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(Hartford, CT) This year, school started early for children entering preschool 3 at CREC’s Montessori Magnet School.About 20 children and their families participated in a new, free summer program called the Children’s House Summer Program. The program was held once a week for four weeks, helping to make the transition from home to school a little easier. Participants in the Children’s House Summer Program live in Hartford, New Britain, East Hampton, South Windsor, Tolland, and West Hartford, and the program helped orient them to the classroom. The children learned important CREC Montessori Magnet School preliminary lessons, including how to serve themselves snacks independently, carry materials in the classroom, and unroll a rug, “It was magical to see the students immediately engage with the classroom materials,” said Vivian Novo-MacDonald, assistant principal of CREC Montessori Magnet School. “They were focused and joyful as they worked with our wonderful primary teachers. Families were able to see how lessons are given in the Montessori classroom and said they felt at ease and looked forward to the beginning of the school year.”The Children’s House Summer Program was run by teachers Laurie Campiformio and Lyndsey Russell and paraprofessional Rosa Pardo-Figuero. The educators volunteered to take on this task and already see a difference in the children who participated in the program. They say those students are more comfortable in their surroundings than the other preschool students.CREC Montessori Magnet School educates 42 preschool 3 students. It started the 2016-2017 school year on August 31. ###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, CT) In the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, parents attended parent-teacher conferences with excitement and trepidation, and teachers shared a similar attitude. Teachers were eager and parents were relieved when a children received all A’s and B’s on their report cards and when conduct reports included words such as, “well behaved,” “helpful to others,” “quiet,” “hard worker,” and “compliant.” Both parents and teachers were apprehensive and uneasy if a child’s work was below standard, or if a child was a “behavior problem.”Now, fast forward to the 1990s and early 2000s when family involvement was the key. What did families need to do to ensure their children were prepared for and successful in school? They read to toddlers, helped with and monitored homework, focused on academic achievement and test-taking, fundraised for schools, and ensured their middle school student brought home information. Essentially, the teachers possessed the power in the relationship. They delivered the information; parents were the recipients of the information. Joyce Epstein, of John Hopkins University, transformed and redefined the way educators and families think about family and school relationships. One key concept is that families, educators, and communities all have mutual interests and influences in a child's education; another is the importance of educators and families believing and supporting each other’s importance. Epstein uses the terms "school-like families" and "family-like schools" to explain the behaviors of families and schools that believe in each other's importance. Since the mid-2000s, researchers, educators, and families have come to view the family and school relationship as a partnership, meaning that educators and parents and guardians need to work together to best support children and youth. More importantly, both groups—the parents and the educators—need to learn new skills and knowledge, and this gives teachers and parents and guardians equal input and voice when it comes to the education of children. In fact, the U.S. Department of Education supports and promotes family and school partnerships through the Dual Capacity Building Framework fir Family-School Partnerships. The objective of the dual focus is to build the capacity of educators and families to engage in partnerships that support student achievement and learning. If you would like more information, visit www2.ed.gov/documents/family-community/partners-education.pdf.CREC supports school and family partnerships in many ways. CREC Magnet Schools and the Hartford Region Open Choice Program held a parent engagement series during the 2015- school year, and CREC is organizing a fall conference, “Connecticut Family Engagement Conference on Social Justice and Equity: Making a Difference Together." Patricia Edwards, a professor at Michigan State University, will be the keynote speaker, and her comments will be based on her book, “New Ways to Engage Parents: Strategies and Tools for Teachers and Leaders, K-12.” Additionally, conference participants will learn about the Dual Capacity Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships, and they will have the opportunity to attend workshops that focus on school and family partnerships.For more information about this October conference, visit www.crec.org/protraxx/docs//att.pdf. ###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, CT) Since its release in February, “Practice Case Studies for the Connecticut Administrator Test,” a book published by CREC, has helped prepare many candidates for 092 administrator certification in Connecticut.