End of the Year
Report 2011
Toll Gate High School
Stephen Chrabaszcz
I would like to begin
this report by saying that this school year has been an
outstanding one at the high school. With the consolidation of
the department chair positions, everyone was a little
apprehensive at the start of the year. However, the cooperation
that I received from the students, parents, administrative team,
faculty, staff, and former department chairs made this
transition seamless. A number of noteworthy events took place at
the high school this year, and I would like to briefly summarize
some of these events.
In October I
submitted the Two Year Progress Report to the NEACS committee
for review. NEASC stands for New England Association of Schools
and Colleges. This organization is charged with visiting high
schools and colleges in order to determine whether or not the
schools should be accredited. Accreditation is very important
for college acceptance for our students.
The committee visited
our school in October of 2008. Following that visit, they wrote
a report detailing areas of commendation and areas that needed
to be addressed. As a matter
of explanation, we had twelve recommendations that needed to be
addressed in the February 1, 2010 Special Progress Report. When
that report was completed, we were given six new recommendations
to address by October 1 in the Two-Year Progress Report.
The Two-Year
Progress Report also required that we address ten highlighted
recommendations and fifty-nine areas of concern cited from the
visit. Furthermore, the report needed to address substantive
changes that had occurred since the visit, any achievements or
strengths of note, and any school initiatives or projects.
The department
leaders, both past and present, were outstanding in supporting
the writing of this report. They put a great deal of time and
effort into this project. Also, Deborah Miller, as chair of the
follow-up committee and Darlene Netcoh, as editor of the report,
spent countless hours in helping me prepare a factual,
professional document.
In March of
2011, we received word from NEASC that our report had been
accepted by the committee. We were praised for the progress that
the school had made in the areas of concern cited in the report.
Although we still have much work to do, particularly in the area
of facilities, we are very proud of our progress thus far.
Two amazing
initiatives have flourished in the Special Education Department
this year.
This was Toll Gate’s
second season participating in the Unified Basketball program.
The Unified Basketball program unites special needs athletes
with other students to form a team. Ms. Bowie and Mrs. Rachiele
coached the team again this year. Last year was so rewarding
for everyone involved that all players and athletes returned for
another year of excitement. This year was so successful that the
Toll Gate High School team actually won the championship in
their division. The success of this program is truly a success
for all members of the Toll Gate community.
At the start of this
school year a program entitled “Best Buddies” was established at
the high school. “Best Buddies” is a nationally recognized
program that pairs students with disabilities in one-to-one
friendships with high school students. In today's high schools,
students with disabilities often enter the same building and
walk the same hallways as their peers, but they are left out of
social activities.
I am proud to say
that in the first year of the establishment of this program it
was highly successful. The “buddies” participated in activities
together each month throughout the school year. Everyone was
very pleased with the success of this program, and we look
forward to continuing and expanding this venture next year.
Finally, I would like
to highlight the hard work and effort of Mr. Ryan Mullen who is
a math teacher at the high school. This year he took over the
school website. He created an outstanding site that is
innovative and contains a tremendous amount of information for
all members of the Toll Gate community. This is truly a site
that we can all be proud of, and we thank Ryan for his hard work
and effort in that regard.
As I have done in the
past, I have asked the members of the various departments to
submit an end of the year report to me. The remainder of this
report will be a summarization of the data submitted to me.
Modern World Languages Department
Achievements
In the National
Spanish Competition, two Level I students earned honorable
mention distinction. In Level 2, nineteen students earned
national merit ranking including one gold, two silver, three
bronze and thirteen honorable mention awards. In Level 3, one
student earned a gold award, and two students earned honorable
mention awards. In Level 4, three students earned bronze awards,
and three students earned honorable mention awards.
In Le Gran Concourse,
a National French competition, one student placed in the top ten
of all Rhode Island scores.
In the National Italian
Competition, two students placed in the top ten of all Rhode
Island scores.
Eleven students in Level 5,
Honors Spanish competed in the Rhode Island Essay competition.
One student received a second place award, and ten
students received notable distinction awards.
Extra-Curricular
The following
members of the department have participated in clubs and
activities throughout the year:
French Club (Georgette Jackson)
Spanish Club (Kerri Rogers)
Italian Club (Jennifer Taliani)
Girls’ Basketball Coach (J.
Paliotta)
World Games Club (Christian
DeFrancesco)
Photography Club
(Christian De Francesco)
Dancing With the Stars (Kerri
Rogers)
Music Appreciation Club
(Christian DeFrancesco)
Musical Director of Alpaca Attack
Ensemble (Christian DeFrancesco)
Freshmen Class Advisors (Kerri
Rogers and Jennifer Taliani)
Professional Affiliations
A number of teachers in the
department have professional affiliations. Among the groups
represented are the following:
Rhode Island Foreign Language Association (RIFLA) - 8 teachers
American Association
of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese (AATSP) – 6 teachers
American Association
of Teachers of French (AATF) - 1 teacher
American Association
of Italian Teachers (RITI) - 2 teachers
Professional
Development, course work and committees
Many of the teachers
in the department participated in professional development and
course work throughout the year. The following is a
summarization of that information.
Deborah Miller,
Chair
NEASC visiting
team: 50 hours
Curriculum
Committee: 18 hours
Curriculum Resource
Committee: 18 hours
Report Card Comments
Committee: 5 hours
Aspen: 5 hours
RIFLA Spring
Workshop: 4 hours
Cooperating teacher
for practicum and student teaching: 40 hours
Portfolio review: 3
hours
RTI training: 1 hour
Meredith Barron
Portfolio review: 3
hours
Curriculum Committee:
30 hours
Curriculum Resource
Committee: 18 hours
Georgette Jackson
Curriculum Committee:
30 hours
Portfolio review: 3
hours
RIFLA Spring
Workshop: 4 hours
Cooperating teacher
for practicum and student teaching: 40 hours
Curriculum Resource
Committee: 18 hours
ASPEN: 2 hours
Kerri Rogers
Portfolio review: 3
hours
Validation
Committee: 15 hours
ASPEN: 2 hours
Joseph Paliotta
Portfolio review: 3
hours
Jennifer Taliani
Portfolio review: 3
hours
Curriculum Resource
Committee: 18 hours
ASPEN: 2 hours
Christian
DeFrancesco
Portfolio review: 3
hours
Alicia Lekos
Portfolio review: 3
hours
RIFLA workshop: 6
hours
ASPEN: 2 hours
Department
Objectives and Goals for the 2011-2012 School Year.
