Regular BOE Mtg
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Dear Westbrook Families,
Welcome back! Today was an amazing and positive start to the new school year! This morning, we welcomed 576 students PK-12 to the start of the new 2024-2025 school year. District-wide, we also welcomed 35 new families to our community and 60 new students to our schools.
Press Release from Dr. Kristina J. Martineau, Westbrook Superintendent of Schools
Westbrook Public Schools is pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the Westbrook High School (WHS) Hall of Fame Award to honor WHS graduates who have excelled in their careers and serve as role models for the children of Westbrook and future generations of graduates.
This year, the new WHS Hall of Fame Committee reviewed more than 30 nominations from its school and alumni community. After careful consideration, the committee selected two distinguished graduates who are both role models through their success in their chosen careers: Ms. Bernadette Carver (Class of 1977) and Ms. Heather Vogell (Class of 1992). Carver was also selected for her extensive and ongoing commitment to community service in Westbrook.
The 2024 WHS Hall of Fame honorees were recognized by the Westbrook superintendent of schools, Dr. Kristina Martineau, at the WHS Class of 2024 graduation ceremony on June 14.
Bernadette A. (Pagano) Carver—WHS Class of 1977
Ms. Carver began her career with Essex Savings Bank as a high school junior through an internship program. After high school, Carver attended The Stone School of Business in New Haven and completed the accounting program, graduating early with honors. In 1978, she accepted a job with Essex Saving Bank as a teller and has been with the bank for 45 years, holding many positions, including high level leadership and management positions. Currently, she holds the position of vice president, corporate secretary & compliance officer. She was instrumental in implementing the Operations and Lending departments at the bank. While working at the bank, Carver also attended the Connecticut School of Finance and Management and The National School of Banking.
Carver has always been very loyal and involved in her community. Her current involvements include the Bankers Compliance Association of Connecticut, Old Saybrook Chamber of Commerce, Exchange Club of Old Saybrook/Westbrook, Westbrook Daisy Dash, Beach Jam for Cancer Patient Care, Shoreline Soup Kitchen, and Connecticut River Museum. Carver has been an active volunteer in the community of Westbrook in many ways, with the Westbrook tree lighting, Westbrook Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and Vista Life Innovations to name just a few. As a result of her loyalty and service to her small town and surrounding areas, she is a pillar in these communities, earning an award from the Community Foundation of Middlesex County as a “Behind the Scenes Unsung Hero.”
Heather Vogell—WHS Class of 1992
Ms. Vogell is an investigative reporter at Pro Publica, an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. Vogell has had a highly successful and award-winning career in journalism. She has exposed abuse at group homes for the developmentally disabled and high schools which push out low achievers to raise their graduation rates. A series she co-authored, “Cheating Our Children,” which examined suspicious test scores in public schools across the nation, was a 2013 finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. She has also received several other prizes.
After attending WHS, Vogell attended Georgetown University, where she received a BA in English. Vogell continued her education and earned two graduate degrees from prestigious programs in her field: an MS degree in journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a second MS degree in public administration from the CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice Inspector General program.
Nominations for the 2025 Westbrook Hall of Fame Award will open in the fall of 2024. Honorees will be selected in the spring of 2025 and then be recognized at the WHS Class of 2025 graduation ceremony in June.
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:
Nominations are due no later than Friday, March 1, 2024, to be considered for June 2024 recognition.
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.”
September 6, 2024
In The Loop
Greetings Westbrook Families,
Welcome to the next edition of In The Loop. Each year, teachers engage in ongoing professional development and professional discussions that shape the student experience and aid in both instruction and student learning. This year, we are tackling human learning via the book, Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. We have already completed our first reading and conducted our first discussion. Ultimately, students will benefit from our study of how people learn best, how they learn most and how we can transform our teaching and their learning to enhance depth of understanding as well as make knowledge and skills stick for good. I am so impressed by our faculty and staff; they are lifelong learners and excellent models for our kids. Okay – find those reading glasses, for this Loop is chock-full of information. There is much to know at the beginning of the school year to consider yourself truly In The Loop.
