IX. EDUCATION IN DOVER
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
The Town of Dover maintains its own elementary school system and, at the present time, has two schools: Chickering School, located on 44.5 acres on Cross Street, houses Kindergarten through Grade 2, and Caryl School, located on 3 acres in the center of town, houses Grades 3 through 5. The May 1998 Town Meeting voted to consolidate the elementary schools at the Chickering School site, with a new school building to service a maximum student population of 720 students in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 5. This new building is scheduled to open in September 2001. The May 1998 Town Meeting also directed the Selectmen to form a committee to study future uses for the Caryl School Building.
LOCAL DOVER SCHOOL COMMITTEE
The Dover School Committee is comprised of five elected members who serve three year terms. Massachusetts law states that the School Committee is responsible for determining policy, approving a school budget to submit to Town Meeting, establishing curriculum, overseeing the educational program, and planning school services for the elementary schools. Along with the Sherborn School Committee and the Dover-Sherborn Regional School Committee, the Dover School Committee is responsible for hiring the School Superintendent and negotiating a contract with teachers.
The School Committee discusses the budget at several of its public meetings and works with the Warrant Committee to prepare the budget for Town Meeting, which votes and approves the total appropriation amount.
All meetings of the School Committee are open to the public, but as with other town boards, it may vote to go into executive session to deliberate privately on a few issues allowed by law. It must come back into public session to vote on any issues.
SCHOOL ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS
Entrance age for Kindergarten is five years, on or before September 1 of the school year in which the child enters school. In certain cases, the age requirement may be waived for children born later, if the administration feels that the children meet entrance readiness standards. Parents must present a birth certificate, vaccination certificate and physical examination certificate before enrollment is allowed. Entrance requirements are subject to change and should be verified with the school administration.
SPECIAL EDUCATION
In the fall of 1974, a new state law went into effect, requiring all public schools in Massachusetts to "provide appropriate educational services to all children." Known as Chapter 766, the law requires the schools to identify, diagnose and evaluate the special needs of children between the ages of 3 and 22.
The schools must provide each identified student with an Individual Education Plan (IEP). This plan is developed with the input of parents. Central to the concept of Chapter 766 is the Core Evaluation Team composed of professional specialists and teachers. This Team is responsible for diagnoses, development of the IEP, and evaluation.
In 1975, P.L. 94-142, a federal law, guaranteed special education services on the national level. It is similar in intent and scope to Chapter 766, and is implemented by the same staff of specialized teachers, aides and guidance personnel. DOVER-SHERBORN REGIONAL MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS
Located on Farm Street in Dover, the Dover-Sherborn Regional Middle School houses students from both Dover and Sherborn in Grades 6 through 8. The Dover-Sherborn Regional High School is located on Junction Street and houses Grades 9 through 12.
Until the mid 1960's, Dover educated its high school students both at Caryl School in Dover and later on in Needham, and the town of Sherborn sent theirs to Framingham. Because of the increase in the number of students during the 1950's, both Needham and Framingham found that they could not continue to accept outside students. So, Dover and Sherborn formed a Regional School District, which built its first high school on Farm Street in Dover in 1962. Population continued to grow, and the present high school was built in 1968. The old (1962) high school on Farm Street became a Junior High School housing Grades 7 and 8. The 1990's saw additional population increases, and both towns sent Grade 6 up to the Junior High, which changed its name officially to the Dover-Sherborn Middle School. In 2000, Town Meetings in both Dover and Sherborn approved funds for architectural plans to renovate the regional school buildings.
REGIONAL DISTRICT SCHOOL COMMITTEE
The Dover-Sherborn Regional District School Committee is comprised of six elected members, three from Dover and three from Sherborn. It is responsible for overseeing the education of Grades 6 through 12. Under law, the Regional School District Committee may vote to incur capital indebtedness.
THE SUPERINTENDENT
The Superintendent of Schools is the chief executive officer of the Dover School Committee and the Sherborn School Committee, which together form the Union Superintendency, and of the Dover Sherborn Regional School Committee. As chief administrator, it is his/her job to apply the Committees' policies in the day-to-day operation of the school system. He/she reports to all three school committees and the community. All three committees meet from time to time to coordinate the total school programs. The central office staff and the administration facility are the responsibility of all three school committees.
