Watertown Board of Education
Regular Board of Education Meeting
Minutes
Meeting Date:May 23, 2005
Meeting Time:7:30 p.m.
Meeting Place:JohnTrumbullPrimary School Library
Members Present:Ms. Mary Ann Rosa, Board Chairperson
Ms. Mary Colangelo, Board Secretary
Ms. Maureen Caine, Board member
Ms. Gina Calabrese, Board member
Mr. Charles Fenn, Board member
Mr. Michael Abdalla, Interim Superintendent of Schools
Ms. Amelia Grover, Dir. of Budget and Financial Planning
Ms. Betsy Hackett, Director of Special Services
Mr. Todd LoFrese, Director of Operations
Ms. Jenna Apicella, Student Council Representative
Absent:Mr. Victor Vicenzi, Vice Chairperson
Ms. Mary Dzioba, Board member
Mr. James Marks, Board member
Ms. Joanne Pannone, Board member
Dr. Philip Pelosi, Assistant Superintendent of Schools
Press:Mr. Tommy Valuckas, Waterbury Republican
Mr. Jim Taylor, Town Times
Guests:Dr. Joseph Erardi Jr., Incoming Superintendent
Mrs. Kace Duplissie
Other interested citizens: Mr. Whitey Greenwood, Mrs. Sandy Greenwood, Mrs. Fran Palmer, Ms. Fayne Malloy, Mr. Bill Brown, Mrs. Nancy Rowan, Mrs. Judy White, Mr. Bob Grady and Mr. Bill Brown. Mrs. Carrie DiProspero, Mrs. Donna Iacoviello, Mrs. Dinah Butterly, Ms. Bartolen, Mrs. Janice Pond, Ms. MaryAnn Chiarella and Mrs. Kathleen Scully.
A.Convene Regular Meeting - 7:30 PM
Ms. Mary Ann Rosa, Chairman, convened the meeting at 7:30 p.m.
B.Salute to the Flag
Mrs. Kathleen Scully was asked by Ms. Rosa to lead the pledge to the flag.
C.Public Participation
Mrs. Sharon Bielarczyk, 126 Delhurst Drive, Oakville
Good Evening, I just wanted to say thank you to all of the Board of Ed. and the parents that worked for making Project Graduation and Graduation together, on the same night.
Ms. Rosa closed Public Participation at 7:34 p.m.
Report from Student Council Representative – Ms. Jenna Apicella
Ms. Apicella: The Girls and Boys Track team both share a 7/3 record and will be going to NVL Saturday.The Girls Track team will also be having a Car Wash fundraiser on June 4th at Crestwood Ford if anyone wants to come. Softball has a 14/7 record and has just won their first game of the NVL Tournament. The Seniors around the school have been busy with Senior Picnic and currently have senior projects as the year comes to an end. We have Prom on Friday and that is about it around the school.
D.Budget Summary – (Information Only – No Action Required)
E.Committee Reports:
1.Advertising Committee, Charles Fenn, Chair
Mr. Fenn: We haven’t had a meeting lately but I would like to request that because of my work hours the Board should try to find another Chair for the Advertising Committee.
2.Athletics and Facilities Committee, Mr. Victor Vicenzi, Chair
Ms. Rosa: Mr. Vicenzi isn’t here tonight but we did hold a short meeting earlier this evening at which time we looked over the wall coverings and different things for the Swift renovation project, so that is moving along.
3.Curriculum & Instruction Committee, Gina Calabrese, Chair
Ms. Calabrese stated there was no Report tonight.
4.Policy and Labor Committee, Mary Colangelo, Chair
Ms. Colangelo stated there was no Report tonight.
5.Cablevision, James Marks
Ms. Rosa: I know that Mr. Marks has not been to a Cablevision meeting yet so there is not a report there either.
F.Communications - Secretary
Ms. Colangelo stated there was not any correspondence to report tonight.
