This did not air last night or this morning as they had said. I am trying to get more information and will let everyone know.



WLPS has released its nine-point plan for improving student achievement. Accepting the current levels of student achievement in Windsor Locks is just not good enough!

The superintendent and administrative team shared the entire plan with the BOE on 9/22. Please take the time to view the plan on Wednesday 10/5 at 7:00pm and again on Thursday 10/6 at 9:00am on digital channel 16 (COX).

Residents Support Train Stop Relocation

By KIM VELSEY
The Hartford Courant

WINDSOR LOCKS — If you build it, will they come?

The "Field of Dreams" question surfaced several times during a public hearing earlier this week on a plan to relocate the train stop to the center of town.
It was answered by a steady stream of residents who argued that given the current state of downtown, there's nothing to lose if they don't.
Town officials say that relocating the train stop from an isolated area by the I-91 ramps to downtown would help revitalize the once-vibrant area. The timing is also ideal, they say, now that the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line is promising to increase train service and link the station with Bradley International Airport by express bus.
"It's a tale of two cities," said Chris Ferraro, a vice president at Fuss & O'Neill, which identified relocating the train stop as key component of revitalization in a study several years ago. Referring to the commercial area near the airport, he said: "Route 75 really has its own economy, while the downtown lost its character,"
The meeting started off with a short film on Main Street's past that juxtaposed photos of lively intersections with today's empty streetscapes. Resident Kevin Brace, who produced the film, said that he wasn't old enough to remember Main Street's glory days, but urged residents to "do something positive for Windsor Locks… for once."
John Bernick a project engineer for the state Department of Transportation, said that the cost difference between building a station for the revamped New Haven-Springfield line at the current site versus downtown is negligible. The department expects to make a decision on the relocation sometime in January, after an environmental assessment is completed and the public comment period ends.
Although the downtown site would pose more traffic issues because of the proximity of the station to the railroad crossing, the crossing duration would probably change from about 45 seconds to 2 minutes, according to the DOT. Prohibiting left turns and improving signal phasing would make the situation tolerable, if not ideal, officials said.
Bernick said that the DOT has been working closely with Amtrak and that the company has said it will support whatever decision the DOT makes as long as it satisfies Amtrak requirements.
Several residents said that although they would like to see a vibrant Main Street, they didn't believe the train stop would be enough to accomplish that.
"I question the whole premises that the area could get development," said Douglas Glazier, a board of finance member, who said he'd worked to bring the Windsor Locks Commons to Main Street, only to watch it struggle with high vacancy for years.
"But If it's the same cost to move it, then the worst case is that nothing happens to Windsor Locks Commons," Ferraro countered.

Residents urged to attend hearing, support

By Harlan Levy Journal Inquirer
WINDSOR LOCKS —

Town officials have scheduled a public hearing Tuesday Sept. 20, a significant event in the effort to relocate the train stop from its current remote location near the Interstate 91 interchange back to downtown Main Street adjacent to historic train station. What makes the hearing — which will take place at 7 p.m. in the high school auditorium — so important is that state Department of Transportation officials will be there to gauge residents’ support for the move, along with presenting plans for the train stop relocation. “They want to hear from the public that relocating the train station is going to be acceptable,” town economic development consultant Patrick McMahon said. “It’s crucial because DOT requested the public informational session.” The train station relocation is part of a plan to offer high-speed commuter train service from New Haven to Springfield, projected for 2016. State and federal funds would pay for train line. Local voters in August approved the town’s application for a $250,000 state grant to create plans for a retail, office, and-housing development that would be located around the proposed downtown train stop. “It sends a signal that the town is serious about relocating the station and having economic growth in the vicinity of a relocated train stop,” McMahon said after the vote. Riders could get to Bradley International Airport by bus from the train station. The DOT favors a downtown location as opposed to the current site for cost and engineering reasons, along with revitalizing the downtown. Keeping the train stop where it is provides no future economic benefit to the town nor does it help the state’s future rail line as much as a downtown site, McMahon said. Expanding parking at the current location is problematic because of its proximity to the Connecticut River

WL Public Schools New Parent & Community Advisory Council

WL Public Schools looking for participants for their new parent and community advisory council. Please consider getting involved.....

