Lebanon Public Schools

– Henry Ford

Dear Lebanon Community,

As the year draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the incredible privilege and joy it has been to serve as your superintendent of schools. The warmth, resilience, and generosity of the Lebanon community have made this journey truly special.

I am profoundly grateful for the trust you have placed in me, and I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for the support and collaboration that have defined our collective efforts in shaping a nurturing and enriching educational environment for our students.

As we approach the holiday season, I extend my warmest wishes to each and every one of you. May your homes be filled with joy, laughter, and the spirit of togetherness. May the coming year bring new opportunities for growth, learning, and success for our students, families, and the entire community.

During this festive season, let us also remember to cherish the moments with our loved ones, express gratitude for the blessings in our lives, and reach out to those who may need a little extra kindness.

Thank you for making my time as superintendent a truly rewarding experience. I look forward to the continued collaboration and shared successes in the upcoming year.

Wishing you a safe, happy holiday season and a new year filled with prosperity, good health, and fulfillment.

Best,

Superintendent Gonzalez

Please see the flyer below and the letter that follows inviting you to be a part of the Lebanon Public Schools Strategic Planning process.

I understand we are in the middle of flu season and we have also been experiencing a spread of upper respiratory illness, but that being said, this December we had 541students who were not absent one day in the month! On the other hand we had 31 students across the district who missed at least 4 days in December. We understand everyone misses school but regular attendance should be the goal. Our schools are truly better when all our students are present and participating in learning.

Reading and Writing During the Holiday Season

Rita Quiles-Glover, Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment

December 2023

Reading and writing during the holidays can be a meaningful and a reflective exercise that allows individuals to explore and express their thoughts, emotions and experiences. In classrooms throughout the district, students are writing about things for which they are grateful, reflecting on the past year and setting intentions for the upcoming year. Students are being exposed to holiday traditions from around the world and many are participating in community service projects where they write on the impact these projects have on the Lebanon community. Whether it is poetry inspired by the winter season, writings/stories about this time of year in different cultures or other relevant exercises, instruction in LPS classrooms encourages our students to approach their work with authenticity and openness. Meaningful learning during the holidays can provide a sense of connection, mindfulness, and self-discovery.

To bridge the connection between home and school during the holiday break, you can also enjoy some activities within the comfort of your home:

• Create a gratitude jar for your family. Each day, write down something you're grateful for and place it in the jar. Share these reflections during a family gathering.

• Start a holiday memories scrapbook. Write about your favorite moments, include photos, and add personal reflections about special traditions.

• Have a family story night where each member contributes to a collaborative story. Write a paragraph or two, passing the story along until it is complete.

• Create handmade holiday cards for friends and family. Write personalized messages to accompany the cards, expressing your well-wishes and love.

• Write down your favorite family recipes or create a new one together. Include personal notes about why each recipe is special to your family.

The connection between home and school during the holidays enhances the educational experiences. The goal is to foster connections, mindfulness and a sense of gratitude within your home. It instills a sense of curiosity and a love for learning that extends beyond the classroom, supporting a student's academic journey. Enjoy the process of reflection and creativity during the holiday season!

House Bill 6880 raised the Kindergarten starting age from age 5 by January 1, to age 5 by September 1 of a given year.

General Statute 10-15c(a) reads "A student may be admitted early upon a written request by the parent or guardian of such child to the Principal of the school in which such child would be enrolled and following an assessment of such child by such Principal and an appropriate staff member of the school to ensure that admitting such child is developmentally appropriate"

We understand that we have families and students that this will impact. We have already met several times as an administrative team to discuss supporting our community with this change. More information about plans that are in progress will be shared at future preschool screenings, kindergarten orientations, during the registration process and in ongoing Superintendent Updates.

On December 8, 2023 our Lebanon Public Schools joined schools across the state by participating in PJ Day for CCMC to support the ongoing battle against childhood cancer. Our district made a difference by contributing $1923.77!

