To email the Superintendent of Schools - Jody Ian Goeler
4/1/2013
Dear Parents and Citizens:
As we continue to reflect on the Sandy Hook tragedy just over one hundred days ago, I wanted to express my appreciation for those who have attended our follow-up Safety/Security updates at each of our schools. However, it’s disappointing to note fewer than thirty parents have attended all three meetings combined. With one final meeting scheduled on April 9th at Nonnewaug High School, we need to be sure the community has not lost its resolve in ensuring the events of Sandy Hook would unite us in the fundamental belief that our children are our most precious assets and must feel safe and cared for. Our follow-ups have provided members of the Board of Education, law enforcement, administration, mental health personnel, town officials and me an opportunity to provide you with information related to the safety assessments performed at each of our buildings and aspects of the overall safety enhancement planning currently underway.
On March 26th, the Region’s Ad Hoc Safety/Security Committee met again to review the outcomes of the safety assessments, police walk-throughs and other strategies related to mitigation, infrastructure enhancements, communications upgrades, access controls, and our continuing efforts in working collectively with law enforcement, emergency management, and town officials. In addition, the Committee gave its full support to ensure each of our four schools has a designated School Resource Officer. As the Board of Education puts the final touches on its budget and prepares to present it to the elected officials in both communities for input tonight, April 1st, it is more important than ever for you to understand all aspects of Region 14’s budget as it relates to improving instruction and ensuring the safety and security of all members of our school community.
Our Region 14 Board of Education, leadership team, and staff need your continuous involvement and support to move our schools forward. In a matter of a year, our students will be taking computer adaptive standardized assessments measuring the extent to which they have mastered key skills prescribed in the Common Core State Standards, requiring a virtual overhaul in how we teach, align our curriculum, and assess our students. In addition, our teachers and administrators next year will be evaluated partially on the extent to which all students demonstrate growth on standardized measures of performance, and our district will receive an index (District Performance Index) number as a metric to measure our success. While we are committed to meeting the significant challenges before us, I cannot express how important it is for you to get involved by attending meetings, reading the materials posted on our website, and voting.
I am hopeful we will see a large group at Nonnewaug High School’s Safety/Security follow-up meeting on April 9th at 7:00 PM in the library. In addition, please note the following dates related to the budget process:
April 1st, 6:30 at Nonnewaug High School, the Board of Education presents its proposed budget to the Boards of Finance and Boards of Selectmen in both towns.
April 8th, 6:30 at Mitchell Elementary School, the Board of Education presents its budget to both communities. (Last year there were fewer than ten members of the public in attendance.) With feedback from the towns' officials, parents, community members and Budget Survey results, the Board will formally adopt its budget.
May 6th is the Annual/District Meeting on the budget. (Time and place to be determined)
May 7th is the budget referendum. (Last year our budget was defeated twice before it was finally passed with a .63% increase eliminating instructional supports, capital improvements and safety and security enhancements.)
We look forward to seeing all of you at these upcoming meetings. Our students need to know their community values them and understands they are our most precious resource. The work we have in front of us is too important to lose intensity or focus. It’s a privilege for me to be a part of this effort.
Sincerely,
Jody Ian Goeler
Jody Ian Goeler
Superintendent
Regional School District 14
Jody Ian Goeler
February 21, 2013
Testimony at the LOB
Good morning. My name is Jody Goeler, and I am the superintendent of Region 14, Bethlehem and Woodbury where we house one of the finest Agriscience programs in the state, if not the country – The Ellis Clark Regional Agriscience and Technology Program. (Founded in 1920)
Every morning I arrive in my district and see the most engaged, eager to learn, career – minded, highly motivated young men and women actively learning and accountable to the high standards of our program, their teachers, and themselves.
As I see our students interact with their peers and other adults, I can’t help but think of the various educational reform initiatives currently before us: The Common Core State Standards, Secondary School Reform, CAPSS’s Educational Transformation Project, our efforts to teach students 21st Century Skills.
