INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL

the new Nazareth Area Intermediate School and it seems things have hit a head at least as far as some parents are concerned. Tonight, a group will be attending the School Board meeting to address these concerns.

Why go to the Board? One note I received said this was because: “Parents have sent emails or placed phone calls to Mr. Yanek regarding any number of these concerns and have never received a response.”

It appears the impetus for getting people together was the Halloween/Fall Harvest/Book Character parade being cancelled and replaced with a ‘team name activity’.

On October 13, “Team Name Parade” memo came home to all parents of IS students. The lengthy explanation began, “I am compelled to write to you to rebut the misinformation some parents are spreading throughout our community concerning the cancellation of the Book Character parade.”

It went on to say the PTO asked if there would be a parade, the Principal had to see if there was interest from the teachers, the teachers were asked to survey students, results back to Principal and it was decided no. A leadership team was convened to discuss survey results and develop new ideas, which lead to the team name activity.

According to the memo, the parade was never cancelled; it was one of several options that went unselected.

I can see how the memo and its tone would have further aggravated parents who were already unhappy with the situation, and it appears they gathered up all their complaints in a list they are bringing to the Board tonight. This is not to say every person agrees with all of them, only that they support one or more of them.

* long day and late school day
* long commute-crazy bus routes, 8 1/2-9 hr door to door day
* elementary school feeling taken away
* isolation (kids only interact with the kids in their classroom)
* lunch- not sitting with friends- 6th grade
* recess- not going out regularly, limited, boring, no equipment, playground, on blacktop or one grass area (as per the last PTO meeting teachers are requesting playground equipment it but not getting it)
* some have no desks(sit at long tables with books and supplies on the floor)
* library- after thought- very limited books for older children
* limited assemblies
* no field trips (as presented/confirmed by the PTO)
* Halloween parade taken away
* parent pick up- dangerous (kids walking through the parking lot at dismissal while cars pulling out)
* not "Bushkill Intermediate School", all ideas from all 3 elementary schools should be considered
* Across the board mentality-9yr old not same as 12 yr old- different social, physical, motional needs- being under the same roof doesn't mean they are the same or should be treated the same
* Leveling of math-(kids don't change classrooms for math based on abilities)
* Parental involvement- lacking/difficult/limited
* No communication

From my observation, conversations, etc., I could add a few more:

* Shafer walkers who have siblings must wait 20-30 minutes for their bus creating one more bus stop for those vehicles coming in from Bushkill and Lower Nazareth. To date my daughter has only made it for the bell a few mornings. Shafer buses pull in, drop off the k-3 kids, wave at the walkers waiting outside and the 4-6th graders are taken to the NAIS with plenty of time to spare.
* 6th grade students switch teachers, previously the school allowed students to walk to their classes, go to their lockers and be responsible to get to places on time. Now as I understand it, teachers must escort the classes. Since the grades are on different levels of the building, it would seem 4th and 5th could be escorted as they were in the elem buildings last year, and 6th grade could have some additional responsibility and get to places on their own
* I’ve heard a lot about lunch, my daughter said she won’t buy all year because the lines are so long the kids hardly have time to eat. I also understand that each class has specific tables and limited space. Lunch should be a time for kids to see their friends and be able to talk to them while they eat. It also seems there is a heavy emphasis on discipline in the lunchroom. Kids getting yelled at on a frequent basis for a variety of things (waiting to long to eat, when in fact they just sat down because it took 20 minutes to get there food, etc) and that the Vice Principal has used the time to lecture students on behavior on several occasions.

The Board meeting is tonight, Monday, October 19th at 7:30 p.m. in the Administration offices located behind the high school.