Dr. Matt A. Bisceglia

06/01/2015

Dear Pomfret Community Members,

The last day of school for Pomfret Community School (PCS) students is fast approaching. Our Grade 8 graduation will be held on Thursday night, June 18th with the last day for our K-7th grade students on the following day, June 19th. Needless to say, it’s been a demanding, remarkable, and satisfying year all rolled into one.

As difficult as it is for me to believe, my last day as Superintendent of Schools in Pomfret is June 23rd. As you may already know, after thirty-eight (38) years in education, I am retiring and moving back to my home state of Massachusetts at the conclusion of the school year. I want to thank the entire Pomfret School Community for working with me during my time here and in particular the Pomfret Board of Education for giving me the opportunity to serve as Pomfret’s Superintendent of Schools for the past two (2) years. I believe PCS is an excellent school district. Additionally, there is a core group of determined, focused, and talented administrators and faculty members currently at the forefront of the many school improvement initiatives underway who are ready and able to take PCS to an even higher level of excellence. Also, as I’ve stated previously, Pomfret’s successes are the direct result of the work done, day-in and day-out, by this skilled, accomplished and committed administrative, teaching and resource staff and an involved and supportive family network. I will remember this time in Pomfret with fondness and appreciation for having had the opportunity to work in such a supportive school community.

Also, I want to take this opportunity to wish retiring Director of Pupil Services, Lynda Joly, all the best in her retirement. She served the PCS school community extremely well during her nineteen-year (19) tenure as Special Education Director in Pomfret and helped PCS special education services meet the ever changing roll of special education in a public school setting. Her expertise and professionalism will be missed.

Finally, I am using this forum to publicly recognize Pomfret Public School employees (current and future). The following are short biographies for each member of these special groups.

Pomfret Public Schools’ 2014-2015 DEPARTURES

Lynda Joly, Director of Pupil Services, graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She began her teaching career in August 1974 as a fourth grade teacher at Thompson Elementary School in North Grosvenordale. During the two years she taught there, she dealt with some very troubled, unhappy and learning disabled students. This sparked the desire to turn her career onto a different path, one in which she could provide those neediest students with support and guidance. She enrolled in the University of Connecticut School Psychology program where she obtained a Master’s in Educational Psychology and a 6th year certificate in School

Psychology. In 1976 she filled a 6 month interim position in Killingly. When that ended she worked in Ledyard for one year. In 1978 Mrs. Joly began working in the Plainfield School system where she remained for 18 years as school psychologist and Coordinator of Special Education. In 1988, after having been given some leadership opportunities, she decided to pursue her next career path in administration. She obtained a 6th year Certificate in Intermediate Administration. In 1996 her Director told her about a fantastic opportunity he had just learned about. It was an opening in Pomfret for Director of Pupil Services. Mrs. Joly thought Pomfret would be a great fit for her. After a grueling two hour interview with fifteen interviewers, Mrs. Joly was offered the position. She has been here for 19 years and thanks her former Director for encouraging her to apply for the position.

Mrs. Joly is retiring with mixed feelings. “I still love what I do. I love the students and staff. I have had outstanding relationships with parents, colleagues and town leaders. I can’t thank everyone enough for allowing me the great pleasure of working at Pomfret Community School and with the Pomfret community.” Mrs. Joly’s husband has been retired for five years and is anxious to have her home. They love to travel in their motor home and are looking forward to going new places. They also have a total of six children, thirteen grandchildren and six great grandchildren scattered around the United States. They will now be able to spend more time visiting their family.