Through our Agriscience program, our students are already actively engaged in creating their student success plans (an upcoming requirement through Secondary School Reform), and they have access to a program with a clear set of priorities for guaranteeing universal student success and a system that accommodates parent and student choice regarding pathways to learning (an expectation of the Educational Transformation Project).
In addition, our Agriscience program, which serves our students from Bethlehem and Woodbury and 23 surrounding towns remains a model for teaching 21 Century skills and dispositions: Using real-world digital and other research tools to access, evaluate, and effectively apply information appropriate for authentic tasks; working independently and collaboratively to solve problems and accomplish goals; demonstrating innovation, flexibility and adaptability in thinking patterns, work habits, and working/learning conditions, and so much more.
In short, our Agriscience program should be the poster child for everything worthy of our consideration, and certainly funding, for improving public education. We have the program; we just need the support to ensure our students and future students have greater opportunities to benefit from what a state of the art Agrisceince center can provide.
Because of the lack of operating funds we receive from the state, it is difficult to cover the costs of educating our current students, and we are not able to expand our program to accept more, even though we have the physical capacity to do so. The state needs to increase the per pupil funding to become more in line with the other schools of choice including charter schools, Magnet schools and Vo-Tech schools.
Finally, I have to add that if my Agriscience Director, Bill Davenport, the 2003-04 Connecticut State Teacher of the Year and highly recognized and tireless advocate for fair and adequate funding for this tremendous educational resource and these extraordinary students, who have taken time out from the studies to patiently wait to make their pleas again this year, cannot convince you to adopt your own ECS Task Force School Choice Funding recommendation into the Governor’s proposed budget, I do not know what will.
On behalf of the students who thrive in our program and those who hope to someday, I ask that this inequity be addressed now.
Thank you for considering my testimony.
Sincerely,
Jody Ian Goeler
Superintendent
Regional School District #14
Woodbury/Bethlehem
January 2, 2013
Dear Parents and Citizens:
On behalf of the Regional School District #14 faculty and staff, I wish you a happy and healthy new year. Over the holiday break, I had the opportunity to meet and work with members of our Board of Education, town officials, and our Resident State Trooper to continue our work in ensuring all members of our school community have a safe place for teaching and learning. While we are pleased to report we have a variety of procedures in place, such as name tags and lockdown procedures and drills, there remain things we can do to improve upon what we already have in place and adding new systems to provide greater levels of security throughout the Region. Following is an update of the work currently being completed:
- We have secured the locksmith familiar with our district’s door locks and keys to perform a complete assessment. As a result of his work, all doors will have locks and teachers keys by the end of this week. The next phase of our work will be to consider the best ways to address access control in our buildings.
- Police will continue an active presence at our schools, patrolling them regularly and maintaining contact with school administrators and me on an ongoing basis.
- Lockdown drills are being scheduled with members of our police force and our Resident State Trooper to ensure we are successfully implementing best practices in lockdown procedures. Their recommendations will be acted upon immediately.
- Building principals are continuing to work with their staff in ensuring they are following existing security measures.
In an effort to find additional ways of communicating with the public, meetings have been planned in each of our four schools the community is invited to attend. The purpose of these meetings will be to share our current lockdown procedures, respond to questions regarding how to best secure our schools, discuss ways we are moving forward, and provide information regarding supporting the needs of our students. These meetings will run from 7:00pm to 8:30pm and will be held on the following evenings:
- January 14 Bethlehem Elementary School
- January 15 Mitchell Elementary School
- January 16 Nonnewaug High School
- January 17 Woodbury Middle School
Finally, over the next several weeks, the Board of Education will begin the budget process for the 2013-14 school year. Please know that along with budgeting to ensure our students are provided with the most up to date curriculum, our teachers are trained to deliver the Common Core State Standards they are required to teach, and our new professional evaluation system is in place as mandated, we will look to provide adequate resources for enhancing security in our Region’s buildings.