To expand the library
of validated E-portfolio tasks
To continue to assess
student proficiency through common tasks
To implement the new
curriculum in Levels 1 and 2 of foreign language studies
Reflection on
goals set for 2010-2011
To decrease the use
of paper in the class room
To continue to
examine student work and to expand the use of common tasks and
rubrics To continue to promote the school’s mission and student
academic expectations
Teachers cut
classroom use of paper by forty percent. Toll Gate foreign
language teachers met with the Winman Jr. High School foreign
language teachers during several department meetings to
collaborate on a variety of academic topics and also to
calibrate the scoring of common tasks with common rubrics.
Common tasks are currently given in Level 1 and 2 students
enrolled in French, Italian and Spanish. Four members of the
department worked on writing new curricula that is aligned with
RIDE, the district mission, and student academic expectations.
Mathematics Department
Extra-Curricular
Girls’ Softball Coach
(Shana O’Connor)
Girls’ Swim Team
Coach (Shana O’Connor)
Dancing With the
Stars (Gina Arpin, Whitney Biafore, Elaine May)
Senior Class Advisor
(Shana O’Connor)
Sophomore Class
Advisors (Whitney Biafore and Gina Arpin)
National Honor
Society Advisor (Pat Tsigaridas)
Toll Gate Idol (Shana
O’Connor)
Professional
Affiliations
Rhode Island Math
Teachers Association: 1 teacher
National Council of
Teachers of Mathematics: 1 teacher
Professional
Development, course work and committees
James Tidswell,
Chair
Dana Center
Leadership Team: 40 Hours
Aspen: 5 hours
Portfolio review: 3
hours
RTI training: 1 hour
Gina Arpin
Cooperating Teacher
for a student teacher
Whitney Biafore
Cooperating Teacher
for a student teacher
Ryan Mullen
Numeracy
Dana Center
Curriculum Writing Team – 80 hours
Created Web team to
improve Toll Gate’s website
Conducted training
sessions for EDU 2.0
Senada Kulenovic
Dana Center
Curriculum Writing Team pre-calculus – 80 hours
Shana O’Connor
Computer Science
Curriculum
Sally Rovane
Numeracy
Technology
Proficiency Committee (computer science)
Dana Center
Curriculum for Algebra II and pre-calculus - 80 hours
Cooperating Teacher
for a student teacher
Deidra Ward
Cooperating Teacher
for a student teacher
Dana Center
Curriculum writing team – 48 hours
School Validation
Team for portfolios – 18 hours
School Based Appeals
Committee for seniors – 8 hours
Department
Objectives and Goals for the 2011-2012 School Year
To expand the library
of validated E-portfolio tasks
To continue to assess
student proficiency through common tasks
To implement the new
curriculum developed by the Dana Center writing teams
To work with J.Coffey,
D. Tober, and M. Heywood to implement RTI in the mathematics
department
To collaborate with
Winman mathematics department to address any concerns that arise
with the new curriculum
Physical Education and Health
Department
New Courses in the
Department
New fitness unit in
physical education area
Guest Speakers in
Health
Steve Lombardi from
Warwick Police
Noteworthy events
in the classroom
Evaluated activity
selection process and found it to be successful
Winman Junior High
was chosen to represent the State of Rhode Island in Michelle
Obama’s “Let’s Move” Campaign
Taught students how
to dance and was video taped by local radio stations
Students were on a
national video on four different occasions
Teacher
Accomplishments
Conferences,
professional development – August, 2010
AAAI/ISMA Fitness
Conference
Mentor Training,
Warwick Schools
October, 2010
Restraining Training,
Warwick Schools
Halloween Theme
Activities, APE class
December, 2010
Holiday Theme
Activities, APE class
April, 2011
APE field trip
bowling
kettlebell
certification
May, 2011
APE field trip
Goddard Park, recreational activities
Lindsay Ann Burke
training
Organized the
student/faculty volleyball game
Goals accomplished
this year
Created a more
cohesive unit as a staff
Goals set for the
future
Continued
implementation of new units and new speakers
Science Department
Noteworthy Events
in the Classroom (new courses, guest speakers, etc)
Kettle Pond Nature
Center – Mrs. Stevens and Mrs. Greenberg took students to Kettle
Pond where they used nets to observe marine populations, and
they also observed vernal ponds.
Mr. Holtzman and Ms.
Catanzaro brought their Physics I Honors class to Canobie Lake
Park in Salem, NH on May 26, 2011 to participate in the annual
Physics Day event where students were able to measure various
aspects of the amusement park rides and perform calculations on
the physics of those rides.
Mrs. Steitz and her
Marine Environmental Study class had several special field trips
and events.
Students conducted
Asian crab population studies at various locations.
Students participated
in Save the Bay activities.
Students visited
elementary schools in Warwick to present an interactive program
with students in Grades 1-6.
Students attended a
whale watch out of Plymouth.
Teacher
Accomplishments (conferences, professional development)
Rhode Island Science
Olympiad - Ms. Catanzaro
Academic Decathlon –
Ms. Catanzaro and Mrs. Velis
Debra Capuano-Ajaj,
Marjory Stevens and Erin Woulfe participated in Science
Proficiency Standards for Warwick Public Schools chaired by Ann
Siesel.
Mrs. Stevens and Mr.
Vadney attended ARISE (Advancing Rhode Island Science Education)
which was a two day workshop.
