Back to School: Winthrop School

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The Winthrop School has adjusted all classroom schedules for the 2010-2011 school year so that in every grade, in every classroom, the literacy block will have a section that is co-taught, according to Principal Bryna Davis.

"One of our goals in doing that is to improve the way we're meeting the needs of all our learners," Davis said, "and we're looking to institute a response to intervention during that time period, so that we can be making sure we are in fact meeting students needs, regardless of what their needs are."

Davis said literacy was chosen for the co-teaching model at the Winthrop School because the faculty felt it was the subject area they could tackle first, in part due to the school's full-time reading teacher.

"Our goal is to eventually add the math, but at the moment we wanted to take advantage of the fact that we have a full-time, wonderfully skilled reading teacher," she said. "We knew with her assistance that, as we move into this, she can help us to move forward in a positive way."

Going beyond MCAS in studying student data

The Winthrop School also hopes to use student data more effectively to monitor students' progress—and not just MCAS results or the school's own benchmark assessments, Davis said.

"It's also things like the theme and chapter tests and looking at monitoring progress as students are going along, looking at those pieces to check how they're doing and what are areas that may be areas of need," she said. "When areas of need come up for students, regardless of what those areas we, we will be implementing whatever we need to help instruct those students."

Another move for the front office means more classroom space

With the Winthrop losing one classroom this year, the office for the oldest school in the district has moved from last year's location within the front doors facing Ashcroft road back to the offices accessible by a walkway from First Street.

Davis said the offices were originally moved when additional classroom space was needed, but moving the office back has resulted in larger space for other classrooms.

"We've also moved some of our special needs staff that were in smaller rooms into a larger classroom space, so it's a better working space for them," she said.

New Winthrop Teachers

• Suzanne Gorevitz, Special Education Teacher
• Francesca Shaw, School Adjustment Counselor