the accomplishments and initiatives of the Waterford Public Schools to the Town, Community and beyond to create a Connection that will reinforce a strong commitment to coming together to educate the whole child.
Multilingual Learners in Waterford
At the January 23, 2025 Board of Education meeting, Great Neck Elementary School Principal Billie Shea and LEARN Consultants Lisanne Kaplan and Jill Bessette provided a presentation to the Board on the Multilingual Learner population in Waterford and the systems in place to support these students. Waterford has seen a 170% growth in the Multilingual Learner program since the 20162017 school year. In the 2024-2025 school year, Waterford Public Schools currently services 139 Multilingual Learners and Great Neck Elementary School has been designated as a bilingual school, meaning 20 or more students have the same native language (Spanish). In the 2025-26 school year, Oswegatchie Elementary School will be designated as a bilingual school for Spanish and Quaker Hill Elementary School is close with a large population of Urdu speaking families. Waterford Public Schools has 23 languages that our families speak, with Spanish, Urdu, Mandarin, and Portuguese as the top 4 languages besides English.
For Great Neck and Oswegatchie Elementary Schools, enhancements to instruction, staffing, and professional development have been put into place to ensure success as bilingual schools and meet the criteria set forth by the State Department of Education. This includes providing instruction in English as well as student’s native language, enabling students to work to achieve English proficiency and academic mastery, increasing the use of English, providing additional professional development for teachers, and increasing Multilingual teaching staff at all elementary schools.
The goal of the Multilingual learner programs in Waterford is to build on the current systems in place and to expand service delivery to this rising population. We have already seen great success in the bilingual programs at Great Neck Elementary School and we are excited to help all of our multilingual students succeed in English and their native language.
As a district, we are thrilled that our Waterford students in grades K-5 continued to participate in the 2024-25 Hour of Code event which was held at each elementary school during the months of December and January. This event takes place each year to celebrate Computer Science Education. It is a global movement introducing tens of millions of students worldwide to computer science, inspiring kids to learn more, breaking stereotypes, and leaving them feeling empowered. This event makes a statement that Waterford is ready to teach essential 21st century skills. We know that whatever field our students choose to go into as adults, their ability to succeed will increasingly depend on understanding how technology works.
Coding requires discipline, attention to detail, perseverance, the ability to predict an outcome and problem solving skills. These are skills we want all of our students in Waterford to fully develop. Students collaborated and worked independently on many different age appropriate coding activities. They used Chromebooks to visit online coding sites, they used iPad coding apps, and even coded and ran programs to have various robots move, make sounds, light up and more.
It was exciting that our students got a chance to be involved in such an important global initiative. If you are interested in reading more about it and the benefits of coding, visit http://hourofcode.com/us.
Article provided by District Technology Coach Laura McCue.
Waterford Wonders
The Waterford Board of Education recognized two students from Waterford High School, Senior Jax Higgins and Junior Lucy Walker , as Waterford Wonders at the January 23, 2025 Board of Education meeting. Principal Kirk Samuelson provided the words highlighted in the article to illustrate the amazing ways that Jax and Lucy exemplify what it means to be a Waterford Wonder.
“Throughout his high school career, Jax has demonstrated excellence in many areas. He has served as captain of the varsity football team for two consecutive years, earning numerous awards for his performance and leadership on the field. His football coach, Zeth Nolda, describes him as the hardest-working young man he has ever coached a player with relentless dedication and focus who leads by example. Coach Nolda says Jax was not only the heart and soul of the team but also the voice of encouragement, positivity, and motivation both on and off the field.
Beyond athletics, Jax has shown a strong commitment to serving others. He has spent three years as a counselor at Camp DASH, where he was named Staff of the Month, and he has also volunteered as a coach for middle school recreational basketball. These roles highlight his ability to inspire and mentor young people, a quality that has made a profound impact on our community.
But perhaps Jax’s most remarkable contribution has been as a peer mentor at Quaker Hill Elementary School. When Principal Chris Discordia sought a role model from WHS to mentor a student facing significant challenges, Jax was the immediate choice. In this role, Jax has gone above and beyond to connect with his mentee. On his own time outside of his school day, he throws the football with him, shares lunch together, and even secured tickets to a Lancer home game this fall. This consistent and meaningful connection has led to significant improvements in the student’s academic performance and behavior.
Jax’s influence goes far beyond the playing field or classroom. He is a leader who exemplifies selflessness, perseverance, and kindness. He has set a high standard not only for himself but also for his peers, embodying what it means to be a Waterford Wonder.”
“Lucy is the kind of student who not only embodies the mission of our district but inspires all of us through her actions, character, and commitment to making a difference.
Lucy has excelled both in and out of the classroom throughout her high school career. She is highly motivated, self-aware, compassionate, and a positive role model for her peers. She balances a demanding course load with an impressive array of activities, including volleyball in the fall, varsity basketball in the winter where she serves as a captain and track and field in the spring. Beyond school sports, she competes in AAU basketball, which requires extensive travel and dedication. She also finds time to work as a lifeguard at Pleasure Beach during the summer and participate in the Envirothon program.
