May 18 - Orange Board of Education - Regular Meeting - Town of Orange, CT Live Meetings

001All right. Good evening everyone. I'd like to call the Monday, May 18th, 2026 Board of Education meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. Um, can we all stand for the pledge of allegiance? >> I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Okay. Tatiana, will you please read our mission statement? >> Yes. >> The Orange Elementary School District recognizes that the education of each child is a shared responsibility of every member of our community. Our goal is to inspire and empower each student to achieve academic excellence, embrace social and individual responsibility, and lead with integrity. We believe all individuals should be valued and treated with respect. Together, we will make a difference. >> Thank

002you for that. Uh we'll move over into our board introductions. Uh we will let's start with Lauren. >> Good evening and welcome everybody. I'm Lauren Gray. >> Hi everybody. Anthony Scarenzy, >> Aaron Wilson, welcome. >> Hi, Susan Rickio. >> Good evening. Betty Hadlock, >> Jeff Cap. >> Good evening everyone. Tatiana Msina Mullen. >> Good evening. Ken Zimman. >> Hi everyone. Ranette James, Amanda Zapatka. >> Okay, thank you for that. Uh tonight we'd like to uh begin by honoring the uh students for receiving the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendent Certificate of Excellence. At this time, I'd like to ask Dr. Scorpedi to come to the podium. >> I'm going to sit here if that's okay, Mr. C, for for a second. So again, welcome everyone. Um nothing against my board members, but this is my

003favorite board meeting compared to all the other board meetings. And why is because we honor our students. Um when I met with your children, it was an interesting piece. So typically what I do, I try to scare them a little bit of saying calling them down to the office, playing a little game with them, try to be straightfaced and say, "Why are you here? What happened?" You know, trying to set them up a little bit. Some laughed, you know, some were like, "Oh my gosh, what did I do?" But we soon the principles come to their aid real quick and saying, "No, it's all good stuff." And this is excellent stuff. And with that being said, it was very very diff difficult for your teachers to choose one student from their class because many of

004them meet this expectation. And just to let the parents know, this is based on community service, service to others, academic prowess, but it's about their own ability, which I think is important. It's not about getting the best that you could that the highest in the class. it's to your ability that you're meeting your needs and you're creating rigor within yourself and pushing yourself to your own limits. And the last is leadership service to the school community. So again, parents and grandparents, I welcome you on this special occasion. Um, and I'm going to ask Mrs. Lasso to begin. >> Good evening. It's so great to see so many of you here, students and families, to support your students. It's hard to believe they're in sixth grade already. for me and I'm sure for you as well.

005Um I echo Dr. Scarpetti's remarks that this is one of the best nights. Um anytime we can honor publicly our students, it's just a great evening or a great day when we get to do that. So I'm going to start. Um I was debating if I wanted to have them come and stand up here next to me. So maybe I'll give you the option. I don't want anyone to be uncomfortable. If you would like to come and stand up next to me, you may while I read about you and brag about you. or you could wait to the end and then come on up and I will give you your certificate. I'm going to let you choose. Okay, we are going to start with George Jasser. [applause] All right, George. Okay, [applause] George Jasser is

006a well-rounded and compassionate young man who consistently stands out as both a strong student and an active member of our school community. His creativity, leadership, and willingness to help others make him a valued member of the Peekplace School community. Throughout his time at Pek, George has embraced numerous leadership opportunities. He has served on the student council, volunteered as an art helper, participated in the LEAP program, and many more. He has also been a dedicated member of the Peplace band for several years. How many years, George? Two. >> Two years. Outside the classroom, George has remained highly involved in extracurricular activities and this goes to the community service community service that Dr. Scarpetti spoke of. For the past five years, he has participated in Orange youth basketball league. He has also played with the AMD flag

007football team. George additionally took part in the school production of Nemo where he earned a speaking role and he enjoys participating in various clubs that allowed him to explore his interests and talents. Service to the community is important to George. Through his church, he volunteers both as an altar server and at fundraising events throughout the year. He also volunteers with the Dragonboat Riata team. In his spare time, and we can believe all of this could be said for all of our students. They have spare time. It's hard to imagine that. In his spare time, George enjoys free drawing and working with 3D printing. Looking ahead, he hopes to join the AMSO Robotics Club and eventually pursue a career in engineering. Congratulations, George. [applause] >> Oh, George, we're going to take a picture. >> [applause] >>

008Next up, Anthony Lombardi. [applause] Ready? Anthony, a sixth grader at the Peekplace School in Orange, is known for his strong work ethic, respectful attitude, and enthusiasm for both school and community activities. At Peplace, Anthony has taken on several leadership roles, including serving as a student council representative, working as a bus monitor, and helping with the planning and opening of the school store, a new initiative this year. Over the years, he has earned multiple awards recognizing both his academic achievement and the positive character that he consistently demonstrates. He is also dedicated participant in the LEAP program. Beyond school, Anthony gives back to the community through volunteer work with the Orange Country Fair, food service, the Teamsters local 443 toy drive, and the Amity High School soccer program where he serves as a ball boy. Athletics are

009another important part of Anony's life. He currently participates in the AMD on the AMD soccer team, the Orangeman basketball team, and the Pop Warner football team. In his free time, he enjoys watching and playing sports. I sense a theme here, as well as spending time playing video games. Anthony has set ambitious goals for his future. He hopes to become captain of the high school varsity soccer team, to continue achieving honoral and scholar athlete status, and one day work as an ESPN analyst while hopefully earning enough to retire young. Congratulations, Anthony. [applause] Congrats, [applause] >> Tanvi. Muuala. [applause] Tanvi, another sixth grader at the Peekplay School, is a highly motivated student whose dedication to excellence is evident in everything she does both inside and outside the classroom. As an active member of our student council, Tomv

010demonstrated strong leadership among her peers. She has helped organize fundraising efforts supporting veterans with disabilities and has assisted with planning the PCP school senior prom for the past two years. In her role as bus monitor, she also serves as a positive role model for younger students, helping kindergarteners on bus 77 feel safe and welcomed each day. Tomy's commitment to service extends into the larger community as well. Through her local temple, she has helped create and distribute blankets for the homeless. She has also participated in food, toy, and pet supply drives through the student council initiatives. Academically, Tan Tanvi has consistently been recognized for both achievement and character. Her accomplishments include earning pause awards, excelling in spelling bees, and competing on the Battle of the Books teams. Music is another important part of Tanvi's life. She

011has played flute in the Peekplace Elementary School band for the past three years and has studied piano privately for four years, performing in multiple recital competitions. Outside of school, Tombi enjoys sports, reading, baking, drawing, and listening to music. She plans to continue working hard academically as she pursues her dream of becoming an attorney with the long-term goal of attending Yale University. Whether she is leading a project or helping young students, Tanvi consistently reflects the dedication, leadership, and compassion celebrated by this award. Congratulations, Tanvi. [applause] Congratulations. [applause] And lastly, only because her name starts with a Q, Lacy Quinn. [applause] Hard-working, thoughtful, and always willing to lend a hand, Lacy Quinn has made a lasting impact on the PCP place community. Her dedication and positive attitude have earned her numerous Panther Press awards throughout her years

012at school. Lacy contributes in many ways each day. She serves as both a bus monitor and a first grade reading tutor, demonstrating patience and kindness toward our younger students. She is also involved in the drama club and often assists with the audiovisisual club supporting school assemblies. In addition, she volunteers as both a gym helper and a bus helper. Do you attend class? Academically, Lacy excels as a top student in her class and is an active participant in the LEAP program. Outside of school, Lacy is deeply involved in athletics, playing both softball and basketball. In 2025, she was recognized as the MVP of her softball team. She also dedicates time to community service through the scouts, participating in military supporting cookie sales and annual food drives. When she is not busy with school or sports, Lacy

013enjoys art, baking, biking, hiking, and swimming. As she looks toward the future, she hopes to attend college and explore careers in either veterinary studies, interior design, or hairdressing. Traveling the world is another dream she hopes to pursue someday. Congratulations, Lacy. [applause] >> [applause] >> Go. All right. And next up, Mrs. McNeel from Racebrook School. [applause] >> Good evening, everyone. Welcome. And it is my great pleasure to tell you a little bit about four amazing Race Brook School students tonight. I will begin with Sienna Fuserelli. [applause] It is my great pleasure to recognize Sienna Fuserelli, a student who truly represents the values of Racebrook School. Sienna consistently demonstrates dedication in her academics, always striving to do her personal best with determination. She is an active member of student council, band, and serves as a bus monitor

014while also participating in the school play this year. Sienna volunteers her time during and after school to help the community through school drives, the Veterans Day assembly, communications club, and morning announcements, and newspaper club. Her warm smile, kindness, and willingness to help others make her a role model who beautifully represents our big three: responsibility, kindness, and safety. Sienna is a wonderful student who has made an impact on our school community through her years here at Racebrook School. Congratulations, Sienna. [applause] >> You got it from there. You want to come up closer? >> [applause] >> Michael Rachio. [applause] Michael is a kind student who puts in the extra effort in all that he does. Even though he would say that his favorite subject is art, he works hard in all subject areas. Michael comes to school

