South Windsor Board of Education Regular Meeting - April 28, 2026

001[music] Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat up here. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [music] [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. >> [music] >> Heat up here. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. [music] [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. Heat. >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat up here. [music] Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. N. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. [music] [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] [music] Heat. Heat. [music] Heat up >> [music] [music] >> here.

002Heat >> [music] [music] >> up here. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] Heat up >> [music] [music] >> here. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] Heat >> [music] >> up [music] here. Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. Heat. N. [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] Heat up here. >> [music] [music] >> Good evening. I would like to call the April 28th, 2026 South Windsor Board of Education meeting to order. Please stand if you are able and join as Mr. Mackey leads us in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all >>

003and Mrs. Walsh roll call please >> Mr. Armstrong >> here >> Mr. Caldwell >> here >> chairwoman Corsy >> here >> Mr. Mackey >> here >> Mrs. Manily >> here, >> Mr. Marks >> here. >> Mr. Nettles >> here. >> Mrs. Sha >> here. >> Miss Yanoway >> here. >> Thank you so much. And Mr. Nettles, can you read us the district's vision statement? >> Sure. The South Windsor Public Schools promotes an engaging and dynamic culture of learning that prepares students to achieve their own individual excellence. With an emotionally safe environment, educators will foster students academic, social, and personal growth. Our students will demonstrate critical and creative thinking, self-direction, collaboration, adapt adaptability, kindness, compassion, and civic responsibility. The South Windsor Public School graduate will possess a learner's mindset, exhibit resilience and social consciousness, and be

004empowered to participate in an everchanging global society. Thank you so much. And Mrs. Shaw, do you have a motion for the minutes? >> Yes. Uh move to approve the minutes of the March 24, 2026 regular meeting. >> Second. >> Um all in favor? >> Any opposed? Absentience? Motion passes. Thank you. >> All right. Uh Dr. Carter, do you have anything for communications? >> Yes. Um, today I had the pleasure of viewing the district's K12 art show housed at the public library. It was wonderful to see the impressive work produced by our talented student artists across the district. It serves as a reminder that we are committed to serving the whole child and that our community wants us to support things such as the arts, music, and athletics. Speaking of our community, we are inviting all

005members of our community, students, parents, staff, and residents to be a part of something positive. I will read an excerpt from a letter that went out to families and staff today. Staff appreciation week is next week, and in the past, I've encouraged families to send notes of appreciation directly to staff. This year, I thought we would take a slightly different approach. On July 4th, America will celebrate its semiquincential, the 250th anniversary of our nation's founding. In keeping with this theme, we would like to collect 250 testimonials from parents, community members, students, and staff that respond to the prompt, why I love South Windsor schools. Submissions can describe why you love your child's school in general or recognize a staff member who has gone above and beyond or site specific programs or activities that have made

006a difference for your child. In a world that often focuses on the negative, we invite you to be a part of something positive. If there is a teacher who inspired your child. If there is a food services staff member who has made lunchtime a positive experience. If there is an office secretary who went the extra mile. If there is a school nurse who brought comfort to your child. If there is a paraprofessional who assists your child in developing independence. If there is a coach who modeled sportsmanship. If there is a custodian who keeps your child's school safe and clean. If there is a principal who made a difference in your child's life. I encourage you to let them know through these testimonials. We will start collecting these responses now and close submissions on June 1st.

007To participate, people will simply click on the link that we sent out today. Um, and our goal is to share this collection of testimonials with all of our staff so they can see their hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed by this community. Board members, feel free to share this with residents of South Wor who may not currently have children in the system but would like to be a part of this project to show their support for our teachers and staff. Finally, this Sunday, I will be attending the annual event known as Guru Vandana. This is sponsored by an organization that celebrates Hindu culture. The organizers tell us that in the Hindu tradition, Guru Vandana, which means salutations to the teacher, is a time when we express our deepest gratitude and respect to our

008gurus who guide us, inspire us, and help us to grow. They go on to say, "This celebration is our heartfelt way of recognizing the incredible role teachers play in our children's lives." Having been at this event before, I can tell you it is a very uplifting and special event designed specifically to elevate the teaching profession and for participants to show their appreciation for teachers. I am incredibly proud to be part of a community that champions its teachers. So any board members who are able to join this on Sunday, it's a very nice event. Um and it's it's very special to see um the genuiness and the sincerity with which these teachers are appreciated. That concludes my communications for tonight. >> Thank you so much. Do we have communications for from our student reps? >> Yes.

009Thank you. For the month of April, Eli Terry proudly highlighted its WildA about reading program. Throughout the month, students shared photos of themselves reading in fun or unexpected places. At Orchard Hill, Michael Clark's lens cleanse and Drew Ganesha's robotic cart will represent South Windsor at the Connecticut State Invention Convention on May 2nd. During April, Philip R. Smith recognized and showed appreciation for their bus drivers. The student leadership team organized a community collection to create gift baskets for each bus driver. Um, at South High School, Yelen Lynn and Osmy Karnney delivered an outstanding performance at the Connecticut State Debate Championship, earning an impressive fifth place finish among the state's top competitors. Their achievement marks an historic milestone for South Windsor High School. Yan and Asami are the first students since 2013 to qualify to compete in

010and place at the state championship level. Spring sports at South Windsor High School began the week of April 6th 6, 2026. We have over 400 student athletes competing and having games almost daily at Everest Park, Rotary Fields, and South Windsor High School. We look forward to family and community support throughout the season. At Timothy Edwards Middle School, they celebrated the 4th annual International Night on Wednesday, April 8th. Families who attended were able to explore student projects, participate in salsa lessons, engage in games and activities to enjoy foods from across the world. On April 17th and 18th, the Timothy Edwards Jazz Ensemble traveled to Philadelphia for the 7th annual National Jazz Festival. TE students took home medals and trophies. The small jazz combo took home first place and a student was awarded for an outstanding musician

011and also another student was recognized as a superior musician. The large ensemble took home third place among a very competitive group of bands. Finally, a combo compromise of TE and South Windsor High School musicians were also awarded first place. Thank you so much. Do we have any communications from board members? All right, moving on. All right, now is the time where we would like to invite any members of the public to speak. When you come to the podium, please start by giving us your name and address. Just a reminder that the board does not respond to public comment. Each person should limit their comments to three minutes and the total amount of public comment will be limited to 15 minutes unless extended by the board. Just a reminder that there will be a second opportunity

012for public comment near the end of our meeting. Most importantly, this is your opportunity to be heard in the board's time to just listen. Mrs. Walsh will keep track of time and she or I will let you know when you need to quickly finish your comments. Is there anyone here who would like to speak to the board? All right, seeing none, we will move on. Um, all right, Mrs. Miss Yanowayo, do you have a motion for donations? Yes. Move to approve the following donations. $819 to Orchard Hill Elementary School from its PTO. $6,000 to Timothy Edwards Middle School from its PTO. $2,14048 to Eli Terry Elementary School from Ahold Delhi USA incororated $1,6497 to Pleasant Valley Elementary School from Alhole Delhi's USA Incorporated $2,500 to South Windsor High School Robotics from Charity Aid Foundation and

013$1,000 to South Windsor High School Robotics from Lap Corp. >> Second. >> All in favor? >> I. >> Any opposed? All right. Motion passes. Thank you everybody. >> And Dr. Carter, you have quite a few items on your report, so feel free to start. >> At this time, I invite Mr. Libre to the podium. Good evening, Dr. Carter and our central administrative team, Chairwoman Corsy and the board of education. This evening, I am extremely proud to introduce uh one of the two board of education spotlights for the month of April. You know, at South Windsor High School, we always are so proud of our students day-to-day in the classroom first and foremost as academia and as scholars who do their best to showcase their talents and skills. But as we know, part of the school

014experience is having a well-rounded experience and showcasing those talents whether on the stage, on the field, in the pool, on the mat, or in in an auditorium uh in addition to many other places. So this evening we have our girls basketball team which is led by an alumni and current teacher coach Alex Goslin. And what I'm most proud of as a te as a as a principal and as a member of our school community is the ability for athletics and being student athlete not just to have the impact on the court but off the court in the community and and in a greater purpose as to why we participate in school activities and how it makes an impact not only in our lives but how we can help those dream, achieve and inspire in their

015own lives. And so our first presentation is gonna be by our girls varsity basketball team and coach Alex Goslin. [applause] Hi everyone. Thank you for having us here and inviting our team um myself to talk a little bit about our season. Uh my name is Coach Alex Goslin. Uh and I teach math at the high school and this is my first year as varsity coach. Um the past two years I was the freshman coach. Um and I want to talk to you a little bit about the history of our program and how far we've come this year with this awesome group of girls. Um so this year we welcomed basically a full new staff. Um freshman coach Tara Kak who couldn't make it tonight, JV coach John Wmond who's over there and uh assistant varsity

