Superintendent Willett's Bulletin
Updated 11/5/2024
DIGITAL BACKPACKS
Birch Grove Primary School Tolland Intermediate School Tolland Middle School Tolland High School
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A QUICK LOOK @ WHAT TO KNOW!
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Tolland PEP Band is NBC30's FEATURE OF THE WEEK!
Mr. Abate & the Pep Band Rocks!
Check them out here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14KX8xrYTh5c3GAf6_r1MGol1cpApCHrc/view?usp=drive_link
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Dad's & Kids Evening Playgroup
The Tolland Family Resource Center would like to welcome all dads and other important male role models of the family, to join us for monthly play groups just for you and your young ones!
WHERE: Birch Grove Primary- FRC classroom
247 Rhodes Road, Tolland CT
WHEN: Tuesday, November 5th – Sensory Night
Tuesday, December 3rd – Game Night
TIME: 6pm-7:30pm
REGISTER: Email LViolette@tolland.k12.ct.us for enrollment
OR GO TO https://forms.gle/1Nmn6ZQG64nWVQLWA to register
You may bring a light dinner to enjoy before we begin our play.
This playgroup is free to all currently enrolled FRC families.
All new families to the FRC family will have a $25 annual fee that allows you access to all FRC programs from July 1st, 2024-June 30th, 2025.
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VETERANS DAY PROGRAMMING
November 11, 2024
Please note, the Tolland Public Schools are in session Veteran's Day and offer programs celebrating our Veterans, and thanking them for their service! Please see the digital backpacks for more school specific information.
BGP
Assembly honoring Veterans.
TIS
Assembly honoring Veterans, thank you cards to VA Hospital.
TMS
Assembly honoring Veterans, thank you video, and fundraising activities.
THS
Assembly (Wounded Warriors) honoring Veterans (click here for schedule).
Thank You For Your Service
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FRIENDLY REMINDER
November 13, 2024 (Wednesday) is an EARLY RELEASE DAY
Tolland High School
Early Dismissal/Exam Days 7:15 am - 10:45 am
Tolland Middle School
Early Dismissal 8:00 am - 11:45 am
Tolland Intermediate School
Early Dismissal 8:45 am - 12:40 pm
Birch Grove Primary School
Early Dismissal 9:00 am - 12: 55 pm
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PJ Day
Wear PJs—Support Kids with Cancer – Connecticut Children’s
December 13, 2024
As long as children are battling cancer and Connecticut Children's expert staff are treating them, the Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders needs your support. We can all stand together with kids battling cancer.
Since 2011, more than $4 million has been raised in support of Connecticut Children's Center for Cancer & Blood Disorders, with more than $680,000 raised in 2023 alone.
Together, $1 (or more) at a time, we are making a difference!
Click Here to donate or bring $1.00 to school on December 13, 2024.
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Snow Procedures-Updated
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Community Workshop
Parent Social Media Awareness Presentation
Offer by the Connecticut State Police / DARE Program
Save the date: Location TBD
December 4, 2024
6:00 – 7:30 pm
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THS Graduation Set Date
June 16, 2025
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Superintendent Community Forum Meeting – Zoom
Come, ask questions, and share your thoughts and ideas!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87375511973?pwd=eTZGUEZzNDlaYkl6N3lxdnA3UlprZz09
Meeting ID: 873 7551 1973
Passcode: 5sC9ud
4:00 – 5:00 pm
January 23, 2025
February 27, 2025
March 27, 2025
April 24, 2025
May 22, 2025
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Free COVID test kits 4 per household available to ship to your address starting 09/30.
https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/testing/index.html
Tolland County health report showed a large spike in cases of COVID in the past 2 weeks.
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Help Wanted
School Psychologist
Part-time LPN
Full-time Special Education Paraeducators
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SUBSTITUTES ARE NEEDED DISTRICT WIDE
We need teacher, paraeducator, custodial, nurse, and food service substitutes.
You can choose what position, where and how often. Paper applications are available at the BOE office or can be printed from our website:
https://www.tolland.k12.ct.us/DistrictOffices/human_resources
Do you know someone that might be interested such as a college student (there is plenty of work over the winter break and/or mid May through end of year) or retired family member?
Please send them our way.
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Please click below for the Transportation / Bus Routes:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e0Y2iKrk23ayBoxbAX7a5a6FyCVURtQY/view?usp=sharing
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Use FIRSTVIEW the Bus Tracking App for Parent/Guardians
https://sites.google.com/tolland.k12.ct.us/tps-firstview/home
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2024-2025 School Calendar
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Tolland High School Open House
Semester 2 - Thursday, February 13, 2025 (Snow Date-Thursday, February 20, 2025)
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Free & Reduced Meal Application
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NOTE FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE(S)
Welcome Back Students and Families to the 2024-2025 School Year. My how far we have come!
