Step aside reading, writing and arithmetic, the three Rs have changed.

“The goal in the middle school is to prepare students for the rigors of high school,” said Wareham Middle School Principal Dr. Peter Steedman, who began work on June 20. “To achieve that, we’ll focus on relevance, rigor and relationship.”

Speaking at the School Committee’s Wednesday night meeting, Steedman, who took the reins from retiring Principal Daniel Minkle, joined principals from all Wareham Public Schools in presenting the 2015-16 school improvement plans.

New education strategies, safety measures, capital planning, technology upgrades and more were discussed.

Steedman said fostering an environment where all students could succeed is key.

“We want to give teachers tools to answer the questions: What do you do when a student is struggling? And what do you do when a student 'gets it' right away?” said Steedman. “Both students are in your classroom.”

To achieve that, Steedman said a new faculty leadership council will be created and meet regularly to talk about such challenges.

“It’s an attempt to be proactive,” he said.

Wareham High School Principal Scott Palladino said that 100 percent of his staff will be trained and certified to teach using the International Baccalaureate system.

The system aims to allow students to take more responsibility of what they learn by engaging them in their own interests.

Palladino said he was skeptical of the method at first.

“I saw it in action and said, ‘we need this,’” he said.

Currently, 15 percent of teachers have received the training. More are expected to be trained this summer, with 100 percent trained by November.

Palladino said safety upgrades are on the way.

Starting this year, students will be trained in the A.L.I.C.E. method, which stands for alert, lockdown, counter and evacuate. It teaches new strategies should an armed intruder enter the school.

Minot Forest Elementary School Principal Joan Seamans touched on the upcoming feasibility study for improvements to her building.

She also spoke about new teaching strategies that puts teachers together in teams, to better integrate lessons plans.

Dr. Andrea Schwamb, director of curriculum and instruction, summed up the goal of the plans at the start of the presentation.

The schools “will provide challenging, innovative, and engaging educational experiences that create a global understanding and a competitive advantage for our students,” she said.

In other school news:

Letter slammed: During the public participation segment of the meeting, high school teacher John Sousa spoke out against an anonymous letter sent to committee members earlier this month. The letter detailed a list of complaints against the current administration and alleged that “a culture of fear” had taken hold in the district.

Sousa disputed that, saying he and many other teachers have excellent relationships with administrators.

“I bleed blue, I know a lot of my students bleed blue and so do the administrators,” said Sousa, referring to the school colors. “We need to focus on the positive.”