Faculty Portal

Hello to the Seymour Public Schools Community,

The old saying that it goes too fast seemed truer than ever this past summer because we ended so late as a result of the numerous closings that Mother Nature placed upon us. However, we hope that you had a very restful and relaxing summer as a family and found that much needed time to relax and reconnect. 

As we know, while summer is a relaxing time for most, it is also a time for a lot of hard work to get things prepared for the upcoming school year.  Your building Administrators along with the Central Office Team have worked hard in order to properly screen, interview, and hire needed staff. We also want to thank our wonderful custodial staff for their hard work throughout the summer.  We appreciate their commitment to getting our facilities ready on time even though there was a great deal of activity going on at some of the buildings this summer.  As you have seen, our buildings look amazing and are ready to welcome our students.  We would be remiss if we did not thank all of the members of our staff who did a phenomenal job during summer school.  

During the summer, our teachers assembled to work on and improve current curriculum across all grade levels and this work with continue throughout the year in order to enhance the learning experience for all students.

We all know the excitement and anxiety that comes along with the start of each new school year and while this can seem daunting and cause some students and parents to lose some sleep, we must be reminded that all of us here in Seymour have your children’s best interest at heart and are here to help them grow as learners as well as individuals.  We thank you for sharing your children with us and we look forward with our continued work this year.  As professionals who work for a school district, we get to see the impact that we have on so many children and we know that we have made a terrific great career choice which is to work with your children.  There is no better feeling that we can have knowing that we made a difference in your children’s lives. 

Our students are our number one priority and we will continue to build and cultivate our partnerships with you in order to help your children succeed.  We will continue to work together for all of Seymour’s students during the 2018-2019 school year. 

Our students did very well on the various assessments administered to them last year and we have seen growth across the K-12 spectrum.  It is our hope that this growth continues this year and beyond and that, like Chatfield-LoPresti School, all of our schools get recognized as schools of distinction.   My team of administrators and teachers are confident that this can and will happen with shared hard work between the students and their educators.  As I stated in all of my speeches last year, you as parents should be proud of your children’s accomplishments.  You are and will always be their biggest advocate and fan.  They are where they are because of your support and guidance along the way. I would like to further this by adding that they will also achieve at the highest level because of your continued support of them.  

As I have stated previously to you, the amount of time and dedication that our students put into their studies as well as their extracurricular activities is nothing short of amazing. Our students truly know the definition of hard work and we are confident that this will continue this year and beyond.   It is truly a pleasure and an honor to serve your children and you.  My team is fortunate to serve a community that values education and supports our school system.

We continue to have high expectations and hopes that this year will be great.  We look forward to greeting your children on our first day of school on Monday August 27, 2018.  Please remember to visit the district’s website at: http://www.seymourschools.org as well as our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/SeymourPublicSchools in order to keep up to date on all activities and events.

With great pride,

Michael Wilson, Superintendent

Go Wildcats!

 

September 7, 2018

 

Hello to the Seymour Public School Community,

 

As a result of the recent extreme heat as well as with the winter season approaching, I feel like now is a good time to share with you how some of these decisions are made.  I first want to reiterate that your children’s safety is always our number one priority.  While you may choose to agree or to disagree as to whether or not we have an early dismissal or have to close school, please realize that all decisions revolve around the safety of your children. I recognize and understand as a father myself, that our decision to dismiss early or to open or close schools in inclement weather has a direct impact on our families within the community. While we also realize that our students are better served - both academically and socially - by being in school, this is not always possible due to Mother Nature.

 

HOW IS THE DECISION MADE?

This decision is taken very seriously and requires a lot of time and analysis.  Please understand that we make the decision to dismiss early, open or close the schools in inclement weather based on a careful analysis of all relevant factors, such as:

·         The heat index as it relates to both heat and humidity.  Typically when the heat index reaches an extreme number is when the decision to dismiss early or to close is rendered.

·         Building conditions (such as overall building temperatures as they pertain to all seasons and the condition of parking lots and sidewalks)

·         Several weather maps are researched and analyzed from the night before and continuing on into early in the morning.

·         The amount of precipitation that either has or is predicted to fall. We prefer not make our decision based on weather predictions, which are not always accurate. But sometimes this is unavoidable.

·         The Director of Public Works is contacted as well as the Director of the bus company in order to obtain information on road conditions as well as on the conditions of our student drop off and pick up areas and our parking lots.  We must give careful consideration to the most dangerous roads in the district. Even if your street looks clear, travel elsewhere in the district may be dangerous. Also, we must also consider that some of our students drive to school.

·         Temperature and wind chill. Please remember that some of our students walk to school and some must wait outside for the bus.

·         The Superintendent is in constant communication with other local districts in order to see what position they are taking.  However, all of our district decisions are based on the roads and weather conditions in Seymour. 

 

WHO MAKES THE DECISION?

