Highlander Highlights
NWR7 District Updates | March/April 2024
Superintendent's Newsletter Introduction and Reflections:
I hope this latest edition of my Highlander Highlights newsletter finds you and your loved ones doing well and getting excited for a spring break that I believe will be good for everyone. Regardless of how great a school district is, or how many positive things are happening, everyone needs to take pause and have a little time to step back and rejuvenate so that we are prepared to finish the final 8 weeks of the year with excellence.
It has been an exciting time here, with an unfortunate but necessary April 4th snow cancellation, an earthquake or two on the following day, and a rare and memorable solar eclipse on Monday. We never know what surprises await us during any given week. At this time; however, I hope weather closures are now behind us and we can confirm the final day of school. While most students will have completed their required coursework and exams by the end of June 13th, the last official day for students in grades 7-11 is now Friday, June 14th. Graduation remains on Wednesday, June 12th, since that date was adopted by the Board of Education earlier this year. I hope our Class of 2024 graduates will enjoy their extra days off that week!
Along with the joy and excitement that is natural at the end of a school year, it can bring a mix of emotions, especially for seniors, but also middle schoolers entering our high school or another program, for a retiring staff member, or someone moving on to a different position or life/career path. Change can be hard, but it is an inevitable and important part of life that we must all face, and hopefully embrace. It is an inherent part of the human condition, and the better we adapt to change, the better off we generally are. Whether the changing of the seasons, changes in the daily weather, or something more dramatic like the new life that sprouts following a forest fire, change is one of our constants.
I have a senior who will graduate from her high school in June, and also a younger child going into middle school, so those changes each bring their own stress and anxiety, regardless of the level of support and preparedness for the next step on the journey. So for all of our parents, students and staff members who are experiencing change, or supporting others who are going through a transition in life, I hope we can all take comfort in knowing that many wonderful outcomes in life come as a direct result of change.
I hope everyone has a really great spring! Thank you, I hope you enjoy this edition of my Highlander Highlights newsletter.
Warm regards,
Steve LePage
Graduation and Last Day for Students
During the January 10 regular Board of Education meeting, the Board approved Wednesday, June 12, 2024 as the official Graduation date for all seniors who have met our graduation requirements. Due to the now 4 snow days this year, and the state's requirement for those days to be made up for anyone other than seniors, the last day for all students in grades 7-11 will be Friday June 14th.
Our Northwestern Penguin Plunge Team: A Splashing Success!
I am excited to share that our Northwestern Regional Penguin Plunge team raised over $6,500 for Special Olympics Connecticut leading up to the Penguin Plunge on the March 23 Penguin Plunge. Half of the money raised will come back to our district Unified Program, and will help to provide for the needs of this team for some time to come. I was excited to join teachers & Unified Coaches, Nancy Wiecking and Kim Perschmann, LINKS Program teacher Mrs. Ficke and several members of our staff, students, and members of the community for this event.
Special Olympics provides inspiring and inclusive opportunities for athletes of all abilities, and builds lasting relationships between athletes and their peers. Half of the fundraising proceeds will come back to our Unified Sports Program, and will help to fund several program needs! Special thanks to Soundway Financial for having custom beach towels for each member of our Plunge team for this event, they definitely proved helpful!
Final Plunge Preparations Being Made (and trying on costumes, of course)
Unified Coached Kim Perschmann and Nancy Wiecking - Would anyone really fear these deer?
Some of Our Awesome Unified Team Students!
2024-2025 Board of Education Budget Development Process and Outlook
At this point, our Board Chair, Molly Sexton-Read, most members of the Board, and I have shared budget information in each town. Mrs. Sexton-Read has presented the overview of our budget through a detailed overview presentation, and she and I have addressed any follow-up questions. As a result of those meetings, the Board was prepared to take action and adopted the 2024-2025 budget to take to the budget hearing on April 22 at 7:00 PM in the Little Theater. At the end of the Budget Hearing, another motion will be needed for Adoption of the Budget to go to the District Budget Meeting on May 6 at 7:00 in the Little Theater. On Tuesday, May 7, the budget will go to referendum.