The majority of the
science department has participated in, and will continue to
participate in, RITES (Rhode Island Technology Enhanced Science)
program workshops this summer. The University of Rhode Island,
Rhode Island College, and the Rhode Island Department of
Education are core partners in a comprehensive, statewide effort
to improve the quality of science teaching and learning at all
secondary schools. The RITES project hopes to transform the
quality of science teaching and learning at all secondary
schools with the goal of increasing the number and diversity of
students who are proficient in science and who are interested in
pursuing careers in science, engineering, technology, and
mathematics (STEM). Through this program, the science department
has been able to receive various technology items (probes &
other sensors) that enhanced science instruction for Toll Gate
students.
Sam Holtzman was
instrumental in having Erin Woulfe trained in AP Chemistry. This
year thirty three students took the Chemistry AP Exam in May.
Twenty students have signed up for Chemistry II AP Honors with
Ms. Woulfe for the upcoming 2011-2012 school year.
With Sam Holtzman
advocating on behalf of Mrs. Stevens, a new environmental
elective was offered this year. Although it was a very popular
course and one that was enjoyed by both Mrs. Stevens and her
students, the numbers necessary to run the course in September
were not sufficient and so the course will not run this next
school year.
Goals Accomplished
by Samuel Holtzman and department members
Mr. Holtzman
submitted the following assessment of his work and the work of
the department members this year.
This is my second
year as both a faculty member of Toll Gate High School and as
department chair of science. Once again it has been a very
successful year. I found that this department strives on
collaboration and is willing to do whatever is necessary to
promote science learning as well as the success of its
students. I was able to establish a positive, professional
relationship with all members of the department. In that regard,
I have been successful in supporting and encouraging not only
our non-tenure teachers but my entire department as well. I was
successful in scheduling the science department even with the
loss of one teaching position for the upcoming school year. I
was successful in administering the 2011 Science NECAP Tests. I
was able to utilize the science budget efficiently so that all
teachers in my department were provided supplies and equipment
necessary to teach their assigned courses. I was also fortunate
to once again have the support of the entire Toll Gate
administration and support staff. I was able to encourage most
of the department members to participate in the RITES Workshop
this summer where participation will provided free equipment for
our department.
Goals Set for the
Future
Mr. Holtzman has
submitted the following goals for the next school year.
I wish to continue to
build on the trust of my department and advocate for them in the
areas of teaching and learning. I will continue to have an
open-door policy for all staff and students and keep good lines
of communication within my department as well as within all
academic and non academic departments. I will encourage members
of my department to participate in workshops that will enhance
their professional growth. I also plan to utilize departmental
meetings as a means of analyzing data especially as this
pertains to NECAP results and other assessments. With the loss
of one teaching position, A 210 will be available. Due to the
relatively small size of this room, Mrs. Greenberg would rather
have a traveling schedule. Therefore, I am going to use A 210 as
the Grade 9 Introduction to Physical Science (SC41) Lab room.
Since seven teachers will have one or more sections of this
subject in their schedule, having a room designated as the lab
room will allow labs to be set up and left set up to be used by
all classes. This will provide consistency as well as the
ability to offer more lab opportunities for our students.
BUSINESS DEPARTMENT
Achievements:
On Thursday,
September 16, Laurie G. Robinson, Youth Financial Education
Coordinator for Wave Credit Union along with several
representatives from Wave Credit Union, met with Ken Castellone,
Bill Aquilante, Michael Mushaty of the Toll Gate High School
business department, Stephanie Hips and Holly Lebejko teachers
from Winman Junior High, and Paul Williams (RMRS.
GODDARDDepartment of Education) to discuss offering the CU4
Reality Financial Education Program/Fair to Toll Gate High
School business students.
As was requested by
Ken Castellone, Laurie G. Robinson sought approval to set up a
presentation schedule on the following topics: Banking Basics,
Checking Accounts, On Line Banking, On Line Bill Payment,
Electronic Banking Services, Savings and Investments
Loans/Credit and Budgeting. The goal would be to schedule the
presentations to match what was being taught in the classroom at
that time. Based on individual needs, specific topics would be
addressed on a monthly basis or twice during a given month.
Mr. Aquilante’s
personal finance class concluded a very exciting and successful
2010-11 school year. The course continues to be the cornerstone
of the business department. The personal finance course covered
checkbook balancing and reconciliation, banking, consumer
purchasing, home buying, credit, identity theft, saving and
investing, and stocks. Simulations using Quicken software were
used to replicate real life financial situations. Using the
Quicken software, students were asked to complete checkbook
transactions of simulated situations.
Pawtucket Credit
Union was a corporate sponsor, and Community Relations Director
Kristin Rojas was invited to be a recurring guest speaker
throughout the school year. Ms. Rojas discussed all aspects of
finance including budgeting, credit, identity theft, saving, and
investing. Pawtucket Credit Union also sponsored “Real World
Day” where students experienced real world financial problems
and solutions. Each student was given a career that matched
their interest, along with an annual salary, credit score, and
marital/family situation. They were asked to make a monthly
budget including food, clothing, rent, utilities, spending
money, transportation, and other expenses. Students learned
that budgeting and planning was not at easy as they had
previously thought.
In the third quarter,
students completed the Budgeting and Planning Projects.
Students were asked to find a career, purchase a home or rent an
apartment, purchase vehicles for each adult in the household,
and purchase insurance. If the student had chosen a career that
required a college education, they were forced to assume a
student loan equal to 25% of their annual salary. Students were
asked to complete a monthly and annual budget, requiring a
minimum of 10 % of their gross income allocated for savings.
Once the budget was completed, each student was asked to prepare
and present a Power Point slide show to discuss and reveal their
findings and experiences.
The personal finance
course concluded with the annual Stock Market game provided by
Virtual Stock Exchange which is part of The Wall Street Journal
Digital Network. Students were given a hypothetical $100,000 to
invest in stocks and mutual funds. They were encouraged to buy
using margin and to use stop and limit orders to attain better
prices for purchases and sales of shares.