I wanted to take this opportunity to give some quick reminders to families to more easily navigate the school year.
Medications- all students who take a scheduled medication at school, or have the need for an emergency medication must have a current medication order on file with the school nurse. These orders are good for one year only and must be kept up to date. Please speak with your student’s school nurse for any specific medication questions you may have. Students are not allowed to carry their own medications with them during the school day in MOST instances, with the exception of of epi pens and inhalers. Those medications DO require a medication order to be given to the school nurse.
Required Physicals- ANY student new to Tolland Public schools, EVERY 6th grader, and EVERY 9th grader must submit a new physical from a qualified medical provider. This must include the third page which is an oral health assessment. The oral health assessment may be completed by either their medical or dental provider. If you would like a blue form, please reach out to your school nurse. Otherwise you may submit the form your provider uses OR you may use this link https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/sde/school-nursing/forms/health_assessment_record.pdf
Illness and Attendance- please keep your student’s school nurse up to date if they are missing school due to an illness. Please do not send your student to school who has a fever that persists, who has vomited with the past 24 hours or is generally not well enough to be in school. General guidance for all respiratory illnesses (including COVID) is to stay home until you are fever free 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications, practice good hand hygiene, practice distancing as much as possible, use a mask for up to 5 days after symptoms begin. For any respiratory illness where a cough persists, consider using a mask to be mindful of others you will be around.
School attendance is important. Students need to attend to reap the benefits. Students missing school for reasons other than illness has a great impact on your student, as well as their classmates. Please reach out to your school administration, school counselor, and nurse if you are experiencing any difficulty with school attendance for your student. The school nurse will be able to direct you to needed resources that may improve your student’s attendance. Your student’s school nurse works closely with the attendance team at each school to help determine when an attendance letter needs to be sent. The letter sent home often does not reflect all school time missed. Encourage good attendance this school year.
We welcome your students back!
Tolland Public School Nurses
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Community Workshops
2024-2025
Tolland Public Library- Program Room
6:00 PM
March 2, 2025
Dyslexia
May 7, 2025
TBD
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Notice from Tolland Food & Nutrition Services - MEAL MAGIC!
Dear Tolland Families,
The Tolland Food & Nutrition Services Department is excited to inform you that beginning with the 2024-25 school year, there will be a new software program for school meal purchases called Meal Magic. This new software requires a new biometrics scanning system for identification purposes at the point of sale. Therefore, we will need to rescan all students’ fingers for use with the new system. The rescan will occur at the beginning of the new school year. See additional information about biometrics below.
Meal Magic has a family portal where parents can create a free account to access the student meal information. On this portal, there are instructions and videos that walk you through your new account. Just click here to be directed to that portal system: https://tolland.familyportal.cloud/ The identifying piece of information that you will need to link your child to your parent account is their student identification number. If you do not have this number, it is the 5 digit number on the end of your student’s Tolland email address or you can contact us for the number.
The Meal Magic Family Portal will replace the My School Account system that is currently in use for online payments. You can use the Meal Magic Family Portal to view balances, see account and purchase histories, make deposits, transfer money among family members, and set parental controls.
You may still send in cash or a check made payable to “Tolland Food Services” to your child’s school if you choose not to make online payments to the account. Once you have created an account and accessed the system, you will see that your student’s balance has been transferred from the old system.
Tolland Public Schools have been using a finger scanning ID system for many years and have found it successful in allowing the students to optimize their time in the cafeteria. Here are some pieces of information for you about this system:
Nothing in the process of purchasing lunch will change for the students. However, each student will need to have their finger rescanned. This will be done in school with as little disruption to instruction as possible.
Being part of the system is voluntary and you may OPT OUT if you don’t want your child to participate. Also, if you have already OPTED OUT your child, you will not need to contact us again. Those students who have already opted out of participation will continue to be opted out in the new system.
There are no images of any fingerprints taken. The initial finger scan is converted to an encrypted string of numbers - the template. The template is only associated with the student’s name, student ID number, grade and school.
All templates are located behind the school district’s firewall with all the security protections currently in place for all our data. The vendor providing the software for the finger scanning does not host or have access to any of our data.
The templates are only being used to identify students who are enrolled in our system.
How does finger scanning ID work?
We will be using finger scanning ID similar to many smart phones. Using a finger scanner, the software scans certain unique points on the finger to create and store individual numerical templates that identify each student. When the student returns, the software again scans the finger and looks for a numerical template match in the database. When a match is found, the student is identified. This all happens in about a second.
What about the privacy of our students?
The software scans the finger for identification. It does not store a copy of the fingerprints. Instead, the software creates a template of the unique points on the finger. The template is converted to a unique number and is stored in the school district’s database with the same high level of security of all our records.
It is important to understand that we are NOT fingerprinting students. In addition, fingerprints cannot be recreated or delivered to any agency - governmental or otherwise.
