Day 1 in the books for Bellingham students
BELLINGHAM – The first day of school went smoothly for Bellingham public school students in grades 1-12 who returned to class on Tuesday.
Bellingham School officials were busy over the summer getting school buildings and programs ready for opening day. The district includes an early childhood program; two elementary schools – South and Stall Brook - the Bellingham Memorial Middle School; Bellingham High School; and the Paul J. Primavera Alternative High School for students with special needs.
Teachers in all grade levels reported to back to work Monday and kindergarten students return to class on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
“A new academic year is upon us and it will certainly be a great one,” said School Superintendent Peter Marano. “We have many new teachers and support staff joining the Bellingham Public School community. I believe that they will enhance our district and continue our progress.”
Marano said the clerical, maintenance, technology and administrative staff worked “extremely hard and did a superb job” preparing for the opening of the 2017-2018 school year.”
New this year, sixth- and seventhgrade students will be receiving Google Chromebooks as part of a 1:1 program intended to teach them the skills they’ll need in tomorrow’s jobs.
The program is the extension of a pilot initiative that took place at the Keough Memorial Academy last year.
Chromebooks are laptop computers that run on the Google Chrome operating system. Students will be allowed to take the laptops home.
Many of the educational applications students use today – Google Docs, MinecraftEdu, StudyBlue and others – are web-based, making Chromebooks apt for how modern educators are teaching and how students are comfortable learning. And because all these apps and data for Chromebooks reside on Google’s cloud, they are also easier to maintain, backup and keep secure. More and more school districts are moving to a 1:1 model for students.
This is Marano’s third year as super- intendent. A former principal at Bellingham High School, Marano was promoted to the superintendent’s position in 2015 after replacing former longtime School Superintendent Edward L. Fleury. A few weeks ago, the Bellingham School Committee voted to extend Marano’s contract for an additional three years. The contract was not due to expire until the end of this coming school year.
“I am honored to serve as the superintendent of the Bellingham School District, and I am looking forward to working with everyone,” he said. “On behalf of the administrative team, faculty and staff, I wish all of our students and families a great start to a new school year that is filled with learning, growth and joy.”