Its hard to believe it is already November!! In the past two months our Kindergarteners have adjusted to a full day at the " big school", and our seniors have adjusted to the fact that for better or worse we will be kicking them out into the real world in mere seven months. This graduating class will mark the last class I taught as 4th graders and I will be sad to see them go!I I want to give a shout out to our amazing teaching staff. We are blessed with caring adults who try their best every day to make a difference for each student.

 

When I arrived at the school in 1988, the Internet at the time was non existent and the building was the original 1933 brick structure. This year, with the help of the Broadband initiative, we will officially reach an important mile stone, the ability to furnish each one of our 130 students with their own computer. Going, "one-to-one" as they say, will open up many doors for students. We hope that now with a broader Island-wide plan of bringing high speed internet to the remotest parts of the island, our students will be able to not only work at school, but at home on these new devices, as well. We will need your support this year as the Town rolls out their plan. The future is upon us, and our students deserve all that our mainland counterparts have enjoyed for years!!

Once again we have arranged for our seniors to take a step into the "real world" through various internships around the Island.This year we have 11 internships. Through internships students learn to be accountable to an employer and learn skills that they may apply to future endeavors. Our students who work in the service industry each summer, are not strangers to hard work, but now in the winter months with many Island businesses closed many are afforded internships that may take them in new directions. Thanks to the generosity of Island businesses, we have placed interns at such places as the State Airport, local real estate offices, the lighthouses, Medical Center, Nature Conservancy, The Fire Department and the Block Island School. We are always looking to expand the options for interns, if you have a need for an intern at your business or organization for next school year. Please let us know, we would welcome the discussion about the possibilities.

The first Wednesday of every month a group of parents and teachers come together to plan fundraising activities, organize enriching experiences for students, and approve funding requests from teachers. BISF play an intrigue part of our school program.Our two co-presidents, Sarah Cullen and Heidi Weber, have been leading the organization for many years. They have been diligent, hardworking parents who have more than done their fair share to keep the BISF in good hands. Recently, they have been hoping to pass the torch to two new co-presidents. Can you help lead this organization? They need your support and are willing to guide any volunteers as they transition from being leaders to helpers. Please contact Sarah or Heidi if you can help!

 

It's November and that means the annual BISF pie sale! This important fundraiser will be here before you know it. Last year, we had over a 130 pies donated! So, in the coming weeks please remember to stock up on pie supplies, as we will be reaching out to for your scrumptious creations!

We are so happy to announce that now you can find select pieces of Hurricane Apparel on the web at https://www.blockislandmade.com/apparel. Please spread the word during the upcoming holiday season. All proceeds directly benefit the Block Island School Friends.

The high school has an active Student Council who put on the Frightful Haunted House many of you enjoyed. This year the Council, under the direction of Ms. Jayne Conway is planning a whole host of events. Two events on the horizon are Volleyball Night and Christmas Movie Night.

Student Leaders

President- Mikhaela Brown-Padien

 

Vice-President- Moira O'Neill

Treasurer- Sophie Mott

Secretary- Savannah Brown

We are happy to say that we have hired a new school social worker. Marguerite Donaldson will begin her tenure on Wednesday, 11/13/19. Social workers are an important member of any school, as their main focus is to support students emotional health as they fulfill their obligations at school. Stay tuned for more from Ms. Donaldson, as she transitions into her new role.

In a few weeks you will see a few construction projects begin on our school grounds. A sidewalk will be installed from the school parking lot to the gymnasium doors. Also, the school facade ( the white section in the front of the original 1933 building) will be rebuilt. This section will be reworked to provide new windows and better insulation in order to make these classrooms more energy efficient and comfortable for those who learn and work in this section of the building.

Once again, Block Island School continued to shine in language arts during the last wave of state assessments. We were one of only a dozen or so schools in the state to reach over 70% proficiency in langage Arts. In Math, we are encouraged by our standings against other districts, but know that just as other schools in the state, there is still work to be done.

 

RICAS 2019

 

Percent Meeting or Exceeding Expectations

 

 

 

 

RICAS Math- State= 29.76% / Block Island School= 42.31%

 

 

RICAS English Language Arts- State= 38.48% / Block Island School =70.83%

We continue to be proud of our student athletes and appreciative of the hard work of all our coaches. So far this season......

 

The Girls Varsity Volleyball Team went 16-1 in their 2nd year of the program, winning the regular season, and earning 1st place in the post season tournament.

 

The Middle School Soccer team finished their season by winning the Pine Point Tournament for the 2nd time in school history which was last done 19 years ago.