News from the Superintendent

Opening of School Information August 2024

August 19, 2024

Dear Wallingford Parents/Guardians:

I hope this letter finds you well and that you have enjoyed a wonderful and restful summer. As the new school year begins, I am delighted to extend a warm welcome back to all our students, parents, and families.

Our dedicated team of educators and staff have been working diligently to prepare for an exciting and successful year of learning and growth. We are committed to providing a safe, supportive, and enriching environment where every student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

We understand that the partnership between home and school is vital to our students' success. We encourage you to stay involved, communicate with teachers, and participate in school activities and events. Your support and engagement are crucial in helping us create a positive and nurturing atmosphere for our students.

This year promises to be filled with new opportunities and experiences to inspire our students to achieve their full potential. We look forward to celebrating their achievements and milestones with you throughout the year.

We are excited to welcome back grades K-12 students on Thursday, August 29, 2024, and preschool students on Wednesday, September 4, 2024. The district is well prepared for all members of our school community to enter our schools ready for what promises to be a school year filled with opportunities to grow together as students, staff, friends, and colleagues.

Please take a few moments to review the following updates related to the start of the school year:

 

Schedules and Teacher Placement

The district portal for schedules and teacher placement will open for all families on Thursday, August 22, 2024 (note: your back-to-school forms must be complete before the schedule will appear). Please ensure your “Back to School Forms” are filled out as soon as possible (the portal is open for forms). If anyone needs assistance logging into PowerSchool or filling out forms, there will be a workshop at SCOW (284 Washington St.) on August 20, 2024, from 2-6 pm.

 

Parent Visitation

The District meet-and-greet/Teacher Visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 28th, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. This is an opportunity for families to meet their child’s teacher. Families can drop into the school anytime during the visitation window, and no formal presentations will occur.

 

Wallingford Public Schools District Calendar 2024 - 2025

Please see the Wallingford Public Schools District Calendar.  The calendar is also on the district website and can be referred to throughout the school year for school holidays and early release days.

 

Official Facebook Page for Wallingford Public Schools

Wallingford Public Schools is proud to share our Facebook Page. This is the official page run by the school system for up-to-date information. Follow us for up-to-date information about the great things happening in our district!

 

Curriculum and Instruction:

The Curriculum Office would like to welcome you back to a brand new school year! For your convenience and information, we would like to share the parent site for the curriculum. This will give you an overview of each subject area and course curriculum in Kindergarten through Grade 12. Curriculum Parent Website

 

Special Education:

We are excited to begin the 2024-2025 school year and look forward to working with you and your children.

As a department we host parent meetings once a month as a Special Education PTAC. The purpose of the meetings is to provide families with an opportunity to speak with each other about their unique needs, receive information and training regarding methods of supporting your children. Our first meeting is scheduled for September 30, 2024 at 6:30pm. Our meetings are held in a hybrid manner.

CT SEDS and parent access

The IEP system provides parents with continual access to documents. All parents should have received an invitation last year from noreply@ctseds.com. You can click on the link within the email to access your child(ren)’s records and sign any required documents. Please contact the special education office if you need support with this system.

Special Education Communication

Please contact the individuals below if you have any questions about your child’s IEP or 504 plan.

LHHS and Mark T. Sheehan Dag Hammarskjold: Patricia Fishbein (Department Head) and/or Lisa Baker (Secondary Coordinator)

Dag Hammarskjold and James H. Moran: Lisa Baker (Secondary Coordinator) and/or Aimee Turner, Assistant Superintendent for Special Education

Elementary Schools: Stacy Kozlowski (Elementary Coordinator)

Preschool: Elizabeth Gaffney, Preschool Coordinator

All Schools: Aimee Turner, Assistant Superintendent for Special Education

 

Food Services:

Please note that for the school year 2024-2025, Breakfast will NOT be Free to all students. However, please note that for the school year 2024-25 students eligible for reduced-price school meals will receive one breakfast and one lunch per school day free of charge, courtesy of the State of Connecticut. All those not eligible for free or reduced meals must pay full price for breakfast and lunch.

Free and reduced meal applications for the school year 2024-2025 are now available for parents to complete. They are posted online at https://www.wallingford.k12.ct.us/ under food services. It is beneficial for families to complete this application, as eligibility for free or reduced-priced meals may also qualify students for discounts or fee waivers on the following school-based programs:· Field Trips· Sports and Athletics· Music· Additional Educational programming and testing.

To be eligible for the above, those filling out the free and reduced meal application must also complete Addendum A to share information with other programs. Free and Reduced-price lunch applications do not roll over from school year to school year and must be completed and submitted each new school year.Parents, please note that if your child's meal account has a negative balance this year, you will receive a text message and an email. The parent will need to add funds to the student meal account ASAP to cover the meal cost and ensure adequate funds for future meal purchases.

Click here for Parent info on Free and reduced meal applications

Click Here for Spanish Parent information

Click here for the 2024-2025 Free and reduced meal applications

Click Here for the 2024-2025 Free and reduced meal application in Spanish

Click here for Addendum A-Sharing info with other programs

Click Here for Addendum A- Sharing info with other programs-Spanish version

 

Technology:

Back to school forms/PowerSchool - please log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal and update your demographics and permission forms. Once forms (pages 1-5) are complete, (and after Aug 22) Page 6 - Student Schedule will appear - please click on this to see the student’s schedule/teacher for this year.

Chromebooks - Students in grades 6-12 are able to bring chromebooks home for school work. Please make sure your child keeps the chromebook in the protective case that was provided by WPS. Students in grades 6-12 are able to purchase an optional protection plan for $30 annually which covers accidental damage throughout the school year. For more information, log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal - it is listed on page 2 of the Permissions/Agreement Form. We ask that parents inspect your child’s Chromebook for damage throughout the year - intentional damage/stickers are not covered under the plan.

 

ParentSquare - if you have not yet verified your account and downloaded the app - please log into ParentSquare to do so. For more information - English, Spanish

 

Public Wifi - Free public Wifi is installed at three of our buildings: Sheehan, Lyman Hall and Pond Hill. The public Wifi can be accessed by going to Pond Hill’s parking lot or the back parking lots of both Sheehan High School and Lyman Hall High School. To access the network, go to the wifi settings on your device and look for CTPublicWiFi. No password is needed.

 

Vaccination Requirements

Students are required to have all appropriate vaccinations prior to school entry. If a student needs to catch up with their immunizations (considered in process), here is the information from the State Department of Health to do this properly. In Process Immunization Requirements.

 

Thank you for your continued trust and support. Together, we can make this a remarkable year for our students.Welcome back, and here’s to a fantastic school year ahead!

 

Sincerely,

​Danielle Bellizzi

Superintendent

Wallingford Public Schools

203-949-6509