school year), and he plans to continue that training through June.

“We need to be ready for all of this when school starts next year,” he said.

With the food regulation goal, he has already started having regular meetings with the food service team and conducted a student survey to gain input on the new cafeteria offerings. The survey results will be presented at a January school committee meeting.

Part of the wellness policy development goal included the assistance of the district’s safety and wellness task force, which has grown to include 32 members.

After discussing each goal, the school committee came to the consensus Dr. Costa is “on-target” for all five.

Strategic planning volunteers sought

The strategic planning steering committee, consisting of School Committee Members Jo Anne Magee and Michael F. Moran, is soliciting volunteers to help them with the scoping of the strategic planning process.

According to Ms. Magee, they are looking for one or two people to devote two to three months to this aspect of the strategic planning. In January, the steering committee plans to meet every Monday morning at 7 a.m.

“This is something we’ve got to look at comprehensively,” said School Committee Chairman Don W. Fitzgerald.

MASS Leadership Awards

Also at the recent school committee meeting, Dr. Costa presented Lenox Memorial Middle and High School seniors Elizabeth and Katharine Prescott with Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents (MASS) Leadership Awards.

The two exemplary students not only share the same DNA (they’re twins), but also a 4.41 grade-point average (GPA).

“We have two fine ladies, both fine representatives of LMMHS,” Dr. Costa said.

Field trips approved

The school committee approved two field trips, one for the LMMHS cross-country ski team to go to Lake Placid at the end of this month for training and one for the sixth-grade class to attend Nature’s Classroom in Colebrook, Conn., next year.

“This is probably the one thing they remember about sixth grade for the rest of their lives,” said sixth grade team leader Julie Barros of the Nature’s Classroom trip, which includes math, science and team-building exercises.

Posted by Catherine M. Krummey on December 13, 2012. Filed under Education News,News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry