St. Dominic School: A Gem in our Local Educational System

St. Dominic School - A Jewel of an Elementary Catholic School

By E. Richard Fortunato

As published in the Southington Citizen Friday, August 24, 2012

With the arrival of back-to-school season, here’s an alternate educational opportunity parents might care to consider before deciding the vital question of their children’s education in the critically fragile formative years of their development in elementary school.

Southington can proudly and justly boast a wonderful public school system. Still, readers may be of a mind to consider an exceptional alternative for their children’s elementary school education.


Enter St. Dominic School, located off of Flanders Road and Laning Street in Southington.

This campus-style Catholic elementary school has classes from pre-kindergarten, (three and four year olds), through fifth grade, including an all day Kindergarten program. 

Students of St. Dominic School learn in a richly caring environment in the Catholic tradition since it arrived on the Southington scene, initially as a nursery school in 1978.  

Graduates have done remarkably well as the school evolved into an energetic, family-friendly community that is a vibrant part of the St. Dominic church community. Students from Southington and beyond are welcome, regardless of social, economic, racial, religious tradition or ethnic background. .

The school is dedicated to living its mission as “a Christ-centered learning community that fosters Catholic faith and Christian values while striving for academic excellence, thus preparing students to become responsible leaders and role models within the family, church and community.”  In a nurturing, family-oriented environment, academic programs utilize traditional yet innovative teaching methods. Students learn in a safe, disciplined environment that inspires a culture of educational excellence through rigorous standards. 

The school maintains a close community while keeping pace with a rapidly changing global society.
Students of St. Dominic stand as shining examples of the school’s vision as a high quality, comprehensive elementary program serving the continuum of student needs. The students and the school are an important asset to the community.   

The Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) scores of the students are above requirements for “exemplary high performing schools” according to established criteria. The value of this distinction goes beyond test scores. At St. Dominic, preparing students to be successful in their academic and spiritual lives is at the center of the process.

Teachers integrate 21st century skills into their instructional strategies. Technology assists learning with SMART Board-equipped classrooms and a mobile Netbook laboratory. Instruction is differentiated so that all students may be successful. The traditional core curriculum of religion, language arts, reading, mathematics, social studies, science and health is enriched with Spanish, physical education, art, choral music and instrumental music and an automated library.  A literacy specialist and school counselor assist students with academic needs and emotional and social growth.

A strong and positive partnership exists between parents and teachers who are state certified and proactive in professional development programs. St. Dominic School is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC).

Four years of collected data indicate that 87% of graduates have achieved honor roll status during the first semester of their sixth grade year. Area middle schools report that St. Dominic graduates are academically and socially prepared and successful.

ption

Prinicipal, Patti Tiezzi and School Counselor,
Stacy Marchioni discussing a St. Dominic School program. 

Principal,  Mrs. Patricia Tiezzi, says “School families consistently state St. Dominic students are happy, enjoy school, and have a love of learning fostered during their time at the school where they participate in student council, chorus, band, soccer and basketball teams and an impressive range of after school clubs and activities, all of which develop students as confident leaders and contributors to community service opportunities.

Projects include coat, mitten and sock drives, walk-a-thons, Christmas Giving Trees, food drives, and coin collection drives for charitable causes, all reflecting  the school’s commitment to Catholic social teaching. 

Families in need of financial assistance should note that there is a needs-based tuition assistance program in place at St. Dominic for qualifying families.  The school also offers new students a needs-based tuition reduction in the form of a first year scholarship, ranging from 20 % to 60 % tuition savings for qualifying families. For more info, call the St. Dominic School office to arrange a visit, tour and conference concerning the vital subject of your child’s elementary education.  Tel. 860-628-4678. E-mail school@saintdominiccchurch.com. Also, visit www.saintdominicschoolct.org 

An Inside Look at Southington's Emergency Management Response System

Town Attorney and Assistant Town Manager, Marc Sciota
also serves as Town Emergency Manager
Sciota articulates Southington's emergency readiness

Are you prepared at home and at work for a weather emergency at any time?  Read what Southington and other towns in Connecticut are doing.

By E. Richard Fortunato

The following news report was published in the Southington Citizen on Friday, August 24, 2012.

Based on early reports of a severe storm (possibly a Category 2 hurricane) is approaching the southeast and  possibly veering north to New England sometime this week, it might be worth your while to become aware of Soutthington's recently tested readiness for a hurricane or other emergency situation might be well worth your while.

A busy man, Marc Sciota is not only Southington’s Town Attorney and Assistant Town Manager, but he is also charged with the responsibility of Town Emergency Manager.0

In an interview, Scotia spoke about virtually every detail of an updated emergency management program which is now in place in Southington and is in compliance with the latest standards of safety and preparedness.

This year, Connecticut Governor Daniel P. Malloy decreed that all towns participate in an emergency disaster exercise, an result of a Category 3 hurricane alert with a force not witnessed here since 1938.

Town department heads came together with Sciota for a series of meetings to develop new and updated emergency preparedness and response procedures.

A two-day exercise was scheduled to take place on July 30 and 31st.  Town business was to continue without interruption with the drill taking place invisibly to all but the Emergency Management Team,

 “For several days before July 30th, we were receiving (false) weather reports. A faux storm was brewing off the coast of the Cayman Islands. The mock storm would run the exact same track as the Hurricane of 1938, approaching California then taking a course to the east coast and up to Connecticut. The reports even told us that the storm would hit us on Tuesday, July 31st.” Sciota said.