As Superintendent of Schools, I am responsible for the final decision.  But once again, please be reminded, that a team of people are contacted (such as the Director of Public Works and the Director of the bus company) prior to making any final decisions that impact the closing of schools.

 

HOW DO WE NOTIFY OUR FAMILIES?

All decisions are sent out via phone, email, website, our Facebook page, and various news outlets such as Fox61, WTNH, and WFSB.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Inclement Weather                                                                             -2-                                                                     September 7, 2018

 

 

WHEN IS THE DECISION MADE?

When bad weather is predicted, I rise very early in the morning to assess the situation. I try to make the decision as early as I can in order to have our families plan for student care.  If I can responsibly make the decision the evening before, that is what I will always try to do, however as you are aware, the weather is always unpredictable.  In most cases, the final decision is rendered at 5:30 am or earlier. This gives us the time needed to post the information on our website, our Facebook page, various news outlets, the phone system, and emails.

 

ARE THERE TIMES WHEN WE WILL CLOSE SCHOOL IF CONDITIONS WORSEN?

Keep in mind that, even if weather conditions worsen, we cannot reverse our decision in the morning without endangering students. Once we make the decision to open the schools, many parents rely on it and leave for work. If we then send students right back home, many will return to unsupervised bus stops and empty houses. If conditions get worse during the school day, we may need to have any early dismissal, but we will give adequate notice to all parents first.

 

Please realize that while my team and I try to do our absolute best in this process, we know that often no perfect decision exists. In the event that based on current weather conditions, you do not feel safe enough sending your child to school, we recognize that it is your right as a parent to keep your child home, however, you must remember to call your child out of school for that day in order for us to maintain proper attendance records. Also, discourage your teenagers from driving in bad conditions and offer them alternatives if weather conditions worsen.

 

It is my hope that this new insight into the process helps everyone to better understand what goes into the decisions made around inclement weather.

 

With great pride,

 

 

 

Michael Wilson

Superintendent of Schools

 

Go Wildcats!

 

Dear Seymour Community Members:

 

The Seymour School District will convene a Strategic Planning effort to identify major goals and priorities for the education of all of our students.  This ambitious plan will chart the course for growth and progress for the next three to five years. 

 

Here is a little background on Strategic Planning:

 

What is strategic planning, and why should all schools have a strategic plan?

Strategic Planning is a collective team process of looking at all aspects of our school and planning how we wish to move our schools forward. It provides the “big picture” of where we are, where we are going and how we are going to get there.

 

Strategic Planning looks at three main questions:

·                Where are our schools now?

·                Where do we want our schools to be in 3, 5 years?

·                How are we going to get there?

 

The point of a strategic plan is to improve our school or organization by outlining the direction we wish the district to take, identifying issues impacting on our schools and deciding on the priorities for action.

All schools should have a strategic plan. Without one, the school’s key stakeholders (parents, students, staff and the community) don’t know where you are going. With a strategic plan, everyone is working towards the same vision, trying to reach the same goals, and building commitment to the organization.

 

Dr. Peter Madonia, a Professor at Southern Connecticut State University and Strategic Planning specialist, will facilitate the process. We would like to formally invite our community leaders, parents, and students from our community to be an active voice in this process. The team will consist of the Superintendent, Associate Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent, five Administrators, eight teachers, two Board of Education members, two Board of Selectmen members, twelve parents, and two students.  In order to accomplish this task, all members must be able to commit to all of the meeting dates. If you are interested in participating, please complete the attached form and return it via email to ldauerty@seymourschools.org as soon as possible.

 

The dates for these meetings are March 26, April 23, April 30, May 14, May 23 and if needed, June 11 from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm in the SMS Library Media Center.

 

Respectfully,

 

 

Michael Wilson

Superintendent of Seymour Schools

 

Go Wildcats!

 

March 2, 2018

 

Dear Parents, Students, Teachers and Staff:

 

It is now time for your nominations for Seymour’s Teacher of the Year 2018-19.  Any staff member, parent, or student who feels that he/she would like to recognize an outstanding teacher, can do so now.  Nominees should be teachers with at least five full years of experience in Seymour and must be teaching now at least 50% of the time.  Former Seymour Teachers of the Year are not eligible.  (Names of those so honored are attached to this letter).

 

In order to nominate a teacher, please complete the nomination form here.  You may email your nomination form to ldauerty@seymourschools.org or mail to:

Teacher of the Year

Superintendent’s Office

Seymour Public Schools

98 Bank Street

Seymour, CT  06483

 

Nominations will be accepted from March 2, 2018 to April 3, 2018.

 

This is a very important event for any teacher.  Please take the time to consider recognizing a teacher for his/her contributions to the students of Seymour.

 

Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

Michael Wilson

Superintendent of Schools

Did you miss our presentation on PSAT, MAP, and KHAN Academy?  You can view the entire presentation below!

PSAT, MAP, KHAN Academy