Students and staff raised $2,683.92. for Muscular Dystrophy! Thank you to all who were able to contribute to the worthy cause. 

Come experience the magic of Cyril the Sorcerer and learn about recycling and the Next Generation Science Standards too at the April 24th Waterbury District Parent Advisory Council Meeting (Tuesday, April 24^th from 5:00-6:30 pm at Reed Elementary School Cafeteria, 33 Griggs St. Waterbury, CT. 

Click here for more information - flyer in English / Spanish / Albanian. 

Click here to see information about paraprofessional clean openings.  These are paper transfers that will take effect for the 2018/2019 school year.  

There will be a free dental clinic for uninsured or underinsured CT residents on April 20 and 21 at Torrington High School. Doors open at 8 a.m. For more information, please go to http://www.cfdo.org/ctmom.html 

Literacy Volunteers is offering Free Citizenship Classes at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, located at 235 Birch St. in Waterbury, every Tuesday afternoon from April 10^th through June 5th,  from 3:15 pm-5:15 pm. (The class will resume in the fall if needed) in the Enrichment Room on the 2^nd floor. 

If you are interested, please contact Mrs. Damore, Parent Liaison, 203-573-6664, Mon-Fri 8am-2pm; cdamore@waterbury.k12.ct.us.

Los Voluntaries Literarios están ofreciendo clases gratis de Ciudadanía en Escuela Elemental Woodrow Wilson, localizada en 235 Birch St. Waterbury cada Martes, Abril 10- Junio 5  de 3:15 pm-5:15 pm (Clases continuaran en el otoño de ser necesario) en el Enrichment Room En el segundo piso

Por favor contácteme de estar interesado: Mrs. Damore, Parent Liaison 203-573-6664, lunes-viernes 8am-2pm; cdamore@waterbury.k12.ct.us,

Flyer in English

Flyer en Espanol

Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School has been named a Nationally Certified Magnet School

by Magnet Schools of America. In a letter of commendation, MSA leaders

wrote: "As a Nationally Certified Magnet School, your school has demonstrated 

through evidence, reflection, and strategic action, that you have established the 

Standards of Excellence in your school and fulfilled a commitment to your community 

stakeholders."  

Maloney joins Rotella Magnet School, which was certitied earlier this year. 

The 4th annual Waterbury Public Schools art showcase, "Artrageous 2: A Season of Many Colors,"  included a public reception at the Mattatuck Museum for parents, students, staff and members of the community on Tuesday, March 21st. Art teahcers presented crtificates to participating students, whose art work has been on display at the museum since earlier this month. The exhibit continues through April 22nd. 

Manufacturing Alliance Service Corporation (MASC) of Connecticut provides nationally certified training. MASC offers complete Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) Machinist certification or individual machining training courses. All courses are State of Connecticut approved for Apprenticeship. Fall 2018 MASC is offering a CT Manufacturing training program for Waterbury Public High School Seniors and includes a paid internship at a local manufacturing company. Open House is Saturday, April 28, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Click here for additional information. 

The Board of Education approved School Calendars for 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. These are available on the district homepage under Quick Links (left side of page) or by clicking here. 

Several Waterbury Public School students participated in this year's Annual Day on the HIll in Hartford. The event, sponsored by the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education, provides an opportunity for local Board of Education Commissioners, students, and other advocates to attend a program on the legislative process and then meet with individual legislators to encourage support for public education. Show below with the students are Waterbury Commissioners Charles L. Stango, Elizabeth C. Brown (president), Juanita P. Hernandez and Ann M. Sweeney. 

For the past several years, Waterbury students have participated in a district-wide Invention Convention competition as preparation for competing at the Connecticut Invention Convention. This year, 131 students participated in the district competition, with a group of these students going on to compete this Sunday in the Southern Connecticut Regional Competition at Hamden Middle School. Winners at this competition will be selected to compete at the state finals later this year.  

Jahana Hayes was on the CBS Morning Show Wednesday, March the 14th, discussing the national student walk-out.

