In an effort to keep our TBS families informed, here is a summary of the topics covered last night at our General PTO meeting:

 

I wanted to write a brief synopsis of our General PTO Meeting last night for the parents who were unable to attend. We were fortunate to have had Mike Renkawitz, Rita Peretto, Gary Mala, Donna Rusack, and Jodi Kryzanski (SRBI Coordinator) to facilitate a presentation regarding the progress being made district wide, as well as particularly in our own Thompson Brook, with the new curriculum. The year has been buzzing with the designing of new lesson plans that incorporate the Connecticut Common Core standards. The teachers are pooling their ideas and wealth of experience while working with consultants who have been brought in to ease the process.

 

The concern over whether a version of the leveled math will be brought back to the 6th graders was addressed by Mr. Renkawitz. The teachers are trying to incorporate appropriate challenges for all students who are in need of a faster pace and have the ability to delve a bit deeper into some of the lessons for greater understanding of the concepts being taught. Next year we will have a higher level math class opportunity for grade six students.  We are in the process of developing next year’s schedule and configuration for grade six, a math placement test, and a placement rubric.  Once complete the information will be shared with parents. Parents shared their families experiences with the curriculum this year. Some are feeling that their kids are over-challenged, while others are feeling that their kids aren’t challenged enough. The panel was open to all of the comments and questions shared. Honest responses were provided regarding progress and the vision to keep Avon students a step ahead of the rest.

 

Thank you to all of the parents who submitted questions prior to the presentation, as well as to everyone who took the time to attend. Our PTO Executive Board has been listening to your feedback and sharing it with the above panel all throughout the year. We encourage you all to work closely with your child’s teachers to keep your students as engaged in their learning as possible. Our panel from the Board of Ed are open to answering your questions, too. We hope that you’ll be able to attend our next General meeting in April. More information to come.

 

Thank you so much,

Debi Chute

Co-President of TBS PTO