Friday, December 14, 2018
www.towntimes.com
Volume 23, Number 26
BOARD OF EDUCATION
ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING
By Bailey Wright Town Times
District adjusts for more ELL
Search continues to fill vacancy The search for a new Regional School District 13 Board of Education member will continue for another month after none were named during Monday’s annual town meeting.
“If anyone comes forward, we surely would appreciate that,” First Selectman Edward Bailey said Monday. Middlefield Board of Selectmen and Board of Education member Bob Yamartino said he and several others have spoken with multiple people about the opening, but the time commitment has ultimately been the determining factor. “The Board of Education is extremely time consuming,” said Yamartino, who has been on the school board for about two years. Yamartino said most board members sit on two or three of the board’s subcommittees — such as the utilization committee and
By Bailey Wright Town Times
Middlefield resident Nancy Boyle opens a gift presented to her by the Regional School District 13 Board of Education on Nov. 14, when she stepped down as a board member. | Bailey Wright, Town Times
the student achievement committee — which means attending around four meetings a month, sometimes each lasting multiple hours.
He said despite the time commitment, being on the board is “really rewarding, because there really is nothing more important, or a highSee School board, A3
Lifelong learning, service award goes to outdoor educator
Because most of the students are at John Lyman Elementary School, administrators identified a specialist coach to work additional hours with those ELL students. It was determined that the staff is already sufficient for the other ELL students.
Lorrie Martin was recognized as this year’s Howard Kelley Award recipient last Thursday for her pursuit of lifelong learning and service to others.
See Award, A4
“It was an important finding, I'm glad that Region 13 looked at that early like we're supposed to at the beginning of the year, and now we're really just planning and making sure that the English learning needs of this group of students, that they're met through the academic instruction that we're providing them,” said Scott Rossignol, director of student services and special education. Rossignol said the 11 students range in age from elementary to high school, but are primarily concentrated in elementary school.
By Bailey Wright Town Times
The annual award is presented by the Coginchaug Valley Educational Foundation to a local resident in Durham or Middlefield who exemplifies a commitment to lifelong learning and service. This year’s re-
Regional School District 13’s English language learners population increased by 83 percent in the last year, causing administrators to look more closely at the programs they offer.
Renee Kelley, left, with this year's Howard Kelley Award recipient Lorrie Martin at the award's reception on Dec. 6. | Photo courtesy of Martin Anderson
The district has been working with Maggie Stevens, a professional learning specialist with Area Cooperative Educational Services, to make sure its ELL students are receiving the programs they need to See English, A2