The city is currently seeking a new Superintendent of Schools. Individuals wishing to apply must do so online at www.rayassoc.com. The deadline for applications has been extended to April 23, 2018. Please click here for information on the requirements and the application process. All applications must go through Ray & Associates, Inc. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. 

On Friday, March 16, 2018 all Waterbury Public School PreK- 8 students will be allowed to wear a green shirt or a green item with their uniform for Muscular Dystrophy Awareness Day. We are asking students and staff to donate a minimum of $1.00. All proceeds will support the New America Ride Team. The Parent Liaisons will collect each school’s donations.

Dakota Fortier from North End Middle School is the CT Myotonic Dystrophy Association CT Local Ambassador.  Mr. Robert Henry, Deputy Superintendent of Waterbury Public Schools, supports this effort.

March has been designated as Connecticut Board of Education Member Recognition Month. This gives the community an opportunity to officially thank its Board of Education Commissioners for all the work they do on behalf of its students. 

Waterbury honored its Board at a workshop at Chase School on Thursday, March 1st.  Deputy Superintendent Robert Henry presented each Board Commissioner with a certificate, and Chase School students gave each flowers and a small gift. 

Black History is infused in our curriculum throughout the year, however, special emphasis is being placed during the month of February. Click here to read more.

Due to the weather, Waterbury Public Schools will be closed today, Wednesday, February 7, 2018. 

Also, the Board of Education's Policy Committee, scheduled for this evening, is cancelled. 

Ray and Associates, Inc., consultants, presented the results of the Superintendent Search Surveys completed by staff, parents, students and community members during the month of January to the Board of Education at a Special Workshop on Monday, February 5, 2018. Please click here to review the survey report.   

To Parents of Waterbury School Children:

As you may know, the H3N2 Influenza virus season is a current topic of concern all across the country. 

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS YEAR'S SEVERE FLU SEASON AND STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO HELP PROTECT YOUR FAMILY. 

INFORMATION IN SPANISH / ALBANIAN. 

The Human Resources Department – Civil Service is in the process of searching for the next Superintendent for Waterbury Public Schools.

The City is inviting the public to participate in this process by providing their input about the profile for this position in order to choose the best person. 

In an effort to collect input from parents, students, employees and business community, the City will host a series of meetings on Jan. 24, 2018.  The meetings will be managed by Ray & Associates, the search firm hired by the City to locate prospective candidates for the position.

Meetings are scheduled as follows:

Chase Building, BOE Training Room 2^nd Floor, 236 Grand Street, Waterbury CT  06702 (by invitation)

09:30 AM       Waterbury Teachers’ Association (WTA) and School Administrators of Waterbury (SAW)

10:30 AM       BOE Central Office Staff

11:30 AM       Student Council Members for each of our High Schools – Seniors and Juniors

01:30 PM       Hispanic Coalition

02:30 PM       School Governance Council

03:30 PM       Waterbury Neighborhood Groups

04:30 PM       NAACP

Waterbury Arts Magnet School, 16 S Elm Street, Waterbury CT  06706

6:30 PM         Open to all

The Health Dept is offering flu shots for WPS Pre K children. Health Dept is providing a walk in flu clinic Tuesday and Wednesday at the Health Department, 2^nd floor, 9-3, and Thursday at Bucks Hill School, 9-3. 

All walk in flu clinics. All open to WPS pre K children from any of the WPS pre k programs only.

Letter to Parents from BOE in English / Spanish / Albanian. Letter from Health Department. Religious Exemption Form / Medical Exemption Form in English / Spanish. 

MAGNET SCHOOL LOTTERY INFORMATION for 2018-2019 School Year

Informational Open Houses for Prospective Students and their Families

Maloney:       Thursday, January 18, 2018          2 Sessions:  9:30 am and 6:30 pm
                        (Snow Date:  Tuesday, January 23, 2018 – 9:30 am & 6:00 pm)

Rotella:          Thursday, January 25, 2018          2 Sessions:  9:30 am and 6:00 pm
                        (Snow Date:  Monday, January 29, 2018 – 9:30 am & 6:00 pm)

Application Period:             Begins Thursday, February 1, 2018 at 8:00 am
                                              Ends Wednesday, February 28, 2018 at 3:00 pm

All applications must be submitted online at:  http://waterbury.novuschoice.com

Please take the Superintendent of Schools Survey.  The community is encouraged to participate in superintendent search!
Process kicks off with surveys - now available here.

