Manchester Public Schools
Points of Pride: Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022
Dear Parents and Families,
On both Tuesday and Thursday night last week, Bailey Auditorium at Manchester High School was completely filled as families, friends, staff and community members turned out to enjoy the Bennet Academy holiday concerts. December is always an exciting time and this year is no different, with the concerts providing a high point in what has been a school year filled so far with a great deal of learning, growth and community building.
There have been many highlights since classes resumed three months ago. Each day brings new surprises, achievements and excitement and Friday was yet another example as students and staff throughout the district enjoyed a special PJ Day, wearing pajamas to support the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford.
Looking back a bit further, Manchester High had its National Honor Society induction ceremony recently and honored a large and diverse group of students. At Illing, the boys soccer team won a league championship. At Bennet, fifth-grader Harper Morris was the school candidate in the statewide Kid Governor competition. In every elementary, alternative and other school there were also students doing amazing things, every day.
There is also a lot to feel good about at the district level. We are launching a new app that lets you track the location of school buses in real time. A state-of-the-art ‘solar flower’ was just installed at Buckley Elementary. The Bowers Elementary renovation is coming along nicely and planning for the Keeney project is well under way, and by Fall 2024 every elementary student will enjoy a true 21st Century learning environment.
The next meeting of the Board of Education is tomorrow night and I will be giving updates in a variety of areas including academic performance and attendance. We have lots of work to do in those and other areas but also have a lot to feel good about including a jump in participation in our music programs. Bennet, for example, had 56 performers in the 6th grade band last year and has 108 this year.
Speaking of music, the Illing instrumental concert is tomorrow night and the choral groups perform Tuesday. These free concerts are at MHS starting at 7 p.m., and we have more concerts featuring MHS performers coming soon. Whether you have a child on stage or not, the events are always fun and a great reminder of the talented, committed students we have in our schools.
Sincerely,
Matt Geary
Superintendent of Schools
NOTE: The photos above and below were taken during the Bennet 5th grade concert on Thursday night; there is a gallery from Tuesday's 6th grade concert on the district Facebook page. Concerts are in Bailey Auditorium at MHS and start at 7 p.m.
National Honor Society
Eleven seniors and 50 juniors were inducted in the National Honor Society at MHS on Nov. 29.
Shown here are NHS officers and MHS teacher of the year Julie Dumeer, who was the guest speaker at the ceremony. From left are: Mikhaila Entsiwah, Ky'Lynn Monts, Brianna Wallen, Ms. Dumeer, Juliana Golas, Denise Popescu, Nadira Iqbal and Marshia Ahsan. If you want to see the program and a list of all those inducted click here.
Track School Bus Location On New App
We are excited to announce that in partnership with transportation provider First Student, we are launching FirstView, a bus tracking and parent communications app for your smartphone or desktop.
FirstView allows you to track where your child’s bus is in real-time. You can also create a ‘geo-fence’ so you will get an alert when the bus is within a certain distance of your child’s stop, and there’s a multi-stop view if you have multiple students on different buses.
To learn how it works and create an account please click here.
Bowers Art Teacher Earns State Distinction
Joe Vernali has been named the state’s Outstanding Art Educator for demonstrating excellence in the classroom, active participation and leadership, advocacy for the arts, and other art education related accomplishments. The award was given recently by the Connecticut Art Education Association.
“Joe is a master teacher whose child-centered instruction is laser focused on the individual needs of his students,” wrote Bowers Principal Max Echeverria in a letter supporting Vernali’s candidacy.
For more information and a list of all the winners please click here.
Focus On Attendance: Go For The Green!
Here are some reminders that can make a positive difference:
- Finish your homework and put it in your backpack the night before.
- Lay out your clothes and the backpack in the evening too!
- Have a regular bedtime for a good night's sleep.
- Turn off electronic devices one hour before bedtime.
- Leave early enough in the morning to get to school on time.
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10 percent or more of the school year and this graphic shows how year-end attendance breaks down. Last week we reached the 60-day mark so students who have missed three or fewer days this year are in the 'green zone' as they are attending school 95 percent of the time or more.
Remember: Consistent attendance helps a child get better grades and also develop healthy life habits, avoid dangerous behaviors and have a better chance of graduating.
Next Board of Education Meeting Is Tomorrow
The Board of Education next meets Monday, Dec. 12 and will feature a fall data update. Here's the agenda. The meeting will be at Lincoln Center at 7 p.m. and is also streamed lived on the district FB page and you can participate virtually. Here's how that works.
Calendar Note:
On Friday, Dec. 23 we have a shortened day and will follow the emergency release schedule in all schools. Dismissal times will be as follows:
- 11 a.m. -- Manchester High School, Bentley and Manchester Regional Academy.
- 11:45 a.m. -- Illing, Bennet, Manchester Middle Academy and Head Start
- 12:30 p.m. -- All elementary schools for K-4 students
Also dismissal will be at 10:45 a.m. for preschool students (at all locations); there will be no PM Pre-K.
PJ Day Supports Worthy Cause
It's an annual early-December MPS tradition as staff and students wore pajamas to school on Friday to support the CT Children's Medical Center in Hartford. In the past seven years, our district has raised over $30,000 and made thousands of cards for the children being treated there.