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(East Hartford, CT) Using nets barely visible to the eye, sixth-grade students at CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School recently worked with Trinity College professor Joan Morrison to capture birds and then identify, weigh, measure, and band them before releasing them back into their environment. “It was cool,” said Alyssa Dipini, of Windsor, explaining that she was given the task of briefly holding a bird in a bag. “I didn’t want to drop it.”The partnership between the Trinity professor and the environmental science-themed magnet school was established in 2002, and for 14 years, Morrison has visited the school twice a year to introduce students to bird banding. “Professor Joan Morrison at Trinity College is a warrior scientist who has not wavered from trying to instill in the next generation a love and reverence for the biodiversity that she encounters in her work with birds, and she brings children in contact with them,” said Christie Hazen, a sixth-grade science teacher at CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School. “For 14 years, Joan has volunteered her time to work with our middle school students every fall and spring. This is one of the highlights of the year for many of our students, and we feel so fortunate to have had professor Morrison touch the lives of so many students and help instill in them a love and respect of nature.” Morrison, who will retire from Trinity after the college’s fall semester and move fulltime to New Mexico, believes it is important to get children outside and to educate them about their environment“My generation grew up outside,” Morrison said, explaining that children learn to be independent and learn their limits by being outdoors. Morrison’s passion for the environment has captured the attention of CREC students for more than a decade. It also motivates Trinity College student Luisa Lestz, a Hartford resident who attended CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School years ago. Lestz is now studying biology and Hispanic studies at Trinity College, and she is taking a class with Morrison this fall, returning to her old middle school earlier this month to help Morrison work with the sixth-grade students. “I’ve never been in the field except when I was in middle school,” Lestz said. “It’s full circle.”Due to her retirement, Morrison’s collaboration with CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School is uncertain. However, she is considering returning to Connecticut to work with the students in the future. “I might think about coming back to do a week banding session,” she said. Regardless of Morrison’s involvement, CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School will continue to provide its students with unique, hands-on learning opportunities and is always looking to expand its offerings. To attend CREC Two Rivers Magnet Middle School, students must apply through the Greater Hartford Regional School Choice Office lottery, which opens November 1. For more information about the school, visit www.crecschools.org. After November 1, visit www.choosecrec.org for information about the lottery process, for more information about all of CREC’s magnet schools, and for access to the lottery application.###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 17 interdistrict magnet schools. More information about CREC and CREC’s award-winning schools is available at www.crec.org....

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(New Britain, CT) The CREC Medical Professions Academy in New Britain, formerly known as the CREC Medical Professions and Teacher Preparation Academy, has been renamed the Academy of Science and Innovation. It remains an interdistrict magnet school operated by CREC. CREC made this change to ensure that the school’s name accurately reflects its theme. Beginning this year, the school is strengthening its focus on science, technology, and engineering, providing rigorous and targeted course work in these areas along with new opportunities for students to apply their knowledge within the broader community.The school is phasing out its teacher preparation program over the next three years and will no longer enroll students in that program. Students currently enrolled in the teacher preparation program will not be impacted, and the school will continue to focus on preparing students for the medical field by providing new opportunities both within the classroom and through new community partnerships.“We are very excited to offer our students new and unique courses that will instill within students an understanding of the content knowledge and skills they will need to be successful in their futures, and we are excited to offer new opportunities through partnerships that will allow them to gain invaluable hands-on experience,” said principal Jonathan Shubert. “These changes will prepare them for college and their careers and ensure a bright future for our graduates.”Shubert is in his first year as principal of the Academy of Science and Innovation. He most recently served as CREC’s director of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and will be instrumental in shaping the Academy of Science and Innovation’s bright future.“Under Jonathan’s leadership, the enhanced theme will offer students the opportunity to engage in rich, science-based learning with an emphasis on innovation and advancement in scientific research,” said CREC Superintendent Dina Crowl. “In the spirit of actualizing our vision for excellence, the Academy of Science and Innovation will prepare students for success in highly competitive STEM fields.” The Academy of Science and Innovation, one of 17 CREC magnet schools, educates students in grades six through 12, and it remains committed to graduating students with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in college and the workplace. It is located in a state-of-the-art facility on Slater Road. Students who wish to attend the Academy of Science and Innovation must apply to the school through the Greater Hartford Regional School Choice Office lottery, which opens November 1. For more information about the school, visit www.crecschools.org. After November 1, visit www.choosecrec.org for information about the lottery process and all of CREC’s magnet schools and access to the lottery application.