The performance of Radium Girls at Crosby High School has been rescheduled to 

January 19 at 7PM and January 20 at 2PM.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION for parents of children that will be attending kindergarten next year (2018-2019):

Click here for registration information in English / Spanish. 

The Board of Education's Workshop, scheduled for Thursday, January 4, 2018, has been cancelled. 

Due to the storm, Waterbury Public Schools will be closed on Friday, January 5, 2018. 

Deputy Superintendent Robert Henry helped Waterbury Public Schools students select warm winter coats as part of Operation Warm. The Waterbury Fire Department, through the national organization Operation Warm, distributed 300 brand-new winter coats to students at Bucks Hill, Walsh and Hopeville, as well as to students in several other schools. This is the fifth year that members of the Waterbury Fire Department have partnered with Operation Warm, a non-profit organization that has provided coats to over two millions children. The local fire department helps raise funds, and firefighters volunteer to help distribute the coats. A representative group of students from Walsh and from Hopeville were bused to Bucks Hill for a special assembly December 21st that included Mayor Neil M. O’Leary and representatives from Cigna, MacDermid, Brass Axe Capital, and Durham School Services.   

We will begin preschool registration on January 8, 2018 between the hours of 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. We will be closed on January15th in observance of the Martin Luther King holiday.

Once the registration packet is received including the Income Verification, an appointment will be made in order for your child to be screened.  At this time, any missing documents need to be provided in order for your child's registration to be considerate complete. Enrollment will be determined by the end of June, where at this time a confirmation will be mailed to you regarding the placement of your child. 

*REQUIRED DOCUMENTS:

• Birth Certificate
• Proof of Address
• Income Verification- Paystubs / W2 /1040FORM/ DSS / SSI-WORK SHEET/STATE BENEFIT LETTER/CHILD SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION.
• Updated Health Physical and Immunization record including Lead

Click here for additional information. 

Rotella Interdistrict Magnet School and Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School

Lottery Applications for 2018-19 school year:

Lottery application period for 2018-19 school year:

Thursday, February 1st 2018 @ 8:00 am through Wednesday, February 28th 2018 @ 3:00 pm.

Our lottery will be for Pre-K 4 (age 4) through Grade 5.

Pre-K students must have been born in the year 2014 to be eligible for Pre-K 4 classes. 

Waterbury Public School staff donated $3,433.60 to "The Women for Women Organization" at St. Mary’s Hospital.  This is the second year that the Waterbury Public Schools participated in the annual Pink Out event, which not only raises funds to provide free mammograms for women who would otherwise be unable to afford one, but it also provides the school district with an opportunity to spread the word about breast cancer awareness and prevention. Deputy Superintendent Robert Henry explained, "Everyone who wore pink on Friday, October 27^th, helped promote awareness of this devastating health issue that impacts one in eight women here in the United States. We hope these funds help the hospital in its mission to save lives."  Representatives of St. Mary's Hospital Foundation Ann Smith (right) and Carrie Fuller (second from left) noted that 118 women were able to obtain mammogram services through September 30, 2017 as a result of all funding last year. Pat Moran, Supervisor of Family and Community Engagement (second from right) helped coordinate the district's Pink Out event this year.

The times for all categories of Early Dismissal have been changed to a single Planned/Weather/Emergency Dismissal time for each school. There is no longer a separate dismissal time for planned early dismissal days (for example, for Professional Development) versus emergency early dismissal (for example, for an impending winter storm). Please click here for view the schedule for all schools.   

On Friday, October 27th, students from throughout the district gathered at Wilby High School for the annual district-wide Hispanic Heritage Celebration. The event included performances by students, as well as displays of art work. Click here for photos and more information.

Below: Chase Elementary School students arrive dressed to perform. 