G.Minutes
1.Special Board of Education Meeting – May 9, 2005
Motion presented by Ms. Colangelo seconded by Ms. Calabrese that the minutes of the Special Board of Education meeting of May 9, 2005 be approved as presented.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(5-In favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
2.Regular Board of Education Meeting – May 9, 2005
Motion presented by Ms. Colangelo seconded by Ms. Calabrese that the minutes of the Regular Board of Education meeting of May 9, 2005 be approved as presented.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(5-In favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
3.Special Board of Education Meeting – May 11, 2005
Motion presented by Ms. Colangelo seconded by Ms. Calabrese that the minutes of the Regular Board of Education meeting of May 11, 2005 be approved as presented.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(5-In favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
H.Superintendent's Recommendations and Report
Mr. Abdalla introduced the Representative from Polk School PTO, Mrs. Kace Duplissie.
Mrs. Kace Duplissie: Hello, I am here with my Co-President, Mrs. Deb Ciocchetti and I am here to talk about what we have done for Polk.We started out by having an Ice Cream Social which we received 500 books for the Polk library. We have had two Book Fairs. We had a Cookie Dough Fundraiser which we gave a considerable amount to the Principal’s Fund. We have done the Mitten Tree and the Holiday Tree so that we gave hats, scarves, mittens and toys to the various children in Oakville and Watertown.We contributed to all of the Honor Roll Breakfasts. We gave $10 for each child to go on a field trip. We have had several very good programs; one in the beginning of the year was Bully-Free. We had a poster contest and we gave out Toy R Us gift cards. We’ve had Ann Pasqualli, the woman who was in the Revolutionary War and recently she was doing Robin Hood which was really very neat. We had a Halloween Party this year and that was really fun. We had Bingo and we had a Yearbook Club which is a first for Polk, I had 150 applicants but I could only take 34 and they were really excellent, they are really starved for some type of activity, they were great. We also had a Yearbook Cover Contest where we had 63 children participate; we also gave out gift cards for that. We also had a Pay it Forward Month about which I think Mr. Nozik touched upon a few weeks ago, where if you did something that was good you were recognize, we did recognize the children who did things without being noticed and they got gift cards for that. We have done the scholarships for Griffin and Judson like the PTO does every year.We also are doing a thing called Safety Net for Polk where if there is an emergency so that if there are snow days or anything that has to be conveyed to the parents, it is an automatic telephone program, we have purchased that on a yearly basis. We have also done the 5th grade party, Administrative and Faculty Appreciation day, pizza party for the end of the year and Mother’s and Father’s Day sales and ice pops during Field Day. The next thing coming up is our Family Fun Night which will be in June at which we are going to have a Family Survivor Night where the families are going get to go against one another doing various things. We have done a lot this year for not only the parents but for all of the children of Polk.
Ms. Rosa: Thank you very much and thank everyone for their efforts please.
Mr. Abdalla announced Vic Preato was the winner of the VFW contest listed below and introduced the Robotic Team.
Ms. Allison Hoffman, Robotic Team: Ladies and Gentlemen, Members of the Board of Education, Dr. Abdalla, Dr. Erardi, distinguished guests and members of the community, I would like to introduce you to the Watertown High School F.I.R.S.T Robotics Team, Team 237 and our 2005 robot.
Please allow me to present a little history for those of you who are not familiar with the F.I.R.S.T. robotics program and WatertownHigh School's success story.
Dean Kamen, who is best known for inventing the Segway human transporter, founded F.I.R.S.T in 1989.F.I.R.S.T. which stands for For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology is a multinational non-profit organization that aspires to transform culture, making science, math, engineering, and technology as cool for kids as sports are today.
F.I.R.S.T. has experienced tremendous growth since 1989.This past season 25,000 students were working on 940 active teams from all over the world. FIRST has partnerships with many world leaders in industry and government such as Lego, Radio Shack, Ford, Google, and NASA.
F.I.R.S.T. and the many colleges and universities who support this do not do this without giving something back.Many post high school educational institutions award grants and scholarships to deserving F.I.R.S.T. participants pursuing careers in the sciences and technology. This year the total funds available to student recipients exceeded $8 million.