016coach Kevin Snyder. all of which teach in district. Tara and John are at DE and Kevin and myself are at the high school. So, we're really excited about getting a solid group of staff members um to help our program. Uh this last year, our varsity girls had a record of 11 and nine. Um they lost in the first round of both tournaments, the CCC conference tournament and the state tournament. Um, and our last playoff win as a program was in 2016 was which was my senior year of high school. Um, so full circle moment. Um, but this year our team had lots of success on and off the court and we want to share that with you all. So coming in uh we wanted to set a really strong foundation of our culture and who

017we wanted to be as a program. Uh, we had the slogan leadership is working hard to compete as a team. uh with the five pillars of leadership, teamwork, effort, competition, and connection. And these are things that we try to grow in every day and also try to embody both on and off the court because both of those things make a big difference. Um and through our players buyin, I think they did a pretty good job accomplishing this and embodying what we wanted our culture to be. So on the court, little overview, regular season, we went 16 and four. Um, out of the 29 teams in the CCC, we were eighth overall. 16 teams make the CCC tournament. We hosted Windsor in the first round. They were the nine seed and we lost a very tight

018game 28 to 26. Um, but that was kind of just where our postseason was really starting. Um, that was not the end for us. We finished as the 11 seed in the division 2 CIA tournament. That was our original seating. We hosted Pomperog with a commanding 44 to22 win on our home court which brought us our program's first win in 10 years for postseason. Uh then we had a second chance to play on our home court in the playoffs um in the CIC tournament with a crazy win over Fairfield Lelo. The final score was 45 to 40, but going into the fourth quarter of the game we were down 16 points. And with eight minutes left of the game, these girls never gave up, charged all the way back and we ended up winning on

019our home court. And that was probably one of the craziest games. That was the craziest game I've ever been a part of playing, coaching, watching. It was insane. A tribute to all of our girls um their attitudes and their grit. Um so after that, we headed to Staples to play in our quarterfinal game. By the way, that 45 to 40, if anybody has access to the presentation, there's a link to a video where you can see them actually playing in the go-ahad basket. So, if anyone has a chance, you should watch it. Um, we go all the way down to Staples. Um, and we are tied up with two minutes to go and we end up losing right at the end. Lost by seven. But even though we lost in that game, that didn't define

020our season. We had a lot of success. We brought the program back to a really competitive place. Um, and not to mention all the support that we rallied along the way against Fairfield Lelo. Our gym was packed, loud as it's ever been. And then in our quarterfinal game, we had a fan bus go all the way to Staples to support us, which was incredible. So, thank you to all of our fans that supported us all along the way to make an incredible season on the court and for all of the hard work that our girls put in to accomplish all this this season. Um there's another link if anybody has access to the um presentation. The scoreboard is a link to us celebrating on the court after a win against Fairfield Lelo. Also a good

021watch. Um we have our three allconerence players over there to the right. We have Aaron Martin, Shay Brochu, and Tegan Purcell who represented us at the all conference level, which is a a big deal for us and a good representation of our of our team and our seniors leadership that helped motivate our team and help everybody buy in, including senior captains Aaron Martin and Izzy Dubin. Um, and that picture on the right is them on their senior day. Um, and they're going to accomplish great things after they graduate high school. So, we're really proud of them and what they did this season for our team. Uh, but arguably the most important part of what we did this season is what we were doing in the community and how we uh operated off the court and

022the difference that we were able to make throughout. Um, first off, we invited the travel basketball teams to come to a lot of our games. Um, we had some of them play at halftime. This picture is from the eighth grade team. We had conducted a Q&A with them where our team got to talk directly with the players um just showing the value of really getting the younger kids to stay involved um and continue with basketball in high school um and building those connections at the younger level. We also had a wreck night where anybody wearing a WC basketball jersey was able to come to our game for free, get them for free and enjoy the game. Once again, it's not just about travel basketball or any individual team or whatever. It's about bringing student athletes

023together across multiple levels. Um, and then this picture was taken at the Midwest Food Bank. Instead of practicing one Saturday morning, we head headed up the road to Manchester and we did some community service there and learned a little bit about their nonprofit organization. Um, this was an incredible experience for the girls. um they were huge at helping um at the food bank and we're definitely going to go back and pursue this partnership um and just continue to give back to the community because that's really important and makes a really big difference. Um and then we had our first annual equity basketball game um with the main purpose of building awareness and raising voices. Um, we invited clubs and organizations from our school to attend the game and set up displays in the Hall of

024Achievement where the entrance to the gym is. And, uh, we had like 15 clubs and organizations with their displays educating people that were at the game about what their club does and what equity causes they stand behind. Um, we had the Indian dance team dance at halftime for a halftime show. And then all of our um student athletes uh chose equity causes that they were passionate about. They wrote on a piece of paper and we had their pictures hanging all along the entrance of the gym along with QR codes that led to a direct website about their equity cause. Maybe it was a donation or just information about the cause that they were standing up for. Um and this is just a huge reminder that what we're doing is bigger than basketball. um and using

025the student athlete platform uh can go a really long way in coming together and making positive change not just on the court but off the court. Uh we also had a breast cancer awareness game. Um we asked all of our fans to wear pink. Our girls wrote personal letters to members of the school to invite them to the game. Uh and we had two players uh Emmy and Liv. They walked around the gym with our battle bucket. uh collecting cash donations and we raised a total of $418 for breast cancer research in just one evening of game. So, it's incredible and all of this is a testament to the effort that the players put into these events because they were the ones that were really out there doing a lot of the work um and

026really standing behind what we were putting out. So, um that was another great event for our team, show what we can do when we all come together um beyond basketball. So overall, we had a really successful season on and off the court. Um, and we know that this is just the beginning for South Windsor girls basketball. Um, we'd like to thank all of you for your support as well as everybody who supported us throughout the season. And also, thank you for letting us share our season with you um, in this moment. So, thank you. And I ask that the last thing that we do is just give the girls a round of applause because they're the ones that deserve the praise for this incredible season. >> [applause] >> Thank you so much. Do we have

027any comments or questions from the board? Mr. Armstrong? >> Yeah, just a question. Um, I know that uh congrats on again on the season. Um, a a lot of teams their success is based on their feeder system. Could you talk just a little more about that in South Windsor? Yeah. So, we have a really strong travel basketball program. Uh we have travel teams all the way from fourth to 8th grade. Um Drew Bryson is the head of travel there and we've been working closely with him to continue the partnership and kind of grow. Um they do a summer camp for younger kids in the town that helps like build skills and get kids involved. Uh in the fall they were doing a bunch of girls basketball clinics um at the high school where some of

028our players were able to help out kind of build that connection. So that makes a huge difference, especially when the younger players can see, you know, older girls helping them and investing in them. That makes a really big difference in like female sports. Um, and also like having strong youth programs makes it really easy for us to work with them and and continue to build on what we have. Um, so we're hoping to continue to increase our numbers and continue with the momentum. Definitely uh working with our really strong travel basketball program. >> Y >> and Mr. Mackey. >> Yes. So I I had the pleasure of going to two two of your games and I I've known Alex for I don't know probably 15 years or so something like that. So uh the energy

029she has none of us can match. Um uh she is literally the most energetic, positive person that I one of the people that I've ever met. Um, and I can see that in the game. So when they when I'm watching a lot of times I like to not I'm watching the game, but I like to look at the bench. I like to see what the coaches are doing, the assistant coaches are doing. And I've coached high school girls teams for 20 years. So I get the dynamic that it all can bring. And when you watch the game, you can watch how engaged the girls on the bench are, how engaged the assistant coaches are. And what you're really doing, Alex, is building a culture. And I really think that this town and our high school

030particularly needs coaches like you to build our culture to a higher standard and you are doing exactly what we need. And to to go off Mr. Armstrong's point, um the youth program, it it's hard. High school sports, it's the numbers in in a lot of towns are not like they used to be. Um but it's for coaches. If we can get coaches to stick around and to and to put the passion that they have into their program like I see you do and I know that you will continue to do, um I think that we are in a really really good spot. So I think your work that you're doing with uh just having those girls come, I know for for those girls looking up to these girls, the the youth girls looking up to

031these girls, it's a pretty big day for them. But what we're also doing behind the scenes is kind of building our culture and and what they can see. And it also goes back to your name's on the wall there for however many points you scored. So these girls can look up to you. Um, and know that, you know, even after their basketball days are done, they can get into coaching, they can get into teaching and still have a part in something that hopefully they they've grown to love. So I think besides the fact that you are great coach and the wins are fantastic and all that stuff, and I do think sometimes they could have boxed out in a little bit more of those games that I saw. Um, besides [laughter] that, uh, I think

032what you're doing, forget about the coaching, the you are, you as a person is what's important to us as a board because what you bring every day, I'm sure, to the classroom is, uh, even more than you're already doing on the court. So, thank you. And for girls, congratulations. [applause] >> Thank you, man. >> Yeah. Um, one more question to ask. I got one question. We're not letting go that easy. I too have known Alice for a long time too and um watched her play and um and I find it very fascinating that they uh that she's come back and now she's you know um giving back to the the school which is what she's promoting with her students. I was just wondering or her players not students sorry. Um well maybe some of them

