Groton Schools Open With New Programs, New Expectations

After an extended summer vacation, Groton middle school students seemed pretty excited to be back at school Tuesday. Certainly, it was a day many parents had been looking forward to--particularly those who had spent the past week trying to keep their bored kids entertained without electricity to run the television, the computer, or the video game system.

“Their parents are all having parties today!” said West Side Middle School Principal John Jones with a smile, adding that a few eager parents tried to drop off their kids at school last week on the originally scheduled opening day. As the delayed school opening used up three of the four “snow days” built into the school schedule, Jones added, “everyone was anxious to get back.”  

Although West Side Middle School and Robert E. Fitch Middle School didn’t lose power in the wake of Tropical Storm Irene, Carl C. Cutler Middle School in Mystic did. In fact, the lights didn’t come on at Cutler until September 3, just four days before the school opened its doors to the 360 or so students enrolled this year.

“Teachers were unable to come in and prepare classrooms as they would have liked but we’re all keeping our sense of humor,” said Cutler Assistant Principal Judith Goldsmith-Karp.

Greeting friends with hugs and high fives, students arrived with smiles on their faces and with backpacks stuffed with school supplies. The 274 students enrolled at West Side Middle School and the 406 enrolled at Robert E. Fitch Middle School didn’t need much for the first day, however. Both of the Groton middle schools are spending the first three days implementing a national program known as Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS), which sets standards for student behavior in school and rewards students for meeting those expectations.

Although West Side Middle School won’t officially be starting the program until next year, Jones decided to put it into practice this year, with team building exercises for staff and students, lectures on what kind of behavior is appropriate in the hallway, in the bathroom, and in the classroom, and practice exercises and drills to make sure everyone knows what’s expected as they’re walking to class or lining up for the bus.

The program is designed to reward students for good behavior, too. At West Side Middle School, for instance, students can earn West Side Dollars for “getting caught in the act of doing something good,” said Jones. Students who collect 5 to 10 dollars are rewarded with a special lunch or a dessert.

At Fitch Middle School, which implemented the PBIS program for the first time last year, students earn stamps in “passports” that they can redeem for snacks and trinkets at the Soar Store. Students who collect 80 stamps in a trimester get to participate in games and students who fill their passports every trimester are rewarded with a trip. Last year, they went to Ocean Beach Park.  

Fitch has put its own stamp on the program by adopting the slogan, “We’re the Eagles and Eagles SOAR.” The SOAR stands for the school’s expectations: Safety, Open-mindedness, Achievement, Respect, and Responsibility.

“We feel it’s so important to get these expectations down,” said Fitch Middle School Principal Robert Pendolphi. “It’s a very successful program. It reduced the number of office referrals by 200 and there was a 25 percent reduction in suspensions [last year].”

Cutler Middle School hasn’t received PBIS training yet, said Goldsmith-Karp, although the school has introduced some of the key concepts to students and staff. The main focus at Cutler this year, she said, is a new schedule designed to give teachers and students more flexibility in the classroom.

“It’s a new concept that allows for students to take enrichment classes and allows teachers to teach some of their loves,” said Goldsmith-Karp. For instance, a sixth grader who excels at math is now able to take a seventh grade math class. A science teacher with a passion for forensics will be able to incorporate that into the curriculum during specific times set aside for enrichment and enhancement.

“We’re excited,” said Goldsmith-Karp. “It allows for flexibility to address each student’s individual needs.”