Westbrook Middle School

WMS News

• Westbrook High School Hall of Fame Award Nomination

  Nominations and applications are now open for the Westbrook Hall of Fame  Award.  Westbrook Public Schools is looking to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of our graduates as a model for our current and future students. We are proud of our graduates and look forward to sharing and honoring their accomplishments with our community as well as with our graduating Class of 2024 as they consider their own future after graduation and how they will contribute to their profession and community. 

  Please consider nominating a Westbrook High School alumnus who has excelled in their career, vocation, business, community service, sport, performing arts, or other interests that would serve as a model for our students to aspire to on their own journeys in the future after high school graduation. 

  Anyone may nominate a Westbrook High School graduate who has graduated at least ten years prior to the nomination.  All nominations will be reviewed by the Westbrook High School Knights Hall of Fame Committee.  One alumnus will be selected each year and will be publicly recognized at the graduation ceremony at Westbrook High School on Friday, June 14, 2024.

  Nominations are made in one of the following ways:

  1. Email Dr. Kristina J. Martineau, Superintendent of Schools, at kmartineau@westbrookctschools.org with the following information: name of the candidate, year of graduation, candidate’s contact information, your name and contact information, and the reason why you believe this candidate should be recognized as an alumnus who has excelled in career, vocation, business, community service, sport, performing arts, etc.

   

  1. Complete the online application form that can be found here. 

   

  Nominations are due no later than Friday, March 1, 2024, to be considered for June 2024 recognition.

  Westbrook Public Schools

• Westbrook Board of Education Receives Leadership Award 2nd Year in a Row at Major Education Convention in Connecticut

  For the second year in a row, the Westbrook Board of Education was presented with the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) Leadership Award.  This award was presented during the annual CABE / CAPSS (Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents) Convention held at the Mystic Marriott. “CABE believes that Boards of Education which exhibit the most effective leadership are characterized by their ability to work together as teams.” The CABE Board of Education Leadership Awards are designed to recognize boards which work effectively in this manner. In order to be considered for this award, boards had to fulfill 22 of 30 criteria in four areas; community relations, board operations, policy and board member professional development. A minimum of three criteria in each area had to be met in order to receive the award. 

  As part of the nomination and application process, the Westbrook Board of Education reflected on their collaborative work to continually grow as community leaders and in service to the children and Town of Westbrook:

  “The Westbrook Board of Education is a more effective board of education than it has been in previous years due to its commitment and deliberate attention to professional growth as both individual members of the board and as a cohesive, collaborative governing body.  The Board is actively engaged with professional development and highlights the importance of these opportunities every Board of Education meeting as a standing agenda item.  This dedicated time in each meeting to share new learning and to promote future professional development opportunities continues to strengthen the collaborative, active growth mindset and the relationships of the Board members to act as an informed and unified governing body in the best interest of students, families, and staff.

  The Westbrook Board of Education is a very active Board with the school community. It is a standing agenda item at every board of education meeting to provide members with an opportunity to share recent school events and activities that they have participated in to promote our schools and to encourage membership ongoing participation in our schools. The majority of the Board attend school events and activities on a regular basis, which is valued and appreciated by staff, school leadership, and families.  The presence of the Board at school events has created a culture of mutual respect, support, and collaboration.  The Board is also highly visible in the community at major Town events, such as the Tree Lighting- providing access to families and a clear commitment to serving as community leaders.”

  Dr. Kim Walker, Westbrook Board of Education shared, “I am so proud of the work and ongoing commitment of my board members on behalf of our students and our Westbrook community. Our board works smoothly together as a team that focuses on student achievement for ALL students.”

  Westbrook Board of Education

• Westbrook Middle School Named 2023 ESPN Honor Roll School

  Early in 2023, Westbrook Middle School was recognized by Special Olympics North America as a nationally recognized Unified Champion School.  Special Olympics is dedicated to promoting inclusion through participation in athletics experiences. Unified Sports brings people with and without intellectual disabilities together in the spirit of teamwork and social bonding.  Their philosophy is that by practicing and competing together, the path to friendship and understanding will be paved.  

  Under the leadership of Daniel Jennings, Special Education teacher and Unified Sports head coach, and Westbrook Dean of Students Amy Gallagher, Westbrook Middle School (WMS) applied to be a Special Olympics Unified Sports Champion School in 2022.  The application process was rigorous, and WMS had to demonstrate that they met the ten rigorous national standards of excellence stipulated by the Special Olympics.  In April of 2023, WMS received notification from Special Olympics North America that our school's application to the Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools National Recognition Program had been approved.  When asked what being a Unified Sports Champion School meant to WMS Dean of Students Amy Gallagher, she stated, “It feels good for the nation to be made aware of what we’ve known for a long time. Our school community is inclusive, connected, and making a difference in the lives of so many students. We are very proud to be recognized as a Champion school and try to live up to that standard every day.”

