The
school calendar for the ensuing year will be prepared by the superintendent and
submitted to the school committee for approval by April 1 of each year. The number
of days or instructional hours scheduled for the school year will be determined
in accordance with the following standards set by the Massachusetts Board of
Education:
For
the information of staff, students, and parents, the calendar will set forth
the days schools will be in session, holidays, vacation periods, in-service
days, and parent conferences.
Adopted
June 21, 2004
Constant
adaptation and development of the curriculum is necessary if the district is to
meet the needs of the students in its schools. To be successful, curriculum
development must be a collaborative enterprise involving staff and
administrators utilizing their professional expertise and gathering input from
parents and the community.
The
committee expects its faculty and administration to regularly evaluate the educational
program and to recommend modifications of practice and changes in curriculum
content as well as the addition or deletion of courses to the instructional
program.
Adopted
June 21, 2004
The Sutton School System recognizes as its ultimate goal to
provide every student, regardless of ability level, the best possible education
consistent with public resources. The program of the Massachusetts Academy of
Mathematics and Science at Worcester is in cooperation with Massachusetts’
school systems and is designed to identify and nurture the potential of
students with exceptional aptitude for mathematics and science. While the
Academy has a particular focus on mathematics and science, the Academy maintains
a commitment to the study of humanities and is recognized by the Sutton School
Department as an extension of learning designed to assist those students whose
needs would be difficult to meet within the curriculum of the Sutton Schools.
Accordingly, there will be an effort on the part of the
administration and guidance department of the high school to communicate with
the students periodically as to their academic progress at the Academy.
Further, these students will be
encouraged to participate in the appropriate extra curricular activities and
social events at Sutton High School as their schedule permits.
If a student at the Academy has been a registered member of
Sutton High School for a minimum of one year prior to his/her acceptance at the
Academy, they will be eligible to
receive a diploma and participate in the graduation exercises of Sutton High
School.
Adopted November 1996
Textbook Selection
and Adoption
Responsibility
for the review and selection of textbooks to be purchased shall rest with the
principal of each school. The principal is encouraged through the School
Committee to establish a review committee to assist in the process to determine
the textbooks that best meet the curriculum guidelines of the district. The
Committee should include teachers who will use the texts and other staff
members as found desirable.
Principles
that apply generally to the selection of instructional materials and library
materials shall apply to textbooks. Additionally, basic textbooks and textbook support
materials shall be chosen:
·
To
advance the educational objectives of the school system and particular
objectives of the course program,
·
To
contribute toward continuity, integration, and articulation of the curriculum,
and
·
To
establish a general framework for the particular course or program.
Because
the instructional purposes of textbooks, as stated above, are of such
importance, particular care shall be taken in their selection as to content.
Although
many points must be examined, the School Committee directs the staff to be
mindful of the following considerations:
The
needs of the learners must be provided for.
Attention
should be given to gender roles depicted in the materials.
The
textbook and textbook support materials should lead the student and teacher
beyond the textbook into a wide variety of other materials and educational
experiences.
If
the textbook deals with problems and issues of our times, it should present and
encourage examination of varied points of view.
Because
textbooks are selected for several years use, special attention also shall be
given to their physical characteristics, durability, format and price. Major
textbook purchases shall be made on a system‑wide basis.
Adopted
February 14, 2000
Public Concerns/Complaints Regarding Instructional
RESources
Any
resident of the community or employee of the school district who has a
complaint regarding instructional materials should be encouraged first to
discuss the matter with the teacher/librarian and/or principal responsible for
selecting or recommending its use. Following such a meeting, if the complainant
wishes to pursue the issue, he/she should be informed of the full review
procedure and should be invited to complete the Standard Complaint Form. When a
formal complaint is filed the principal, school committee, and
teacher/librarian will summon a meeting of the Media Review Committee (MRC).
A
MRC will be formed at each building level and will be comprised of:
The
building principal, the media specialist for that level, two teachers, and one
parent from the school improvement council
The
principal of each school shall appoint this committee annually at the beginning
of the academic year and its membership shall be submitted to the school
committee.
Procedure
·
Will
ask the school committee to review the MRC’s report with the assistance of the
MRC or its representative
·
May
remove the item in question pending school committee action
The
school committee will file a written response that will include specific reasons
for their decisions. The superintendent will notify the complainant of the
response, and the item in question will be restored to use, restricted, or
removed from use.
Adopted
February 14, 2000
Student Field Trips
The
Sutton School District will strive to provide the opportunity for all students
to participate in appropriate educational programs away from school.
For
all trips students must submit a signed parent/guardian permission form,
including appropriate authorization for emergency medical care and
administration of medication. Forms must be held for the period of time
recommended by the school department’s insurance carrier.
The
building principal must approve all day trips in advance. Requests for approval of day trips will be
submitted on a form approved by the superintendent.
In
acting on a request, the principal will consider:
·
The
enrichment value of the trip in relation to its cost,
·
The
availability of scholarships, where needed,
·
Grade
level appropriateness,
·
Adequacy
of teacher/volunteer supervision,
·
Learning
opportunities for students not participating, and
·
Such
other factors as may, in his/her judgment, be pertinent.
All
overnight trips and trips requiring travel between midnight and 6:00 a.m. must
be approved in advance by the Sutton School Committee. Trip sponsors are responsible for making
certain that all necessary forms and supporting documentation are available to
the committee.
The
committee will take into account all logistical details of the trip, including:
·
Transportation,
·
Accommodations,
·
The
enrichment value of the trip in relation to its cost,
·
The
fundraising required of students, and
·
The
availability of scholarships, where needed.
Except
as noted below in the “senior class trip” paragraph, no fundraising may take
place until school committee approval is obtained.
Appendix
D lists the minimum procedures to be followed in planning transportation, trip
scheduling, fundraising, and student supervision for an overnight or late night
trip. At least ten (10) days before the
trip is to begin, the trip sponsor must provide documentation, satisfactory to
the superintendent or his/her designee, that the procedures in Appendix D have
been followed.
The
school committee’s approval of any trip is always contingent upon the receipt
of this documentation and failure to provide it in timely fashion will
automatically cancel its approval for the trip.
The
longstanding tradition of a “senior class trip” will be allowed provided
students' time in learning requirements are met. Group fundraising for this trip may begin
during the freshman year of high school for the respective class. All
procedures listed in Appendix D should be followed in planning this trip.
Teachers
and other school staff are prohibited from soliciting for privately run trips
through the school system and in the schools. The school committee will only
review for approval school-sanctioned trips. The school committee will not
review or approve trips that are privately organized and run without school
sanctioning.
Adopted
May 24, 2004