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Posted on 3/29/2017 by Dr. Janet Robinson

There's been a lot of talk and discussion lately focusing on the newly proposed Dual Language Program. I've put together a few things I'd like to share with the community to keep everyone informed. The program was introduced at the January Curriculum Committee meeting as an Item for Information. From there, it went before the Finance Committee at not one, but two budget workshops. From there it went before the Curriculum Committee as an Item for Action on March 21st. From there, it was forwarded (with a favorable recommendation) to the full Board for final approval at the March 27th regular monthly Board meeting. The District's World Language Coordinator, Denise Massari, did an outstanding job of presenting this program at the Finance and Curriculum Committee meetings. For a better understanding and more information:

The links to see the video for the presentation given to the Finance Committee are:

February 8th - Finance Budget Workshop

February 13th - Finance Budget Workshop

The link to see the video for the presentation given to the Curriculum Committee is:

March 21st - Curriculum Committee Meeting

The program was voted on by the Board at the March 27th meeting and passed 5 to 1.

The Finance Committee consists of Board members and the following people from the community - David Kennedy, Arlene Perricone, Eileen Santos, Ben Proto, Jennifer Falotico, and Bob David.

The Curriculum Committee also consists of members of the Board and the following people from the community - David Kennedy, Helen Craye, Monica Lazaro, Jim Vigliotti, Bernie Bova, Tania Livingston and Robyn Proto.

The materials distributed by Denise Massari were:

Dual Language, The Basics

ESOL in Pictures

Dual Language Background

by Dr. Janet Robinson
3/1/2017

Greetings Families and Community Members - The second stage of the Strategic Planning (Five Year District Plan) process is beginning, and Stakeholders are needed join one of the four Action Teams necessary to carry the process forward.

The Action Teams are as follows:

• Family and Community Partnerships
• Mastery Based Learning in a Diverse District
• 21st Century Skills and Assessments
• Rigorous social curriculum that promotes character development, social emotional wellness, and positive behaviors.

We'd love to have your expertise and voice participating in this important work. We reached out via School Messenger last week seeking your interest in becoming a member of one of these teams. We've heard from several of you expressing your desire to participate and we thank you and appreciate your willingness to commit to this process. If there's anyone else interested in being a part of this project, please submit your name to Teresa Lycoudes at 203-385-4209 or via Email at lycoudest@stratfordk12.org. We hope you will join one of our teams, and we look forward to moving the Strategic Plan forward.

by Dr. Janet Robinson
11/1/2016

This is always a super busy time of the year in schools, and probably for all of you at home also. We have had a smooth start to the year with a number of new families moving in and all of us adjusting to new friends and new learning. We welcome all of our new families and hope that you are experiencing our Stratford hospitality. It is not easy to adjust anytime you make a move, but many of our new families are coming from out of state and out of country. So we recognize how difficult this move might be. Since all of us in this district want your children to be successful, please let us know how to assist with your transitions.

As we are dedicated to doing the best for our students, we have embarked upon our Strategic Planning process for a new 5 year plan. This plan should be the guide for important decisions the district must make for the next 5 years, while still allowing flexibility for unexpected events. After all, no one can really predict the impact the emerging technologies might have.

Stakeholders,including students, representing our community volunteered their time this past weekend to meet Friday night and all day Saturday to begin the work of the Strategic Plan. We will meet again in January, after which several action teams will work on building out the actions to meet our goals. A meeting at the end of May, or the beginning of June, is when we will finalize our plans and take them to the Board of Education for approval. We expect to be accountable for the goals that are set and will report our status to the Board of Education on a regular basis. You will be able to see our Strategic Plan after it is finalized on our website. We welcome your comments.