Celebrating the service of our veterans!
Join us to celebrate the service of our veterans. See the attached flyer and schedule of events for more details.
Regular BOE Mtg
BOE Meeting
BOE Meeting
Regular BOE Mtg
Regular BOE Mtg
BOE Meeting
BOE Meeting
BOE Meeting
BOE Meeting
BOE Meeting
WHS Library
BOE Meeting
BOE Meeting
BOE Meeting
BOE Meeting
BOE Meeting
BOE Meeting
BOE Meeting
Join us to celebrate the service of our veterans. See the attached flyer and schedule of events for more details.
The Westbrook Board of Education welcomed the school district's new staff members to the district during the BoE meeting on 9/9/2025.
Bus routes are available in PowerSchool. Sign in at https://powerschool.westbrookctschools.org/public to view them.
Please visit our page dedicated to the proposed shared leadership structure for Westbrook Middle School and Westbrook High School by using the link listed below:
https://www.westbrookctschools.org/proposed_shared_leadership_structure_for_wms_and_whs
Westbrook Public Schools is proud to announce that Westbrook Middle School has been named a Spotlight School by the New England League of Middle Schools (NELMS). This prestigious designation recognizes the school’s ongoing commitment to excellence in middle school education and its effective, innovative strategies in meeting the needs of young adolescents in Westbrook.
“We are thrilled to receive the Spotlight School designation from NELMS,” said Matt Talmadge, Principal of Westbrook Middle School. “This recognition is a direct reflection of the hard work, dedication, and collaboration of our talented staff, students, and the entire Westbrook community. It affirms our ongoing efforts to create a dynamic, supportive learning environment where all students can thrive.”
The Spotlight School designation is awarded to schools that demonstrate significant progress in providing an effective, innovative, and inclusive middle school education. Westbrook Middle School earned the recognition through evidence gathered during a recent site visit by the NELMS evaluation team, who observed a school culture dedicated to creative learning experiences, effective collaboration, and a deep understanding of the developmental needs of young adolescents.
WMS students (above) and WMS staff (below)- excited and proud to share their recognition as a NELMS Spotlight School with the Westbrook community!
Key highlights from the NELMS review include:
Creative and Innovative Learning Experiences: Westbrook Middle School offers engaging programs such as the Logic Block, where students participate in purposeful social, emotional, and team-building activities. The WIN Block provides both intervention and enrichment opportunities, ensuring every student is supported in their learning journey. The school also hosts an annual Discovery Project, with this year’s topic focusing on "Agents of Change."
Student Voice and Engagement: A student panel during the site visit demonstrated that students at Westbrook feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and feelings about their school, underscoring the school’s commitment to creating a safe and inclusive environment.
Restorative Practices in Discipline: Westbrook Middle School's approach to discipline is rooted in restorative practices, helping to foster positive student relationships and personal growth.
Outstanding Attendance: The school boasts an impressive attendance rate of over 95%. Westbrook’s administration, teachers and support team work together to ensure students are present and engaged and that families stay informed about both their child’s attendance and the importance of regular, daily attendance.
Formative Assessment and Continuous Improvement: Westbrook utilizes STAR testing three times a year, providing valuable formative assessment data to guide instructional and curricular decisions.
Portrait of a Graduate: The skills and attributes of the district’s Portrait of a Graduate are prominently displayed throughout the school, ensuring that students are aware of and can articulate the competencies and values that guide their educational journey.
Dr. Kristina Martineau, Superintendent of Westbrook Public Schools, says of the middle school’s recognition as one of a select number of top middle schools in New England to receive this NELMS Spotlight School distinction: “There is a strong culture of and pervasive, tireless commitment to high quality instruction each and every day in all classrooms for all students that is more than just educational rhetoric, data, and annual public reports. Our educators are actively engaged in ongoing, collaborative development of exceptional educational experiences to improve individual, grade level, and content area learning opportunities for all students- meeting regularly in teams to make sure every one of the students in our care are provided with the best support and enrichment to maximize potential and success. There is a clear and undeniable culture of ‘we take care of every single child and one another’ to grow together and to succeed together as a school community at high levels. There is not only a shared and collective sense of student and educator success, but one of deep care, joy, and inspiration to be our best selves and to lift up others to achieve the same. This has a direct and positive impact on climate and supports a strong sense of belonging and community for all. The Westbrook school community and the Westbrook Board of Education are so proud of the excellent work happening at Westbrook Middle School in service to the children of Westbrook.”
November 7, 2025
Weekly Update for WMS
Good afternoon, Westbrook Middle School students, parents, and guardians. We wrapped up an excellent first week of November and first quarter of the school year. Our teachers were nourished by some excellent professional learning during Tuesday’s professional development day, and our students were engaged and mentally nourished by another week of rigorous and relevant instruction. One such nourishing event was Patti Goad’s (WMS’ Librarian) annual Literary Café. She works with the ELA department to set up a coffee shop-themed vibe where students sit at table-clothed, meticulous settings and have a few minutes to sample dozens of delicious books. She even lets me sit in and play some music for the kids as they browse. Creative ideas that build readers and life-long learners is just one reason why WMS has recently been recognized by the state of CT as a School of Distinction.
