Friday Family Community Message
Friday, May 17, 2024
Dear parents and guardians,
The weeks of May always seem to just fly by, and this year is no different. It's hard to believe we've finished our week of the month already. We've been enjoying all of the special events this month, including East's Academic Convocation which was held on Thursday night. Be sure to check out the photos from that event in our Good News section below.
We'd especially like to draw your attention this week to the Budget Information section of the newsletter. With the mayor's level-funding of our budget, we want to be sure that everyone is adequately prepared for the dire situation that we now face.
Be sure to read this week's newsletter to the end and take a look at all of the news we've shared with you this week. We wouldn't want you to miss any important information!
Sincerely,
The Cranston Public Schools Leadership Team
Important School Budget Information
Cranston Public Schools is considering significant cuts to staffing, programming, and transportation due to having been once again level-funded in this year’s city budget.
The Cranston School Committee adopted a total district budget of $181,712,717.00 for the 2024-25 school year, which reflected a modest increase of $1,890,005, or 1.9 percent over last year's request to the city. This adopted budget reflected the values of the District’s mission and vision which include the district-wide improvement of student achievement, maintenance of core academic programs as well as aligned instructional systems that reflect the needs of all 21st century learners.
Next year’s budget shortfall is the culmination of two years of level funding in the city’ budget. While the city council has amended the administration’s proposed leveled budget to include an additional $198,000, the proposed budget still falls far short of the district’s needs and obligations.
Due to this projected budget shortfall, which coupled with the loss of $1.6 million in our state allocations totals approximately $3 million, the school committee and the District are working to address the funding gap for next year by making proposed cuts in the following categories:
Staffing
Cuts will impact district-wide academic services and programming in the following ways:
The elimination of approximately 15 to 20 positions including teachers and administrators.
The elimination of teaching positions will inevitably lead to cuts in programming and increased class size.
Transportation
Cuts will impact the following services:
The realignment of school bus routes by utilizing depot stops for secondary schools.
The elimination of transportation for middle school sports.
The elimination of before and after-school city-wide daycare transportation.
The District administration will continue to work in seeking additional cost savings to minimize the impact on students but is not optimistic that it can maintain the same level of service to which Cranston’s families have been accustomed.
NEWLY UPDATED: For more information about our school budget, budget history and budget process, see our UPDATED Budget FAQs here.
Upcoming Special Election
After our last school construction bond, which at the time was the largest school construction bonds in the state at $147 million, but is now one of the smallest in the state, we listened to our residents and our families who repeatedly asked us why more work wasn’t being done and why more schools weren’t being given the attention they needed, when all of our schools were in dire need of work.
Specifically, our third high school, the Apprenticeship Exploration School (AES), which is a building we have always leased, needed to be brought up to par with our other two high schools so that the students who attend AES would have equal access to things like a gymnasium and classrooms that foster 21st century learning.
Therefore, we made a list of our most pressing school construction priorities which would also qualify for state reimbursement so that the city would be given a large portion of the construction costs back.
Our total of more than $200 million dollars in top priority projects was then presented to the city for bond consideration, along with the list of projects. The city agreed to go to bond for $40 million in school construction projects, given that this is the last opportunity for state reimbursement. It is our understanding that this will not impact taxes. This allows for school construction at just a fraction of today’s construction costs. The reimbursement goes directly back to the city.
There is a special election being held on June 4 in Cranston. This school construction bond for Cranston Public Schools will be on the ballot. We encourage everyone to vote in this special election. Please be on the lookout for additional information.
Special Announcements
Remembering K-9 Zeus
Our thoughts are with the Cranston Police Department as they mourn the loss of K-9 officer Zeus. Zeus and his handler, Officer Bruno were frequent visitors to our schools to spend time with our students. We will all remember Zeus fondly and we are thinking of Officer Bruno and his colleagues at the Cranston Police Department. You can look back at photos of K-9 Zeus visiting Eden Park Elementary School with Officer Bruno this past fall and winter. NEW this week: Read Sgt. Bruno's open letter to the public about Zeus.
