All Day Kindergarten Starts Thursday in Coventry Schools

COVENTRY, RI -- Schools Supt. Craig Levis gave the staff, students and families an A for Monday's efforts on the first day back to school.

"It was a fantastic opening," he said in a telephone interview Tuesday morning. The only glitches happened with bus routes. In some cases, the drivers skipped a couple of stops, he said. Also, some youngsters weren't sure which bus they were supposed to take.

"There are always some bus issues," he said, but "everyone was very patient and supportive," so hopefully, all the problems have been corrected.

Plus, although the school buildings were not designed for summer weather, nobody complained about the heat, he said.

"I was really impressed" with all the positive energy, he said. "It sets a tone."

But the back to school excitement isn't quite over. Thursday marks a big day for the kindergarten set, he said. This year marks the first year the district now offers all-day kindergarten.

"It's about time" the district held all day sessions, given the slew of evidence about the benefits, Levis said. But the change has meant hiring more staff, and he credited the Town and the School Committee for supporting the schools and the all-day kindergarten imitative in the municipal budget. . He estimates about 300 children will come to kindergarten.

This year, the schools will focus on "student voice," he said, which means listening to students on a wide variety of topics, including the day-to-day operations at the school.

"Everything's dictated to them," he said, but that model no longer reflects the way the world works. People "have to be flexible and embrace change," he said, so the teachers and staff must make special efforts to listen to the youngsters' views and allow them to have a voice.

Turning to the changes for the 2016-2017 school year, the superintendent said he's still new to the district, having started just this past July after serving as assistant superintendent since last December. Before coming to Coventry, he served the Smithfield school district for 13 years where he was special education director.

Laurie Weber is the new assistant superintendent. She was previously the principal at Chariho High School. Other new hires include Christine Mandese, the new principal at Washington Oak Elementary School. She comes from Bristol-Warren and replaces Don Cowart, who has moved to the central office where he will take charge of curriculum assessment.