Two Waterbury schools participated in the United Way’s Bed Race October 14th. Hopeville School and West Side Middle School had the highest level of participation in the recent employee fundraising campaign for the United Way, and the reward was representing the school district in the races. Both schools presented colorfully decorated beds, with West Side adopting a “West Side Warios” theme, dressing much like the video game character Mario, and Hopeville donning pink clothes in a “Hopeville Goes Pink” theme for breast cancer awareness. Darren Schwartz raced alongside the Hopeville team, and Board President Liz Brown was on hand to cheer on both schools.  Hopeville advanced to the second round despite losing a wheel off its original bed during its heat. Click here to view more photos from the event. 

The Waterbury Arts Magnet School lottery is now open. Please click here for the link to the WAMS online lottery application. Applications must be submitted no later than Monday, November 13th, at 9:00 a.m. The lottery drawing will be conducted on Monday, November 27th. Parents/guardians will be notified of the results by mail following the lottery.

There will be two Open House/Tours:

Wednesday, October 18, 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.*

Saturday, November 4, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. *

* Free parking in the Scovill Street Garage for these events. 

If you become homeless, the McKinney-Vento Act provides special services for your child to address the special needs he or she may have while displaced. The McKinney-Vento Act defines "homeless children and youth" as individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence. This includes those who are sharing housing with others (doubled up with a friend or relative), living in motels or camp grounds, or living in emergency shelters, as well as those having no address because they are living in a car, public space or abandoned building.

McKinney-Vento provides transportation from the temporary residence to school and back, school uniforms and basic school supplies, tutors, and tools for school. Please click here to view a brochure with more details on the law and how you may access services.  Please click here for Spanish version of brochure.  Please click here for Albanian version of brochure. 

You may also contact your school's Parent Liaison for more information on how to access these services and to set up transportation for your child if needed.  

ATTENTION ALL PARENTS/GUARDIANS: You are eligible to vote on the Title I District Parent Advisory Council 2017 By-Laws. Your school's Parent Liaison has a copy of the proposed by-laws and a paper ballot for your voting convenience. To be counted, your vote must be returned to your Parent Liaison no later than October 13, 2017. 

You may also review the by-laws by clicking here.   You may print a copy of the ballot by clicking here.   

Families gathered Wednesday, October 4th, for the Annual Title I District Parent Advisory Council Meeting. In addition to learning about programs and services offered through Title I funding in both public and non-public schools, parents and guardians also had the opportunity to speak directly to content area supervisors and other district program providers for tips on how to help their children succeed in school. Dr. Marcy Kane, Vice President for Children's Services at Wellmore Behavioral Health, also spoke to families about the importance of the social emotional well-being development of their children and the impact that has on academics. 

WATERBURY SCHOOL READINESS

Waterbury Office of Early Childhood is currently accepting applications for the School Readiness Program.

 Full Day, Part Day and School Day options are available for 3 & 4 year old children. 

Call the School Readiness office at 203-573-6684 for more information.

The PowerSchool Student and Parent portals are now active and ready for use…

Students are able to log into PowerSchool to view their schedules and grades with the same credentials that they use to access district computers.

Parents will need to reach out to the Parent Liaisons for login information and instruction. The Parent Liaisons were trained and were provided the parent lists and log on information earlier this year. 

An IRIS notification will be sent to parents regarding notifying them of their access to PowerSchool.  

The link listed below is for access to the parent/student portal:

https://waterbury.powerschool.com/public/home.html

Waterbury Public School students and staff enthusiastically participated in The Gathering on Saturday, September 23rd, the city's fifth annual celebration of its multicultural diversity. All schools marched in the opening parade, walking behind banners with the school name and logos. 

We will be raising funds as a district in support of hurricane relief efforts. Students, parents and staff can purchase a yellow wrist band for $1.00 (but larger donations may also be accepted) and then they can wear the wristbands to show their support of all the victims. Funds will be donated to one of three organizations: JJ Watts Foundation, Red Cross or Unicef. Each person can choose to which foundation he/she would like the money be directed. The campaign will begin as soon as the bracelets arrive. Parent Liaisons will spearhead the drive in all schools. They will collect all monies and then deliver them to the office of Family and Community Engagement, 236 Grand Street, Room 104 by 1:30 on that final day. 