Cranston Public Schools and the University of Rhode Island's new Teacher Residency Program
We could not be more excited about a new partnership with the University of Rhode Island’s Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education! Cranston Public Schools has joined with URI to create a Teacher Residency Program. The partnership will provide URI students with a full year as a Teacher Resident, housed in the same building, with the same Cranston Public Schools Clinical Educator, for their entire experience, encompassing both their pre-practicum experience and their practicum experience. They will truly be a part of the Cranston Public Schools community for an entire year. They will have the opportunity to interact with multiple grade levels, see best practices in teaching and learning, and be able to watch other student teachers. At the conclusion of their experience, they will be prepared to apply for open teaching positions in our Cranston Public Schools. We know that we are modeling and shaping the highest quality educators for our future generations of students, and it is the goal of this partnership to be able to encourage more individuals to go into the teaching profession, and create a connection with the next generation of educators. See photos from the recent Meet and Greet with the URI Teacher Residents and their Clinical Educators here.
Garden City Elementary School Named a 2024 US Department of Education Green Ribbon School Awardee!
We are thrilled to announce that Garden City Elementary School is honored to be recognized as a 2024 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School Awardee! The award is for schools that demonstrate progress in three key areas: reducing environmental impacts and costs, improving health and wellness, and providing effective environmental and sustainability education. Garden City School is one of just five honorees from Rhode Island this year, and will be honored at a ceremony in Washington DC this summer!
Good News!
Congratulations to: the Cranston High School East seniors who were honored at last night's Academic Convocation. At the event, 107 seniors were inducted into the RI Honor Society, and approximately $500,000 in scholarship monies were given out, which was $200,000 more than last year. Students were recognized for the National Honor Society Spirit of Excellence Award, and for earning a Seal of Biliteracy. Additionally, Max Schleifer, was announced as the Class of 2024 Salutatorian, and Olivia Tomaselli was announced as the Class of 2024 Valedictorian. Mr. Mark Ross, Class of 1960 was given the first-ever Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award for his contribution of more than $300,000 in scholarship funds over the years. See a selection of photos from that evening here.
Congratulations to: the students from the Apprenticeship Exploration School who were at the Greater Providence Y Heroes event this week and were present as the New England Laborers' Training Academy was honored as a Y Hero. You can see their group photo here.
Congratulations to: Peter Vachon (CHSW) and Samantha Vernancio (CHSE) who were both honored with RIIL Distinguished Achievement Awards last week. See photos of the recipients here.
Congratulations to: Cranston High School East librarian, Mrs. Heidi Blais, who has been awarded School Librarian of the Year by the School Librarians of Rhode Island. Mrs. Blais was nominated by Ashlee Burns, an English teacher at CHSE for her high quality library programming for both staff and students, and for her leadership at the school.
Congratulations to: our CACTC students who received medals at the recent SkillsUSA state competition. The students, their categories and the medals they won are detailed in this Cranston Herald article. Our CACTC students received the most medals in the state. The top three schools in the state taking home medals were Cranston with 34 gold, silver and bronze medals, followed by Davies Career and Technical School with 32, and East Providence Career and Technical Center with 26. Those winning gold and silver are eligible to travel to the national SkillsUSA competition in Atlanta in June.
Congratulations to: Jack Fontaine, CHSW Class of 2025 for receiving General Treasurer Diossa's Young Leader Award.
