May 21, 2019 at 7:00 PM - Bethel Board of Education Special Meeting

Rationale: 

Congratulations to the BHS Administration and student leaders who received the statewide 2019 Challenge to Educational Citizenship Award for their work on kindness!

 

Congratulations to the following students on receiving the WCSA Superintendent Award for 2019:

Shamus O’Grady, Bethel Middle School

Brooke Lohle, Bethel Middle School

Couri Baker, Bethel High School

Anne Habeck, Bethel High School

The WCSA Superintendent Awards are given to recognize middle and high school students for based on:

• community service and service to others;
• academic prowess; and,
• leadership service to the school community.

Congratulations to BHS Sophomore, Jessica Olexy, who was awarded the Ensign-Darling Vocal Fellowship at the Bushnell for her Junior and Senior year! The Ensign-Darling Vocal Fellowship is a full scholarship vocal program for a small number of very talented and highly motivated young singers interested in classical and theatrical music and who will be entering tenth and eleventh grade (or twelfth grade for males) in the fall of 2019.

Congratulations to Enrico Mastracchio, Grade 6. Enrico is advancing to attend National MathCon Finals 2019 in Chicago.

U.S. News & World Report has released its list of Best High Schools. Bethel High School has ranked No. 2,219 in the U.S. and has made the top 50 at number 45 in Connecticut.  17,000+ high schools are ranked nationwide, they ranked the top 163 high schools in Connecticut and gave each high school a national ranking.

Ms. Skalkos, BMS Art Teacher, was recently awarded two fellowships. She was awarded the NEH - National Endowment for Humanities Scholarship Award to study the battle of Little Bighorn at the University of Montana this summer.   Ms. Skalkos is also of 125 teachers in CT to receive a Funds for Teachers fellowship grant and will receive $4,900 to travel this summer to study with a nationally known pastel artist to study plein air painting. 

 

Congratulations to Ryan Dudley for being selected as one of the 2019 Connecticut Governor’s Scholars.  Ryan was chosen from an entry pool of the top juniors in Connecticut’s high schools and was honored along with the other schools at the Governor’s Scholar Luncheon at the Aqua Turf Club in May, 2019.

 Bethel Public Schools is proud to announce this year's winners of the H R R A Annual Recycling Poster Contest. All five schools were represented with 6 students winning Regional Awards and 36 district winners. They were celebrated at the Award Ceremony on May 8th.

 

District Winner	First Name	Last Name	School	Grade	Regional Winner
1st	Everly	Oberacker	Berry	1	1st place
1st	Melanie	James	Berry	2
1st	Eric	Pasquale	Berry	2
1st	Kayla	Bray	Berry	3
1st	Madeline	Owen	Berry	K	3rd place
2nd	Sriyan	Desiraju	Berry	1
2nd	Melyssa	Moniz	Berry	3
2nd	Ahvielle	Williams	Berry	K
3rd	Francesca	Rappa	Berry	2
3rd	Kellen	Oberacker	Berry	3
3rd	Lenny	Hunter	Berry	K
1st	Julia	Waters	High	10
1st	Lindsey	Waters	High	12	Honorable Mention
2nd	Caroline	Nordmann	High	12
1st	Julia	Zabala	Johnson	4
1st	Preethika	Shenoy	Johnson	5	1st place
2nd	Alexandria	Lombardi	Johnson	4
2nd	Ryan	Zabala	Johnson	5
3rd	Lily	Friedland	Johnson	4
3rd	Emily	Barge	Johnson	5
1st	Nushreth	Bhuiyan	Middle	7	3rd place
1st	Matthew	Tarzia	Middle	6
2nd	Esther	Ribeiro	Middle	7
3rd	Shania	(Clay) Dacosta	Middle	7
1st	Annabel	Burke	Rockwell	1
1st	Sarah	Haslob	Rockwell	2
1st	Emma	Norman	Rockwell	3	3rd place
1st	Jack	Hull	Rockwell	K
2nd	Abigail	Randall	Rockwell	1
2nd	Mia	Bara	Rockwell	2
2nd	Ava	Osimanti	Rockwell	3
2nd	Eloise	Resendes	Rockwell	K
3rd	Brianna	Argueta	Rockwell	1
3rd	Tommy	Hantzarides	Rockwell	2
3rd	Adriana	DeRubertis	Rockwell	3
3rd	Marley	Snyder	Rockwell	K

Rationale: 

Presentation of Award Certificates:

The CABE Student Leadership Awards are given to recognize student achievement and potential.  These students were picked from among their peers for exhibiting leadership qualities as defined by the criteria developed by CABE.  The Board recognizes the level of achievement of these students.

