By Cherry Dumaual

NEW FAIRFIELD – At the May 16th New Fairfield Board of Education (BOE) Regular Meeting held on Zoom, Mr. Dominic Cipollone, BOE chair, inspired by his recent conversations with members of the NF Senior Center, spoke about the importance of connecting the town’s senior commu nity with students during his Chairman’s Report. Reflecting on his meeting with senior citizens, Chair Cipollone referred to them as the bedrock of the community. He said that seniors want to know more and also know that taxes are important. During their dialogue, they asked questions about school taxes, such as the possibility of their being waived for seniors. Chair Cipollone acknowledged that he did not know the answer to that question, but thinks it requires further research. He wondered if this issue has ever been presented at the stat e level to help senior citizens.

Continuing about his meeting at the senior center, Chair Cipollone said, “What I took away from my time there is the fact that we need to bridge the gap between what we do in our schools and what the senior citizens know about them. I know there are some events where kids go there, but I think we need to really double down.” He then named ways for establishing connections, such as bringing seniors to the high school, giving them a tour of the high school, and holding a culinary event for seniors. Students could also hold choral recitals at the Senior Center.

Chair Cipollone emphasized, “I think it is really good for young people to connect with folks who have lived here for decades and really helped to build this community… So I have been reflecting on that. And I hope we can really do more, between now and June an d the next coming school year to make better connections with our senior citizens.”

Moving on to a major information item on the agenda, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kenneth Craw introduced the presentation of the “K-5 Literacy / Reading Resource Report and Findings” by Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Kristine Woleck, and Head Campus Principal Allison Story, Consolidated/Meeting House Hill School. They presented the implementation of literacy resources in New Fairfield schools, focusing on the selection of resources, p ilot program findings, and evaluation criteria.

What led to this pilot study? Dr. Woleck provided perspective, explaining that the New Fairfield School District is addressing a state mandate to improve literacy instruction by evaluating current resources and exploring new ones. In conducting the study, the participating teachers evaluated two educational resources, comparing them against the Teachers College unit of study and English language arts standards. They discussed the resources’ effectiveness in supporting student comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency, and evaluated the program components against those needs. The Teachers rated Bookworms as fully meeting all criteria, which generated excitement.

Speaking of the students and the resources selected for them, Dr. Woleck said, “We also wanted to ensure that students had opportunities for discussion and growing critical thinking that supports deep comprehension. Part of that is oral language, developing their oral language and moving into written language.”

Principal Story pointed out another crucial component of the right resource. “One of the things that was loud and clear from all of the teachers from the very beginning is the value of small group instruction. And we wanted to make sure that whatever resource we chose really supported that … we know that is how we can make some of the greatest gains for our students … when we can get into that smaller group piece.”

The teachers involved in the pilot study for evaluating the new resources said they appreciated the program’s accessibility for all students, including reluctant readers. The program’s focus on explicit instruction and systematic support was highlighted as a strength.

As for next steps, Principal Story said there will be professional learning to set the staff up for success with being able to support the students in the fall. A training will be held in the week of May 20th. When the teaching staff comes back in August, the re will be full-day training to dive even deeper into the resources to really get an understanding. She added that support for the teaching staff will be ava ilable throughout the year.

Looking ahead, Dr. Woleck remarked, “We are going to continue to look at how we integrate these materials into the larger curriculum that we have for our K-five curriculum, and then ultimately how it is developing our students to then move to six to twelve.”

Inevitably, board members and public participation participants brought up the school budget. In his budget update, Dr. Craw said, for the next school year, they are looking at an additional thirty-four students. “Dr. Woleck and I have been looking at opening up an additional section there. Now that would have a budgetary impact, we would have to shift resources. But I think you know that class size is a hallmark in New Fairfield, and we want to certainly maintain the optimal learning environment. But this is a reason why the Board of Ed adopted budget was so, so important. It is needs-based … based on important data such as class sizes. And you see we already have some additional pressure on the budget. I mean, I think it is good news that we have families wanting to come to New Fairfield, great education here, but we also have to be responsive.”

During the meeting, a Colliers representative gave an update on the HS propane issue. He said that the specialists tested the tank levels, with acceptable results, and that liquid test results are still pending for the propane tanks. He noted an earlier incident at the high school, and stressed that it had nothing to do with propane. Colliers will schedule a meeting in June for an update.

Dr. Craw and the board members also took time during the meeting to express their heartfelt special thanks to student representative Brennan Hearty, who is nearing the end of his second year as a representative.

The next regular meeting of the New Fairfield Board of Education is scheduled for Thursday, June 6, 7 pm.