033are her students. Um I just wondering if uh for some of the seniors if if they're using their they use it probably any part of the basketball um outreach for like their capstone project or anything like that. No, not particularly this year. Um, but I think it all goes hand inhand with like what South Windsor is trying to do with like the capstone and giving back to the community and finding your passions and using that for the greater good. It's not just a sport. Um, and I know that our seniors have embodied that this season. And so even if it wasn't used for a capstone, um definitely the the same atmosphere or attitude of giving back. It's bigger than you as an individual. Um and how you can make an impact in the community. And

034I know that they'll continue to do that as well uh at the next level. >> Thank you. >> Are you putting your saw you going for the button, Mr. Marks? >> Thank you. Well, congratulations on all of your success. Um and I remember so there are a few of us on the board that are big women's basketball fans, specifically at the WNBA level. Uh yes. >> [laughter] >> You can see the shirt she's wearing. But I remember the commissioner of the WNBA talked about how a vast majority of the CEOs and business women in the top you know Fortune 500 companies all either played as you know a sport at a collegiate or high school level. So I think a lot of the girls here today are starting off on that journey to success and

035that you know that's off the court and on the court. Um I this is a loaded question. You don't have to have a specific answer for us, but is there anything that we can do as a board to support you more as a program and the work you do either in the classroom or on the basketball court? >> I think just continuing to spread the good word about women's basketball and girls basketball, um, the WNBA season is just around the corner. So, the more that we can continue to talk about women's basketball and the more that like we can be out in the community and kind of tag team it, um the WNBA and women's sports in general didn't come this far just because, you know, teams were playing well and we had a group

036of competitive girls. It's also the people that are watching, the people that are supporting. Um, so continuing to do that and next season when we have games, get everybody that you know and let's pack the gym because um that when you go to a game like anybody that was at our Fairfield Lelo game, they're never going to forget that, but you wouldn't know if you weren't there. So, we got to continue to get people into the gym um spread awareness about women's basketball um and also see all that basketball in general can bring the community as well in throughout [clears throat] the whole town. Thank you and congratulations again. >> Thank you. >> All right. I just wanted to say thank you. Um it's no secret I'm a huge women's sports fan. Definitely a women's

037basketball. Um, and it's I was able to go to the equity game and it was just so great to see um just the cross with the the clubs and the sports and then to see kind of the pictures on the wall where everyone um got to champion their causes and um so I was really excited to get to that game and I just want to say thank you for the culture you're creating, for the leaders you're developing um and just really enforcing that their voices matter and their leadership matters um to everyone to their into our community. >> Thank you >> so much. >> Thank you. >> All right, Dr. Carter. At this time, I invite Mrs. Itel to the podium. >> Just a little, not a lot, just a little. >> Hi everybody. My

038name is Danell. I'm one of the science teachers at the high school. I've been there 22 years, so it's been a little time. Before I start our discussion on um our NASA visit, I want to talk about the science fair coming up. So, we have the 9th grade science fair on May 29th, Friday, um 7 to 10:30ish if you guys are available. We'd love outside judges. If you know anybody else that would be interested in coming and judging, we really need judges from the outside. So spread the word. I've sent some emails around. I can send another one. If you didn't receive one, let me know. Um again, I'm in the science department. Easy to find. So Dell Itel. Besides that, um the video that you're going to watch today, um I sent it over

039to NASA this morning, this afternoon when I got it because they asked for any of our of our stuff. So I sent it over to them and I got and I sent it also to Jack Hathaway while he's on the ISS. didn't get a response back from him yet, but I got a response back from NASA and they actually said, "Fantastic. Thank you so much. Um, when he is back on Earth, um, they have to do post-flight community outreach and we are going to reach out to you again at that time. I will share your contact information with his PR person." So, he will be landing in September and it takes about a month. So we're looking at like end of October, early November having Hathaway in our school at that point. So it's a

040really great connection. NASA has been phenomenal throughout all of this. I cannot tell you what a positive experience it's been through them. So um how did this all start? Well, um Miss Sullivan, our curriculum specialist, sent us an email and it said, "Hey, these really cool things." Because we get our weekly email and it gave us an update and he's like, "And you know, South Windsor graduates on the ISS." I'm like, "Oh, huh." I went to the Kennedy Space Center last April, by the way, phenomenal experience if you ever want to go. And there's astronauts walking around and you can actually talk to them. So, I knew that you could get an astronaut to come talk with you. So, I'm like, "Let's do it." So, I pulled all the questions, shared it with Arnica. She

041did an amazing job. And her and Joe from the get getgo were like, "Let's do it. Let's make it happen." and everybody's been so positive in making this. So, that's how this all came about. Um, and then we put a survey out to the students. We had over 80 students submit questions. A lot of them didn't want to ask questions, but we had about 80 students that submitted questions, and I have two here that asked their question. I'll let them introduce themselves and what kind of experience it was for them. >> Hi, my name is Luxia Kan. I hope you're all having a great evening. Um, you can call me Lucky and um, I'm in ninth grade. I was one of the students who were chosen to ask astronaut Jack Hathaway question, which was a

042really exciting experience. Today, I'm here to talk about that. So, first off, um, I've been, uh, excited about this event for a long time, ever since my science teacher, Mrs. Itel, told me about it in science class. And here's a little bit about myself. Um, I've been interested in space science since middle school and aspired to become a space scientist one day. So that's why I found this event really exciting because it was like I actually get to talk into an astronaut who's in space on a live call and I was like this is amazing. So um yeah, I've been anticipating this event for a long time and then after um during the call I was able to ask him my question regarding um what experiments they are doing in the ISS and what he

043thinks about it. I asked him this because I wanted to know um what types of experiments they're performing as well as how it's helping the future missions into space. Um his response was regarding the 3D printing um experiments that they're conducting and how it was helping astronauts like make parts for them without having to um without having to um transport them from Earth. And I thought that was really cool because um I was learning how to make a 3D printed model in robotics club and I never thought to combine it with my interest with space. So, I thought that was a really cool opportunity and I really want to thank astronaut Jack Hathaway for spending this time to inspire students like me and thank all the adults involved in this um arranging this conference including

044Missel and all our amazing science teachers and I thought this was a really um motivating experience for helping students like us um uh inspire for the inspiring them for their future because it's crazy to think that how he used to be in my shoes at this very school and it was like really cool to meet him in person. Thank you. [applause] >> Good evening everyone. I'm Advoc Roshan. I'm an I'm a ninth grader in South Windsor High School. Also one of the other people who got to ask a question. So my experience with talking to Jack uh Mr. at the way. It was just a really memorable experience for me. Like when I got to know that uh me, Lucky, and several other people among 80 other students who volunteer for the exact same thing,

045which was to ask ask a question to him, I was I felt really good about myself. I mean, from the moment I got up from my chair to the moment where I asked him a question, I was like I was jumping in my pants. I like I didn't know what to feel in that moment. Like I was very nervous. And that's not even the best part. He literally he showed us a view of our planet from inside the ISS. I mean, you don't get you don't come across that very often and it was just it was very cool for me. And like so a takeaway from this is that it really boosted my confidence as a kid who was uh interested in science. And it and just the fact that he walked the very halls

046that I'm currently walking today, if it just shows that like if if if a guy like him can do something that great, it means like anyone can do it too. I can, you guys can. And so I would like to thank you all for this very wonderful opportunity and especially Missel because without her I wouldn't have gotten this wonderful opportunity. Have a good rest of your evening. >> [applause] [snorts] >> What did we Was there a video that was gonna play or >> Okay, >> this is one of the amazing individuals that made it all happen, by the way. So happy. Well, it's not every day or ever until today that students can get a live lesson from 250 miles above the Earth. That's exactly what students at South Windsor High School got the chance

047to do today, thanks to one of their own, South Windsor High graduate Jack Hathaway, calling in from the International Space Station. Fox 61 Selene Arif was there to capture the moment that was truly out of this world. >> My god. >> Hey, that was super impressive. Hi. Can you hear us? >> How's it going? >> Good. How are you? >> Yeah, we can hear you. >> Let me turn this up a little bit. >> All right. So, um, hi, my name is Danell Itel. Thank you so much for visiting today. Coming back to your alma mada. That's fantastic. So, um, we have, um, 13 ninth grade students that have, um, that are here ready to ask you some questions. We had over 80 students submit questions to you. Um, we also have Governor Lamont here

048to say a quick hello before we get started. Do you mind? >> No, absolutely. Let's do it. >> All right. >> Hey, Jack. My name is Ned Lamont. Uh, we are so proud of you. South Windsor High School is so proud of you. >> Speaking with students Tuesday to share what it takes. >> We're flying east at 17,500 mph >> to be a real life astronaut. Jack Hathaway is orbiting Earth aboard the International Space Station. After hearing about his trip, teachers reached out to NASA to connect with the hometown. >> Hi, Mr. Hathaway. I'm Cooper Sweeney and I was wondering if there are any uh changes or effects that have happened on your body or mind since being in space and how do those differ from those on the space station with you? Well, Cooper,