015each day with a positive attitude and a kind smile. His bubbly personality resonates with his classmates as well as his teachers. He is always willing to lend a hand whether it is his many voluntary jobs around the school to cleaning up around the classroom. Michael is a renowned cleaner in our building. He loves to clean and we love him for it. Michael is a bus monitor, a flag bearer, and a three-year member of the student council. He has also been working at the school store for three and a half years and is in the communications club where he delivers the morning announcements. Michael is not only busy volunteering at school. This is his seventh year being a boy scout and he volunteers annually for the fire department's haunted house. On top of all his school

016and community service, Michael is very active in theater and dance and has performed in many productions at center stage in the afterchool program of Susicle. As you can see, Michael Rachio is a perfect candidate for this award. [applause] Congrats. >> [clears throat] [applause] >> Matilda Roberts. [applause] Matilda Roberts is an outstanding example of what the CAPS award represents. service, leadership, and academic commitment. Beyond Matilda's strong academic effort that reflects both her ability and her genuine desire to learn, Matilda is deeply involved in the life of Racebrook Elementary School. Matilda is a highly active member of our student council where she contributes to decisions and initiatives that support our school family such as the Veterans Day Committee, our annual food drive, our holiday bear project, and appreciation day. She also serves on the newspaper and communications

017clubs, helping to inform students and staff about monthly events and important happenings around the school. Her willingness to take on responsibility extends even further. Matilda participated in our afterchool production of Susicle where she took on the role of Mrs. Mayor and contributed to the success of the performance through her commitment and presence. What makes Matilda especially deserving of the CAPS award is that her involvement in is not driven by recognition but by sincere desire to contribute and make a positive difference in her school and community. Congratulations Matilda. [applause] >> [applause] >> And last but not least, Ariana, [applause] gorgeous. Ariana is a very determined individual who strives to better herself and those around her. Her positive outlook and involvement both inside and outside of school have instilled the very qualities and values that are embraced

018at Racebrook School. Ariana has been a dedicated member of student council at RBS for the last three years. A member of orchestra and choir for two years, participated in organizing spirit week for the past two years, a trusted volunteer for running the RBS school store since third grade. a responsible sixth grade bus monitor and a participant in this year's Susical production. Ariana's expectations for herself, her eagerness, and her persistence to be involved have instilled the very civic characteristics that are necessary to being a true leader and helped to make her a sympathetic and an empathetic citizen in school and in community. Congratulations, Ariana. [applause] Thank you. [applause] >> So, I know this is about the students, but I do want to take one moment if I may. We have a teacher here who's here to

019support students. It's Mrs. Ginsburg. And um I would feel uh neglectful of honoring her just for a quick moment. I know it's your day, kids. You deserve it. But um I usually do this in the June meeting. Mrs. Ginsburg is one of the teachers who's retiring after 29 years. So I'd like to applaud her. [applause] Thank you for being here. Thank you for your consistency with the students. Her whole 29 years has been here in Orange. That talks about her commitment to the district and to all of your children. So thank you for being here. [applause] Thank you everybody. I'd like to invite up Angelina Chu. [applause] Angelina is a hard-working, dedicated, and well-rounded sixth grade student in Mr. Smelinsk's class. At Turkey Hill, Angelina has demonstrated outstanding leadership through her involvement in both student

020council and student bands during her sixth grade year. In these roles, she consistently shows responsibility, teamwork, and a strong commitment to making a positive impact within Turkey Hill. Outside of school, Angelina participates in a variety of extracurricular activities, including fencing and Girl Scouts. She's also deeply involved in the arts and has shared her talents in many ways throughout the school year. This past fall, Angelina performed in the drama club's production of Annie. She also plays the piano, performs as a clarinet player in our school band, sings in chorus, and this year serves as a lead singer in one of Turkey Hills sixth grade student vans. Angelina's accomplishments reflect both her determination and strong work ethic. She is a school spelling be winner, earned a bronze award in fencing, and is also a member of our

021talented and gifted program. In addition to her many achievements, Angelina gives back to the community by participating in environmental cleanup efforts and demonstrating her care and concern for others and the world around her. Looking toward the future, Angelina hopes to attend college and pursue a career in either as a lawyer or a pilot or both. Who knows? She shared that one of the accomplishments she is most proud of is always trying her best, a quality that truly defines the character that she shows as a student and a leader. Congratulations, Angelina. [applause] >> Thank you. [applause] >> I'd like to invite up Aia Gangwani. [applause] AIA is a quietly confident, intelligent, and dedicated student in Mrs. Ginsburg's class. At Turkey Hill School, Audia serves as the secretary of student council and is also a valued member

022of our AV Club All-Star team, where she has taken on important roles as the teleprompter and the special segment creator for our daily morning broadcast. Through these leadership opportunities, Aia consistently demonstrates responsibility, poise, and teamwork. Outside of school, Aia is actively involved in both athletics and the arts. She practices taekwond do and tennis and has shown tremendous perseverance and discipline by earning both her first and second degree black belt in taekwond do. Aia is also a talented musician and performer. She is a member of the school orchestra where she plays the violin, sings in chorus, and performs in the drama club's fall production of Annie. Academically, AI excels. Her favorite subject is math. And she's also a member of the talented and gifted program. Her accomplishments include receiving the student of the month award, winning

023the school spelling bee, and representing Turkey Hill at the district spelling bee competition. AIA is equally committed committed to giving back to her community. She volunteers at her Hindu temple where she helps organize cultural events and she also mentors younger taekwondo students by assisting those at lower belt levels. While Aia is still exploring the career path she may want to pursue in the future, she knows that will include attending college and studying in a science related field. Congratulations, Aia. [applause] >> [applause] >> And rounding out our evening tonight, I'd like to invite up Daniel's Zaring. [applause] Daniel is a focused, motivated, and accomplished student in Mr. for inance class. Daniel consistently demonstrates leadership, determination, and school pride both inside and outside of the classroom. At Turkey Hill, Daniel serves as a flag bearer and also

024as a member of the AV Club all-star team where he has taken on important roles as the sports broadcaster, producer, and back-end Vimeo production for our daily for our daily broadcast. Outside of school, Daniel is involved in a wide variety of extracurricular activities including football, swimming, and jiu-jitsu. He is also deeply involved in the arts. Daniel is a talented musician who plays the clarinet in our school band, sings in chorus, and performed in the drama club's fall production of Annie. Daniel's accomplishments reflect both his academic and e academic excellence and strong work ethic. He has earned student of the month, won the school spelling bee, received swimmer of the month honors, was recognized with a Spanish achievement award. In addition, Daniel won the mile run at last year's Orange Olympics with an impressive time of

0256 minutes and 15 seconds. I could not do that. Daniel continuously seeks academic challenges and opportunities for growth. He is a member of the talented and gifted program at Turkey Hill and is currently taking seventh grade math while still in his sixth grade year. Daniel also gives back to the school community by helping younger students strengthen their math skills. Next year, he will attend Hopkins School. And he hopes to eventually continue his education, either Yale or Harvard, not sure yet. Looking ahead, Daniel dreams of becoming a football journalist or a sports announcer while also traveling the world. Congratulations, Daniel. [applause] >> [applause] [applause] >> So again, one last round of applause for all our students. Congratulations. [applause] So proud of each and every one of you. And Mr. cap. With your permission, I would ask

026the board for a short recess so we could continue the celebration and maybe take some more pictures if >> Can we take a group shot of >> Yeah, let me just Okay. >> Thank you. >> And so if you wouldn't mind uh if we could uh have a short recess and >> as someone's got it, we could take some more pictures and go from there. >> All right. So, congratulations to all the students. You guys, I don't know if you noticed, but when your parents were up there taking photos or sitting there, you should have seen the smiles on their faces. It was amazing. So, good work again. Uh, we will go ahead uh take a short recess at uh 7:37. Um, so congratulations again, guys. [applause] Okay, we're going to reconvene here at 7:52

027p.m. We're going to move into our third item, which is public participation. And uh do we have anyone from the public that will participate this evening? If so, you're going to step to the podium and state your name and address if we have anyone that would like to speak. >> Go ahead. >> Yeah. >> Speakers may offer objective comments to the board concerning school operations and programs. Comments will be limited to two minutes per speaker. The board encourages speakers not to express personal complaints or defamatory comments about the board of education personnel or any person associated with the Orange Public School System. Comments about security issues, matters related to due process, negotiations, or grievances will not be permitted. Consistent with the principles of the Federal Education Right to Privacy Act, known as Furpa, discussions about

