Westbrook Public Schools

Please click on the link to read the Friday Parent Update November 18th.

 http://whs.westbrookctschools.org/friday_parent_updates

If you are an alumni of the Westbrook High School band program, you are invited to a unique opportunity not before seen in this town. 

The Westbrook High School Alumni Marching Band!

What is it?

• It’s the current WHS concert band with WHS Band Alumni and any Westbrook community member with concert band or marching band experience.

What is this for?

• The Westbrook Tree Lighting Parade!

When is it?

• Sunday, December 4, 2022

What time is it?

• 3:15 Tardy Time 

• 3:30 Warm-up and rehearsal

• 4:00 Step-off

Is there a rehearsal?

• Yes, Saturday, 12/3, 10:00am at WHS

• You must be able to attend the rehearsal to participate!

Where do we meet for the parade?

• Captain Stannard House (next to Dunkin’)

Where do we end?

• Ted Lane Field, 2-70 Fiske Ln, Westbrook, CT 06498 (behind the firehouse) 

Who is eligible?

• Any woodwind or brass player who graduated from Westbrook HS and participated through their senior year in the band program and Westbrook community members that still play their horn.

• Unfortunately, we cannot take percussionists at this time.

What about instruments?

• Unfortunately, there are very few school instruments available to lend out for this event.

• You must provide your own working instrument including reeds and mouthpieces, etc..

• We do have two sousaphones and one baritone sax that can be used.

• If you seriously want to participate and do not have an instrument, contact me to see if there is an option.

How do I sign up?

• Click here and fill out this form. 

• If your section is full, add your name to the Overflow slot and list your instrument in the comments

How do I get music?

• A PDF is attached. Simply print out your part.

• We are only playing from the roll off at m. 9 - m. 30

• This does need to be memorized.

Can I listen to the music ahead of time?

• Yes, click here. We are only playing from the roll off at m. 9 - m. 30

What do I wear?

• Just like every other Tree Lighting Parade, we dress casually, for the weather, and in the holiday spirit!

• The more holiday bling there is, the more fun it is!

• If you use lights on your instrument, test it out first! An instrument that can't function due to bling is not helpful.

How late is too late to sign up?

• You must be able to attend the rehearsal and I need to know ahead of time who is coming. Signing up after that is too late.

This is a family-friendly event.  As such, participants are expected to represent Westbrook High School honorably.  The expectation is that participants exhibit proper decorum for the duration of the event.

Email Eric Gerhardt at egerhardt@westbrookctschools.org with any questions.

Let’s make this band huge!

Sincerely,

Eric Gerhardt

Please click on the link to read the Friday Parent Update November 11th.

http://whs.westbrookctschools.org/friday_parent_updates

Students and staff celebrated Veterans Day with our local heroes today during a ceremony. Visit https://whs.westbrookctschools.org/2022_veterans_day for more photos and a video created by students to recognize family members who served our nation.

Please click on the link to read the Friday Parent Update November 4th.

http://whs.westbrookctschools.org/friday_parent_updates

During the 2021-2022 school year, the school community and the community of Westbrook collaborated to share their perspectives and values about educational priorities for all students in Westbrook Public Schools.  At the June 2022 Westbrook Board of Education meeting, the Board approved the Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate.  It is with great excitement to share our final work and to communicate our appreciation to all who assisted in the development of this important vision for our students. We are proud of the inclusive nature of our community discourse and confident that this vision represents well the educational values and beliefs of the Westbrook community for the youth of Westbrook.  The Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate includes six priority attributes that describe the Westbrook High School graduate: critical problem-solver, creative thinker, effective communicator, perseverant, socially aware, and responsible decision maker.  

To view the final result, visit https://www.westbrookctschools.org and scroll down to view the six priority attributes as well as supporting documents that helped us through the process.

Dear Daisy Families,

I can't thank you all enough for the support that you have shown our children, staff members and school this past week!

We so appreciate your support of your children's education by coming to Parent/Teacher Conferences, where you met with teachers and support staff who care so deeply about our students.  We appreciate the support of our Daisy Book Fair and loved welcoming so many families back to in-person events like our Family Night at the Book Fair.

It was also incredible having so many students and families, as well as staff members, join us for the Walk/Bike to School event this morning.  As our students streamed into our doors this morning, we saw a lovely sea of blue and yellow to recognize Down Syndrome Awareness.  

We wish all of our families and staff members a wonderful, safe weekend.  As we prepare to come back to school on Monday, please know that we will have a Fall Fun Parade at 2 pm in the front circle, weather permitting.  If students and staff members would like to dress in fall colors or costumes, they are welcome to do so.  We ask that, in order to keep everyone as safe as possible, that those participating refrain from any dangerous props or Halloween-style masks that fully cover their faces.  Participation is optional and if you would prefer that your child not participate nor view the parade, please let me know as we will also provide alternative activites during that time.  If family members would like to come to view the parade, you are welcome to do so, again following the same safety guidelines mentioned for students and staff.  If the weather is inclement and an outside parade is not feasible, we'll parade through the school for our students to enjoy seeing each other, but we won't have room for guests.

As always, thanks for all you do to support your children's education.  At Daisy, we work hard and we play hard and we certainly enjoy each other's company.  Thank you so much for sharing your children with us!

