Superintendent Willett's Bulletin

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Wear PJs—Support Kids with Cancer

December 12, 2025

Dear Families,

I’d like to take a moment to share something meaningful with our school community. Recently, one of our families graciously shared their story with CT Children’s for the annual gala supporting the new NICU. Their interview highlights the incredible advancements coming to the new tower opening this December, including private rooms designed to bring comfort and dignity to families during some of their most challenging moments.

Many of you may already know parts of this family’s journey but hearing it in their own words is both powerful and deeply moving. They have generously allowed us to share it with you, especially as we approach PJ Day for the Kids—a day when our entire district joins together to support children and families facing medical hardships.

The video is intended for an adult audience, but it beautifully reminds us why our participation matters and how acts of kindness, even small ones, can ripple outward in ways we may never fully see.

You can view the story here:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xzLvqniF3fI

Thank you for the compassion, generosity, and unity you bring to our schools. Your support truly makes a difference.

With gratitude,
Walter Willett

Wear PJs—Support Kids with Cancer

December 12, 2025

We are excited to raise money for kids battling cancer at Connecticut Children’s! We look forward to joining with other schools and businesses across the state to honor patients who must wear their pajamas for days, weeks, or longer while fighting cancer or other serious illnesses.

We hope you will consider making a donation in honor of the young patients who turn to Connecticut Children's for hope.

Want to help?

Support by joining our team or making a donation. The process is fast, easy, and secure... and you can be sure that it will benefit local children and families!

Click the link below to make an online donation or bring a $1.00 donation on December 12, 2025.  We kindly ask that you avoid bringing loose change.

https://give.connecticutchildrens.org/team/765016

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TPS Early Release Days

REGULAR - 2 HOUR DELAY - & Early Release Schedules

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

November 26, 2025

December 10, 2025

December 23, 2025

February 4, 2026

March 5, 2026

March 6, 2026

March 11, 2026

March 25, 2026

April 29, 2026

May 13, 2026

June 3, 2026

June 12, 2026

Also see the school calendar

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h_9YyGr2Xtms0ySixx7B6lzqIZ5wDUQf/view

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Tolland ALICE Enrichment Partnership in collaboration with the Tolland Public Schools and United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut offer financial assistance for families

(for student clubs, sports, activities, and more)

Help your child find some FUN this school year!

The Tolland ALICE Enrichment Partnership can help your child participate in music lessons, dance classes, sports, field trip, clubs, and so much more!

Qualifying ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed)* families

can receive $100 per child – up to $300 per family –

to subsidize fees for enrichment activities during the 2025-26 academic year.

TO APPLY - PLEASE CLICK HERE

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Tolland Public School Annual Notifications

https://www.tolland.k12.ct.us/cms/One.aspx?portalId=891651&pageId=48325998

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MEAL CHARGING POLICY

5402 Meal Charging Policy

5402 Regulation 

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Advanced Pottery Workshop

Students participated in a workshop with Vicente Garcia for the third year in a row. They were able to experiment with 3 different firing techniques along with students from Nonnewaug High School. Check out our video to see the amazing things we did!

Celebration of Young Photographers

THS Art is excited to announce that Bryn Burnett, Marissa Donath, and Derek Pallis all placed photos in this year's Celebration of Young Photographers juried show, sponsored by ASAP (a non-profit arts collaborative in Washington CT). This year's theme was 'Transformation'. Derek's piece, Overworked, received an Honorable Mention award. Check out their images and join us in congratulating them. 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Mi_Au-jeybd23vIQYA_GTJqkPLejHPqY?usp=drive_link

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Superintendent Community Forum (Zoom)–

Come share ideas & ask questions!