049uh, my body doesn't know which way is up. So, it's kind of interesting that, uh, being upside down like this feels just like it is when I'm sideways. Uh, and so the body has to learn how to adjust for that. And it takes a little bit of time. Like the first couple days are up here, uh, honestly, I had a little motion sickness as my body started to adapt. Uh, and the brain is really interesting. When you turn sideways and you stand on a wall, your brain now thinks the wall is the floor and it kind of creates a new room and a new picture in your mindset. Uh, so that's interesting to work through. >> Deb Field taught him back in the day here. Special doesn't begin to describe this moment for her >>

050to be one of the few teachers in the country to have actually taught an astronaut and be able to speak to him when he's in space. >> Hi Jack. I am probably the only only teacher left in the building who actually was here when you were here. And I just want to tell you how incredibly proud I am to be able to say that a student of mine is actually up in space. I am so so proud of you. >> Thanks, Mrs. Fields. Uh thank you in particular. Thanks to all the the uh the teachers out there. Uh all the students know this. Like teachers are inspirations to us. They help us learn. They teach us, help us find things that we're excited and inspired about. Uh, and they set us off on our on

051on the path of our lives. So, teaching is an incredible, incredible vocation, incredible calling, and uh, thanks to all of the teachers at South High, uh, and around the world that, uh, inspired me as a kid to be able to do what I'm doing now. >> Mission ends in the fall, and we wish him and his crew mates safe travels back to Earth in South Windsor. Selene, Fox 61. Did you guys have any questions for us? >> This was amazing. Um, do we have any questions, comments? Mr. Marks. >> Well, thank you. Um, first of all, thank you for doing this as students. You should feel really good about yourself. Um, I can't, this is probably the best experience I've had as a board member. Miss Corsy and I were both able to attend. So,

052I can't imagine how exciting this were was for the students. And I think beyond resonating beyond the halls and the auditorium that the students were sitting in, obviously we had Governor Lamont there and other state legislators and Governor Lamont posted on his social media. I've been at other events with him after the fact and he's mentioned this event specifically. >> Oh, that's awesome. >> Yeah. in addition to the enrollment challenges which is another topic obviously we'll discuss but at least we we're on their minds but thank you again and I hope students in the future will have this opportunity but again thank you for doing this >> yeah I'm hoping to I'm Heidi is my contact now I'mounding Heidi like this I want this to be a yearly thing right like right how awesome would

053that be >> need to keep graduating astronauts >> that's right [laughter] exactly right >> Mr. Armstrong >> briefly, could you just explain how all briefly how all this was set up? >> Yeah. So, um again, it was uh Haway went up to the ISS right around Valentine's Day. So, it was right around that same time that Miss Sullivan sent us an email saying, "Hey, there's a South Windsor grad up on the ISS." So, after I saw that, I was like, "We do a lot of space in ninth grade." So our whole beginning part, our whole first unit ends with uh the asteroid Apous smashing into Earth and trying to divert it. And then our whole fourth unit is about the formation of Earth. So it really links well with our our curriculum. So with that,

054I was like, and I love space and I saw my Kennedy space like I I'm passionate about it. So I was like, we have to have him come. And um it just everybody on board um once I filled out that application and Arnica helping me fill out that application, we had a couple of the teachers also filling it out, sending it and we had a really strong application. Like I'm like we can do this and this and yes and this and you know everything. I we nailed everything that they were looking for. So um it's really just filling out the application. Two weeks later I got an email from NASA back. doesn't happen every day. She was in my class when I got it. I'm like, "Oh my god, NASA just emailed me back." So,

055we got the email back from NASA. I responded to her and then within a week after that, um she's like, "All right, so give us our window." And they wanted it from like after school time period. I was like, "Uh, how about 11:30 to 1?" Apparently, we can tell NASA now what times. She's like, "Sure." And I'm like, "How about this one week?" She's like, "Sure." It might not work but and then you get a 25 minute window for Hathaway to come on. So that's why we had a PowerPoint beforehand because that's when the satellites are aligned. So the satellites are only aligned for 25 minutes because they go around the earth in one day. They go 15 times around the earth in one day. So they have to be aligned with the satellites. So

056that's why it was only a 25 minute session. Yep. So and it was a quick turnaround. Like all of a sudden she's her date. She gave it to us like a week and a half before um we were supposed to set it up. She's like, "Oh, he's ready now. Okay, this is what we're going to do." So, it was it was great. They were so great to work with. So nice. The week before we had a meeting with um Mr. Leroy, Miss Sullivan, um Scott Matchet, and myself to coordinate it all. And then we were in the auditorium and the school was just so supportive making everything happen and making sure we had teams on all our computers so we had the right location. So we figured out that the kids had to be in

057the auditorium but the kids asking a question it couldn't be because we can't have two teams. Like it was a lot of coordination and they did an amazing job. Yeah, it was great. So, I think one of the favorite things that I liked, first of all, that water that thing he did. I didn't see that. I was focusing on the questions and they're like, "Oh my god, he didn't you didn't even mention the water drop." I'm like, "I'm sorry." So, I didn't see that. But then the other thing he talked about was like he has to force his shoulders down. >> Like, I like that, right? Like he's like was forcing his shoulders down so he doesn't look awkward. I thought that was a pretty That's what I like that. And his face is all

058swollen and puffy. [laughter] Thought that was kind of cool, too. the effect on the body. >> Mrs. Manili. >> Yeah. Um, I want to thank you very much because it was very exciting. Even though I was able to attend the auditorium in South Windsor, they provided us a link. So, I teach in East Harford and so and it was my lunchtime. So, I I appreciate the 11:30 to 1:00 up, you know. Um, and it went past my lunch time. I only had 22 minutes, but but another story. So, I we I share with my students there. So, East Harford Middle School also got to experience the same thing. Nice. >> And they they they didn't believe that >> that person number one graduated from South Windsor High School. Number two, that he was really up

059in space. Like they they had no concept of of it at all. You know, they're they're seventh graders. They you know >> Yeah, it's definitely surreal. >> And so when he but when he did the bubble trick, I was trying to tape I was trying on my phone. I'm not whatever. So I it didn't really work. So I missed it. So I I got it this time. >> Oh, yeah. saw you taping it. Yeah. Smart. Good job. >> I'm going to go back and I'm going to show them. I'm like, look, that's the that's what I [laughter] thought was very exciting because, you know, somebody somebody did see it, but I didn't see I didn't believe it. But anyway, but thank you very much. And thank you to the staff and Mr. Mash and anybody

060else who allowed the link to go to all board members because I did appreciate that too. Thank you, >> Miss Yano. Um, this question is for our students. Um, having listened to um the astronaut speak and and this presentation and your um whole nth grade science curriculum up to this point, um are there any specific like science experiments or questions that you would like the answers to? Uh looking forward to your future both in South Windsor High School and any science classes that you take beyond. any experiments you would like to run, questions you want the answer to, hypothesises that you might have. >> Um, so for the science project, the science fair project coming up, um, this event really inspired me to like think more into like how I can relate space to everything

061more than just 3D printing, like what else I can do. And since the science fair for ours is about um climate change, I was trying to link my um interest with space with like climate change. And so my topic for the science fair is going to be about how satellites are burning up um in our atmosphere and that's like releasing like black carbon and how that's like bad for our environment. And so that's an question I want an answer. Is there is there possible to sustain satellites in our orbit without causing any um bad changes to our environment? And how can we continue to explore space by launching rockets without um harming our own planet? >> Thank you, Mr. Mackey. >> Uh for the science fair, just kind of going back if you could email

062Mrs. Wall, she can get us the like those dates so that we can just to at least to us. Thank you. I appreciate that. Uh is the presentation of that whole event on our website? So, we can all go anybody from the town can go and watch it. >> Yeah. Um Yes. And it's actually on the school website on the high school website as well and on the district. I think it's on both. Um if you just click on it, it does go it's um almost an hour long. Um if you go to it's longer than that. If you go to 57 minutes, that's when Hathaway comes on. Okay. >> There'll be stuff before that is my introduction, Mr. um Miss Davis's description of his um of the mission itself, and she talks about the

063patches, which is pretty cool. And then you'll hear Mr. Krauss talking about the experiments and you'll also hear um Mr. Lam Lamont come on and talk. So, it's the literally the whole thing, but he comes on at 57 minutes. >> Have you thought about getting him to come at graduation? >> Well, there was talk about him um getting inducted into the Hall of Fame, so hopefully we'll do that. Someone said um graduation, but we don't do guest speakers at graduation. Um, so um but someone was talking about the induction piece, so >> we'll see what we can do. >> Thank you. [laughter] >> His his his parents still live here, so >> Okay. All right. Thank you so much. Um, fun. Oh, Mr. Marks, >> I don't mean to double dip. I do have a