028students are prohibited absent a written parent waiver. Public participation does not allow for a two-way conversation between the board and the participants. We thank you for expressing your thoughts and opinions and all comments will be taken into consideration. >> All yours. >> Hello. Uh my name is Jarrett Frasier. I doubt many of you know me, but I do live in this town. I'm a father of three amazing children, and I'm happy to have the opportunity to raise our kids here. I don't usually make statements or come to events like this, but I do try to teach my children right from wrong. And I can't set by idly anymore. I don't feel that the actions of this board have been just or right. They've taken personal matters and twisted them to shame and public humiliate my

029wife, Lauren Gray, and she has not had any performance issues with this board. I am proudly supporting her and her actions. She's usually my voice and I stand proudly behind her. This was a personal matter. It's now dismissed. Our family is moving forward. I really wish that this board would move forward because this town needs education for our children and that should be the sole focus of this board, not personal private matters. I do have three questions. Was this about children's safety? No. No, it was not. Was this political for bringing it onto the board? I'm curious. What role are we setting for our children here? That's really what I'm curious about because they're watching. They see what we do. And I want my kids to know right from wrong. There's a difference between public

030and private. That should be respected. As we tell our kids, be better. I know my wife isn't perfect. I'm not perfect. None of us are. But we have to learn from our actions, improve and be better. I could not be more proud of my wife for showing up, for standing up for her actions, right or wrong, and being there. I wish no one else would have to go through that type of public shame or humiliation. But as we tell our kids, be better. And I ask this board to be better. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you for that. Anyone else like to speak for public participation? Thank you. Um Lauren Gay, 205 Wilson Road. Um that was a really great ceremony earlier, so thank you for that. Um, and I just wanted to say really

031quick, um, and start by just talking about my service to this community. Like my husband said, thank you for your words. I didn't know what he was going to say. Um, but I'm here because I have a continued commitment to the students, families, and staff we represent and that we live with in this community. Serving as a member of the board of education has always been about what's doing what's best for our schools um and carrying out the responsibilities that we are voted in to do so. And I will continue to keep a recent personal family matter private. And I believe it's really important to clarify that any illegal matter was fully dismissed on on May 7th. And throughout this entire time and this very difficult time, I've remained committed to fulfilling my duties as

032an elected member of the board of education. And I'm going to continue doing my best to serve our community to the best of my ability. My focus hasn't changed. It won't change. And I remain dedicated to the work before us and to the responsibilities the public elected me to carry out. Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. Anyone else like to speak during public participation? No. Okay, we will move on to uh item number four. Uh tonight we have a presentation on math resources and supports. Uh Dr. Scarpedi, floor is all yours. >> Thank you, Mr. Cap and the rest of the board. Um I'm happy tonight, not only is it nice to celebrate our students, but uh as you could tell with Mrs. Ginsburg and I'm going to be acknowledging Mrs. sign uh next month

033who's retiring, but I'm really proud to have these teachers here. They're our math, science, and specialists. Receiving some feedback from the board in communication. We thought it'd be a good idea for them to come not only at um our PTO PTO and a meeting sharing the resources that we have for families, not only during the school year, but also during the summer. And just to kind of follow the theme that I shared with uh Mrs. Ginsburg about being here 29 years. We have Nicole Gillson to my left. She's at Race Brook School. She originally was here at Peek Place. She's been serving the district for 20 years. And she actually We can give applause. That's good. >> And for some of you may remember who've been on the board uh for a while, she actually

034received the presidential award for teaching math and science, but specifically math. and she was a the uh nation's finalist. Correct, Nicole? So, again, [applause] thrust to have her. >> Uh, next to her is Monica Corkran. Monica's been here 17 years. >> Well, you're trying to figure it out. [laughter] >> It's good thing you're a math specialist here. You had to add those numbers up. And so, it was great again to have Monica here. Again, that consistency is so important. And last but not least, Susan Luciano has been in her 24 years at Peek Play School. this. [applause] We talk about consistency with leadership. We talk about consist consistency with staff. These uh specialists, but also our teachers. It's connecting with families, not just once, not just leaving the district. They've committed to Orange. I want

035to thank you for that and your contributions, not only what you put on your daily, but I know it's long hours at night also. But thank you. And again, thank you for being here. So, without further ado, who's going to start off? >> Mrs. Gillson. Thank you. >> Thank you, Dr. Scarpi. I didn't realize how loud that was. Um, good evening everyone. We are so happy to be here at tonight's board of ed meeting. We're excited to share a new math curriculum resource that will support all our students and families in Orange. Susan, Monica, and I collaborated to create a math support website. The website will support our students. They will have access to classroom connections, provide practice, reinforce strategies and skills through videos and digital resources. These videos are really great and we're going

036to share some of these with you tonight. For families, it is our goal to provide clarity and accessibility for everyone to help explain to simplify the math strategies that we are introducing in the classroom. And again, for parents, these step-by-step videos are really wonderfully well done. And I think it's going to again provide a lot of clarity for parents. And also we created a little section of our website that's going to help parents kind of do some real world connections. So we're going to focus on that. For example, cooking or sewing or you know just things we can do every day, shopping. Um and also homework support. Oh, did I go too far? Um so we're going to take a closer look at this website. Um Mrs. Corkran is going to go into a little

037bit deeper of a dive there and you can see how we can all work together to help our students succeed. Oh, thank you. [laughter] Uh, hi everyone. Um, I'm going to go through the website with you guys so you can see what is involved in it. But I think it's important first to talk about why we created it. It is not uncommon for us to get um, an email from a parent or a child coming in saying, "My mom did not know how to help me with my homework." And so, you know, dad >> or dad often dad. Um, and that's not an uncommon problem. Like, it's, you know, this is nationwide. It's an issue. Math looks very different than what it looked like when we all took math a couple years ago. So, um,

038we created this website so parents can remain cool to their kids where they're the idols where they can do the math. And so, we're going to go through it. Um, hopefully it won't take me too long, but it's very easy to get to. It's three simple clicks. So, we're going to walk you through it really quickly. Um, the first step is going to our district website, www.oess.org. And we're going to go to the family resources. Three clicks. It's all it is. And then you'll see here it says mass support. The first um tab you'll see is our team. Our team. It's us. If you want to go to sleep at night, feel free to read it. Um there is nothing too exciting but it does give our history or kind of our little bio there.

039The next tab is what are we learning? This is where parents and you guys can find the Connecticut state standards. It's all tabs. You can click on these. It'll take you to the links as well our curriculum by grades. So you can see all the grades are in here. Kindergarten is we're doing a little switch with them. So they'll be up shortly. Um but it'll show um the order and what we're teaching um in each grade. So that is there. The next tab, and now we're getting to the guts of what this program is about, is the parent support tab. And you'll see this very bright yellow thing jumping out at you. One of the frustrations for teachers is that this is what happens. The kids come in, they say, "My mom and dad couldn't

040help me with my homework." And they'll say, "But they showed me a trick. I My mom and dad showed me how to do it like they learned." Well, that's great. Except it really hurts us as teachers because the whole goal of Common Core is that we're teaching concepts and conceptual understanding so that kids can decompose and compose numbers together and they really understand how numbers work, right? Well, if you're teaching them the algorithm, you're just teaching them steps and how to memorize those steps. You take this number, you multiply by this number, you add this number, you're not really understanding what that number is. So, we really are encouraging parents not to teach the algorithm before the time before it's taught and they will learn it. We do teach it. I swear we teach it.

041Um, but we teach it when it's appropriate for them to understand it. So, that's the first thing that jumps out. I hope people actually read it. Um, next is the parent support videos. This is where parents can go and actually learn how we're teaching the the math in class. So this is really simple too and it does follow uh our major resource uh illustrative math. We use a lot of different resources but this is the one I say we follow probably the most. And if you go to like grade three family support, right? You can see there's up here we have all kinds of grades in here. We have all different there's Spanish support. There's all kinds of things. There's written materials in here that kids can practice with. But I'm going to show you

042a little video just so you understand what I'm talking about. Uh I did try to find the shortest one. They're all about five to six minutes. This is a shorter one though. Um, so this is unit launch and we're going to take a second and just watch this. Please bear with us. I found it entertaining. Hello, I'm Lisa and welcome to the family support video for grade 3, unit 2, where your students will learn about area. Area can be quite an abstract idea for young children, [music] but there are visual models that will help students understand what it means and how to find the area of a rectangle and later on other more complicated shapes. They use unit squares to tile a rectangle. When they can see how many squares it takes to fill the

043rectangle, it helps them understand what area actually is. Students will begin to think about describing area as the number of unit squares that cover any flat surface [music] without any gaps or overlaps. They then measure the area of rectangles by counting all the unit squares. In this [music] case, there are 20 unit squares. Students then learn that another way of finding the area is to use multiplication. They see that they can multiply the side lengths of the rectangle. Four * 5 = 20. There are 20 unit squares in the rectangle. Students can see that they get the same result if they count each unit or if they multiply the lengths of sides. Using this understanding of area, students will find the area of figures that are made up of or composed of more than one

