It is hard to believe that we have reached our 100th day of school, a day that brings celebrations in many forms throughout our classrooms. Although the origin of this day is debatable (many believe it stems from a Math Their Way lesson), the school celebration has grown in popularity through the years. For me, the 100th day marks the midway point and is a good time to reflect on our first half and prepare for what remains of the school year. With any luck, there will be no further snow cancellations and our last day of school will remain on schedule – June 13, 2022.
As we look back to the first day of school, we began with tremendous uncertainty of what impact the pandemic would have on our day-to-day operations as we progressed through this school year. It is true that some months have been better than others with infections and quarantines; however, the Suffield Public Schools have been able to remain fully operational, and we are truly grateful for this. The continuity of learning has significantly enhanced our ability to provide consistency, establish good habits of mind and enable participate in important athletic and extracurricular opportunities. Altogether, this year has led to many positive student outcomes – socially, emotionally, and academically – and we look forward to carrying this momentum through the remainder of the 2021-2022 and into 2022-2023.
Over the past three months, the Suffield Board of Education has had the enjoyable, yet arduous, task of preparing the FY23 BOE Budget. Department presentations, object code reviews, and line-item discussions regarding programs, grants, health benefits, and salaries have resulted in a thorough review of school district expenditures in developing next year’s budget proposal. It is anticipated that by the conclusion of March, the Board of Education will have taken into consideration all budget recommendations and will formally adopt their FY23 budget proposal for Board of Finance deliberations. The Town of Suffield has a strong tradition of supporting its public schools, and we remain committed to leveraging the financial support we receive to provide access and opportunity to all of our students and families.
On a final note, I would like to congratulate our Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) Student Leadership Award recipients. Isabella Hinkle (12th grade), John Henry-Burke (12th grade), Hannah Pixton (8th grade) and Ronan Sullivan (8th grade) were nominated to receive this special recognition from the faculty and administration of their respective schools. The CABE Student Leadership Award is given to students who have demonstrated strong leadership skills while attending our middle or high school. Congratulations to our 2022 CABE Student Award winners for the Suffield Public Schools.