This fall has been an exciting time of change and growth within all of the schools. Our new positions of curriculum leaders, psychologists, instructional coaches, and technology integrationist are already having a positive impact for students. Our dedicated teachers are taking in new learning quickly and developing lessons that stimulate curiosity and actively engage students in learning. I’ve witnessed exemplary lessons grounded in meaningful and engaging experiential activities. Students are having rich discussions that stimulate critical thinking skills. I wish I were young again to have these wonderful learning opportunities!
One only needs to read the news to appreciate the importance of social-emotional wellness. This is being addressed through Responsive Classroom activities at the elementary level, the Wingman Program at Suffield Middle School, and an increased awareness of the SHS core values of responsibility, respect, creativity, integrity and rigor within the entire SHS community.
At our November 7th Board of Education meeting, principals summarized their respective school improvement plans for the 2016-17 school year. If you have not seen these plans, I urge you to read them on our website. These improvement plans chart out continuous improvement and set targets through key measurements. We are focused on our mission to prepare all students with the knowledge, skills and attributes required for success in a rapidly changing world.
On December 15 there will be a special Board of Education meeting for the sole purpose of presenting the Superintendent’s Budget for the 2017 – 2018 school year. I invite the community to attend, to learn more about what we are doing in the schools and how we are continuously improving education so that students are career and college ready citizens of the 21st century. During these fiscally challenging times, we are working diligently to improve education while budgeting wisely. Individual departments and schools will be presenting the specifics of their budgets through January. We encourage questions from the community and will post questions and answers on our website. While not every household in our community has children in our schools, we welcome and respect everyone’s input.