As is so often true in the cycle of a school year, March felt like it lasted forever, but now that it’s April, it’s hard to believe how fast the year is flying by. I wanted to share with you a few changes afoot for next year.
There was a significant increase in enrollment for Kindergarten in the January lottery, and the district needed to add two additional Kindergarten classrooms. Cambridgeport was asked to be one of the locations for such a new classroom. There were really two reasons Cambridgeport was asked. First of all, we are one of the few schools in Cambridge that still has a stand-alone computer lab. Most schools have eliminated their computer labs and replaced labs with laptop carts. The second reason is that Cambridgeport is a school that has consistently been highly chosen as a number one choice in the lottery. Adding a Kindergarten classroom here meant that more families were able to get their first choice in the lottery. So this means that next year we will no longer have a computer lab. Instead there will be five JK/K classrooms on the top floor.
Another change we’re gearing up for next year is a shift in our literacy coach’s role. As many of you know, Angie Uyham, our current literacy coach, has been doing a lot of work around the district on Design and Innovation. Starting next year, she will officially be the district design and innovation coach. She will continue to work half time at Cambridgeport, where she will bring this design thinking work to classrooms in Kindergarten through 2nd grade. The other half of her position will be working across the district on design and innovation projects. We will be hiring a new part time literacy coach to focus on the upper elementary grades. This exciting shift places Cambridgeport at the center of design and innovation work, giving us an opportunity to be something of a laboratory for new ideas and solutions. Angie will continue to bring her background and expertise as a literacy coach to her work in Kindergarten through 2nd grade.
Another staffing update is that Andrea Gaudette, our music teacher, has resigned as of the end of the school year. She will return from leave after the vacation in order to finish out the year.
As the year continues to fly by, I wish for us all that we may slow down to enjoy the beauty and newness that springtime brings.