SUPERINTENDENT,
BEDFORD CENTRAL SCHOOLS

It has been a busy summer at the Bedford Central School District – a summer full of hard work, reflection, and learning. While students have been on holiday since the end of June, administrators, support staff and faculty have been involved in some major initiatives in the areas of construction, hiring, and professional development.

Despite rumors to the contrary, all schools in the Bedford Central School District will open on time again this year. Maybe it was a student hoping to stretch the length of summer, or a community member passing by one of the school campuses during the height of construction saying to himself, "There is no way they will ever get school open on time!" Sorry kids! Teachers will be back on Aug. 31 and students will start on Tuesday Sept. 6, on time.

However, things will be different at a number of schools. Students, staff and parents will be able to re-enter Bedford Hills Elementary School through its newly renovated front walkways, stairs, and entrance. Finishing touches are currently under way for completion by school opening.

Pound Ridge Elementary School received all new windows, some renovated classrooms and corridors, construction of a new main entrance, relocation of its main administrative offices, heating and electrical upgrades, and site improvements. While this school will still be undergoing further alterations through the fall, most work will be completed by December.

Parents, staff and students are being asked to follow the district's Web site www.bedford.k12.ny.us for these changes. When these changes occur, vehicular traffic will follow signs for new drop-off and pick-up procedures for both the high school and middle school.

These changes will include no car traffic allowed on to the Fox Lane campus from 2 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. daily. Students are being encouraged to take school buses and any parents picking up students will have to do so after 2:45 p.m. Cars will not be allowed to stop on Route 172 to pick up or drop off students as this will be dangerous and will obstruct the flow of traffic.

School officials are asking the Bedford police to help with enforcement of these rules and school security staff assigned to the campus will be used for traffic control. These new rules will be in place for the expected 20 months it will take to construct the new classroom wing. Patience and cool heads will need to prevail during this entire process.

It has been a highly active and successful hiring season here at Bedford Central. Some 50 new staff members will join the faculty in a variety of positions, from leave replacement elementary school teachers to probationary high school math and science teachers. The human resources office has had little time to rest — short screening interviews, demo lessons, and even longer constituent-based interviews have been the cornerstones of the hiring process.

Fortunately, our district has attracted a wonderful pool of administrators,support staff, and teachers...( TO REPLACE ALL THE ONES GETTING OUT) who will work with our children this year and in the Future. We are extremely pleased to have Dr. Ken Mitchell joining us as assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction. Dr. Mitchell comes to Bedford from the Chappaqua Central School District where he was principal of the Seven Bridges Middle School. His experience on the local and state level brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Bedford Schools. Similarly, Vera Berezowsky joins the district as principal of West Patent Elementary School. Ms. Berezowsky served as the assistant principal at Concord Road Elementary School in Ardsley and brings her leadership experience to Bedford.

Next week, Bob Cooper, assistant superintendent for human resources, will host a new teacher orientation pro-gram. This three-day affair will offer new faculty members an overview of the school district and specific work-shops on curriculum, special education, technology, and diversity. Mr. Cooper said the orientation ^"is a chance for new faculty members to learn about Bedford schools. They will meet the school leaders and learn about our curriculum."

After all the ads in the Sunday Times, the screening of resumes, the interview committees, and the agonizing decisions surrounding the hiring process, the district and the community can rest easy that we have hired caring and competent professionals to teach our children.

At the conclusion of a two-year research-based Special Education Task Force study by secondary teachers assessing a variety of models to support secondary level students with and with-out disabilities, it was the task force's recommendation that co-teach teams and consultant teams in the subject areas of English, mathematics, social studies and science be implemented for grade 7-12 beginning in the 2005/2006 school year.

Co-teaching is a collaborative delivery of instructional content and strategies provided by a subject teacher, a special education teacher and an instructional assistant. Co-teachers jointly plan and conduct instruction to ensure the success of all students. When fusing together different areas of expertise, the end result is enhanced instruction for all students.

Twenty-one teams came together in early August with the district's consultant, Susan Fitzell, author of "Special Needs In the General Classroom: Strategies That Can Make It Work,^" to discuss the benefits, models, perceptions and personalities, planning time, collaborative tools, paraprofessionals, grading, practical do's and don'ts, forming relationships, and roles and responsibilities. Ongoing weekly professional development with each co-teach team will continue throughout the year.

Bedford has taken the step to embrace its differently-abled population of students in an inclusive learning environment we are confident will meet our students' individual learning styles and needs. We look forward to our students returning and benefiting from this good work.