Saugus middle school receives new textbooks

SAUGUS – Not since the last installment of Harry Potter has a shipment of books caused such a stir, but when the Belmonte Middle School received a delivery of several hundred new textbooks this month it was like Christmas in July.Teachers have been coming in on their own time to stamp the new books, readying them for students’ arrival in the fall.”They are just so thrilled to have some new tools,” said BMS Principal Charles Naso. “You just don’t realize how happy they are.”Happy, excited and relieved were just a few of the adjectives used by eighth grade English teacher Anmarie Griffin to describe her new materials as she worked with her colleagues to stamp the new books Tuesday morning.”We are very excited. The sixth, seventh and eighth grade all got new materials, so every single kid coming to the Belmonte Middle School will have a new English book,” Griffin said. “This is a big jump. The authors are now current and the books are totally correlated with our curriculum framework.”The school’s old math books were dated prior to the state’s imposing the MCAS test and English texts went back even further, published in 1996. But a decision by Town Meeting to bond for textbooks at the high school and middle school changed all that.Last week Naso took delivery on close to $80,000 worth of new books. Among the boxes were some science books, grade six math books, and English books for all three grades.”Social studies books had been replaced, the eighth grade history books go back to 2001 and geography was in pretty good shape,” Naso said, adding that a number of eighth grade textbooks have been sent out to be rebound.Math and English books, however, had taken a beating.The new books are published specifically for Massachusetts’ testing standards, and will help teachers identify areas in students that need improvement and provide the resources to individualize that instruction.The materials also include books specifically for teachers and audio books for children who have trouble reading.”All the English Lit for sixth, seventh and eighth grades were replaced,” Naso said. “They say right on the bindings, ‘Massachusetts’ so they all line up with the frameworks.”Naso said his teachers were nearly giddy over the arrival of the books.”You can feel the excitement coming off them,” he said.Morale has flagged on many levels in the district over the last few years with the onset of drastic budget cuts. A trickle down effect of the cuts came with the loss of new or updated textbooks that forced teachers to photocopy materials sometimes in lieu of even using a book.”You really can only photocopy so much,” Naso said.Looking at the new books, which Naso said he began checking in himself last week when they arrived, he said he is amazed at the amount of information that came with them.Eighth grade English teacher Annette Moorehouse sat on an MCAS planning team several years ago when the test was in its infant stages, and said she remembers these textbooks from her time working with the state.”I thought this was a very good company when we worked on the MCAS planning team,” she said. “It is very good and it is in line with the standards.”Naso lauded Town Meeting members for agreeing to bond for the books, which will also include reading books for elementary students.”Maybe we’re turning a corner. (Town Meeting) floated a $300,000 bond . . . and kids are finally getting what they deserve,” he said. “I want my teachers to get the credit. They are talented, competent people. Give them the tools and they’ll get the job done.”Griffin said the new material brings with it a lot of work, and she and her colleagues would be working through the summer, reading the new books and preparing for September.”That’s a good thing though,” she said. “That is a positive thing.”