064question, though. Um, I don't talk that much during, so um, have you heard from anybody in your classes that have a newfound interest in aerospace engineering or being an astronaut or just in this topic in general because of this event that has inspired them? >> Um, we have a pretty motivated group of students to begin with for our honors. I teach three honors and three science twos science exploration. So we have really um high level motivated kids in our classes. I don't think anybody said anything specific. However, the Apous asteroid that I talked about that we end in our first unit, it's going to fly by in April of 2029, which is their senior year. So it's that interesting connection there. So we're hoping that we can do something their senior year in April to

065make sure that everybody's out there. Maybe that gives a little more inspiration, but no, no one specifically. No. >> All right. I just want to say thank you. Um, fun fact that in addition to women's sports, uh, NASA in space is a huge interest of mine. Um, and >> I play hockey. >> Nice. Okay. Okay. Um, I apparently have a deficit in my, uh, wardrobe. I do not have any NASA merch yet, but that's going to change. [laughter] And I had to be stopped to not bring my Mars rover uh Lego to put up here for tonight. But um just just saying that the third and that trifecta of my interests, Taylor Swift, if we can like work something out like dream. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. [laughter] But seriously, thank you so much. This was one

066of the coolest things that I had um been able to to attend at the school. Um I cried when Mrs. field came out and told him how proud she was and um it was cool. Afterwards, I went home because of course the Artemis 2 live stream had been streaming 247 for a week on my TV. Um to watch him have that the talk with the astronauts and just be able to talk across the univer the galaxy, the solar system. Um it was just so cool. So thank you for your work. And >> so Mrs. field that came out at the end. I was like, she told me actually it came out because I was looking through the yearbook that he graduated in 2000. And I was like, how am I going to end this, right?

067Like, how do you end a talk with the astronaut? So, I'm like, do I have all the kids turn on their phones? And I'm like, I don't want phones out, you know, to like look like space. And I was like, how do I end it? I'm like, oh my gosh. He said thank you to Mrs. Fields. And that was the only teacher that was left there. And I'm like, I'm going to ask Deb to see if she's like, of course. So, that's how that's how that came about. Like that's how you end it, right? You end with a thank you from the teacher that was here. >> Absolutely. That was incredible. All right, Dr. Carter. >> Um, yes. I just want to make a note. We've had two presentations tonight and we're I mentioned that

068next week is teacher appreciation week along with all of our staff. Um, but when you look at the passion that Mrs. tell has brought to this project. When you look at um what what coach Goslin has brought not only to her classroom but to the team that she brought here tonight um I think people have to remember it's their passion and their dedication that our students are benefiting from. And whenever we can show our appreciation for our teachers, I hope that the community will do so because this would not have happened without Mrs. Itel taking the initiative. Coach Goslin, we talked kids talked about um Jack Hathway having walked the halls that they walked. Well, Coach Goslin walked those halls as well and she serves as a role model today to all students and including

069um our young female athletes. So, um I just think it's a perfect metaphor that that these presentations to me remind us that when teachers go above and beyond, our kids are the benefactors of that. And I love that Jack Hathaway ended his piece with saying that teaching is a calling and that teachers inspire all future um careers. So whatever whatever teachers are doing, that's your future astronauts. That's your future space scientists. Um that's your future um WNBA player. So, um I I just I just want to thank our teachers and you two are representative tonight of just hundreds and hundreds of teachers in our system who do this hard work and great work every day. So, thank you. [applause] All right. >> Yeah. Okay. At this time, we call Mr. Soul to the podium. Thank

070you, Dr. Carter. Um, I'd like to say Dr. Carter, Superintendent of Schools, District Admin, Staff, Chairman Coresy, Board of Ed members, it's my pleasure this evening to present to you the K through2 health education curriculum for South Windsor schools. Our mission of health education in South Windsor is to provide a safe, healthy, and caring environment that maximizes the social, emotional, physical, and intellectual growth of young adolesccents. The curriculum is designed to motivate children and youth to maintain and improve their health, prevent disease, reduce health rellated risk behaviors, and develop and demonstrate health rellated knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices. to use a couple quotes um by Robert Urick and Richard Davidson. A healthy outside starts from the inside and the key to a healthy life is having a healthy mind. Our portrait of a graduate attributes

071come into play because as South Windsor public schools health education prepares students to maintain and improve their health, prevent disease, reduce risk um reduce health related risk behaviors and develop and demonstrate health rellated knowledge, attitudes, skills and practices to be productive members of global society. Um the way it incorporates those attributes into health and wellness is that students are engaged learners. They actively participate in making choices about what they learn, setting goals, measuring their progress, and communicating their learning to others. They demonstrate resilience and commit to physical and emotional wellness, including diet, exercise, responsible decision-making, and stress management. And they act with social consciousness to demonstrate kindness, compassion, empathy, and ethical behavior, and embrace the diversity of others as a strength, including thoughts, beliefs, and abilities. a feeling of empowerment to take initiative and self-direct

072their actions to solve problems and to use technology and media in a safe and respectful manner. Our [snorts] curriculum aligns with the health standards for the state of Connecticut which were um re- designed and updated in May of 2022. >> [clears throat] >> In addition, the national health standards were released in 2024 by Shape America, and this update represented a major shift from the long-standing 2007 standards, moving the focus from disease prevention toward a more holistic and health um and well-being approach. And the focus is on skill-based instruction and functional health information to help students navigate modern health challenges. It's a strength-based approach. Rather than focusing purely on risk factors, the standards encourage identifying individual and community assets that support health. It has a health literary focus which teaches students to verify digital claims and

073social and emotional learning, empathy, kindness, and self-efficacy. Learning to believe in yourself and goal set. And then of course in inclusivity and equity the standards that are most more inclusive of diverse cultures backgrounds and varying levels of access to health care. As we look at our elementary health students receive monthly health education through the year in grades K through five. Instruction is provided by PE and health teachers utilizing quaver education health curriculum which is aligned to the national standards utilized in the Connecticut healthy balanced and living curriculum framework. In the elementary [snorts] units, some of the topics that are discussed with children are general health, social behavior, responsible decision making, healthy practice and hygiene, mental health, healthy eating and nutrition, disease and illness prevention, safety and accident prevention, and substance abuse prevention. At Timothy Edwards

074Middle School, students receive health education for 15inute classes over 10 days through the year in grades six through eight. The instruction emphasizes knowledge as the basis for making healthy lifestyle decisions and these represent the units taught in each of the three grade levels at Timothy Edwards. In sixth grade, there's discussion about nicotine, recognizing and understanding and expressing emotions. Um, students do journaling and learn healthy ways to show that they care about a friend and others. They learn about heart rates, muscles, puberty, and HIV AIDS. At seventh grade, they're learning about short and long-term effects of alcohol, marijuana, and caffeine on the body, and how addiction can impact relationships. They're investigating and learning a variety of refusal skills and learning about physical changes and emotional impacts of puberty as well as HIV and AIDS education. And

075then in eighth grade, they're learning short and long-term effects of alcohol, nicotine, including vaping, opioids, club drugs, and steroids, and how to make safe, informed decisions. They're building skills and recognizing peer pressure, resisting risky behaviors, and seeking help when needed with a focus on real life situations and practical decision- making. And we're trying to empower students to take care of their health and support a safe and drug-free lifestyle. >> [clears throat] >> There's also a new wellness component and that is in conjunction with family and consumer science using national standards for food production, nutrition, and wellness. And at Timothy Edwards Middle School, students receive wellness education is collaborated with the career and tech ed department and all our health teachers are certified American Heart instructors. So students in sixth grade wellness also receive infant, child,

076and CPR AED steps. Students in seventh grade wellness are introduced to essential first aid skills needed to respond to an emergency. And students in eighth grade wellness are also trained in the skills needed to perform CPR and AED and can become certified through the American Heart Association. These represent the wellness units in grade six at Timothy Edwards. In the first unit, as I mentioned, infant and child CPR and AED and responding to emergencies. Then there's a laundry project that students learn how to sort clothes, read care labels, and do laundry properly. And this project helps them build independence and responsibility. There's time management, learning how to prioritize tasks and to avoid procrastination and to create balance in their schedules. Communication, developing important life skills by practicing listening and speaking and working with others. And the

077lessons focus on respect, teamwork, and expressing themselves in healthy ways. And then finally, the nutrition and cooking of packaged foods. And learning how to read these food labels, make healthier food choices, prepare simple packaged foods safely, and helps them build confidence in the kitchen and understand how nutrition impacts their health. in seventh grade, the two main larger units. Again, they're learning first aid. Um, having hands-on practice and gaining confidence and recognizing emergencies and helping someone who's choking as a first responder until professional medical help arrives. And then there's also the cooking component where they learn the basics of food preparation, kitchen safety and nutrition, learning how to follow recipes and mix ingredients correctly. Um students practice teamwork and problem solving while preparing these meals and snacks. And also they learn about healthy eating and meal

