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Students in Windsor’s schools benefit
from the school system’s excellent facilities, its
progressive curriculum and its experienced and dedicated
professional staff. Students and families also have access
to a number of special programs and features that offer
unique opportunities for learning and for family
involvement. Some of these programs take place within the
schools while others offer experiences beyond the school
walls or even beyond the town’s boundaries. Special
programs for Windsor’s students include the following:
Early Childhood Center
The Roger Wolcott Early Childhood
Center serves kindergarten and preschool special needs
students in a developmentally appropriate setting. Windsor
is one of the few communities that has a school dedicated
exclusively to these young students, and the entire
building is oriented around their needs.
The Challenge Program for Gifted Students
The Challenge Program is a
multifaceted enrichment program for grades 3 – 8 whose
mission is “to provide a broad range of enrichment
experiences, resources and services to develop the talent
potentials of all students to the highest level
possible.” Each school has a full-time enrichment
specialist who implements the program by providing a
variety of specialized learning situations that help
develop academic talent.
Early Intervention Programs
Recent research has demonstrated the
importance of mastering the basic skills of reading and
math at an early age. All Windsor’s elementary schools
offer programs that offer intensive instruction in reading
and math for students in the primary grades who have
difficulty with these skills, including Reading Recovery,
Teaching for Literacy Competence (TLC) and Math Recovery.
Arts Programs in the Schools
In addition to the classroom
curriculum in art and music, numerous arts presentations
and special guests enrich students’ knowledge and
appreciation of the arts. These programs have included
artists and authors in residence, a cultural arts program
supported by the Townwide PTO/PTA and field trips to
performances of the Hartford Stage Company and Hartford
Symphony, along with many other opportunities.
Before- and After-School Child Care
Before- and after-school child care
for school-age children is available on a fee basis at all
elementary schools and at the Early Childhood Center
through a school-sponsored program called "The Treehouse."
Environmental Education at Northwest Park
The education staff at Windsor’s
Northwest Park provides a program in environmental
education to all students in grades K through 7 that is
aligned with the science curriculum in each grade. Students travel to Northwest Park once each year for
experiences in environmental education that make use of
the park’s extensive resources.
Academic Assistance Programs
All Windsor’s schools provide
programs during or beyond the school day to help students
who are having difficulty in their academic subjects or
need homework help. Extra help is available either before
or after school, or, at the high school, during the school
day at the Academic Study Center.
Summer School
A wide variety of summer school
courses is available to students from kindergarten through
high school. These courses include make-up courses for
students who need additional work in various subjects,
courses designed to help students make important
educational transitions (e.g., from fifth to sixth grade),
and enrichment and recreational offerings.
Elementary Strings Program
The elementary strings program begins
in the first grade using a curriculum based on the Suzuki
Method of teaching with both small group and ensemble
lessons. Students focus on technical playing skills and
on music reading development. Fourth and fifth graders
participate in a weekly string orchestra ensemble.
Family Resource Centers
Family Resource Centers
have been established at all elementary school and at
the Roger Wolcott Early Childhood Center. The Family
Resource Centers provide a range of programs and
services for community families and help to link them
with the schools.
School Reform Models in the Elementary Schools
Each of Windsor’s four elementary
schools has adopted and implemented a research-validated
comprehensive school reform model as a framework for
continuous improvement. Though each school is working
with a different model, all share similar goals and the
same curriculum, and all provide direction for positive
change. The school models are “Success for All” at
Ellsworth School, “Accelerated Schools” at Poquonock,
“Basic Schools” at Clover Street, and “Modern Red
Schoolhouse” at Kennedy School.
The Partnership to Protect Our
Children
The Partnership program is an
interagency violence prevention team composed of members
from the town’s Family Services Unit, the school system
and the Safety Services Unit. The mission of the
Partnership is to eliminate fear, intimidation and
violence through education, recreation, counseling,
community outreach and law enforcement. The Partnership
also coordinates an award-winning mentoring program that
links community members with children who would benefit
from additional adult support and attention.
Sage Park Cape Cod Experience
Each spring for almost 30
years, seventh graders at Sage Park have traveled to Cape
Cod for a week at the Cape Cod Sea Camp, where they use
the resources of the local environment as a basis for work
in all the curriculum areas. Sage Park teachers developed
the curriculum for this program, which has been recognized
for its high quality.
River-to-Sea
River-to-Sea is an interdistrict
science program that introduces students to ecological and
environmental issues surrounding Connecticut’s rivers. Currently, participation is open to seventh-grade students
at Sage Park Middle School through an application process.
Enrichment Clusters
As part of the Challenge Program,
Sage Park Middle School offers after-school sessions known
as “Enrichment Clusters.” These sessions allow students
who share a common interest and purpose to pursue in-depth
learning in a specific area using an inductive approach to
solving real-world problems. Cluster programs are offered
for nine weeks in the fall and again in the spring. The
culminating activity is an Enrichment Cluster Expo open to
the community.
Alternative Education
Both Sage Park Middle School and
Windsor High School offer alternative education programs
for regular education students who have found it difficult
to operate effectively in the regular classroom.
University of Connecticut High School Cooperative
Program
Windsor High School participates in a
program sponsored by the University of Connecticut that
allows qualified high school students to earn college
credits in certain high school courses. These courses,
which receive High Honors credit, are taught at a college
level and are open to any student with the necessary
prerequisites.
Advanced Placement Courses
The Advanced Placement (AP) program
offers college-level courses and exams for high school
students and the opportunity to earn college credit and/or
advanced placement in college. Windsor High School offers
sixteen Advanced Placement courses, including offerings in
English, math, social studies, science, French, art and
music.
Seminar Program for Academically Gifted Students
The Seminar Program is open by
invitation to students with exceptional talents in
specific subjects. The program offers greater depth in
content presentation, additional experiences in writing
and speaking, supplemental participation in outside
programs and extensive research.
Tech Prep
Tech Prep is a cooperative program
involving Windsor High School and Capital Community
College. It offers an applied curriculum program that
allows students to develop the academic and technical
skills required for success in a changing technological
workplace and provides college credits in areas including
allied health, early childhood education, communications
technology, business/marketing and engineering technology.
Pathways
Pathways is an interdistrict high school program for
students who appreciate diversity. Students participate
in active workshops that prepare them for diversity in
educational settings and the pluralistic workplace of
their future. Students develop new views of themselves
and others and increase their interpersonal skills to
become effective leaders in their society. The
participating districts are East Granby and Windsor, and
approximately 15 students from each school are enrolled
in the program. Students meet four times each year
during the school day in interactive workshops to
receive training for effective leadership in a diverse
society.
Innovation Incentive Program
Windsor offers a mini-grant program
to teachers to promote the development and implementation
of creative approaches to teaching and learning. These
small grants enable teachers throughout the district to
offer their students unique and valuable learning
experiences.
Special Programs - Off-Site |
