Daily staff collaboration set for 2020-’21 Clinton-Massie school year

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ADAMS TOWNSHIP — Wanting to carve out time so teachers can collaborate more, Clinton-Massie next school year will eliminate “Falcon Time” at the high school and have staff get together at the start of their day.

Clinton-Massie Director of Innovation and Learning David Moss said the staff’s daily arrival time was moved up to 7 a.m. in the effort to find a half hour for time-starved teachers “for all we ask them to do.”

Students will have the same bell schedule, he said.

There will be time set aside at the beginning of each school day for staff in the 2020-21 academic year. So, the next few months will be spent asking what that will look like, added Moss.

Examples of things that can be done include a general staff meeting, a grade-level meeting, a content-level meeting, professional development, attention to vertical alignment, and time for Strategic Plan committees.

“Falcon Time” was launched at Clinton-Massie High School in August 2018. It is a daily 20-minutes period where the intent is to have “real and relevant conversations” with an emphasis upon character education and service opportunities, it was said at the time.

At Monday night’s school board meeting, board member Kathleen Norman asked Moss what the feedback has been on Falcon Time. He replied that high school staff had done some good things with it, but the reception overall has been lukewarm at best.

Not wanting to cut back on instructional time to make room for the new daily collaboration, Moss said it boiled down to looking at Falcon Time versus what that block of time could be used for otherwise.

Moss also reported to the board that he has led conversations about digital citizenship with CM students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades in their social studies classes. He described digital citizenship basically as a responsible use of technology.

Treasurer Carrie Bir reported the tax rate for the bond issue that passed in 2001 for new construction is going from 2.25 to 1.8 mills in the bond portion of a landowner’s property tax bill, saving property owners some tax dollars.

The final business session for board member David Webb, who served one four-year term, was recognized. Superintendent Matt Baker said, “The best term I could use for Mr. Webb is ‘always a straight-shooter’. I can appreciate that.”

Baker announced Clinton-Massie is first this year among 114 school districts and other public entities that belong to an insurance consortium, in terms of CM staff completing the consortium’s wellness program. He gave kudos to Clinton-Massie School District Nurse Cindy Stenger and district administrators for leading the staff participation rate.

The board approved a formal resolution to name the high school basketball court the “Brian P. Mudd Court”. Teacher and coach Brian Mudd died in October at the age of 48 after a battle with brain cancer.

As a boys basketball, boys track and field, and boys golf coach at Clinton-Massie, Mudd led his charges to 20 league championships. In 2018 he was inducted into the Clinton County Sports Hall of Fame.

Prior to the board taking action Monday on the agenda item naming the court after Coach Mudd, Baker became emotional and was unable to read aloud the text of the resolution. So the superintendent handed the paper to Treasurer Bir who read the resolution, followed by a roll call vote to officially name Clinton-Massie’s home court.

Reach Gary Huffenberger at 937-556-5768.

At his final meeting as a Clinton-Massie school board member, David Webb, left, is recognized for his service. From left are board members Webb, Andy Avery, Kathleen Norman, and Mike Goodall.
https://www.wnewsj.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/22/2019/12/web1_webb_p.jpgAt his final meeting as a Clinton-Massie school board member, David Webb, left, is recognized for his service. From left are board members Webb, Andy Avery, Kathleen Norman, and Mike Goodall. Gary Huffenberger | News Journal

By Gary Huffenberger

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