Annual Report of the Superintendent - North Branford Public Schools

Character Education Assemblies/Activities
As part of our site-based strategic planning, our Unified Focus Committee planned five Character Assemblies throughout
the year.
• The JHS Pledge - pledge was validated through examples of what each stanza means.
• Heroes - understanding the difference between fame and heroism.
• Earth Day - learning ways that children and adults can respect and protect the earth.
• The Wolf That Cried Boy - learning the concepts of honesty and trust.
• Bullying - children were given information about what to do if you are feeling bullied and how to recognize if they
are being a bully. Discussed what needs to happen at JHS to make us a “bully-proof” school.
Community Service Awards and Activities
• Maureen Bruno, Susan Calamita, and Francine Stanio, three JHS parent volunteers, were honored at the CAS
Volunteer Dinner held at the Aqua Turf in March, 2007.
• Doreen Currie, our parent educator in the Families-In-Training program, led a team for the Relay for Life. They
received a Bronze Award for raising over $3,000. Four students from JHS participated on this team and were
honored at our end of the year assembly.
• One JHS student received a community service award from the Northford Women’s Club. She was honored at our
end-of-the-year assembly.
Students and faculty at JHS participated in a variety of community service projects this year. School-wide projects
included:
• Collection of new or gently used books for Clinton Avenue School in New Haven
• Collected over 500 personal hygiene items for the North Branford Food Bank
• Participated in Ronald McDonald’s House “Lights of Love” campaign
• JHS Night of Caring
• Collected hats, gloves and mittens for a clothing bank in Branford
• Several classes wrote letters, get well cards and Valentine cards to our service men and women
• Participation in the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days
• ACS Relay for Life fundraising activity “Pajama Day.”
• Raffled off Teacher of the Year parking space to benefit St. Jude’s Hospital
Individual classroom community service projects included:
• A 1st grade class visited Evergreen Woods several times during the school year.
• Kindergarten classes collected pennies for Ronald McDonald House, made Halloween cards for a convalescent
home, and collected hats & mittens for a local shelter.
• Two 3rd grade classes participated in “Project Linus” - making quilts for children in hospitals.
• Several classes wrote to veterans and servicemen and women.
• A 2nd grade class made holiday food baskets for two families in town.
• A 2nd grade class adopted a family for Christmas and provided clothing and toys.
• A 2nd grade class participated in “Bikes for Babies” and raised money to purchase two bicycles.
• All first grade classes made Valentines to send to area nursing homes.
• Two classes organized a book raffle to raise money for RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy).
• A 2nd grade class participated in a Math-a-Thon to benefit St. Jude’s Hospital.
• A 2nd grade class picked up trash around the building a few times a year.
• A 2nd grade class collected school supplies and clothing for an all girls’ school in Iraq.
38 Annual Report to the Community www.northbranfordschools.org