SCHOOL COUNCIL
The Education Reform Act of 1993 required that each school principal form a School Council. Comprised of teachers, administrators, parents, students and community members, the Council meets regularly with the principal of the school and assists in the identification of the educational needs of the students attending the school, in the review of the annual budget, and in the formulation of a school improvement plan. Each year, the School Council submits a School Improvement Plan for each school to the School Committee for review and approval.
VOCATIONAL EDUCATION
At the 1981 Town Meeting, Dover voted to join the Minuteman Regional Vocational School District. Since 1982 Dover students have had the opportunity to choose to attend the Minuteman Regional Vocational High School in Lexington, Massachusetts. The Dover Town Moderator appoints a resident to serve on the Minuteman Regional Vocational Committee for a term of three years. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
Community participation plays a large part in the operation of the Dover Schools. At the local level, an active P.T.O. provides volunteers to help in the school and to engage in fund-raising activities to augment school programs. In the Dover-Sherborn Regional School District, POSITIVE, a parent support group at the Middle School, directs its efforts in the areas of enrichment and communications. At the high school, there is a P.T.A. as well as an active Boosters Club.
Dover and the Regional Schools participate in the METCO program, which facilitates the attendance at our schools by a number of inner-city children from Boston.
The Dover-Sherborn Regional High School also participates in the American Field Service Program, which encourages international understanding through student exchange programs in over fifty countries around the world.
The Dover-Sherborn Education Fund consists of a group of community members who raise money through an annual Phone-a-Thon and some other activities. The funds are then distributed to the schools through a grant process.
PRIVATE EDUCATION IN DOVER
Charles River School, located in Dover Center, is an independent, coeducational day school serving children in Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 8. The School's Tennis Association welcomes membership from townspeople, and the Annual Charles River School Fair in October is a tradition in Dover.
Charles River Creative Arts Program provides a program of creative and artistic summer activity for children. Concerts, art shows, and dramatic productions are open to the public.
Dover Montessori School provides all day child care and regular morning and afternoon sessions for Pre-Kindergarten children.
Dover Nursery School, founded in 1947 and located in the Dover Church, offers a morning session for children aged two years nine months to five years old, and an extended day program that is open to kindergartners.
FAMILY DAY CARE HOMES
There are licensed family day care homes in Dover, which offer day care for infants and toddlers. Family day care homes come under the jurisdiction of the State Office for Children. The South Middlesex Council handles advocacy for children.
DOVER EXTENDED DAY PROGRAM
The Dover Extended Day Program offers after-school enrichment services to children in Grades K-5. Arts and crafts, non-competitive games, computer work, storytelling, nature experiments, cooking, and field trips are all interwoven to provide the students with a wide variety of enjoyable and stimulating experiences in a warm and caring environment. Located in a large classroom at Caryl School, the Kindergarten Session is held from noon to 3:00 p.m. daily with the Afternoon Session for Kindergarten through Grade Five operating from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. To provide consistency to the daily activities, parents are requested to enroll their child for a minimum of one day weekly. The Dover Extended Day Program operates under the auspices of the Dover-Sherborn Community Education Department. It is a non-profit, self-supporting organization, which operates under the control of the Dover-Sherborn Regional Schools.
DOVER-SHERBORN CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER
The Dover-Sherborn Child Development Center, housed in the Dover-Sherborn High School, offers child care to children from 18 months of age through 5 years. The Center is open weekdays, including the weeks of school vacations, from 7:15 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. A Summer Camp is in operation during July and August. Each of the four classrooms contains age-appropriate equipment, supplies, and toys. Adjacent to the classrooms is a well-equipped play area for outside recreation. The Center is staffed by professionals in the Early Childhood field and boasts a low pupil-teacher ratio. Registration is open to residents of Dover, Sherborn, and surrounding communities. The Child Development Center operates under the auspices of the Dover-Sherborn Regional School System and the Community Education Department. It is a non-profit, self-supporting organization that does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, or national origin.
ADULT EDUCATION
Evening enrichment programs for adults and high school students are scheduled in the fall, winter and spring. The courses are given primarily at the Dover-Sherborn Regional High School. YOUTH ENRICHMENT
Fee-based activities for children from Kindergarten through Grade 5 are offered after school. Activities include martial arts, chess, foreign language instruction, drama and the like. Sign up is on a first come, first served basis.
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