044rectangle. To do this, students will decompose or break apart the figures into nonover overlapping rectangles and then calculate the area of each. They will use the fact that area is calculated by multiplying the side lengths of a rectangle to help figure out the total area of this very different looking figure. So for example, this is 6 units by 4 units, which equals 24 square units. And the other long rectangle is 4 units by 12 units, which equals 48 square units. Students then add the totals to get the overall area of the figure, and they learn that it's 72 square units. In this unit, students will begin to hear some words that may be new to them, and they may be new to you, too. Let's start with area. Area is the number of square units

045that cover a flat figure without gaps or overlaps. So, for example, this green figure here has an area of 19 square units. Parentheses are grouping symbols that can be used in expressions or equations like here to group three groups of five together [music] and then two groups of five together. Square centimeter. A square cm is a square with side lengths of 1 cm. Square [music] meter. A square with side lengths of 1 meter. It is much bigger than a square centimeter. Square inch. A square inch is a square with side lengths of 1 in. And it is six times bigger than a square centimeter. Square foot. A square foot is a square with side lengths of 1 foot. It is over 100 times bigger than a square inch. There are lots of activities you can

046do at home to help students deepen their understanding of barrier. So ask your student to find a rectangular surface in your home such as a tabletop, a rug, or maybe some other rectangular shaped surface. And using square sheets of paper, see if they can measure the area of it. [music] The size of the squares can be changed depending on what surface is being measured. Finally, encourage your student to find the total area. They can do this either by counting the squares or by multiplying [music] the side lengths. 4 * 8 = 3. Perfect. >> You could even shake it up a bit and ask your student to find the area of surfaces [music] that are made up of more than one rectangle. The more they explore with finding the area of rectangles and shapes [music]

047made from rectangles, the more confident they'll become with finding the area of other shapes. [music] Have fun exploring area in your world with your student. Okay. So, as you can see, my my favorite part of it is what parents can do at home, but all these videos have those type of I don't know connections, you know. So, the next part of this is how do you access that was >> okay? uh the the programs from home that we use in class. You can click on these, they will take you to class link. The next tab is student practice. These are the programs we actually use in school and the kids can just click on these and it'll take them right to the activities that they can do at home for practice. Um again, simple, direct,

048and I mean I think so, but we're very biased. Um but it gets it gets to programs that they're using in class that directly relate to what we're doing. Um, next is my personal favorite, the additional resources. Here's my algorithm note again. And you'll see here it says making math real. Sometimes parents want to um, you know, I need more math. I need to practice more. Well, sometimes the best thing of practicing is just living in a world of math, right? So, making math real. If you go and do math, there's all kinds of things. In the kitchen, when you're baking, when you're cooking, here's some ideas of how to make math real. In the yard, at sports, in the pool, on a walk, there's all kinds of things. So, here's some ideas that you

049can do at home just to make math fun and still get it through to your kids. Um, if you go to um hold on, here's games and puzzles, the tabs they can do. Here's virtual manipulatives. Um, this is if I go to like this kindergarten uh Mrs. Hadlock likes space 10 blocks, so we're going to show those. Um, if a child is struggling like sometimes regrouping is really hard, not in kindergarten and second grade it is, you can do it at home without having the base 10 blocks and they're real easy to maneuver and things like that. So, that is a resource in there. Then, um, let's say you are doing oh, let's say it's time for reading. It's nightly reading, right? Mom's I don't know, she's got something to do. Dad's got something to

050do. No one's there. He he or she your child can go and listen to a book of be read of pie. >> So they are all math books. I personally love this. >> Um and there's your nightly reading. >> Okay. >> There's all different ones. The >> uh there's all kinds of different ones. So this is pretty much it. I've gone through it. Uh Sue is going to take it from here with summer learning, but we tried to think about it from the parents viewpoint and to make it interesting and super easy to understand. Thanks. Click on that for me. Summer learning. >> What are you doing? >> Click on the summer learning page. >> Oh, hold on. >> Thank you. So, um, this part of the website, uh, promotes a balanced approach to summer

051learning by combining meaningful practice games, hands-on exploration or ideas for hands-on exploration, and real life math experiences to help students maintain their skills and their confidence throughout the summer. There's something here for everyone, right? So, at first there is the governor's math challenge, which still, just so you know, if you click on that link, reverts to the 2025 because Connecticut State has not issued the 2026 challenge yet. We will update it as soon as they do. Typically, Mrs. Gillson calls the state every year and says, "We need it." And they're like, "Wait, your school's finishing already? We didn't know that." So, we're always the one letting them know we need it. Um, so I'm sure she's on that again this year. Um, and that is usually some sort of passport activity where they can engage

052in fun things at the beach if they go on a trip. It gives the same sort of real world activity ideas to do. Um, I'm going to jump down to something on the bottom that is the Greg Tang summer challenge that also you can click there, get links to all of his game boards. Some of it is pencil paper if you want to print it out. Some of it is just completing his online games. So, fun things that kids can do throughout the summer there. If you're looking for more targeted learning over the summer, that's where you can look at the I Ready My Path. So, I Ready My Path is a personalized online learning program that adjusts lessons based on each student's diagnostic results when they take uh the diagnostic in school. And students

053can continue with their current my path lessons over the course of the summer. This is good until August 13th when we have to shut everything down so tech can upload the new classes and get everything ready. You see we have the button for class link there because students have to use their login to access the my path. So they're getting their my path learning. If you also want something that's a little more targeted, right next door is explore learning which has reflex and frack math. Reflex math is a great way for students to improve their fact fluency. It's game-based. Kids love it. They can choose different games. Um they try to earn green lights throughout the week with their time on task. That is also accessed through class link. So it goes to their specific

054account. Also working until August 13th. Frack is the other program through there which works on conceptual foundations and understandings of fractions. It's game based. It's a spaceship. Kids love it. They're doing all these fraction activities with supplies in the ship to help lay that foundation for how fractions are created, how they work, and how you can build and work with them. Also access through class link. Now, the fun thing, the new thing we have for this year for also additional targeted math practice is the summer math workbook. >> I go back to slideshow. >> No, back on our page, our web page down at the bottom. The summer math workbook. This these are structured structured practice materials designed to help students review and strengthen their skills over the summer. They follow a clear progression of

055skills so that students can build confidence as they go. These booklets are part of our Tang math subscription that the district pays for. So, we cannot just put it on the website. They must access it through class link so that we're protecting what we pay for and protecting Tang's product as well. Um, but we've uploaded the workbook and the answer key so that parents can have access to the answer key um, if their students need help or support through any of this. And we've uploaded all the grade levels there. So, if you feel you need to work a little behind or a little ahead, there they are available for everyone. And then the last thing we have through um, our summer math on there is just Tang math, his regular online games to play and

056work through on that. So that completes our website portion. We can go back to PowerPoint if needed. We did want to touch base a little bit about our school home connection. >> It's on the web. >> Sorry. So um clearly this website is something that we hope will help with that school home connection. We know there we go. >> This one. >> Yeah. Um we know that this is a partnership, right? And we know that we need the home supports to help our students continue to grow in their mathematical learning. And so we're hoping that this website can help provide additional things that parents can do at home. But easing the parent anxiety about I'm not sure how to help them. I'm not sure how to do this. I'm not sure what you're looking for

057or how to teach this. Um we're hoping this is a start. This website has been communicated um several times through our school newsletters through each school. I know classroom teachers have also included it in their newsletters to remember that it's there. Um but that's an important thing that we continue with our communication. Um spec specifically for math. Um our classroom teachers send home little unit letters before they start a unit letting parents know what's coming up. Um we communicate as I said through our school newsletters. We communicate through our math events that we host at our schools and also through classroom teachers communications about everything going on within the room including math. Um we do want to make sure that we thank Dr. Scarpetti, Dr. Russo and our entire board of education for the continued

058support we receive and our roles which are multifaceted. We support students directly through intervention services and schoolwide math events. We also support our teachers through professional learning opportunities and curricular resources. But in addition, we collaborate together with each other to support the district through ongoing research, curriculum work, and updates in mathematics education. And we know how much that work is supported. We're given what we need in order to get that work done. And we are very appreciative of that and grateful for that. So, thank you. Thank you. >> Well, thank you all. I appreciate Oh, we could do it. Again, I I appreciate your gratitude and again the board has supported not only with what you needed, aids that we've supported in each of our schools. Hopefully, all of you are making connections, especially since

059the referendum's coming and anyone at home, the supports that you're providing in voting. can't tell you how to vote uh on the 20th, but appreciate you coming out. But again, thank you for your time. Um I'm sure some some of the board members may have some questions, but I appreciate not only the time that you give during the day, but also in the evening and even giving up your night tonight to present it to the board. So for families that are interested and for anyone watching at home, I don't want you to think this is another task to put on you as parents because I know your lives are daunting as it is. We just want to make sure these resources are available to you in case you would like them not only during the