If you would like to see much more about the budget, including district budget presentations and information regarding our currently proposed budget and past budgets, please visit our website at: https://www.nwr7.com/board-of-ed/budget-information. I am also happy to address whatever questions I can, so feel free to contact me directly with any questions that might provide more clarity on our proposed budget. My commitment is always to be transparent, fiscally responsible, and collaborative throughout the budget process. Thank you for your continuous support of our district and the great things we are doing, and will continue to do here at Northwestern Regional School District No. 7.
Sincerely,
Steve LePage
Mary Poppins Production
Please buy your tickets to our next Northwestern Regional 7 Theatre Production of Mary Poppins. Our student actors, supporting crew, and director have been working very hard and spending many hours in preparation for what I know will be a wonderful show. Don't miss it, buy your tickets now by using the QR code on the poster below. Thank you!
The New Northwestern Regional Unified Sound Program
Northwestern Instrumental Music Teacher, Mrs. Charlotte D’Aleo, in collaboration with LINKS program teacher Mrs. Megan Ficke, have spearheaded the development of a new United Sound Program here at Northwestern Regional. United Sound is a peer mentoring music program for students to participate in the instrumental music programs at their school. We are starting United Sound here at Northwestern, only the second school currently in CT to run a United Sound program. We currently have 3 terrific new musicians from our LINKS program and 19 dedicated student mentors. Students have chosen their instruments and are learning how to play them with the end goal of performing at the concert in May with the band.
Here's a link to the website if you'd like more information about the organization. We wish our United Sound participants a wonderful experience and look forward to hearing them play at the concert in May!
Cafeteria Food Service Changes and Improvements
Providing quality meal options is really important to our schools, and it can be a real challenge to meet the healthy schools state guidelines and requirements while maintaining a creative and delicious variety of school meals. The quality of the food here at Northwestern is really exceptional and we are grateful to our cafeteria food services team for their efforts to make it better and better. Our food service program director is Becky Tyrrell at Ed Advance, and she does a great job in supporting our local leader, Food Services Manager, Kristin LaMesa-Hamzy, who has brought a unique perspective and vision to our programs. Kristin and her cafeteria team have done a terrific job with making food options for students and staff members who purchase the same meals here, both nutritious and delicious. I share that we buy the same meals because that is important. I have seen districts where there is a separate menu for adults, but the food is so good here that it is appealing to both students and staff.
This year, many students and staff members have commented on how good the food has been this year, and this is largely attributed to the cafeteria leadership's vision of providing fresh, delicious, and increasingly creative options to choose from. While I tend to order a fresh deli wrap with quality turkey meat and all of the veggie fixings on a regular basis, the hot meal options are terrific also, and the increasingly long lunch lines are an evidence of that.
In addition to everything shared above, many of the fresh ingredients are ordered from local farms, such as the spinach, cucumbers, strawberries and onions shown in the salad below. We are fortunate to have delicious and nutritious meals for our students to choose from. Finally, the free breakfast for all students and free lunch for those who would normally receive reduced meal rates has been a game changer this year with so many more students opting to eat, and getting the nutrition they need to be productive over the course of the long school day.
Fresh and Locally Farmed Salad Options
A Deli Salad Option From April 9th
Northwestern High School Athletics: Our Spring Season is Underway
Despite an unexpected April 4 snowstorm, unusually heavy rains that seem to arrive on a regularly scheduled weekly basis, earthquakes, and a full solar eclipse on April 8, our spring athletics season is underway at both the middle school and high school levels. It has been great to feel at least a few warmer spring days, and to see our track and all of our athletics fields active with practices and games. I wish all of our teams and each student athlete a rewarding experience, filled with both personal growth and team success. I look forward to highlighting spring athletics accomplishments over the next two months leading to the end of the season, and the end of the school year that will soon follow!
Agricultural Education Program Highlights
Save The Date:
The Annual FFA Awards Ceremony will be held on Friday, May 17th!
Northwestern FFA Program: High Praise From the State Dept. of Education Accreditation Team
Our NWR7 Agriscience Program State Accreditation visit took place on March 12 and 13. This process provided an opportunity for a comprehensive self-assessment and subsequent visiting committee review of our Agriscience program offerings and overall culture here at Northwestern Regional. This evaluation utilizes a comprehensive process that is based on a lengthy and detailed list of program criteria and state standards. The accreditation committee visit process includes interviews with several groups of students, parents, teachers, administrators, consulting committee members, classroom visits, program inspections, and much more.
