The Alfred J. Verrecchia Business Scholars program provides a full scholarship (tuition, fees, housing, dining, books, and one Global Winter Travel J-Term experience with faculty) for four years for selected students interested in majoring in Business. It also offers access to the University’s Honors Program and Colloquium, Leadership Institute, an alumni Business mentor, a personal Career Coach with internship mentoring and placement, yearly donor retreat and Roundtable CEO meeting, priority course registration, and access to special University events. Candidates will be selected from their initial applications and then asked to participate in campus visits and interviews.

On March 1, 2023, BEHS DECA competed with over 800 students from across the state at the CT DECA Competition. Two of our BEHS DECA members placed in the top three in their competitive event and have now qualified to compete at the national level this April in Orlando Florida.

Senior, Jessica Lopez created an Integrated Marketing Campaign. by developing a 45-day marketing plan for a local restaurant in Bristol by writing a marketing report, taking a marketing exam, and presenting the plan to the judges. The plan included strategies for the restaurant to increase its customer base through many creative marketing strategies for the business. Jessica placed 2nd in her event!  

Freshman student Emily Zurowski created a Start-up Business Plan. Emily created a business plan for a start-up used and new book store called The BookWorm. This new business concept was inspired by the idea that book lovers have so many previously read and loved books. This new type of bookstore helps to consign your old books and find your next read. Emily wrote the business plan report and presented the idea for this new business venture to the judges. Emily placed 3rd in her event!

DECA is an international non-profit career and technical education student organization focused on preparing entrepreneurs and leaders in Marketing, Finance, Hospitality and Management. This co-curricular club helps develop the skills of emerging business leaders and entrepreneurs. DECA allows students to take classroom learning to the next level and put their skills to the test. Students are able to compete in a variety of competitions all with the focus on becoming a young professional leader. DECA was founded in 1946 and was previously known as the "Distributive Education Clubs of America" with over 177,000 student members from all 50 states and internationally. The Bristol Eastern High School chapter of DECA is in its second year under the advisorship of Mrs. Brittany Micari.

 

1. March 1, 2023 - Special Meeting - Meet & Greet
2. March 1, 2023 - Regular BoE Meeting
3. March 13, 2023 - Special Meeting - BoE Retreat

Communication & Community Relations	Finance	Operations	Personnel	Policy Committee	Student Achievement
Kristen Giantonio, Chair	Dante Tagariello, Chair	Eric Carlson, Chair	Dante Tagariello, Chair	Kristen Giantonio, Chair	Todd Sturgeon, Chair
Shelby Pons	Kristen Giantonio	Russell Anderson	Eric Carlson	Shelby Pons	Kristen Giantonio
Russell Anderson	Maria Simmons	Jill Fitzsimons-Dula	Maria Simmons	Todd Sturgeon	Jill Fitzsimons-Dula
Alternates:
Eric Carlson	Russell Anderson	Todd Sturgeon	Todd Sturgeon	Dante Tagariello	Dante Tagariello

Student representatives from Bristol Central and Bristol Eastern will share activities, surveys, suggestions, and topics of interest in their respective schools.
Bristol Central                                         Bristol Eastern
Fatima Aamir - Senior *                            Pushpita Hossain - Senior
Isabel Paolina - Junior                              Max Stavens - Senior*
                                                                 Rita Gao - Junior
                                          

Chair Jennifer Dube will update the Board and the public on topics related to the Board of Education.

Dr. Carbone will report/update the Board on the following topics:

1. District Updates

• Reimagining BPS Update
• BAIMS Gala

Caron, Cheryl - GH - Grade 8 Math Teacher effective June 30, 2023
Ceglarski, Joanne - CHMS - English Teacher effective June 14, 2023
Collins, Michelle - BCHS - Social Studies Teacher effective June 30, 2023
Fuller, Nancy - MTV - Grade 2 Teacher effective September 29, 2023
Rustico, Janice - NEMS - Literacy Coach effective June 30, 2023
Silverhart, Marci - MTV - Speech and Language Pathologist effective October 31, 2023
Tinker, Thomas - NEMS - ELA Teacher effective June 30, 2023

Bieu, Richard - WB - Psychologist effective April 17, 2023
McLean, Racia - BAIMS - Grade 8 Science Teacher effective June 14, 2023
Taylor, Jaime - ID - Special Education Teacher effective March 27, 2023

Reddick, Katherine - BEHS - Latin Teacher effective August 31, 2023
Young, Tylar - ID - Special Education Teacher effective April 17, 2023