060school year but also during the summer um because they call that the summer slide sometimes that's the term being used um typically when kids are are not at school but also they're accessible you know when we have parent teacher conferences they're there that night parents could meet with them emails whatever that's needed please know that they're there to support you not only the teachers but our specialists are too So I leave it up Mr. Cap through you to the rest of the board. Any questions that they may have for our specialists? >> Sure. Amanda, you had hand up. >> Well, just to start, I think this is phenomenal. I'm super excited about this because I have three little ones. So, I'm very excited about it. I think it's awesome that everything's in one place. Um,

061I have a couple of questions from a parent perspective. Um, do we have access to this the whole year? I know you said August 13th it like resets with the new passwords and things like that or >> as uh tech has to work on powers school getting all the new classes uploaded but once school is back in session then yes you do have access again to everything >> and are those passwords only for like the I ready we don't need a password for the Tang as well or is that >> Tang does not need a password for the Tang games you do not need a password >> only certain things are password correct >> needed okay >> so anything with the button that takes you to class link >> okay >> for students they're going

062to need their their and it's their universal login. >> Okay. And now I'm super organized. I have all of their passwords, but is it possible before uh summer is out to maybe send a reminder to some parents with their child's login and password? >> We could try. [laughter] >> Okay. >> I have one that has it down pat. The other ones not so much. But yeah. >> Um I know we always put together a blast goes out with the summer learning opportunities on it. And maybe we can put something in there that if you're not sure of the students username and password. I'm I mean I'm sad. I know there's other people out there that might need that. So, you know, >> you'd be surprised how well the students know them, but sometimes they tell

063you they don't know them. [laughter] Um but no, I think this is awesome. So, thank you. >> Emails at the bottom of the website. So, email us that and we'll we'll >> we'll work hard to get that done. >> Thank you very much. >> Uh go ahead. So, as a college math teacher, I would kill for these materials in general for my students of, you know, um, but it's amazing. I'm really impressed with what you guys have done and it's very valuable for our our parents. So, I think it's great. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Go ahead, Eric. >> Um, yes, thank you so much. And I echo everyone's comments. Um, it's it's also very user friendly. Like, it was very easy to navigate, which I appreciate um very much as a non- tech

064person. Um, so three clicks. I can I can pull that off. Um, what is a math event? I'm very intrigued. What does that mean? >> Go ahead. >> That typically refers to the math days we host in each of our buildings. So when we have math events. Yeah, we do. >> So I can't I can't come. >> Uh, oftentimes, [laughter] no, oftentimes we I know PE, we always look for volunteers to come help us on those days. >> Reach out for volunteers in the news. Wonderful. Turkey hills is coming up. So if you're Turkey Hill parent, we I the email should have gone out. So, >> everyone's welcome. >> Yeah. >> Thank you. >> Go ahead, Lauren. >> I just want to echo this is so impressive and such a great resource. Um, I also

065have three kids. One of mine is in kindergarten and we're going to use this and he's going to love it. Um, and I hope the parents are, you know, so appreciative and see the hard work that's really gone into this. Um, have any parents tested it so far? >> I don't know. >> I know. I I know I've had a few at peck place as they've asked questions about things. I've said, "Hey, can you try this out? See if it answers your question." Like, I'm not trying to push your question off, but I want to see. But to parents, I say, "Can you see if you can find it here first, >> and if you can't find it easily, then circle back to me. Then I know we have to fix some things." So, I

066haven't heard back from them. So, I'm assuming they found it. >> Not hearing back is probably a good thing, but um I this is going to be such a great resource for parents. And I wish I had learned math in this way. It would have been a lot easier just a few years ago. Um, so thank you for the time and commitment you put into this resource. >> Thank you. >> I'm Betty. >> Oh, I'll just say thank you again for being here tonight and taking the time to explain this to the families at home. I do think uh doing your eblast as a reminder before summer vacation is kind of critical because I know parents are bombarded with emails from all sorts of >> different things and um this one is an important one

067and I think they will be very grateful to be reminded and to get the link again or you know to be told where exactly to find it so that they can use it during the summer. So thank you for all your hard work. Very much appreciated. Thank >> Thank you. Uh Ken, >> I'm looking forward to going through this. Sadly, the only one I can share it with is my dog, but it's >> [laughter] >> uh I'm really interested in >> and I appreciate your uh your efforts in math, the most misunderstood subject there is. Um >> math anxiety exists all over. So, anything you can do that would would help that. Do we teach base 10 at all? >> Yes. Not the blocks, but I mean the fact that it's a base 10 system.

068Have we gotten past that? >> We do, but we don't do enough of because of timing in working in other bases so they understand how base 10 functions. >> Yeah. I mean, just because it it covers everything. >> It does. Yeah. >> Okay. Thank you very much, >> fantastic. I loved it. And don't teach the algorithm. please preach it because it is [laughter] it it really is the number one thing that kind of derails it when you're trying to lay that foundation. Um I have parents who have younger kids uh emailing me or or messaging me pictures of their child's homework saying what the heck is this? Um and so I try to break it down for them. Um, but it is it is so good for them to be able to go right here

069and have such a comprehensive res resource for them. So, thank you so much. Fantastic. >> Go ahead. >> Um, if I can make a suggestion, I think the email blast should be its own thing because this time of year especially, you scroll down to the bottom of the weekly newsletter, it could get lost. I think this is too important to get looked over. So, I just think it should be its own. >> I think it usually is. And then we also do um they put the post on the website so that it pops up immediately. >> Okay. >> Summer learning. Here's where it is. Here's the website and all the things. They do that at the end of the school year, too. So that's the first thing you see when you go to OESS >>

070on there. [snorts] >> Okay. Anyone else have questions? >> I was just going to say one more thing. This should be an app. This would be so good as an app, too. Consider app development one day down the line. That's next. enough for that. >> We could retire. [laughter] >> Go ahead. >> Just one more quick question. Sorry. Is there a way to keep track of of the use? See how many people are using it or how often? >> That's a really good question. >> Um really good question. It didn't even occur to me until you guys asked the question who is watching it. I'm like I have no idea. So um you know it is Google so I'm assure that there is. I just probably we probably got to get together and >> look.

071I'm sure. right now. I have no idea, but I'm sure it's available. We just haven't taken that time. >> How many clicks are it? It could be us clicking 15 times looking at it. >> 15 times today. >> How many hits? >> Yeah. >> Cool. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> All right. Anyone else have any questions? >> No. All right. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. [applause] Thank you. [laughter] I had to like >> All right. Um I'll go ahead and move on to our next item. Um our consent agenda. I'll need a motion to accept our first item under the consent agenda, the minutes from the April 20th, 2026 board of education meeting. Um, and just a note, I got your email. That is updated in there. So, you're all set. Thank

072you for that. Um, do I have a motion to accept the minutes from the April 20th, 2026 board of education meeting? Ken second. Tatiana. Uh, any discussion? All in favor? I think it's unanimous. Okay. Thank you. Okay. We'll move on to uh superintendent report. Dr. Scarpetti. Thank you, Mr. Cap. Um as we approach the end of the school year, our student, staff, and parents are currently enjoying and eagerly looking forward to the remaining end ofear events such as the fifth and sixth grade Olympic Wednesday. That's Wednesday, June 3rd. The rain day is Thursday the 4th. field day, class trip, art shows, music concerts, district being an orchestra and promotion ceremonies. Uh the prek is uh um Wednesday, June 10th. Kindergarten is Thursday, June 11th, and sixth grade is Friday, June 12th. This is all shared

073um on the school's district website for those of you that are listening. And if I'm going too fast, it's on the website for you to see. Board members, you've received a document with all those times and dates. Um, additionally, there's the Racebrook food truck Friday at High Plains on May 22nd. That's 4 to 8:00 p.m. And, uh, we look forward for having Racebrook to have that for anyone to come by. It's a great night for all our community to enjoy. Gives [clears throat] people some time not to cook and go out with their family. Hopefully, it's a nice evening. And just to make the uh connection of our math specialist is that there's an element of distractions with our kids, right? And we just had screen free week. I think some of you attended that.