The FIRST Robotics Competition is, simply, teams of high school students sponsored and assisted by local companies and volunteers, who design, assemble, and test a robot capable of performing a specified task in competition with other teams.The second week of January is the kickoff event when the "game" is disclosed to the teams. The teams then have only six weeks to understand the game, design and fabricate the robot and ship it. The time constraint of the "Six Weeks" makes for an intense period that teaches teamwork, mechanical, electrical and programming skills with multiple opportunities for practical application of problem solving skills.
I’d like to introduce the Drive Team, Ted Bucher and Scott Shaw.
Ted Boucher: Teams receive points for capping goals with tetras and making a row of capped goals on the field.Tic-tac-toe using these objects called tetras. Two minutes march that starts with 15 second autonomous period previously into the robot, 6 robots on the field, and 3 v 3. Teams receive points for capping goals with tetras and making a row of capped goals on the field.
Team 237 has a special goal eachyear; they want to be the best at some aspect of the game. It's a matter of pride.Team 237 is well known in the FIRST robotics community for being an innovative and this past season the goal was to program the robot to locate a game piece that was randomly placed on the field. Team 237 was one of only two teams in the world that successfully completed this task under competition
The WatertownHigh School team has been involved with the F.I.R.S.T. program for seven years.Their accomplishments are many. They have won at the regional level three times. They consistently place well during the competitions. Team 237 was the top seeded team at the inaugural Finger Lakes Regional held on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology this past March. They were also in the finals for this year's New Jersey regional.They have received numerous technical awards, including two of the prestigious "Radio Shack Innovation in Control Awards" this past year alone. The team also maintains an award winning, student designed, web site to promote itself to the local and the FIRST robotics community. The site is packed full of current team news and past team history.
The team was selected this year to be a host team for a team from Novo HamburgoBrazil. The FIRST International Partners program recognizes established, quality teams and selects them to help teams coming to compete in a different country. Team 237 provided technical as well as cultural assistance. The two teams worked so well together, the Brazilians changed their plans and spent their last day in this country driving 3 hours to visit the team and WatertownHigh School. Both teams taught each other cultural awareness and teamwork, something that has broadened their experience at Watertown greatly.
Team 237 is active in the community by putting on demonstrations at schools and within the community.The team runs numerous fundraisers throughout the year including a foliage tour of Western Connecticut.They are a yearly participant for Watertown's DARE day and the Memorial Day Parade.The team is a major participant in Lake Compounce Haunted Graveyard, which benefits the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.
We would like to demonstrate what this year’s robot can do.
Mr. Kurt Eckert: I would like to say that this robot was built by the students in six weeks and a few engineers in order to pick up these 9 lb tetras and stack them onto goals which are basically large 5-7 foot high tetras.
The team did a demonstration of the Robot and its capabilities.
Ted Boucher introduced the crew that was present as; Michael Sorrenti, Allison Hoffman, Scott Shaw, Michael Hoffman, Julie Henion, Elizabeth Beaudry and Brian Mendocino.This concluded the Robot presentation.
Mr. Abdalla then read the following letter outlining awards presented by the The CT Bar Association while adding his congratulations.
On behalf of the Connecticut Bar Foundation and the James W. Cooper Fellows, I wish to extend my congratulations to WatertownHigh School for submitting the winning Statewide student essay and one of two runner-up student essays in the Fifth Annual Statewide James W. Cooper Fellows Essay Contest. Joanna Myers is the Statewide winner and Meghan Misset is a runner-up. Their essays covered the topic of "Civil Liberties Versus Security; A Delicate Balance" were evaluated by a panel that included Connecticut Supreme Court Justices, judges from the Federal District, Connecticut Appellate and Superior Courts, law school deans and professor, and practicing attorneys.
You are invited to attend the Essay Contest Awards Ceremony at the Connecticut Supreme Court, 231 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, on Monday, June 6, 2005, at 3:30 p.m.
Mr. Abdalla then read the following letter:
Tonight is the last time I shall meet with the members of the Watertown Board of Education as Interim Superintendent of Schools. On October 27, 20041 assumed the position of Superintendent of Schools and May 30, 2005 is my last day in that position. I wish to take a few moments to thank all of the administrators, faculty members, and staff members with whom I have worked and served over the past 7 months.
