Annual Report of the Superintendent - North Branford Public Schools

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• Many sixth grade students participated in the National Chemistry Week contest, sponsored by the American Chemical Society. Students had a choice between creating a poster or conducting a laboratory experiment and writing a lab report. This year’s theme was “Your Home - It is Built on Chemistry.” Three students won the laboratory competition and three students received honorable mention. One student was a first-place winner in the poster contest and two students received honorable mention. • Teacher Michael Pollio coordinated our participation in a regional mathematics contest, sponsored by the New England Mathematics League. Our sixth grade team placed fourth in New Haven County. Our seventh grade finished in third place and our eighth grade finished in a tie for second place. Student Artistic Achievement • Approximately 300 students in the NBIS band and chorus performed in the PAC (Performing Arts Consultants) Festival. This festival provided an excellent learning opportunity for both students and teachers. The groups performed in front of professional music educators and clinicians. After the performances, these adjudicators provided an analysis and constructive feedback. The chorus received a Silver Medal. The sixth grade band also earned a Silver Medal. The seventh & eighth grade band earned a Gold Medal... for the first time in six years. • The NBIS band, chorus, and jazz band performed at the winter and spring concerts in the North Branford Auditorium. • The third annual NBIS Art Show was held in the gymnasium. Hundreds of visitors attended the event. Educator Achievements/Awards • Science teacher Kathleen Granfield served as a Peabody Fellow for the Climate and Biodiversity Institute on Long Island. • Language arts teacher Grace Polivka served on the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) Language Arts Advisory Committee. • Language arts teacher Erin Flood Harrison was chosen as North Branford Intermediate School’s Teacher of the Year. • Teacher Ralph Shaw was selected as the New Haven Register’s Hockey Coach of the Year. NBIS Accomplishments • The school’s Decision Making Team (DMT) met regularly throughout the school year. This leadership team included representation from all segments of the school community. • Focus groups were established to include representation from all vested parties in the school renovation project. Additionally, a special public meeting was held in the auditorium on May 23, 2007. The Superintendent, NBIS administration, architects from Herbert S. Newman & Partners, and a representative from the Turner Construction Company attended the informational meeting, which was videotaped for broadcast on the local community access channel. • For the first time, parents were provided access to their children’s grades through the online PowerGrade reporting system. Character Education • The main vehicle for promoting character education at NBIS continues to be our Advisory program. Our new middle school schedule was established, in part, to accommodate a 30-minute weekly Advisory period. Each teacher, paraprofessional, and administrator serves as an advisor for approximately 20-25 students. Discussions are based on centralized monthly themes; including conflict management, integrity, responsibility, compassion, community service, etc. 28 Annual Report to the Community www.northbranfordschools.org
• NBIS benefited from resource materials provided by Project Wisdom, a nationally recognized character education program. As part of this initiative, we were provided with: 1. Weekly staff morale boosters (motivational and inspiring e-mail messages) 2. Special broadcast messages dealing with current and calendar events or pressing issues 3. Lesson plans that integrate character education into all grade levels and academic areas 4. Online access to the Project Wisdom weekly journals, themes, and other resources 5. Weekly student messages, which were read by selected students over our public address system (These messages were aligned with our monthly character education themes.) • The Kind Acts Foundation was utilized to recognize students for performing good deeds. This web-based organization was employed to provide certificates of merit and commemorative pins to deserving students. Names of recognized students were posted on the NBIS news directory. We also established a “Kind Acts” recognition board, which was displayed outside of the main office. Community Service • The eighth grade Rainbow Team collected 954 books for the “Read to Grow” fall book drive. Coordinated by teacher Grace Polivka, the campaign donated books to children in hospitals, health care clinics, day care centers, schools, and library programs across the state. Many of the children who benefit from this program have few, if any, books of their own. • The Human Relations Club (HRC) maintained active involvement within the community through participation in charitable events. One of the most successful ventures was “Holiday in a Shoebox,” which involved the collection of toiletries and other essentials for the Domestic Violence Shelter, in New Haven. Despite very poor weather conditions, the Annual Community Round-Up was a great success. The collection yielded in excess of 7,200 items, including $900 in cash donations. • In recognition of America Recycles Day, the Recycling Club collected empty inkjet cartridges, old cell phones, and used batteries. • The Student Council sponsored our involvement with the annual Toys for Tots campaign. • NBIS participated in the district effort to recognize meaningful community service. The goals of our Giraffe Heroes program (Project Care) are to: 1. Promote active community involvement 2. Foster desirable character traits 3. Help students to build confidence and capacity for taking responsibility 4. Provide opportunities for students to learn and practice academic/social skills 5. Combine attributes of character education with service learning opportunities 6. Monitor and document hours of community service • School/local groups and organizations sponsored numerous community service activities during the course of the year. For example, teachers and students on the eighth grade Rainbow Team engaged in random acts of kindness for the holidays in lieu of gift giving. Teachers modeled the true meaning of giving through a variety of activities. One teacher delivered Thanksgiving meals to needy individuals and raked leaves for an elderly neighbor. Another teacher participated in Yale-New Haven Hospital’s Toy Closet, creating holiday memories for hospitalized children. Donations to families experiencing medical emergencies were made on behalf of the Rainbow Team. • Many eighth graders sent cards and a gift box to troops serving in Iraq. Another project was connected to the Read to Grow program. Teachers and students donated used or new books for this project, sponsored by R.J. Julia. More than 950 books were donated to children in hospitals, health care clinics, day care centers, etc. • Acts of kindness were not limited to donations. Many students routinely volunteered to tidy up the school by picking up papers in the hallways. Others volunteered their time to pack boxes for the local food shelter. • Besides the recognition provided through the Kind Acts Foundation, certificates of merit were presented to worthy eighth graders at a special evening Awards Ceremony (held the night before Promotion). Additionally, a special Student Service Award was presented, courtesy of the Northford Woman’s Club. NBIS Community Service 29
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Annual Report of the Superintendent - North Branford Public Schools

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