NORTH BRUNSWICK — Linwood Middle School is changing gears, giving students and faculty a reason to ROAR with excitement for the upcoming school year.
As part of the Middle Level Task Force, staff, students and parents selected core values that focus on respect, opportunity, academic integrity and responsibility [ROAR]. The task force met in May under the direction of social studies teacher Amy Rumbo and will continue to meet throughout the school year with established student focus groups.
“The students are very excited about it,” Rumbo said. “It gives them ownership over something that’s going to be very relevant in school.”
Principal Brian Brotschul was impressed by the students’ involvement, especially hearing their perspective on the state of the school. He held grade-level assemblies the first week of school to remind students about their role as students, friends, children and siblings; to make sure students collaborate and engage in lessons and hold themselves accountable for their schoolwork; and to ensure they challenge themselves to learn and grow.
“Students will demonstrate that they can meet and exceed those values. That is exciting,” he said.
These core values will affect the Student of the Marking Period program and will drive decisions for programs, hiring and retaining personnel, extracurricular activities and recommendations to the school board, Brotschul said.
Another example of the school’s plan to move in a new direction began last year with the Linwood Middle School Climate Task Force. Under the direction of interim dean Rich Selover, parents, community members, staff and students discussed issues that were important to them. Selover said the discussions were frank but not accusatory, which led to an honest conversation about everyone’s opinions.
“The passion the people have for this place is tremendous,” he said.
One re-evaluation relates to the way student management referrals are processed in regard to discipline. A subcommittee of the original task force will form a referral audit team to discuss how disciplinary cases are handled and how using a computer system could streamline the associated paperwork. A pilot online submission vehicle will be used during the first two marking periods to see if an electronic review system, as well as linking the information to the district’s parent portal, will lead to thoroughness and efficiency, Brotschul said.
In relation, teachers expressed concern about dealing with students whom they do not know, for instance, if an incident occurs outside of the classroom. Therefore, Brotschul said he offered training on how to communicate in the halls or in the bus lot to relieve apprehension in dealing with unfamiliar faces.
Another improvement is having the students wear identification tags every day.
Also in regard to safety is the establishment of a tip line via [email protected], and a phone number that will be determined at a later date.
In addition, the task force decided that communication between the school and parents needed to be improved. The Linwood Lions Twitter feed, an email blast and the media were identified as ways to spread important messages quickly.
“It’s very important to me for people to get information when it’s happening, as it’s happening,” Brotschul said.
Another way the school is reaching out for the benefit of the community is by welcoming the Rachel’s Challenge program on Oct. 24. Rachel Scott was the first victim of the Columbine massacre in 1999, and her family chose to share her story of positive chain reactions. There will be two assemblies held at the school that day. Then at 7 p.m. at the high school on Raider Road, the Linwood Parent Teacher Student Organization invites the entire community to begin its own collective chain reaction.
“It really made a positive out of a horrific tragedy,” Brotschul said. “It has the potential to be an incredible positive and be a fruitful experience for the entire town.”
In the same vein, the school is reacting to recent legislation implementing policies for bullying and harassment by training teachers on how to recognize intimidation tactics. This, too, plays into the ROAR values, which will be further celebrated during theWeek of Respect the first week of October. A character-education, incentive-based program called Positive Behavior Support in Schools will reward students for doing the right things.
“It’s big news. Culturally and systemically, this [all will] positively affect our building,” Brotschul said.