This year, digital
tools classes were scheduled differently from last year. All
fourteen digital tools classes ran throughout the year on a
rotating schedule of three days on and four days off. Although
this type of schedule allowed all ninth grade students to learn
the E-Portfolio system early in the school year, it proved to be
a challenge for many students and teachers because of the long
lapse (up to seven days) between classes. Still, the course
material continued to be refined, and the instruction was
delivered more smoothly as the content has been better
developed.
Students learned GBP
activities such as how to compose and format a senior project
proposal letter, create and present Power Points and photo
stories, upload E-Portfolio assignments, compose and format
reports in MLA, and write reflections.
In the computer
applications class, students analyzed, charted and graphed
actual NECAP results for Toll Gate High School students using
the Rhode Island Department of Education website InfoWorks to
obtain data. They then used Word to create documents, tables and
brochures. Additionally, they used Excel spreadsheets to
calculate formulas and make usable grade books.
At the beginning of
baseball season Mrs. Goddard had students in the sports
marketing class partner up and start their own fantasy baseball
team in a league that Mrs. Goddard created for the class on
ESPN.com. Their fantasy team was then used as the subject for a
“Dream Team” project. This project consisted of multiple
assignments that were placed into a portfolio and submitted as
40% of the student’s fourth quarter grade. Students were
expected to create a team name and design a logo for the team.
They had to establish a player personnel form, team roster,
press release announcing the roster, equipment inventory and
business letter explaining their team’s participation in a
charity. They were also required to design a t-shirt for their
team, create a game schedule, design a flyer advertising a home
game and promotion, and create an advertisement for their team.
The advertisement could be anything from a billboard, to a
newspaper ad, to a television or radio ad.
The last two steps of
the project involved creating a power point presentation about
their team to present to the class and also design a team
brochure. In order to complete this project, the students had
to research their fantasy players to obtain their statistics.
They also had to work proficiently with Microsoft Word, Power
Point and Publisher and enhance their oral presentation skills.
The class also had a
guest speaker from Johnson and Wales University who really
sparked the interest of some of the seniors in the class as a
couple of the students are now interested in attending Johnson
and Wales.
Field Trips
Personal Finance
class went to Bryant University for Real World Day
Guest Speakers
Representatives from
the following organizations spoke to business classes throughout
the year:
Junior Achievement
Metropolitian Life
Johnson and Wales
University
Pawtucket Credit
Union
Wave Credit Union
Bank of America
Business
Department Achievement of Goals Assessment:
Goal One this year
was to revise the business curriculum. Through several meeting
hours and professional days, teachers from across the district
created a new, updated version of the business curriculum for
the 2011-2012 school year.
Goal Two was to
establish technology assessments via the Rhode Island Department
of Education on line website for students in Grade 8. On the
high school level, a common task (technology assessment) was
also created for all high school business education courses
using technology as part of their course content.
Goal Three
established that all business education classes had portfolio
assignments that were validated and refined.
Department
Objectives and Goals for 2011-2012 School Year
Revise and refine
E-Portfolio assignments for all classes
Infuse elements of
the GBPR into all curriculums but most specifically into digital
tools classes
Research developing a
Micro Soft Office Academy (MOUSe Certification Program)
Continue building a
strong personal financial literacy program for Toll Gate High
School students by supporting teachers and maintaining a strong
community based business network.
Special Education Department
Achievements
The Unified
Basketball team, co-coached by Marita Rachiele and Karleen
Bowie, earned the honor of being the divisional champion.
Toll Gate High School
is the only high school in Warwick to have the national Best
Buddies program. This is a program in which students with
special needs and typical peers are engaged in a variety of
social activities. This is a “student run” activity with a
special educator and a general educator serving as advisors for
the group. Best Buddies hosted a cookout at the end of the
school year as well as participated in Toll Gate’s Talent Show.
A great time was had by all.
The Dare-to-Dream
conference was held in May on the U.R.I. campus. All of the
intensive education students, their teachers, and many of the
typical peers from Best Buddies participated in and presented at
this day long conference. This wonderful transition service
conference empowers our special needs population to learn how to
advocate for themselves.
Mrs. Rachiele and
Miss Bowie volunteered their time assisting Miss Caluori’s Cyber
Bullying parent presentation during the evening of January 6,
2011. Many special educators attended this very important event.
Many special
educators participated in the restraint training offered by the
district. In addition, the department submitted a validation
assignment for the special education department. This was
developed by Mrs. Sweeney and reviewed by the entire department
at a special education department meeting.
Extra-Curricular
Activities
Members of the
special education department participated in a number of
extra-curricular activities this year. The following is a list
of those activities:
Best Buddies (Carol
Allen)
Unified Basketball (Marita
Rachiele and Karleen Bowie)
School Improvement
Team (Kristen Saunders)
School Validation
Team ( Karleen Bowie and Holly Scott)
TAC (Carol Allen and
Kristen Saunders)
Dare to Dream
conference (Carol Allen, Tammy Sweeney, Kristen Saunders)
Dancing with the
Stars ( Marita Rachiele – judge)
Cyber Bullying
presentation- assisting Miss Caluori (Marita Rachiele and
Karleen Bowie)
Special Olympics-
(Christina Metelski)
Head Judge for Senior
project – (Marita Rachiele and Karleen Bowie)
Member of Toll Gate
Parent-Teacher Student Association (Kristen Saunders)
Member of
School-Based Appeals Committee (Chair-Kristen Saunders)
Stop & Shop Rewards
Program – (Coordinator-Kristen Saunders)
Special Olympics
Youth Forum- (Marita Rachiele)
Faculty Dance Team –
(Ellen Casey, Kristen Saunders, Karleen Bowie, Marita Rachiele)
Dance and Prom
chaperone- (Marita Rachiele, Holly Scott)
Systematic Training
for Effective Parenting [STEP] - (Richard Dickson)
Club Green – (Ellen
Casey)
Interdisciplinary/Interdepartmental Activities
The marine science
program and Miss Saunder’s intensive education science class
worked together all year maintaining a salt water aquarium in
the IE science room and then participated together in a Spring
field trip to Beavertail to release the marine life.
