NEW BERLIN – Getting to know staff, students, parents and how the climate of the school building functions are on top of one new superintendent’s agenda as he heads into his first year of duty.
Robert Mackey was recently hired to take the position as Superintendent of Unadilla Valley Central School following the retirement of Rex Hurlburt in June. Mackey officially took over July 1 and says he has been asking a lot of questions and trying to get acquainted with the daily functions of the district. Saying also he is excited and anxious to get to know the rest of the staff and students in September.
Also new on staff this year is middle school principal Lee Supensky. Supensky started in July as well and is taking over for Steve Griffin, as he transferred to a nearby district. In the special education department, Heather Cottell was hired this year to take over as the new director and according to Mackey, she has worked diligently since starting in July.
The Universal Pre-K program will be kicking off this year which will replace the targeted Pre-K program that in past years would focus on attracting children from low-income families. The Universal program does away with the focus area and concentrates on opening the communication lines between the school program and other pre-school programs offered in the area. Pre-K students will be bused to and from school and there full-time school days will begin the same day as the rest of the school population.
In the elementary school there are new teachers beginning in September. Glenda Vatovec will teach fifth grade and Shawn Foster will teach third grade. Thomas Locke will be at teaching at the high school this year in the math department. There will also be a long-term library media substitute for four months.
Working toward the goal to have 100 percent achievement levels Mackey says new measures are being taken to provide extra time to teach students who may need additional teaching. “There will be time at both ends of the school day for additional study time,” said Mackey. Also adding he would like to improve all student scores Kindergarten through 12th grade in mathematics. “We want to see student achievement across the board,” he said.
Unadilla Valley faculty and administration will also be given the chance to access alternative education practices at BOCES called Career Academy.
With ever-changing state regulations regarding test scores, Mackey says this will be the last year students entering ninth grade only have to pass four out of five exams with a 65 or better. “Starting in 2008 the ninth graders will be required to pass five out of five regents exams with a 65 or better,” said Mackey.
Updating and improving the LINKS plan Mackey also said was something the school takes seriously. As for new programming, at the high school level a forensics elective has been added as well as independent living and interior design which will run in two 10-week sessions.
New at the middle school this year will be a newly designed block schedule. The new schedule will alternate courses every other day and contain 80 minutes of instruction per bell. Mackey says this school will provide more flexibility and more constructive study halls and intervention study time can be available.
Mackey says ideas for an upcoming building project will come off the back burner and be further addressed as the year progresses.