Message from the Superintendent
Dear Students, Staff and Families:
Each spring, the district takes time to recognize the work of all of the employees in the Colchester Public Schools. While the designated appreciation days for school personnel occur throughout the spring, we celebrate everyone together as each role is essential to our daily operations. The board and I look forward to showing our gratitude during staff appreciation week beginning May 6, but I encourage students and families to consider sending an email or handwritten note to the people making a difference this year. It means more than you can imagine.
Last summer, the District Admin team identified Pride and Purpose as our leadership mantra. This decision was grounded in the acknowledgement that there is a lot of work to do in order to strengthen community confidence and trust, and that everything we do should have a clear purpose. While not part of the mantra, please know that our purpose is, “what is right and best for kids.”
As we moved into the school year, we sought to name the work groups formed to identify and address the needs of the district and it only seemed logical to begin with Pride and Purpose. Specifically those groups are Student Life, Professional Culture, BA Magnet, Facilities and Trust, Image and Perception. While each group has shared their work at a Board of Education meeting this year, the student life working group also shares survey results in this newsletter.
As Superintendent, I would like to take a moment to thank all of the staff, parents and community members that dedicated their time and efforts to begin this work. While no one person can get us where we want to go, I am confident that we can do great things when we work as a team with pride and purpose.
Daniel Sullivan
Social Justice Topics at Bacon Academy
Superintendent Sullivan spent a morning at Bacon Academy working with students, staff and representatives from NCCJ on Social Justice topics relative to equity and inclusion.
Connecticut Innovation Collaboration
Innovation Convention at JJIS
JJIS held their annual Invention Convention! Under the guidance of Renee Anderson, 13 young inventors created projects to share. We would like to congratulate the following students who will be moving forward in the competition:
Kaydence Bedner
Ellie Belding
Juliet Orlando
Celebrations & Acknowledgements
The Continental Math League is a national contest open to grades 2 through Advanced Placement mathematics students. It is designed to complement and improve students' progress in the art of problem solving. Students are challenged three times a year with contest meets. They are given 30 minutes to work through 6 questions on each meet. The top six scores comprise the team's cumulative total and are ranked with other grade 2/3 teams across the country.
Our grade 2 Colchester Elementary School Cardinals met weekly to work together on problem solving challenges that included card and dice games, spatial reasoning tasks, patterns, puzzles, and mathematical problems that required perseverance and communication. While math in the classroom sometimes comes easily for these students, Continental Math League pushes them to consider rigorous problems outside the usual curriculum scope. In our first year, our CES Cardinals were the top team in their division within Connecticut, and were 5th place in the New England Region! We have been so proud of how our Cardinals demonstrated enthusiasm, teamwork, and the willingness to take risks.
The following Grade 2 students comprise our 2023-24 Continental Math League:
Leo Battaglino
Skylar Bigelow
Flynn Bryant
Oliver De Leon-Nadeau
Landon Johnson
Luke Manning
Arabella Martz
Kash Parekh
Cole Pastuszak
Our top three highest scoring students, all with a tied high score of 13 out of a possible 18 total points are:
Flynn Bryant
Oliver De Leon-Nadeau
Landon Johnson
Thank you to Mrs. Murray for supporting new learning opportunities and to our CES Cardinals for challenging them to always fly higher.
Employee Spotlight
Pauline Goetz is the newly appointed Human Resources Coordinator at Colchester Public Schools, bringing a wealth of experience from her previous role as a Human Resources Specialist in the New London Public School system. Currently pursuing her master's degree in Human Resource Management at the University of Connecticut, Pauline is dedicated to advancing her knowledge and skills in the field.
With a strong academic background, including a BA in Psychology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, as well as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Certificate from Cornell University, Pauline is well-equipped to support the diverse needs of educators and school staff.
Passionate about making a positive impact on student education, Pauline is committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment within Colchester Public Schools. Beyond her professional pursuits, she enjoys reading and exploring thrift stores in her free time.
Pauline looks forward to contributing to the Colchester Public Schools community and supporting its members in their roles.