For the first time
there was an inclusion class taught by Mrs. Miller for three
special education students in the area of foreign language.
Best Buddies and
members of the drama club, along with the ALP students,
participated in the production of “You’re A Good Man Charlie
Brown.”
Professional
Affiliations
Council of
Exceptional Children: 8 teachers
Professional
Development, course work and committees
Susan Pucillo,
chair
Rhode Island
Alternate Assessment Committee
District Strategic
Planning Committee
Internet Safety and
Protecting Your Students Online training
Aspen training: 5
hours
Restraint training: 6
hours
Validation: 1 hour
Portfolio review: 3
hours
Carol Allen
TAC
Advanced Training
Planning Workshop
Student Teacher from
Johnson & Wales University
Senior Exit Appeals
Committee Member
Aspen training
E-Portfolio
Validation training
Differentiate
Instruction Workshop
Karleen Bowie
Anti-Bullying
Committee
Internet Safety and
Protecting Your Students Online training
Validation Committee
School Validation
training
Response to
Intervention training
Dana Center –Math
training
Aspen training
Andrea Campbell
Restraint training
Ellen Casey
National Board
Certification
STEPS (Literacy
Instruction)-10 weeks
PTSA member
Digital Portfolio
training
Richard Dickson
Digital Portfolio
training
Restraint training
E-Portfolio Workshop
Shannon Hajjar
Restraint training
Rebecca LaPorte
E-Portfolio training
Aspen training
Christina
Metelski
Response to
Intervention training
Tech Access training
Attended RITE Click
Series
Rhode Island
Alternate Assessment training
Validation training
Marita Rachiele
Internet Safety and
Protecting Your Students Online training
Aspen training
Susan Ryder
Parent Matters
Conference
Aspen training
Kristen
Saunders
Toll Gate School
Improvement Team
Chair Toll Gate
School Improvement Team Arts and Humanities Subcommittee
Transition Advisory
Committee (TAC)
Hosted a student
teacher
Validation training
Participated in RITES
Science Program
CPI Restraint
training
Aspen training
Holly Scott
Providence
College-Masters in Counseling Program
School Validation
Team
Aspen training
Tammy Sweeney
Effective Writing and
Assessment Strategies Using Six Traits/Writing Across the
Curriculum
Special Education
580C –Using Effective Practices when Instructing Special
Populations
Special Education
515-Infants/Preschools Special Needs Populations
Microsoft Digital
Photo Story 3
Non Violent Crisis
Intervention training
Personality Awareness
Professional Development
Transition trainings
(Way to Go RI, TAC)
E-portfolio
Validation training
Blood Borne Pathogens
Training
ORS tutorials
Department
Objectives and Goals for the 2011-2012 School Year
Continue to expand
Best Buddies
Better articulation
between the junior and senior high school special education
departments
Continue to expand
inclusion of special education students into mainstream classes
and the Career Center
To continue to close
the gap between special education and general education
students’ scores
Reflection by the
Department Chair
The special education
teachers at Toll Gate High School are second-to-none. They
welcomed this new department chair to the department in
September making me feel very welcome. They also all served as
mentors in helping me to understand and learn the culture of the
high school. They also embraced a new teacher and new program to
the department.
The general education
teachers and administration also embraced the new Alternate
Learning Program for students with behavioral challenges.
Social Studies Department
Achievements
Lt. Governor’s Debate
– October/November 2010
Mock Election –
October/November, 2010
Mock Referendum –
October/November, 2010
Poll Workers training
– October 2011 (City Hall, Pawtucket, RI)
Operation Plumpynut
(Fundraiser for starvation) – December 2010
National History Day
Competition – school, state and national competitions – December
2010- June 2011
Sociology Internships
– April/May 2011
Voter Registration
Drive and Secretary of State visit – May 2011
NYC Field Trip to
Holocaust Museum and Liberty Island – May 2011
Japanese Tsunami
Victims Fundraiser – May 2011
Three Branches of
Government Field Trip to RI State House and Superior Court
(Civics Course) – May 2011
Capitol Forum –
State-wide policy forum – School Year 2010-2011
Guest Speakers –
Numerous guest speakers were invited by social studies teachers
to speak to students regarding a variety of topics: Iranian
Nuclear Program, Immigration,
Holocaust, etc.
Extra-Curricular
Activities
Mock Trial (State
Champions) – Sharon Franco - Advisor
Gay Student Alliance
– David Sheehan – Advisor
Photo Club – Matt
Hodge – Co-Advisor
Pilgrim Ice Hockey –
David Tober – Coach
Boys Soccer – Timothy
Hayes – Head Coach
Boys Lacrosse –
Timothy Hayes – Assist. Coach
Dancing with the
Stars – Timothy Hayes, Suzanne Vieira, Sharon Franco (judge)
Student- Faculty
Basketball Game – Timothy Hayes
Talent Show – Sharon
Franco
Inter-disciplinary
Activities
Social Studies/World
Language Department: France Field Trip: This field trip will
provide students with an opportunity to experience French
culture, as well as see many of the sites addressed in the
Western Civilizations Course.
Social
Studies/Business: Real World Day at Bryant University –
Students were given an opportunity to explore careers at this
forum.
Social Studies/Visual
Arts: Portraits of Scandal Project – Matt Hodge worked with Pat
Huntington.