It is important to us that your child’s experiences in school are educational and rewarding. This way of identifying our students is safe, easy, accurate, efficient and secure. If you have any questions or do not want your child to participate and opt out of the system, please contact me at the number or email below.
Sincerely,
Kim Mecteau
Food & Nutrition Services Director
860-870-6854, ext. 2
kmecteau@tolland.k12.ct.us
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Interested in Student Accident Insurance?
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We would love to have you volunteer in our Tolland Public Schools!
Please contact the Central Office with any questions. For those already volunteering, and those new to the game, the BOE will now do background checks every three school years. If you will be volunteering for the first time in the upcoming school year, please complete the volunteer form After you have submitted your application, please call 860-870-6850 extension 1 to provide your social security number. You can check with the school secretaries to verify your status.
Please note these procedures are required for safety and legal reasons. A person will not be permitted to join trips, work in classrooms, or do other work associated with the students in the schools without completing this process. Doing paperwork in advance and in a timely manner will prevent applicants from missing important events and avoids unnecessary disappointments and exclusions.
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Public Service Announcement - Firearm Safety in the Home
Information Message - Please click below
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SEAC Parent Meetings
Do you have a student receiving special education services through an 504 or IEP in the Tolland Public Schools? Consider being a part of SEAC! Save the dates:
Library Program Room-Tolland Library
6:00 pm
January 2, 2025
April 3, 2025
RELATED:
INFORMATION FROM THE UNIFIED SPORTS & ACTIVITIES NIGHT
See the information on area sports and activities for students with exceptionalities (presentations - and flyers shown at the end as well):
https://vimeo.com/894742285?share=copy
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Please check out our COMMUNITY NOTICES link below
Check out the many important activities!
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Please see this important information regarding Medication Administration on field trips:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Tie3f5oIfl972l86NY1X2OaJy8Ir4ttbdxsRGyzOqc4/edit?usp=sharing
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Annual Notifications:
https://tps.sharpschool.net/cms/One.aspx?portalId=891651&pageId=48325998
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VIDEOS OF INTEREST & GENERAL INFORMATION:
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Tolland PEP Band is NBC30's FEATURE OF THE WEEK!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/14KX8xrYTh5c3GAf6_r1MGol1cpApCHrc/view?usp=drive_link
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FIRST DAYS OF SCHOOL VIDEO
Check out our TPS students first days of school 2024-2025
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e9F4se15S7wCWHdVraAvh5xUVwcEKa3t/view?usp=drive_link
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SUBMIT A BUDGET QUESTION
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Check out the Superintendent’s Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/tollandpublicschools
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Use FIRSTVIEW the Bus Tracking App for Parent/Guardians
https://sites.google.com/tolland.k12.ct.us/tps-firstview/home
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2024-2025 School Calendar
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HELPFUL #'s for Parent's and Guardians
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1y7OeNUXheugoJzbVHKBIssekgACmqaIX/view?usp=drive_link
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School Lunch Menus
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Snow Procedures
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Fall Fertilizer Application letter
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SUBSTITUTES ARE NEEDED DISTRICT WIDE
We need teacher, paraeducator, custodial, nurse, and food service substitutes.
You can choose what position, where and how often. Paper applications are available at the BOE office or can be printed from our website:
https://www.tolland.k12.ct.us/DistrictOffices/human_resources
Do you know someone that might be interested such as a college student (there is plenty of work over the winter break and/or mid-May through end of year) or retired family member?
Please send them our way.
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Interested in the data?
Check out the Superintendent's new
TPS Data Portal
https://sites.google.com/tolland.k12.ct.us/sqr/home
The TPS Data Portal is a site that provides rolling data on academic subject areas and social and emotional programming (updated as data becomes available) for the TPS community. If you have any questions, please contact me!
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REGULAR - 2 HOUR DELAY - & Early Release Schedules
Tolland High School
Regular School Day 7:15 am - 1:43 pm
2-Hour Delay 9:15 am - 1:43 pm
Early Dismissal/Exam Days 7:15 am - 10:45 am
Tolland Middle School
Regular School Day 8:00 am - 2:30 pm
2-Hour Delay 10:00 am - 2:30 pm
Early Dismissal 8:00 am - 11:45 am
Tolland Intermediate School
Regular School Day 8:45 am - 3:15 pm
2-Hour Delay 10:45 am - 3: 15 pm
Early Dismissal 8:45 am - 12:40 pm
Birch Grove Primary School
Regular School Day 9:00 am - 3:30 pm
2-Hour Delay 11:00 am - 3:30 pm
Early Dismissal 9:00 am - 12: 55 pm
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Check out the Superintendent’s Page
You can find many resources there from the Capital Improvement Plan to Superintendent Community Forums – to Community Workshops
Check it out today:
http://www.tolland.k12.ct.us/DistrictOffices/superintendent/superintendent_willett_s_page
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Annual Notifications
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