School of Distinction
Westbrook Middle School was recently recognized as a School of Distinction by the state of Connecticut. A School of Distinction in Connecticut is a school recognized by the state Department of Education for its high performance, strong academic growth, or significant improvement. This honor is based on scores from the Next Generation Accountability System which evaluates schools on 12 indicators such as academic achievement, growth, graduation rates, and chronic absenteeism. Schools that are in the top 10% of performance or growth are eligible for this distinction. At WMS, we don’t discuss being a School of Distinction and it is not a mark that we set as an annual goal. Rather, it is a very healthy byproduct of excellent teaching, tremendous student learning and demonstration of said learning on state assessments. Please follow this link to enter the Next Gen. Accountability rabbit hole and learn more than you ever wanted to know about the CT State Department of Education’s indicators of school district performance. Feel free to dig into the data and learn more.
Veterans Day
On November 11, we will honor our local veterans with a special breakfast at WHS and by hosting a ceremony on the green recognizing their service and sacrifice. Local Veterans are invited to join us at WHS for breakfast from 8:30 - 10:00 AM. Then, the entire school will head to the Westbrook town green for an 11 to noon Veterans Day presentation. Please see this flyer to learn more about the day as a whole and this flyer to see the agenda for the ceremony on the green. Also, remind your children that it is going to be cold on Veterans Day. Students should dress for a cold 75 minutes out in the elements.
Pasta Dinner
Thank you to all who donated baskets, served pasta, set up/cleaned up and/or attended last night’s Pasta Dinner. It is a tremendous amount of work to put on this annual WMS community event. As evidence, Chef Andrew Irons spent six hours making the sauce for the dinner and Monica Selmont spent many more organizing, promoting and preparing for the feast. I offer many thanks to those who made it all come together in the name of helping our PTO raise funds to support WMS’ students.
Unified Art
Unified Art made its maiden voyage today. Lyme-Old Lyme and Old Saybrook joined us today to start something very special. Students have set out make a visual representation of belonging, lifelong friends and a difference in Connecticut and our world. To the best of my knowledge this is the first and only program of its kind. This is a wonderful opportunity to show our kids that belonging means being seen, valued and included. The kids are working together to day to make something beautiful — just like this innovative program.
Quarter 2
One quarter is in the books! We are already one week into quarter 2. Parents, we are piloting a way to report out on your child’s growth with regard to the Portrait of a Graduate (PoG) skills and attributes. You will notice this in the comments. Some of our teachers have piloted PoG-themed comments; you can find these in PowerSchool. Teachers were given the option to issue one PoG-based comment that represents a PoG strength and one that represents an area where growth is needed. In an effort to promote growth, conversation and PoG transparency, we are hopeful that these comments will be informative and offer new information as students progress in school. Regarding report cards, they will be mailed home in the coming weeks. Comments, however, can only be viewed in PowerSchool.
WMS Upcoming Dates to Remember
|
November 11 |
Veterans Day on the Town Green at 11 AM |
|
November 20 - 22 |
Rock of Ages (check the WHS website for tickets) |
|
November 25 |
Grade 7 Field Trip to Hartford Stage Co. |
|
November 26 - 28 |
No School - Thanksgiving Break |
|
December 7 |
Holiday Tree Lighting (Westbrook Town Green) |
|
December 11 |
Winter Bands Concert 6:00 PM |
ATHLETICS
Middle School Update
What an awesome fall season it’s been for our middle school athletes! All fall sports have officially wrapped up, and we had a great time celebrating everyone’s hard work and accomplishments today. Unified Sports will continue its full-year program and is off to a fantastic start.
Looking ahead, registration is now open for Girls Basketball and Boys Basketball. Both programs are growing each year, and we encourage new students to join a winter sport. We want to continue building our teams and growing participation!
Intramural Volleyball is also on the horizon, meeting for 14 sessions throughout February and March. Registration for that program is now open as well.
It’s shaping up to be a busy, exciting, and successful winter season for Westbrook Middle School Athletics!
WMS Winter Sports Registration Now Open
Students must have a current physical (dated within the last 13 months) on file with the school nurse to participate in interscholastic sports or intramurals.
Winter Registration Links:
Boys Basketball
Practice Starts: Monday, December 1
Games Begin: Tuesday, December 16
Head Coach: Doug Spingola | Assistant Coach: TBD
Schedule: Practices meet Monday–Friday, alternating weekly between 2:30–4:00 PM or 4:15–5:30 PM (the week of December 1 will have late practices). On late-practice days, students attend study hall from 2:30–4:00 PM. A detailed schedule will be shared with families of registered players.
Girls Basketball
Practice Starts: Monday, December 1
Games Begin: Tuesday, December 16
Head Coach: Cameron Marshall | Assistant Coach: TBD
Schedule: Practices meet Monday–Friday, alternating weekly between 2:30–4:00 PM or 4:15–5:30 PM (the week of December 1 will have early practices). On late-practice days, students attend study hall from 2:30–4:00 PM. A detailed schedule will be shared with families of registered players.
Intramural Volleyball
Starts: Monday, February 16
Head Coach: Bill Gombos | Assistant Coach: Heidi Joslyn
Schedule: February 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 27 and March 2, 6, 9, 11, 13, 16, 18, 20
Unified Sports
Continues through the Winter and Spring Sessions — a great opportunity for inclusive teamwork and fun!
WMS Winter Sports Game Schedules (subject to change—please check regularly)
Important Links
Contact Information
Caitlin Eichler
PK–12 Director of Athletics, Physical Education, and Health
ceichler@westbrookctschools.org
860-399-7099
Emily Gorki
Athletic Trainer
egorki@westbrookctschools.org
860-399-6214
Thank you for your continued support of Westbrook Public Schools as we aim to deliver an exceptional education that empowers every student to explore their passion and purpose.
Sincerely,
Matt Talmadge
WHS/WMS Principal