Vernon Schools Get an A+ for Communication

L to R; Sen. Tony Guglielmo, CCER Executive Director Jeffrey Villar, Teacher Kristen Chepeleff, Superintendent Dr. Mary Conway, Rep. Tim Ackert, Vernon parent Rosalind McFadden, Principal, Brenda Greene and Teacher, Ana Smith.

Hartford, CT – State Representative Tim Ackert (R-Coventry) and State Senator Tony Guglielmo (R-Stafford) were pleased to congratulate the Vernon School System for being chosen as one of three award recipients by the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER). The district was recognized for its outstanding communication with parents concerning the new Common Core Curriculum.

“The districts commitment to keeping parents in the loop during such a big transition is admirable. The use of social media has become such a valuable tool and we are seeing the results of that through this example,” said Sen. Guglielmo.

A $1,000 check was presented to the Vernon School System from CCER and will go toward purchasing video attachments for iPads already being used by the district. The equipment will help teachers tape their lessons as they present them to students in a classroom. The video will then be shared and evaluated to figure out what works and what does not to ensure the new curriculum roll out is being done properly.

“It is very exciting that the Vernon Public Schools received this award,” Rep. Ackert said. “The new video technology will be an asset in teacher and administrator training.”

CCER officials sighted Vernon’s extensive use of social media to connect with parents, specifically the idea of uploading meeting minutes to the district’s website in a timely manner for parents who may have missed meetings. During the ceremony parents remarked about how valuable those minutes were in allowing them to be a part of their child’s education.

In 2014, the Connecticut Council for Education Reform (CCER) launched their contest to give Connecticut’s public schools and districts an opportunity to showcase the creative and effective methods they have used to communicate with parents about their new Common Core-aligned curricula.

To find out more about the contest that Vernon won please visit http://ctedreform.org/events/common-core-communications-contest/.