Lupa, Sarah - CHMS - Grade 7 Team Leader

Grabowski, Joseph - CHMS - Blue Team Leader effective March 6, 2023
Zaldivar, Christa - WB - Grade 6 Team Leader effective March 8, 2023

Dornfried, Jessica - BCHS - Guidance Counselor - effective March 8, 2023 through April 5, 2023

Teachers trained to serve as TEAM (Teacher Education and Mentoring) mentors and cooperating teachers provide assistance and support to student teachers and beginning teachers in the district. Cooperating teachers are those teachers who are trained to work with student teachers. Mentors must be assigned to first-year teachers to provide mentoring and support to newly certified teachers.  This program is required by the State Department of Education. Principals recruit teachers to apply to be TEAM mentor/cooperating teachers; the applications are reviewed by the TEAM Coordinating Committee. The following teachers were approved by the TEAM Coordinating Committee and are recommended to be TEAM Mentors/Cooperating teachers.  Approved teachers must attend a three day training program and update their training every three years.

 

Teacher	Assignment
Angelina Saporito	Ivy Drive School, Special Education
Brittany Micari	Bristol Eastern High School, CTE
Leandra Ferony	South Side Elementary School
Kathleen Stailey	Ivy Drive School, Physical Education
Cassandra Dupre	Ivy Drive School, Special Education
Erin Meyer	Bristol Eastern High School, Science
Terry Grant	Greene Hills School, Science

The FRC's are piloting 3 separate 12-week leadership groups targeted to girls in one selected grade level at each FRC school, using the evidence-based "Stand Up! Speak Out" curricula. The selected grade level and student invitations to participate are based on recommendations from the school guidance staff, administrators and grade-level teachers.

The Raising Readers Grant, funded by the Stocker Foundation, provides 40 sessions of biweekly after school tutoring including transportation to first grade children struggling with reading. Parents also participate in a 6-week literacy-focused parent education component and receive a brand new children's book each week to share at home with their child. Total awarded $29,849, primarily for salaries for FRC and teachers, and transportation for children

The WatchDOGS program encourages male parents/guardians to become involved in their child's education and supports the development of stronger parenting skills. Fathers meet regularly at a group co-facilitated by Scott Gaudet (principal) and Ken Garay (through a partnership with Bristol Adult Education), who also serves as a bilingual translator for Spanish-speaking dads. The participants share a hot meal together, receive targeted parenting education through the 24/7 Dads Key Behaviors curricula, coordinate enrichment programs for the school as a whole (eg Haunted House, Lego build, ACES dance), as well as volunteer in classrooms. 

1. Kith & Kin Support Services: Play & learn Groups/Resource Bags. Support & Training of Licensed Home Day Care Providers (HDCP). Road to Reading, a literacy program offered to School Readiness Providers. 4. Offer childcare for our Parenting Programs so that parents can improve their parenting and self advocacy skills. ($5,000) 

2. Offer 4 separate parenting education classes to the community, for parents of toddlers and preschoolers, including 

information on child development, discipline, toilet learning, and kindergarten readiness information. ($3,000) 

The FRC's, in partnership with ImagineNation, were awarded a 3-year grant to fund ASQ-3 and ASQ-SE child developmental screens and parent communication, education, support and referral services. Parents can complete either a paper screen, or or complete it online using the Sparkler phone app, and be connected with an FRC developmental coach. Screens are offered to parents as part of the info received at pre-K or Kindergarten orientation, onsite at ImagineNation, and through an outreach program to local pediatric practices. 

The CDBG/FAST (Family Assessment Support Team) grant provides funding for FRC staff to provide targeted assessment and intervention for families in difficult or crisis situations to access the services they need as quickly as possible.

SDE/Parent Trust Fund: The UConn People Empowering People Communities program will provide parent education, leadership and community involvement training for 8-12 parents, using the UCONN People Empowering People curricula. Total awarded $9,544, for a combination of salaries, supplies and required staff training.

 

Members of the public are invited to comment to the Board on any topic related to school business. Items requiring consideration by the Board must be approved as an agenda item by a 2/3ds vote of the Board members present.  Such items may be referred for further study and not necessarily acted upon at this meeting.

Anyone wishing to address the Board should adhere to the following procedures:

Before a Remote Meeting -  Submitted Public Comment must be received by 4:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting.

