School Opening 2010

Bridgeport Public School Students

Head Back to Class 

Our school year kicked off on Wednesday for elementary school scholars and Thursday for those attending high school. There are a lot of exciting things happening in the Bridgeport Public Schools this year and the Superintendent shared many of the highlights in his 2010 Convocation message. To view, please visit: www.bridgeportedu.net.

Below are some of those highlights, in an effort to excel learning and give our students, staff, parents and supporting community a lot to look forward to and be proud of this school year.

• The Discovery Interdistrict Magnet School's temporary location is open this year to Pre-K and Kindergarten. In January 2011, the school's new building will open on Park Avenue (next to the Discovery Museum).

(Discovery Magnet School's new location in 2011)

• Students at every elementary school will receive breakfast in the clasroom this school year.
• 225 English Language Arts (E.L.A.) interactive whiteboard lessons will be brought forth by our Evaluation and Research Department. Last year, they offered 375 interactive mathematics lessons, and this year, if funding permits, we will also purchase interactive science lessons.
• We will offer more interactive whiteboard classrooms throughout the district and provide after-school site based whiteboard sessions.
• Online assessment tools will be expanded to test grades 7-12 in social studies. The testing program will make this year's CMT results available. 
• User-friendly presentations will continue to help improve test scores by helping students better understand the CMT test. Each student's individual needs will be addressed through the "Drill Down" approach.
• The Transportation Department will utilize Transfinder, a new software package, to shorten bus routes, improve efficiency, and reduce costs.
• The district has a new bus contractor called We Transport, along with a new fleet of brand new school buses.
• The Business Office will be re-organized to tackle new challenges, helping us make improvements with a reduced budget.
• Our Parent Center will work with the Communications Department, Home School Coordinators, Parent Liasons, and Clerical Staff to collect parent email addresses to allow close communication between schools and homes.
• The Parent Center will partner up with the Bridgeport Police Department to bring a "Play By the Rules" program for students interested in law enforcement careers.
• The Parent Center will also team up with Fairfield University to bring more science funding to our classrooms.
• The Bridgeport Public Education Fund and the Fairfield County Community Foundation will again honor outstanding Bridgeport Public School teachers in a special Spring 2011 event. Eight teachers will receive $1,000 Professional Development certificates, and one teacher will receive the Beard Excellence in Teaching Award with a $25,000 cash award. Information about nominations and the application process will be provided later this fall.
• Our Performing Arts department alongside the Yale School of Music and the Greater Bridgeport Symphony will produce a regional book; and it  will be expanded to collaborate with an urban school in New York. A performance will be presented via webcasting in June.
• Through the Dana Foundation Grant from Fairfield University, educational resources will provide professional development for the Performing Arts Department while improving curriculum and assessment.
• Visual Arts Department will give our high school art students the chance to participate in the Big Read student art exhibit in the Spring of 2011. And, in partnership with the Aldrich Museum for the Artists, the department will work on The Classroom project.
• Bridgeport High School juniors and seniors interested in a visual arts career can participate in the district portfolio development day, a workshop providing students with strategies that will enhance their college entrance art portfolio presentation.
• To combat vandalism, our Security Department will utilize a program beginning with four schools in an effort to spend more time and money on improvements and sustainability.
• Through the new student information system Power School, Staff will be able to view student assessment data and give parents access to information like attendance grades and discipline. INFORM, the assessment component to Power School, will give staff the ability to view student assessment data from multiple sources. Electronic report cards will be issued for students in grades K-12.  The parent portal is  scheduled to open in late Fall. 
• All schools in the district will implement new In-School suspension programs to comply with the newly adopted state legislation.
• In an effort to increase attendance, BPS staff and community volunteers will once again knock on doors and encourage students to return to school during the "No Excuses" Campaign. More information coming soon. (If you would like to volunteer please email the Director of Communications at: vdouglas-givan@bridgeportedu.net)

• This fall, we will canvass the community for input on issues such as rebuilding Harding High School, balance enrollments, and long-range facilities plans.
• We will continue to implement and expand Positive Behavior Supports (P.B.S.) across the district.
• Bridgeport teachers will collaborate with the Bridgeport History Center at the Bridgeport Public Library to create an online website highlighting Bridgeport's History, integrating its rich content into the school curricula.
• Once again, all Bridgeport students will be able to vote in a 2010 mock election for governor and U.S. senator.