078planning and proper food handling. And by the end of the course, the hope is that students gain confidence in the cooking skills and understand the importance of making balanced food choices in everyday life. And then finally in eighth grade as previously mentioned adult CPR and a day um students learn those skills and have an opportunity um to get certified and then there's a nutrition and cooking component also where again they're learning kitchen safety, cooking skills, basic nutrition, preparing recipes, getting that confidence through teamwork and understanding importance of smart food choices with the hope that by the end of the class students have developed those practical skills they can use at home and carry with them into the future. At the high school, students are required to earn one credit um in the area of health

079to meet Connecticut State and South Windsor High School graduation requirements. Students take two half a credit health classes in their high school career that each meet five times every two weeks for one semester. One of the classes is health one which is required and the other can be an elective. All South Windsor High School health teachers have been trained by the American Red Cross as instructors in CPRED and first aid. Health one is a one semester halfacredit course required of all freshman students and the instruction includes detailed information that allows students to make informed decisions on topics such as wellness both all physical, social and emotional health as well as environmental, spiritual and intellectual health. Nutrition recognizing signs of depression, suicide prevention and stress management. preventing teen dating violence and promoting healthy relationships, legal and

080illegal drugs and substance abuse and addiction, human growth and development, and of course the introduction to CPR, EED, and first aid skills. Additionally, we have four one semester halfcredit elective courses offered to sophomores, juniors, and seniors to fulfill that one credit health requirement. And these four elective classes include family living and healthy relationships, basic life support for health care providers, health too, and sports medicine. We're going to take a brief look at each one of these in family living and healthy relationships. This is an elective course, as I mentioned, for 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students designed to help students clarify the responsibilities of becoming future parents. Students study characteristics of healthy relationships and the different makeup of families. They'll navigate the complexities of their personal identity, interpersonal dynamics, and the biological and emotional journey

081of starting a family. It moves from the internal, your own health and values to the external, how you interact with others and care for the next generation. And the course covers topics such as fetal development, fertility, prenatal care, birth, the stages of child development, and the impact of effective and ineffective parenting on child development. Our basic life support for healthcare providers um is also an elective students can choose and it's applicable to the careers in safety and emergency care including but not limited to um being an EMT, police, firemen, athletic training, the military, child care or lifeguarding. Students are trained in both the cognitive and practical skills curriculum of the American Red Cross. advanced CPR and AED training for adults, children, and infants. In addition, students will be trained in the American Red Cross basic

082first aid skills along with the addition of several advanced first aid techniques and skills. And upon completion of the required written and skills exams, students have the opportunity to get certified in BLS for healthc care providers. Our health 2 class um is an elective that the foundation of the course is based on student self-reflection, identification, and directed self-improvement. Some of the topics include personal wellness as it relates to nutrition, controllable diseases, diabetes, obesity, circulatory and heart disease, respiratory diseases, and hypertension. And other topics include post-secary educational opportunities, self-belief and motivation, decisionmaking, public speaking and interviewing skills, management, communication, mindfulness, current events and their impact on our lives, family living, and basic personal finance. Our sports medicine class elective um is related to careers like athletic trainer, physical therapists, sports psychologists, exercise physiologists, etc. and organizational

083and administrative considerations um surrounding sports medicine, prevention of athletic injuries, including recognition, evaluation, and immediate care of athletic injuries. um learning how some taping and wrapping techniques, therapeutic modalities, and therapeutic exercise. And a few times a semester, our athletic trainer will come in and work with the teacher. Um that's our full-time athletic trainer, um Sarah Robinson, and she'll come in and and help and assist the teacher and these techniques with students, showing them the correct way to do this, our first aid, CPR, and AED applications and emergency procedures. And then of course nutrition, human anatomy, physiology, sports psychology, and fitness training. So the question is where do we go from here? Well, our program goals are to use our department meetings, PLC and PD time to continue having discussions about how we can improve curriculum

084and instruction to meet all our student needs. And how can we motivate students to maintain and improve their health, prevent disease, reduce health rellated risk behaviors, and develop and demonstrate health rellated knowledge, attitude, skills, and practices. And our next steps are to continue migrating our district health curriculum into the Edup Planet online platform. And then of course to try to ensure that South Windsor High School health education electives continue to reflect the needs of our student population andor the career pathway model in the field of allied health. Thank you. At this time, I'll take questions. >> Thank you so much. And questions from the board. Mr. Armstrong. Yeah, you mentioned early on about the the uh national health education standards being revised with a new outlook to them. Could you act could you just explain

085a little more how what what how what is the new outlook and how would it impact what teachers and kids are doing in South Windsor? >> Yeah, absolutely. Um with the old standards, it was more of a contentbased knowledge teaching kids about the different aspects of health. Um, it's moved towards more of a skill-based approach. Teaching K kids skills necessary to make those important decisions to improve their wellness and health to improve their physical health, their social health, the way they relate to others and understand their feelings. Um, and then of course their their mental emotional health. >> So that basic basically it's more of a it's more of a skill skills based approach. >> Yes. Yeah. >> Thank you. >> Yep. Thank you, Miss Manily. >> Hi. Thank you. Uh Mr. Sulie, um I

086just had a quick question. Um the health two and the sports medicine, is there any reason why it's not offered to the 10th graders? >> Um just because with with the way the schedule is right now, there's more advanced um topics taught than that. And we want kids to at least in biology get in get introduced to biology at the high school level before they start learning anatomy and physiology um because there are strong components of that in that class. >> Thank you. >> Yeah, >> Mr. Marks. >> Uh [clears throat] thank you for the presentation. Um I don't know what is this page eight? Yeah, I think it's page eight. Uh it says students receive health education for 15-minute classes over 10 days. So the 10 days is spread out throughout the entire year

087in grades six through eight. >> No, it's actually like in one segment. Um, so they're in physical education, they stop and they do the 10 classes over a period of time and then they go back to physical education as part of that >> because I remember maybe I'm my memory is not serving me well, but I remember when I was in middle school, we'd through grades six through eight, an entire trimester would be dedicated and we'd have health classes four days a week. So why the change there? >> Um I mean it's just the time constraint with the other classes and courses kids are taking, the way the schedule works out in the particular school. Um we'd love for kids to have more health. We'd love for kids to have more physical education, but there's

088always that balance of the well-rounded education and at some point there's decisions that are made. >> Yeah. Okay, that makes sense. And uh my second question is uh are you going to come and present to us about physical education as well um at some point or can you do that for us? >> Yeah, that's um in two years I believe. >> Oh, I believe it is. Yeah, >> we split physical education and health. So they're on different rotations. So I believe Mr. Statul is correct. In two years you'll see the PE um curriculum review. >> Thank you. And I guess uh my final question, comment and question, but I think tonight we heard a lot about the importance of the arts and athletics and STEM and protecting those. Um and hopefully the council will recognize

089the importance of doing that in their budget vote in a couple weeks or next week. Um but I will continue the tradition. I I asked it to our language arts curriculum specialist last month. Um and I'll I'll ask you the same question. when Mary Zimmerman was on the board, he had a great question about what can you know what can we do for you if money was no object. What do you need from us? What do you need in the budget process? So, I guess I I'll pose that question to you. >> Yeah. Um specifically as far as, you know, purchasing things for the departments. Um not in that capacity, more so in the capacity of if there's a way we can offer children more opportunity to get more uh health classes and things like

090that. I think it's very important for you know that well-rounded wellness that we talked about which includes their social, emotional and physical health. Um especially you know when we went through COVID we all understand the impact that that had on people's social emotional health and learning and I think that's a big component now in education that we want to focus on to make sure that we're addressing that and I think health is a great way to do that. So >> thank you and thank you for all the work you're doing in our schools. Absolutely. >> Thank you, Mr. Mackey. >> Hi. I I just wanted to start off by saying that the healthy relationships class is actually probably the first class that I took uh that made me want to go on to be a

091health and PE teacher myself. So, um I I really it was a little bit different than it is now, but that was one of the classes that made me think of something that I could that I could do with something that would I could be active in doing things like that. So, I think that's really really important. Um, some of to follow up with Mr. Armstrong, some of the skills in what he's referring to would be like communication, advocacy, self-management, uh, uh, influences. I only know this right now because I went over them all today specifically, but um, it it is definitely a different approach than it used to be. Um, and I think technology has had has had an influence in that and why people why we kind of switch to that because the

092kids need to learn those skills and how to find that information. So that was that's part of the skill stuff. Um how how long do the elementary kids spend on the like in PE class? Is it once a week? Is it >> Yeah. So they get once a week for 40 minutes in elementary. >> Okay. >> Is fizzed. >> And under my understanding is that now the the the PE teacher teaches the health part, but it used to be where the classroom teacher taught health. >> That's correct. >> So does that mean our kids that normally had PE class that day no longer have PE that week because they had to learn health that day? No. Um, health is kind of it's part of the physical education class with the teacher. Um, so they get

093that the first time they meet for that month as as you pointed out they meet once a week for a month >> and that first class they get a health component and the teacher kind of reiterates that health component throughout the month. it's like the topic of the month and um reiterates that in their physical education classes reminding them about nutrition if nutrition happened to be the topic throughout that month reminding them of you know safety and things like that if that was the topic >> so if the new program sorry I don't know the is it quaver is that how you say it yes health that's all if I'm again not mistaken that's 100% interactive online right >> yes >> so do our do our PE teachers who don't usually probably do things like

