Montour School District

Montour School District

Memo

To: All Administrative Staff

From: Superintendent

cc: School Board Members

Date: August 16, 2014

Re: New Elementary Building

The school board has approved the budget for the construction of the new Pre-K through 4th grade elementary building. The current elementary buildings, Burkett and Forest Gove will be closed. The location of the new elementary building will be on the high school campus. Construction is set to begin within the month. There will be many changes and inconveniences to deal with on a daily basis once school is back in session. Some concerns, such as traffic patterns, will be immediate issues therefore will be dealt with as a priority. Other changes, such as staffing, will be addressed and the staff will have ample time to adjust. How we deal with the changes will set the example for how the students and parents adjust.

The type of change that will be involved in is combining the two elementary building into one. This will affect the students and staff as well as the high school which the new building will be built by. For example, the traffic for drop offs and pickups will be more congested as well as the parking for the faculty. The influences of older children to the younger children will also be affected now that they will be in the same building. The atmosphere will be different from the elementary building that had the kindergarten through 2nd grade and the building that had the 3rd grade to 4th grade. Having more of a disciplinary action for the overall ages of the kids and being able to find a common ground of disciplining all ages equally. Keeping the main focus on the kids will be tough at first but with more order and structure having all the grades in the same building will work.

Nadler’s congruence change model would assist the role of the faculty to maintain order among the kids when they all move into the same building. This change model breaks down more of each role for the faculty and allows them to determine what actions are needed for certain situations. This is ideal for this type of situation due to all of the various grades and faculty that will be in the building. Using the Congruence model and verifying the input of the various grades of kids as well as the environment and determining what kind of strategy is needed. Applying what strategy has been decided and seeing what the outcome comes out to be. Having a clear vision of order and direction is what is needed for this combining of the elementary schools to be successful.

Kurt

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