For some, it’s love, for others not so much, but the kids are back in school. Unionville-Chadds Ford School District began the 2017/2018 school year this morning with Chadds Ford Elementary School welcoming 350 students to class.
School Principal Shawn Dutkiewicz said the only real change is the later start time the district voted for in the spring, but that poses no problems for CFES. He does have some hopes, however.
“More than any time before, we want to do better,” he said.
Dutkiewicz specifically mentioned an increase in the Maker Space concept to go beyond just one room in the school dedicated to thinking outside the box creativity when it comes to STEM, science, technology, engineering and math.
“We want to integrate more into the curriculum, not just have it in one area of the school,” he explained.
Another area where he and the district are looking to expand is for teachers to increase their Personal Learning Network, or PLN. He said that while many teachers have advanced degrees, some even having more than one, the idea is to have teachers increase the number of professionals with whom they interact, either in person or online, and the amount of time they have that interaction.
“Twitter is excellent for that,” he said. “They can follow other professionals, scientists.”
Dutkiewicz anticipates a smooth transition to the school routine. He said the students and parents both had orientations at the school last week, so kids and adults know what to expect.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