Sincerely,

Ruth W. Rose, Principal

Daisy Ingraham School

Please click on the link to read the Friday Parent Update October 28th.

http://whs.westbrookctschools.org/friday_parent_updates

High School Students recently attended a concert performed by the Coast Guard Band.  To read more about the experience and view some photos of the event, visit https://whs.westbrookctschools.org/2022_coast_guard_band_concert.

August 25, 2022

Dear Westbrook Families,

One week from today we begin the start of the 2022-2023 school year.  With great excitement for the year ahead, we will welcome back more than 600 students PK-12 on Thursday, September 1st, including more than 20 new students and their families joining our Westbrook community and 31 new preschool students.

Our work together as a school community continues to be focused on providing engaging, student-centered, personalized learning opportunities for all of our students. We are committed to providing learning experiences in a supportive, nurturing, and inspiring school environment that supports not only student growth as individuals and as members of a community, but encourages our students to aspire to excellence in all that they do. We have incredible opportunities in all of our academic areas, including robust and comprehensive offerings in college courses, vocation and career courses, art, music, STEM, robotics, theater, athletics, and after-school activities to encourage personal growth and exploration for our students as they learn more about who they are, what they love to do, and what they are passionate about. And most importantly, we have a caring and supportive school community of educators and staff committed to the success and wellbeing of each and every student in Westbrook schools.

Last year, our school community developed a Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate with input from our students, staff, parents, alumni, Board of Education, community leaders, and community members. At the June 2022 Westbrook Board of Education meeting, the Portrait and learning priorities were officially approved by the Westbrook Board of Education.  We thank you, our families, and the community of Westbrook for contributing to the development of this important portrait and district vision. We look forward to a continued open and collaborative partnership to provide the best learning experiences and opportunities for all students. For the new school year, we will develop lessons, activities, rubrics, and assessments PK-12 aligned to the following priority skills and attributes identified in the Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate:

Critical Problem-Solver: A Westbrook graduate who is a critical problem-solver systematically and strategically resolves a variety of complex issues.

Creative Thinker: A Westbrook graduate who is a creative thinker explores existing ideas, products, or designs to innovate and create in imaginative or novel ways.

Effective Communicator: A Westbrook graduate who is an effective communicator conveys a clear message while being respectful, receptive, and responsive to the input of others.

Perseverant: A Westbrook graduate who is perseverant holds oneself responsible to reflect, revise, and grow through critical feedback and setbacks regardless of the challenges encountered.

Socially Aware: A Westbrook graduate who is socially aware recognizes and understands the feelings of diverse individuals and groups with the ability to show compassion when considering norms for behaviors in a variety of settings.

Responsible Decision-Maker: A Westbrook graduate who is a responsible decision-maker demonstrates awareness of self and others as one considers responsible choices and consequences while making decisions to benefit self and community.

We thank our families and community for your continued partnership to ensure that the Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate continues to be a meaningful and genuine reflection of our community’s commitment to all students. In the coming months, we will be reaching out again to solicit input and ideas about a district image to complement our new Westbrook Portrait of a Graduate and to share our progress in integrating these priorities in the day to day learning environment.

As the start of the 2022-2023 school year nears, my family is also preparing for the transition from summer days to action packed school days, after school activities, and sports. My oldest begins the final year of high school as a senior who hopes to attend art school to become a concept artist for the game design industry and my youngest is a rising 7th grader who loves math, coding, and all things science related. Schedules have not yet been released for our hometown, so I am still the parent refreshing the PowerSchool app over and over again in the hope of catching a glimpse of what their school year will look like day to day. As a family, we enjoyed the beautiful New England summer days outdoors reconnecting with neighbors and family, but we are very much looking forward to the start of the new school year- new teachers, new courses, new and old friends, art studio time, college planning and tours, and, of course, the youth ice hockey season.  

As we begin the new school year, we open our doors to students, staff, and families in a more normal return to school than we have seen in the last few years- planning to fully welcome our families in person into our schools for events, orientation, conferences, and activities. As we transition into more normal routines and protocols as it relates to illness and COVID 19, we will follow the updated recommendations of the Center for Disease Control, Connecticut Department of Health and the Westbrook Health Department as it relates to testing, face masks, and quarantine protocols communicated in the new Launching Into Health Learning and Test, Mask, and Go guidelines. Students, staff, and school community members who are not feeling well, will be encouraged to stay home until they are feeling better.  When individuals experience mild respiratory symptoms that are similar to COVID 19 symptoms (cough, congestion, sore throat, etc.), they may continue to attend school if they have tested negative for COVID 19, wear a mask while symptomatic, are fever free, and have not had close contact with a confirmed positive case in their household.  If an individual has a fever or is experiencing more significant symptoms, they will be required to stay home until they are fever free, symptoms improve, and they have tested negative for COVID 19 after a 5 day quarantine period (in most cases). We will continue to be flexible and responsive to any changes in health conditions in our area. The health and safety of our students, families, and staff will always be the highest priority. If conditions change, as it relates to COVID-19, we will continue to work closely with the Westbrook Health Director, Zachary Faiella, and the Connecticut River Area Health District, to guide any changes in protocols or school operations to keep our school community safe.

We are excited and eager to welcome back our students PK-12 to the new school year and we are committed to making it an amazing year for all!

Your partner in education in service to the students and families of Westbrook,

Kristina J. Martineau, Ed.D.

Westbrook Superintendent of Schools