The SAU school districts are committed to working together to achieve common standards and values that will result in graduates who are caring, productive, and contributing members of society.

September 21, 2004

The following column, written by an ERCSD staff member, appeared in the September 21, 2004 edition of The Exeter News-Letter. Future columns will appear in The Exeter News-Letter on alternating Tuesdays. Each column will be archived for future reference on this website.

The Co-op Beat

New newsletter writer - Jennifer Kinsey

Welcome to the new school year! May the glorious weather continue. Starting today, I will be working for the Exeter Region Cooperative School District (ERCSD) writing, compiling, and submitting articles and information for a twice a month article for the Exeter News-Letter. The Exeter Cooperative School Board and the SAU Administration have clearly highlighted and prioritized improved communication with parents and the community over the coming school year. The regular submission of articles to the Exeter News-Letter is one of several strategies that will be used.

Our school district, composed of six towns (Brentwood, East Kingston, Exeter, Kensington, Newfields, and Stratham) is large. From kindergarten through 5th grade, children attend school in their own towns. At the elementary school level parent involvement is high. Communication between the elementary schools, students’ homes, school boards, and the town community happens regularly and with relative ease. Once these same students transition to 6th grade at the Cooperative Middle School, parent involvement and communication both to parents and the broader community become more challenging. This is why the primary focus of these articles will be on issues and news related to the ERCSD, 6th-12th grades.

In today’s article, I would like to introduce myself and tell you a little about the format and content planned for this column.

News Article Format

The articles will appear every other Tuesday. Once a month we plan an in-depth discussion of a particular topic, such as the Great Bay e-Learning Charter School, flexible grouping of students for instruction, state testing results, and curriculum planning. On alternate weeks, the article will offer a compilation of news about what is happening – and what will be happening -- at the Cooperative Middle School and Exeter High School, Seacoast School of Technology, and updates on the progress of the new high school building project. Both formats are intended to keep readers updated on substantial topics or issues being considered by educators, administrators, and Board members of the ERCSD. The dates, locations, times, and agendas for upcoming school committee meetings will also be featured monthly. Links to websites for more information about a variety of topics will be found at the bottom of each article.

Who am I?

Starting this fall I will be working part-time for the new Great Bay e-Learning Charter School as the school’s community liaison. Being responsible for these twice-a-month articles in this paper will be in addition to my role with the charter school. However, both roles draw on many of my past interests and experiences.

Since moving to New Hampshire with my family eight years ago, I have been actively involved in the community as a volunteer for Stratham Memorial School and an employee of the Exeter Region Cooperative School District. When my two sons were in elementary school, I helped to start an after school arts based program at Stratham Memorial. Five years ago, drawing on my past professional experience and training, I worked to establish a community-based substance abuse prevention collaborative focusing on youth in the school district. This work was supported for three years under a $350,000 grant that I wrote. I am on the Board of Directors of the New Outlook Teen Center, Court Street Common Board, and president of the Board of the New Hampshire Theatre Project and a past member of the Squamscott Coalition. Being involved in my community is important and working with, and for youth, one of my passions.

I sincerely believe that the education, health, and safety of our children, especially teenagers (middle and high school students), depends on the support of the entire community. In adolescence, a critical developmental stage, children begin their passage into the broader world. A supportive and caring community that guides, cares about, and supports adolescents while they mature into adulthood makes this passage safe for most of our youth. My interest in working with the ERCSD to better communicate with parents and the community stems from my belief that better communication among those who educate our children, parents, and members of the community can lead to more engagement and support of adolescents.

The format of this article may evolve over the next few months. I welcome your input and suggestions. Please feel free to contact me by email with any questions or comments about what information you would like to see covered in this space. My email address is jskb@comcast.net.

Upcoming ERCSD School Committee Meetings

Monday, 9/20 6:15 PM SAU Joint School Board - SST Culinary Arts Dining Room
Monday, 9/27 7:00 PM SAU Policy Committee - SAU 16 Conference Room
Tuesday, 9/27 7:00 PM ERCSD Curriculum & Philosophy Committee - SAU 16 Conference Room

Update on New High School Building Project

This past spring and summer, much progress has been made on the construction of the new high school due to the excellent oversight by Walter Pierce, the SAU 16 Business Administrator and the ERCSD school official in charge of the new high school project. Mr. Pierce, in turn, contributes much of this progress being possible due to the fine efforts of the Clerk of the Works, Jim Gilman; our construction manager, Harvey Construction; and our site contractor, S.U.R., since they met or exceeded all of the goals established for the past winter. Accomplishing these goals enabled construction of the building to begin in early May. As of this date, almost all of the building footings, foundation walls - interior and exterior - and underground utilities are now completed. Steel erection on the west wing of the building began in mid-August. Great progress on the development of the site has continued as well. Two parking lots, all five detention ponds, half of the loop road, all of the leech field, and six of the athletic fields including irrigation and seeding, are near completion. View photo updates of site and building progress.

Websites for more information

Great Bay E-Learning Charter School http://www.greatbayelearn.org

- Jennifer Kinsey, ERCSD Community Liaison jskb@comcast.net

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