A Message from Our Principal…
As we reconvene as a community next week for our annual Open House, no doubt we will bring forth heavy hearts as we mourn the loss of our dearest teacher, colleague and friend, Mrs. Carella who passed away on August 19 after a lengthy and courageous battle with cancer. Kathy touched the lives of so many of us in such simple yet profound ways and through her passion for the children she served, leaves behind a legacy of influence that is unmatched. We can be certain that when we open our doors to the students officially on August 31, Kathy’s spirit will be among us.
This year we are welcoming 62 new kindergarteners into our community in addition to 11 students who will be transferring into Braeburn in grades 1 through 5. Our class sizes are holding firm in all grades with little change expected before our opening day.
Our custodial team has worked tirelessly in the heat to ensure that all facets of the building will sparkle by the time you all return later this month. Since our August mailing, a new floor was installed in the portable classroom that will be home to Ms. Perotti’s fifth grade class, and several computers in the building have been upgraded.
We are excited to report that Michael Joaquim Lopes arrived according to schedule on Tuesday, July 28. Sporting dark curls and long lashes, he weighed in at 8 pounds and measured 20½ inches. Congratulations and best wishes go to Silvia and Nelson Lopes as they embark upon their journey into parenthood and enjoy this special time with their new son.
Congratulations and best wishes also go to our interim kindergarten teachers from last year - Christin Labriola and Andrew Sparkes - both of whom were hired for contracted positions in West Hartford for the upcoming year. Mrs. Labriola will be teaching kindergarten at Webster Hill School and Mr. Sparkes will be teaching first grade at Wolcott School. Best wishes to both of them as they open their own classrooms this fall!
Our school nurse, Karen Fiori, will be extending her medical leave into the fall. Upon conclusion of this last phase of treament, she hopes to return to her position prior to the holiday break. Ghada Salhab and Rosalee Loomis will continue to share the responsibilities of managing the health room and caring for our students until Mrs. Fiori returns.
We extend a very warm welcome to Mrs. Betsy Jahne who will be teaching kindergarten at Braeburn this year. Mrs. Jahne has ten years of experience as a kindergarten teacher and early childhood educator. Most recently, she spent the past two years teaching kindergarten part-time at Norfeldt School.
Our CMT results are in, showing a strong performance as a school. I have been examining the progress of each grade level cohort, comparing the students’ performance this year to their results in previous grades, and examining the progress of the individual students in each of the subgroups. Staff will have the opportunity to examine these results more closely during our CSI sessions in September in order to determine appropriate goals for students and areas of focus for the school year.
As a participant in the Open Choice Program, we were successful in securing a grant for the upcoming year that will provide funding for a math tutor in our building. This individual will provide targeted instruction to students in need of additional support in the area of mathematics. I am in the process of meeting with applicants to fill this position.
We currently have 90 individuals signed up to receive communication via our ListServ. As I mentioned in my August letter, we will be relying on our e-mail ListServ as the primary means for disseminating important information from Braeburn School to parents and family members including our bi-weekly Sunflower newsletter. If you have not signed on to our ListServ, please do so to ensure that you receive all necessary information from us in a timely manner. To enroll, simply send a blank e-mail to the following address, or go to our website at whps.org/Braeburn, click on the following address and send your blank e-mail:
BRAEBURNLIST-SUBSCRIBE-REQUEST@NETPALS.LSOFT.COM
I hope you all enjoy this last week of solace as summer draws to a close. I look forward to seeing you all back next Thursday, August 27 for our Open House from 5:00-6:00 pm.
Best regards,
Natalie Simpson
Updated August 21, 2009