HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-10-18-BRIDGE-min BRIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
SCHOOL-BASED SITE COUNCIL
55 Middleby Road, Lexington, MA 02421
781-861-2510
OCTOBER 18, 2019 MEETING MINUTES
APPROVED NOVEMBER 15, 2019
Attendance: Margaret Colella, Kristen Gray, Kimberly Hensle Lowrance, Zeba McGibbon,
Deirdre Schadler, Brienne Thibodeau, Maria Totniou, and Betty Yee.
The Bridge Elementary School School-Based Site Council held its monthly meeting on
Friday, October 18,beginning at 8 AM in room 19 of Bridge Elementary School.
The topic of this meeting was the redistricting of the elementary and middle schools,to be
implemented for the 2020-2021 school year (For more information, go to
https://lexsuper.home.blog/2019/02/08/redistricting-updates/and
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/lXywGPM6kgwUoPrArGNq,16LaWFtD7ZrniWklg
6tV7H7Q/edit).
We're currently in the public comment period.The School Committee will vote on the
proposed plan on November 4 (note: this was later pushed to December 3). Meg Colella, as
principal, has attended the public hearings and reported back on what she has
learned/observed.
In the current plan, Bridge will decrease from 530 to 500 students,with 114 children
moving out (to Bowman, Harrington, or Hastings) and about 80 children moving into
Bridge.
Avalon,which is a big chunk of our students,will move out. The assignment of Avalon to
Bridge has always been unusual, as we're not the closest school to that complex. Those
students have been at Bridge for more then a decade. Since they have to be bused, it's been
easy to move them around,which has resulted in some kids being moved a few times. The
hope with the new plan is to stabilize the assignments of kids to schools.
Meg said that overcrowding has been a conversation since before she became principal 10
years ago,which is why LPS is working with GeoApp on this plan. The goal is a long-term,
district-wide strategy, not something that's piecemeal and hard to understand.
Redistricting will impact staff as well. LPS will address implications after the School
Committee vote.
Bridge's cafeteria and gym are overcapacity, so sometimes gym class is held in cafeteria.
The building as a whole was not built for as many students as we have. Redistricting will
address the challenges of scheduling. On the other hand,the new Hastings Elementary
School will have two full art rooms,two full music rooms, and a "ginormous" gym that can
host two classes at once.
Concerns from parents tend to fall in a couple of categories: 1) worries about walkability,
2) worries about middle school kids being moved from Clarke to Diamond and from
Diamond to Clarke, and 3) concerns about losing community they have at their schools.
Meg said that the superintendent is humane and also has an eye on long-term. She's
listening to the concerns of families as the plan develops.
Questions have come up about the way to talk to kids about the proposed changes. Meg
advises parents to wait after the School Committee vote to explain this to their children.
The transition of students will be very important, and the principals have already talked
about holding open houses and grade-wide playground dates at the schools in June.
Kids will adjust so quickly, especially younger kids, and they will have a great time.We're
fortunate that all of our schools are high performing.
The meeting concluded at 8:30 AM.
UPCOMING SBC MEETINGS will be held November 15, December 13,January 17, February
28, March 27, May 1, and June TBD.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Contact Meg Colella, Principal and Co-Chair (mcolella@lexingtonma.org), or Kimberly
Hensle Lowrance, Parent Representative and Co-Chair
(khensle(@gmail.com); or visit https://Ips.lexingtonma.org/domain/481