Discoloration of water at Westport’s Staples High School today led to school officials offering one free bottle of water to students. In an announcement, Interim Principal Mark A. Karagus said the school was waiting for the Aquarion Water Company to complete further testing of the school’s hot water heaters, where sediment causing the discoloration has been located. The problem began Thursday, and Karagus said it was hoped to be fixed by Monday. The water issue has been especially vexing for culinary classes, which need hot water for proper dishwashing. Other protocols have been put into place for food safety and sanitation, according to school officials. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Jaime Bairaktaris for WestportNow.com

Westport Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon Monday night in Hartford harshly criticized a legislative proposal that would impose financial penalties on districts that do not adhere to the state’s Regional Uniform School Calendar.

Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon testifying in Hartford Monday night. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) WestportNow.com photo from CT-N Network

He said every school district has the right to create its own academic calendar.

“I am here today to speak against this latest legislative proposal which would have the effect of imposing severe financial penalties upon those school districts that do not abide by the unfunded mandate regarding a Regional Uniform School Calendar,” Landon told the General Assembly’s Education Committee.

He also urged committee members “to do your best to undo in its entirety the unfunded mandate of a Regional Uniform School Calendar.

Westport’s Saugatuck Elementary School today celebrated Dr. Seuss’s birthday and National Read Across America Day by launching its “One Book, One School” initiative. The school-wide book club was kicked off at a special meeting that unveiled the book’s title, “Kenny and the Dragon” by Tony DiTerlizzi, and treated students to a playact of the book. Every family received a keepsake copy, courtesy of the school’s PTA, as well as every faculty and staff member. Said Principal Beth Messler (pictured with students in Amy Howland’s first grade class): “We aim to build a community of readers and have fun doing it.” (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Following two deaths involving a student and teacher at Staples High School taking their own lives, the Westport school district is hosting a talk on suicides.

Joanne L. Harpel: survived brother’s suicide. Contributed photo

The event on Wednesday, March 16 at 7 p.m. at Bedford Middle School will feature Joanne L. Harpel, an expert on suicide bereavement, on the topic “Suicide in Your School Community: What Parents Need to Know,” the Board of Education was told Monday night.

Her talk follows the deaths of freshman Christopher Lanni, 14, on Dec. 23 and English teacher Cody Thomas, 27, on Jan. 23. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has ruled both took their own lives.

The survivor of her own brother’s suicide in 1993, Harpel has a nationwide practice providing personalized guidance to families, schools, faith communities, and others dealing with the aftermath of suicide.

The Westport Board of Education tonight appointed Mary Lou DiBella as principal of Kings Highway Elementary School effective July 1.

Mary Lou DiBella: “greatly looking forward” to job. Photo from Westport Schools television

She succeeds Susie DaSilva who earlier announced she would be leaving to be assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction in Darien.

DiBella has been principal of Cabot School in Newton, Mass, for the past five years. Schools Superintendent Elliott Landon said Newton was similar to Westport “in demographics and commitment to education.”

DiBella has been a principal for more than 10 years. She received a bachelor’s degree from Brown University as well as a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Kansas.

The Westport public schools today announced kindergarten orientation will be held Monday, March 7 at 9:30 a.m. at the town’s five elementary schools.

The meeting is for parents of incoming kindergarten students in September to learn about the kindergarten program, meet the kindergarten teachers, and learn about a “Day in the Life” of a kindergarten student,  an announcement said.

There also will be an opportunity to sign up for “mini-k” kindergarten visit in May and to pick up registration packets.

For more information on registration, visit the district website at:  http://www.westport.k12.ct.us/parents/student-registration/kindergarten-registration.

The 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program has named 10 Staples High School seniors as finalists, each one with a chance to earn one of 7,400 scholarship awards totaling more than $35 million nationwide, school officials announced today.

National Merit finalists include: (​back row, l-r)  Nicholas Ribolla, Quinn B. Hughes, George R. Menz, and Grant G. Tobben; (front row)  Aaron J. Samuels, Peter C. Sauer, Hannah H. Debalsi, Jodie I. Baris, and Stephen K. Xu; Missing from picture: Arjun S. Dhindsa. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Staples finalists are: Jodie Baris, Hannah Debalsi, Arjun Dhindsa, Quinn Hughes, George Menz, Nicolas Ribolla, Aaron Samuels, Peter Sauer, Grant Tobben and Steven Xu.

According to school offcials, winners will be chosen as early as March from a group of more than 15,000 finalists. They said winners will be chosen on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college.

Each Staples finalist had to meet the following criteria:  an outstanding academic record, a principal’s recommendation, and SAT scores that confirm the student’s earlier qualifying test performance.

By Jacqueline Rabe Thomas

www.ctmirror.org

UPDATE Gov. Dannel P. Malloy today dismissed calls from the state’s largest teachers union to stop testing students with the controversial Smarter Balanced Assessment and stood by use of the test results in evaluating teachers.

“We are not getting rid of the Smarter Balanced test,” the Democratic governor told reporters. The computer-based test is being used for the third year.

The Malloy administration did, however, agree to scale back for the second time in a year the number of Smarter Balanced exams public school students must take.

Last spring the state dropped the exam for high school juniors and replaced it with the SAT college-entrance exam. Today at Woodside Intermediate School in Cromwell, the governor announced that elementary and middle school students will no longer have to submit long-form essays – one of the two English assessments that students had to take last year. Students also will still have to take two assessments in math and one in science.

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