Volume 3 Issue 3
November 2015
Check out these Acrostic Poems created by 1st & 3rd grade
students at Bryant School in Ms. Fowler’s Art Class!
Special Point of Interest
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Dates to Remember
Parent Engagement TIPS
Principals Matter!
Construction Updates
November School Menus!
Inside this issue:
Spotlight on
1
Student Work @ Bryant School
&
First Responders @ Columbus!
Be Cool Pack The School
2
Principals Matter!
3
Dates To Remember
“Me2”
4
Construction Updates
5
NNPS Promising Practices
6-8
District Parent Math Night
Bridgeport Prospers
Elementary November Menu
High School November Menu
9
10
11
12
On Saturday, October 24th, ten of the Columbus School Junior Responders
went on a field trip to the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Students learned about
not only the events of 9/11 and the history of our nation, but also what it truly means to be a First Responder in a real life tragedy. Security Officer Chris
Mack and Kindergarten Teacher, Rebekah Tomlinson, helped the students to
understand all of the various roles that First Responders have in serving the
community. The students came home with a wealth of knowledge and a true
understanding of the immense tragedy of the 9/11 disaster.
Page 2
ring“Be Cool Pack The School”
Top 3 Elementary Schools With The Highest October Attendance
Elementary Schools
October - 2015
Multicultural Magnet
98.28%
Classical Studies Magnet Academy
97.76%
Park City Magnet
97.52%
Top 2 High Schools With The Highest October Attendance
High Schools
October - 2015
Central
Bridgeport Military Academy
93.08%
92%
FCW– IT & Software Engineering
92%
NICE JOB!
130 students at Bryant School had perfect
attendance during August and September! They
received certificates for their efforts! Ms. Egri
and the staff will continue to recognize and celebrate the children who have perfect attendance
monthly!
In Line On Time involved the entire school community in encouraging students to be at school, every day, on time.
Many students took the bus to school, but if they missed the bus, they stayed home. The Action Team for Partnerships
(ATP) wanted to provide an incentive to be at school every day. The new attendance program, In Line On Time,
included the following steps: a two minute bell rang to let students know it was time to line up in their class lines.
Teachers waited at their class lines to count their students when the official school bell rang. If all students were
present, the class earned a star on their attendance packet that was turned in to the office. Excused tardiness or absences
were not penalized. A star was also put up in the classroom so that students could keep track of how close they were to
earning five stars. A total of five stars won the class a popcorn party, sponsored by the PTA or extra time in the computer lab. Teachers made arrangements for the popcorn or computer lab rewards. The Action Team for Partnerships
sent a letter to the entire school community explaining the new practice, the district attendance policy, and the importance of children being in class every day, on time. The principal held an assembly at the beginning of the year to
explain the new program. A simple sign reminding students of In Line On Time was hung in each classroom. A
bulletin board was put up in the school office. Almost all classes earned five stars, and some classes earned five stars
multiple times. Student attendance increased by 2% that year. Positive peer pressure helped students attend school on
time. For example, as the first grade class was waiting in line, a student said, “We have 19. I sure hope Chris gets here.
Oh look, there he is! Great, we get a star!” A parent said to a teacher, “My son just does not want to be late; he keeps
telling me to hurry up. ‘I have to be at school on time; we want to get a star, and we only need two more.’ “This
practice fostered a positive atmosphere at school and rewarded students for being at school on time. In addition,
teaching time increased because everyone was in line before the official bell rang. For next school year, the Action
Team will use a staff development day to improve the program. They will work on maintaining motivation to be
In Line On Time throughout the year. When classes had not earned a star in a long time, it was easy to forget to
encourage the students.
Working together, every student can be In Line On Time, every day!
Stonehurst Avenue Elementary School
Sun Valley, California
Page 3
On Thursday, October 15th, the students of Park City Magnet School
hosted their 2nd “Go Pink Dress Up Day” for cancer. Both the students and staff dressed up in their favorite “Go Pink” attire. The students raised $300.00 which they will donate to local cancer support
organizations. Therese Maguire, Principal
Grade 3 students at Roosevelt were treated to a trip to Plasko Farms!