  According to the National School Recognition Program, WMS received national banner recognition and noted that WMS has built “... an inclusive school climate and exudes a sense of collaboration, engagement and respect for all members of the student body and staff. A Unified Champion School receiving national banner recognition is one that has demonstrated commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community.”  Upon recognition, Director of Special Services, Fran Lagace emailed Coach Jennings and said, “Great work! The benefits for the kids goes way beyond the banner. It has really improved the culture and climate for students and staff.”

  In mid-October, WMS was once again recognized as a leader in Unified Sports by ESPN.  Westbrook was named a 2023 ESPN Honor Roll School.  WMS was one of ten schools in the Northeast region and the only school in Connecticut to be awarded this prestigious honor.  In a recent announcement by ESPN, Westbrook’s Unified program along with the other Honor Roll Schools were thanked for building more inclusive schools and a more inclusive world.  Mr. Jennings has been leading the charge with regard to inclusion and belonging at Westbrook Middle School for years.  When he learned that his program had been named a 2023 ESPN Honor Roll School, he said, “This is an incredible honor! I am very proud of our Unified Sports program, and how it continues to positively shape our inclusive school community. Unified Sports plays a major role in contributing to everyone’s sense of belonging in Westbrook Middle School. Way to go Unified Knights!!”

  Westbrook Middle School Principal Matt Talmadge commented, “So many stakeholders have come together to make this a reality.  Coach Jennings and athletic director Gallagher leveraged the support from both the Connecticut Association of Schools and our director of special services as they worked with our students and families to bring the true spirit of inclusion to life through Unified Sports.  They made a difference in our community, and that is what it is all about.”  

  Dr. Kristina Martineau, Superintendent of Westbrook Public Schools added, “Unified Sports fosters social inclusion and youth leadership.  That powerful combination is highly valued for all of our students.   Our growing Unified Sports program continues to make a tremendous impact increasing positivity and belonging in both the Westbrook Public Schools and the Westbrook community at large. We are proud of our teacher leaders for making this happen for our community and so proud of all of our students involved in this important program.” 

  Mr. Robert Hale, the Director of Unified Sports at Special Olympics Connecticut, leads the team that organizes the school-based Unified Sports program for Connecticut. This program is sponsored cooperatively by Special Olympics Connecticut and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Association.  Mr. Hale personally came to Westbrook Middle School on October 27, 2023 to present a banner to Westbrook Middle School during their annual fall pep rally.  The banner and presentation by Mr. Hale allowed the entire school community to celebrate being named a Unified Champion School as well as a 2023 ESPN Honor Roll School.

  Westbrook Middle School

• Westbrook Veterans Day Ceremony

  The Westbrook Veterans Day Ceremony will take place on the Westbrook Town Green at 11:00am on November 10th.   Many students from Westbrook Schools will make contributions to the ceremony such as personal reflections, singing, and concert band performances.  Review the attached flyer for a breakdown of the event.

  • VeteransDay2023.pdf

  Westbrook Public Schools

• Welcome Back to the New 2023-2024 School Year!

  Dear Westbrook Families,

  What an incredible start to the first day of school! This morning, we welcomed more than 590 students PK-12 to the start of the new school year, including new students and families from Columbia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, and Honduras. The morning has been filled with joyful new beginnings, connecting with friends and teachers, and much excitement for the year ahead.  We hope all of our students and their families enjoyed the summer months, but we are very, very happy to have everyone back for the new school year.

  We have a number of new and exciting changes to share with you this year in each of our three schools.

  At Daisy Ingraham Elementary School, we are piloting a team model approach for grade 4.  Students will have a homeroom teacher just as you would see in an early middle school model and then change classes and teachers for core area subjects like math, science, reading, and social studies.  We also added a science lab to our upper elementary wing so that students in grades 3 and 4 will engage in hands-on STEM activities every day in a science lab space and look forward to redesigning and upgrading it over the next year with input from our students at Daisy and with the help of high school students. The current grade 4 cohort will remain at Daisy for the 2024-2025 school year- the return of grade 5 to Daisy Ingraham Elementary School for the first time since the 2004-2005 school year.  We have also added instrumental music and band opportunities for students in grade 4- introducing an important part of our music program to this younger grade to further increase instrumental music learning opportunities for our younger students.