First of all, I wish to highlight Dr. Philip Pelosi for his cooperation, skills, and knowledge. Dr. Pelosi's conscientious efforts and his unwavering professionalism are of immense value to the district. Barbara Marciano, as Administrative Assistant, is as effective as any individual I have known in that position. The others who work at Munson House, people such as Betsy Hackett, Amelia Grover, and Todd LoFrese are dedicated and extraordinarily capable individuals. I could, of course, mention everyone who works at Munson House by name as each of them serves with skill and devotion to the district and the Town of Watertown. Suffice to say, it has been a distinct pleasure for me as I found all of the employees at Munson House to be hardworking and cooperative and dedicated to their jobs.
The District is most fortunate in that the administrators of the various schools are, without exception, capable leaders. Owing to their efforts, the schools are both efficient and effective institutions. Of course, the true educational leaders in the District are the teachers and the staff members of the schools as they are the people who directly work with the children of Watertown. Watertown is most fortunate in that the faculties of each of the schools are capable and highly motivated professionals.
I wish to thank the members of the Watertown Board of Education for the opportunity to serve the children and citizens of Watertown. In my years in education, I have never known a Board of Education more dedicated to children while remaining cognizant of the fiscal realities of the supporting town. The members of the Board have clearly worked to provide the children of Watertown with diverse educational opportunities while controlling costs and, in this regard, the Board of Education has been exceptionally successful.
Finally, I welcome Dr. Joseph Erardi to the District and I am confident that he will find his service as Superintendent of Schools to be both personally and professionally rewarding. I wish Dr. Erardi and the WatertownSchool District many years of success.
1.Appointments – (Information Only – No Action Required)
Ms. Kristi Ortiz to the position of One to One Paraprofessional Category #1, Special Ed Program, HeminwayParkSchool, effective May 23, 2005 for 3.5 hours paid per day at an hourly rate of $11.09.
2.Cafeteria Report – (Information Only – No Action Required)
Attached for your information is a copy of the Watertown Student Lunch Program for March, 2005.(See Attachment A.)
3.PolkSchool’s Involvement with the Watertown Community – (Information Only – No Action Required)
Ms. Kace Duplissie, Co-President of the Polk School PTO, is present this evening to give a report on PolkSchool’s involvement with the Watertown Community.
4.First Place Winner
Mr. Vic Preato, a grade 11 student at WatertownHigh School, has been selected as the First Place Winner in the creative Patriotic Art Contest sponsored by the Department of Connecticut Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
5.Robotic Team Presentation – No Action Required
Members of the Watertown Robotics Team, Sie-H20-Bots, are present this evening to give a presentation of the robot that the team has put together and placed in competition this year.
I.Report from the Chairman
Ms. Rosa: Board Members received a letter in the mail from a resident questioning the retirement of a soccer jersey.Those of you who might have been present a few months back will recall that we asked the school department to set up a committee and they very diligently established this as the Athletics Recognition Committee for a High School Wall of Fame. Committee members who will serve are:
Richard Avoletta, President, Gold Circle of Sports
Denise Brown, WHS Field Hockey Coach & Parent
Charles Fenn, Watertown B.O.E.
Peg Germain, Parent
James Krayeske, Scholarship Chair, Gold Circle of Sports
June Legge, Athletic WHS
Fayne Molloy, Principal, WHS
Roger Ouellette, Varsity Football and Baseball Coach, WHS
Victor Vicenzi, Watertown B.O.E. Athletics Committee Chair
The Committee has met several times and their recommendations are going to be coming to us in June and we will act on those recommendations that have been put together after review by the various individuals.In response to the letter we have begun the appropriate procedures in recognizing individuals and hopefully those will be able to be printed and posted so that everyone can see so that the individuals that can be honored in the future in this means.
Another subject I wanted to tell you about is that I found notices about a retirement party for some Staff members that I will leave here for other Board Members who might be interested.
