DISTRICT UPDATES
•Renovation of the Williams Middle School Cafeteria began last week and is moving along quickly. New, longer serving lines are being installed, space for a smoothie bar is being created, and all finishes are being replaced. The new finishes will include a pour-in-place terrazzo floor, and noise-mitigating ceiling tiles and wall panels. The rectangular columns are being reduced in size and will be made circular, and composting stations where milk waste can be poured down a drain are being added. Everything will have a new ageless look.
•State-of-the-art technology has been added to 45 classrooms districtwide to allow for in person and remote instruction at the same time. The new equipment includes a built-in camera, microphone, and speaker which will allow teachers to move around their classroom while providing instruction. Students who are participating remotely will be able to see any work being done on the board and will be visible to their peers through the projectors that already can be found in the classroom. A training video is being developed and will be made available to teachers during upcoming professional development. Additional funding has identified to expand this technology to all middle and high school classrooms. The installation work on the additional classrooms will begin later this winter.
•Across the district, bottle fillers are being added to classrooms and hallways. At the Early Learning Center and MCB Complex, classroom drinking fountains are being replaced with bottle fillers. In addition, all hallway drinking fountains are being replaced with bottle filler / drinking fountain combinations. They will be placed at a height that is ADA compliant and age appropriate. During the pandemic, the drinking fountains will be turned off, while the bottle fillers will remain in operation. This effort was funded by the reopening grant we received this fall.
BERKOWITZ SCHOOL UPDATES
•Mrs. Clarke, Ms. Kelsey, and Mrs. Blake’s first grade classes ended their week with some fun freeze dancing. We got to see familiar faces and enjoy time spent together. We look forward to seeing everyone again next week.
BROWNE MIDDLE SCHOOL
•BMS Teachers put together books, games, and materials for students in need.
CLARK AVENUE/MORRIS SEIGAL
•During their lunch break, students at the CAMS Online Learning Center watched the inauguration of President Biden and Vice President Harris.
•The Morris H. Siegel Clark Avenue Middle School is proud to announce that Jhostin Salmeron, 8th grader, has been nominated by his teachers to be the Project 351 Ambassador for this year. We are very proud of Jhostin and we know he will do great things!
CHELSEA HIGH SCHOOL UPDATES
•Graduating Seniors received a donated Macbook Pro from Circle Internet Financial. The donation was provided to students in hopes they would be able to use them as freshman in college. Thank you to Ms. Elizabeth Carpenter and her team who worked with CHS Administration and the business office to put this donation together for our students.
CHELSEA OPPORTUNITY ACADEMY UPDATES
•Led by teachers Alvin Rivera and Christian Kelley, the COA family joined together for a digital inauguration party. Teaching staff, our new Dropout Prevention Specialists, support staff, administration, and students watched the events together, asked questions about the proceedings, and discussed hopes for the next four years. COA staff was so proud to see several students Zooming in from their workplaces to observe such an important civic event.