As 2020 begins, The Sun sat down with Mantua Township School District officials to discuss what residents can expect for the new year.
Looking through the rearview mirror at emotional learning and physical safety, the district has made it a priority in 2019. But as it moves into the new year, the question that arises for Superintendent Robert Fisicaro is how the school system can provide an even better environment for students and staff.
The reason behind such a focus? It comes with the understanding that students spend more time at school than they do with any other aspect of their adolescent lives, according to Fisicaro.
“We’re starting to look at school as a place that is important for a lot more reasons than just learning,” he added.
Last year, the district implemented a mindfulness class as part of its Social and Emotional program, so students have the opportunity to focus on stress relief and yoga-like exercises.
This year, the district plans to include more professional development for its staff that will focus on relationship building and strong connections with students.
“In a world that’s offering more choices and more stimuli, I think our job is to certainly look at making [school] a stable, great environment for learning,” Fisicaro noted.
Yet even as the district continues its focus on creating a well-rounded environment, it hasn’t lost sight of academics, especially in the math department, which has seen achievement gaps within the math section of the state’s standardized assessment results in recent years, specifically around the fifth grade.
The district plans to focus more on identifying those gaps and providing more resources for students who may be struggling in math.
“I think we need to be more proactive in identifying gaps earlier, and not waiting for the standardized assessment results to come in,” said Fisicaro, who doesn’t feel the district has any major curriculum gaps but who thinks there are certain areas within the math program that could be improved.
The district is evaluating ways to supplement more math resources for a whole grade level at different times of the school day that won’t impede instructional classes. Students currently have some opportunity during certain times of the school day to focus on specific needs, ranging from art therapy to speech to extra math time, according to Supervisor of Curriculum and Technology Theresa Labbree.
Another major goal for the district is the $11-million bond referendum Mantua 2021, scheduled for a vote on Jan. 28.
If residents were to vote yes on both questions, the construction work would begin in the summer of 2020 with the removal of burlap walls at Centre City School. The last work that would occur is the sale and relocation of the administration offices to Sewell School.
The full amount of work is expected to be completed somewhere between 2021 and 2022, according to Fisicaro.
