I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

New Principal

Selected at GN

2

In the Schools 3

CT PTA

Principal of the

Year

3

WPS

Achievements

3

CAS

Elementary School

of the Year

4

&

5

In the Spotlight 7

Waterford Rotary

Student Leadership

Awards

8

J U N E 2 0 1 7 W A T E R F O R D P U B L I C S C H O O L S

Update from the Waterford Board of Education Bringing the

accomplishments

and initiatives of the

Waterford Public

Schools to the Town,

Community and

beyond to create a

Connection that

will reinforce a

strong commitment

to coming together

to educate the whole

child.

veyed a significant lesson that

was inspirational and eye open-

ing, offering our students under-

standing and hope. This powerful

The Waterford Youth Service

Bureau partnered with Waterford

Public Schools in bringing the

Chris Herren Project to Water-

ford High School on May 5th. The

Herren Project is a nationally rec-

ognized foundation, led by former

NBA player Chris Herren, whose

goals are to “Positively impact

the lives of those suffering with

addiction by providing effective

treatment navigation and to Edu-

cate youth and at-risk populations

on the importance of a healthy

lifestyle and provide techniques

to handle pressure within their

lives, their community or their

family situation.” www.theherrenproject.org/mission.

The Chris Herren Project con-

The

Waterford

Board of

Education

was hon-

ored to

present

four stu-

dents with

the CABE Student Leadership Award. Wa-

terford High School students Kaitlyn Dow

and Lyman Nuttell and Clark Lane Middle

School students Haley Trehern and Ryan

Salvador were presented this award at the

May 25th Board of Education meeting. The

CABE Student Leadership Award is given to

students who exhibit Leadership Skills includ-

ing: Willingness to take on challenges •

Capability to make difficult decisions •

Concern for others • Ability to work with

others • Willingness to commit to a pro-

ject • Diplomacy • Ability to understand

issues clearly • Ability to honor a commit-

ment. Congratulations to these four students

who have worked hard to make a difference

in their schools and community!

WPS in the Community presentation had a great impact

on students and staff and we are

thankful for the partnership of the

WYSB, the Brian T. Dagle Foun-

dation and private donors who

brought this presentation to

Waterford and invested in our

students. Waterford Public

Schools is committed to edu-

cating and informing our stu-

dents about alcohol and sub-

stance abuse and providing

resources to help students

make quality decisions.

Chris Herren sharing his

personal story on the

dangers of substance

abuse and his remarkable

road to recovery.

Members of the Teachers Lead-

ership Academy delivered a

presentation to the Board of Edu-

cation at the April 27th Board of

Education meeting highlighting

the program that was brought to

Waterford this year. Ms. Linda

Brailey, second grade teacher

at Great Neck Elementary

School, Ms. Kelly Barnes,

Grade 8 Math Teacher at Clark

Lane Middle School, and Mr.

Bill Bassett, Math Teacher at Waterford High

School, gave insightful presentations on their Theory

of Action, Group Projects, and provided feedback

regarding the program. The Teachers Leadership

Academy was a year long professional development

process for a select group of teachers designed to de-

velop a cadre of educators committed to developing

their leadership skills, expanding their leadership

knowledge base, and taking an active role in school

improvement and student success.

An investment in our staff is an

investment in our students.

The

Connection

P A G E 2

Colleagues and

supervisors in Norwich

remarked that Ms. Shea

“has brought the staff

together…is a culture and

climate builder…has built

a solid support system for

students and is whole-

child centered.” Others

said “She fosters a strong

collaborative culture

focused on promoting

positive outcomes.”

New Principal Selected for Great Neck chology from the Universi-

ty of Connecticut. Ms. Shea

currently serves as the

Principal of Stanton School

in Norwich, CT. In that

role, Ms. Shea has elevated

the culture and climate of

the school through an ap-

proach that includes

shared leadership, col-

lective decision making

and a focus on team-

work. Prior to this role,

she served successfully as

an Administrative Literacy

Specialist, a K-8 Instruc-

tional Specialist, a Grade 6

Language Arts Teacher, a

Grade 5 Teacher, a Litera-

cy Interventionist, and a

Summer Academy Admin-

istrator. Preceding her

profession in education,

she had a very successful

At the April 27, 2017 Wa-

terford Board of Education

Meeting, Ms. Billie Shea

was appointed as the Prin-

cipal for Great Neck Ele-

mentary School. Ms. Shea

will officially begin this

new role with Waterford on

July 1, 2017. Ms. Shea will

fill the vacancy created by

the retirement of Ms. Pat

Fedor.