 4:00 pm on the following dates:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87375511973?pwd=eTZGUEZzNDlaYkl6N3lxdnA3UlprZz09

Meeting ID: 873 7551 1973

Passcode: 5sC9ud

November 20, 2025

January 22, 2026

February 26, 2026

March 26, 2026

April 23, 2026

May 28, 2026

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PRE-SCHOOL SCREENING

ATTENTION TOLLAND PARENTS

Preschool Screening

Do you have concerns about your child’s development? The Tolland Public School System will now be

offering preschool screenings for current Tolland resident children ages 3 to 5 years, to ensure all

children receive developmentally appropriate services and support prior to entering Kindergarten.

Click the link below for more Information

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u03V41_KjP_jQFJsaPMnOgqsKze2ga62/view?usp=drive_link

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ATTENTION PARENTS AND GUARDIANS

Supplemental Student Accident

Insurance is Now Available

Click the link below for more Information

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18y4fiBXIRt10PifaFK4FhmX_5MOcTKTI/view?usp=sharing

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LOCKDOWN & SECURE BUILDING DRILLS

Be advised:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kAHgXnPNJNhy9cGPavraIz7XYkIaWVIVfZNc_u-x2vQ/edit?usp=sharing

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SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES - Check them out!

CT Conference of Municipalities 

https://www.ccm-ct.org/Member-Benefits/Events/2025-CCM-Convention/-LoCoolGov-Youth-Scholarship-2025

Civil Engineering 

https://cmaact.com/awards-scholarship-opportunities/

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SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY FOR JUNIORS

Scholarship for Juniors

The Coolidge Scholarship is an annually awarded, full-ride, presidential scholarship that covers a student's tuition, room, board, and expenses for four years of undergraduate study. This one-of-a-kind scholarship may be used at any accredited college or university in the U.S. Anyone of any background, pursuing any academic discipline of study, may apply to this non-partisan, need-blind, program. Students apply for the Coolidge Scholarship during their junior year of high school. Although only a few students are named Coolidge Scholars each year, top Coolidge Scholarships applicants are named "Coolidge Senators." Coolidge Senators are invited, all-expenses-paid, to participate in the Senators Summit that takes place each summer. Finalists who are not named Coolidge Scholars are eligible to receive a smaller, one-time, college scholarship. As part of the application process, students are required to read President Coolidge's Autobiography as well as a few other readings & write 3 essays. The submission deadline is December 16, 2025. To apply, visit https://coolidgescholars.org/apply/

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2025- 2026 Open House Dates – 6:30 pm

Tolland High School Open House

Semester 2 - Thursday, February 19, 2026  (Snow Date-Thursday, February 26, 2026)

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SMART-PASS Information

Have questions about the "SmartPass" software presented by Principals? Please see additional information here:

CLICK HERE

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TPS CLUB HUB

Information on TPS Clubs and Activities

CLICK HERE

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School Nurse Contacts 

School Nurses

THS- 

Cindy Davidson, RN

cdavidson@tolland.k12.ct.us

860-870-6838

TMS- 

Laura Dolcelli, RN

(District Nursing Coordinator)

ldolcelli@tolland.k12.ct.us

860-870-6868

TIS-

Troy Carlson, RN

tcarlson@tolland.k12.ct.us

860-870-6891

BGP-

Victoria Lawhon, RN

vlawhon@tolland,k12.ct.us

860-870-6755

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Message from the High School Principal regarding AI Image Manipulation

Please see message below regarding an Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) trend in schools:

I am writing to inform you of a concerning trend that has recently come to our attention that is taking place in high schools. Some students have been utilizing A.I. tools/applications to manipulate images in ways that are inappropriate and potentially harmful to others. Specifically, students have taken or used pictures of students and generated altered images depicting individuals kissing, appearing shirtless, and/or placed in suggestive or misleading locations such as on a car or in other fabricated settings.

These actions, while often framed as jokes or digital experimentation, can have serious consequences. They may violate school policies and state laws, and they can deeply affect the emotional well-being and safety of the students involved. To ensure clarity and transparency in the potential steps taken to investigate matters of this nature, I have linked relevant Tolland Public Schools policies/regulations below for you to review with your student: 

Policy 5070 - Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harrassment 

Regulation 5070  -  Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harrassment 

Policy 5081 - Bullying Prevention and Intervention
Regulation 5081 - Safe School Climate Plan 

Tolland High School is committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment for all students. We take these matters seriously and will respond appropriately when incidents are reported. This may include disciplinary action, counseling, and involvement of law enforcement if necessary. In the near future, I will reinforce this message to our students during announcements. 

