Henry David Thoreau

Below is a collage of pictures from the Lions Club 5k. These action shots were timely as we all had the "finish line" of the school year in our sights. I want to say thank you to all the students, staff and families for making this an amazing year. We worked collaboratively through the ups and downs of what were uniquely challenging circumstances. I am in awe of the perseverance of our learners. Nothing put a damper on their pride or efforts while striving for excellence.

June 14-LES Flag Day Ceremony- 9:00 am

June 15-Lyman Senior Walk @ LES- 11:30-12:45 & 4th Grade Moving Up 6:00 pm

June 16- 8th Grade Promotion 6:00 pm

June 17- LMHS Graduation 6:00 pm

Earlier this month we recognized the Teachers of the Year from each of our schools. Congratulations to Jen Olsen-Lebanon Elementary School, Amy Reynolds-Lebanon Middle School, and Dave DeCarli- Lyman Memorial High School. These teachers were selected by the Teacher of the Year Committee after a careful review of a talented pool of educators and after a tally of votes from their respective colleagues. This honor is well deserved. We look forward to continuing to celebrate these teachers during our 2022-2023 convocation exercises and at the September 2022 Board of Education meeting. These teachers went through the interview process for District Teacher of the Year and I am happy to announce the Mr. DeCarli was selected as the District Teacher of the Year. We wish him luck as he goes for this distinguished honor at the state level.

Join us in congratulating Julie Lake as Lebanon Public Schools IA of the Year!

The committee and Superintendent Gonzalez surprised Julie in her Preschool classroom at LES. Her Preschool friends were excited to congratulate her!

Julie was hired in the district in 2008. Since then she has been an integral part of the preschool team - taking leadership roles within the classroom, assisting with the screening process, helping achieve NAEYC accreditation, and having an excellent rapport with students and parents. According to one parent that nominated Julie, " Ms. Lake has been so wonderful to our family! My daughter looks up to her so much."

Another parent wrote, " Ms Lake cares deeply for the students and the school."

According to Gretchen Brochu, "Julie has been my instructional assistant for the last 3 years, and I could not be more impressed with how she positively impacts students and staff on a daily basis."

Julie is an asset to our district, and truly deserving of this recognition!

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Thanks to the staff and community members who participated and provided feedback regarding the construction of the 2022-2023 Lebanon Public Schools budget. And thank you for your consistent support of our robust and responsible budget to support all our learners!

At its Special Meeting on Wednesday, June 1, 2022 the Board of Finance voted to move forward to the second referendum an adjusted Board of Education budget which now has an increase of 2.5%. This is up from the 1.13% originally proposed. The 2.5% will allow us to maintain our current levels of staffing, programming in our schools, and move forward our supply requests.

While this increase does not give us the opportunity to move forward with certain initiatives we understand the difficult economic times everyone is experiencing and feel this is a reasonable percentage to land on.

As a Board we will always stand up for what we feel our learners need to thrive. We will continue to communicate and celebrate the accomplishments of our learning community while advocating for new and different pathways that will help us continue to strive for excellence.

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During the month of May we also celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week. It was great to see all the special events and treats provided by families, PTA/PTO and colleagues of our teachers. They were all very much deserved.

To our teachers, please know you are appreciated always and that I am grateful to be a part of this team.

Thank you for your tireless efforts to provide the

best possible education for our learners.

Thank you for your commitment to developing lifelong learners

while being role models for our students.

Thank you for being an important part of a culture that supports the

social and emotional well-being of staff and students alike.

Thank you for your perseverance and pursuit of excellence.

And thank you for choosing Lebanon!

#LebanonPride #CloseKnit

May was Mental Health Awareness Month. One of our district goals this year to provide Social/Emotional growth services to our learners. We continued you these efforts throughout the year but last month there was a special focus on this topic. This video is a simple reminder, that while it may be hard to strike up conversations about mental health that we can all check in with each other by simply asking "How are you doing?" Our message to our staff, students and community is that we care for each and everyone of you and that we will always be here to listen, talk and support you in any way we can, #Closeknit

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As part of a summer Superintendent Update we will share with you our end of year data and celebrate our accomplishments in a written Annual Report along with a slide show that highlights our efforts.