On December 6, 2023 nineteen Lyman Memorial High School students were inducted into the Wheelock Chapter of the National Honors Society.

It was my pleasure to see such an impressive group be honored. They all actively demonstrate exemplary character, leadership, scholarship, service and are role model students and responsible citizens.

A special thanks to our Board Chairperson, Sarah Haynes, Grade 6 Teacher, Barbara Archer and Principal James Apicelli who all shared inspirational words with our learners.

Also, I would like to express my gratitude to Cathy Hunt was serves as their teacher, mentor and advisor. She organized this celebration and shared with me that she is "incredibly proud of all of the members of the NHS and am excited to take part in the incredible service projects that they're planning".

Lyman Memorial's Tri-M Music Honor Society installed chapter officers and inducted three new members for the 2023-2024 school year. Congratulations to our current and new members!
President: Sadie Seagrave

Vice President: Loretta Svedarsky

Secretary: Taylor Ruitto

Treasurer: Ryan Spellman

Current Members: Mimi Curtis, Hannah Gonzalez, Rowan LaFleur, Hailey Litwin, Amelia Wentworth, and Alexis Zimnoch

New Members: Sophomore Mack Booth, Senior Genevieve Gardella, and Sophomore Nora Rodgers

This segment is brought to you in large part due to the efforts of our elementary school STEM teacher Mrs. Jen Olsen. She is passionate about delivering cutting edge instruction to our learners and for this particular unit has incorporated coding into her classroom. Here is a brief write up from her highlighting the importance of coding in technology and celebrating our students at work.

With technology changing every industry on the planet, computing knowledge has become part of a

well-rounded skill set. But fewer than half of all schools teach computer science! Good news is, we’re on our way to change this. If you heard about the Hour of Code last year, you might know it made history. 100 million students have now discovered how accessible and fun computer science can be by doing just one Hour of Code.

The Hour of Code is a one-hour introduction to computer science, designed to demystify code and show that anybody can learn the basics.

In the STEM Lab, we participated in the Hour of Code during the first two weeks of December. LES Students in K-4 coded both with our Beebot and Dash robots and on computers where students were introduced to some kid friendly coding sites. We were thrilled to have a special guest during a 4th grade class’s Hour of Code. Melissa Rocha, video producer and editor from CODE.org came to talk to students about her job at CODE.org. She also helped students work through their Dance Party challenges. It was so exciting to have a member of the CODE.org team visit LES!

Lebanon Public Schools actively seeks to assist children and families by locating, identifying, and referring children from birth to age 22 who require special education and related services. If you are concerned about a child's development, you are encouraged to contact Lebanon Elementary School to receive information about Early Childhood Screenings.

If the child is younger than 3 years of age, you may choose instead to contact the Connecticut Birth to Three System at 1-800-505-7000.

If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact 860-642-5636.

Families, please feel free to send photos of our students in action so that I can celebrate them in the Superintendent Updates. Thanks for helping share our Lebanon Pride! andrew.gonzalez@lebanonct.org

Members of Student Council and agricultural science students baked and brought their best treats to veterans this morning. Students wanted to show their appreciation for everything our veterans have done for us, so students visited with the vets throughout their weekly "Veterans Coffee Hour" on Wednesday, 12/13 at the Eastern CT Veterans Center. Our visit was appreciated and we hope to make it an annual trip!

Boxes to Boots is an organization that prides itself on generous support and giving to our military troops. They rely on individuals and groups within the community to make charitable donations to provide troops with essential products but more importantly to show our appreciation for all they do for our country. This year in their Operation Cares 2023 initiative they hoped to fill 1,200 boxes to ship in to troops.

Our students at LMS, working with Mr. Comeau, Louanne DiBella and our PTO put together 13 very full boxes with notes of thanks.

Established in 1978, Looking In Theater is a performance ensemble comprised of teenagers from the Greater Hartford area who explore socially relevant issues and create original theater highlighting these issues.