Jacqueline Simmons, Principal
On Saturday October 17, Luis Munoz Marin School hosted the first
debate scrimmage of the school year. Students from Bridgeport
and Fairfield county gathered to practice their skills. The debate
competitions will begin in a few weeks. We were happy and proud
to host this first event and to show off Marin! M. Cerino, Principal
As one of the chosen
“Turnaround Arts Schools”
in the district, the students
at Hall Elementary are
learning about exceptional
artists. In these examples
of student work, Georgia
O’Keefe and Vincent Van
Gogh were being studied.
C. Fernandes, Principal
October 17th was “Beautification Day” at Bassick HS, with eighty university students putting in an effort to improve Bassick’s physical space. Students from UCONN, S.C.S.U.,
C.C.S.U., W.C.S.U. And Quinnipiac University devoted a day to cleaning, painting murals, putting up bulletin boards and graphics on the bridges. They will return the end of
October to complete the work. This project was completely funded through (CEA) the
Connecticut Education Association. Peggy Moore, Interim Principal
At Columbus Annex, welcomed the School Volunteer Association
Readers on October 22,2015. It was a fantastic event for our PrK-3
students. Six of our eight volunteers have requested to return!
Mary Beth Williamson, Assistant Principal
Page 4
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November 3 - Schools Closed/Election Day
November 4 - Executive DPAC Meeting 5:30/Parent Center
November 9 - BOE Meeting
November 11 - Schools Closed/Veterans’ Day
November 12 - District Math Parent Night @ C. Batalla/5:00- 6:30
November 13 - Last Day of Hispanic Heritage Read Alouds
November 18 & 19 - Early Dismissal/Report Card Conferences
November 23 - BOE Meeting
November 25 - Early Dismissal/Thanksgiving Recess
November 26 - Happy Thanksgiving!
November 27 - Schools Closed/Thanksgiving Recess
Report Card Conferences
November 18th & 19th
Brown Bag It Thursdays!
Share your thoughts and ideas for
Engaging Parents!
http://www.csos.jhu.edu/p2000/ppp/index.htm
(login code: NNPSmem13)
Ask your HSC or contact Dolores Mason
203.275.1758 [email protected]
for more details or assistance!
Type 3—Volunteering: Organize volunteers and audiences to support the school and students. Provide
volunteer opportunities in various locations and at various times.
In two hours, you can bake a cake, watch a movie, or—thanks to Park Middle School’s Action Team for Partnerships (ATP)—help
make school a welcoming environment for all parents, including those who do not speak English at home. The Me2 program has
shown that parental involvement is wanted, needed, and expected, by encouraging every parent to share two hours of their time at or
for the school over the course of the school year. The program not only communicated this message to parents, but also let students
know that their families remained important influences in their education in the middle grades. At open house and at sixth-grade
orientation before the school year began, Park Middle’s principal explained the Me2 program. Park hoped that every parent would
donate two hours to the school during the school year. Parents received a checklist of possible volunteer activities, including “Attend
an awards assembly,” “Join your child for lunch at school on their birthday,” and many others. As guided by NNPS, the school
included audience attendance in its definition of “volunteers” who contribute their time to support students’ activities at school.
Throughout the year, teachers and administrators highlighted the Me2 program at all school functions that parents attended. A large
thermometer-type display at the school tracked the volunteers’ progress toward the 1800-hour goal. On a monthly basis, students
brought home notes with various volunteer opportunities to inspire their parents’ involvement. In late April, a “nearing the goal”
celebration was conducted during the regular awards assembly. School leaders reported that parents had volunteered over 1000
hours at or for the school, and encouraged further participation. Local community media was invited to the celebration. The biggest
challenge that Me2 faced was changing some parents’ mindset that they did not need to be involved in school at the middle school
level. To ensure that teachers were on board with the idea that the school wanted and needed parental involvement, the ATP asked
teachers to list volunteer activities that would help them and/or the students in their classrooms. The ATP and teachers remained
attentive to the program throughout the year, often reminding students and parents about the two-hour donations of time. Next year,
Me2 may invite parents to attend a class with their child for at least one hour during the school year. This will further “stretch” the
concept of volunteering. The teachers observed that students improved their academic performance and school behavior when they
saw their parents at school and when they realized that their teachers and parents would, in fact, communicate with each other. Many
parents remarked that they had a clearer understanding of school expectations because of their time at school. One sixth-grade
parent said, “I never knew you guys would want our help anymore.” Another reported that, “because of the Me2 goal, I set aside one
day a week to come into the school and work.” The Me2 program at Park Middle School has helped make parental involvement a
priority, without making unreasonable demands on parents’ time. Now, when middle school students say they like to go to school,
their parents can say “Me2!”
