Oaklandvale School has the dubious distinction of being the only Saugus public school located on the "other" (westerly) side of Route 1. It is proudly nestled in the section of town known as the Lynnfells Parkway, home of Breakheart Reservation. The park encompasses some 640 acres of land and offers a variety of opportunities for Oaklandvale students and community members to explore nature.

The original Oaklandvale School was built in the late 1840's. It was a two story building, but only one room (on the second floor) was used. The restrooms were in the outhouse out back with a fence separating the boys' room from the girls' room. There was electricity, but no telephone or running water. The janitor had to bring water in milk cans, only to be used as drinking water. You could not wash your hands. Every student had his/her own drinking cup. The school was heated by a potbellied stove in the center of the classroom and the children brought up wood or coal from the cellar to feed the stove. There was a ledge in the cellar, that was eventually blasted away in order to put in toilets in the late 1920's. They used three rooms in the school after a new section was added on. The renovated structure housed grades 1-4. The building was torn down in the 1960's after the new school was built. We are the new school.

Built in 1962, this one level facility consists of twelve classrooms, a mini library, and a combination cafeteria, auditorium, and gymnasium that we fondly refer to as a "cafetorium". The Oaklandvale School recently spent fifty thousand dollars of the money gifted to the school by Avalon Bay and nine thousand dollars donated by Wheelabrator to completely overhaul technology. Two new computers were added to each of twelve classrooms, four networked printers were set up in each of three wings and in the main office, and a dedicated server was added to the building's technology resources. As well, SMART Boards were installed in seven of the twelve classrooms. We purchased eight listening centers for grades K-3 complete with wireless headphones, added three multimedia projectors that we fondly refer to as Elmos, one for each wing, and topped it all off with a Moviemate that plays DVDs and is capable of projecting images that would fill the side of a barn if we wanted it to.

New families are warmly welcomed into the Oaklandvale School Community. There are many opportunities to meet new friends and get to know each other better. Over the course of a typical school year we plan book fairs, food drives, readers' days, crazy hat days, coat collections, ice cream sundae nights, art fairs, variety shows and more. We participate in the Christmas Stroll with raffles, games, and goodies. We celebrate Unsung Heroes, Dr. Seuss's Birthday complete with green eggs and ham, Incredible Kids Day, and Teacher Appreciation Day, too. We recycle plastic, card board, aluminum flip tops, and cell phones. We offer after school programs that prep students for the MCAS and throw a field day celebration second to none!

Although the Oaklandvale community engages in gestures of generosity and frolics in festivities for fun, we never lost sight of our reason for being - improved student achievement. For example:

The MCAS results provide the district with an opportunity to analyze how well the content of the Saugus curriculum aligns with the state frameworks.

• Individual school MCAS results allow each school to examine its own curriculum and identify gaps or weaknesses.
• Students who perform poorly on the MCAS can receive individual assistance to address their particular needs in the form of an ISSP (Individual Student Success Plan).
• Parents are being asked to step forward and help their children by becoming more aware of the school's raised expectations for learners
  

The composition of the school community is changing. Many Oaklandvale students speak English as a second language. Among the languages spoken in the home are Spanish, Portuguese, Albanian, Swahili, Chinese, Creole, Vietnamese, and Arabic just to mention a few. Similarly, the percentage of Oaklandvale students receiving free and reduced lunch is the highest among the elementary schools. Thus, we are designated as a Title I School, entitling us to additional funding to help struggling students in the area of math. A full time reading specialist, nurse, and special needs teacher are also on staff to fully service the needs of our students.

The Oaklandvale School Community fosters an atmosphere of respect and concern for all. The Saugus Public Schools Strategic Plan acknowledges the importance of creating a culture of trust, mutual respect, and acceptance for students, parents, and staff. The Oaklandvale School Community acknowledges that academics and social behavior are profoundly intertwined. With each student's rights comes the responsibility to be a contributing member of the school community. There are two rules that guide daily behavior - be safe and treat others as you want to be treated.

Another form of community building occurs between schools and local businesses - the Adopt-A-School Program. Prominent members of the business community ban together to enhance the educational opportunities for Saugus Public Schools, its students, and its teachers. John Smolinsky, President of the Saugus Federal Credit Union, adopted Oaklandvale School. He teamed up with Hilltop, Perfect Party, and Rossetti Insurance to make the Oaklandvale School a better place to learn and play. Together, they provide students and teachers with a breakfast of green eggs and ham on Dr. Seuss' Birthday. They read books to the students on Readers' Days; they provide lunches, slush, pop corn and games on field day. The students even operate a branch of the credit union at the school for students and staff.

So what does the future hold? There is a spirit of optimism in the school community. The district is applying for grant funds to support all day kindergarten. We are beginning to explore the possibility of becoming an Expanded Learning Time School. This year, new textbooks were purchased for grades four and five so the Macmillan McGraw-Hill series is in place across all grades (K-5). We recently implemented DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Literacy Skills) measures designed to quickly and efficiently assess reading and pre-reading skills in Kindergarten through third grade. As well, Scott Foresman- Addison Wesley enVision Math program was purchased for grades one through three with the intention of acquiring grades four and five as funds become available. We are committed to providing ESL support to non-English speaking students. Lastly, aside from the MCAS there is no other form of assessment due to budgetary constraints. The district plans to use alternative forms of assessment and is currently exploring the adoption of "Measured Academic Progress" (MAP). As always, MCAS will motivate us all to keep raising the bar of achievement and beating the drum of accountability.

All of us at Oaklandvale School who share the responsibility for the children are in the unique position of daily witnessing the promise and joy that they can provide. We celebrate the presence of children among us!

Please feel free to email me with your questions or comments at kstanton@saugus.k12.ma.us.

Respectfully,

Dr. Kathleen Stanton, Principal