The self-reflection preparations for the accreditation visit is in itself a daunting and time consuming task, and we are grateful to long-time Ag-Ed Department Administrative Assistant, Barbara Domack, for all of her hard work to prepare this, in consultation with the dedicated agriscience leadership and teachers. There are literally hundreds of guiding criteria that must be considered, so it is quite a process to complete.
We extend our sincere congratulations to our agriscience program team for what I would consider to be an exemplary review outcome. Everything was really well planned and prepared for the visiting committee, and our committee members were very pleased by our program. Following the 2-day visit, the agriscience staff and our school and district administration were provided with a brief summary of findings, and all feedback was extremely positive and supportive of what our program and staff is doing for students. What stood out to the visiting committee most were the consistent responses our students shared when asked what their favorite part of the program is. According to Harold Mackin who leads the state accreditation team, the unanimous answer received from the students was, “the teachers and staff” and the strong and positive bonds and relationships that are formed here. The students also shared that they feel very much a part of Northwestern, and that they do not feel like a separate program, but part of one big Northwestern family here. They also shared positive remarks about the level of involvement and support they feel from our school and district administration. It was nice to hear that our students are having a good experience and feel supported and important, because they are. Our Agriscience program is outstanding, and really important to our comprehensive Northwestern Regional offerings, so we will continue to do our best to support their ongoing development and success.
Agriscience Day At The Capital
On Wednesday, March 20th Northwestern FFA students joined agriculture students from across the state to celebrate Ag Day at the Capitol. The event highlights farming in Connecticut and takes place each year during National Agriculture Week. Agriculture is a four billion dollar industry in Connecticut that employs over 22,000 people, and our state is home to 5,000 family farms. Our students enjoyed visiting displays from local agricultural associations, UCONN's School of Agriculture, the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, and many support industries as well as remarks from the commissioner of agriculture and Governor Ned Lamont.
New Additions To Our Ag-Ed Family
Senior Stefania Mancini Gives Some Love and Attention to "Bruno" Our First Born Kid of This Season, Welcome to Northwestern, "Bronco"!
Senior Haley Lauer Spending Time With The Second Addition To Our Ag-Ed Family
New (Temporary) Resident, "Shaggy" Sharing Lunch With Haley...
NWR7 Partnering with House Of Heroes CT (Reminder and Community Request)
Kindness in Motion...Moving From Proposals To Action
Kindness in Motion was started here 9 years ago by my wonderful predecessor, Dr. Judy Palmer. This is a really special program which aligns well with my philosophy about the importance of kindness, and the need for more of it in our world. Through this program, mini-grants of $100 are awarded to students or staff members who apply for funding to support an idea that they believe will make the world a better place. This year, we received almost 19 applications from a combined 35 students, representing a wide variety of exciting and wonderful project proposal ideas. Final evaluation of the applications were completed this week and notifications to applicants are being made by Principal Franklin and Principal Amara today, along with the awarding of $100 in grant funding for each approved project. We are grateful to everyone who took the time to submit a proposal and wish everyone much success with their project, spreading kindness and good will toward others. We will have a celebration of these projects in June, so look for additional details about that in the coming weeks.
If you have not yet seen or heard about the Northwestern Kindness in Motion program, you can watch the introductory video and what this project is all about, Please Watch It HERE!
House of Heroes and Northwestern Regional to Partner on Behalf of Local Veterans
Our district is hoping to partner with House of Heroes Connecticut on one or perhaps more community projects to benefit veterans from our NWR7 towns next year. Planning efforts will need to take place late this year and early next fall, so we are hoping to determine if there are veterans in our community who are interested in this program. Projects are done at NO COST to the veteran through sponsorships and donations of labor and materials. Our project(s) would take place in the fall months, leading up to Veterans Day.
Ultimately, we need veteran applicants to apply for the program. If we have applicants, we may need sponsors to help pay for materials, and a crew of both skilled and unskilled labor to complete the project(s), depending on what the particular project involves. These projects are a wonderful way to give back, so I am confident that we will be able to get all of the help we need to successfully serve those who have served our country.
More information about these projects can be found in the following detailed link. It is several pages long, but please take a look and see if you might consider nominating a veteran, or supporting a project in the future. Thank you!