2011 - Blue Ribbon Schools Program
A Public School
School Type (Public Schools):
(Check all that apply, if any) /
Charter /
Title 1 /
Magnet /
Choice
Name of Principal: Ms. Julia Harris
Official School Name: Middlebrook School
School Mailing Address: / 131 School RoadWilton, CT 06897-2528
County: Fairfield / State School Code Number: 16152
Telephone: (203) 762-8388 / E-mail:
Fax: (203) 762-1716 / Web URL: edline.net/pages/Middlebrook_School
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge all information is accurate.
______Date ______
(Principal’s Signature)
Name of Superintendent*: Dr. Gary Richards Ed.D. Superintendent e-mail:
District Name: Wilton District Phone: (203) 762-3381
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
______Date ______
(Superintendent’s Signature)
Name of School Board President/Chairperson: Mr. Gil Bray
I have reviewed the information in this application, including the eligibility requirements on page 2 (Part I - Eligibility Certification), and certify that to the best of my knowledge it is accurate.
______Date ______
(School Board President’s/Chairperson’s Signature)
*Private Schools: If the information requested is not applicable, write N/A in the space.
The original signed cover sheet only should be converted to a PDF file and emailed to Aba Kumi, Blue Ribbon Schools Project Manager () or mailed by expedited mail or a courier mail service (such as Express Mail, FedEx or UPS) to Aba Kumi, Director, Blue Ribbon Schools Program, Office of Communications and Outreach, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Room 5E103, Washington, DC 20202-8173.
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PART I - ELIGIBILITY CERTIFICATION / 11CT4The signatures on the first page of this application certify that each of the statements below concerning the school’s eligibility and compliance with U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) requirements is true and correct.
1. The school has some configuration that includes one or more of grades K-12. (Schools on the same campus with one principal, even K-12 schools, must apply as an entire school.)
2. The school has made adequate yearly progress each year for the past two years and has not been identified by the state as "persistently dangerous" within the last two years.
3. To meet final eligibility, the school must meet the state's Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirement in the 2010-2011 school year. AYP must be certified by the state and all appeals resolved at least two weeks before the awards ceremony for the school to receive the award.
4. If the school includes grades 7 or higher, the school must have foreign language as a part of its curriculum and a significant number of students in grades 7 and higher must take the course.
5. The school has been in existence for five full years, that is, from at least September 2005.
6. The nominated school has not received the Blue Ribbon Schools award in the past five years: 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 or 2010.
7. The nominated school or district is not refusing OCR access to information necessary to investigate a civil rights complaint or to conduct a district-wide compliance review.
8. OCR has not issued a violation letter of findings to the school district concluding that the nominated school or the district as a whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes. A violation letter of findings will not be considered outstanding if OCR has accepted a corrective action plan from the district to remedy the violation.
9. The U.S. Department of Justice does not have a pending suit alleging that the nominated school or the school district as a whole has violated one or more of the civil rights statutes or the Constitution’s equal protection clause.
10. There are no findings of violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in a U.S. Department of Education monitoring report that apply to the school or school district in question; or if there are such findings, the state or district has corrected, or agreed to correct, the findings.
PART II - DEMOGRAPHIC DATA / 11CT4All data are the most recent year available.
DISTRICT
1. / Number of schools in the district: / 3 / Elementary schools(per district designation) / 1 / Middle/Junior high schools
1 / High schools
0 / K-12 schools
5 / Total schools in district
2. / District per-pupil expenditure: / 15692
SCHOOL (To be completed by all schools)
3. / Category that best describes the area where the school is located: / Suburban4. / Number of years the principal has been in her/his position at this school: / 13
5. / Number of students as of October 1, 2010 enrolled at each grade level or its equivalent in applying school:
Grade / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total / # of Males / # of Females / Grade Total
PreK / 0 / 0 / 0 / 6 / 196 / 161 / 357
K / 0 / 0 / 0 / 7 / 193 / 160 / 353
1 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 8 / 166 / 158 / 324
2 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 9 / 0 / 0 / 0
3 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 10 / 0 / 0 / 0
4 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 11 / 0 / 0 / 0
5 / 0 / 0 / 0 / 12 / 0 / 0 / 0
Total in Applying School: / 1034
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6. / Racial/ethnic composition of the school: / 1 / % American Indian or Alaska Native8 / % Asian
1 / % Black or African American
1 / % Hispanic or Latino
0 / % Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
89 / % White
0 / % Two or more races
100 / % Total
Only the seven standard categories should be used in reporting the racial/ethnic composition of your school. The final Guidance on Maintaining, Collecting, and Reporting Racial and Ethnic data to the U.S. Department of Education published in the October 19, 2007 Federal Register provides definitions for each of the seven categories.
7. / Student turnover, or mobility rate, during the 2009-2010 school year: / 0%This rate is calculated using the grid below. The answer to (6) is the mobility rate.