Dave Elkins
Math coach and ATP chair
[email protected]
Page 5
Bassick: New Roof
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Roof replacement is complete
Replacing the clogged leaders
Observatory has been placed on the roof and is complete
Pricing repairs to third floor ceilings
Black Rock: Addition
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Punch list work is being completed
House demolition is underway
Installation of shades and curtain will take place over the Christmas break
Central: Renovations
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Site work is underway on the South side with completion scheduled for November
Boilers have been installed and heat is on in the building
Work is ongoing for mechanical systems in the basement
Site work for the North side was completed for the start of school
Work continues on the gym and media center
Harding: New Construction
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Site work activity is underway with installation of construction fence
Construction documents for Phase 2 (building) have been approved by the Board of Education and will be sent out
for code review
Longfellow: New Construction
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Steel erection is complete
Foundations are complete
Masonry underway
MEP roughing continues
Roofing work continues
P. L. Dunbar : New Roof
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Finishing the last two bathrooms
Media center renovation is underway
Boilers have been installed and heat is on in the building
Roof replacement is taking place
Construction activity with the start of school takes place from 3 pm - 11 pm
Roosevelt: New Construction
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Certificate of Occupancy for project has been received
Only open construction item is the installation of the code blue phones
Finishing the commissioning of building systems
Project close underway
Ribbon cutting at the school took place October 24, 2015
Page 6
A Slice of Success!
Edison Elementary School
Kennewick, WA
Type 4/Learning at Home: Involve families with their children on homework and
other curriculum-related activities and decisions
A group of second grade teachers at Edison Elementary School served up a great idea: a series of three family workshops designed to help parents support learning at home. They called it the Slice of Student Success Series. The goal
of the series was to increase student achievement in math and reading while strengthening relationships between
parents and teachers.
The workshops took place in the school library for an hour immediately after school to accommodate parents’ busy
schedules. Each session focused on a different topic—homework, math, and reading—and involved a fun activity that
could be replicated at home.
At the first workshop on homework, teachers explained how homework should be part of students’ routines and that
students need a quiet workspace in which to complete it. They discussed homework as a way for students to practice
and master skills, and how this work is the students’ responsibility. Homework also is part of students’ report card
grades. All along, parents asked their questions about homework.
Students were guided to transform unused pizza boxes donated by local restaurants into homework kits. They
decorated the kits using markers and stickers, and filled them with useful supplies, such as crayons, pencils, numbers
charts, and more.
The next workshop focused on math, and featured an overview of district math standards for each grade level.
Teachers explained that, along with all of the new math approaches, it is still the case that students need to become
fluent in math facts. Many math questions were asked and answered.
Families and students were given gallon-sized plastic bags containing math games, and taught how to play them at
the workshop and at home.
At the third workshop, parents received tips on how to help their children improve their reading skills. Teachers
demonstrated ways that parents could ask students questions to help them share what they were reading. In this
way, parents could see whether and how well students were comprehending fiction and non-fiction reading material.
Teachers distributed handouts to the parents with many ideas that they could use at home with all kinds of books and
stories that their children were reading.
“Now I know what to do when I read with my child,” thanked one parent.
The families also made origami bookmarks and each student was given a book donated by the Reading Foundation to
bring home. Ice cream bars made the session even sweeter.
The workshop series cost $100 to implement. It was attended by 70 students and their parents.
Any way you slice it, the practice was a success. The workshops equipped parents with good information and with
tools and strategies to support their children’s learning at home. All of the interactions enhanced positive and
purposeful connections of parents, students, and teachers.