094that have technology in their gyms or are they going in the classroom? >> Yeah, they're able to put it up on the wall for kids to see and play the video and and let the let the students watch it and then speak about it um and have them see the interactive video that way. >> Okay. Um thank you. The in high in the high school, which out of those elective classes, is there one that's way more popular than the other from the students side of it? >> That's a good question. Um we get a lot of kids that take the basic life-saving course, the BLS. a lot of kids that gravitate towards the sports medicine Yeah. >> course. I'd say those are probably two of the more popular electives. >> Do we ever have to

095do we turn some of them they have to can they not get into it? >> Um that's a good question. Um I'm not quite sure about that. I think we've always been able to accommodate that pretty well the way we break it up because what we do is um part of my position is to look at the total kids that enroll in a class >> like sports medicine and then figure out how many sections of that we need to stay 24 students or less in each section. >> So that's part of what I have to do. Um so sometimes we might like I'll give you an example. I think next year we're going to have three sections of sports medicine. We only had two sections this year. So, we increase that and there's a drop

096off in other ones and we'll reduce that and balance it for the eight teachers we have at the high school. >> How many teachers do you uh supervise like through the whole district? >> 16. And I know at the elementary level we have teachers that travel and they go from different schools. >> Is that >> I'm I hated doing that as a teacher. Uh is that um does it bring any concerns? I would imagine there's some scheduling things that maybe is more involved with the principles of each school, but is there a concern on your end in in in the amount of staff you have and try to get to every kid that we have? >> Well, ideally, I mean, you'd like to have one full-time elementary teacher at each of the elementary schools that

097stays at that school as you pointed out. >> Um, but I think we're in a very good position at the middle school and the high school with the number of teachers we have. We have seven at the middle school and eight at the high school. So, we've been able to accommodate the schedule and make sure that, you know, everything's covered. >> Okay. Thank you. And as full-time AD and you're the specialist, how much of your time do you think is split between the two of those? It's uh it's back and forth, [laughter] you know. Um it's, you know, pretty close to 5050, I would say, or, you know, between the two, >> but um there's different periods of time where you got to attend more to one than the other and shift back and forth.

098>> This is probably not the the year for us to try to put in a full-time athletic director that is not a curriculum specialist, but it's probably something that would benefit our school district uh down the line. But we'll bring that up. Um, and the and uh the last thing I'm going to bring up is going through this as and somebody who teaches this. I was a little surprised that in the middle school units that we don't use the word or teach about mental health. Um, I maybe I'm looking at semantics here and and I know I talked to Chairwoman Corsy about this a little bit, but it it seems that we're missing something if I'm being honest uh in that area. And I know that there's probably things that we are embedding. I know

099we talked you wrote mental health in elementary, which is fine. And in uh the high school, it talked about um social health and and and physical health, social health, emotional health. But in that middle school, >> no mention of mental health in any way. And all I'm just going to give is kind of my personal opinion here is that that is where I personally can get my my class to really open up the most. It's the kids where they're starting to learn not only who they are, but as their bodies are changing and their hormones are are they're going through the biggest change that they've had in quite some time that it it seems like something we're missing. Um and and maybe it's just intertwined here somewhere. But I do think if I as a

100parent who could find this somewhere, I would I would feel more comfortable uh seeing that we are at least talking about those things and coping strategies, who they could talk to, trusted adults, and I'm hoping that some of that thing uh is is brought up and taught somewhere because like Mr. Mark said, I I think that we should be having more health than we currently have. I guess that maybe is a discussion for a different day, but I don't know that's that. Thank you for your questions. I mean, my your answer is >> there. There definitely is some discussion in the middle school with emotional health. Um you refer to it as mental health. They're interchangeable mental or emotional health. Um having kids understand their feelings in the journaling that they do. >> So a

101lot of the journaling is expressing how they're feeling, how they're handling anxiety or stress, um who they can go to when they feel that way, what uh school resources are available to them. So that that is all part. >> Thank you. >> You're welcome, >> Mr. Armstrong. Do students in South Windsor at any level have discussion lessons on gender and gender identity? >> Um, we haven't included that in our health curriculum up to this point. Um, >> thank you. >> Yeah, just an appreciation for differences at this point, but not specifically getting into >> Thank you. >> All right. Any other question? Oh, Miss Yoay. >> Um, and this is going back to Mr. Mackey's point. Um you have um first aid skills listed in a number of different sections um kind of across the

102different age ranges and schools. Um, in my professional life, um, I'm certified in youth mental health first aid. And I guess I'm I'm curious to see if integrating mental health first aid specifically is something that could be tied into the first aid skills more generally, particularly as um, as has been stated before, more health support and more mental health support specifically is so deeply needed for our students and our young people. Um and as we un unfortunately uh uh don't have um unlimited resources trying to find ways to uh more deeply integrate some of those uh skills and supports and education. >> Absolutely. >> All right. >> Um just as a parent I want to thank I think the health program has helped tremendously. I think you guys do a great job with informing parents

103ahead of time what the kids are going to learn at school so we can have those discussions at home because they definitely bring those questions at home what they're learning and sometimes you're prepared to have those conversations and sometimes you're not. Uh and I've definitely enjoyed the laundry and cooking classes that they've had at middle school because that has that week was amazing at my household. So I just wanted to hear that. >> All right. Thank you so much for your presentation, Miss Peterson. >> Just just as a point of information, after a department presents their curriculum review, the next two years are spent updating their curriculum. So the purpose of the review is kind of look at where we are and um so for the next two years, the health curriculum will be looked

104at to update. So some of your suggestions, there'll definitely be an opportunity to integrate those into our next steps. >> Thank you. I guess Mrs. Peterson, is it okay if I ask you a quick question? I'm just curious because I know it seems like there's a lot of um agreement that the more health the better that we can get for our kids. Um how is it decided kind of the amount of time that kids spend in health classes? Is this um mandate? So, it's different at every level. So at the elementary level, I don't want to quote the exact amount of time because I I don't remember, but there are specific guidelines that we follow, but to your question about the middle school, part of the challenge at the middle school are the numbers. So

105the way encore works that it's offset by music and then some of our other encore classes. So Mrs. Irwin several years ago to balance having really large numbers of middle schoolers in the gym. Um, integrated came up with this idea of balancing off some of the PE with the help so to reduce the number of middle schoolers as our middle school continues to grow so that they aren't managing hundreds of middle schoolers um during the PEPS. >> Okay. Thank you so much. All right. Thank you for your time, for your presentation. Thank you. >> And Dr. Carter, back to you. >> You know, I'll just take a a moment um I guess sound the alarm, which I rarely ever do, and I'm going to probably keep doing it. Um I'm listening to your questions, adding

106an administrator, um and all the resources that people are looking for, and I'm just concerned that our community may not be aware of the trajectory that we're on. Um, you know, I I heard uh about the electives that kids are wanting to take in the health program, but thinking about the electives in all of our content areas at the high at the high school, including those associated with STEM and the presentation we saw tonight, and I I'm worried that there will be a quiet unraveling that people may not recognize until it's too late, which is eventually those teachers are going to stop teaching those electives and teach just the mandated graduation requirements um if we can't get the staffing levels that we need to be able to offer the electives. And that is something that's

107going to happen slowly and maybe not as dramatically as people might recognize. And then one day we're going to have parents saying, "Wait a minute, my older children or my friend's children had these opportunities. Where are they?" So, um you know, we the high school had asked for four um teachers this year. As you know, I was only able to move one forward. Um although I support all four. Um and then as you know, the board was able to increase the budget um to add social studies. I think I'll just be candid. I don't see that moving forward based on what we're hearing. Um and so I just hope that people recognize that there the slow erosion. And I talked about erosion alley um in my presentation and I worry that the slow erosion um

108is not going to sound the alarm and then suddenly people are going to be very surprised at where we landed. So um those of you who've known me a long time, it was very rare for me to speak like that. I usually feel we'll figure it out, we'll figure it out, but eventually there's no figuring it out. Eventually we just don't we're not keeping pace with enrollment. So, I'm just putting that out there because I know that people hear about these electives and and we saw the impact these um programs can have on kids tonight and I don't think people realize the trajectory that we're on if we don't start finding a way to keep pace with enrollment. This problem isn't forever. Um eventually we will plateau in our enrollment. Um but right now that

109is just not the case. Um and it it is the case at K5. It is not the case at the middle school and it's certainly not the case at the high school. So, I'm just going to keep reiterating my concerns um and uh and just make sure we're all kind of paying attention to this because I do think unfortunately the erosion is going to happen in small ways and then they're going to pile up to be a big way. I know that's not the most positive way to move on to the next topic um which is capital projects which is also not going to be a um a positive story. So um we'll be hearing about why why we're financially strapped in capital projects. Um but and and just so board members are aware that

110this or the public um we had board members uh request just to do an overview of like how capital projects works because for some board members they're they're new to it and they may not be familiar. So this isn't meant to be a discussion on our current capital asks but it's meant to be a highle overview of how the capital projects committee works um and what kinds of things get funded through that process. So with that I'll turn things over to Mrs. Marker. Thank you, Dr. Carter. Good evening, Chairwoman Corsy and members of the board of board of education. In your packet tonight is a memo outlining the process used to identify, evaluate, and prioritize capital impro capital improvement projects. I'll provide a brief overview of that process this evening. Each year, as part of

111the budget budget process, school and district leaders meet with the director of facilities to review building needs and identify potential facility projects in their buildings. In addition, um any urgent issues that do arise throughout the year are addressed along as um as they are needed. The director of facilities evaluates these requests to determine whether they can be managed within the operating budget or require capital funding. For larger projects, cost estimates are developed and in some cases work may require a multi-year phase funding request. Project prioritization is a collaborative process involving district leadership and it's also informed by a rolling five-year capital plan maintained by the director of facilities. This plan anticipates the replacement of equipment and building systems based on their expected lifespan and those needs are incorporated into the overall list of capital requests.