(1) / Number of students who transferred to the school after October 1, 2009 until the end of the school year. / 3
(2) / Number of students who transferred from the school after October 1, 2009 until the end of the school year. / 6
(3) / Total of all transferred students [sum of rows (1) and (2)]. / 9
(4) / Total number of students in the school as of October 1, 2009 / 1034
(5) / Total transferred students in row (3)
divided by total students in row (4). / 0.00
(6) / Amount in row (5) multiplied by 100. / 0
8. / Percent limited English proficient students in the school: / 1%
Total number of limited English proficient students in the school: / 8
Number of languages represented, not including English: / 4
Specify languages:
Spanish Korean Hebrew Thai
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9. / Percent of students eligible for free/reduced-priced meals: / 1%Total number of students who qualify: / 14
If this method does not produce an accurate estimate of the percentage of students from low-income families, or the school does not participate in the free and reduced-priced school meals program, supply an accurate estimate and explain how the school calculated this estimate.
10. / Percent of students receiving special education services: / 12%
Total number of students served: / 120
Indicate below the number of students with disabilities according to conditions designated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Do not add additional categories.
8 / Autism / 0 / Orthopedic Impairment
0 / Deafness / 18 / Other Health Impaired
0 / Deaf-Blindness / 83 / Specific Learning Disability
1 / Emotional Disturbance / 6 / Speech or Language Impairment
1 / Hearing Impairment / 0 / Traumatic Brain Injury
1 / Mental Retardation / 0 / Visual Impairment Including Blindness
2 / Multiple Disabilities / 0 / Developmentally Delayed
11. / Indicate number of full-time and part-time staff members in each of the categories below:
Number of Staff
Full-Time / Part-Time
Administrator(s) / 4 / 0
Classroom teachers / 54 / 0
Special resource teachers/specialists / 30 / 6
Paraprofessionals / 16 / 3
Support staff / 16 / 4
Total number / 120 / 13
12. / Average school student-classroom teacher ratio, that is, the number of students in the school divided by the Full Time Equivalent of classroom teachers, e.g., 22:1: / 19:1
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13. / Show the attendance patterns of teachers and students as a percentage. Only high schools need to supply graduation rates. Briefly explain in the Notes section any student or teacher attendance rates under 95% and teacher turnover rates over 12% and fluctuations in graduation rates.2009-2010 / 2008-2009 / 2007-2008 / 2006-2007 / 2005-2006
Daily student attendance / 96% / 96% / 96% / 96% / 96%
Daily teacher attendance / 97% / 98% / 95% / 96% / 96%
Teacher turnover rate / 4% / 6% / 4% / 12% / 10%
High school graduation rate / % / % / % / % / %
If these data are not available, explain and provide reasonable estimates.
14. / For schools ending in grade 12 (high schools): Show what the students who graduated in Spring 2010 are doing as of Fall 2010.
Graduating class size:
Enrolled in a 4-year college or university / %
Enrolled in a community college / %
Enrolled in vocational training / %
Found employment / %
Military service / %
Other / %
Total / 0 / %
PART III - SUMMARY / 11CT4
Our mission statement declares that Middlebrook School is a safe and nurturing environment and that we provide our community of learners with the foundation necessary to contribute to a rapidly changing world. It is within this mission statement, within this declaration, that one finds the heart of this vigorous and spirited learning community; and that heart is “contribute.”The culture here is clear:make a difference, a positive difference, every day and in everything you do.Students are here to learn how to do that and how to do it effectively.They understand that they are not learning simply to pass a test or score highly on a paper; they will not settle for that. They want to see and know how to apply every bit of what they are doing here to the world in which they live right now and to the future they are beginning to shape.Through rigorous academic and exploratory curricula, the goal is always to solidify the base and then to use that secure foundation to step out onto new ground.To accomplish this, it is understood in every situation that each person is responsible for himself and yet no one is ever working at it alone. What makes Middlebrook unique is that here we are provided not only the comfort of knowing we are safe but also the thrill of always being encouraged to take that step beyond what is comfortable for us.
Middlebrook is energized by its thoughtful organization.A strong traditional department structure ensures that high standards of instruction are adhered to in every discipline; and at the same time an equally strong and innovative team structure ensures that current best practices for middle level instruction are employed in every situation.One result of this is the delivery of an interdisciplinary educational program focusing on the special needs and interests of early adolescents that involves students in diversified academic and creative experiences; another result is students and staff approaching teaching and learning with enthusiasm, creativity, commitment, and critical judgment.
This committed approach leads to positive and exciting experiences that have come to define life at Middlebrook.Each year, students and staff on every team collaborate on team projects that culminate in remarkable events such as the creation of laws by the congress of a newly formed country, the presentation and consideration of new proposals for reform by a united nations council, and the provocative conversation held among current and historic agents of change during a dinner party.As well every year, teams of staff and students devise and carry out a variety of service activities ranging from the collection of stuffed animals to be delivered to the Council of Indian Nations to comfort children caught in tragic circumstances, to the collection of coats to be delivered to local agencies to help keep the homeless warm in the winter, to the raising of funds that cover the cost of surgeries to restore a healthy and normal smile to the faces of children afflicted with physical deformities.Along with these, every year students compete and achieve at the highest level in academic contests and olympiads in each of their disciplines of study; and every year students compete and achieve at the highest level in juried art contests and adjudicated music competitions.