Linda Avalle

Linda Avalle, the candidate for the personnel position, is currently the principal of Williams Elementary School.
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Avalle, the Williams principal, would be responsible for negotiating with unions and teachers if appointed assistant superintendent of personnel and negotiations.

Although she said she didn't have direct experience with union negotiations, Avalle said her background as a school psychologist prepared her for the role.

And "as a principal, you're always negotiating with staff," she said.

If Avalle is hired, she will replace William J. Cameron Jr., who recently left the position to become superintendent of Salem Public Schools.

Ruberto noted that Avalle had "a steep learning curve" to make up for her inexperience at the bargaining table, and Avalle replied that her "willingness to put work in" and her "passion" for teacher recruitment , would carry her through.

We became more aware of it seven years ago when we had a student come to kindergarten with some severe allergies," said Linda Avalle, Elementary School Principal.

The iBook Wireless Mobile Lab made its first appearance at Williams on Friday morning as 19 kindergarten pupils were given laptop computers from the unit to work with, Principal Linda Avalle said.

"It was wonderful," Avalle said."Our kindergartners know more about laptops than some adults."

The laptops and a printer are kept on a cart that can be rolled from classroom to classroom.The mobile lab system also contains a wireless connection so that children can use the laptops anywhere within 150 feet of the cart.

Avalle said some of the youngsters took the laptops into the school's courtyard and playground to work on them.The LaserJet printer allows students to print out their work wherever they are.

"This has given us the double capability to bring technology to students," Avalle said."Not only can we schedule kids on the mobile board, but we can bring it to the classroom."

Combined with the school's regular computer lab, "we can have two classes work on technology at the same time," she said.

She said that having the mobile lab unit in the schools will help the pupils learn."It allows them to access anything for reference or research."

Avalle said the school has made a significant commitment to the use of technology to support the curriculum, and teachers have completed many hours of professional development involving technology.

"My teachers have made a commitment to it," Avalle said.

Fifth-grader Matthew Fiero and Williams Principal Linda Avalle traded places yesterday, a situation Avalle set up to reward students for their participation in a district-wide school initiative known as the positive behavior support program.
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Avalle, meanwhile, attended all of Fiero's fifth-grade classes, took a social studies test in Fiero's place and received a grade of 93.
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This is the first year of implementation, Avalle said.

"I was trying to think of something that would be rewarding to a fifth-grader," said Avalle, having been let out of class early to speak with a reporter.
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"If you go into any school, you will find that most of the kids are doing the right thing," Avalle said."Sometimes as educators we respond more to the children who are demonstrating high-risk behaviors than to the kids who are showing respect for the school rules.

"This is designed to reinforce the 80 percent of children who are maintaining the school's expectations," she added.

Avalle said the implementation of the program at Williams this year has reduced the number of office referrals for misbehavior by one-third between the beginning of school in September and the end of November.

"It's actually 36 percent," Avalle said."It's been extremely successful.

"I've even had some parents tell me that they've adopted the same kind of program at home, where they are reinforcing the positives rather than negative behavior," Avalle said.
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Avalle said yesterday that she intends to choose a principal for the day three more times this year at the end of the three remaining school marking periods.

Fiero's last name was stenciled high on the back of the baseball shirt that Avalle wore to school yesterday.She said the name had been listed in that manner to leave room on the shirt for the last names of the three other students who will serve as principal for the day this year.

"By the time this is done, it will look like a rock T-shirt," Avalle said.

Once the other students' names have been added to the shirt, Avalle said the school plans to hold a raffle to sell it.

"We have really empathetic children," Williams School Principal Linda Avalle said.
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After the school and the credit union agreed to partner on the project, Avalle said that Phillips agreed to come to Williams and speak with the student body.
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Avalle said Phillips and credit union representative Karen Reilly traveled to the school in the Red Cross emergency vehicle, to show the youngsters how Red Cross volunteers provide aid.
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Avalle said that as the children became more and more aware of the need to assist hurricane victims, they came up with several creative ways to raise money.
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According to Avalle, the student's family has a tradition in which the children make the trip when they turn 10.The youngster donated the entire amount that he had saved.
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And she said yes," Avalle said.

The amount was so large that Avalle said school staff called the girl's parents to make sure their daughter wanted to donate the money,

"We called her mommy and daddy and they said she was adamant that she wanted to donate," Avalle said.

The KB Toys promotion not only helps to offset some of these costs but is a clear indicator of corporate support for local teachers," said Linda Avalle of Williams Elementary School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Personnel Report Addendum Appointment of Linda Avalle as principal of Williams School Approved 5-0

Personnel Report Addendum Appointment of Linda Avalle as principal of Williams School Approved 5-0

The iBook Wireless Mobile Lab made its first appearance at Williams on Friday morning as 19 kindergarten pupils were given laptop computers from the unit to work with, Principal Linda Avalle said

Pinnelas County School District Dumping Macs Because Of Wintel "True Believers" - t's incredibly ironic to hear a Suit explain that his customers (the teachers) need to be kept in the dark because they won't like what he does.