Now, take a look at other Great News in our district!

Park City Magnet Shines at This Year's Wheelabrator Symposium
Green Squad Heads to Florida Prepared to

Teach and Learn

Park City Magnet’s Green Squad traveled to the Wheelabrator Symposium in Florida this past spring to give an award-winning presentation in front of schools throughout the Eastern Seaboard. The hour-long presentation earned them the “Best Comprehensive Recycling Program” award.  The group was recognized at the yearly awards banquet with a trophy and a certificate, as well as a check for $1,000 from Wheelabrator Technologies for the group to invest in future environmental projects and ideas for next year’s Symposium.

Park City Magnet’s project zeroed in on the importance of recycling, and even shared helpful and interesting recycling facts.  Incidentally, this past school year, the students of Park City Magnet recycled about 5 tons of material, which they sorted and placed in the recycling dumpster that the city’s Sanitation & Recycling Manager, Tony DePrimo, had been kind enough to provide. The Green Squad shared with all the schools down in Florida how, once the Sanitation department picks it up, the material is emptied at the CRRA Recycling Facility in Stratford. The Green Squad also provided some information about recyclable materials, Connecticut’s Rules and Regulations for Recycling, and critical recycling data.  Each student had a chance to take part in the presentation, and afterwards, the group was grilled by a judging panel of experts from several environmental and business fields.

The Green Squad also had a chance to watch other interesting presentations from other schools along the East Coast, including those from New Hampshire, Baltimore, and Southern Florida. These presentations all dealt with various environmental issues ranging from state park beautification, to Manatee protection and awareness, and even raising garden beds.  Students from Millbury Junior High School in Massachusetts experimented with an exercise bike that generated electricity.  After a successful experiment, they unfortunately deemed the project too costly and time consuming to generate a sufficient amount of electricity, but the project never failed to amaze as the students lit up several strands of Christmas lights by simply pedaling a few steps.

In addition, all students who participate in the Wheelabrator Symposium are offered a full-ride scholarship to Fisk University in Nashville, TN, if they choose to accept.  This scholarship is on the condition that participants maintain at least a “B” average throughout high school, maintain a good reputation and do not acquire a police record.  (For more information on Fisk University, visit www.fisk.edu.)

The Green Team returned home with a great sense of accomplishment through the opportunity to teach others about recycling and to learn the importance of caring for the environment.

“I had an awesome time down in Florida,” 8th grader Joshua Casanova states.  “I learned there are more ways to help the environment than just recycling.  I never knew how important the Everglades were, and how badly polluted they have become.”

Yasmine Namane of the 7th grade agreed. “The part of the trip I enjoyed the most was going to the Everglades.  When you go out on an airboat you learn about plant life, then go through the sawgrass and cat-tails.  You may even be lucky enough to see an alligator.”

“It was awesome,” says 7th grader Zach Estrella. “I loved the experience and I hope I can do it again next year.”

Wheelabrator, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Waste Management, Inc., is an independent producer of renewable energy generated from solid waste products.  Located throughout the United States, they recycle solid refuse, waste wood, tires, coal and gas in to clean energy (i.e., “Trash to Energy”), all while maintaining a responsibility to the environment.  They sponsor this yearly event to foster environmental education among students and to create a progressive attitude towards cleaning the planet.  Wheelabrator promotes corporate, civic and community involvement in student based service projects.  For more information, visit www.wheelabratortechnologies.com.

Bridgeport Students Recognized in Competition
Students "Dream Big" in CHET's Drawing/Essay Contest
 

The CHET Dream Big! Competition was designed to encourage families to start thinking about how higher education may help their children realize their dreams and make a difference in the world, and to promote the importance of saving for college early through a CHET Account.