Are you interested in being a part of the new Windsor Locks Public Schools Parent and Community Advisory Council? Participants will be asked to provide feedback and input into all district-wide initiatives to improve student achievement. Meetings will be once a month from 6:00 to 8:00pm. We are looking for representation from each school. If you would like to participate, please RSVP to Donna Bole, at 860.292.5743 or dbole@wlps.org, by September 30th.

WL Board of Education Meeting 9-8-11

Windsor Locks Board of Education Meeting

September 8, 2011

Communications
Michael Royston attended opening day of school at North Street; as well as the Boo Hoo Breakfast.

Margaret Byrne will be attending the Family Picnic at South School and the Parent Information Night on September 15.

Pat King visited the High School on the first day of school and walked around with the principal. She was impressed with the demeanor of the students.

Facilities - Lighting Proposal:
At the last board meeting DBS Energy discussed updating the exterior lighting at all the schools with more up to date lighting technology. Mr. Sweeney stated this would be a $0 to neutral revenue item to the budget and over time will have a net savings to the school system. The lighting will have a 100% warranty the first year and all material will be under a 10 year warranty. The lamps in the new lighting will have 50,000 hours of life compared to the current 10,000 hours. This item was approved by the Board.

End of Year Budget Report:
The budget for the 2010-2011 ended with an $87,774 surplus. The Board will be attending the next Finance meeting to inform them they will be using the surplus to purchase/lease 3 new trucks used for the school grounds. The current trucks are 1985 vehicles with rotted floor boards, heat, differential and seal issues. They will be purchasing two new trucks with plows for $68,000 and leasing the 1 additional truck with a plow for 3 years. The difference between the surplus and the purchase ($19,774) will be used to make two payments on the lease vehicle. This item was approved by the Board.

Professional Learning Communities (PLC)
Susan Bell, Assistant Principal at the Middle School and Sharon Cournoyer, Principal at the High School gave a presentation on PLC. PLC has been in the high school for several years, but has now been implemented school wide.

The presentation covered the main points of PLC:
Essential Questions:
• What do you want students to know
• How do you know that they know it
• How do you respond when they have not learned or when they need enrichment
• What growth do we expect to see in the areas we have identified as priorities

Every Teacher is a Leader:
• Subject area expertise
• Data analysis experience
• No more "independent contractors"
• Sharing the craft of teaching

Create Conditions to Empower Team Decision Making:
• Data teams focus on data analysis to drive instructional decisions
• Secure PLC time
• Arrange appropriate professional development
• Shared leadership structure

Data Analysis Process:
Step 1 - Prediction - What do you think the data will tell you
Step 2 - What does the data actually tell you
Step 3 - Brainstorm facts, trends and concerns
Step 4 - Pick fact, trend or concern of priority

From the data analysis
• What instructional groups will the teachers create
• What will the teachers do in the next 30 days to address the learning priority that has been identified
• Teachers will plan on a monthly basis utilizing the action plan template to chart progress each month and week.

The Key Points of PLC:
• Collaboration to increase student achievement levels takes concerted effort and shift in philosophy
• Understanding the human aspect of change is integral to the creation of a collaborative culture
• Reflection is necessary to effectively lead a team
• Setting the example of collaboration is paramount to encouraging others to do the same
• Flexibility in expectations, sensitivity to change process and its impact on individuals in the community
• Embracing the community philosophy - We Are All on the Same Team

The principals from each school then explained how well PLC was working in each of their schools and how the teachers were eager to receive the data analysis and put it to use.

Mr. Sweeney stated the first day of PLC will take place on Monday, September 12, so all schools will have a one hour early release. He stated approximately 45 students from South Street and 50 students from North Street are taking advantage of the 1 hour free after school care being offered.

Michael Royston asked what the difference is with this information compared to three years ago when Dr. Little was here? Pat King stated it is accountability. Ms. Bell stated it is continuity of services throughout the entire school system - Pre-K to High School. Michael Royston stated he has been hearing this for years, so what is going to make it work this time?