Congratulations to: the students who were honored at Monday night's school committee meeting for their accomplishments in athletics, visual arts, and music. Those students are: Visual Arts: CHSE: Art Anchor Awards: Sittny Montufar in Ceramics, Alissa Gonzalez-Silvestre in Illustration, Helena Fisher in Fashion & Accessories, Ta'Layla Cole and Victoria Robles in Drawing. CHSW: Art Anchor Awards: Alexandra Barragan-Tovar and Kelly Picozzi in Mixed Media, Jazymne Schwartz, Sophia Gomes, Ella Thompson and Katherine Kue in Drawing, Nathaniel Dixon and Mya Pagliarini in Sculpture, Peter Vachon and Zachary Leone in Painting, Olivia Case in Graphic Design, Peter Vachon in Painting (Best in Category), Sophia Gomes in Drawing (Best in Category), Sophia Zhu in Sculpture (Best in Category). PVMS: Art Anchor Awards: Chan Keo in Illustration, Chan Keo in Drawing, Oakley Kearns in printmaking, Khristiana Luffborough in Mixed Media, Oakley Kearns in Printmaking (Best in Category) and Chan Keo in Illustration (Best in Category). Music: Hamza Al-Tarazi-CHSE, Lucas Arsenault-CHSW, Nathan Arsenault-CHSW, Michael Carey-CHSE, Ansony Chavarria-CHSE, Zoe DaSilva- CHSE, John Davenport-CHSW, Caleb Dorvilier-CHSE, Yeimy Escalante-CHSE, James Fabiano-CHSE, Allison Flores-CHSE, Eston Fowler-CHSE, Kyle Herman-CHSE, Alexis Kelshaw-CHSE, Amaryllis Miller-CHSE, Annabella Olobri-WHMS, Pablo Perez-CHSE, Jonathan Quiroa-CHSE, Madalyn Rodriguez-CHSW, Adrian Rosales-CHSE, Jefferson Shi-CHSE, Lindsay So-CHSE, Danny Song-CHSE, Alexander Torelli-CHSW, Lucius Torsiello-CHSE, Yeimi Vaquerano-CHSE, Zephaniah Vetiaque-CHSE, Nathaniel Yeomans-CHSW. Director, Gregory Arsenault, and staff, Greyson Boudreau (CHSE alumnus), Dylan Bukaweski, Simon Ferreira, Jordan Kaiser, Samantha Hackenson, Jon Munroe, Jameson Ward, Dr. Anthony Torelli. Athletics: Maya Jiminez, CHSE girls basketball, Cranston High School West: Quiana Pezza, 1st Team, All State Girls Indoor Track; Sofia Nardelli, 1st Team, Girls Hockey; Maia Riccio, 2nd Team, Girls Basketball; Andrew Alchihed, 2nd Team, Boys Wrestling; Ailani Sutherland, 2nd Team, Girls Indoor Track; Alonso Parker-Sharpe, 2nd Team, Boys Indoor Track.
Congratulations to: the CHSE Unified Basketball team for their outstanding performance this season, taking second place in the Division I championships, competing against Hendricken last week.
Congratulations to: the CHSW boys lacrosse team who is having an outstanding season. Read all about their hold on second place in their division.
Congratulations to: the CHSW boys volleyball team who is getting ready for a playoff run. They have an impressive season record after a recent win against East Providence.
Congratulations to: this week's Cranston Herald Athlete of the Week, West volleyball player Christian Mak. Learn more about why he's been chosen for this week's honor.
Alumni Spotlight
Congratulations to: Aram Zobian, a 2013 CHSE graduate who is featured in this week's Cranston Herald for his recent win at the US Poker Open Championship and has taken home millions in winnings over the years.
Congratulations to: Jake SanAntonio, a recent CHSW grad spotlighted in this article for his outstanding athletic performance at UMass Dartmouth.
News you can use
Statewide Pre-K Lottery is open!
The annual Rhode Island Pre-K lottery for the 2024-2025 school year has opened! RI Pre-K offers free, high-quality learning opportunities for children who will be four years old as of September 1, 2024, and live in communities where RI Pre-K programs are offered. Programs are available at 72 sites in 21 communities across the state, and spots are limited! Parents, families and guardians: be sure to submit your applications by June 24, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. for your child to be considered for the free seats. High-quality early learning programs such as RI Pre-K help our children develop not only academic, but social-emotional skills they need to succeed in and outside of the classroom. Data demonstrates that students, no matter their background, benefit greatly from early learning experiences, which is why we have worked tirelessly to expand access to these opportunities statewide. We encourage families of eligible children to apply and enter the lottery.
