Developing Healthy Kids

Good afternoon,

Spring break is over, and we are headed into the last few weeks of school. Here are a few brief highlights from around the district.

Key updates from last night’s Board of Education meeting include the following:

• Recognized Jen Domagalski, the North Rockford and East Rockford Middle Schools’ athletic director, for being honored by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAA) as the Region 14 Athletic Director of the Year.
• Approved strength and conditioning equipment for North Rockford Middle School.
  • East Rockford already had this equipment.
  • It supports our physical education program and will also be used by athletic teams.
• Approved a security technology contract (door alarms, security cameras, etc.)
• Celebrated good news from the state’s annual bus inspection program which gave each of our 70 buses a green tag.
  • Congratulations to our transportation office and our mechanics for this great news.
    
    

More information can be found on our board meetings under the “Our District” link – Board of Education on the district website.

This year we had 14 Odyssey of the Mind teams qualify for state competition. Of those 4 Rockford teams will be headed to World Finals in May. There they will compete against 800 teams from around the world.  

There are two one act plays coming to the Rockford High School Black Box Theater. Off Road and The 146 Point Flame will be presented April 30, May 1 and May 2 at 7:00 PM.

Into the Woods Jr., the underclassman play, will be presented on May 8, May 9, and May 10.

Tickets are available at Ludus - ROCKTIX.

Enjoy this week’s spring weather.

Steve

Dr. Steve Matthews
Superintendent
Rockford Public Schools

Does this have anything to do with GSRP?

This document is intended to answer questions that have arisen as we have begun a conversation about repurposing Parkside Elementary to an Early Childhood Center.

Does the recommendation to consolidate Parkside and Valley View have anything to do with the state of Michigan’s Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP)?

• There has been a focus in Michigan to ensure that preschool students have the opportunity to participate in preschool programs. 
• Michigan has created the Great Start Readiness Program to provide preschool for children who turn 4 before December 1 of each year. 
• The Great Start Readiness Program is coordinated through Kent ISD.
• In Rockford, we have two GSRP classrooms. They currently are housed at Cannonsburg Elementary School. 
• While there is a per pupil allocation for students enrolled in the Great Start Readiness Program, the Rockford Public Schools does not receive this funding. Our school district only receives a rent payment from the Kent ISD for our classrooms. 

The recommendation for Parkside Elementary is not based on the Great Start Readiness Program. 

We believe that our early childhood programming – preschool and childcare – is a quality program that prepares our preschool students for a successful entry into kindergarten. Our parents are supportive of our programming and have a desire to see our Rockford program expanded.

Parkside Discussion:

Questions about Teacher Collaboration

This document is intended to answer questions that have arisen as we have begun a conversation about repurposing Parkside Elementary to an Early Childhood Center.

The importance of teacher collaboration:

When schools have only one teacher per grade level, students miss out on the advantages of a collaborative teaching team working together daily. This includes teamwork, shared expertise, and differentiated instruction. Having at least two grade level sections in each building where teachers are collaborating together ensures that every child receives a high-quality, well-rounded environment that supports their learning. 

1. Stronger Teaching Through Collaboration and Consistency in Learning

• When teachers work together in a building, they easily share ideas, lesson plans, and strategies that help improve instruction for all students.
• Research shows that when teachers collaborate, student achievement improves significantly (Visible Learning, Hattie, 2009).
• With multiple teachers at the same grade level, all students at a grade level in the building receive a similar, high-quality education.
• Schools that follow the Professional Learning Community (PLC) model (DuFour, 2004) see higher student success rates because teachers meet regularly to discuss student progress and adjust instruction based on data.
• Research (Ingersoll & Strong, 2011) shows that when teachers work in teams, they are less stressed, more motivated, and stay in the profession longer.

2. Better Support for Different Learning Needs

• Every child learns differently, and when multiple teachers work together, they can group students flexibly to give them more personalized instruction.
• Struggling students get extra help, and advanced learners receive challenges that keep them engaged.
• Studies on differentiated instruction (Tomlinson, 2001) show that when teaching is tailored to a student’s level, learning improves dramatically.
• When teachers work as a grade level team, they can identify areas where students are struggling and quickly provide support to keep them on track.
• Common assessments across classrooms help ensure that every child is making progress and getting the support they need.
• In multi-section grades, students may have opportunities to interact with different teachers, which helps them adapt to different teaching styles and personalities.
• Flexible grouping across classrooms allows students to work with peers at similar academic levels, keeping them challenged and engaged.

Parkside Discussion:

Why an Early Childhood Center Matters?

This document is intended to answer questions that have arisen as we have begun a conversation about repurposing Parkside Elementary to an Early Childhood Center.

Benefits of an Early Childhood Center:

• According to the National Education Association (NEA), children in early childhood education programs are:
  • Less likely to repeat a grade
  • Less likely to be identified as having special needs
  • More prepared academically for later grades
  • More likely to graduate from high school
  • More likely to be higher earners in the workforce
• High-quality Early Childhood Education can benefit children’s cognitive, social, and behavioral development. Studies show that children in high-quality ECE make greater improvements in these areas when compared to children from similar backgrounds who never enrolled in ECE. (Child Care and Early Education Policy and Research Analysis, 2023)
• Participating in Early Childhood Education helps children to develop skills that will benefit them in school and life. Specifically, research shows that ECE can help children learn the foundational skills for reading, math, self-control, and positive relationships. (Children’s Learning and Development Benefits from High-Quality Early Care and Education: A Summary of the Evidence, 2023)
• Building a sense of community through events for families creates an opportunity for them to connect and socialize. This fosters a sense of community and belonging to our center and Rockford Public Schools. (Survive to Thrive – NAEYC, LeeKeenan and Ponte, 2014)
• Early Childhood Education in a center provides students access to various resources and supports, including screenings for health and behavioral issues benefiting students, staff, and families.  

Parkside Discussion:

Questions about the Budget

This document is intended to answer questions that have arisen as we have begun a conversation about repurposing Parkside Elementary to an Early Childhood Center.

Budget questions answered: 

Revenue is generated by the fee-based programs of preschool and childcare.  The revenue is used to pay for the preschool and childcare staff wages and benefits. 

• Wages and Benefits for existing teachers and paras currently at Parkside Elementary will remain consistent.  The current staff at Parkside Elementary will be placed in other buildings in our district. 
• There is no change in operating costs to run existing buildings. 

The Capital expenditures can be paid for out of existing and/or future bond proceeds. 

• The 2019 Bond is authorized to cover capital expenditures for Parkside and Preschool/Childcare buildings. 
• Potential Future Bond Projects can include more specific capital enhancements to further reimagine the Parkside building from an Elementary to an Early Childhood Center. 

The Early Childhood program is one of several childcare programs that our district provides to the community including Summer Care and Before and After Care.  The combination of all these programs together creates a slight revenue stream for the district. (In other words, the childcare department as a whole creates revenue- not a deficit.)