Thank you,
Jody Ian Goeler
Superintendent
Regional School District #14
December 21, 2012
To All,
At a time when I would normally send a message asking you find the time to relax and enjoy time with family and friends over the holidays, I find myself wrestling with the right words to convey in the wake of the events over the past week. Our hearts go out to the students, parents, family members, educators, administrators and community members of Newtown, who have been so deeply affected in the wake of these tragic events.
Perhaps Newtown’s Superintendent, Janet Robinson, said it best in an interview with Scott Pelley on the CBS Evening News the other night when she said, “The kids are the therapy for the teachers.” During this season of gifts, we are reminded that children, our students, the reasons why schools exist, are the greatest gift educators receive, and you, in turn, are a gift to them as well. Thank you for devoting your professional lives and a good deal of your personal lives to the service of children. Every day you ensure our students are cherished, nurtured, loved and educated. I can’t imagine a gift more valuable than that.
And….
Do try to have a restful and enjoyable vacation, and take time to enjoy those who mean so much to you. Thank you for your great work.
Jody
December 18, 2012
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Citizens:
In my effort to keep you informed, I’d like to share the following:
- I have requested continuing police coverage at our four schools through the end of the week. I appreciate the steady support we have received from the Selectmen from Woodbury and Bethlehem to make this happen. I know their continuing presence is important to the community, and I appreciate their effort in making this happen.
- Just a reminder that we will be on a modified schedule Wednesday and Thursday in support of those who wish to attend Dawn Hochsprung and Rachel Davino’s wakes at Munson Lovetere Funeral Home in Woodbury. Community members and visitors may use the parking spaces available at both Mitchell Elementary School and Woodbury Middle School for their convenience. Volunteers are organizing ways to ensure those waiting on line are as comfortable as possible. Woodbury’s First Selectman anticipates there will be thousands of people wishing to attend. The open space adjacent to the cemetery on Washington Street will be used as staging for the media and overflow parking. If you are not attending the wake on both days, you may want to avoid these areas if at all possible.
- Building principals have been actively securing their buildings ensuring their staff follow all safety protocols and building accessibility remains as limited as possible. They have been communicating with parents informing them of the changes they’ve instituted while asking for their cooperation and tolerance for the inconvenience these changes may cause.
- Facilities Director, Mike Molzon, will be going to each building with a locksmith to devise a plan to ensure all teachers have keys to their classrooms and to address all matters related to locks and security. Teachers and staff members are compiling lists of concerns to be addressed.
These past several days have brought profound sadness, fear, and confusion to our communities, our state, and our nation; indeed the events of Friday have reverberated around the world. At a time when we expect to embrace the joy and bustle of the holiday season, we live with the violent imagery and tough questions resulting from this assault on these most innocent of victims. While I will continue to keep you informed of our continuing work in securing our schools, I look forward to the long term cooperative efforts among our community members, town officials, and professional and support staff to ensure the lives taken from us will not be in vain.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Jody Ian Goeler
Superintendent
Regional School District 14
December 16, 2012
Dear Parents, Citizens, Faculty and Staff:
As the events of the Newtown school tragedy continue to unfold in the news and the full impact on our community becomes evident, I want to take this opportunity to reach out to you to keep you informed on how we plan to move forward this week.
This afternoon, I convened a meeting with our district’s administrative team, social workers school psychologists, school counselors, and members of our maintenance/custodial staff. In addition, I’ve remained in touch with selectmen from both communities to ensure we have all the appropriate security and police support needed Monday morning as we begin the week. The purpose of our meeting was to review procedures for delivering the supports we need for students, faculty, staff and families. Each Principal will meet with faculty and staff tomorrow morning before school begins to discuss the best ways to communicate with their students and remind all staff to be in the hallways, and maintain a presence to provide comfort and observe any behaviors that may bring concern or require additional services. In addition to asking teachers and staff to remain visible, Principals will remind all staff to wear their identification badges, keep doors closed, and follow the procedures developed by the Region to ensure the safety of all.