J.Action Items – Adoption of Items to be Approved by Consent
a.Consideration of Approval of Acceptance of Gifts
1.The Watertown Music Boosters Association would like to donate fourteen sets of microphones, stands and wires with an approximate value of $3,000.00 to the Music Department of the Watertown Public Schools
2.Mrs. Pat Palmer would like to donate a violin with an approximate value of $200.00 to the Strings Department of the Watertown Public Schools.
3.The Watertown Lion’s Club would like to make a donation of $772.00 to SwiftMiddle School to cover expenses for the Washington, D. C. field trip.
4.Mr. Mark Woodruff would like to make a donation of $386.00 to SwiftMiddle School to cover expenses for the Washington, D.D. field trip.
It is recommended that the Board accept these generous gifts and letters of thanks to be sent to the donors.
Motion presented by Ms. Calabrese seconded by Ms. Colangelo that the Board accept these generous gifts and letters of thanks to be sent to the donors.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(5-In favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
b.Consideration of Approval of Medical Leave of Absence
Ms. Sarah Carlson, Developmental Pre-School Teacher at JohnTrumbullPrimary School, has requested a medical leave of absence under the Family Medical Leave Act. Commencing April 26, 2005 through the end of the 2004-2005 school year, with use of accumulated sick time and then leave without pay and with a medical doctor’s note to return.
It is recommended that the Board approve of a medical leave of absence for Ms. Sarah Carlson, Developmental Pre-school Teacher at JohnTrumbullPrimary School. Commencing April 26, 2005 through the end of the 2004-2005 school year, with use of accumulated sick time and then leave without pay and with a medical doctor’s note to return.
Motion presented by Ms. Colangelo seconded by Mr. Fenn that the Board approve of a medical leave of absence for Ms. Sarah Carlson, Developmental Pre-school Teacher at JohnTrumbullPrimary School.Commencing April 26, 2005 through the end of the 2004-2005 school year, with use of accumulated sick time and then leave without pay and with a medical doctor’s note to return.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(5-In favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
c.Consideration of Approval of Use of Field
Ms. Fayne Molloy, Principal of Watertown High School, is requesting permission for the home football games for the 2005-2006 school year be played on the high school back field, and all, but the September game be played on Saturday due to a lack of lighting.
It is recommended that the Board approve of the Watertown High School home football games for the 2005-2006 school year be played on the high school back field, and all, but the September game be played on Saturday due to a lack of lighting.
Motion presented by Mr. Fenn seconded by Ms. Calabrese that the Board approve of the Watertown High School home football games for the 2005-2006 school year be played on the high school back field, and all, but the September game be played on Saturday due to a lack of lighting.
Discussion:
Ms. Colangelo: Is this along with the approved use of the field?
Ms. Rosa: Yes it is.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(5-In favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
d. Consideration of Approval of the Appointment of Ms. Kathleen Scully to the Position of Principal of JohnTrumbullPrimary School
It is recommended that the Board approve of the appointment of Ms. Kathleen Scully to the position of Principal of John Trumbull Primary School, effective with the 2005-2006 school year, with an annual contractual salary of Step 4, $95,000.00.
Motion presented by Ms. Calabrese seconded by Ms. Colangelo that the Board approve of the appointment of Ms. Kathleen Scully to the position of Principal of John Trumbull Primary School, effective with the 2005-2006 school year, with an annual contractual salary of Step 4, $95,000.00.
Discussion:
Ms. Rosa: I would like to say on behalf of the Board how pleased we were to have Kathy first as our candidate and then as our unanimous choice.We are thrilled that she accepted the job and we are very happy to see John Trumbull under her leadership.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(5-In favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
Ms. Rosa then presented Mrs. Scully with congratulatory balloons.