NECAP Test
Preparation – Joe Coffey hosted an ELA Saturday test preparation
session
Educational
Opportunities Outside the Class
Response to
Intervention: Joe Coffey and David Tober participated in
training and have started an RTI Committee at Toll Gate (6
members of our department have signed up for the committee)
Validation
Committee: Timothy Hayes and Joe Coffey are part of the Toll
Gate
validation committee
Exam Revision/Summer
School Curriculum Revision: David Sheehan, Matt Hodge,
Timothy Hayes, Joe
Coffey, and Sharon Franco all served on these committees
Advisory Periods-
Reading with elementary students from Drum Rock Elementary,
Thursday Music
Series, Celebrating Success Monday
Senior Exit Appeals
Committee: Sharon Franco, Timothy Hayes
Special
Awards/Distinctions
Mock Trial Team –
State Winner, 2010-2011, participated in national competition in
Phoenix, Arizona in May 2011
National History Day
Competition – eight students participated in state level
competition and two students participated in national
competition at the University of Maryland in June 2011
Professional
Affiliations
National Council for
the Social Studies
RI Social Studies
Council
RI Geography
Education Alliance
RI Labor History
Society
American Education
Research Association
RISCA – Rhode Island
Soccer Coaches Association
NSCAA – National
Soccer Coaches Association of America
Professional
Development
Joseph Coffey
RTI Training (9
contact hours)
Validation Committee
Training (6 contact hours)
Sharon Franco
Humanistic Approach
to Teaching (3 contact hours)
Slavery, Citizenship
and Civil Rights (3 contact hours)
Going to work in the
Blackstone Valley (3 contact hours)
Timothy Hayes
Historical Inquiry
Professional Development (15 contact hours)
National History Day
Teacher Workshop (6 hours)
RTI Training (9
contact hours)
Validation Committee
Training (6 contact hours)
RTI (1 contact hour)
Matthew Hodge
Prudence Island and
Narragansett Bay Research (6 contact hours)
Oliver Hazard Perry
RI Education Committee (3 contact hours)
RI Geography
Education Alliance Executive Board (6 contact hours)
Wayne Politelli
Historical Inquiry
Professional Development (15 contact hours)
GBP (1 contact hour)
David Sheehan
National Consortium
for Teaching about Asia (NCTE) – 33 contact hours completed this
academic year
David Tober
Working on Masters in
Administration at Providence College
(3 courses – 9 CEUs
- 135 contact hours)
Thalia Wood:
PhD Dissertation
Research – 2 CEUs (30 contact hours)
Historical Inquiry
Professional Development Preparation – (50 contact hours)
National History Day
Workshop – (6 contact hours)
GBP (1 contact hour)
The following
teachers served as cooperating teachers for student teachers
from Providence College, University of Rhode Island and Rhode
Island College:
David Tober
James Sheehan
David Sheehan
Sharon Franco
Joseph Coffey
Timothy Hayes
Reflection
2010-2011
The Toll Gate Social
Studies Department had a very successful year in many ways.
Students became more engaged in the election process this year
through a number of activities addressing their civic rights and
responsibilities. In addition, students had an opportunity to
donate their time, energy and financial resources to several
fundraising activities sponsored by our department. The Mock
Trial Team, under the guidance of social studies faculty member
Sharon Franco, won the state championship for the third time in
five years.
Although confronted
with a change in the leadership of their department, as well as
many new state and district mandates, teachers continued to
challenge their students and provided many opportunities for
success. Students were given multiple opportunities to submit
E-portfolio assignments, and several teachers worked with
seniors who needed to augment their E-portfolios with additional
proficient social studies assignments. Social studies teachers
have also begun the process of developing E-portfolio entries
that will meet validation criteria. In addition, the department
made a move toward focusing their E-portfolio entries on
Academic Expectations 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4. Furthermore, the
department is beginning to work on redesigning the rubrics for
these Academic Expectations.
Several members in
the department have taken a very active role in changing the
school culture through their participation in a number of
committees: Response to Intervention, Validation and Senior
Exit Appeals Committees. A move toward helping struggling
students to achieve has taken root in our department
discussions. Teachers are devoting countless extra hours to
working with students on remediation. Social Studies faculty
also worked on NECAP preparation in their classrooms, as well as
in their advisories, using ELA prepared prompts and writing
strategies. Student success continues to be the focal point of
teaching in our department. Teachers have shown incredible
dedication and concern for their students.
Despite the
ever-challenging educational environment, the social studies
department continues to thrive. Two department members
participated in a content-related professional development on
Historical Inquiry and several other department members
individually engaged in content-related professional
development. All department faculty members have been
introduced to the RI Professional Teaching Standards and are
taking the opportunity to reflect on their practice as they
anticipate the new evaluation system.
Goals 2011-2012
Change emphasis of
department meetings from one of “getting through the
housekeeping items” to one of collaboration and opportunity for
professional development in our content area – share scholarly
readings, invite guest historians, visit museums, etc. In
addition, we might collaborate with other departments to share
instructional strategies, etc.