While each school in the Region adheres to specific emergency plans, which have been developed in full cooperation with local police, fire and emergency management personnel and are reviewed regularly by each department, tomorrow I will meet with Woodbury’s First Selectman to discuss the extent to which our current review process reflects best practices. From our meeting tomorrow, I will convene a region-wide safety team meeting to ensure our plans are coherent and streamlined affording the best opportunities for successful implementation.
As noted by many professionals conversant in crisis response, it is critical that we resume with normal routines as soon as possible. Though it may be difficult for some, it is necessary, as routines will assist our children in feeling safe and secure. Tomorrow, all of our schools will resume a normal schedule following staff meetings held prior to students arriving.
We will continue to post on our website valuable links for your use.
Warm Regards,
Jody Ian Goeler
Superintendent
November 6, 2012
Dear Staff and Citizens:
Thank you all for your patience and support over the past week as we once again had to deal with a destructive and inconvenient weather event. In the past year, we’ve dealt with flash floods, tropical storms, a little earth quake, and now a “Superstorm”. Whatever Sandy will keep as its enduring storm title, the days our community members went without power and the utter destruction along the New Jersey, New York and Connecticut coast will be enough to remember this storm for years to come.
Over the past week, I’ve had the opportunity to meet with our local emergency team and receive regular updates from CL&P as part of this process. I can’t help but be impressed by the extraordinary professionalism exhibited by all involved in ensuring our communities’ citizens remain safe.
Throughout the district, our custodial crews worked countless hours to ensure our staff and students would be able to resume their important work immediately upon return. In addition, Glenn Bliven, from the Nonnewaug High School kitchen, monitored freezers and coordinated donations of perishables to members of our community throughout the week to ensure our food would not go to waste.
These events have a way of testing individuals, families, and entire communities. I am pleased to note our citizens and leaders, once again, responded to the challenges before them.
Have a great week.
Jody Ian Goeler
Superintendent of Schools
October, 2012
Dear Teachers, Staff and Concerned Citizens:
Thank you to all for making the beginning of our school a successful one. It is great to see everyone back and ready to tackle the unprecedented changes before us. On the Teaching and Instruction front, we will continue learning about and developing units of instruction based upon the Common Core State Standards. Connecticut is among 46 states committed to using these standards to guide all instructional practices and assessments in language arts and math, with science not far behind.
These Common Core State Standards represent a significant shift from the previous standards, as they more closely align with international benchmarks and focus instruction on transferrable skills, ensure college readiness for all students, and provide all students the technological tools to engage in meaningful research, individualized and self-guided instruction, and locating and utilizing up to date information. In addition, student progress will be measured by an entirely new assessment regime developed by the Smarter Balance consortium. These assessments will replace the Connecticut Mastery Tests and the Connecticut Academic Performance Test in 2014. However, we cannot wait until then to prepare our students. Without the support of a Director of Curriculum and Subject Matter Coordinators, positions eliminated in previous Region 14 budgets, district administrators and teachers are working to develop model units of instruction across grade levels to begin making the necessary changes to our curriculum and instructional practices. High School Assistant Principal, Jose Martinez is serving as our district's point person for establishing and facilitating our district committee to ensure we take a thoughtful and purposeful K-12 district approach to this work.
Critical to our success is a coherent and thoughtful approach in keeping students and their growth at the center of our work. To that end, Region 14 is engaged in a strategic planning process, which will assist us in the following:
Command respect and derive support from a broad cross-section of the Region 14 Public School CommunityArticulate 2-4 priority strategic goals that will serve as key areas of developmental focus over the next several yearsProvide suggested indicators of success, strategies and action plans for continuously improving performance and/or capacity in those areas of focus.
