Superintendent's Update - Island Avenue School

Good afternoon,

I am pleased to share that Mrs. Becky Frost hosted two very successful gatherings this week as she became acquainted with the Island Avenue School community. Mrs. Frost hosted a "meet and greet" with the Island Avenue faculty Wednesday afternoon. The conversations were very engaging, inevitably leading to ways we can make next school year a great success at Island Avenue. Additionally, we had a great turnout for "Popsicles with the Principal"!! Many families made their way to the Island playground with the weather fully cooperating. Mrs. Frost brought her family along, and her two boys, Tanner and Mason, thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Thank you to all who joined us yesterday.

As the year winds down I'd like to inform the parent community that Mrs. Frost will begin officially after July 1. However, she can be reached at her current email address if you would like to contact her: frostr@madison.k12.ct.us. In the interim, feel free to reach out to her to introduce yourself, or to set up a time this summer to meet her at Island Avenue School if you have a specific concern you would like to discuss regarding your child.

I also want to take this opportunity to emphasize, once again, that our school district is entirely committed to serving our students and families at Island Avenue School next year, just as we have every year. We firmly believe that each child only gets one chance to be a kindergartener, a first grader, a second grader, etc. That said, our students deserve nothing short of a complete and unwavering commitment to provide the highest quality educational experience that we possibly can.

Unfortunately, I was recently made aware of some misinformation that has circulated and put this commitment into question. Although I do not, and will not, make a habit of countering every rumor that has circulated, I will take this opportunity to counter this particular rumor in order to illustrate and emphasize a point. Categorically, under no circumstances is the Island Avenue library closing prematurely. Nothing of this nature will occur next year. I will emphasize again that we are committed to serving our students and families next year, as we have every year. In this instance I can share that periodically, all six of our school libraries are asked to review our library collections, close a few weeks before the end of school for inventory, and to retire books and resources that are below our library standards, while refreshing the collection with new books. This happens regularly in all of our schools. By no means is this an indication that our library will not serve students next year for any less than the full school year in 2018-2019.

If you have any concerns of this nature I ask that you contact me directly so that I may address any issues you may have.

A Happy Father's Day to all of our dads! Enjoy your weekend with your families!

Thomas Scarice
Superintendent of Schools