Curriculum Corner Report

By: Rita Quiles-Glover

Director of Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment

Recently, teachers in grades K-8 attended professional development for Ready Mathematics. This newly adopted math program will be implemented for the upcoming school year in grades K-8. As part of their work, teachers explored the program's online platform and reviewed key components for effective instruction. Ready Mathematics has 3 core concepts, which include:

• Meaningful discourse around rich tasks is essential for building student understanding and ownership.

• Evidence of student thinking should drive decisions about when and how to differentiate.

• Rigorous instruction and meaningful practice are necessary to deepen students’ conceptual and procedural connections.

Partnering with your child's teacher is a powerful way to support your child’s education; we know that math looks different than how many of us learned it. Ready classroom has an excellent online tool to support parents and provide insight on mathematics learning. Should you have a child in these grades, the following link provides a helpful guide and resources: https://readyclassroomcentral.com/familycenter/

What is Extended School Year (ESY)?

Extended school year means services provided beyond the length of the school year. It is the exception and not the rule for students receiving special education services. The need is generally discussed at the annual review for the child. The following information comes from the Bureau in an update dated January, 10, 2002:

The state standard in Connecticut has included both regression/recoupment criteria and nonregression criteria for determining if a child is eligible to receive ESY services.

The Bureau provided information on ESY in Update 28 dated January 10, 2002 and included a specific reference to Reusch v. Fountain, 21 IDELR 1107 (1994). Reusch* contains a good discussion of the regression and nonregression factors which should be considered in determining whether or not a child may be eligible for extended school year services.

These factors include:

• The nature or severity of the student’s disability (nonregression);

• The student is likely to lose critical skills or fail to recover these skills within a reasonable time as compared to typical students (regression/recoupment); Extended School Year (ESY) Services March 15, 2007

• The student’s progress in the areas of learning crucial to attaining self-sufficiency and independence from caretakers (nonregression);

• The student’s stereotypic, ritualistic, aggressive or self-injurious interfering behaviors prevent the student from receiving some educational benefit from the program during the school year (nonregression); or

• Other special circumstances identified by the IEP team such as: the ability of the student to interact with other non-disabled students; the areas of the student’s curriculum that need continuous attention; the student’s vocational needs; or the availability of alternative resources.

Our ESY program runs from July 5 - July 28. It is held Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 8:30-11:30. Students can be recommended for one, two, or three days a week. The Department of Pupil Services is in the process of sending assignments to students who have ESY services listed in their Individual Education Plans (IEPs).

Lebanon Public Schools actively seeks to assist children and families by locating, identifying, and referring children from birth to age 21 who require special education and related services. If you are concerned about a child's development, you are encouraged to contact Lebanon Elementary School to receive information about Early Childhood Screenings If the child is younger than 3 years of age, you may choose instead to contact the Connecticut Birth to Three System at 1-800-505-7000.

If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact 860-642-5636.

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Families, please feel free to send photos of our students in action so that I can celebrate them in the Superintendent Updates. Thanks for helping share our Lebanon Pride! andrew.gonzalez@lebanonct.org

Our Lyman family experienced a loss this late in April. Although there is no way to express how truly sad we are for the family's loss a few of our students tried to help out by spearheading a fundraiser. Joshua Warner and Isabella Deslauriers helped collect donations for the Hamlin family. The school raised $773.50 in donations.

A busy night full of student celebrations at our May 10th Board of Education meeting. We honored students with awards from the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Connecticut Association of Schools, the Connecticut Association of Public Schools Superintendents and the All-State Music Festival. Congrats Nora, Nicholas, Keera, Rachael, Madison and Caroline! #Lebanonpride

Students in 8th grade worked on developing a job shadow project since mid October. The purpose of this project was to introduce students to the “world of work”. In shadowing or interviewing a professional in their field of interest, it allowed the students to experience firsthand what it may be like to work in that career field. It gave them the opportunity to ask questions so that they may start thinking about what they may like to do one day as a career.