“The book is well organized and an extremely useful tool for future administrators,” said Jennifer Fritz, who passed the Connecticut Administrator Test in June with help from the book. “This text reviews all components of the exam, clearly explaining each of the four modules. The reflection questions following the case studies allow for worthwhile practice leading up to the exam.”“Practice Case Studies for the Connecticut Administrator Test” is co-written by Ellen Retelle, CREC’s director of the Institute Teaching and Learning, and CREC education specialist Sara Slogesky, and it provides test-takers with a full preview of the four case studies presented in the exam. As a bonus, Retelle pairs the book with in-person review sessions, providing extra support to Connecticut educators.“Dr. Retelle was able to answer many questions and was very generous on sharing strategies for successful testing,” said Jill Tallberg, who attended a May review session. “It was totally worthwhile, and I highly recommend it for anyone preparing to sit for the CAT exam.”The first review session was held in May at CREC Central in Hartford, and just like book, it covered each module of the Connecticut Administrator Test for both elementary and secondary schools, school improvement, instructional analysis, and teacher support. The May review session was attended by educators from many Connecticut school districts—and even other states. They were looking for help in disparate areas and were able to collaborate and share tips on how to pass the exam’s four modules.As the new school year begins, Retelle will hold more Connecticut Administrator Test prep sessions, splitting up specific topics to appeal to test-takers who are looking to pass particular modules. For more information about “Practice Case Studies for the Connecticut Administrator Test” and upcoming review sessions, visit www.crec.org/cat-case-studies###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, CT) CREC celebrated 50 fabulous years and the start of a new school year August 26 at its annual FallStaff event. The event, held at the Connecticut Convention Center, kicked off the 2016-2017 academic year, and more than 2,000 dedicated CREC employees attended, representing 18 magnet schools and more than 120 other programs and services. FallStaff is a unique opportunity for all CREC staff to be in the same room, and it is event that encourages collaboration and fosters unity and teamwork.“CREC doesn’t need a superhero as its executive director,” said CREC Executive Director Greg Florio. “CREC has more than 2,000 superheroes sitting in this room.” The August 26 event marked the first FallStaff for Florio, who became executive director January 1. Combining humor with a mix of optimism and hope, Florio told his staff that CREC is, and always has been, at the forefront of public education. The agency is not afraid to take on any challenges that come its way, he said.CREC takes great pride in helping all children and families in the Greater Hartford community, and Florio said CREC will continue to pursue its mission—every child, every adult, and every family will succeed.During this year’s FallStaff, long-serving staff members were recognized. CREC also announced the winners of several special awards. John Lennon, of CREC River Street School, was named paraeducator of the year, and Rosa Flores, coordinator of CREC’s Positive Parenting Program, won the agency’s distinguished service award. CREC University of Hartford Magnet School Principal Tim Barber was named manager of the year, and CREC Discovery Academy’s Sarah Worley was named CREC’s teacher of the year. “Be proud of what you’ve done,” said CREC Council chairman Donald F. Harris Jr., to CREC’s many staff members. “Know what you do matters.” In addition to staff, four school districts—Farmington, Simsbury, South Windsor, and West Hartford—were recognized at FallStaff for their commitment to the Hartford Region Open Choice Program. The districts helped to start the Open Choice program, which is also celebrating 50 years, and they continue to help break down racial barriers.Throughout FallStaff, CREC’s rich history was highlighted, ensuring that everyone celebrated CREC’s 50th anniversary. Past event emcees worked together to host the event, taking the audience through five decades of pop culture and CREC history, and the agency’s three past executive directors were in the audience. FallStaff is an event coordinated and directed internally, and CREC employees participate throughout the show, singing the national anthem, recording voiceovers, and serving as emcees. It is made possible through the generosity of sponsors, including top sponsor Owens Realty Services. ###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, CT) At its second annual Back to School Block Party, CREC sent a strong message to the Greater Hartford community—both through its words and its actions. “It’s not about what school you go to right now,” said Aura Alvarado, CREC’s director of communications and community relations. “It’s about getting our kids ready to be successful in every school and every program. We’re going to be great together.”The August 18 block party, organized by CREC and held at the agency’s headquarters on Charter Oak Avenue in Hartford, was a collaborative effort—an opportunity for the Greater Hartford community to come together to help area children and families as they prepare to start the new school year.At the event, CREC, along with the city of Hartford and more than 30 community groups, provided important information