Communications Corner Spring 2023

News and Happenings at EPS!

Welcome to the Spring Edition of Communications Corner!

Greetings Ellington Families!


Welcome to the Spring Edition of Communications Corner for Ellington Public Schools. What a busy winter we had...the Board of Education has spent hours meeting, planning, and collaborating during this busy time of year. Budget meetings and committees meeting regularly to keep the work moving forward.


In addition to our first snow days, EPS had successful winter athletic seasons, wonderful theater productions and school concerts, and many, many extracurricular clubs meeting and planning all of their great events for the remainder of the school year. Be sure to check your school's calendar to stay up to date!


Lastly, THANK YOU for all of your input since the last newsletter, we hope that you find some of your requests answered in this edition! We love hearing from you!


Also, be sure to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay in the loop!


Important Dates:

Graduation - Friday, June 9, 2023

Last Day of School - Wednesday, June 14, 2023 (Early Dismissal)


Happy Reading,

Committee Chair Jenn Mullin

Budget Season Updates!

The Board spent many evenings plus a Saturday Session discussing the Superintendent's proposed budget for the 2023-2024 school year. We thank all of those who contributed to the discussion and we are confident that the budget puts students first!


HVAC Updates Referendum Passed! Exciting news for much-needed upgrades to Center, EMS, and EHS systems!

Press Release: Ellington Board of Education Adopts Budget of $45.1M

View the full release for more information.

Windermere Update from Gary Blanchette, Liaison Permanent Building Committee

Permanent Building Committee Liaison Gary Blanchette shared that the Windermere Building project continues to make progress as it moves through design phases. Most recently a Commissioning Agent was selected for the project. It is anticipated that there will be future community forums planned to share updates about the process. Stay tuned!

For additional information, you can view our Operations Committee meeting minutes on our website or reach out to the Committee Chair, Kerry Socha at ksocha@ellingtonschools.net. You can also find the Permanent Building Committee Minutes on the Town's website.

Great food with Whitsons!

Ellington Public Schools partners with Whitson's to provide our food services. Our students enjoy meals such as veggie bowls, Yardbird chicken sandwiches, Korean-style beef, ciabatta sandwiches, and Mediterranean bowls, all including gluten-free and vegetarian options. Our Saturday Budget Session included a sampling - it was delicious. Monthly menus are posted on Instagram @boe.ellington and Facebook.

Free Meals Have Resumed!

OKP presented Radium Girls!

Board Member Kupferschmid attended this awesome award-winning performance! Congratulations to all the Opening Knights Players for their hard work! The next show will be in May, stay tuned for more information!

Community Turnout at Mohegan Sun for the Boys' Basketball Team!

What a turnout! Members of the Administration, the Board, and tons of Students supported the team at the State championship game. What an amazing show of support and community over the weekend. The Knights didn't win the title but should be proud of their hard work and successful season!

Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA)

Congratulations to our 15 EHS Future Business Leaders of America who attended the 2023 State Leadership Conference on March 17th! They represented EHS proudly and professionally as they competed in a variety of business events. Great job!

Read Across America Day - March 3rd

2023 Legislative Forum

Board Members Liz Nord, Miriam Underwood and Steve Viens attended the 2023 Legislative Forum pictured here with Greg Florio, Executive Director of CREC. Superintendent Nicol also attended the event. Topics were legislative priorities and educational issues for the 2023 Session of the CT General Assembly and learn how districts can work together to pass Equitable Educational Finding.

Internet Safety Discussion at EMS

Ellington Youth Services and Ellington Middle School offered a Community Workshop around Internet and Social Media safety. Scott Driscoll of Internet Safety Concepts presented at the workshop. Find more information in the Resource Guide.


Board Member Viens was in attendance and shared his thanks to those who put this event together!

Kitchen175 @ Ellington High School

Board Member Kupferschmid enjoyed the behind-the-scenes production of Kitchen175's latest episode with Chef Helmin and Chef White. Check it out and maybe add a new recipe to your week!

Kitchen175 - Salted Dark Chocolate Tart w/ Chef Helmin & Chef White

"YOU asked, we listened!"

Volunteering @ EPS

Step 1: Coordinate with your school's teacher and principal to discuss opportunities to volunteer.


Step 2: Complete the online application for volunteers and all state-required background screenings.


Step 3: Join Us!


CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATION.

IT Update - Why are some websites blocked on your Student's Chromebook?

There are many reasons why content is filtered on school-issued Chromebooks. Here are 7 reasons why we block websites that your students may want to access.


As the Communications Committee Chair, I want you to be safe and smart about internet use on your school-issued device!


Questions about content filtering? Reach out to our IT Department at 860-896-2315.


-Jenn Mullin, Board Member and CC Chair

Policy Manual Update from Committee Chair, Angela Moser

We are very excited to share with you that our newly formatted and numbered policies have been published. Visit often as updates are made weekly. We hope you will find the table of contents easy to navigate and as always, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Superintendent's office with questions regarding the policy manual.

Brand New "ABOUT US" section of the website!

A brand new About Us section has been added to the website. Ellington is an excellent place to grow for all! Check out the new page by visiting our website. Encourage your kids, family, and friends to read what Ellington Public Schools is all about!

March was Board Member Appreciation Month but we Appreciate YOU!

We appreciate all your input, comments, and suggestions! You can find our contact information by visiting our website.

Registration is open for all grades!

Visit our newly updated Registration Page to complete the application process for the 2023-2024 school year. The application process is simple and 100% online!


We can't wait for you to join us!

2023-2024 District Calendar has been published!

The 2023-2024 school year calendar was approved at the February Board meeting. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Superintendent's Office at 860-896-2300.


Visit our website for the full calendar!

Introducing Ellington Unplugged

On March 3rd, Superintendent Nicol shared the #EllingtonUnplugged Initiative with the Ellington Family. Let us work together to create #EllingtonUnplugged moments in our schools and community. Let us know what you think below!

Next Board of Education Meeting

Wednesday, April 26th, 6pm

37 Maple Street

Ellington, CT

Tune into our monthly Board of Education meetings to hear about the great work that is happening with Ellington Public Schools on YouTube @EllingtonPublicSchoolsCT.

RSVPs are enabled for this event.

Follow EBOE on Social Media!

Follow us, share your ideas!

Instagram @boe.ellington

YouTube @ellingtonpublicschoolsCT