This project is a stepping stone to their future. As they progress through high school they will be making choices on course selections as well as making plans for what they will want to do in the future as a career. This project may help students start formulating ideas on what direction they may want to take and is a part of making all students, college and career ready. This project also directly ties into Lebanon Public Schools Portrait of a Graduate.

At the end of this project, students made a poster board and presented their experiences at a job shadow expo where Lebanon Middle School students came and walked around as well as parents and members of the Lebanon community.

LMHS students participated in a Model UN Conference at Woodstock Academy. Blake Susman and Ian Shaughnessy represented Italy and Estonia respectively as members of the EU debating their response to the war in Ukraine. Kendall Breault, Ryan Dungan, and Grace Kelley participated in a historic crisis committee as members of President Truman's Cabinet dealing with the Berlin Blockade of 1949. And, Kendall won an Honorable Mention Award for her portrayal of Secretary of War, Henry Stimson.

At our June Board of Education meeting, Kristen Goodrich and Bennett Murphy were celebrated as Engaged Collaborators and for being selected as the Lyman Memorial High School Scholar athletes. Here are some quotes from the write-ups shared by their coaches.

Kristen, has been a stellar student athlete over the past four years performing at the top level both on the track and in the classroom. Kristen has been a member of the Indoor track team for 4 years and cross country and outdoor track for 3. She is the Indoor track record holder for High Jump and Long Jump and is the Outdoor track record holder in triple jump. In all 10 of her seasons she qualified for the Class S state meets in both individual and relay events.

Outside of athletics she is a model student working hard in honors and AP classes as well as being a heavily involved member of the school community. Through her time at Lyman she has been involved in the organization and execution of many school activities and events. In the classroom she is very thorough in her planning and is meticulous with the quality of her work. These traits have helped her to be very successful in the completion of many quality projects in her introduction to technology education class. She has demonstrated excellent talent in her computer aided drafting classes the last two years in both architectural and mechanical design.

Bennett has participated on the Lyman Baseball team for the past 4 years. He has always been the consummate team player. He is very self-motivated, putting forth his best effort on a consistent basis. He has been immensely respected by all his teammates and his coaches. Coach Gomez feels extremely fortunate to have had him in our baseball program and says “Our success has been a reflection of the type of person and character traits he has.”

Over the last two years Bennett has been what every coach dreams of for his athletes in their program! When I think of Benny I think of leadership, professionalism, and just a great overall young man. Bennett was that glue guy for us here at Lyman. His love for the game and love for the team was far beyond what anyone could imagine. He was someone you could always count on. For these reasons and many more, Bennett is a coach’s dream player. Benny will have success wherever his road takes him next fall, but even more success in future with his character, heart and work ethic.

The Lebanon Regional FFA Chapter has 2 teams heading the National FFA convention in October!

The Farm Business Management team placed 2nd but was given the opportunity to replace Suffield who won but has 1/2 their team unable to attend so they passed on that honor to the 2nd place team. Congrats to Sadie Boothroyd, Sarah Cropley, Erin Grossman and Becca Risley.

The Ag Marketing team won states and blew the judges away with their plan which was judged by Marketing executives at Pepsi. Those team members are

Ella Allen , Laurelin Boyer and Rowan LaFleur.

The LHMS Band concert was awesome. My daughters and I sat in the audience and enjoyed (even danced a bit) the performance. Hearing some 80's classics, like the Michael Jackson mix was a nice touch!

It was an absolutely beautiful day for a walk in Lebanon. Thanks to Mrs. Castillo for organizing our All Children Exercising Simultaneously activity.

On Wednesday, May 4th LES welcomed families to play a fun game of BINGO for books as an extension of the activities being held during the school day in celebration of Children's Book Week.