1. Send your comments to: susaneverett@bristolk12.org
2. Be sure to put PUBLIC COMMENT - BOE in the subject line.
3. Include your name and address.
4. Direct your comments to the Board Chair.
5. Your comments will be read at the meeting by the Board Chair.
6. All comments should be written in an appropriate manner, comments regarding personnel or confidential student information shall not be discussed under public comment.
7. Any comments not adhering to the guidelines will not be read at the meeting.

During a Meeting

1. Everyone is requested to address the Chair for recognition.
2. Each speaker must state his/her name and address.
3. All speakers must observe rules of common etiquette.  Personalities are not to be injected. Anyone violating this rule will be denied the floor. Unless waived by the Chairperson or a majority of the Board,
4. Each speaker shall limit his/her remarks to three (3) minutes.
5. A speaker will not be recognized for a second time on the same topic.
6. The public may speak as agenda topics come up for discussion or information.  Anyone digressing from the topic will be ruled out of order.
7. Written statements and materials may be made available, in advance of comments, for distribution to Board members.
8. Speakers shall state their positions on the subject being discussed.
9. Board members will not respond directly to comments during the Board meeting. The Superintendent will direct the question to the appropriate staff member for follow-up

Anya Rochester and her students at Bristol Central hope to continue an ongoing, 10 year collaborative exchange with their partner school in France. Students from Bristol Central would travel to France from Friday, February 23rd to Saturday, March 2nd, 2024. During that time, the students would immerse themselves in the language and culture of France by living with host families, attending classes with their student counterparts, and participating in a variety of educational excursions to Normandy, Paris, and Versailles. Full details can be found in the attached itinerary.

In addition to gaining greater cultural sensitivity, global citizenship, environmentalism, and an international perspective on their studies, students return home feeling more confident and independent—qualities that stay with them throughout their academic, professional and personal lives. 

At the Finance Committee meeting on March 08, 2023, the committee approved the recommendation to continue Bristol’s Public Schools Food Service participation in the Healthy Food Certification program of the State of Connecticut Department of Child Nutrition. The Healthy Food Certification (HFC) statute (C.G.S. Section 10-215f) requires that each local board of education or governing authority (BOE) for public schools participating in the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) each year must certify whether all food items sold to students (separately from reimbursable meals) will or will not meet the Connecticut Nutrition Standards (CNS).  The BOE must complete a vote on the required motion language by July 1, 2023, or the BOE will not be eligible for HFC during SY 2023-24 (July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024).
Required healthy food option vote for all Boards of Education, which implements the healthy food option of C.G.S. Section 10-215f. The motion and board-approved meeting minutes must include the exact language below:

Martin Luther King Day was revised on both the 2023-2024 and 2024-2025 school year calendar to reflect the correct observation date.

The School Year Calendars for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025  for Bristol Public Schools were recently reviewed by the Board of Education.  Once the school year calendars are established, school administrators and supervisors meet to set the parent conference and marking period dates for these two school years.  

There are no changes to the number of sessions that will be available for parent conferences.

Traditionally, the closing day of school, as well as the high school graduation date, has been set at the April Board meeting. Based on the summary of closing dates and upon completion of 181 school days, the last day of school for the 2022-2023 school year will be Tuesday, June 13, 2023.*

Summary of Closing Information to Date:
School Closed: 10/21, 2/28, 3/14
Late Openings: 12/12
Early Dismissals: 1/23 and 1/25

*This date will be subject to change in the event additional emergency closing days are required in the interim to the end of the school year.

Promotional exercises at middle schools take place in the morning, on Tuesday, June 13, 2023.

High school graduations will be scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, June 13, 2023.

Dr. Kimberly Culkin, Director of Special Services will update the Board regarding Special Services programs and topics.  
 

Discussion and Review of Model Policy 1331 (Smoke Free Environment). After review of policy it was agreed upon to accept the Model Policy.

Discussion and Revision occurred of Policy 1412 (Community Relations - Fire Department) - a change of language - "Volunteer" and "Town" to "City".

Discussion and Revision occurred of Policy 1415 (Community Relations - BPRYCS) - a change of language - updating of the new name of the City Departments - Bristol Parks, Recreation, Youth and Community Services.

The Board will discuss any new business proper to come before the Board.

Any communications/information regarding building projects:

1. ESSER/ARP Building Committee Update

• CHMS HVAC

2. High School Culinary Arts Project
3. Edgewood School Update

Commissioners will report to the Board on any groups/organizations in which they serve as Board of Education Liaisons and information pertinent to the Board.

Commissioners at elementary schools will give a liaison report.

There being no other business to come before the Board, the meeting should be adjourned.