Mrs. Scully: I wanted to say that my career officially began in 1984 when I signed my first teaching contract and I need to thank Mrs. Hackett for that but it unofficially began in 1967 when I began Kindergarten at South School in Oakville. I am honored and privileged to be a principal in my hometown. I would like to thank the Committee, the Board of Education, Dr. Erardi for entrusting their trust in me. I look forward to working with you and I assure you that the exceptional Staff, the parents and I will work together as a team to move this school forward. I need to acknowledge my family for their love and support and again thank you very much.
e.Consideration of Approval of BEST Program
This year the Selection Committee for BEST met on April 28, 2005 to interview candidates interested in becoming cooperating/mentor teachers. The candidates chosen were:
Lauren O’Toole JohnTrumbullSchool, Grade 1 Teacher
Cynthia Murphy JudsonSchool, Special Education Teacher
Anna Lisa Barlow PolkSchool, Grade 5 Teacher
Ashley Coon PolkSchool, Grade 5 Teacher
Jennifer Guerrera PolkSchool, Grade 3 Teacher
Valerie Tasker PolkSchool, Grade 3 Teacher
Janet Gerace HeminwayParkSchool, Grade 6 Teacher
Bryan Wosczyna High School, Social Studies Teacher
We would like to thank the members of the Selection Committee:
Marylu Lerz – BEST Interview Chairperson
Sally Rinaldi – BEST Facilitator
Jessica Cagno
Ann Marie Downey
Mary Beth Gallo
Andrew Hennessey
Cynthia Whitaker
Motion presented by Ms. Calabrese seconded by Ms. Colangelo that the Board approve of the above candidates chosen as cooperating/mentor teachers.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(5-In favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
f. Consideration of Approval to Authorize the Superintendent or Designee to Enter Into a Contract with the Region 15 Energy Consortium
It is recommended that the Superintendent or designee be authorized to enter into a contract with an electricity supplier chosen through the Region 15 Energy Consortium provided that the price does not exceed $.07775 per kwhs.
Motion presented by Ms. Colangelo seconded by Mr. Fenn that the Superintendent or designee be authorized to enter into a contract with an electricity supplier chosen through the Region 15 Energy Consortium provided that the price does not exceed $.07775 per kwhs.
Discussion:
Mr. LoFrese: Yes we have an opportunity to be one of at least 60 other school districts that are going to be signing on to a consortium to purchase electricity, the generation charge for electricity.It would be fixed at a rate of $.07775 per kwhs for the next five years. Which although it is an increase of what we’re paying currently, it’s less than what the anticipated increase that CL&P is seeking which is nearly a 20% increase.
Ms. Rosa: The contract that we would be entering into, would we be able to have a copy and an ability to review that?Is this it, now or never?
Mr. LoFrese: Correct, what I can say is that this arrangement has been reviewed by lawyers at Shipman and Goodwin.
Ms. Rosa: OK, so someone has looked at the language and you say there are approximately 60 other school districts?
Mr. LoFrese: Correct and we are actively seeking additional districts because the way the
pricing structure is; the more kilowatts hours that we can purchase, we get a better pricing and that’s why we have a “not to exceed” price because in all likelihood it will be less.
Ms. Rosa: Thanks once again Todd for finding us ways to save money.
Mr. LoFrese: In this case it’s cost-avoidance.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(5-In favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
K.Future Agenda Items
Board Members did not have any requests.
L.Public Participation
Ms. Rosa opened Public Participation at 8:14 p.m.
Mrs. Fran Palmer, 220 Middlebury Road, Watertown
I would like to speak to you tonight as President of the Watertown Music Booster Association.We thank you foraccepting our gift of the microphones. I would also like to publicly thank the Watertown Foundation and the Thomaston Savings Bank Foundation; it is through their grants that we receive the money that we were able to purchase the microphones to give to the system. I also would like to mention the Robotics that were here earlier, my daughter is an alumnae of them and that is an awesome, awesome group. These students, as you can see things happen, they adjust to it, they adapt, they learn how to do things. Almost every year they receive some sort of an award in their partnership with other teams, their sharing of materials or they may not have won the top prize but they win the hearts of all the people at the actual demonstrations. It is a life-long turn, some of these students that were here were on the first team and they are coming back as mentors, so it’s an awesome, awesome program.
M.Adjournment
Motion presented by Ms. Colangelo seconded by Ms. Calabrese that the Regular Board of Education meeting adjourn at 8:16 p.m.
Motion Passed Unanimously
(5-In favor, 0-Opposed, 0-Abstained)
Meeting adjourned at 8:16 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted
Mary Colangelo, Board Secretary
Barbara Mordenti, Board Clerk