At the CT Invention Award Ceremony, Tanner DeLucia received the Linde Innovation Award! This award is for an invention that is a simple solution to a complex problem

Middle School students with the support of Ms. Picard made blankets for the Uconn health center

Megan Grogan an Agriculture Science Teacher at LMHS and her students distributed sunflower seeds and planters while promoting the Sunflower Challenge with our elementary school students.

Our PTA got creative with their latest fundraising project. When you visit the LES Art Gallery, look up to enjoy ceiling tiles that were painted by students and families.

Thanks to Ms. Johnson for putting together the LES Art Show. Thank you to all who attended to view our student creativity and artistic expressions on display.

I am proud of the efforts of our schools to support our community and those around us. The latest example is the cereal drive that was held at the Lebanon Elementary School. A "tower" of boxes was built and then donated to the Lebanon Food Bank.

I have been proud to partner with SchoolCEO to share things that are happening in Lebanon. This most recent article discusses how our Leadership Team used a unique twist on book studies to help guide our summer retreat, in the LMHS Library :), and goal setting conversations.

LYMAN 100th ANNIVERSARY- September 9-11, 2022

The Lyman 100th Anniversary Committee has been planning our celebration and All-Class Reunion to be held the weekend of September 9-11, 2022 at Lyman Memorial High School.

The tentative schedule can be found on-line and in print at various locations around town. The schedule includes Lyman sporting events, a student/alumni concert & variety show, opening ceremony, a dance, tours of the Middle and High Schools and a Lebanon Historical Society exhibit. There will be much more during the weekend, as well as time to reunite with classmates, old friends, and teachers. We are looking for participants for the Music Show and if any class would like to plan a mini reunion, please refer to the schedule for more details.

Exciting news: We are now accepting donations through PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/lyman100years (answer: “Donation”). Donations will be used for anniversary celebration supplies, advertising and publicity, signage, merchandise, activities for the Lyman school population, 2023 graduation recognitions, etc. If you would like to donate there are several levels, and you can still pay by check. More information is included in the schedule and a separate donation form, available in various locations and on-line. The schedule and a donation form can be found here as pdfs.

Please follow us on Facebook at Lyman-Memorial-High-School-100-Year-Anniversary or find us at www.lebanonct.org/o/lmhs/page/lyman-100. For more information, or to have your email and name added to the list please email LymanMHS100years@gmail.com. Please check these pages for updated schedules and more information as we proceed towards September.

Please spread the word to your alumni family, friends, and classmates. We look forward to having our Lyman alumni family back in Lebanon for this celebration weekend.

Event registration will be available by May 1.

REGISTRATION FOR THE 100th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION IS NOW AVAILABLE

WHY REGISTER?

With thousands of Lyman alumni and their families eligible to attend our celebration, the committee would like to know in advance how many will join us.

Registering prior to the date will help with planning, food, merchandise ordering, venue capacity, etc.

There is a $10.00 non-refundable per person fee; current K-12 students are free. This fee covers celebration expenses.

Please click on the google forms link and complete the registration form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe30wRawmTnhMZ28SHSd5c5NUycpeVrw_PAJNrceRvjGirtfg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Printed copies are also available in various locations around Lebanon or by request from lymnamhs100years@gmail.com.

Payment can be made by check through the mail to the address on the form or through PayPal, https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/lyman100years (answer: “Registration”)

You will not be considered registered until payment is received. Registration deadline is August 21, 2022.

Please continue to follow us on Facebook: Lyman-Memorial-High-School-100-Year-Anniversary or through the Lyman Memorial High School page: www.lebanonct.org/o/lmhs/page/lyman-100 for updates.

Please remember you can see our COVID-19 data that is updated in real time athttps://www.lebanonct.org/ There is a "button" on the main page that links directly to our dashboard.

COVID-19 medications are now available through your doctor, local pharmacies, and health clinics.

If you have COVID-19 symptoms, do not wait to get treated.