In addition to the foundational changes before us in the area of instruction, our teacher/administrator evaluation and support program will undergo significant changes as well. By March, our district will join all other Connecticut communities in either choosing to accept the state's model evaluation plan or designing one of our own. In order to meet state guidelines, our evaluation plan must follow the strict state guidelines requiring student performance growth and development, determined by assessment data, observation of teacher performance and practice, and peer or parent feedback.
Rather than looking at the reform agenda as plates to stack, I’m confident we can embed the “new” into what we already do well. Our Strategic Planning process includes teachers, administrators, public officials, board of education and community members. With all of these initiatives, strategic planning will give us an opportunity to fold this work into a coherent and sustainable plan ensuring our continuous growth as a learning community.
I look forward to our continued work together to ensure the success of all students.
Sincerely,
Jody Ian Goeler, Superintendent
August 21, 2012
Dear Teachers and Staff:
After almost thirty years of reading opening lines written by superintendents in their back to school messages, I’ve concluded there is no great way to begin such a letter. I nevercared for those whimsical openings, such as “As the daylight decreases and the shadows of the day increase…..” Nor did I care for those attempts at humor, such as “As the line at Staples grows longer, it’s evident that school is just around the corner.” And I’ve always had a disdain for those personal experience openers, such as, “As I sit on the beach, I think of how each grain of sand is different, much like the children we teach.” So let me begin my letter by simply welcoming you back to what will be a challenging andrewarding school year; I hope you’ve enjoyed your time away. I truly look forward to our working together to ensure the success of all students. As we begin this coming year together, we will have more to do and higher expectations upon us than ever before. While our plate will be full with initiatives, such as developing a new professional evaluation plan (PEAC), implementing the Common Core State Standards, preparing our students for a new set of assessments, and other changes basedupon an ambitious state reform agenda, we will work together to ensure our students remain at the center of our work. I am confident that our strategic planning process, through Jonathan Costa’s expert facilitation, will afford us the opportunity to continue and deepen our work. Rather than looking at the reform agenda as plates to stack, I’m hopeful we can embed the “new” into what we already do well. Our Strategic Planning process will include teachers, administrators, public officials, board of education and community members. With all of these initiatives, strategic planning will give us an opportunity to fold this work into a coherent and sustainable plan ensuring our continuous growth as a learning community.
In fact, I would like to avoid the words “change” and “reform” to the extent possible. I don’t think either word reflects the depth of the work in front of us. As I see it, you willall be returning back to schools; students will be filling your classrooms; parents will place their hopes and dreams for their children in your hands, and the community will expect us to meet its multifarious set of expectations. I’d like to believe we simply have urgent work to do. It’s the work that defines us - the persistent exercise of improving our practice, the desire to improve results, the expectations we hold for each other and our students. That isn’t change. That’s knowing what we have to do and doing it better than ever before. The best way to engage in such a task is together, harnessing the talent, various perspectives, and wisdom of all members of the community.
While I approach our work together with optimism and enthusiasm, I’m sad to note we will face these challenges without two key leaders. Jim Reese, Director of Finance andOperations, will be leaving our district and perhaps really retire this time. Melinda McKenna, Principal of Bethlehem Elementary School, has taken a position with North Haven Public Schools as Director of Curriculum and Instruction. We wish them both the best and thank them for their leadership. I look forward to seeing you all at our opening Convocation which will be held on Wednesday, August 29th beginning at 9:00 am in the auditorium of Nonnewaug High School. All staff may arrive as early at 8:00 am to have badge photos taken and enjoy light breakfast refreshments and conversation until 9:00 am. You will be welcomed by newly appointed Board of Education Chairman, George Bauer, and the keynote address will be given by Jonathan Costa. After the convocation, please plan to return to your buildings for faculty meetings and other business in preparation for your students’ arrival on Thursday!
I will keep my fingers crossed that last year’s events spawned by Hurricane Irene will remain a distant memory. Enjoy the remaining days of summer. I look forward to seeing you all soon.
Sincerely,
Jody
Jody Ian Goeler, Superintendent
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