Read about our HOT school approach http://www.ctarts.org/spring96.htm 

   Wolcott will foster an atmosphere of attainable success which encourages risk-taking and the freedom to make mistakes. Our school will assist children to develop mutual respect and sensitivity to the needs of others. In a partnership of school, family and community, emphasis will be placed on the whole child and the development of mind and character. With basic skills and experiences as building blocks, a balanced curriculum will include the integration of academics, arts, democracy, technology, and life skills.

2001 National Distinguished School of the Arts Award from The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C.  See the announcement!  Kennedy Award page http://www.kennedy-center.org/education/kcaaen/awards/ctsap_past_win.html 

2000  Green Circle Award, Department of Environmental Protection for efforts toward creation of the Wolcott Children's Forest.  http://dep.state.ct.us/whatshap/press/2000/ps0609.htm 

1999  Celebration of Excellence Award, State Department of Education, Jo McGinnis and Debby Szajnberg.

1999  Fleet All Stars Award for Community Involvement - Wolcott Children's Forest  Joan Israelson.

1999 Arts Curriculum Enhancement Award, Connecticut Commission on the Arts, Kerry Jones.

1998 National Educator Award,  Milken Family Foundation, Plato Karafelis.  Milken National Educator Award  http://www.mff.org/mea/mea.taf?page=recipient&meaID=1238

1997-1999,  Interdistrict Grant from The Connecticut State Department of Education to promote writing partnerships across district lines. The Metacomet School in Bloomfield is our partner school.

1996, Governor John Rowland visited Wolcott to celebrate the HOT School Model.

1994-1999, Higher Order Thinking (HOT) School grant from The Connecticut Commission on the Arts. This multi year grant will promote the development and replication of the HOT School approach developed a Wolcott School.

1996,  Wolcott School featured in public television documentary, "Higher Order Thinking Schools: Arts Academics and Democracy" with over 250 broadcasts on public television stations.

1995, Wolcott School featured in a public television documentary, "Schools That Work."   The documentary featured eight Connecticut schools that work. 

1993, West Hartford Teacher of the Year, Rob Hugh.

1993, Jane Alexander, Chairwoman of The National Endowment for the Arts visits Wolcott School.

1993-2005,  PARTNERS School grant sponsored by The Bushnell. A three million dollar, twelve year, eight school, urban and suburban partnership to teach literacy and diversity through the arts.

1991, Connecticut Arts Award, Connecticut's Model School for the Arts, Connecticut Commission on the Arts.

Cafeteria Policy - Because many children struggle with transition, the first ten minutes of lunch will be silent. This will allow the children time to get their lunch, proceed to their seat, and begin eating. Students are then allowed to talk during the next 15 minutes of lunch. We expect that the volume of sound will be conversational. Children will be silent during the final five minutes of lunch. They will use this time to return trays and prepare for recess. When they are on the playground, they can talk all they want!

Emergency Phone Numbers - These must be on file in the office. If you have changed your work, home, or emergency phone number, please inform the school office as soon as possible. Unfortunately, we do have emergencies. When a child is hurt and we cannot locate the parent, the stress on the child, the parent, and the office staff is almost unbearable. Please do not put us, your child, or yourself in this position.

Homework Center - Wolcott School runs an after school homework center (3:30 - 4:15 p.m.) three times per week. The center is for children who have trouble completing their homework on a regular basis. The center is available to students in grades 3 - 5 and has space for 10 - 15 children. Children are selected for the center based upon teacher recommendation. A late bus is available to homework center students. This program is sponsored by The West Hartford Public Schools.

Lost and Found - Lost and Found items are stored in the foyer to the left of the lobby fish tank.

Midweek Notes - Midweek Notes is our school newsletter, It is sent home with the youngest child from each family, every Thursday.

Parent Room - A Parent Room is located directly across the hall from the office. It has two couches, a computer, a phone, a coat rack, lots of legos, a television and VCR, lots of books and magazines for parents and children, informational bulletin boards, a coffee maker, and a work table. Each day, we have a newspaper delivered to the room. Parents are encouraged to use the room for a variety of reasons. For example, parents who are enrolling their children in our school can sit in the relative comfort and quiet of the Parent Room to fill out the many forms that need to be completed. There is a parent coffee hour in the Parent Room each Friday from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.

