WILMINGTON — At the School Committee meeting on Wednesday, March 13, the committee received the Elementary Education Program Plan related to the Wildwood MSBA project. Superintendent Dr. Glenn Bland first explained the plan was due to the April 18 MSBA.
Julie Leduc of SMMA said that at this stage of the project, the Wildwood School Construction Committee is looking to increase enrollment across various locations in town: the current Wildwood School, Woburn Street School, North Intermediate School, and City Hall. We explained that we were looking at combination options. site.
It considers 18 different options. They will be hoping to have a single preferred option identified by the end of this summer so they can prepare a schematic report and begin the design phase.
The educational program plan shows all the work that SMMA, Dore + Whittier, and WSBC have done in collaboration with the school district. Brand said the educational program plan will serve as a foundation and comprehensive overview of what's going on in the current elementary school and what they want in the new facility.
This includes additional dedicated space for special education and STEM learning in addition to current programs. The brand thanked everyone involved in developing the plan.
Designer Lee Dore of Dore + Whittier said the educational vision steps influenced the creation and content within this document.
The SMMA team added that the plan is to ensure that the ultimately constructed building meets the needs of the program and students.
Bland said he hopes the school committee will approve the program plan.
Commissioner Stephen Turner shared that the plan includes understanding where the district is and where it wants to go. He asked the panel to highlight what is different in terms of educational spaces in the 21st century.
For example, we discussed spaces for English language learners and suggested using half-sized classrooms, considering them as divided or contiguous spaces.
MJ Burns commented that the plan is an exemplary document for building new educational institutions. She proposed several changes, including creating parent pick-up spaces near cafeterias and gyms, and suggesting the number of nurses.
Mr Brand responded that the plan was preliminary and details would inevitably be adjusted in the coming months. He said estimates are now included to help the team create the right space.
SMMA representatives added that the next step will be for the brand to finalize operating costs along with an education plan, at which time options will be further considered. This allows you to narrow down your site choices, especially regarding traffic concerns and drop-off flow.
Dr. Mike Mercaldi suggested that this document be reused as a reference guide for all schools in the future, as it is a great snapshot of where the district is and where it is headed. The brand agreed that the plan could serve this purpose.
Regarding the idea of having a separate STEM space, Mercaldi thought there might be enough overlap to combine STEM and science to return to a rotating five-day schedule. Bland assured the committee that STEM is very different from science and that many other school districts provide this separate space outside of their core programs.
Mr. Mercaldi then asked if he had any concerns about combining these grades on buses, and Mr. Bland said that he understands that students will have to be transported to this facility, but that he is concerned about the comfort of the students. I answered that it would be possible to design a system to suit them.
Mr. Paul Ruggiero suggested that kindergartners could ride the bus with fifth graders in the appropriate seating order.
Jay Samaha asked what could be incorporated from this document on the other side of town. Brand agreed that they should consider offering the program to students on the other side of town.
Chair David Ragsdale said he felt students on the north side had to face the reality that there wasn't space available for all students, and that ultimately both sides of town needed to be accommodated.
Burns wondered if the location chosen would determine the integration of the grade chosen. I Dore responded that they are testing the feasibility of each site in terms of the size of the building, parking and playground space. They evaluate every site against a defined set of criteria.
Leduc said the MSBA is reading and analyzing this document very carefully and questioning the superintendent and school committee throughout the review process.
Ragsdale noted that the plan includes a teacher plan with a purpose. He also shared that the committee will receive a more detailed update at its next meeting.