Attendance News
We are now within weeks of graduation for our seniors, and we'd like to share a reminder to our families which was shared by the RI Department of Education earlier this week: 85% of students who drop out of high school were chronically absent. Chronic absenteeism is the single strongest predictor of dropping out of school.
As a reminder, when a child misses school, they miss out on not only direct instruction, but also on events and activities. At this time of year when we have many exciting spring events and activities, please make sure you understand the attendance and social probation policies in our handbook on pages four and five and be sure that everyone is in school on time, all day, every day that they are well.
Please let us help you if you are struggling with chronic absence. If you are having trouble getting someone to school, you can reach out to our district Dean of Students and Attendance for help.
Email: vturchetta@cpsed.net
Phone: 401-440-5216.
Our Annual Report is here!
The new calendar is available on our district website here in English and here in Spanish. Additional specific dates will be added to the bottom of the calendar as the school year gets closer. However, this will allow you to begin your planning for next year.
Calendar updates
Please note: There is an update to this year's calendar reflecting new last day of school, which is June 12.
The 2024-2025 calendar is available on our district website here in English and here in Spanish. Additional specific dates will be added to the bottom of the calendar as the school year gets closer. However, this will allow you to begin your planning for next year.
Tech Help
How do I translate PDFs?
Check out this step-by-step guide and video tutorial which will show you how to translate PDFs and read-only Google docs.
How do I use Aspen?
Visit this page for tutorials and information about using Aspen.
News from our student journalists
Thanks to our students at East and West for their contributions to our district news. We are proud to share the news from Thunderbolt Sports Media (TSM) both print and podcast news at East, and this week's West Wind print article here as well as their newest West Watch video .
Questions about our school lunch program and application process?
Cindy Cabrera is the Cranston Public Schools School Lunch Liaison and speaks Spanish. Ms. Cabrera helps families who would like to fill out the school lunch application for free or reduced lunch pricing, or who may have already filled it out but haven’t heard back, or who would like to pay for their school lunch bill. If you are in need of assistance with school lunch applications or payments, please contact Ms. Cabrera at ccabrera@cpsed.net or 401-270-8142.
Free and reduced lunch pricing are available by filling out a free, confidential application. Learn more about the pricing and the application process by clicking on any of the links to resources below:
- MySchoolApps English MySchoolApps Translated
- How to apply for free/reduced lunch pricing English How to apply for free/reduced lunch pricing Spanish
- Paper Applications English Paper Applications Spanish
- Free/Reduced Lunch Household Letter English
Free and Reduced Lunch Household Letter Spanish - Find your school breakfast and lunch menu here.
- My School Bucks
- Learn more here about the important reasons why you should fill out the application.
- Watch a video tutorial in English and Spanish showing how to fill out your application here.
Mark Your Calendars
- Cranston Spring Festival: Sunday, May 19th from 10 AM-12:30 PM The Thunderbolt Band and Emeralds, That Falcon Band with Falconettes and Westernettes, the West Jazz Band, plus Cranston Combined Percussion will be performing at the Cranston Spring Festival:
10 AM Thunderbolt Band/Emeralds, 10:30 AM Falcon Band/Ettes, 11:00 AM West Jazz Band, 11:30 AM CCP - Family Tech Safety May 23 5:30-7pm : Two Digital Citizenship events sponsored by the Huddle Center, one for adults, and one for youth (10+) See the flier for registration QR code. For more information contact infohuddle@ccomcap.org or cmhernandez@comcap.org. Huddle Center: 70 Gansett Avenue Cranston
- All-City Concert: the Cranston Public Schools fifth-grade band and strings concert will take place on May 29th at 5pm at Cranston's Stebbins Stadium. The concert is free to attend and we hope to see everyone there!
