THE ORACLE —
Octo
ber 2019
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DIRECTOR'S CORNER
DEBRA BORRERO, DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL CHOICE PROGRAMS
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Congratulations for completing the first month of school! We have officially completed enrollment in the program with just over 2,300 students enrolled in 27 districts across the Hartford Region.
The first chart below (left) demonstrates the ethnicity of the students enrolled in your districts through Open Choice, and This second chart (right) demonstrates the ethnicity of the town residents in these same districts based on the 2017 American Fact Finder Community Survey
As we begin to delve deeper into our academics and extra-curricular activities, I share this for you to think about how this vast difference in ethnicity has an impact on the experiences of children enrolled in your district through Open Choice. I encourage you to think about this and engage in conversations, even if they may feel uncomfortable, about race in our culture, your classrooms, and the curriculum with your colleagues, friends and neighbors.
This summer, CREC staff read and discussed
A Letter to White Teachers of My Black Child
, which is a powerful letter to help you better understand the perspective of many of our parents. I hope you find this letter insightful and helpful as you continue working with the families of children enrolled in your district through Open Choice.
We appreciate your continued partnership.
Warmest Regards,
Debra Borrero
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OPEN CHOICE SHINES!
POSITIVE STORIES FROM OPEN CHOICE STUDENTS, STAFF, AND PARTNERS
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Please welcome Open Choice's 2019-2020 Social Work interns from the University of St. Joseph
- Elementary School
- Xaviera Davis (not pictured)
- Maria Holgado Zunica (below left)
- Middle School
- Samantha Nunes (below center)
- High School
- Tiajaie Mitchell (below right)
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At Squadron Line Elementary School in Simsbury, PreK student A’zani, has had a wonderful first month of school. She proudly shared, “I found the letter ‘i’ just like the one in my name!”
The school’s focus on respect, responsibility, and kindness is evident in all areas of the classroom. Simsbury is one of 27 districts participating in the Hartford Region Open Choice Program
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Erwin Hurst, '91 - Farmington
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Erwin Hurst, ‘91 Farmington alumnus and Open Choice parent, reflected on his experience as a student enrolled in the district through Open Choice: “I felt like a fish in a fishbowl, with everyone watching me. One teacher took the time to get to know me. It was a bad day; he noticed I wasn’t myself and checked in. When some Hartford kids couldn’t afford a school ski trip, he stayed behind with us and made us feel like we were doing something special and those on the ski trip were missing out...that caring stayed with me over the years.” Relationships matter.
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We would like to feature the excellent work and partnership we have with our Open Choice districts. Please share your brief stories about Open Choice students and their positive experiences in your school/district, along with any high resolution photos. We will share them here and on CREC's Facebook and Instagram pages. Stories can be sent to
openchoice@crec.org
Join us on social media to catch all the Open Choice buzz!!
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MARKETING AND OUTREACH MUSINGS
FROM RENITA EZELL, OUTREACH AND ENROLLMENT COORDINATOR
Open Choice (then Project Concern) Class of 1983, West Hartford
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The application for Open Choice & Magnets is available from November 1, 2019 through January 30, 2020 at
www.choiceeducation.org
. CREC’s outreach team will engage in various activities to increase awareness and knowledge of the Open Choice program and we need your help.
- Parent Recruiters - Is there an Open Choice parent in your district who would be a great promoter of your school/district? If so, please forward their name to Renita Ezell at rezell@crec.org or (860) 524-4017. Parents, who successfully complete the roles and responsibilities listed in the Memorandum of Understanding, will receive from $50.00 - $250.00 as an incentive after the recruitment season. The Parent Recruiter Information Session is scheduled for Thursday, October 17th, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. in the CREC Café located at 111 Charter Oak Avenue in Hartford.
- “Relationships Matter” Success Stories – Help us promote the excellent work and relationships in your schools/districts. Send us your Success Stories about the connections and activities in your schools/districts for CREC to promote on our social media via Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
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TRANSPORTATION TIDBITS
FROM RUDY THOMAS, STUDENT SERVICE COORDINATOR AND TRANSPORTATION LIAISON
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Transportation
We have successfully routed all of the new students and minimized days missed from school. Thank you for your patience while I worked with RSCO to schedule new students, change existing students and anything else you needed for special transportation. We are off to a good start!
Just a few reminders:
- Students from Hartford spend anywhere from 60-90 minutes traveling to and from school. Before our PreK4 students board their bus home, please schedule time for them to use the bathroom to prevent accidents on the bus.
- If you require a late bus, make sure to enter the request before 11 a.m. daily.
CASA
We are now accepting referrals for the Open Choice After School Academy (CASA), which runs from October 21 - May 7. CASA is an after school development program for students in grades 6-12 who need support in homework in the areas of math, writing, language arts / English, credit recovery, credit acceleration, and/or behavior intervention. The program uses the
Edgenuity
online program for high school students in need of credit recovery. Please go online to www.crec.org/casa. Read about the program and have your school counselors/support staff complete the online referral.
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FAMILY ENGAGEMENT NEWS
FROM CURTIS PORTER III, FAMILY ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST
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Thank you to the liaisons who were able to attend the Liaison Breakfast (pictured righ) in collaboration with representatives from the Department of Children and Families. We enjoyed open dialogue and the department was able to share valuable insight. To have the DCF staff visit your school please contact Ayesha Gaines, Program Manager at
Ayesha.gains@ct.gov
.
We also shared the new Open Choice organizational chart (below).
