Good Afternoon:
Highlights from this week…
We dodged a bullet this morning with the weather. I am hopeful that the freezing stuff stays away a few more weeks. Let us please get to December!
Congratulations to our varsity girls’ soccer team. They have advanced to the Class S Final tomorrow against Housatonic Valley Regional. The game is at 10:30 am at the Municipal Stadium in Waterbury. Compliments to these talented girls for their stellar play during the playoff season, and our best to them for a fine game tomorrow! (Despite the fact that Housatonic was my home district, all of my six children have graduated from Housatonic Valley Regional and my wife taught at “Housy” for 12 years, I will be sporting my new Portland sweatshirt!)
I had the opportunity to see a wonderful Veterans Day program at our high school this week. Mr. & Mrs. Stotler (Social Studies) did a fine job organizing and facilitating this program. Our students were fortunate to hear some moving testimony from a number of our Portland veterans. Student, Tom Pelton played a moving rendition of “Taps” at the conclusion of the program.
Teachers at Brownstone Intermediate School begin a district wide training in the teaching of writing this week with a consultant from Capital Region Education Counsel (CREC). Portland was awarded a grant for this training as a means for advancing our understandings of writing instructional practices. I spoke with Mrs. Boske and with several teachers who participated. Early reports are that the sessions were extremely well done. Each of our five schools will be receiving a series of five days of training (from the same consultant). The format of these training sessions is a coaching model and one that promotes a good deal of collaboration among and between our teachers. This work is also important as we work toward developing common understandings about teaching practices from school to school here in Portland.
Parent/Family survey data will be released to the public after Thanksgiving. In addition, building principals, members of each school’s climate teams, and school staff will also be looking at feedback we obtained from our recent surveys. Thank you for your participation.
Parks and Recreation Director, Sean Dwyer, informed me that Portland has 438 children already registered for youth basketball in town, with another 80 expected to register in the near future. Our schools are busy with activity well beyond the school day.
I was recently notified that Laurie Boske and Brownstone were awarded a $1500.00 grant from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) for a diversity workshop for grade 6 students. The workshop is called Becoming an Ally and grade 6 students will be presenting what they learned to students in grade 5.
Once again, congratulations to Scott Giegerich and his staff for their 2014 Blue Ribbon Award. Mr. Giegerich and grade 7 teacher, Diane Stolting participated in an inspirational experience this week in Washington D.C. Awards, stirring speeches and numerous networking opportunities between the recipients from all over the United States highlighted this two-day conference and award ceremony. I know we will be hearing more about their workshops at a future Board of Education meeting.
The Board of Education is meeting Tuesday night (11/18) at 7:00pm at PHS. The agenda is on our website.
Have a nice weekend and go Portland girls!
Philip B. O’Reilly, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
http://www.towntech.org/OurActivities/PortlandontheMove/14Nov.aspx