Ms. Shea brings a multi-

tude of professional expe-

riences in education to

this new position with

Waterford. She holds a

Sixth Year in Educational

Leadership and a Master’s

Degree in Elementary Edu-

cation from Sacred Heart

University, as well as a

Bachelor’s Degree in Psy-

In the Schools...

private sector career includ-

ing roles as a writer/

curriculum and staff develop-

ment specialist, as well as

being a co-owner of an infor-

mation technology research

company, where she special-

ized as a Market Analyst and

Director of Research and Re-

porting.

On behalf of the entire search

committee, we congratulate

Ms. Shea. We are confident

she will be a great addition to

the staff, students, and fami-

lies of the Waterford Public

Schools.

Ms. Shea is excited to join the

Waterford team. She looks

forward to bringing her pas-

sion and talent as an educa-

tional leader to the Waterford

school community.

The Connection June 2017 www.waterfordschools.org

Clark Lane Middle School hosted its first “SMARTS Night” (SCIENCE . MATH . ARTS . TECHNOLOGY) on May 23rd . During

this informative evening, the electives and extra-curricular opportunities at Clark Lane Middle School were celebrated and

highlighted. Students, parents and the community enjoyed musical performances by the CLMS band, chorus and orchestra as

well as drama productions throughout the evening. Some of the extra curricular activities and clubs that were highlighted in-

cluded the Bike Club, Culinary Arts Program, Garden Club, History Fair Club, Invention X, Robotics / Lego Club, Rubik’s Cu-

be Club, Safe Mentors , Say Something Program , and Science Explorers to name a few. This event was a great way to show-

case the many opportunities that CLMS has to offer and was a great community event.

Girls Lacrosse

All-Star:

Julia Gigliotti - Attack

Jacklyn Lavoie- Midfield

Mary Grace Wyatt – Midfield

Molly Reagan – Defense

Honorable Mention:

Megan Sturm

Meghan Foley

Courtney Dishaw

Sportsmanship:

Illiana Stavens

Softball

All-Star:

Ciana Chiappone – Infielder

Madison Nott – Infielder

Ashley Goldstein – Pitcher

Honorable Mention:

Liliana Stoddard

Gina McKittrick

Emily Borysewicz

Sportsmanship:

Emily Borysewicz

Baseball

CLASS M STATE CHAMPIONS All-Star:

Collin Bakken – Pitcher

Alex Petchark – Infielder

Michael Burrows – Infielder

Tyler Yeomans – Outfielder

Honorable Mention:

Daniel Castelpoggi

Dylan Bosco

Sportsmanship:

Matthew Driscoll

P A G E 3 CT PTA Principal of the Year Pat Fedor

Kayla Mathiowetz and Nathaniel

Rowe were selected as National

Merit Scholars. Only thirteen stu-

dents in Connecticut were bestowed

this award.

WHS Sydney Tabor

was awarded the Con-

gressional Award

Gold Medal for spend-

ing over 400 hours

sharing her time and

talent in the betterment of her commu-

nity through Voluntary Public Service.

WHS Junior Sophie Wang won 1st

place in the environmental science cate-

gory at the CT Science and

Engineering Fair at Quin-

nipiac University

Great Neck students Sienna

Sferrazza and Jay Zim-

merman will participate in the National

Invention Convention that will be held in

Washington, DC. Sienna and Jay’s inven-

tions were se-

lected at the CT

Invention Con-

vention held at

UCONN to

move on to the

national round of competition.

WHS Lauren Knowles and CLMS

Amanda Rowe were selected to partici-

pate in the Eugene O’Neill’s 12th An-

nual Young Playwright Festival. WHS

Meghan Nowak and CLMS James Kil-

comons, Briana Nelson, and

Sreenidhi Somineni were selected as

young playwrights to participate in the

Guest Playwright Observation program

at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center.

