TOGETHER - Make it Happen!

Weathersfield School Guidance Page

Frank Treu, Guidance Counselor

Dear everyone: I will update this page as soon as I have a

computer to work with (very shortly) with important

information on this year's program.

Thanks for your patience!

Welcome to the 2008 - 2009 school year.  This begins my 21st year in Weathersfield Schools and the first in an integrated K - 8 school.  We have a beautiful new school and I have a lovely spacious new office.  I welcome you to come in and visit, look around, and spend some time with me.

Besides the fact that I have a nice new office, I now have the space and materials to work with small groups of students as well as individual students, to help them have more success in their academic, social and behavioral pursuits.  One of the things that most excites me is the fact that we are all together in one school.  Many educational studies show that by mixing younger and older children, all benefit.  One of the important aspects of this new "mix" is that it gives the older students the opportunity to act as "role models" for the younger students, and act in a caring and protective role as well.  The younger children benefit by seeing older students learn to achieve success academically, socially and behaviorally.  I firmly believe we will see the gains in our combined school quite quickly.

Once again, I will be the coordinator for the New England Common Assessment Program, (NECAP) the standards-based assessment tool which Vermont, New Hampshire and Rhode Island have devised together to test our students' academic achievements.  The NECAP tests will be administered over a period of several weeks, in the classrooms, during October 2008.  I urge you, as parents, to check on the "Latest updates" (Guidance Page) during late September, early October, for more information and tips to help your child(ren) achieve their best.

I will also continue as the coordinator of the Weathersfield Educational Support Team (EST).  The EST is a group of school staff members consisting of the Principal, Guidance Counselor, School Nurse, a Special Educator, and a teacher representative from the K - 3 group and the 5 - 8 group.  The EST meets bi-weekly and receives referrals from teachers, support staff, parents, and others when there is a concern about a child's learning.  The EST will meet with the student's teachers, parents, student, and others to find ways that the child can be successful, academically, socially and/or behaviorally.  We will draw from a variety of staff, community, and professional expertise in order to try to assure the success of all students.

This year I will also coordinate the discipline in our school.  Disciplinary actions in Weathersfield may consist of a disciplinary report, detention and occasionally suspension.  It is my belief that all students want to participate in learning and want to do well.  That said, like all of us, students may make mistakes that affect their and others' ability to learn and to be in a safe environment.  I want every student to have the opportunity to accept responsibility for their behavior and to correct those mistakes.  Any student who receives a disciplinary report or detention will meet with me to discuss the problem and find acceptable ways to take responsibility and fix their mistake.  In addition, I will ask the student to telephone their parent(s) from my office, to report the problem.  In this manner, you as parents will be informed immediately of a problem, and the student will begin to take responsibility for his/her behavior.  Detentions will be served the very next day after the problem with the only exceptions being for a parent who, because of work, must make alternate arrangements to pick up their child after school.  I am hopeful that this year we will significantly reduce the number of detentions our students receive.

This is an exciting time for all of us and an opportunity to grow, learn and succeed.  Best wishes for the school year to everyone!

Frank Treu