From the Superintendent
Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year! I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight some changes to our wonderful learning community.
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New faces in some new places: We are welcoming Mrs. Boccacio, our former building substitute, as our first-year Grade 1 teacher. Mrs. Rhynhart is moving from Grade 1 to Grade 2. Mrs. Diane Barlow, who served our students well as our Interventionist for many years opted to retire — so we are pleased to have Mrs. Lincoln, our former Grade 2 teacher, take on the responsibilities of this very important position. Mrs. Lincoln will facilitate our efforts to enhance the multi-tiered system of supports we have in place at EES. This system is a critical component of our ability to meet the needs of all students. This year, information from this system will be merged into the CT-SEDS data system that also houses all our student IEPs and 504 plans. This will allow our teachers and families access to monitor student progress.
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Before and After School Program: The Hale YMCA out of Putnam will be providing Before and After School programming for students enrolled in this program. The EES administrative team has been working closely with the YMCA team to make the transition as smooth as possible. If you have questions about this program, please contact the YMCA directly. The best contact is Veronica Larocque. She can be reached via e-mail at [email protected], or by phone at (860) 315-9622, ext. 4105. Please know that the administrative team at EES will continue to monitor the implementation of this program as we move forward with this new partnership.
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The Bulldog Way: Yes, our friendly and sometimes playful bulldog will be appearing in more places this year. We are proud of the EES learning community. We believe we offer high-quality programming in a warm and caring environment for all our preschool to Grade 8 students. Over the past few years, we developed “The Portrait of an Eastford Learner” that is posted throughout the building. This statement of beliefs informs the work we do with our students. We also have a Strategic Plan that we update yearly to ensure we are making progress in our goals. These goals are based on the academic progress of our students, the climate data we receive from our staff and family surveys, and changes in state requirements and legislative demands. A critical component of this plan is the Bulldog Way, a list of commitments we expect from all staff to provide quality programming for our students and positive communication among staff, students, families and community members. Copies of the EES Strategic Plan as well as out portrait of the Eastford Learner are posted on www.eastfordct.org.
In closing, I extend the first “thank you” of the 2025-26 school year to all our families and community members that provide us with the resources needed to provide high-quality education for all students. Although we often focus on the work done at EES, your support allows our students to continue their Grade 9-12 education at Woodstock Academy, Ellis Tech, Killingly Agricultural Center, Edwin O. Smith High School, and Quinebaug Middle College. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams (Eleanor Roosevelt). Thanks to the unwavering committed spirit of partnership that exists within the Eastford community, we can keep the dreams of all our students alive.
As always, you are invited to contact me at [email protected] if you have questions or concerns and/or would like to schedule an appointment. Of course, please feel welcome to stop by to say hello before our regularly scheduled Board of Education meetings. Our next meeting is Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. in the EES library.