[So many] Opportunities for Students
Summer opportunities:
Rhode Island Write on Sports Sports Writing Camp: once again Rhode Island Write on Sports is offering an exciting opportunity for students who would like to write about something they passionately care about and follow – Sports! Join us as we return to Providence College for an in-person sports writing camp, and celebrate our special 11th Anniversary! The camp, for students entering 7th and 8th grades in the fall, will be held weekdays July 8-19, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays will be half-days. And it’s FREE for the students -- FREE lunches, snacks and busing! Students must commit to attending all 10 days. Write a feature story about the Patriots, the Red Sox, the Revolution! Or write about hot-dog-eating contests and cheerleader uniforms! The topic is yours to choose, whatever sports-related topic interests you! Create a podcast or a video! Participate in interviews with sports celebrities! Go with the class on a field trip! Create a comic strip! Write a creative story! Put together an ESPN Sports Center-type show! Let our qualified staff of teachers help you become more confident and comfortable in your writing skills in a relaxed, fun atmosphere! Read what some of our students have said about the program! “I expected this camp to be fun and the camp made that happen. I enjoyed it. I was a journalist for two weeks.” – Emily “The more we got into it the more I started to like writing news articles and features. Definitely now I’m a better writer.” – Javier “It was a great camp. We still had to do work, but we got to write about sports. I love sports.” -- Louis For more information, visit our website – www.riwriteonsports.org – and our Facebook page! Or contact Steve Krasner – nudging@aol.com; 401-787-0233. See the flier here.
Aligning the Learning Day (ALD) Summer Enrichment Program: The ALD Summer Enrichment Program is for kindergarten through entering grade 6 students and takes place Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm. It is located at Orchard Farms Elementary School and offerings include a variety of activities and engaging itinerants such as Enrichment offerings include a variety of activities and engaging itinerants, such as: Art Accolades, Gardening, STEAM, Robotics, Be The Scientist, Let's Get Social, Music, Language Immersion, Coding, Kindness Club, Book Club, Dance, Movement and Sports. Social Emotional Learning Curriculum is embedded within all itinerants. For more information contact: taraALDprogram@gmail.com. See the flier here.
Contests, scholarship and volunteer and other opportunities:
2024-2025 All Course Network (ACN) Course Registration is Open: New ACN courses for the upcoming 2024 summer, 2024 fall and 2024-2025 school year are here! Students and families can register for all courses through Friday, May 31st at 5pm. Lotteries will run for all Summer 2024, Fall 2024, and Yearlong 24-25 courses only on June 4, 2023. The Spring 2025 courses will run in December 2024 to ensure students and families have ample time to make course choices. See the flier here: for registration information! E-mail acn@ride.ri.gov with any questions.
Gammbassadors (Youth Ushers) Program Kicks Off Second Year at The Gamm Theatre: Are you a high school student who loves theater? If so, you can learn about professional theater and see shows for FREE — plus earn community service hours. It's easy and fun! For details, click the link below. Gammbassadors must be aged 16-18 and willing to fulfill the same roles as any other usher: scanning tickets, directing patrons in the lobby and the theater, stuffing and/or passing out programs, seating patrons, and answering patrons' questions. In return, you have the option to earn community service hours and see Gamm productions for free! Please contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Lauryn Sasso at 401-723-4266 x 163 or email volunteer@gammtheatre.org with any questions and to let us know if you want to earn community service credits. Performance Dates: Doubt: A Parable May 9 - June 2, 2024. More information is available on their website.
Follow us on Social Media!
We always encourage our families to look to us as the source of your news and information in order to make sure that the information you are getting is correct. We offer the following social media platforms for up-to-the-minute information:
From our partners at the Cranston Police Department
In partnership with the Cranston Police Department, we have a unique offering for our staff and families.
The CPD will occasionally design and sell special police badges to support a particular charitable cause. In the past, they have done badges to raise money and/or awareness for autism, breast cancer charities, and even Cali the CPD support dog. This year they designed two badges to support our students. One has the Cranston High School East color of green with white the other has the Cranston West color of red with white. These badges are being sold in addition to challenge coins that match each of the badges. The money raised in the sale of these products will go to a scholarship fund that will provide $500.00 scholarships to three students in the spring- one student at Cranston East, Cranston West and the Apprentice Exploration School (formerly known as NELS charter school).
Wellness Corner, News from RIDE and Are You Smarter Than a...
Wellness Corner
From the RI Department of Education
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