A typical presentation involves a series of short dramatic scenes followed by a discussion in which the actors answer audience questions as their characters. In addition to performances, Looking In Theater now offers post-show workshops on social justice theater. The aim of the program is to highlight topics so audience members might begin to talk openly about these issues and better clarify their own values and social responsibilities.

The group visited Lyman Memorial High School on Wednesday, November 29th and engaged in thoughtful dialogue with our students after performing various skits.

Sabena Escott, MSW sabena.escott@lebanonct.org

Lyman Memorial High School Social Worker and District Family Care Coordinator

With legislation over the summer, a family care coordinator has been added to the growing number of mental health staff that CT recognizes will further support our children and families in the school setting. The family care coordinator role already encompasses what our Lebanon school district mental health teams provide for students and families. Providing students with access to mental health resources within the community and bringing mental health services to students inside of the school has always been a priority in our district. Please reach out if there are any specific mental health topics, community programs, therapeutic referrals or town programs and resources that you would like to know more about. Below are a few programs and resources for students and families.

Lebanon Social Services Office offers a variety of services to Lebanon children, adults, and seniors. Social Services Administrator Shelly Ashcom works with federal, state, and local organizations to provide assistance to Lebanon residents in need. Town of Lebanon Social Services

*The use of the resources/programs in this section are not required by LPS to be used by parents/guardians. They are recommendations only.*

Call or text a trained crisis counselor to talk:

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. They’re free and available 24/7:
  Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

• Trevor Project (crisis intervention & suicide prevention for the LGBTQ community): 1-866-488-7386 or Text 678678

• Crisis Text Line: text CTL to 741741

NIMH offers brochures and fact sheets on mental health disorders and related topics for children, adolescents and their families. Printed materials can be ordered free of charge. Brochures and fact sheets in English and Spanish.

Housing and Homeless Services can be accessed through Coordinated Access Networks (CAN). Persons are prioritized for housing services based on an assessment to be completed after calling 211.

Housing and Homeless Services

Lebanon Public Schools is now in the App Store. On your phones, in the "app store" you can search Lebanon Public Schools and you should see our logo. Please install as another way to get notifications and news from our school district.

Scan these QR Codes and be brought to our Lebanon Public Schools webpage or the Superintendent Instagram page!

The Lebanon Public Schools, in partnership with families and the community, will prepare students to be contributing members of a diverse global society. We will provide a safe, nurturing, rigorous, and student-centered learning environment.

The school community of Lebanon is committed to the mission of honoring and celebrating the diversity of our students, our community, and our nation. We strive to guide our students to conscious, deliberate, individual and collective actions that cultivate the respect of all races, religions, and social backgrounds. Our school community endeavors to produce graduates who are equipped with a greater understanding of the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The Lebanon Board of Education, in compliance with federal and state law, affirms its policy of equal educational opportunity for all students and equal employment opportunity for all persons. It is the policy of the District to promote nondiscrimination and an environment free of harassment and the District does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, alienage, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, gender identity or expression, veteran status or any other category protected under state or federal law in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its program or activities. The District also provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups and is specifically required by Title IX not to discriminate on the basis of sex in its programs and activities. The District shall make reasonable accommodations for individuals with identified physical and mental impairments that constitute disabilities, consistent with federal and state statutes and regulations.

The following person has been designated to handle inquires regarding Title IX sex discrimination policies: Dawn DeLia, Title IX Coordinator, 891 Exeter Road, Lebanon, CT; 860-642-5764

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding other non-discrimination policies: Dawn DeLia, 504/ADA Coordinator, 891 Exeter Road, Lebanon, CT; 860-642-5764

Email: andrew.gonzalez@lebanonct.org
Website: https://www.lebanonct.org/
Location: 891 Exeter Road, Lebanon, CT, USA
Phone: 860-642-5637