112All capital projects are then incorporated into a broader plan and coordinator coordinated with the town through the capital projects committee to align school and municipal needs into a single plan for the community. Capital projects are funded through the town's capital improvement fund. While there is a baseline level of annual funding, available resources do not fully cover all identified needs. As a result, departments are generally asked to submit only their highest priority projects each year. At this time, identified capital needs total approximately 36 million over the next five years. For fiscal year 2027, about $5.3 million in projects were identified with approximately 3.6 million representing the top priorities which align with the current funding level. Projects beyond this level are typically deferred to future years or considered as part of future funding discussions. That concludes my

113report. >> Thank you so much. Are there any questions for Mr. Marka? All right, moving on. Dr. Carter. Oh, Mr. >> I just wanted to say one thing really quickly, just so the public knows. Myself, uh, Mr. Marks, and Mr. Nettles are all on that uh, as representatives from the board. Uh, there are certain town council members that are on it um, and town employees that are that present. But I I do think it's really important because to be honest, until I got on this, I didn't really pay much attention to it. I I know Mr. Caldwell has some experience with it as well. But m uh, Mrs. Chamurka and uh, Mr. Crowley are have been constant uh resources for all of us that that are there because we have been here relatively new and

114don't know the history but they are full of knowledge that are constant representatives of the board of ed and to be honest without those two people there uh I think our the board would be in in a tougher spot. So I think it's really really important that we've been able to have you guys uh both there representing and have the knowledge and especially as people at the town come and go a lot frequently very frequently having you there has been uh a resource for us that are are relatively new to the process. Thank you. >> All right Dr. Carter um and we're back with Murka. >> Thank you again. Uh so on an annual basis, the United States Environmental Protection Agency requires school districts to evaluate their school buildings using criteria outlined in the AY's

115indoor air quality tools for schools program. This is not a new program. This has been going on for many years. The component that is new, however, which started last year, is requiring um for requiring us to inform the board of board of education that the annual report for each school has been completed and the checklists have been posted to the district's website. They are under the facilities tab if you're looking for them. And therefore, this evening, we are just informing you that those are there and that the checklists have been done. >> Thank you so much. >> Okay. Um then at this time I turn things over to Mrs. Peterson. >> Good evening again board members. Um included in your packet this evening, there is a memo recommending a new textbook change for the 2026

1162027 school year for our early college experience course that we um articulate with Yukon. It's a new textbook that they have recommended replacing an older outdated textbook. So, if anyone is interested, I have a copy here. If you'd like to see a copy and if you'd like a personal copy, please contact me and I will make sure that you have a copy. Thank you. Thank you so much. >> Okay, this time I turn things over to Dr. Sansza. >> Thank you, Dr. Carter. Good evening, Chair Corsy and members of the board. This evening, I'm sharing four resignations that I have received. Each of the resignations will take effect at the end of this school year. And that'll conclude my report for this evening. >> Thank you. >> All right. Um, so we have several board

117policies to approve for each policy. I will ask uh members for a motion and then ask for any questions or discussion and we will vote on each policy individually. Mr. Armstrong >> uh move to approve board of education policy 502 student discipline student discipline as presented. >> Second. >> And is there any questions or discussion? All right. All in favor? >> Any opposed? abstensions and that passes and Mr. Caldwell. >> Yes. Move to approve board of education policy number 50008 confidentiality and access to student records as presented. >> Second. >> Any discussion or questions? Seeing none, all in favor? >> Any opposed or abstensions? Thank you. And Mr. Mackey >> move to approve board of ed policy number 601A curriculum exemptions as presented >> any questions all right in favor >> any abstensions or any

118opposed thank you and Mrs. Manily >> move to approve board of ed policy 6022 parental access to instructional material as presented. >> Any questions? Mr. Marks, >> just quickly uh it mentions that the board shall post the objectives in so scope and sequence. How specific is that? >> Oh, sorry, Miss Peterson. [laughter] >> So, in my little colleague colleague group, there's been a lot of conversation about specifically what that means. It's typically vague as per the state. Um, so if you were to go on our website now, we currently have specifically all of our 612 courses have abstract course overviews and unit course descriptions with which give a general scope and sequence for the course. Many of our elementary content areas are up there, but our goal this summer is to have all of the

119elementary courses available as well, but it's under uh the curriculum link and it's called our curriculum blueprint for anyone who would like to see. >> So hopefully it'll just be very high level, right? >> Yes, absolutely. >> Thank you. >> All right. Thank you. And all in favor for what are we on policy 622? Any opposed? Great. All right, we've got through that. Um, do we have any committee reports from board members, Miss Ch? >> Yeah. Hi. Uh, this past Friday, uh, I met with the technology or we had the technology committee meeting, uh, that they do quarterly. That was my first time attending the meeting and it was a great experience to sit in the room with all the teachers from um, elementary school, middle school, high school that are part of this committee.

120uh and we talked over the strategic plan, technology plan for the district um going forward um and we went through uh the plan, what works, what we would like to see added uh and um what doesn't work. So I think the input from all the teachers from the classroom and what they need you know what would they like to see having the conversation we kind of broke into little groups and had conversations and I think that was very enlightening um to see and it's a great group of people who work really hard to make sure our district has what we need technology-wise. So that was that was really good >> and clearly if we're talking to astronauts we're doing a pretty good job. [laughter] All right, thank you. And it looks like that is it

121for committee reports. Um I am not seeing anyone from the public for our second hearing of visitors. Um do we have any items for future agenda? Mr. Armstrong? >> Yeah, just a maybe a question. I I don't on the recently or very recently passed legislation on cell phones in the classroom. Just a question. Would will this have an impa impact on South Windsor? >> Yes, it will. And depending on what the final wording is of the legislation that will that will impact um in terms of how it gets communicated. I mean, right now um the high school certainly has a what I'll call a practice, not a policy. Um, and so I'm not thinking that the transition um will be significant for the district except that um there may be some parents who are not

122I think we have some parents who aren't a fan of of this, but it will become law and we will need to be following the law if if and when it becomes law and what the final language is. So certainly once this session's over and the dust settles, uh we will be having a conversation about what what what messaging needs to happen for parents, what messaging needs to happen for kids, what messaging needs to happen for teachers. Um so once this is official and and um and we have the the correct language, uh we will be able to move forward. >> Thank you, >> Mr. Caldwell. >> You know, it looks like it's it's probably going to become law, but do we know what kind of budget impact that's going to be? No, I wouldn't

123be prepared to put a dollar figure on in the enforcement piece of it if that's what you're asking in terms of like do you need more staff or how are you going to enforce it? So, um you know certainly um there are districts that have spent a lot of money on say like things like yonder pouches and things like this. Um the difference with this is that if every school is now following the same law um it does create some consistency I guess across the state. Um and the expectations will be clear and it won't just be because your local board said so. It'll be because it's law and this is what the law is. Um, I, you know, I haven't talked with the police department about this and, um, you know, it'll be interesting

124to see what cases come up over time, um, now that this is a law. Um, so that'll be interesting, too. But we've, um, I mean, to be candid, we're we're pretty focused on the current fiscal concern. Um, so we haven't even run numbers on on what that could do. Um because we're we're already pretty worried about the problems we have in front of us already. >> Mr. Marks. >> Yeah, I can maybe add some helpful context. The bill itself obviously not our our budget or our hot trackbook, but it didn't include a fiscal note and there's no mandate. I know there are a lot of complaints about mandates uh sometimes un unfounded, but specifically there's no mandate for whatever storage procedure or method that schools use. So, the state is not requiring us to purchase

1255,000 yander pouches or or whatever. Um, and my assumption is as usual, our central office will minimize the cost while still enforcing the policy as appropriate. So, hopefully that's helpful. >> All right. Thank you. I'm sure we will see this on a future agenda. [laughter] Can I have a motion to adjourn? Second. >> All in favor? >> Have a great night, everybody.