Dear Bloomfield Public Schools family:
Literacy was last Thursday morning's focus at Laurel Literacy Academy. In partnership with the United Way, Bloomfield Public Schools hosted Read for Record. Volunteer readers were in the Laurel classrooms and read the book “With Lots of Love”, by Jenny Torres Sanchez Rocio. These books were donated by the United Way. Bloomfield board of education members, district leaders – including myself - and community folks participated in the event.
On Thursday afternoon, the district – via Zoom - launched a novel global cultural-exchange partnership with a school in Brazil.
Our emerging talented and gifted program, known as SOAR, is engaging in a virtual global collaboration project with sixth-grade students from the Colégio Mãe de Deus in Londrina, Brazil.
Thursday’s session engaged Carmen Arace Intermediate School fifth and sixth-grade students with the Brazilian students. The students talked about their interests, cultures and hobbies – and asked questions of each other. There will be more of these exchanges with the Brazilian students in the coming months.
The initiative is sponsored by Renzulli Learning, which is a curriculum enrichment online system, developed by world-renown psychologist Dr. Joseph Renzulli. He attended Thursday’s event. The Renzulli methodology transforms the way students learn and how teachers teach. It places the student at the center of the education process, focuses on their strengths and allows them to pursue their own interests.
I would like to express my appreciation to two long-time Bloomfield Board of Education members who are stepping down from the board this year. Tuesday was the last public BOE meeting for both Chairman Donald Harris and member Robert Ike.
Mr. Ike, who is also chairman of Bloomfield’s Republican Town Committee, served on the board for 16 consecutive years and 20 years overall. He is a retired state Department of Transportation manager. Mr. Ike was known as a straight-talking board member, who insisted on “rigor” and accountability in assessing school academic projects.
I have known Mr. Harris for 62 years. He is a dear friend as has served as board chairman since the day I was hired 12 years ago. He is a former chairman Bloomfield’s Democrat Town Committee. Like Mr. Ike, Mr. Harris is also known for his candor and focus on what is best for the school system.
A retired educator, Mr. Harris is also a past president of the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education. He was recently recognized by CABE with its 2022 Philip S. Fenster Distinguished Service Award for lifetime commitment to public education. He is also a former president of the Capital Region Education Council board and a current member of the State Board of Education.
Students from BHS and GEMS recently participated in a College and Career Fair at the BHS gym. Students were able to practice their social skills in talking to college and business representatives from New England about potential opportunities for their future.
Congratulations to Bloomfield Adult Education student Gladys Rivera Vidal. Our Adult Ed courses helped her to pass all requirements for U.S. Citizenship, as established by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
She will participate in a new-citizens swearing-in ceremony at the Federal Building in Hartford at the end of November. Ms. Rivera is married with two children, ages 10 and 7. She and her husband, Jorge Vega, are originally from Ecuador and have been living in Connecticut for 10 years.
In addition to academic courses, Bloomfield Adult Ed provides U.S. Citizenship preparation classes, running 10 weeks in the fall and spring. These include lesson in basics Civics, along with coaching on how to prepare for the citizenship interview.
We are continuing to remind families and members of our community about the district’s re-designed website and launch of our new mobile App. A brief instructional video on how to download the app via the QR code is available on our website: www.bloomfieldschools.org/ and social media platforms – Twitter ( https://twitter.com/BloomfieldPS) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/bloomfieldpsfb). The QR code is also available on those platforms.
Dr. James Thompson, Jr.
Superintendent, Bloomfield Public Schools