We ask for your partnership in speaking with your student about the responsible use of technology and the impact their actions may have on others. Please remind them that digital/electronic behavior is subject to the same standards of respect and accountability as in-person interactions. If your student has experienced or witnessed any form of harassment or bullying, we encourage you to report it to school staff immediately. Our goal is to ensure that every student feels safe, supported, and valued at THS.

Thank you for your continued support and collaboration in fostering a positive school climate.

In Partnership, 

Thomas Poland

Principal

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Eastern Highland Health District 

Vaccine Clinic

Click Here for More Information

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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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Tolland Project Graduation Bottle & Can Drive

Click Here for more Information

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FREE & REDUCE LUNCH ? MEAL APPLICATION 2025-2026

The free/reduced meal application for the 2025-26 school year has been added to the Tolland Schools website.  To access the application and all related information please use this link:

Free & Reduced-Price Meal Application Information

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Are you interested in being part of the School Wellness Committee?

If so - please contact wwillett@tolland.k12.ct.us and jpalumbo@tolland.k12.ct.us and let us know

School Wellness Policy

https://www.tolland.k12.ct.us/UserFiles/Servers/Server_891568/File/Policy%205400-Wellness%20Policy.pdf

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Job Openings

Special Education Paraeducators needed at

Tolland High and Tolland Middle School.

If you know anyone, send them our way by directing them to the website

www.tolland.k12.ct.us

District Offices/Human Resources/Employment Opportunities

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Please see our community notices links at the bottom, and included here as well:

Recent community notices & information 

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Connecting Schools to Care IV Students: School Mental Health Resource and Support Guide

Click link for more Information

Mental Health Support and Services

Click link for more Information

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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 2 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. 

Click Here to Volunteer

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Tolland's own Lincoln-the-Dog's 

Guide to Paw-some Attendance

Click Here for More Information

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FMX system Building Use Reservation/Sign Up Information

Click Here for More Information

FMX Sign in and Use by Community Members 

FMX is our new software platform for the Tolland Public School schedule requests and replaces our former Building Use request process.  Community Members wanting to request a school space for functions (not already scheduled and approved) can access the platform via the link below:

https://tolland.gofmx.com/login

You will be asked to create an account on this screen that includes a log-in and passcode that will be exclusively your own when accessing this system.  You will also be required to submit proof of liability insurance upon initial sign-up.  If you are not required to have insurance an FMX Administrator will be able to approve the account without it when they approve the initial account creation request.  

FMX is a cloud-based system so you can access from anywhere that has access to the web.

For all previously submitted schedule request (via the old method) to make any changes, cancellations or adjustments to that event requires you to contact the school directly via phone, email, etc. All new schedule requests starting December 2nd, 2024, should be submitted via the FMX method as listed above. 

Any questions regarding account activation can be made to the School Administrative offices at whichever school you are requesting to use:

Birch Grove Primary School- phone, 860-870-6750

Tolland Intermediate School-phone, 860-870-6885

Tolland Middle School-phone, 860-870-6860

Tolland High School-phone, 860-870-6818

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Fall Fertilizer Letter

Click the link below for more Information

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HU1uBBR2oqLsv2_sBzfaqbsOYSM7ubTW/view?usp=sharing

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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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NOTE FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE(S)

Welcome Back Students and Families to the 2025-2026 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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Notice from Tolland Food & Nutrition Services - MEAL MAGIC!

Dear Tolland Families,

The Tolland Food & Nutrition Services Department is writing to inform you of this software. It 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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Public Service Announcement - Firearm Safety in the Home 

Information Message - Please click below

Click Here

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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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