I am pleased to announce that we will be hosting our first
Open Choice Day of Service
at Food Share in Bloomfield on October 30. This day will include students, families, and district partners who will come together for this philanthropic initiative.
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT POSSIBILITIES
FROM GLORIA MENGUAL, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION COORDINATOR
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The Hartford Region Open Choice Program provides professional development, online or in-person, tailored to meet your needs in your district utilizing content area experts for low, or in some cases no, cost
See what Open C
hoice can do for you! For more information about any of our Professi
onal Development Services, including the opportunities below, visit
www.crec.org/choice/pd
, or contact Gloria Francesca Mengual at
gmengual@crec.org
or 860-509-3768.
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Dine & Discuss -
How Parent Voices can Positively Impact Educator Choices
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Have you ever wondered what somebody on staff could have done differently to resolve a situation with a student and their family? Better yet, what are ways to prevent strained relationships? What could school staff do to take their already successful efforts to connect with families to an even higher level? Take this opportunity to build relationships and increase understanding as a panel of Hartford parents share:
- How connected they and their children feel to their suburban schools and what can be done to strengthen relationships
- What they appreciate was done or wish had been done before their child started attending a suburban school
- Descriptions of school efforts that have helped Hartford parents and their children feel a part of both the school and overall community
- Staff actions (or inactions) that increase mistrust; suggested options to increase understanding
- Culturally competent approaches to addressing situations involving their children
DATE:
November 6, 4:15 – 6:15 p.m. - Irving A. Robbins Middle School, 20 Wolf Pit Road, Farmington
To register, email Cassondra Lash at
clash@crec.org
by November 1 for the Farmington session.
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This three-day, (one full day per month for three consecutive months) professional learning opportunity is designed for school teams working on equity/school climate issues to attend, allowing them to move their equity goals forward.
Along with identifying the school values, behaviors, policies and practices that reflect a stage in the cultural proficiency continuum, teams will have the opportunity to hear from one principal about her efforts to apply an equity lens within her school and the outcomes to date. There also will be a Q & A session with a parent panel whose children attend suburban schools, along with the opportunity to hear student voices. The institute will culminate with a narrated bus tour to explore historic Hartford neighborhoods.
This year, the Leadership Institute will be held on
October 29, November 12 and December 5
. The $150 per person fee covers all three days of professional development, along with breakfast, lunch and the bus trip.
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RESOURCES
FROM KRISTINA JORDAN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
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Each month, I will share information that may be of use to you and your staff. This could include our continued work and resources in the field of Equity and Critical Race Theory, legislation, professional development offered by CREC and our partners, technology, and more!
CREC Professional Development Opportunities:
Colleagues, many of you have been requesting assistance with verbal translations to communicate in a meaningful way with your families. CREC hosted a Google Translate workshop for teachers on 9/30/19. If you are not subscribed to the CREC Resource Group, please contact:
crecresourcegroup@crec.org
to take advantage of these unique opportunities
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Technology:
Our staff has been utilizing the
Google Translate App
right from our IPhones.
It features: Offline storage of languages, Type to translate, Write to translate (write on the screen), Speak to translate, Instant Camera translation, Save Common Phrases and the list continues. It is worth taking a look at for those “in a pinch” moments.
Equity:
I would be remiss if I did not mention
The 1619 Project
by the
New York Times
. The name is in reference to the 400
th
anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved people brought from Africa to the Virginia Colony.
The Times
states that the goal of this project is to re-examine the legacy of slavery, reframe the country’s history, deeply examine the consequences of slavery and reveal the contributions of black Americans as the center of the narrative. You can learn more at:
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Featured Event - Family Literacy Night, October 23, 5:30 p.m CREC Central
Elementary Resource Specialist Kim Guzzo would like to thank all our Pre-K to Grade 4 educators and administrators for all your work to begin a successful 2019-2020 school year. She visited 20 elementary schools in 14 out of 27 districts in Sepotember, and met so many wonderful students and educators!
This month, she's looking forward to meeting more teachers and administrators at our Open Choice Family Literacy Night for PreK-1 families featuring
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
by Eric Carle on October 23.
October 2019
- Parent Recruiter Meeting
- October 17, 6-7 p.m.
- CREC Central, Room 101, 111 Charter Oak Ave., Hartford, CT 06106
- Directors of Special Education Breakfast
- October 23, 8:30-10 a.m.
- CREC Central, Room 202, 111 Charter Oak Ave., Hartford, CT 06106
- Family Literacy Night
- October 23, 5:30-7 p.m.
- CREC Central, Room 202, 111 Charter Oak Ave., Hartford, CT 06106
- Leadership Institute Day 1
- October 29, 8 a.m-3 p.m.
- CREC Central, 111 Charter Oak Ave., Hartford, CT 06106
- Open Choice Day of Service
- October 30, 4-7 p.m.
- Foodshare, 450 Woodland Ave., Bloomfield, CT 06002
November 2019
- Dine & Discuss Farmington
- November 6, 4:15-6:15 p.m.
- Irving A. Robbins Middle School, 20 Wolf Pit Road, Farmington, CT 06032
- Leadership Institute Day 2
- November 12, 8 a.m-3 p.m.
- CREC Central, 111 Charter Oak Ave., Hartford, CT 06106
December 2019
- Leadership Institute Day 3
- December 6, 8 a.m-3 p.m.
- CREC Central, 111 Charter Oak Ave., Hartford, CT 06106
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Hartford Region Open Choice Program
111 Charter Oak Ave., 3rd Floor
Hartford, CT 06016
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