about schools and local services and free food to the more than 2,000 people who attended, and HOT 93.7, the block party’s media sponsor, did a live broadcast. The local Ice Cream for a Dream truck gave treats to children who shared their hopes and dreams, nearly 200 children received free haircuts from local hairdressers and barbers, and members of the Hartford Youth Public Safety Program and the Hartford police and fire departments led field games. Building on last year’s success, CREC doubled the amount of backpacks given away at its Back to School Block Party. This year, CREC gave 1,200 free backpacks filled with school supplies to children between the ages of 3 and 17 on a first-come; first-served basis. Donations allowed CREC to distribute these items, which will help alleviate some of the financial burden on families as they get ready for the first day of school. “Our mission here is to serve the region, and we are doing just that,” said CREC Executive Director Greg Florio. “We are trying to help families get ready for school, and that’s very, very important.”As a regional educational service center, CREC’s goal is to make a difference in the lives of all children and families, and it has been doing so for 50 years. It always puts children and families first, and the Back to School Block Party is an example of this.###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, CT) For more than a decade, mindfulness has caused persistent buzzing and conversation among educators. But what is mindfulness? Why do so many educators want to integrate mindfulness in their classrooms? Is mindfulness the latest educational fad, or it a worthy approach?According to researcher Jon Kabat-Zin, mindfulness is “the awareness that arises by paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” Kabat-Zinn propelled mindfulness into mainstream societal institutions, such as medicine, higher education, corporations, sports, and the criminal justice system. He focused on mind and body interactions for healing by examining how mindfulness-based stress reduction practices affects the brain and how the brain processes emotions. Kabat-Zinn’s guided meditation programs and books describe mindfulness and meditation practices in direct, applicable, and captivating terms. Consequently, thousands of individuals practice mindfulness in the United States.During the mid-2000s, mindfulness programs and practices emerged as a grassroots movement in education with the promise of reducing students and teachers’ stress levels in schools. Although healthy stress is a part of everyday life, recent demands in our education system, such as unremitting testing, and societal issues, such as poverty, can cause students and teachers to experience unhealthy stress. Unhealthy stress occurs when life’s demands outpace a person’s ability to manage them, and mindfulness practices include, but are not limited to, mindfulness meditation, yoga and breathing exercises, self-regulated behavior, and positive self-expression. Several mindfulness programs, such as Mind Up, Mindfulness in Schools Project, and Mindfulness Fundamentals, have been implemented in classrooms and schools throughout the United States and in other countries. Although empirical research on mindfulness is recent, and the conclusions limited, there is potential that mindfulness programs improve the well-being of children and youth. A 2013 study in a low-income, ethnic-minority elementary school found, showed that student behavior improved significantly in the following four areas when its mindfulness program ended: paying attention, self-control, classroom participation, and respect for others. More importantly, these gains were maintained seven weeks later. Additionally, the Hawn Foundation reports that mindfulness practices lead to increased focus, improved academic achievement, reduced stress, and an increase in emotional resilience, and these findings have exciting implications for the potential of mindfulness practices and programs in schools—for both teachers and students.CREC is on the cutting-edge of mindfulness practices in schools, leading the way by offering mindfulness classroom sessions and by co-hosting its second annual mindfulness conference with Central Connecticut State University on October 21. The keynote speaker will be Tish Jennings, an associate professor of education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia.For more information about the conference, visit www.crec.org/mindfulness/conference.###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(Hartford, CT) For 40 years, the Center for Creative Youth has provided promising young artists with an opportunity to polish their skills at a four-week interdisciplinary arts residency program run by CREC on the Wesleyan University campus. It’s a competitive program that selects fewer than 150 students from around the world each year to participate. Students live in Wesleyan’s dorms and take classes in their areas of interest, such as filmmaking, dance, and musical theater. Students also participate in interdisciplinary courses that introduce them to different art skills, go on field trips, attend guest lectures, and enjoy performances by professional artists. The Center for Creative Youth program is meaningful, instructive, and a chance for students to find and develop their talents.This summer’s residency program recently ended, and Center for Creative Youth Program Coordinator Lisa