Four Waterbury schools were recently awarded grants from the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Improving Student Achievement in Low-Performing Schools (1003(a)) Grant Program. The first year amounts are as follows: Gilmartin ($199,986), Wilby ($199,994), Sprague ($108,071), and Washington ($135,607). Year two awards in the same amounts are possible based upon year one progress. Each school has developed a plan to utilize the funds.

Congratulations go out to President Liz Brown, and Commissioners Ann Sweeney and Jason Van Stone, upon receiving CABE’s Certified Board of Education Member designation. To achieve this designation, Board members are required to earn a total of twenty credits in the areas of Board Relations, Policy, Curriculum, School Finance, School Law, Labor Relations, and Board Operations. This represents knowledge, skills and ability which can then be used here in Waterbury to help advance school and district improvements and policy. According to CABE, very few Board members earn this designation. 

The district will notify the parents of each student attending any Title I school through our website that the parent may request and the district will provide (in a  timely manner) information regarding the professional qualifications of the student's classroom teacher, including, at a minimum, the following:                                                           

Whether the student's teacher    

- has met the state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction;

- is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualification or licensing criteria have been waived; and 

- is teaching in the field of discipline of the certification of the teacher.  

Whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and if so, their qualification. ESSA qualification of teachers and paraprofessional is attached.

The Family and Community Engagement (FACE) Center sponsored a fun evening for families on Wednesday evening, September 6th, with two of the Harlem Globetrotters, “Showboat” Jackson and “Blenda” Rodriguez, who not only engaged the audience with their tricks on the court but also spoke to students about staying safe and being kind to each other. The pair enlisted student and parent volunteers to come down on the court for some up-close demonstrations. 

The Waterbury Public Schools are preparing afterschool grant applications for the 2017-18 21^st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Program.  We welcome any input you have to offer concerning those grant applications.  To share your thoughts on this please call the Competitive Grants Office at 203-346-3506, or email jcallahan@waterbury.k12.ct.us using the following subject line: 21stCCLC Community Input, by September 12, 2017.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Waterbury Public Schools is participating in the Community Eligibility Provision, which provides free breakfasts and lunches for school year 2017-2018.  All students enrolled at the schools may participate in the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program at no charge.   Household applications are not required to receive free meals, but the school will distribute applications to collect household income data for other programs that require this information and these forms must be returned to the Food Service Department.

All students will be served breakfast and lunch at no charge at all the Waterbury Public Schools.

Parents and guardians please be reminded there is a free app: m.durhambustracker.com that allows you to view your students’ current school bus location and information about the route in near real time including the scheduled arrival time to your home.

You can download the app to your phone at no cost. For more information, please click here.

Morning and afternoon school bus routes are now available under the Parents link (see either School Bus Routes or 2017-2018 School Information) or click here. 

Parents:

1.HUMAN GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT AND FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION POLICY

Any parent or legal guardian of a Waterbury Public School student may exempt his/her child from any or all lessons dealing with Human Growth, Development and Family Life portions of the Health and Wellness Education Curriculum.  This may be done by written notification to the Principal of the building that the child attends.  Copies of the curriculum are available at the school for parent review.  If you would like to read the curriculum, please call the school and make an appointment to go in and review the material.

Click to continue article in Spanish and Albanian. 

Amy Simms has been named Interim Early Childhood Education Supervisor.  She will oversee all of the Waterbury Public School preschool programs and will continue to be the point person for Bucks Hill Annex.  If you need to contact Ms. Simms, she is best reached at the Office of Early Childhood located at 30B Church St.  The phone number to that office is 203-574-8024.

Connecticut will experience a partial solar eclipse on Monday, August 21st. PLEASE do not look directly at the solar eclipse unless you are wearing certified solar eclipse safety glasses. Doing so will result in permanent eye damage, including possible permanent blindness. There are also several methods by which you may safely view the eclipse using indirect methods.   