Mr. Sweeney explained we are not going to accept any excuses and that starts with himself, down to the principals and then the teachers. He explained they looked at data today that basically shows we have been flat as a school district for a lot of years, we have had the data, but have we created the conditions to which our teachers are expected to use the data to change adult behavior...he suggests that it has not happened until now. He stated if we are sitting here in three years, hearing the same presentation and our scores are still flat, then there are no excuses. Our kids deserve more and they deserve better; that is the principals’ job and it is his job to make sure they are doing their job. If that does not happen they can fire their superintendent and find someone new.

Michael Royston stated he has stated publicly that he has full faith that Mr. Sweeney is going to turn things around, but it is his frustration that we have been hearing this for many years. We have provided the tools, the professional development and the data, and it has not been used, that is where his frustration lies. He thinks we see this frustration, not just with himself, but when we saw the scores come out we saw more people here than we ever did before; when we added more PLC time we saw more people than we ever did before. The frustration is rampant across the board and it is very clear we have to take these tools and use them properly

Mr. Sweeney stated we have to let go of the old stuff, people are frustrated and upset, but it is time to be responsible and what we have put into place is very specific, highly researched based strategies and the Board has supported that direction....we will see results. We are doing this, we will do this, we will be successful and the children will be successful at rates higher than ever imagined.

Bullying in School

Very interesting article. What do we tell our children and how do we get the schools to protect them http://windsorlocks.patch.com/articles/just-block-really

WL Patch Article - Last Night's Board of Education Meeting

http://windsorlocks.patch.com/articles/windsor-locks-public-schools-faculty-enthusiastic-about-new-professional-training-sessions

And Sometimes it is the Teachers

To my teacher friends, to be fair I also need to post the parent's point of view.

http://www.kchblog.com/?p=5686

Thank you!

Sometimes It's About the Parents

Very interesting article from the Teacher's perspective.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/06/living/teachers-want-to-tell-parents/index.html

Next Board of Education Meeting

Parents and Residents of Windsor Locks:

We all need to stay informed about what is going on in our town of Windsor Locks and that includes the education of our children.

Please consider attending the next Board of Education meeting which will be held this coming Thursday, September 8 at 6:00 pm at the Windsor Locks High School in the Library Media Center.

Below is the agenda for the meeting and the minutes of the August 18 meeting.

http://www.wlps.org/site/files/9-8-11ragenda.pdf
http://www.wlps.org/site/files/8-18-2011rminutes.pdf

Back to the Future of Windsor Locks (Video)

Back To The Future For Windsor Locks

In January 1975 Ella Tambussi Grasso boarded a train from Windsor Locks to Hartford beginning her historic journey to her inauguration becoming the first elected woman Governor in U.S. history.  The train station was located in the center of Windsor Locks.  Soon after Amtrak officials abandoned the historic train station and constructed a train platform on the outskirts of town.  36 years later our train platform consisting of a tiny plastic shelter is still not located in the center of town.  We only need to look to Windsor to see what a great train station needs to look like.  The irony of this is that our little train station services 5,000 more passengers than Windsor’s train station.  Our platform is across the street from the sewage treatment plant.  The historic train station where Ella Grasso boarded the train to Hartford sits crumbling due to neglect and vandalism.  What an embarrassment to the Town of Windsor Locks and the State of Connecticut.  Windsor Locks is referred to as “The Gateway to New England”.  Part of that gateway should not be on the outskirts of town across the street from the sewer plant.

Read the rest of the article by clicking here http://windsorlocks.patch.com/blog_posts/back-to-the-future-for-windsor-locks

Former W. Locks Montgomery Mill Complex on auction block

The town of Windsor Locks is looking for bidders for a recently foreclosed property that was the former home of the Montgomery Mill Complex.

The property, at 25 Canal Benk Rd, was recently foreclosed by the town and includes 3.38 acres with two buildings and a detached parking garage.

A public auction for the property will be held Sept. 10 at 12 p.m. on the premises.

Economic Development Director Patrick McMahon said the property will require significant investment from the prospective developer because it has experienced multiple fires in recent years.

The property, which is located near downtown, had an assessed value of $900,000 in 2010.

McMahon said the town is interested in commercial developments as well as potential multifamily housing proposals.

Canal Benk Realty lost the property through the foreclosure action.