|
Welcome
Families and Friends!
Welcome to Samuel Staples
Elementary School! I am very much looking forward to working in
partnership with the staff, the family and our community. The best
results for our children happen when we work together, developing happy,
imaginative and caring individuals.
I bring with me much
experience at the elementary level. I was a classroom teacher in grades
3 and 4 for many years in Westport, Connecticut before I moved into
school administration in nearby Weston. In each of these assignments, I
remained dedicated to continuing my professional development by studying
the research around curriculum, instruction and assessment practices.
My drive to provide students with the finest education is strong and has
always motivated me to stay current in the educational research.
I believe that our
responsibility is to the whole child; to his or her academic, physical,
emotional and psychological well-being. Our efforts to collaborate need
to be at its strongest when our youngsters are in need. Achievement of
excellence can be stifled when we define too narrowly topics and
opportunities for communication.
Part of my early learning has included
some research about Samuel Staples himself. I would like to invite you
to explore our website and discover for yourself the many wonderful
reasons we think our school is so special. Our colorful history,
innovative approaches to integrating arts and technology within the
curriculum, the caliber of our professional staff and our tradition of
strong connections within the community create a rich and unique
educational experience for our students.
History
Staples Free Academy - Early 20th Century
Mr. Samuel
Staples, the benefactor for whom our school was named, was a hardworking
farmer and canny investor. Owning 1128 acres, Mr. Staples rented and
leased part of his land to tenants and sold some to new residents.
Before his death in 1787, he left a large portion of his estate for the
establishment of a school of higher learning where the poor, as well as
the comfortably rich could send their children. Wanting very much a
free school in the parish of North Fairfield (now Easton) near the
meeting house, Staples Free School was founded in 1795 in the Greenfield
Hill area. After one hundred years of service, the school had to close
due to “sorry conditions of financial affairs.” It is now the social
hall of the Easton Congregational Church.
In the
1930s, the Staples fund was reactivated. The Supreme Court was
petitioned to change the purposes for which the Trust was created so
that the income could be used for the granting of college scholarships
to Easton boys and girls. Since 1938, annual college scholarships have
been granted to Easton young people as the Fund permits; and more recent
contributions have increased its usefulness. Thus the Staples Free
School idea, created nearly two centuries ago by Samuel Staples is being
perpetuated by Easton people of our day.
The new
Samuel Staples Elementary School that we occupy today opened August 31,
2005. The school is situated in a large open meadow, reminiscent of
the farming property Mr. Samuel Staples once owned. The architectural
design is uniquely congruent with the image of a barn, which blends so
well with many of the homes in Easton.
This year our
school has 6 sections of every grade level Kindergarten-Grade 5. We
also have dedicated space for our early intervention preschool and
related services. Our facility includes 2 gyms, 3 art rooms, 3 music
rooms, a media center, computer lab, and several ancillary rooms that
offer smaller space for small group or individual instruction in the
areas of reading, speech, special education, as well as OT and PT.
Staff
Throughout
the years, Staples has cultivated a fine reputation for its high caliber
staff. Our accomplished teachers reflect the best practices research
supports today. Always seeking ongoing professional development, our
teachers continually strive to learn the current thinking related to
curriculum, assessment and instruction.
Serving
slightly over 760 students, our staff is committed to providing our
students with the finest education. At any given grade level, class
size can range anywhere from 20 to 22. Teachers offer much variety in
their instructional grouping of children. Groups are flexible in their
design and can reflect ability, interest and choice. Each year, we
continue to become better skilled at differentiating for individual and
group needs. In order to keep instruction dynamic, our staff
collaborates regularly, as we view one another as educational
resources.
Curriculum
As we help
students make deeper, more meaningful connections to concepts we
introduce, our work with integrating the curriculum is substantial. We
pride ourselves on using the arts to celebrate and validate student
voices as they develop meaning. Our arts program has gained strength
since our relationship with the Connecticut Commission on the Arts
through the Higher Order Thinking School Program (HOT) since 1993. Our
effort to integrate the arts continues to evolve, but remains authentic
as we help students develop strategies for learning.
The
addition of state-of-the-art technology and full internet and network
access for each classroom has enabled our students to enhance their
learning experiences through daily interactions with online materials
and resources.
Community
Connections
With the
goal of keeping learning dynamic, we maintain strong connections with
our community, searching for ways to make learning seamless. It is
through these partnerships that we create authentic learning experiences
for our students. We recruit parent volunteers with rigor, developing
the understanding of Parents as Teachers. We work together to support
our students as they begin to make sense of how communities work and how
they fit within the community.
We
believe all students are deserving of a warm and inviting school, where
individuality, creativity and hard work are recognized as pillars of
strength. We provide our students with challenge and opportunity. Our
pride for Samuel Staples Elementary School is genuine because we know it
to be a special place.
Kimberly
Fox-Santora, Principal
Samuel Staples Elementary School
|
