From the Superintendent
School is out for the summer! Or, at least it will be by the time you are reading this article! I hope that all Eastford families with school-aged students have had a positive school year. I also wish the Eastford students in grades 8 and 12 the best of luck as they move to their next educational adventure.
At Eastford Elementary, we believe in the benefits of building strong school-family partnerships. Hopefully, those families with students at EES have benefited from this commitment. As a staff, we support caregivers’ positive efforts to become better advocates for their children. According to research, family engagement forms a positive link between home and school. Research indicates that collaboration between caregivers and educators improves student academic achievement, attendance, and behavior. It also lowers chronic absenteeism and high school dropout rates. Students are likely to experience stronger social-emotional growth and engage in fewer risk behaviors, such as substance abuse or violence. Strong school-family partnerships often lead to stronger school/community partnerships overall.
At EES, we are proactive in engaging our families in the decision-making and goal-setting process for their children’s education. Teachers maintain regular communication with families through individual appointments, conferences, e-mails, and phone calls. Our school administration responds positively to all phone calls and e-mails from caregivers. There is a monthly newsletter that celebrates successes and keeps families informed about available opportunities and resources. Our movement to student-led conferences in Grades 3-8 engages students and families in a much more personalized discussion of student progress. Families are invited to celebrate students’ successes at classroom and/or school-wide events such as concerts. Given that we have successfully obtained a competitive after-school grant for the past several years, we have offered family engagement opportunities such as Paint Night, Astronomy Night, and Meet the Penguin Night.
We recently received notification that our after-school grant has been approved for the 2026-27 school year. We will continue to offer opportunities for free after-school programming and family engagement activities. While we can’t offer daily after-school childcare for free, the grant does make it possible for us to subsidize between $100-$200 per student, depending on the number of days of attendance, of the monthly cost of the Hale YMCA program.
I have become personally involved in providing family partnership activities through the Super-Duper Math Trooper Problem Solvers Club. This provides me with the opportunity to get to know the students at EES. Given my professional training in mathematics, I am particularly interested in the mathematical thinking they use to analyze word problems. This year, the program was offered to all families in Grades 1-3. I am pleased to say that on June 15, I celebrated the success of 21 families who completed six of the monthly problem-solver packets. I intend to continue offering this program next year and look forward to increased family involvement.
Although the connection may not always be obvious, we are always looking to support the educational experience of our children and their families.
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The Board of Education approved the addition of a third bus to provide daily transportation for our students. This additional bus will shorten the time our students spend on buses, allow for a later pickup time, and an earlier return home. Hopefully, this will also encourage families to allow their children to take the bus to and from school whenever possible. The lines of cars, especially at school closing time, are getting longer and creating more opportunities for accidents on the school grounds. This is a one-year contract that will be reviewed based on the success of attaining improved bus transportation and shorter car lines.
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There is an ad-hoc committee of Board of Education members researching the best educational opportunity for our high school students who wish to attend a public high school. At the BOE meeting scheduled for Aug. 20, the committee will present an overview of its research. The BOE is also hosting a Community Conversation on Thursday, Sept. 24, from 6-8 p.m., inviting parents and caregivers to participate in the discussion.
Enjoy the summer months!