The Board would like to congratulate the following students on receiving the CABE Student Leadership Award for 2019:

Sara Neves, Bethel Middle School

Zoey Cheniske, Bethel Middle School

Spencer Brown, Bethel High School

Camryn Walsh, Bethel High School

 

Rationale: 

GIFTS, GRANTS, BEQUESTS

Rockwell School - Unplugged Computer Science, $323, Casey Ragan, Rockwell School

Middle School  - Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grant, $5,000, Lowe's/PTO Today, Wrenthem, MA

Rationale: 

Email - Why are we still hanging onto the deeply flawed common core and sbac_ - J. Gangi

Email - Updated Impact - C. Carver

Email - Updated Impact - C. Carver  - Attached Memo

Email to Staff - HB7150 TRB Pass Down - C. Carver

memo - HB7150 TRB Pass Down - C. Carver

Email - Selective Service System High School Registrar Program & attachments

Email - Feedback on proposed bills & BPS Input Attachment - C. Carver

 

Rationale:  (Please note:  The Board welcomes Public Participation and asks that speakers please limit their comments to 2 minutes.  Speakers may offer objective comments of school operations and programs that concern them.  The Board will not permit any expression of personal complaints or defamatory comments about Board of Education personnel and students, nor against any person connected with the Bethel Public School System.)

Rationale: 

BMS Fire Update - Last Day of School 

ECC Complaint Update 

End of the Year Activities:

• Awards Ceremony - May 23rd
• Scholarship Night - May 29th
• BMS Moving Up Ceremony - June 11th
• BHS Graduation - June 13th 

Entrance Fees - Athletics 

Security Plan Grant Update - Plan - NON-CONFIDENTIAL 

Received the Bethel High School Renovation Project official revised audit notification from DAS 

NEASC awards Bethel High School continued accreditation

 

Rationale: 

Key Points of the Briefing:

• We updated the art curriculum to reflect the 2014 National Core Arts Standards, which require students to create, respond, present, and connect to their art.

• The following is the art curricula being brought forward:

  • Art 1

  • Ceramics I and Ceramics II

  • Craft Design, Sculpture

  • Adaptive Art I, Art II

  • Drawing I

  • Printmaking, Painting

• The global competencies are embedded within the curricula

• We have created enduring understandings and essential questions which address the National Core Arts Standards

• Opportunities for common assessments are provided to students which help inform our teaching practices

• We continuously review our curricula and student work samples to ensure vertical alignment

Rationale: 

Key Points of the Briefing:

• As the number of students in the Bethel Public Schools with limited English  proficiency grows, we continue to strive to provide a program that meets their needs.

• As of October 1, 2018, Bethel High School has been mandated to provide bilingual programing.

• Currently, we have one part-time tutor at BHS who works with students who are English learners. We are currently reviewing applications for a bilingual/TESOL teacher.

• We are proposing 2 courses at Bethel High School, English Language Development I and English Language Development II, to support the language acquisition of our students who are English learners.

• ELD I is a year long course designed for students who have had little or limited exposure to the English language. At this level, students will be working to develop their ability to communicate in English within social, school, and academic contexts.

• ELD II is a year long course designed for students who have some exposure to the English language and are able to maneuver basic communicative tasks in uncomplicated social or survival situations.  At this level, we will focus on increasing the complexity of the ideas students are able to express and apply them in social, school, and academic contexts.

• We will be working with a consultant from ACES to develop the curriculum for each of the courses that will incorporate the Connecticut English Language Proficiency Standards. We will use our Title IV funding to cover the cost of the consultant.  

• Summer curriculum work has already been budgeted for in the 2019-2020 budget (at the cost of $4,250 for both courses). BHS-ELD I & ELD II Curriculum Proposal

• We will continue to work with our classroom teachers to provide sustained, professional learning opportunities to work with students with whom English is not their first language.

Rationale: 

As you are aware, the BOS and BOF cut the operating budget a total of $250,000.   The administration has met on two occasions to discussed the recommendations.   We wanted you to be aware of all items that were considered, particulary if the cuts had been more significant. We understand that this statutory responsibility falls with the Board of Education to make the final adjustments to the Operating Budget.  

The second document does not require any direct action.   We also wanted to give you a sense of projects that we will consider delaying based on the cut to the 460 account ($50,000).   The items in red were considered in the first round of $30,000 reduction.  The items in the second round are notated in blue with the $20,000 reduction.  The administration always makes adjustments within this account with unforseen issues that come up.   

 

 

Rationale:  The Board will be presented with a listing of teachers who have completed the requirements to be granted tenure in the Bethel Public Schools. 

Rationale:  This job description has been created to reflect the current responsibilities.   Dr. Brooks and Mr. Watson both provided input to it.

Rationale: 

Rationale:  We are hoping to have an update on Maintenance Agreement for this meeting.  We have reached out to Peter Olson again to get an update.  

Rationale:  Johnson School Abatement - asbestos removal work left the work areas in a satisfactory condition for re-occupancy. (see attached letter)

Rationale: 

The Owner's Representative, Geralyn Hoerauf (STV) will be submitting monthly reports to the Public Site and Building Committee.   The attached is May's report.   The report provides detailed information regarding the project, including work completed, future work and the master budget.  We submit the report to the full Board of Education on a monthly basis.  

We will provide an update on the Furniture, Fixture and Equipment Committee process.