Students at Longfellow Middle School will soon be getting a seven-period day. File photo: Natalie Orenstein
Change is on the horizon at Longfellow Middle School, which will be getting a longer day, smaller class sizes and more electives. Last week, the Berkeley school board voted to award the middle school one-time funds to add a seventh period and 55 minutes to the school day. The district’s other two middle schools will stick with six periods.
The funds are part of the district’s latest effort to reduce long-standing inequities at Longfellow, which a May 2020 report shows has a greater share of disadvantaged students and lower test scores than King and Willard and has faced persistent resource gaps, under-enrollment, and teacher and staff turnover.
Students wait in line before entering Emerson Elementary on the morning of April 13. Third, fourth, and fifth graders returned in person to school in more than a year on April 12. Photo: Pete Rosos.
This week, several thousand Berkeley students returned to campuses in person for the first time in months, joining students in transitional kindergarten through second grade. Celebrations settled into a new sense of normalcy as BUSD elementary and middle schools filled with students once again.
On April 12, elementary students of all grades were back in person and middle school students returned in a hybrid model of four hours of in-person instruction a week. A final count indicated that 80% of elementary students returned to school for in-person instruction and 20% remained remote, according to Trish McDermott, a press information officer for BUSD.
Berkeley parents protested outside BUSD headquarters and marched to Longfellow Middle School Saturday to ask the district to allow all students back to in-person classes. Photo: Pete Rosos
One year after Berkeley public schools shut their doors, and just a week after the district announced it would offer in-person elementary classes five days per week starting March 29, some parents are still pushing for middle and high schools to fully reopen. A protest this weekend was the latest action by a group of parents who have been advocating for reopening since the fall.
On Saturday afternoon, about 150 parents and kids marched from the Berkeley Unified School District offices on Bonar Street to Longfellow Middle School, where School Board Director Laura Babbitt and City Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani awaited the group.
Feb 19, 2021
Norman Public Schools named its five 2021 District Teacher of the Year finalists Friday, recognizing educators from across disciplines.
The district will name its Teacher of the Year winner at Aprilâs Celebration of Excellence event. The District Teacher of the Year, chosen based on an interview, their portfolio and a video entry, will go on to compete for Oklahoma Teacher of the Year.
âThese exceptional individuals represent the very best of what it means to be an educator,â Superintendent Nick Migliorino said in a statement. âNorman Public Schools teachers are among the best in the state and these five serve as leaders in the profession. We truly appreciate all of our educators and the steadfast support they have provided to our students during a trying year. I am so proud of these finalists and wish them the best as they move forward in the selection process.â
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