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 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. We consist of twelve classrooms,
a mini library, and a combination cafeteria,
auditorium, and gymnasium that we fondly refer
to as a "cafetorium".
In recent years, corporate donations
exceeding sixty thousand dollars were combined
with district allocations to 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 ten of the twelve classrooms.
Interactive responder systems facilitate data
collection. A computer cart filled with 25 net
books provided a computer lab that space constraints
in the school made impossible. We also purchased
eight listening centers for grades K-3 complete
with wireless headphones, added three multimedia
projectors that we fondly refer to as Elmos
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 lose sight of our reason for being
- improved student achievement.
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
- 1) be safe and 2) treat others as you want
to be treated.
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, ESL
(English second language) teacher, and special
needs teacher are on staff to fully service
the needs of our students.
Another form of community building
occurs between schools and local businesses
- the Adopt-A-School Program. Prominent members
of the business community band 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. The students even operate
a branch of the credit union at the school for
students and staff.
Last year we introduced a new
leader to the district, Superintendent Richard
Langlois. He continues to inspire a spirit of
optimism in the school community. Since the
Education Reform Act of 1993, the Department
of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE)
- formerly known as the Department of Education
(DOE) - has held districts accountable for students'
results on the MCAS. This year through the DSAC
(District and School Assistance Centers), ESE
is making assistance available to qualifying
districts. While other communities are lining
up, Saugus is signing up for the targeted assistance
offerings. Mr. Langlois has already hosted meetings
with representatives of DSAC to delineate why
Saugus should be targeted for assistance. He
has described the momentum with which the district
has already forged ahead to implement changes
and cutting edge initiatives. He has the evidence
to back up his claims of progress - updated
textbooks, curriculum pacing guides across all
subjects and grades K-12, an infusion of technology
across the district, a revival of fine arts
at the elementary level, highly qualified teachers
in every classroom, and all day kindergarten
is available at each elementary school. DSAC
has already taken an interest in Saugus. Not
only will our administrators participate in
the National Institute for School Leadership
Training (NISL) but we may also be the training
site!
Mr. Langlois has also hired a
statistical analyst to provide detailed tracking
and analyses of assessment results (that's code
for MCAS) so we can use those results to inform
curriculum, instruction, and individual interventions.
Professional Learning Communities will take
on the task of massaging current practices into
sterling examples of best practices and effective
instruction. As always, MCAS motivates 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!