Clubs
Getting involved in school clubs can be a phenomenal way to become more connected with WMS. We offer about a dozen clubs, seasonal intramural sports and several interscholastic athletic choices. Middle school is a great time to try out different activities, so encourage your child to branch out and experience something new. Below, see a list of the clubs in which your child can participate. Remember that the late bus operates Monday through Thursday, so transportation is taken care of.
Art Club - Mondays with Mrs. Colagiovanni, starts September 9th
Game Club - Tuesdays with Mr. Jennings and Mr. Irons, starts September 10th
Drama Club - Several days a week with Ms. Floyd, starts late November/early December
AV Production - Daily in AM with Ms. Runkle, starts September 3rd (please let HR teacher know if you will be attending)
Student Council - TBD; more information to follow
Newspaper Club - Thursdays with Mrs. Renaud, starts September 12th
Literary Magazine - Thursdays with Mrs. Renaud, September 12th and runs concurrently with Newspaper Club
Yearbook Club - Thursdays with Mrs. Fredrickson, starts mid-November
Math Olympiads - Mondays with Mrs. Maselli, starts late October (available to all grades this year)
Homework Club - Mondays with Mrs. Goad, starts September 9th
Robotics Club - Tuesdays with Mr. DeRose, starts September 10th
Sports
Middle school games begin next week. I would like to wish our fall athletes and coaches good luck this season!
School Pictures
Joseph’s Photography will be at Westbrook Middle School on Thursday, September 19 to take annual school portraits. Picture forms will be sent home next week. You might like to know that we do pictures first thing in the morning; we try to snap their official annual photographs while they are still looking fresh. Please reference this memo for additional picture day details. Note that the online, pre-pay option will go into effect on Monday, September 9.
Open House
I invite you to join us for our annual Open House on Wednesday, September 18 from 6 - 7:45 PM. Follow in your child’s footsteps for just over a 100 minutes as you get to know the facility, administration, the fantastic faculty and all about what goes on at Westbrook Middle School. This is a night that is not to be missed. Be on the lookout, as more specific information about this fun, informative evening is forthcoming. And, yes. There will be cookies!
Seventh and eighth grade students and parents are invited to attend Westbrook High School’s Open House on September 11 at 6:00 - 7:30 PM. This is a college fair-style event. Students and parents can come at any time between 6 - 7:30 PM to the WHS gymnasium. This will be a good opportunity for them (and you) to get to know all about the phenomenal offerings at the high school. WHS continues to amaze me, for they offer a wide variety of opportunities for students to learn, grow, perform and explore at incredibly high levels. Check it out.
Test Results
Early next week, you will be receiving test scores and information related to last year’s Smarter Balanced and Next Generation Science assessments in the mail. I am attaching the letters that accompany your child’s scores below; copies are provided in your preferred language. You will, however, have to check the mailbox to see your student’s scores.
SBAC:
NGSS:
upDates
September 9 - Interscholastic Sports Competitions Begin
September 9 - Clubs Begin
September 9 - Late Bus Commences Monday - Thursday; Leaves WMS at 3:50 PM Daily
September 11 - WHS Open House for 7th and 8th Graders and Parents
September 18 - Open House for WMS
September 19 - School Photo Day
September 23-27 - Book Fair
That just about does it for the September 3 - September 6 Loop. Before I sign off, I typically attach photos to my memos at the end of each Loop. School Messenger is not allowing that currently, so I will be attaching a document with weekly photos. Pictures of the previous week are but a click away. This week’s pictures include young scientists making plastic (from milk and vinegar) and building a “plankton.” Additionally, I have included snapshots of our athletes as they prepare for their first competitions next week. Click here to enjoy the photos. Students only get one chance at a middle school education. At Westbrook Middle School, we aim to make it the best education possible. Consider yourself Looped in.
Sincerely,
Matt Talmadge
Principal
Westbrook Middle School