074It was nice to see people that that were from other schools go to other schools to attend screen free week. And the theme that when I spoke to parents are saying, "Thank God these kids are off their tablets and phones." And it's tough. I I see adults, they can't get off it. around on it. Same kids. And again, I just want to connect it with what the specialist just said. This is a resource. I know it's challenging more than ever to be a parent with those distractions, but hopefully you're creating structures at home and our staff are there to support. So again, um we have something other than than uh kids going to tablets connecting to what we're doing with our math resources and supports for our students. So again, making that connection. And this

075time of year is just one way we s see our entire community working together to make our schools a special place on behalf of our children. So, thank you all our teachers, staff, parents, and administration who make this happen behind the scenes. We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of you. We did celebrate our students tonight with CAPS. For those of you that don't know that acronym, it's the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendent. We would also like to acknowledge the students who were selected for the SCAZA South Central Area Superintendent Association Superintendent Award. So, I'd like to um honor those students. We have from PC Place, we had Leah Ganam and Ryan Michael. From Racebrook School, we honored Alice Gagnon and Jace Palumbo. And at Turkey Hill, we was represented by Tenzin

076Dashan and Steven Rosati. So, congratulations to those students. Also, I connected the budget a little bit just a moment ago, too. So, regarding our budget, since our last meeting, several meetings pertaining to the budget have taken place, including the Orangetown budget hearing, the Orange annual town meeting, and the upcoming Orangetown referendum. Again, that's on Monday, I'm sorry, on May, this Wednesday, May 20th, from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at High Plains. We appreciate the board members who were able to attend these meetings and extend our gratitude to all the board of finance members for their time on the budget and thank you in advance for all residents who are going to make their time to come out and vote on Wednesday. To uh switch gears to personnel, the negotiations committee, we would like to update

077the board on two negotiations that will be occurring. one is the cafeteria workers and then we just received notice that we have to start negotiating with the administrative group and we'll update you as that goes along. And lastly, I want to thank all the subcommittee members who met with their prospective committees. We appreciate the committee members for the time and effort at those meetings. Um I did send something in the board update. We went over the long range plans and strategic plans of each committee. This doesn't mean just because you're under one subcommittee that those are the only board members that have a say. I shared it with all of you. So if you have anything that you'd like to share, even though if you're not on that subcommittee, please reach out to myself and

078those chairs at the same time. I know Mrs. Hadlock asked this question. So before she does, we have 136 kindergarten students enrolled for next year. 18 out of the 18 out of the 136 were waivers. So um that hasn't changed since our last board meeting. You never know what happens um until the beginning of the school year. As I mentioned one again, the Memorial Day parade is this uh Sunday, May 24th. It begins at 10:30 at High Plains. And for those of you that don't know yet, the last day of school is Friday, June 12th, and it's an early release day. And that ends my report, Mr. Cap. >> Okay, [clears throat] thank you for that. Any questions, Erin? >> Um I'm new to the board as everyone knows. Um when you mention the negotiations

079subcommittee, um can you explain about that? that what does that mean? >> Sure. So again, and I know I think there's going to be another time for roles and responsibilities, but that's something that was shared at that time. So there um we negotiate with all our all our bargaining units and we have two members that Mr. Cap has assigned, Mrs. Hadlock and Dr. Msina Mullen with regarding negotiations. And so um that is cyclical. So depending on the the length of the contract, Dr. Wilson, we have to negotiate with that bargain unit. So, one is cafeteria workers, the other one is administrative, but we have others. We have uh school custodians, we have teachers. So, as soon as we know about it, I include it in the board update. We send an update through um either

080the negotiation committee or here briefly, but this is where, and I'm glad you asked, Dr. Wilson because this is will where the board supports the negotiated ne negotiations committee. One of the questions that came up that I um asked uh Mr. Sedor to s share at the um roles and responsibilities is specifically board members, new board members such as yourself and Mrs. Gray. It's almost like uh it's a it's a question that's a legitimate question. So the sub the negotiation committee negotiates right with the Barney unit. Then all of a sudden we go into executive session and there's an agreement something called a TA a tentative agreement that's made and then typically not new board members right not to uh pick on the new board members so if I'm a new board member I raise

081their hand someone raised their hand saying hey I wasn't a part of this how could I vote and this is where the trust has to go with the negotiation committee guidance from the board's attorney of comparing durs um where we are with that specific piece. So yes, so the negotiations committee is Mrs. Hadllock and Dr. Mercina Mullen. Those will start um part of the the the um rules of it. We can't share what's going on negotiations until that settlement happened, that tentative agreement, but we go into executive session and that's discussed. Sometimes attorney Cedor is here, sometimes she's not to go over the summary of it and those are the questions that are asked and then the board votes on it after we leave executive session with regarding that. So we have some time but

082that those two burning units are beginning. >> Thank you. >> Sure. All right, Betty. And >> I would just say I'm I'm happy to talk to anyone about what that entails because it entails many many lengthy hours of negotiation over many, many days, but I'm happy to explain that further to you at some time if you'd like to talk further. >> Absolutely. Thank you. >> And sometimes very late nights into the morning. >> Oh yeah. Anyone else that Lauren? [laughter] >> I just have a couple of shout outs really quick. Screenfree week was so great. So, thank you to everyone who organized that. Um, my kids had a blast um at each of the events. Um, and I know field day was today. MLT also, you know, had a blast with every all of the

083activities that are going on. Um, I know there's a lot of activities this time of year, but they're all so well organized. Um, and I was talking to some friends from other towns and they haven't even started field day or um, field trips or anything like that or they don't even have a kindergarten, you know, stepping up or graduation. So, really proud of what our schools are doing. Um and also teacher appreciation weeks went really well um at all of the schools and so thank you to all of the volunteers and the PTO who put that together and thank you to all the teachers and staff for everything you're doing. So we were very proud to share our appreciation for you that week too. >> Mrs. is great. Thank you for pointing that out because

084I I I can't say what you just said enough of thank you to these parents because typically it's the same parents that do that repeatedly at each school over and over again and they do it for the love not only of their children but the entire children of that school and they as you said they did a great job and it it's keep it's it's keep on going for the uh end of the year. So thank you for noting that. >> All right, any other questions? Then we'll move on to Mr. Gray. [cough] Good evening everyone. I'll begin with the finance portion of my report. Uh I'll start with a quick grant update. Uh we have several that I'll update you on. The ARPA summer mental health supports. This is our grant that supports the

085delivery of mental health services during summer programming. This is a $35,000 allocation and to date we've spent about 6600 of that. So we have 28,000 remaining in that grant. The next is our summer mental health specialist uh school mental health specialist. Sorry. Uh, this is our second social worker. If you remember, the first two years were 100% funded by the grant, 70% funded this year in the grant, 30% in the operating budget. Next year, it's in our operating budget, 100%. Uh, we have, and it's a salary based grant, so there's $10,000 remaining in that grant. the consolidated title three grant which is a language instruction program assistance um grant that is an $18,000 allocation and to date we've spent about twothirds of that 12,000 or so and we have just under $6,000 remaining in that

086grant to be spent by June 30th primary mental health grant. This is for K to3 early detection and intervention programs. This is a $17,473 grant and we spent again about twothirds of that. There's just under $6,000 remaining there. And special education expansion and development or seed grant it's called. This is a $2360 grant that has been spent for the year. Uh I'd like to make you aware that earlier this year we applied to a program uh Connecticut fresh ed by local program. Uh the Connecticut State Department of Education recently recently informed us that our application has been approved. So what this means is um it confirms obviously our participation as a school nutrition sponsor under national school lunch program uh in the B local program. As participating sponsor, we're now able to request reimbursement. um

087with our predetermined amount of $3,858 for eligible purchases of unprocessed or minimally processed foods sourced locally and regionally uh in accordance with um requirements of the program. You may have heard in the news also on May 3rd, Governor Ned Lamont approved the 2027 budget adjustment increasing support for school districts and municipalities. The supplemental education aid is primar primarily intended to offset inflation, manage rising education costs, and address budget deficits. Per the town by town breakdown, the Orange Board of Education will receive $40,620 in supplemental educational funding. Because we're part of a regional school district and AMD did not get an allocation, we will split that with AMD. Uh we're still working out how much they're going to get. It's pretty much the same formula they use for tuition to the BOA district based on enrollment.