WHS Junior Walker

Sutman received the

Eastern CT Chamber of

Commerce Junior

Student Leader of

the Year award.

W H S S e n i o r s

Alaina Moger and

Connor Douglas

were named the

CIAC Scholar

athletes of the year.

WPS Achievements

Great Neck Elementary School Principal Pat Fedor has been

selected as the Connecticut PTA Principal of the Year for 2017.

Nominated by the Great Neck PTA and district staff, Ms. Fedor

was awarded this honor based on her amazing leadership for

learning, outstanding communication with students and par-

ents, her community involvement as well as incomparable pro-

fessionalism.

Ms. Fedor has served as an extraordinary administrator in the

Waterford Public School district for 20 years, leading her administrative colleagues, school

staff and Great Neck Elementary School students and parents to create a strong and collabo-

rative educational community. She has been praised for her educational leadership and com-

passionate demeanor. Ms. Fedor is the definition of professionalism and kindheartedness.

Everyone in the Great Neck Elementary School including students, staff, teachers, and par-

ents would agree, as well as, the town and community. She has created a caring and educa-

tionally strong culture where everyone that works in the school believes in their motto “Great

Neck Elementary School Has Kids Who Smile.”

Ms. Fedor was honored with the award at the Connecticut PTA Outstanding Administrator Awards Dinner on April 25th.

Ms. Fedor has had a distinguished career and we are fortunate to have such an exemplary leader in our district.

Boys Outdoor Track

All-Star:

Devin Craig – High Jump

Shayne Beckloff – 100M Dash

Samuel Lenes -3200M Run

Girls Outdoor Track

All-Star:

Lia Scala – 440M Dash, 4 x 400M

Relay, 4 x 100M Relay

Sophia Podeszwa – 300M Hurdles,

4 x 400M Relay

Zora LaBonte – 4 x 400M Relay, 4

x 100M Relay

Jennifer Keth – 4 x 100M Relay

Carissa Aekins – 4 x 100M Relay

All New England:

Sophia Podeszwa – 4th place

300M Hurdles

Boys Lacrosse

All-Star:

Logan Bowdish – Midfield

Luke Barrs – Defense

Bray Griffith-Potter – Attack

Kevin Close – SSDM

Spencer Hoagland – Defense

Honorable Mention:

Michael LaForte

Kyle Cardoza

Luther Wade

Sportsmanship:

Mason Mobley

P A G E 4

Quaker Hill

Elementary

School was

recently selected

as the

Connecticut

Association of

School’s

Outstanding

Elementary

School of the Year

for 2017-2018.

This prestigious

award recognizes

schools in

Connecticut that

provide an

outstanding

educational

environment and

strive to promote

Best Practices.

Quaker Hill

Elementary

School is very

grateful for this

honor. This

prestigious award

will be presented

to staff and

students at

Quaker Hill

Elementary

School on

September 8th.

Connecticut Association

of Schools

Outstanding Elementary

School of the Year

The Connection June 2017 www.waterfordschools.org

Quaker Hill Elementary School

P A G E 5

P A G E 6

“The WHS-Avery

Point staff is great

to work with and

has provided lots

of experiences for

us to learn and

grow.”

-Zach Hartley

Waterford/Avery Point Graduates

Artist Residency Program at OSW

CLMS Walkathon On May 30th Clark Lane Mid-

dle School staff and students

participated in the 1st annual

CLMS Walk-a-thon celebrat-

ing “Finding a Solution To

Help Others as We Find So-

lutions in Math”. The walk-a

-thon provided students nu-

merous opportunities to use

real world data to explore

new math concepts while also

working toward a rewarding

community service activity,

which, in itself, was a valuable

experience for all middle

school students.

Understanding the value of

creating math lessons that are

more realistic and meaningful

to students, the Clark Lane

Middle School math depart-

ment, led by Mr. Jay Gionet,

organized this event that al-

lowed students to connect

many of the math lessons that

were investigated throughout

the year in classrooms and

bring them to real world situa-

tions.