But Lucy’s true impact goes beyond her individual accomplishments. As a junior, she initiated the Best Buddies Club as part of her Capstone project, a testament to her vision, empathy, and commitment to building a welcoming and connected community. Through this program, Lucy has created opportunities for meaningful friendships between students with and without disabilities. Her leadership has not only established the foundation of this program but also set a standard for what inclusivity can look like in our school community...Her efforts have paved the way for a more inclusive future, fostering a sense of belonging and friendship that leaves a lasting impression on everyone involved. Lucy’s initiative and dedication to Best Buddies embody the values we hope to instill in every Waterford student.
Lucy Walker is a leader, a changemaker, and, as one of her teachers described her, simply a "good kid." She reminds us all of the power of kindness, empathy, and determination.”
INNOVATION
In his December 16, 2024 update to WHS families, Principal Samuelson highlighted the changes to the midterm/final exam practices at Waterford High School and the introduction of Culminating Academic Experiences (CAEs). These CAEs where implemented to reflect the high school’s commitment to dynamic, meaningful learning, and included traditional exams or alternative assessments, such as projects and presentations. Check out below for an inside look into the Culminating Academic Experiences that were used this school year.
WHS is in its third year of offering American Sign Language in the World Language Department. This year, as part of the CAE for the class, World Language Teacher Nate Wheeler asked his students to complete two performance tasks. One was to interpret what he was signing with a mix of comprehension questions. This task worked on their receptive signing skill. The other task was to sign a variety of sentences into a video program that he would later assess, which worked on the expressive skills necessary to communicate in ASL. Information/ photos provided by Amanda Marchese, World Language Department Chair
Students in Digital Photography completed their CAE on Food Product Photography. The requirement included using various photographic effects including: blurred action, stopped action, shallow depth of field, deep depth of field, and an extreme angle. In order to achieve success they had to know which element of the exposure triangle needed to be changed for the goal in mind as well as how to think critically to modify the other settings to achieve proper exposure (lighting). An added element of difficulty in this assignment was including different styles of product photography such as individual, group, lifestyle, and a detailed close up to better understand the marketing side of photography. Marketing is a way to visually communicate with the community, which is a specific transferable skill the art department is focusing on. Information/photos provided by Jackie Bono, WHS Art Teacher
For their CEA, Bake shop students were tasked with creating a plated dessert in which they needed to include: a main component, a sauce, and an edible garnish. WHS Junior Avery Gelinas created a vanilla sponge cupcake filled with a pineapple curd and finished her plating with a strawberry sauce and a dehydrated pineapple flower (pictured right).
In Culinary, students were tasked to create a well-balanced meal including a protein, starch, vegetable and sauce. WHS Freshmen Evaline Rush and Natalie Moore made a fresh brioche bun layered with pan seared chicken, arugula, sundried tomato relish, and chipotle sundried tomato aioli served with a side of hand cut French fries (pictured right). Information/photos provided by Sarah Ramos, WHS Culinary Teacher
Congratulations to the following CLMS students who were accepted into the 2025 Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA) Eastern Regionals Festival. They will perform at the festival with students across Eastern Connecticut on March 21st and 22nd at Coventry High School.
Waterford High School Awarded Blue School Distinction
Science Day Program
Math Counts
Waterford High School was recently recognized as one of the inaugural 19 USA Blue Schools by the National Marine Educators Association. “The USA Blue Schools are a part of a global network of primary and secondary schools striving to help students, families, and communities to learn about our ocean and take action to make it a healthier place. Nineteen U.S. schools recently received their "USA Blue Schools" flag, illustrating that they have completed their action projects, integrated ocean literacy into their curricula, and connected with other schools in the nethttps://www.marine-ed.org/news/2024-usaschools Waterford High School received this distinction for their Marine Science Day program (pictured left) and their work to educate elementary students in Waterford about the Long Island Sound and the local marine environment.
The Clark Lane Middle School Math Counts Team competed on December 18, 2024 at Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School. The CLMS team of Spencer Morin, Rafael Pereira, and Logan Nier won the team round of the competition and Logan was the highest scoring 6th grader. The team will compete in additional competitions and more information will be shared in upcoming newsletters.
In alignment with the Board Goal to support the social and emotional intelligence and development of students, Waterford Public Schools works to provide opportunities for students to give back to the community and show empathy to others.
All schools participated in the PJ Day for Kids to support Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Together students raised over $4,500. Money raised will benefit the Juvenile Cancer Treatment Program at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
Clark Lane Middle School and Quaker Hill Elementary School held Hat Days to support the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. The money raised, close to $1000, will aid in the relief efforts underway with the fires in California.
Scenes from the Unified Basketball Program at Waterford High School.
“This inclusive program gives all school-aged children opportunities to participate in organized team sports, build friendships with their peers, and help inspire a school environment where inclusion, acceptance and respect are cornerstones.” https://www.soct.org/adaptive-sports-programs/unified-sports-in-schools.
Photos by Wendy Morris, Athletics Administrative Assistant
District Reminders
Waterford Public Schools
Pat Fedor, Board of Education Chairperson
Thomas W. Giard III, Superintendent 15 Rope Ferry Road
Waterford , CT 06385
Phone: 860-444-5852
Fax: 860-444-5870
Contact: Caroline Whittaker - Executive Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent E-mail: cwhittaker@waterfordschools.org
Stay Connected…
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