As a department
continue to work toward improving the school culture/climate
through active participation in RTI Committee and other
extra-curricular activities
Continue to work on
revision of department common tasks, common assessments,
validation of social studies E-Portfolio assignments and rubrics
Participate in a
district social studies department discussion on summer social
studies requirements
Develop a better
understanding of 504 Plans and our legal responsibilities in
their implementation
Celebrate the
academic success and achievements in our department through
creating a display of student work and awards, academic-success
assemblies, monthly recognitions, etc
Refine the new
required Civics Course and acquire additional supplementary
resources
Integration of more
technology in our content area
Acquire a better
understanding of Common Core Standards for ELA and Math and
those components that relate to social studies
Continue to work on
developing instructional strategies that align with the content
area
Provide a
challenging, engaging, cheerful and safe environment for
students in social studies classes
Technology Education and Visual
Arts
Achievements
Special
achievements in Technology Education
Entered NEIT CADD
Competition 4th place
Entered NEIT
Architectural Competition 2nd place
Entered Women in
Construction CADD Competition 12th place
Entered Robotics
Competition 8th place
Special
Achievements in Visual Arts
Displayed art work at
Senator Jack Reed’s Office, Congressman Langavin’s office &
Warwick Public Library
Received grant for
digital photography
Entered RISD Art
Competition
Received grant for
film making
Received grant for
nonviolence art making
Extra-Curricular
Activities
All department
members stayed for department night
All department
members stayed to help with senior projects
All department
members stayed and worked with students on special projects
Robotics Club (Joseph
Giorno)
Cadd Club (Dean
D’Andrea)
Art Club (Patricia
Huntington)
Mentor for Senior
Project (Patricia Huntington)
Interdisciplinary
Interdepartmental Activities
Worked with art
department building displays case
Worked with athletic
department building display case
Assisted Physics Club
on Rube Goldberg project
Met and achieved all
Math +1…Computer Credit
Met and achieved all
District Art Standards
Submitted E-portfolio
worthy assignments
Art and Science tiled
outside wall (Lorna Lynns)
Professional
Affiliations
Rhode Island
Technology Education Association
RISD Digital
Photography Club
Professional
Development
Dennis J. Dubee
Wrote Technology
Education Curriculum - 36 hours
Wrote ISTE Standards
- 25 hours
Validation Co-chaired
Start Up Committee - 30 hours
Administered Survey
Works Survey
Administered LOTI
Survey
Mentored new
instructor
Worked with students
on E-portfolio
Dean D’Andrea
Wrote Technology
Education Curriculum - 36 hours
Wrote ISTE Standards
- 25 hours
Wrote E-portfolio
worthy assignments for CADD - 4 hours
Mentored CADD
students for competition - 12 hours
Wrote Tech Ed
District E-portfolio assessment - 6 hours
Joseph Giorno
Mentored Robotic Club
for NEIT Competition
Patricia Huntington
Validation Co-chaired
start up committee - 30 hours
Wrote Visual Art
Curriculum - 36 hours
Wrote Visual Art
Standards - 12 hours
Wrote Art District
E-portfolio assessment - 6 hours
Lorna Lyons
Wrote Visual Art
Curriculum - 36 hours
Wrote Visual Art
Standards - 12 hours
Wrote Art District
E-portfolio assessment – 6 hours
Doreene
DeStephano
Wrote Visual Art
Curriculum - 36 hours
Wrote Visual Art
Standards - 12 hours
Wrote Art District
E-portfolio assessment - 6 hours
Department
Objectives and Goals for the 2010/2011
Successfully
instituted new course entitled Technology Gateway
Successfully
transition a retired teacher with new instructor
Increase in student
enrollment for 2011 school year
Entered for first
time Robotic Competition
Mentored substantial
number of students with senior projects
Worked with students
on E-portfolio
Successfully started
Art Club
Reflection of
School Year
The 2010/11 school
year was very rewarding for the Technology Education and Visual
Arts Departments. The transition from one department chair to
another due to contractual issues was seamless. The retirement
of Raymond Badger and the hiring of Joe Giorno as his
replacement in the middle of the semester occurred with little
interruption in the instruction of the students. The technology
education department entered the State of RI Robotic Competition
for the first time and placed eighth in an extremely competitive
field of 49 schools. The institution of the new course
Technology Gateway was widely accepted by all seniors. It was in
this course where they could ask for and get help for their
E-portfolio and senior project.
The Visual Arts
Department displayed some very talented student work. The
display cabinets were rotated with different themes that were
samples of students’ work from various lessons. There were three
special projects that were completed in the last quarter. The
first was entitled “Raise Your Voice” which was funded through
The Center for Nonviolence. Here art work from Toll Gate High
School students was showcased at their annual celebration. VSA
Arts RI funded a film-making project utilizing the talents of
students with special needs. “Portraits of a Scandal” was funded
by RIAEA and PPAC, and it used students as models for
photographic portraits depicting historical events. In the
community, art work by Toll Gate students is currently on
display at the Roots Café in Providence. The Visual Arts had
extremely creative and fun filled year.
English Department
Major Goals and
Accomplishments
NECAP
This school year
(2010-2011) was the first year that RIDE stipulated that the
NECAP scores of the junior classes would be a component of their
graduation diploma. All students were required to be partially
proficient in the Reading, Writing and Math portions of the
NECAP test. The English department launched a series of
test-taking strategies to better prepare juniors for this
important test. September became the month of NECAP preparation
at Toll Gate High School.
·
English teachers designed effective review lessons
which reinforced learned skills while familiarizing the students
with the NECAP testing format and the expectations of the exam.
·
Junior teachers targeted the different writing
genres and used the month of September to have their junior
students practice continuously to various writing prompts.
·
A NECAP testing center was set up in the English
copy room. Practice tests, sample writing prompts, and
guidelines were available to all resource teachers, aides and
other Toll Gate teachers.
·
The English department chair conducted tutorials
for all resource teachers, aides and other Toll Gate teachers
who were not familiar with the NECAP test format or who needed
practical, hands on applications for their students.
·
The English department chair and the math
department chair designed a power point presentation to explain
the significance of this test. They presented this to the junior
students at an assembly devoted to NECAP as well as to their
parents at Open House.
·
English classrooms were used for the NECAP testing
and English teachers created motivational artwork and slogans on
the boards each day to encourage the juniors and express their
support for them.
·
English teachers kept their students focused on
the seriousness of these tests.
NECAP Results
The junior class
understood the importance of the NECAP tests, applied the
strategies reviewed by their teachers and responded to the NECAP
challenge with aplomb. Their impressive NEACP Reading and
Writing scores catapulted Toll Gate High School into the ranks
of top high schools in Rhode Island.
·
The Reading results indicated a statistically
significant increase in the percent of students proficient or
above from 2009 to 2010 NECAP tests.
·
90% of the juniors scored a 3 or better on the
test. This was a 13% increase.
·
Only 11 students out of 262 (4%) failed to achieve
the diploma goal of partially proficient or better.
·
This 90% score in Reading ranked Toll Gate High
School in the top 8 public high schools in Rhode Island.
·
The Writing results indicated a statistically
significant increase in the percent of students proficient or
above from 2009 to 2010 NECAP tests.
·
68% of the juniors scored a 3 or better on the
test. This was a 17% increase.
