August 25, 2022
Dear Westbrook Families,
One week from today we begin the start of the 2022-2023 school year. With great excitement for the year ahead, we will welcome back more than 600 students PK-12 on Thursday, September 1st, including more than 20 new students and their families joining our Westbrook community and 31 new preschool students.
Our work together as a school community continues to be focused on providing engaging, student-centered, personalized learning opportunities for all of our students. We are committed to providing learning experiences in a supportive, nurturing, and inspiring school environment that supports not only student growth as individuals and as members of a community, but encourages our students to aspire to excellence in all that they do. We have incredible opportunities in all of our academic areas, including robust and comprehensive offerings in college courses, vocation and career courses, art, music, STEM, robotics, theater, athletics, and after-school activities to encourage personal growth and exploration for our students as they learn more about who they are, what they love to do, and what they are passionate about. And most importantly, we have a caring and supportive school community of educators and staff committed to the success and wellbeing of each and every student in Westbrook schools.
Last year, our school community developed a Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate with input from our students, staff, parents, alumni, Board of Education, community leaders, and community members. At the June 2022 Westbrook Board of Education meeting, the Portrait and learning priorities were officially approved by the Westbrook Board of Education. We thank you, our families, and the community of Westbrook for contributing to the development of this important portrait and district vision. We look forward to a continued open and collaborative partnership to provide the best learning experiences and opportunities for all students. For the new school year, we will develop lessons, activities, rubrics, and assessments PK-12 aligned to the following priority skills and attributes identified in the 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.
We thank our families and community for your continued partnership to ensure that the Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate continues to be a meaningful and genuine reflection of our community’s commitment to all students. In the coming months, we will be reaching out again to solicit input and ideas about a district image to complement our new Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate and to share our progress in integrating these priorities in the day to day learning environment.
As the start of the 2022-2023 school year nears, my family is also preparing for the transition from summer days to action packed school days, after school activities, and sports. My oldest begins the final year of high school as a senior who hopes to attend art school to become a concept artist for the game design industry and my youngest is a rising 7th grader who loves math, coding, and all things science related. Schedules have not yet been released for our hometown, so I am still the parent refreshing the PowerSchool app over and over again in the hope of catching a glimpse of what their school year will look like day to day. As a family, we enjoyed the beautiful New England summer days outdoors reconnecting with neighbors and family, but we are very much looking forward to the start of the new school year- new teachers, new courses, new and old friends, art studio time, college planning and tours, and, of course, the youth ice hockey season.
As we begin the new school year, we open our doors to students, staff, and families in a more normal return to school than we have seen in the last few years- planning to fully welcome our families in person into our schools for events, orientation, conferences, and activities. As we transition into more normal routines and protocols as it relates to illness and COVID 19, we will follow the updated recommendations of the Center for Disease Control, Connecticut Department of Health and the Westbrook Health Department as it relates to testing, face masks, and quarantine protocols communicated in the new Launching Into Health Learning and Test, Mask, and Go guidelines. Students, staff, and school community members who are not feeling well, will be encouraged to stay home until they are feeling better. When individuals experience mild respiratory symptoms that are similar to COVID 19 symptoms (cough, congestion, sore throat, etc.), they may continue to attend school if they have tested negative for COVID 19, wear a mask while symptomatic, are fever free, and have not had close contact with a confirmed positive case in their household. If an individual has a fever or is experiencing more significant symptoms, they will be required to stay home until they are fever free, symptoms improve, and they have tested negative for COVID 19 after a 5 day quarantine period (in most cases). We will continue to be flexible and responsive to any changes in health conditions in our area. The health and safety of our students, families, and staff will always be the highest priority. If conditions change, as it relates to COVID-19, we will continue to work closely with the Westbrook Health Director, Zachary Faiella, and the Connecticut River Area Health District, to guide any changes in protocols or school operations to keep our school community safe.
We are excited and eager to welcome back our students PK-12 to the new school year and we are committed to making it an amazing year for all!
Your partner in education in service to the students and families of Westbrook,
Kristina J. Martineau, Ed.D.
Westbrook Superintendent of Schools
SPECIAL LESSONS AND EVENTS FOR STUDENTS AND STAFF WILL BE HELD THIS WEEK