Foss took time to reflect on the program and its impact on high school students. Q. Who participated in the Center for Creative Youth this year?A. This year, the Center for Creative Youth had 119 students, including students from Connecticut, other U.S. states, and international students from China, France, South Korea, and St. Maarten. Q. What makes the Center for Creative Youth a unique program?A. The Center for Creative Youth is a month-long residential program open to all high school students interested in exploring the arts at the collegiate level on a prestigious college campus, regardless of their financial means. In fact, 74 percent of the program’s participants receive financial scholarships.Our student population is also unique. This year, 6 percent of our students traveled to Connecticut from others countries and 20 percent were out-of-state students. The remainder of the students represented 47 different Connecticut cities and towns. Fifty-eight percent of the total student population identified themselves as non-white students. The intimacy of students living, eating, working, playing, and learning together creates an affirmational environment where it is possible to take healthy, creative risks and receive constructive feedback. The residential experience, woven with rigorous arts curricula and exposure to professional-level arts performances, launches our students forward into a world where they feel empowered to take their own art seriously and approach the arts as something essential, rather than something extra-curricular.Participants are trained to complete an arts advocacy project in their home communities, ensuring that the artistic experience is a long-lasting one and does not end when students leave Wesleyan.Q. Who are the program’s instructors?A. Center for Creative Youth staff is comprised of college professors, professional artists, and guest artists from across the nation. They’ve been on Broadway, displayed their work in renowned galleries, played music all over the world, and published work in local and national magazines.Our residential staff is comprised of artists in college or in their 20s who are advancing their own arts education at institutions throughout the country. Many of them return to the Center for Creative Youth every year to work with students, and 95 percent of them are program alumni.Q. What did you do this summer to mark the Center for Creative Youth’s 40th anniversary?We invited all alumni to our open class share day via our social media pages. We also encouraged alumni to share their pictures and Center for Creative Youth memorabilia. We will be working to generate an alumni newsletter and anticipate holding reunion and networking events. Q. Describe a noteworthy moment in Center for Creative Youth history? How has the program changed and evolved?A. Grammy Award-winning jazz artist Jimmy Greene, a CREC Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts High School alum, performed for students this summer. The CREC Ana Grace Academy of the Arts Elementary School is named in honor of his daughter, Newtown victim Ana Grace Marquez-Greene. Over the years, the Center for Creative Youth’s curriculum has been updated to meet the demands for college acceptance. In 2013, the program moved from being a five-week program to a four-week program.The Center for Creative Youth continues to refine best practices by preserving what is most valued about the program and tweaking the areas where updates and improvements can benefit the experience. This is accomplished through extensive post-program reviews, which include student evaluations, parent surveys, teacher reviews, residential interviews, and department chair debriefings.This year, the Center for Creative Youth is able to share its 40th anniversary celebration with CREC, the Hartford-based agency that runs the program. CREC is celebrating an agency-wide anniversary—its 50th. Q. Does the Center for Creative Youth have any notable alumni?A. Anika Noni Rose is a Tony Award-winning actress who has appeared in “Caroline, or Change” and “Dream Girls. She also is the voice of Tiana in Disney’s “The Princess and the Frog.” Avery Wilson was a finalist on season 3 of “The Voice,” and Matt Jackson holds the fourth longest winning streak on “Jeopardy.” Kathryn Morris starred in “Cold Case,”a television drama.For more information about the Center for Creative Youth, visit www.crec.org/ccy. You can also learn more about the program and connect with alumni by visiting the program on Facebook at fb.com/crecccy and by following @CRECCCY on Twitter. ###The Capitol Region Education Council was established in 1966 and is celebrating 50 years of academic excellence. Working with and for its member districts, CREC has developed a wide array of cost-effective and high-quality programs and services to meet the educational needs of children and adults in the region. CREC brings five decades of experience in education, regional collaboration, and operations to provide innovative strategies and products that address the changings needs of school districts and their students, corporations, non-profits, and individual professions. CREC regularly serves 36 towns in Greater Hartford, offering more than 120 programs to more than 150,000 students annually. CREC manages more than 35 facilities throughout the area, including 18 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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