April has been a busy month for the school board.  As you are aware, the school board has been engaged in the search for a new principal of the school.  What is unique about the principal search this time is than an outside consultant has been engaged to assist in the search. Upon publication of the newsletter, the search for a new principal will have progressed well.  The response from the community to assist in this process has been great and well appreciated by the board for those community members who have volunteered to be a vital part of this process.

Last week, I attended the school science fair that was held at the school.  There were many interesting exhibits and the kids were very excited to present the various exhibits that they had spent a tremendous amount of time preparing. Kudos to the parents and staff for making the science fair a success once again.

The board had their regular meeting on April 16, 2012.  The first portion of the meeting was in the carousel meeting format, this format is a joint meeting with the other school boards of the supervisory union and common topics and information are presented to all boards.  Once the common topics were presented the school boards adjourned this portion of the meeting and met separately.

During the regular meeting, the task teams such as communications, policy and leaders at work presented their discussions that had taken place in committee work.

The communications committee continues to meet and address the various communications and how best to implement.  The current communications that are being discussed are strategies, web-site usage, and budget vote communications.

The policy sub-committee continues to meet.  They are tasked with reviewing existing policies and providing drafts for board approval.  The policies they review are existing policies, and when it warrants, creating new policies as required to address changes or implement new laws.

The board also discussed staff appreciation for the week of May 7 through May 12.  The staff at the school plays a significant part in the continuing success of our students at the Westford School and the schools/colleges they attend after graduating from Westford School.