Pomfret Public Schools’ 2015-2016 ARRIVALS

Mr. Stephen Cullinan is Pomfret’s new Superintendent of Schools. On July 1, 2015 Mr. Stephen Cullinan will begin his tenure as the Superintendent of the Pomfret Community School. On March 25, 2015, the Pomfret Board of Education voted unanimously to appoint Mr. Cullinan as Superintendent of Schools for the district. Mr. Cullinan, currently the superintendent of the Ellington Public Schools, is completing his forty-fourth year in education. Prior to assuming his current position in Ellington, Mr. Cullinan served as the superintendent of the Vernon Public Schools. Previously, Mr. Cullinan served as the principal of Windsor Locks High School, Lyman Hall High School in Wallingford and Windham

High School in Willimantic. Mr. Cullinan began his career in education as an elementary school teacher at Battery Park Elementary School in Kingstree, South Carolina. He returned to Connecticut and served for eight years as a social studies teacher and guidance counselor at Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury. He began his career in administration as an assistant principal at East Catholic High School in Manchester prior to assuming the position of assistant principal at RHAM High School in Hebron.

Mr. Cullinan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Providence College and a Master of Arts in School Counseling from Fairfield University. He earned a Sixth Year Certificate in Administration from Central Connecticut State University and completed the program for his superintendent’s certificate at the University of Connecticut.

Mr. Cullinan and his wife, Elaine, reside in Coventry. They have two children Sean Cullinan of Neptune City, New Jersey and Amy Brace of Newington, CT as well as two grandchildren Tim and Elaina Brace. Mr. Cullinan is honored to join the Pomfret educational community and is looking forward to meeting students, staff and parents.

Mrs. Mary J. Chretien is Pomfret Community School’s (PCS) new Director of Pupil Services. She has had prior contact with PCS students through her assignments as a speech/language pathologist at Woodstock Academy, Ellis Tech, and several outplacement sites throughout eastern Connecticut. Mrs. Chretien has worked with students from ages 3-21 in public and private schools in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania.

In addition to her work as a speech/language pathologist, Mrs. Chretien has had a wide range of roles in education; she has served as a special education director, program administrator for related services providers, workshop coordinator and presenter, and adjunct faculty member at

UCONN and URI. Mrs. Chretien is currently an adjunct with the University of Saint Joseph in the Off-Campus Program, where she has access to latest information regarding instruction and research in education.

Mrs. Chretien’s educational background began at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in speech and hearing; she earned her master’s degree at The Pennsylvania State University. She has also studied at the University of Pittsburgh and completed coursework for certification in educational leadership at Slippery Rock University and Sacred Heart University.

Besides her career in education, Mrs. Chretien was a computer sales rep and trainer, helping teachers to install and use computers in their classrooms. She has conducted many training sessions regarding the use of technology for productivity, instruction, and data collection for educators and retail customers. Mrs. Chretien is particularly interested in the use of technology to enable all students to improve their achievement, participation, and communication skills.

Mrs. Chretien and her husband Dennis are the proud parents of twins Emily and Michelle, who have just completed their first year in college. Both girls enjoyed their strong music program in high school and they were active inFIRST® LEGO® League and other FIRST®roboticscompetitions.In their free time, the Chretiens participate in the Swamp Meadow Community Theatre (SMCT) in Foster, RI, and Mrs. Chretien enjoys golfing, scrapbooking, and organizing fundraisers for SMCT.

Mrs. Chretien is delighted to join the Pomfret community and is eager to settle into her new role. She welcomes the opportunity to hear from you

2015-2016 Budget Update

The 2015-2016 education budget was finalized during the Town meeting on May 7th. As a result, the Pomfret Public Schools received a 0.85% increase for the school district for the 2015-2016 school year. Although this represents the lowest increase in the last ten (10) years and is significantly lower than the 3.20% average for the same ten–year period of time (2005 to 2015), we are confident the increased funding will meet the anticipated needs of the district. Our thanks and appreciation goes out to the Pomfret community members who supported our 2015-2016 school year budget request.

As always, I encourage you to contact any of our building administrators if you have any questions or comments regarding any of the topics covered in this month’s letter. Also, don’t forget to visit us at www.pomfret.ctschool.net for all updated district information.

Sincerely,

Dr. Matt A. Bisceglia,

Superintendent of Schools