For more information on how to SAFELY view the solar eclipse, visit the solar eclipse safety information on the NASA website: https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety.

“NOW ENROLLING 3 AND 4 YEAR OLDS IN SCHOOL READINESS! CALL 203-573-6684 TODAY!”

Chase Taylor, a Waterbury student, recently published a book on Amazon to help young children learn the alphabet. He weas recently interviewed on Fox 61 news about his book,The Letter Critters. Chase is the son of Alan and Helen Taylor, who are strong advocates for Autism Speaks, in large measure because of Chase. Helen and Alan are responsible for bringing the Autism Speaks Walk to Waterbury eight years ago.   

The Summer Arts Program at the Waterbury Arts Magnet School is now accepting applications from students in grades 6-12 in Waterbury or the Greater Waterbury area. The dates of the program are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., July 3rd through July 14th (excluding the July 4 holiday). For more information, please click here.  

Over 2500 students participated in this year's Mayor Neil O'Leary's Waterbury Kids Marathon program, running short distances each week that added up to the full marathon distance by the end of the program. The culminating activity took place on June 1st, with students parading to a starting line in front of City Hall and running a little over a mile through downtown streets back to Library Park, where they had a healthy snack and water. Mayor O'Leary was on hand to personally encourage students in their endeavors, including this group from Bucks Hill School. 

The Sensitivity Task Force is holding a public forum in the Aldermanic Chambers on June 20th, 2017 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm for comments and questions from the public.   Information translated to Spanish / Albanian. 

Several end of the year activities are being highlighted in photo newsletters, including

Teacher of the Year

Superintendent's Student Recognition Awards (elementary schools)

Superintendent's Student Recognition Awards (secondary schools) 

Keep checking back for more!

Waterbury's newest Teacher of the Year is Yolanda Lee-Gorishti, a science teacher at Crosby High School. 

Just a few of the highlights from her career:

She has completed her coursework for a PhD. .

She teaches grade 9 Physical Science and Grade 11 and 12 Human Biology. She has previously taught Biology, and Meteorology and Astronomy.

She is a professor of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut (2003 to present) and in the Earth Science Department at Southern Connecticut (2004 to present).

She started Crosby’s branch of the Science National Honor Society, and the organization is thriving. Students do community-service work, including tutoring other students at Crosby twice each week.

She organized the STEM Fair at Crosby for the past four years.

She supervises the Environmental Science Club at Crosby.

She serves on the Science District Curriculum Committee and has helped write district assessments for science (mid-terms, final exam, and CFA’s).

Parents: When it comes to the well-being of our students, we can never be too careful. Therefore, it's important to inform you of a new "game" on social media...

Please click here to view letter from Chief Academic Officer Darren Schwartz that explains what the game is and why it may be dangerous for students to start playing. Letter is in English, Spanish and Albanian.   

May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. The PUTTING ON AIRS (POA) Program is now up and running at the Waterbury Health Department. 

Parents: Is your child's asthma out of control? "Putting on AIRS" can help. Click here for more information in English or Spanish. 

Caleb Smith, a 5th grader at Rotella, was selected to go on to the National Invention Convention in Washington DC on June 3rd.  We had 19 finalists compete at UCONN this past weekend, and we received two other awards, both to Caleb.  It was a great experience for the students, and Waterbury was well represented. 

PARENTS: You are invited to attend the third annual Parent and Community Leadership Conference, to be held on Friday, May 26th, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Naugatuck Valley Community College. The event is free and includes workshops, lunch, and awards ceremony. To register, please click here.

On Friday, May 5, 2017, students in K-8 Waterbury Public School students will be allowed to wear their favorite colored shirt for Waterbury Kids Marathon Day.  (example,  Yankees , Mets,  Frozen, UConn).  We are asking students and staff to donate a minimum of a $1.00. All proceeds will support the Waterbury Kids Marathon to be held on May 25, 2017 at Library Park. The rain date for the event is June 1, 2017. Let’s support our students and this great event.  Parent Liaisons will collect the donations.

Thank you.