###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) Connecticut Public Law 14-39 ensures that students with specific learning disability/dyslexia are identified early and that they receive appropriate instruction. As a result, CREC works with the Connecticut State Department of Education to make sure this happens. It is an effort that CREC takes seriously. Dyslexia is classified as a learning disability under state and federal special education law, and it is characterized by one’s impairment to read, write, spell, and in severe cases, speak.  Severity can be from a mild difficulty with spelling to a significant disability in reading. Of students with learning disabilities, 80 percent have reading disabilities, and based on the findings of Sally Shaywitz’s research at Yale University, 1 in 5 have dyslexia. There are many people who have specific learning disability/dyslexia, including musician and actor Billy Bob Thornton, real estate guru Barbara Corcoran, and filmmaker Harvey Hubbell.Hubbell will join CREC October 12 at the Theater of the Performing Arts, 359 Washington Street in Hartford, for a special screening of his film, “Dislecksia: The Movie.” After the screening, Hubbell will participate in a question and answer session, discussing what it was like to grow up with dyslexia. The October 12 event is sponsored by Whole Foods Market and organized by CREC’s Technical Assistance and Brokering Services and the CREC Foundation. It begins at 6 p.m., and it will help CREC mark National Dyslexia Awareness Month and launch its new professional development opportunities. In partnership with the state, CREC now offers professional development services for educators who want to learn how to better help students with specific learning disability/dyslexia. These services include a specific learning disability/dyslexia consortium, workshops on the topic, and several literacy services for struggling learners.For more information, or to purchase tickets to the movie screening, visit www.crec.org/movies.Visit www.crec.org/tabs for more information about professional development opportunities provided by CREC’s Technical Assistance and Brokering 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) Maribel Cartagena, a single mother of two, came from Puerto Rico to the United States 20 years ago. Her oldest son is currently serving in the U.S. Army overseas. While she is proud of him, it is difficult for her because can’t know his missions. She is always praying for his safe return. With her children now older, Cartagena recently decided it was time to focus on her own needs, and her first step was to find a class that would improve her English skills, especially her writing. Cartagena went to America’s Job Center, where she met a case manager who referred her to CREC. After completing her initial assessment, she was placed in a class for advanced English language learners, which has a transition to college component. The class is offered by CREC’s Community Education Division. For two days each week, Cartagena attended classes at CREC, and for eight Saturdays, she went to Central Connecticut State University for the college preparation component. She exceled in her classes and graduated with perfect attendance. One of Cartagena’s biggest fears is public speaking, but she pushed herself out of her comfort zone, delivered a presentation during CREC’s International Day event, and spoke at her graduation. This was a huge barrier to overcome, and she did so well that she was invited to represent CREC’s Community Education Division during a special CREC 50th anniversary event held earlier this year. Cartagena did not stop there. She continued to complete advanced English classes and transitioned to Manchester Community College, where she is a student in the medical office assistant program, taking classes in keyboarding, communication skills, and medical terminology. As she completes her course work, she works two part-time jobs. Every day, CREC’s Community Education Division offers classes to adult learners like Cartagena in GED preparation, English as a second language, family literacy, and other career preparation courses. Its many students are from all different backgrounds. For example, CREC enrolled immigrants from 26 countries in its adult education classes last year. CREC cares about all of its students, and this year, it will hold a voter registration session to help adult education students and the Greater Hartford community. Anyone wishing to register to vote in the upcoming presidential election can do so September 28 from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the student lounge on the second floor of 34 Sequassen Street in Hartford. To register to vote, you must be a United States citizen and a Connecticut resident, and you must be at least 17 years old and turn 18 before Election Day. If you were previously convicted of a felony, you must have completed confinement and parole to register.When registering to vote, you must provide your driver’s license number and the last four digits or your social security number. Voter registration forms will be provided in English and Spanish and online, and CREC staff members will be there to help individuals complete the required paperwork. ###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) 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 2015-201616 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/355021/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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