HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE — The Middletown Unified School District Board of Trustees gave those in attendance a treat when it hosted the Middletown Elementary School Band at its sole meeting of the month Wednesday night at Coyote Valley Elementary School.
“It”s nice to see music back in Middletown School District,” Board President Bill Wright said.
The district hasn”t been able to afford to bring back music classes in the district, Superintendent Korby Olson said. Olson said teachers at each elementary school in the district have been teaching students how to play woodwind and brass instruments individually as part of an after-school program. He said it was one of the first performances of the band as a group.
The 12-member ensemble performed three songs, “Au Claire de la Lune,” “Lightly Row,” and “Song of the Fjords,” Middletown Middle School teacher Ami Barker said. Barker, along with Cobb Elementary teacher David Leonard, Minnie Canyon Elementary teacher Reikor Deacon and volunteer Patricia Jekel, said they have been working with the students since November. Barker said it was only the third time the full band had played together.
Getting down to business, the board twice honored Coyote Valley Elementary first grade teacher Elsie Mackesy. Mackesy was first honored with Teacher of the Month toward the beginning of the meeting. Later, when it came time to choose Teacher of the Year, board member Lynette Carrillo nominated Mackesy, one of five nominees. The board unanimously approved. Wright congratulated Mackesy and said it was well deserved. Many in attendance echoed Wright”s sentiment.
The board unanimously approved a resolution eliminating certain classified positions. Olson said the district had been able to restore the positions in the past because of efforts by the Cobb Elementary Parent Teacher Organization but it looked like that was not going to happen this year. Olson said the district might not send out pink slips to those affected because they might be able to transfer the positions to another school in the district.
Coyote Valley Kindergarten teacher Debby Carter gave a presentation to the board about a transitional kindergarten program. Transitional kindergarten is a new program for school children that was enacted as part of Senate Bill 1381, the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010. It changed the birth date requirement for children enrolling in kindergarten. The birth date cut off, which is currently at Dec. 2, will be moved up to Nov. 1 for the 2012-2013 school year, then moved up to Oct. 1 for the 2013-2014 school year. It will move up to Sept. 1 for the 2014-2015 school year where it will stay.
For children with a birth date that falls after the cutoff date, they will be enrolled in a one-year transitional kindergarten program that will utilize age-appropriate developmental education techniques to aid in learning. Carter said this will allow children time to mature and develop before entering kindergarten the next year.
Carter said the program is being readied by the district to begin in the 2012-2013 school year.
Kevin N. Hume can be reached at kevin.n.hume@gmail.com or call directly 263-5636 ext. 14.