088So, we're probably going to end up seeing 22,000 stay with us of that 40. And finally, financial report. Um, the district improvement and repair project. This was in the board update as well. Pursuant to public act 25-173 section 131, the district repair and improvement project or drip funds as they're they're uh referred to provide direct grants to public school operators. Direct grants are grants that are given to a district. You don't have to apply and it's not a competitive grant and they're given to public school operators or PSOS for the fiscal year ending June 30th. So, the program is starting this year in the spring, but it's really for the 25 26 school year. We don't have to spend it by June 30th. It can carry over to the next year. These grants are for

089uh repairs and improvements of public school buildings, the grounds, and infrastructure. Grants are pro processed through an annual certification process and funds will be dis dispersed by June 30th which I'm happy to say they've already reached the town so they have our funds and we'll be sending them over to the board side shortly. Um an annual expense report from the PSO is due by September 1st of each year. Again, the timeline's a little mixed up this year um because they started the program a little later, but what usually will happen moving forward because this is a program they're saying will continue. February 1st, the money will get put out. March 1st will be a letter to districts for certification stating our estimated amount of allocation because it may change from year to year. It's based

090on a formula. Um, and then June 1st should be the dispersement of funds for us. Um, and our, just so you know, our amount that we're getting this year is $73,320. And that concludes the finance portion of my report. >> All right. Thank you for that part. Any questions, Ken? >> The uh the windfall that we're getting from the state that we're sharing with AMD. Um, do uh Bethany and Woodbridge do the same thing? >> Yep. So we all do the same thing. We get our allocation and then we send some of it to him. Thank >> Mr. Zimman. Currently we're having conversations with Mr. Ciferelli the director of finance. So again we're projecting that number that Mr. Grace shared that will be going to AMD. We just have to finalize that and once we

091do then we'll be able to proceed. >> Okay. Aaron. >> What does PSO stand for? Oh, sorry. Um, that is the uh public school operators. So, we're a public school operator, board of ed. >> Thank you, >> Lauren. >> Um, the other really good news in um in the news was that Governor Lamont and the legislature um approved free universal school breakfast. Um and in addition to that, um I know we've talked a lot about lunch fees and reduced lunch fees. um anyone who previously qualified for reduced price lunches that actually goes back to free lunch now too. So that's really good news for our students across the entire state and here in Orange. >> Correct. >> Any other questions on that part? No. >> All right. Uh facilities portion is very short. Um school

092security and ongoing collaboration with the Orange Police Department uh specifically Detective Bailey and Ardane. We are continuing to have our discussions regarding school safety and security at our buildings. We are currently in the process of conducting our final lockdown drills for the year and our final crisis team meetings for the school year. Our crisis team meetings happen three times a year. Lockdown drills are usually two times a year. There's a new statute change. They will be three times in the future. So, we'll have three crisis team meetings and three lockdown drills. Um, our crisis team meetings are made up of school staff, the custodians, our SSO in each building, members of the Orange Police Department, the fire marshals department, um, and the building principal. And the purpose of the meetings is really to review our

093safety and security protocols in our buildings, um, and make sure that we're adhering to everything that we're supposed to according to the state. And that concludes my >> Thank you. Any other questions? No. >> Okay. Thank you again for that. >> Thank you. >> We'll move over to Dr. Russo. >> Good evening. I'll start my report with professional learning updates. The first is that the leadership team engaged in their well in our final plenary and affinity group sessions with the Connecticut Association of Public School S uh school superintendent master class cohort 5. And this Thursday we will um present our final presentation. Up until now we have shared all our presentations in our board updates and in the next board update we will share that final presentation. So we that that um participation now comes

094to an end and we are very grateful to CAPS for all the resources that they did provide. Professional learning in concept imagery is also wrapping up and we are excited to share that in addition to the math supports we will also have supports for parents uh that describe concept imagery and how that can be supported at home. And basically that is how to picture or image with that cognitive or thinking sensory site language um what you're reading. So we're excited about that. Those videos will be shared in the school newsletters for parents to access. We did share with our members of the curriculum subcommittee meeting our draft our next draft for next year's uh professional learning. the professional learning calendar. Based on the feedback of our teachers, we've identified all of the math sessions for

095next year and the um other sessions will focus on vocabulary. So, we're just trying to wrap that up and hopefully be able to share that calendar with our teachers before they leave at the end of the school year so they also know what to expect and what's coming uh for the learning. As far as assessment updates go, our students in grades three through six are currently um taking the Smarter Balance assessments. Please be reminded that that is only one sumitative data point and that we triangulate data and we uh try to understand students strengths, weaknesses and what they need to uh learn in order to move ahead and meet expectations with a variety of data. And our K through three students also engage in the endofear dibbles or dynamic indicators of basic early literacy skills.

096All those dates are also included at the end of the professional learning calendar. We are excited this summer to revise our orange strategic uh school improvement plan. We shared the highlights uh with the members of the curriculum subcommittee meeting. And finally, we are excited to share that once again this summer, students have the opportunity to attend or participate in camp invention for two weeks. That would be the two weeks right after school gets out. >> Yes. The 15th, >> which is June 15th to the 26th from 8 to 12. and any families that need additional help. The 21st century is will be available till 4:30 um at the end of each of those days. And that concludes my report. Mr. Cap, >> thank you so much for that. Tatiana, >> hi Dr. Russo. Uh my

097question is a compound question. How much longer is the is it SBA or SBA testing? How much longer is that going to take place? And will parents get results of those tests at all? And if so, is that before the end of the school year? >> Those results are not made public until the beginning of of the next school year. >> Okay. But you will receive a report. >> Gotcha. And for the school year, how much longer is the testing taking place? >> So, it's not timed, >> so it depends. We um want to make sure that students have as much time as they need to complete those assessments. So, we do have a window that the state provides, but we get out before that uh window closes, but actually I have to check on

098that. I can't remember now when uh like that window is, but we we will finish before the school gets out. >> Gotcha. Thank you. >> You're welcome, >> Betty. >> Um you talked about the concept imagery. um videos I think you said will they be under the family resources on the website that we saw earlier? Is that where they'll be or >> those are going with links in the school newsletters, but I'm sure we can put them up on the website, too. >> Well, it seems like if you have family resources for math, it would make sense to have family resources for ELA as well and maybe link it somehow. Sounds good. >> Yeah, we could definitely do that. Mrs. Hadlock, we'd like to send that link. I like the suggestion Mrs. Aac made also

099typically do that even though we have those popups that happen on the website, but another way for parents to get access, we could do that, too. >> You can never do it enough times. >> Exactly. [laughter] Any other questions? >> No. Okay. Thank you for the report. We'll move over to uh Mrs. O then >> good evening everyone just as a reminder um we completed our seventh year of the primary project activities. This project is a competitive grant as Mr. Gray just reported on and it does require reapplication every two years. These funds provide a play-based opportunity for children to connect personally with another caring adult. to to celebrate this initiative, we will be hosting another family fun wellness event on Wednesday, May 27th, where all K through three families were invited to sign up

100with a focus on the families of children who do attend Primary Project. The event includes a catered dinner and several activities that are geared to promote the emotional wellness of our students and their families. We are continuing to prepare for our extended school year program or otherwise known as ESY for children with individual education plans who qualify for this service. The program runs from July 6th through August 6th, Monday through Thursday from 8:30 to 11:30 and specific information will be communicated directly to the families of children who are eligible for those services. And that concludes my report. Oh, thank you for that. Any questions? >> And just Oh, I'm sorry. >> Sorry. Go ahead. Do I go ahead? >> Yeah, just real I'm looking on the the site, whoever asked. Typically, the SBA smarter balance

101assessment ends May 21st. U I'm looking at each school because some of them have a little variance. That's when it's typically ends, but then there could be makeup days for students that. But I'm I'm looking on the site as as a >> Yes. Thank you. >> Sure. Sorry, Dr. Wilson. >> No, it's okay. Um it wasn't a question, it's more of a comment. Um my family has been um beneficiaries of that primary project and I look forward to the um event that's coming up. We are registered and we've been going for the last three four years. So it's always a lovely evening. Um and it's uh very beneficial for those families that participate or maybe futuristically participate. I hope we stay engaged um and uh continue that um really wonderful resource. So, thank you. >>

102Thank you. >> Thanks. Any other questions? None. Okay. Thank you again for those reports. Okay, we'll move on uh to uh board business. Uh afterwards I will be looking for a motion to enter into executive session to discuss two agenda items after the standing committees and ASUS report. Uh discussion one and possible action regarding performance and evaluation of an elected member of the board of education and number two discussion and possible action regarding pending claims in litigation in the matter complaint from the office of civil rights case number 01.26.1223. So we'll move on to item number three. Policy second read orange board of ed policy 9010 limits of of authority. Do I have a motion to accept the policy 9010 limits of authority? Um Susan second. Anthony discussion. All in favor? Unanimous. Okay. Item four,

103policy. Second read, Orange Board of Ed policy 9121, election of officers. Do I have a motion to accept the Orange Board of Ed policy 9121 election of officers? Amanda second. Oh, I'm sorry, Aaron. Any discussion? All in favor? unanimous. Okay, thank you for that. The following are second reads. >> No, first >> um first read. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. [laughter] >> It is late. It is getting late. Uh the first one is going to be orange board of ed policy 02000 district goals. The next one is orange board of ed policy 5112 ages of attendance admission placement. Next one orange board of ed policy 5112.1 kindergarten enrollment and early entry waiver. Next is orange board of ed policy 5114 suspension expulsion. and last orange board of ed policy 6114.1 fire emergency crisis

104drills. So you guys did a lot of work at your last meeting. >> We did. >> Okay. Moving on to standing committees. Uh finance operations. Susan. >> Hi. The uh finance subcommittee met prior to this meeting. Uh we reviewed um the financials. All are in order. uh do the cafeteria update with um great participation from parents or students um in the cafeteria. Uh the audit update which is finished and if anybody's interested can um see Mr. Gray. Uh we discussed the grants update and that's about it. >> Okay. Any questions from anyone? >> Moving on to personnel policy and transportation. Everybody, >> yes, we did have a lengthy meeting and I know there are five different uh first read policies. Um, one of them is pertaining to the kindergarten waiver that is ending and we