  At Westbrook Middle School, we have expanded our English language arts classrooms to create an open and engaging reading space- the classrooms are now doubled in size and include dedicated areas to encourage independent reading and to allow for small group discussions.  There is also a new writing class for students in grades 5-8 where they will read, discuss, and write daily to improve those critical foundational skills for all courses.  In grades 7 and 8, our students will now have the opportunity to explore robotics as well as additional STEM classes that include SeaPerch- a fun and engaging underwater robotics curriculum introduced to us and funded by Electric Boat to expand our STEM offerings.  Westbrook Middle School is also working with General Dynamics Electric Boat and Goodwin University to bring Boat for Kids to our students.  Lessons will include buoyancy, welding, pipe fitting, electricity, sheet metal work, and machining.  The lessons provide interactive, fun ways to introduce students to new scientific concepts as well as skilled industrial trades involved in submarine building. Westbrook Middle School is also piloting a Digital Citizenship, Media Literacy, and Internet Safety course for fifth graders.  All WMS students will once again be engaging in the Discovery Project process this year.  Discovery Projects allow students to study a topic of their choice and present new learning to their peers.  This year, WMS Discovery Projects are aligned to the Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate, individualized student success plans, and the Westbrook High School Career Pathways program.

  Westbrook High School is in the second phase of creating a new welding and fabrication lab that will include additional welding stations to accommodate increased enrollment in this important program.  The renovations include a workshop size doubled from its original size, a larger and upgraded HVAC system, and new electrical panel in addition.  During the 2023-2024 school year, two welding courses (Metals and Welding I and Metals and Welding II) will be offered that are aligned to American Welding Society national standards and curriculum.  During the 2024-2025 school year, two additional advanced courses will be offered to continue to advance student skills in welding and fabrication. We are in the process of exploring ways for these courses to earn college credits for our students in addition to high demand trade skills. At the high school, we continue to focus on increasing dual enrollment opportunities to increase student access and participation in courses that earn both credit for high school graduation and college.  We are also in the process of planning to offer three new UConn courses: UConn AH1100 Introduction to Allied Health Careers; UConn AH2001 Medical Terminology; and UConn ARE22210 Essentials of Accounting and Business.  In the high school math department, we also added a new course for the 2023-2024 school year called Financial Algebra. 

  Our work together as a school community continues to be focused on providing engaging, student-centered, personalized learning opportunities for all of our students. As a community, we have prioritized six critical attributes for all students that we have identified and communicated through our Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate:  

  Critical Problem-Solver: A Westbrook graduate who is a critical problem-solver systematically and strategically resolves a variety of complex issues.

  Creative Thinker: A Westbrook graduate who is a creative thinker explores existing ideas, products, or designs to innovate and create in imaginative or novel ways.

  Effective Communicator: A Westbrook graduate who is an effective communicator conveys a clear message while being respectful, receptive, and responsive to the input of others.

  Perseverant: A Westbrook graduate who is perseverant holds oneself responsible to reflect, revise, and grow through critical feedback and setbacks regardless of the challenges encountered.

  Socially Aware: A Westbrook graduate who is socially aware recognizes and understands the feelings of diverse individuals and groups with the ability to show compassion when considering norms for behaviors in a variety of settings.

  Responsible Decision-Maker: A Westbrook graduate who is a responsible decision maker demonstrates awareness of self and others as one considers responsible choices and consequences while making decisions to benefit self and community. 

  Last year, our teachers and leaders worked to develop lessons and activities aligned to our Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate, including the creation of a new logo to capture this important school community vision.  Special thanks to Westbrook High School graduate Andrew Scotella (Class of 2023) for his creative thinking and original artwork found in both the design of the circular logo and the Westbrook beach imagery to capture both our Westbrook shoreline and the pathway to graduation. I would also like to acknowledge and thank another Westbrook Knight, Nicole Stark (Class of 2005), who completed the final rendering and stylizing of the Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate logo.

  In each of our three schools, we continue to learn more about what each of these critical attributes mean in the context of learning at each grade level and across all content areas. We look forward to sharing more this year about the different ways our students in grades PK-12 are learning about and gaining skills aligned to the Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate.

  We are looking forward to an amazing new school year for our students in Westbrook! Welcome Back!

  Your partner in education in service to the students and families of Westbrook,

   

  

  Kristina J. Martineau, Ed.D.

  Westbrook Superintendent of Schools

  Westbrook Public Schools