As a school community, 630

students and 28 staff members

from Clark Lane Middle School

walked an average of 6.4

miles for a total of 4,211

miles…more than the distance

from Waterford, CT to Anchor-

age Alaska. Through pledges

(per mile) and donations

(straight contribution), students

raised over $23,500.00 to sup-

port causes that directly sup-

port Waterford families.

On June 14th Clark Lane Mid-

dle School held a presenta-

tion of checks to the organi-

zations that students spon-

sored. These organizations

include The Stephanie

Turowski Scholarship

Fund, The Big Red Memori-

al Fund, Waterford Youth

Services Bureau, Camp

Rising Sun, The Cactus

Jack Foundation, and The

Terry Brodeur Breast Can-

cer Foundation. A special

thank you goes out to the

following local businesses for

their support of this event -

Filomena’s Restaurant,

Livery Limited Limousine

Service, Wireless Zone New

London, and East Lyme

Oral Surgery LLC.

son also integrated move-

ment into the poems as

students learned the vari-

ous forms and shared

their poems with their

c l a s s m a t e s . G r a d e

four students fin-

ished their work with

Resident artist Derron

Wood and Flock Thea-

ter. Students stud-

ied mythology and cul-

Third grade students

at Oswegatchie con-

cluded their Artist

Residency with

artist/writer Leslie

Johnson. Students

worked on poetry

with Mrs. Johnson as

she integrated dif-

ferent styles of po-

etry into their cur-

riculum. Mrs. John-

tures. Mrs. Castelpog-

gi’s students studied

Egypt, Miss Lane’s class

focused on Greece

and Mrs. McDonald’s

Class studied Australia

and Aborigine myths.

They presented their work

at Oswegatchie’s Night at

the Museum on Thursday,

June 1st to parents and on

Friday, June 2nd to students.

Congratulations to our Waterford/Avery

Point Graduates: Justin Barczak, Zachary

Hartley and Mason Kane. On June 14th on

the Avery Point campus, staff and students

celebrated the great accomplishments of

these students. The Avery Point Transi-

tional Readiness Program is an initiative

that prepares students, ages 18—21, with vocational op-

portunities while fostering independent living skills and community interactions for

students with disabilities. Through this program, Justin has continued his education

preparing for CompTIA and Network certifications, Mason has become skilled in land-

scaping and maintenance, and Zach will pursue an independent career out of state.

Good Luck to these great young men!

Ancient

Egypt

Mummy

Project by

OSW 4th

Graders

The Connection June 2017 www.waterfordschools.org

On June 1st, the Waterford

Federation of Classroom

Teachers had the privilege

of honoring members who

will retire after the 2016-2017

school year. We are thank-

ful for the years of service

that the following staff dedi-

cated to the Waterford Public

School district and students.

We wish them well in

retirement!

WFCT Honors Retirees

Patricia Backes – Quaker Hill School

Deborah Douton – The Friendship School

Pat Fedor – Great Neck School

Ann Haywood-Leal - Quaker Hill School

Virginia Murray – Great Neck School

Gene Ryan – Waterford High School

Martha Shoemaker – Quaker Hill School

Olivia Turowski – Clark Lane Middle School

Gary Vallee – Clark Lane Middle School

Jill Wile – Waterford High School

P A G E 7

and Ms. Wadecki created individual

proposals to the FFT specific to this

Professional Development event.

G a r y V a l l e e

received an award

from the Connecti-

cut Chapter of the

American School

Band Director's

A s s o c i a t i o n

(ASBDA) "FOR YEARS OF DEDICATED

SERVICE AS PRESIDENT OF THIS ORGANI-

ZATION AND FOR HIS EXCELLENCE IN

TEACHING INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC." Mr. Vallee received the first National

Award from ASBDA in 2000 for Out-

standing Leadership in Music Educa-

tion. He wrote a book about Leader-

ship in Music which was presented

at the National ASBDA Convention in

2000. The publication is still widely

used today by ASBDA members and

ASBDA leaders across the United

States.

Mr. Vallee will be retiring as Music

Curriculum Leader K-12 in WPS and

as the Director of Bands in Grades 6-

8 at Clark Lane Middle School.