Safety Policy - When visitors sign in, they are given a colored dot to wear. The colors change on a regular basis. If you see a person who is not wearing a dot, please stop them and ask them if you can help direct them to the office. A person should not be able to move through our building without a dot. This is EVERYONE'S responsibility.

The School Council (WETAP) - Wolcott School has a School Council. It is called WETAP, which stands for Wolcott Elementary Teachers And Parents. The membership of WETAP is comprised of teachers, parents and the school principal. The group makes decisions by consensus on issues that have been raised and discussed by the PTA, faculty, and on certain occasions, the students. The meetings are open to the public. They are held on Tuesdays beginning at 7:45 a.m. If you plan to visit, please call in advance to confirm that the meeting will still be held.

School Hours and Before School Policy - School begins at 8:30 a.m. every day. School ends at 3:20 p.m. every day except Wednesday when school ends at 1:50 p.m. Children are not to arrive at school before 8:15 a.m. unless they are attending a school event such as choir rehearsal, etc. There is no formal supervision prior to 8:15 a.m.

Student Absence - Please call the school if your child will be absent. You may contact us via the regular school number (561-2300) or you may use the Parent Link Voice Mail system (561-8450) anytime and leave a message on box #305.

Student of the Month - Each month, one student per classroom is chosen as Student of the Month. The criteria varies from classroom to classroom, however, we do keep track of the winners and expect that every child will achieve this distinction at least once or twice during their school years at Wolcott. 
 

An Important Parent Responsibility - We occasionally learn about a child who has never been selected for Student of the Month or some other distinction. We try to keep track, however, we are a large organization and it is possible for us to make a mistake once in a while. As a parent, we hope you will take it upon yourself to inform your child's teacher if you feel that this is the case with your child. We can't fix it unless we know about it. Thank you!

Student Placement - Each Spring we begin the process of placing children into classroom groupings for the fall. Once these heterogeneous groups are formed, we assign teachers to the
groups. As part of this process, a packet of information will be sent to parents in late April. The packet contains a detailed description and a timeline for the placement process. The packet also includes a form that parents may fill out to tell us about their child's educational needs. This form is used throughout the placement process. Parents are not allowed to request individual teachers.

Summer Academy - Wolcott School runs a summer academy for children entering first, third, and fifth grade. The program runs for three, four day weeks. It is held Monday through Thursday during the last week of July and first two weeks of August. During Summer Academy we focus on reading, writing, and math instruction with options available for the arts, library, and computers. In the future, we hope to expand the program to include all students. The program is free and is sponsored by The West Hartford Public Schools.

Telephone Policy - Wolcott School has two phone lines for 60 staff, 900 parents, and 450 children. Students are only allowed to use the phone for important reasons. Calling to find out if you can go home with a friend is not considered an important reason.

Traffic notes - Always use caution when driving on or near school grounds. We have asked the police to ticket cars that do not observe proper safety rules. NEVER park on the left side of the traffic circle. Cars are not allowed in the circle from 8:15 - 8:30 a.m. and from 3:15 - 3:45 p.m.

Visitation Policy - Parents may visit the school anytime. They may visit the classroom anytime as long as they had given the teacher advanced notice. Parents are welcome to have lunch with their children as long as the school is notified in advance. Upon entering the school, ALL VISITORS must sign in at the office.

Volunteer Policy - Parents are encouraged to volunteer at Wolcott School. We have many 'exciting and creative opportunities that you may help with before, during, and alter school or in the evenings. If you are interested, please contact the PTA or your child's teacher. We ask that parents volunteer in their own child's classroom for a maximum of two hours per week.

What Each Student is Required to Know - We expect that each and every student should know the following: full home address and telephone number; where to locate a key to the house in an emergency; a safe neighbor in case of an emergency early dismissal and no parent at home; to "RUN, REMEMBER and REPORT" when confronted by a stranger.

What to do if your child is having a problem at school - (The following procedure was designed by teachers and parents as part of our VISION 2000 site based planning process.)

Step One: Call your child's teacher. If the situation has not been resolved, proceed to next step.
Step Two: Meet with your child's teacher. If the situation is not resolved, proceed to next step.
Step Three: Call the principal. The principal will address the situation through communication with the teacher and parent to determine what is best for the child. We will communicate as adults in the best interest of the child. The meeting will be positive and productive. Following the meeting, ongoing contact will be established to ensure that there is a resolution of the situation.

In every case, we will achieve a "win win" solution.