105are required to have a policy regarding that. Um, I know the suspension and expulsion policy is particularly long uh many many pages to uh devour. Um it's one I want to thank our principles for reviewing this with a fine tooth comb before our um policy committee took a a long look at it as well. We've worked on that for a few months and it's a follow-up mand it's a mandated policy that follows up on the school climate policy that replaced the former policy regarding bullying. So um we will be hoping to get that one all done when we meet in June. And I just want to say if you have any questions as you're reading, please um feel free to reach out to me or Dr. Scarpetti and hopefully we can answer those questions. >>

106All right, thank you for that. Any questions? Okay, we'll move on to buildings and grounds. Anthony, >> thanks. [clears throat] Buildings and grounds subcommittee met on Wednesday, May 6th. Um at that time, Mr. Gray shared that the maintenance and custodial staff are busy with year-end activities and are currently ordering the supplies for the summer cleaning of all the schools. As he mentioned earlier, Mr. Gray also discussed the scheduling of the final school-based crisis team meetings and lockdown drills for the year. Finally, Dr. Scarpetti reviewed the long range preventive maintenance plan. There were no recommendations or revisions from the committee members. And if there's any suggested revisions prior to the board meeting in June, please contact Dr. Scarpetti and me. That's it. >> Any questions? >> Okay, thank you for that. Moving on to curriculum instruction

107technology. Ken, at curriculum committee meetings, I often feel I'm running to keep up with Dr. Russo, a source of wisdom and educational knowledge. So I was especially pleased when she quoted someone I actually know that someone was Dr. Scarpedi and and the quote was create the foundation and build on it. This is one of the principles at the core of our professional learning program. Whether to increase our teachers knowledge and techniques or the knowledge and abilities of our students, this principle applies. This was by way of introducing our professional learning calendar for next year. For those of you following at home, if anybody's left uh following at home, [laughter] that's 26 to 27. To be determined, to be sure, this is not all of the learning being scheduled, but showcases the highlights for next year

108and establishes the framework upon which the year will be built. I have to say that as educators, both Mrs. Hadlock and I are aware that this is the extreme exception and is just another reason this school system once again distinguishes itself from all the others. That's it. >> Thank you, Ken. Any questions? >> No. Okay, we'll move over to ASUS report. Susan, >> so ASUS Area Cooperative Educational Services uh met on May 14th this past Thursday. It was also a long meeting. Um, we voted on 11 budgets. That took a while. Um, we also got an honorable mention from CABE. Um, it's a Bonnie, it's a 2025 Bonnie B. Carney Award of Excellence for Educational Communications Programs for Social Media and it was ASUS social media media sharing our stories. So, we got a certificate

109on that. That was a big deal. Um, in addition, I wanted to give you a quick update on the three big projects that ASUS is working on. Um, one of them is the Chase update. So, Chase, ACES at Chase Collegiate. Um, we are starting a complete overhaul because a lot of our buildings are not ADA compliant because it's an existing building and we are increasing it. It's a high school program or sorry 7 through 12 pro um program and we are adding a grade every year and so we need to have the appropriate facilities and access for everyone. So that is starting um we have met with our builders and our um project managers as well and so we expect start date of June of 2026 which is a really large project. our um wintergreen

110project um is just about completed. Um we've we have tiny little things that need to be fixed, certain minor things that are always at the end of a building project. And then the big one that I wanted to talk for just a second about is our 88 Basset Road in North Haven, which used to be the old gateway facility, which will now be one of our big special ed schools. >> Um and it is amazing. We're doing the ribbon cutting on June 4th which will be our ne next ASUS building our next ASUS board meeting as well. We have the ribbon cutting and um we're excited about that because we want it ready for the summer school programs. Um so that's a big deal. Um in addition, I wanted to give you a quick update

111on some things. I know I talk a lot of times about ACES and people are like what is that? What is that? What is ACES? Well, some of the things I'm just going to quickly go over right now are some of the schools that we have that we're using that we're doing. Um, we have Aces at Anson Sonia, which is oh, which also has um our first puppy. Um, so we have a, you know, a a dog who's a lab and who's wonderful and seems to really help um the kids that are there. Um, and then we have a second one, and for the life of me, I can't remember which building it's in. Um, but >> the second puppy, there's two puppies. Yeah, there's two dogs. Um, one is Heidi and I forget what

112the other one's name is. That one's a little bit younger. And that actually, um, we a were able to, um, send our dog and their handler to, um, one of the schools in Avon where a student had passed away at a very young age. And they they somebody reached out to ASUS and said, "Hey, can you bring your dog?" and the handler up and so many students and so many families reached out to ASUS to thank them for that which was wonderful. Um but the um dogs are truly at two of our our special ed schools. Um we have um ACES at Chase which is a typical school. It's a magnet school. Wintergreen is a magnet school. Um we also have a center for autism spectrum and developmental disorders. Um and we have our um

113educational service I'm sorry educational center for the arch arts ECA which is also a typical school um for um talented students. We have Mil Road which is a spell special ed school. We have Bridges Brightwell and Regions which are spe specialty schools. Um some of them are within the um uh juvenile justice uh program. Village school is one of our special ed schools. Whitney ad academy and Whitney High North are both for um special needs students. [snorts] Um Winter Crane and I I mentioned is a magnet school. Um we did um have a celebration of our ASES teachers of the year. Um both established teachers and new teachers. Um we had it was called the EDRA recipients which is the executive director's recognition rec recognition award. Um and there were four that were recommended um

114recipients um from different schools and two that were rookies of the year. And those are the highlights and there's more but we'll get to that another [clears throat] month. >> Oh wow. [laughter] Any questions? But yeah, >> I just have one question on the Bass the new Basset Road where you're doing the ribbon cutting. >> What grades is that servicing? >> Um it's predominantly elementary school. >> Um in that building. Yeah. >> Um so it's pretty much prek to six, seven depending on the students. >> All right. Thank you. >> Any other questions? >> Okay. All right. We'll move into our next item. Um, I'm going to look for a motion for the for the following two motions. Just one. Motion one is the Orange Board of Education hereby moves into executive session to discuss

115pending claims against the Board of Education matter of the [clears throat] United States Office of Civil Rights and the Orange Board of Education OCR case number 01-26-1230. the board further invites into executive session uh attorney Steve Sedor, legal counsel for the board and uh number two, Dr. Vince Scaripedi, uh superintendent of schools. And the next item in this motion is for uh item number two. The Orange Board of Education hereby moves into executive session for the purpose of discussing the performance in or evaluation of an elected board of ed member pursuant to the Connecticut General Statute Section 1-26A. Board further invites um attorney Steve Sedor into executive session for that portion. So, do I have a motion for those? >> Make a motion. >> Uh, Susan second. Ken. Uh, any discussion? >> Okay. All in

116favor? >> Wait. You have a question. >> I'm sorry. >> Um, I just wanted to make sure the motion was for um case number one61230. Is that >> under motion one? It's OCR case number 01-26-1230 >> one. Okay. >> Okay. That was not on our That's okay. That's okay. [laughter] No, just making sure. >> It says one, two, two, three. >> The next one. The next one. >> The next one is 223, I think. >> Just double checking. >> 0126.1223. Thank you. There's two different case numbers. >> Uh just checking probably the same case. >> Um and it was probably a typo that I have on my side. >> Okay. >> My fault. No problem. >> But same same topic, but yes, >> same topic. >> Yes. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Yes, definitely. Any

117other discussion? Thank you for that catch. >> No, you're good. >> Um all in favor. Okay. We are going That's unanimous. We're going into executive session at 9:08 p.m. >> Okay, we are out of executive session at 10:15 p.m. Um, coming out of executive session. Um, this is now in response to last month's executive session item number two, uh, which was asked for a me member of the board to resign. In response to that member uh not resigning, there's a motion that Betty is going to read. >> Put your mic. >> Um the following statement I am going to read now and ask for a motion. As a board of education, it is our responsibility as members to behave as positive role models and to refrain from conduct that negatively impacts the board. We are

118pleased that all charges have been dismissed against our board member and all members look forward to working together collaboratively as this board moves forward. >> Okay, I'm looking for a motion for that. First, Ken, second, Ronette. Uh, any discussion? All in favor? Okay, that's unanimous. Uh, do you want to make a note of that? that it was unanimous vote. >> Yes. >> Okay. Uh moving on to the last item which is adjournment of the meeting. I'm looking for a motion. [laughter] Susan Aaron second. I'm hoping there's no discussion. >> No. >> Okay. All in favor to adjourn tonight's meeting. >> That's unanimous. We are adjourned at 10:18.