Dear Families,
We wanted to send home an update before the holiday break so that you are aware of what has transpired regarding the reconfiguration of Eastover into a K-3 building and East Hills into a 4-8 building. We have been working collaboratively to make sure this is a smooth transition for everyone involved. Outlined below you will find what has been happening and what is forthcoming.
Actions taken since the December 6 Board of Education decision include, but are not limited to the following:
- Early communication was sent to PTO, staff, students, and larger community on behalf of Eastover and East Hills administration teams to let everyone know the decision was made and transition work would begin
- Eastover and East Hills administrators and Central Office members met to outline a process for the transition
- A design was developed (see infographic here)
- Conceptual ideas regarding the physical layout of East Hills for next year were developed with East Hills and Eastover administrators, Central Office, and Physical Plant Services
- Conceptual ideas were shared with PTO members and staff
- Meetings with architects to design and to determine the best utilization of physical space
- Current 3rd and 4th grade students at Eastover voted on playground equipment to be installed at East Hills
- Meetings with 3rd grade teachers at Eastover about leadership opportunities that will be created to support students for the remainder of the 2016-2017 school year
- Administrators reached out to staff and PTO boards to establish a lead transition team
- Lead Transition Team consists of 13 people including administrators, staff members and PTO members from Eastover and East Hills
- Staff and grade level teacher meetings to outline the transition process
- Draft documents have been established to define the tasks, roles, and responsibilities of sub committees based on recent feedback as well as that from community and staff meetings last school year
- Initial outreach to form sub-committees that will be further developed in January
- Initial Lead Transition Team meeting to examine sub-committee structures that allow for feedback and input into the process
We welcome involvement from all interested stakeholders; students, families, staff, and the larger community as we move forward. Please take a moment to become familiar with the Eastover/East Hills infographic (shown at the bottom) that outlines the identified sub-committees where information will be gathered, studied, and recommended.
We look forward to building on the outlined work as we continue to develop and implement the transition process in the months ahead. More involved sub-committee work will begin in 2017. If you have questions about the process or are interested in getting involved, please contact a Lead Transition Team member listed below. Even if you are not part of a sub-committee, we want to ensure that all voices are heard as we move forward together. There will be other opportunities seeking your input and feedback. You can also contact any of the Lead Transition Team contacts at any time.
Lead Transition Team contacts:
Rachel Antone rachelantone@mac.com (Eastover PTO Executive Board)
Michele Linn michele@linncommunications.com (Eastover PTO Executive Board)
Erin Watson erinawatson@yahoo.com (East Hills PTO Executive Board)
Tracey Kevelighan tck@kevlaw.com (East Hills PTO Executive Board)
Carey Crocker ccrocker@bloomfield.org (Eastover Principal)
Jason Rubel jrubel@bloomfield.org (East Hills Principal)
Angie Konzen akonzen@bloomfield.org (East Hills Associate Principal)
Please look for further communication from the Lead Transition Team regarding future and ongoing opportunities to get involved as part of the district’s transition process.
Thank you and happy holidays,
Carey Crocker, Jason Rubel, and Angie Konzen