·
This 68% score on Writing ranked Toll Gate High
School in the top 7 public high schools in Rhode Island.
·
In the Warwick school district, only Toll Gate
High School had students whose writing scores merited a 4 on
NECAP.
·
In the Warwick school district, Toll Gate was the
only high school to achieve AYP.
·
The golocalprov.com review of the NECAP
scores across the state ranked Toll Gate High School as the #8
high school in Rhode Island. They wrote “In the biggest move of
2011, Toll Gate broke into the Top 10 rankings at #8, all the
way from #21.”
GRADE testing
and Literacy
This year, the
English department at Toll Gate High School continued the
literacy progress monitoring of all enrolled students. As part
of the state RTI initiative, all students need to be tested to
insure that they are reading at or above grade level. Those
students reading below grade level need to be offered literacy
classes in order to improve their reading skills. This year, the
English department tested each student twice, once in December
and once in March using the GRADE test. When the scores were
returned, the English department used department nights to
analyze the test results and determine the best course of action
for those students who were not reading at grade level. This
process also revealed that the placement of students in literacy
classes did not follow the district procedure. Corrections were
made to insure that future literacy placements would be
consistent with district policy. The English department met to
make final literacy recommendations for the 2011-2012 school
year and generated detailed lists for the guidance department to
assist their scheduling process.
ACT Writing
Analysis
This year the college
testing organization, ACT, asked Toll Gate High School to take
part in a national pilot of future ACT writing prompts. The Toll
Gate English department decided to have their sophomore and
junior honor students participate in this unique opportunity to
experience the rigor of the national writing prompts. The
feedback from the ACT testing company will analyze the strength
of the writing program at Toll Gate High School as well as offer
the students a preview of what college bound students are
expected to demonstrate on college entrance exams.
GBP Process
The English
department continues to play a critical role in the entire GPB
process. Teachers of juniors guide their students through the
research paper process during the school year. In the 4th
quarter, they help their students draft the proposal letters for
their senior project and begin the GBP process. English teachers
of seniors begin the exhaustive process of guiding their
students through the writing of the senior research paper for
their GBP senior research project. Countless hours are spent in
revision until the paper meets the standard for proficiency. The
teachers of seniors also work with their students to prepare
them for the oral presentation of their project. Many members of
the English serve as head judges during senior exhibition.
Without the efforts of the English department, the GBP process
would be at risk.
New Courses
·
This year the English department at Toll Gate High
School ran a new course Children’s and Adolescent Literature
designed by Melissa Heywood. The popularity of this course was
impressive, and we will be offering two sections of it next
year.
·
This year the English department ran two sections
of SAT Prep and will do so next year as well.
·
Public Speaking, Theater Workshop, Creative
Workshop and Film and Literature continue to be
popular elective choices for the Toll Gate students.
·
Next year the English department will offer three
sections of Academic Writing. This course is designed to
give first semester seniors and second semester juniors the
assistance they may need while writing research papers.
·
The AP English, course as well as the
EEP course, continue to be popular with Toll Gate honor
seniors.
Teacher
Accomplishments
·
Darlene Netcoh was the advisor of The
Toll Gate Tribune. This popular publication chronicles the
highlights of student life and events at Toll Gate and offers
students the opportunity to learn the newspaper reporting and
editing processes. She also competed in the fabulous “Dancing
with the Stars” a Toll Gate favorite fundraiser.
·
Jack Caswell was voted “Teacher of the
Year” by the seniors in the National Honor Society.
·
Dr. Fred Schweizer was appointed the GBP
coordinator for Toll Gate High School.
·
Cheryl Paquet ran the Shakespeare Sonnet
and Monologue contest.
·
Melissa Heywood was an assistant track
coach.
Conferences,
Professional Development
·
Chris Collins and Sherri Smith
participated in 60 hours of STEPS professional development.
·
Kathy Newman, Darlene Netcoh and
Terri Moran are members of the district ELA/GBP committee
led by Kathy Desrosiers. This year the committee worked
on changing policies and expectations to include more mandated
writing across the curriculum. Working with the GBP
coordinators, the committee also established a new time frame
for the completion of certain components in the GBP process.
·
Christen Collins, Leila Connolly,
Darlene Netcoh and Terri Moran joined with other
English teachers and department chairs from the other two high
schools on the Common Assessment Committee. They developed a new
Grade 9 mid-year and a new Grade 9 final exam which follows the
NECAP format and is aligned to the GSEs.
·
Sherri Smith, Darlene Netcoh and
Terri Moran worked on the district summer reading committee
to revise the summer reading requirements for the senior high.
·
Heather DeMarco worked with the other
district reading specialists to develop a standard curriculum
for literacy classes.
·
Terri Moran taught two sessions of the 60
hour STEPS professional development course.
·
Terri Moran and other English and Math
department heads attended four days of the RIDE sponsored
workshop on Using Data to build Data Literacy
·
Terri Moran and Melissa Heywood were
involved in the RTI process for secondary schools in Warwick.
Melissa is co-chairing the Toll Gate High School initiative to
implement this process at Toll Gate in 2011-2012.
·
Melissa Heywood is working on her Master’s
Degree.
·
Many teachers attended the ASPEN training
workshops.
·
Dr. Schweizer, Melissa Heywood,
Leila Connolly and Kathy Newman mentored student
teachers and opened their classrooms up for observation.
·
Terri Bozigian attended the two day Mentor
Training workshop.
·
Sherri Smith served on the Schools Based
Appeals Committee.
Thank you to the
department chairs and the members of their departments for the
contributions they made in helping me prepare this report. As
you can see, Toll Gate High School is staffed with outstanding
professionals who work tirelessly each day to serve the students
of the high school. So many outstanding activities and learning
experiences are taking place in and out of the classroom.
If anyone has any
questions concerning any aspect of this report, please feel free
to contact me. Have a safe and restful summer.
Stephen Chrabaszcz
Stephen Chrabaszcz
,
Principal