You must take oral COVID-19 medication within 5 days of your first COVID-19 symptoms.

Use the tool below to find a location that is right for you.

https://covid-19-test-to-treat-locator-dhhs.hub.arcgis.com/

If you have individuals looking for their vaccination record, they can now access the information by themselves.

The link is below for patients and legal guardians to access official immunization records for themselves and their children using the CT WiZ Public Portal.

https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Immunizations/CT-WiZ-Access-My-Immunization-Record

The American Rescue Plan for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds (ARP ESSER) have been allocated to create programming that is not only innovative but allows our students to thrive in a safe, nurturing, rigorous and student-centered learning environment.

Lebanon Public Schools is projected to receive $347,039 ESSER II funds and $770,405 ESSER III funds that are to be used by June 2023.

Our team has developed a plan to apply these significant funds to support students who have experienced injuries of trauma as a result of necessary changes in the learning environment during the 2020-21 academic year.

Our plan addresses the following priorities:

■ Providing academic support to address learning loss and accelerate recovery

■ Partnering with families and the community

■ Ensuring our schools’ safety and well-being

■ Integrating Technology to support the success of all learners

Being responsive to the needs of the district and the students whom we serve, this plan will be reviewed and revised at regular intervals and updated materials will be posted on our district's website, shared with Board of Education as well as with our families by sharing at the building level through newsletters and other sources of communication.

As a result of a needs assessment and the collaborative conversations between administration, staff and Board of Education members, Lebanon Public Schools has hired a Math Interventionist and Literacy Coach to work at Lebanon Middle School. We have also contracted with Eastconn, our Regional Education Service Center, to provide K-12 Math support for our educators. Lyman will have a supported study hall to keep students on track. Our district added a Social worker to support our students social and emotional well-being. We also have invested in new educational platforms to support targeted instruction for our learners and teachers have been actively engaged in curriculum development this summer. Most recently the district posted, and has begun interviewing to fill positions that we feel will meet the priorities above. These positions include; a grade 4 & 5 teacher, a 7-12 Math position that will bring a concentrated focus to this subject and support 6th grade. These were initial steps towards addressing the needs of our district. Further communication will be sent to all stakeholders to engage in meaningful consultation for suggestions on educational areas to support.

If you have any feedback or suggestions on how we can grow our district through creative use of these funds, please reach out to me directly.

Thank you for paying close attention to your speed while driving through our school zones. Our School Resource Officer and our Town Constable will be actively monitoring vehicle speeds to ensure we have safe school zones.

Also, please remember that it is never okay to drive by/pass any school bus with flashing red lights.

The Lebanon Public Schools, in partnership with families and the community, will prepare students to be contributing members of a diverse global society. We will provide a safe, nurturing, rigorous, and student-centered learning environment.

The school community of Lebanon is committed to the mission of honoring and celebrating the diversity of our students, our community, and our nation. We strive to guide our students to conscious, deliberate, individual and collective actions that cultivate the respect of all races, religions, and social backgrounds. Our school community endeavors to produce graduates who are equipped with a greater understanding of the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Lebanon Board of Education, in compliance with federal and state law, affirms its policy of equal educational opportunity for all students and equal employment opportunity for all persons. It is the policy of the District to promote nondiscrimination and an environment free of harassment and the District does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, alienage, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity or expression, veteran status or any other category protected under state or federal law in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its program or activities. The District also provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups and is specifically required by Title IX not to discriminate on the basis of sex in its programs and activities. The District shall make reasonable accommodations for individuals with identified physical and mental impairments that constitute disabilities, consistent with federal and state statutes and regulations.

The following person has been designated to handle inquires regarding Title IX sex discrimination policies: Dawn DeLia, Title IX Coordinator, 891 Exeter Road, Lebanon, CT; 860-642-5764

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding other non-discrimination policies: Dawn DeLia, 504/ADA Coordinator, 891 Exeter Road, Lebanon, CT; 860-642-5764