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08/20/2019 12:00 AMEast Haven schools open for the 2019-’20 school year on Thursday, Aug. 29. There are more than 3,000 students enrolled in the district for the upcoming year. Superintendent of Schools Erica Forti is looking forward to the new year with the theme of “Shine the Light on Learning,” focusing on that goal in three ways.
“First, we will improve our instructional program ensuring high-quality learning experiences built from year to year resulting in increased student achievement,” she stated in her back-to-school letter to families. “Next, we will enhance safety and security systems in physical and digital environments to protect our students. Finally, we will strengthen our school communities by honoring our rich diversity and empower our students to be active, respectful citizens.”
Forti noted that the administration and staff has been working on revising its curriculum. At the elementary level, several new resources will be introduced, including adopting a new curricular resource called Next Gen for ELA in grades K to 5 and a new curricular resource for math in grades 3 to 5 called Envision Math.
“We have been hard at work revising our curriculum across all content areas and grade levels,” Forti said. “This year we are launching a customized webpage to publicly share our pre-k to 12 curriculum with parents, accreditation teams, and the community.”
East Haven Public Schools is partnering with the East Haven Police Department and East Haven Fire Department on safety and security. The staff and faculty will receive training and emergency response skills.
“The partnership will ensure our crisis response systems are continually evaluated and strengthened,” said Forti. “Our district will also continue to work with students and help to educate parents on appropriate and productive use of social media and digital platforms.”
The district will also roll out the East Haven Portrait of the Graduate program, which will include listening tours with faculty and staff, students, parents, town officials, local business owners, and other key stakeholders.
“This work will assist in defining the aspirations we have for our students and the key 21st century dispositions and skills necessary for our students to thrive in the complex and changing world we live in,” said Forti. “East Haven Portrait of the Graduate will set the foundation for future work and systemic educational transformation necessary to achieve the vision.”
Calendar
School starts on Thursday, Aug. 29. The tentative last day of school is scheduled for Thursday, June 11.
Before the Thanksgiving break (Thursday, Nov. 28 and Friday, Nov. 29), students are off on Monday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day, Monday, Oct. 14 for Columbus Day, Tuesday, Nov. 5 for Election Day, and Monday, Nov. 11 for Veterans Day.
There will be early dismissal for all students on Wednesday, Oct. 30 and Wednesday, Nov. 27, for grades 6 to 8 on Wednesday, Nov. 13 and Thursday, Nov. 14, for grades 9 to 12 on Thursday, Nov. 14, and for grades K-5 on Wednesday, Nov. 20 and Thursday, Nov. 21.
Other school breaks are Monday, Dec. 23 to Wednesday, Jan. 1; Monday, Feb. 17 and Tuesday, Feb. 18; and Friday, April 10 through Friday, April 17.
Dress Code
Students in grades K to 8 must follow the dress code outlined on the district website. Shirts must be navy blue, white, or burgundy in one of the following styles: short- or long-sleeve solid T-shirts/crew necks, solid turtlenecks, or solid, non-hooded sweatshirts. Pants must be khaki/tan, navy blue, or black Docker or cargo-style pants, capris, cargo or Bermuda shorts, skirts, and jumpers or navy blue or burgundy sweatpants. Skirts and shorts must be no higher than two inches from the top of the kneecap.
Outerwear, including hooded sweatshirts and hooded sweaters, cannot be worn inside the school building while school is in session. Sneakers or flat shoes with non-black rubber soles must be properly fastened at all times. Slippers, sandals, flip-flops, and backless or open-toed shoes are not permitted.
School Lunch
All students attending East Haven Schools will now receive free meals for all students as part of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and School Breakfast Program (SBP) through a provision called Community Eligibility. Parents are no longer required to fill out any lunch forms or pay a fee for school breakfast or lunch.
“We have a no-charge policy so there are no negative balances,” said Forti. “Any balances that carried over can be used to buy snacks or additional food items including purchasing a second lunch or breakfast if the student wants one.”
Absences
Another goal set by Forti and the administration is reducing the district’s chronic absenteeism rate. Students missing more than 10 percent of the school year (18 days if the student attends 180 days) are reported to the state as chronically absent.
“We have PSA link at the bottom of our website [www.east-haven.k12.ct.us] that details the importance of coming to school every day on time ready to learn,” said Forti. “This is a very big focus of ours.”
School Picnic
The Back-to-School picnic will be held on Saturday, Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. at East Haven High School.
“This is a very large event where hundreds of families, students, staff, and community organizations come together to honor kids, our diversity, and strength of our community and town,” said Forti.