Elizabeth Crider
Second Grade Teacher
[email protected]
Page 7
Evening Advisement
Northside High School
Warner Robins, Georgia
Type 4/Learning At Home: Involve families with their children on homework and other curriculumrelated activities and decisions
Northside High School saved two days of instructional time, involved parents in their children’s
academic decisions, and helped students stay on the path to graduation through their Evening
Advisement program. This was a time for parents, teachers, and students to come together to
discuss student progress and chart the students’ next steps toward a diploma. Evening Advisement
took place over three evenings mid-way through the second semester, and involved great coordination in setting up 1,500 appointments, notifying parents of their appointments, organizing materials
for teachers, and ensuring that the process ran smoothly on the appointment nights. The family involvement coordinator was a key player, especially in scheduling the 1,500 appointments. But all
the work paid off. This spring nearly 1,100 parents — 72 percent of the targeted population —
attended meetings, and the responses on an exit survey were overwhelmingly positive and
encouraging. “I have never felt so informed. Thanks,” said the parent of a ninth-grader. “This is
GREAT. Please continue having this .. . good job, NHS,” added another parent. To achieve such a
good turnout, the school and its Action Team for Partnerships (ATP) started early to notify students
and parents, and to publicize the meetings. Students first heard about registration meetings during
the fall semester. Letters, with appointment times, went to parents in February, giving them plenty
of notice. Parents also received reminder phone calls from teachers, and an announcement ran on
the school marquee for about a month before the meetings. The advisement sessions provided an
opportunity for parents and students to plan and schedule courses for the 2009-10 school year. An
academic advisor met with each family to review the student’s permanent record, test scores, and
courses needed for a high school diploma. Then, together, they chose required and elective courses and sequences for the next year, and entered the courses into the registration system, which
generated a report. The academic advisor also addressed other topics, such as discipline andextracurricular activities. The ATP was involved all along the way, with planning, training staff members,
and securing supplies for the meetings and food for teachers’ meals on advisement nights. The
impetus for this program was the previous registration process, which took two full school days.
Parents’ feedback indicated that they wanted to be more involved with their teens in the decisionmaking process.
The Evening Advisement also contributes to the overall school and district goal of having
every student graduate.
Noelle Respert
Family & Community Involvement Coordinator
[email protected]
Page 8
PARENT DIVERSITY PRESENTATIONS
Type 1/Parenting: Assist families with parenting skills and setting home conditions to support children as
students. Also, assist schools to understand families.
Ranch View Elementary School
Naperville, IL
Show-and-tell has long been a favorite elementary school activity. Recently, Ranch View Elementary School took a fresh approach to the classic practice. The school, which has a large
percentage of students of East Indian and Asian descent, partnered with parents to launch a
multicultural presentation series to celebrate diversity.
Each week, a different parent came to the school to talk about his or her culture. Presenters gave 20 minute
talks on language, customs, holidays, festivals, food, and other topics to groups of 20 to 25 students in grades
K-5. They were encouraged to make their presentations appealing to students by sharing photos; PowerPoint
slides on geography, weather, and climate; native costumes; artifacts and objects; games; and by teaching a
few phrases in the native language. They also had to leave time for students to ask questions. Sixteen parents participated. They represented a wide range of countries including Bulgaria, China, Guatemala, India,
Korea, Nigeria, Lithuania, Palestine, and Poland. Students raved about the presentations. “It was fun to see
the different foods and the way kids learn in Palestine,” said one.
Parent presenters enjoyed the sessions as much as the students. One parent said, “I very much appreciated
the opportunity to talk with the students and share the wonders of Korean culture with them.”
The success of the series was due in part to preparation. First, all parents of the school’s 530 students
received surveys with questions about their cultures of origin. They were also asked for ideas about how the
school could improve student awareness, acceptance, and appreciation of diversity.
Those who responded to the survey were invited to give presentations at the school, and provided with
specific instructions about the presentation format. Next, the school distributed a schedule of the presentations to students. The presentations were promoted via newsletters, e-mails, and flyers.
Students benefited by meeting their classmates’ parents and learning fun new facts about different cultures.
The presentations facilitated positive interactions between parents and students and promoted global
awareness. The students also honed their critical thinking skills by asking questions and providing presenters
with feedback. After each presentation, students filled out feedback forms. They listed what they had
learned from the presentation, and offered suggestions for improvement. These forms were collected and
shared with the parent presenters in meetings. As a result, the parents learned from the experience, too.
Sue Salness
Principal
[email protected]
DISTRICT-WIDE
MATH PARENT NIGHT
Presented by the
Bridgeport Mathematics Department
DATE: Thursday, November 12, 2015
Time: 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Location: Cesar Batalla School
606 Howard Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06605
Come and enjoy an evening of
hands-on learning activities and games.
Topics: Bar modeling, Greg Tang activities, technology
in mathematics, and math fluency’s
*Raffles
Info Session at
The Parent Center
900 Boston Avenue
Bridgeport, CT 06610
November 4, 2015
10AM-11AM
Come and hear what the Bridgeport Prospers program
is about and how it can help you and your children!!!