Ralph

DiSaia,

WHS Boys

Tennis

Coach, was

selected as

the Boys

Tennis

Coach of the Year by the CT

High School Coaches Associa-

tion.

Mike O’Connor ,

M a r i ne S c i e nc e s

Teacher at Waterford

High School, has been

selected to receive the

Instructor Award for

Excellence in Course Instruc-

tion for Marine Science from

the University of Connecticut’s

Early College Experience pro-

gram. He was honored at an

awards ceremony at UCONN on

April 26th.

R o b y n

McKenney ,

WPS Technol-

ogy Coach,

and Whitney

W a d e c k i ,

G r a d e 1

teacher at

Quaker Hill

E l e m e n t a r y

School, were awarded the

Fund for Teachers Fellow-

ship granting them each $4000

to support a self-designed

summer learning odys-

sey. On April 4th Ms. McKen-

ney and Ms. Wadecki joined an

elite group of more than 200

teachers across Connecticut in

receiving the great news and

becoming part of the Fund for

Teachers Community. After

being selected in January as

presenters at the ISTE

(International Society for Tech-

nology in Education) confer-

ence that will be held in the

summer of 2017, Ms. McKenney

In the Spotlight...

Rotary Student of the Year Awards To highlight Education Month in May, the Waterford Rotary recognized students in all of the Waterford

Public Schools who have exemplified leadership qualities as well as community service. One student from

each elementary school, one student from each team at Clark Lane Middle School, and one student from

each grade level at Waterford High School received the Rotary Student of the Year Award.

The Waterford Rotary, founded in 1973, is part of an International service organization that prides itself on

the motto “Service Above Self”. Members consist of business and professional leaders who volunteer their

time and work to take an active role in improving the local and international communities.

The following students were recognized by the Rotary as the Rotary Student of the Year and for portraying the

Rotary Ideals:

This mission of the Waterford Public Schools, a premier educational

system within a community that fosters high aspirations, is to

guarantee that each student acquire the skills and knowledge to

become a successful individual and a responsible citizen by setting

high expectations and requiring excellence in an atmosphere of

integrity and respect.

Stay Connected…

WPS Website - Visit

www.waterfordschools.org for up to date

BOE, school and event information.

BOE meetings are held on the 4th

Thursday of each month. For the

complete schedule of meetings, go to

the BOE section of the WPS Website.

Download the WPS App to ‘stay

abreast’ of all the happenings at our

schools.

Follow us on Twitter : @WPS_CT and

@WaterfordSupt

Waterford Public Schools

Jody Nazarchyk, Board of Education Chairperson

Thomas W. Giard III, Superintendent

15 Rope Ferry Road

Waterford , CT 06385

Phone: 860-444-5852

Fax: 860-444-5870

Contact: Caroline Whittaker - Executive Administrative

Assistant to the Superintendent

E-mail: cwhittaker@waterfordschools.org

Great Neck Elementary School - Grace Stilphen

Quaker Hill Elementary School - Gracie Bartelli

Oswegatchie Elementary School - Cienna Nummy

Clark Lane Middle School 6th Aqua - Lea Polcaro

Clark Lane Middle School 6th Jade - Kyra Tuckwood

Clark Lane Middle School 6th Garnet - Katherine Hawkins

Clark Lane Middle School 7th Ruby - Mia Chiappone

Clark Lane Middle School 7th Turquoise - Taylor Roy

Clark Lane Middle School 7th Sage - Kate Lange

Clark Lane Middle School 8th Emerald - Gary Campbell

Clark Lane Middle School 8th Gold - Mya Rheaume

Clark Lane Middle School 8th Sapphire - Alexandria DeGunia

Waterford Country School – Gage Phillips

Waterford High School – Freshman - Claudia Czyzewski

Waterford High School – Sophomore - Safa Danesh

Waterford High School – Junior - Aiyana Cyr

Waterford High School – Senior - Mia Brennan

Waterford High School Rotary Scholar - Destiny Hsieh

Waterford High School Rotary Scholar - Walker Sutman

Waterford High School Rotary Scholar - Amanda Zettler

Waterford High School Rotary Scholar - Ana Magano