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School News
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
Board Of Ed's Mancuso On Tests, Teachers And Gist
Eva-Marie Mancuso, the state’s new Board of Education chair, uses courtroom demeanor to try to convince angry teachers and nervous parents that change is necessary.
Eva-Marie Mancuso enjoys a lively debate but is clear about one thing: When it comes to educating Rhode Island’s children, the status quo is not an option. At a recent Q&A session in East Greenwich, the state’s new Board of Education chair, sparred with state Sen. James Sheehan (D-NK, Narr.) over teacher evaluations, cajoled teachers to work with the state, and tried to reassure at least one parent that using passage of a test as a graduation requirement is the right move. The forum, organized by the East Greenwich Democratic Town Committee, was held at EG’s Town Hall, the former Kent County Courthouse. The setting suited Mancuso, a personal injury lawyer. Although the new Board of Education for the first time combines all levels of public…
School Board to Consider Bringing $300K Request to Town Meeting
Smithfield School Committee members are scheduled to meet Monday night beginning at 7 pm.
Following the Smithfield Town Council's decision last week to offer the school district another $150,000 — contingent on the results of a performance review — the school committee is scheduled to take up the matter of its fiscal 2014 budget on Monday night at 7 pm at Smithfield High School. Supt. Robert O'Brien said in a phone interview that the school board is expected to consider whether to bring the original request for $300,000 — which the council rejected last week — directly to voters at the Town Financial Meeting, scheduled for June 13. "We don't have another meeting [before the financial meeting], and they need to decide whether they want to bring some kind of resolution forward," explained O'Brien. "It's strictly the school …
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Sunday, May 19, 2013
Four Local Students Collect Diplomas from Bryant U
Three Smithfield residents and a Greenville student earned graduate degrees.
Bryant University held its Graduate School commencement on Thursday, May 16. Among the graduates were: Smithfield residents Gina Helm and Megan Pritchard, who earned Master of Business Administration degrees, and Brenden Agrela, who earned a Master of Professional Accountancy degree. Jacqueline Belknap of Greenville earned a Master of Professional Accountancy.
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Saturday, May 18, 2013
GMS Wolfpack Players Perform School House Rock Live Jr. Tonight
Community invited to this evening's production.
Tonight at 7:30, the GMS Wolfpack Players will be conducting Gallagher's first ever theatre performance with the musical play School House Rock Live Jr. The play is open to the greater school community, and will be held in the GMS cafeteria/auditorium. This event involves over 40 students, utilized in roles such as actors, choral performers, set designers, costume designers, and crew. The Wolfpack Players are directed by a group of volunteer teachers and staff members, including Mary Grundy, Marion Carnevale, Alison Drainville, Victoria Carruba, Laura Boyle, Judy Siravo, and Noah Escaler. Refreshments will be served prior to the performance, beginning at 7 p.m. We would appreciate any coverage you could provide of this new venture at…
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Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Smithfield Town Council OKs $150K Extra for Schools, Pending Performance Evaluation
Entire additional $450,000 budgeted for schools in escrow pending department review.
Supt. Robert O'Brien walked into last night's Budget Hearing at Smithfield High School hoping for $300,000 added to the School Department's budget, but he got half — with a condition. Town Manager Dennis Finlay's $32,844,732 school budget appropriation had already added $300,000 in response to O'Brien's request to add $1.1 million to the budget, but the superintendent and School Committee Chairman Richard Iannitelli had hoped to convince the Council to add at least another $300,000 that they said would save 18 teaching jobs and add a full-time technology teacher and a half-time music teacher. But after about 20 minutes of deliberation, the Council denied the request for $300,000, then approved adding $150,000 to the budget, but …
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Tim Pipe
6:37 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
O'Brien is a snob in my opinion. He will end up running the district into the ground. more ›
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Sullivan Earns Computer Networking & Information Security Degree at Champlain
Smithfield resident among 470 scholars at May 4 commencement.
Kyle Sullivan of Smithfield recently graduated from Champlain College. Sullivan received a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Networking & Information Security with a possible specialization and/or minor. The Champlain College 135th Commencement took place outdoors, under a tent on Edmunds Field in Burlington on Saturday, May 4. In all, 470 undergraduates earned their degrees. Vermont novelist and New York Times Bestseller, Chris Bohjalian delivered the Commencement address to degree candidates. George Chaffee, Vermont's captive insurance association founder, spoke on behalf of the two honorary degrees that were conferred. Bohjalian, received a Doctor of Fine Arts honorary degree; Chaffee, received a Doctor of Commerce honorary …
Do High School Rankings Mean Anything?
Newsweek, GoLocalProv.com, and RI-CAN recently offered their rankings of Rhode Island high schools — how do you look at this information?
Over the past couple of weeks, several sources — both local and national — have issued their rankings of high schools in Rhode Island. And while it may be an accomplishment to be named the state's top high school by one group, parents and students may be left scratching their heads when they read other results. Take Smithfield High School, for example. GoLocalProv.com named the home of the Sentinels number 22 out of 49 in Rhode Island — and The Daily Beast didn't include it at all in its national rankings. And the advocacy group RI-CAN listed Smithfield fifth out of 39 school districts in school performance. In the end, the question remains for parents of current — and future — high school students: Do these rankings mean anything? What …
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Monday, May 13, 2013
McGee Earns Juris Doctor Degree At UMass Dartmouth
Smithfield student among 462 at May 11 commencement.
Jessica McGee of Smithfield received a Juris Doctor degree at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth graduate commencement on May 11. An estimated 462 graduate students received master's and doctoral degrees. The Hon. Phillip Rapoza, Chief Justice of Massachusetts Court of Appeals, will deliver the graduate address and receive an honorary Doctor of Law. You can find more information at the UMass Dartmouth Commencement Website.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Chafee, Schlesinger named Keynote Speakers at Bryant's World Trade Day
Annual event held at university May 22.
Gov. Chafee and CBS News Senior Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger are among the keynote speakers at Bryant's 28th annual World Trade Day May 22. More than 500 business, government and academic leaders will explore ways in which local corporations can expand globally during the event. Other speakers include Cumberland-based textile solutions provider Hope Global President and CEO Cheryl Merchant, Cranston-based Alex and Ani jewelry company CEO Giovanni Feroce, and John Hazen White, Jr., president of Cranston-based Taco, Inc. Attendees will learn about the different aspects of international business from sessions addressing different levels of exporting expertise, from how to set up an export team and utilize trade missions and tradeshows…
Joe Smith
11:51 pm on Monday, May 20, 2013
Hey Supt -- how about funding the part-time music teacher with those extra 403B retirement payments that administrators have been getting *IN ADDITION* to their state pensions.. where are those in your contracts? How about taking the lead instead of tying your health care costs to the teachers (and what incentive is that when you negotiate if management is getting the same deal as labor?) and … more ›