A week before the drill date, Sciota convened the executive committee of the EMT consisting of the Police, Fire, Health and Public Works Departments and the Calendar House Senior Center for a run-through of  their check list for hurricanes, last used for Hurricane Irene in 2011.  Their goal was to go over every step of an emergency response so that the exercise would be executed correctly.On Monday, July 30th, the town emergency manager would alert the full emergency management team including the Police, Fire, Highway, Health and Parks Departments, Water Pollution Control, Board of Education, Calendar House Senior Center, Southington Community Services, the Library and the Town Emergency Manager.

The Fire Department plays two roles in an emergency: public safety, and activating the Community Emergency Response Team. CERT works with local government in preparing for emergency situations.

CERT did not have advance knowledge of the exercise, but they would receive an email blast from Sciota and would respond, advising which of their teams are available to work with Southington.

All communications during the alert would repeatedly say, in bold caps: “EXERCISE” so that all involved, CERT and town department heads, would understand that a simulation of an alert was taking place. But, everyone would be expected to respond with due dispatch, as though it was actually happening.

Calendar House would mobilize its shelter and stores of food, water and blankets ready for use.  The Library would be an emergency cooling station in readiness for any power outages based on notification from the state.

Backing up the CERT teams, the town staff would ready to be called in to help, should the need arise. In this case, the Tax Assessor’s Department was designated to play back up team. Meanwhile, all department heads had advance knowledge of a Hurricane Exercise.

Sciota said the absolute imperative in dealing with this kind of catastrophic phenomenon is total preparedness. “If everything is not in place in the planning, nothing is going to work for you," Sciota said.   "Preparedness is paramount in an emergency crisis. If we are prepared, we will prevent loss of life and property, and that is our purpose.”

Accordingly, as the alert went out, first on the check list is Police, Fire, AMR and Public Works. All are immediately placed on standby. Manpower is everything in mobilizing all departments.  The Fire Chief immediately mans all firehouses. The Police Chief and his captains call in all police personnel. Public Works deploys its people to readiness at the garage. AMR alerts all ambulance units.

In an actual emergency of this nature town employees stay home or are assigned to places where they can help, such as Calendar House, the Library and Southington Community Services.  Each of these facilities is prepared to offer help to those who may be without power or safe access to their homes.  Calendar House is the official shelter, offering food and a place to sleep.  In severe weather, The Library acts as a cooling station or a warm place for relief from the elements while Southington Community Services is equipped to dispense food and water.

Towns must be self-sufficient for the first 72 hours of an emergency.  This is known as the “Rule of 72”.

Meanwhile, the state will be responding to its state wide needs of communications, transportation, power outages, public safety, etc. After 72 hours the state will be positioned to assist towns as needed.

Citizens at home or at work are advised to be prepared for the first 72 hours of an emergency when they hear the first alert. Stores of food, including non-perishable foods not requiring refrigeration, and water for the first 72 hours, along with flashlights, batteries, cell phone, battery-powered radio, blankets and first aid supplies.are strongly recommended to be at the ready.

The results of the emergency drill were excellent according to Marc Sciota.”Everything ran smoothly and without a glitch, notwithstanding the fact that during the mock emergency we had a very real disaster with the major fire at the Rex Forge location that same day,", Sciota said.

We sincerely hope the southeast is prepared for an effective response to Tropical Storm Isaac. Let's be sure we in the northeast are equally prepared for this storm which has the potential to develop the force of a Category 2 Hurricane, like Hurricane Irene last year.

Conversations with Town Manager, Garry Brumbuck

As published in the Southington Citizen: 4th and final installment in a series. August 10, 2012

Asst. Town Engineer, Annette Turnquist, reviews progress
of  staged move to new Southington Municipal Center with
Town Manager, Garry Brumback.

Fortunato:  In our earlier conversations, you mentioned Town Partnerships are one of the important priorities you and the staff are pursuing. Would you explain what the idea of Town Partnerships entails, the goals of that program and an example or two of how that is being accomplished?

Brumback:  It is clear to me that communities must seek areas to partner with both private and public entities if they are going to continue to provide the level of service our citizens expect.  In our community there are several opportunities, some of which we have been doing for a long time and some that have potential.

First and foremost we have looked to the School District as a great opportunity.  They are an integral part of our community and have a very distinct mission, however, because we are both asking for resources from the same citizen base it is important for us to eliminate redundancy and work together whenever possible. Examples of areas in which we can partner are purchasing, grant writing, capital planning and, hopefully, information technology. The creation of the Southington Municipal Center (formerly known as the North Center School) will co-locate offices of the Board of Education and certain town government departments so working together should be easier.

FBI Investigations in Progress While Growing National Commentary Accelerates in Shooting-Killings in Sikh Temple in Wisconsin

To the surprise of few, headline stories in the mass media continue to arouse interest and grave concerns in last Sunday's mass murder shooting spree in a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin.

Personally, I'm impressed by the extensive coverage which, while providing fuel for sensationalist-driven members of the media, also opens the doors widely for sober and serious national dialog through the open expression of citizens that is it time for positive, firm and effective action on such senseless and destructive societal behavior.

Coursing through the on line media this morning I ran across a report in the Christian Science Monitor by Mark Guarnino who examines the FBI investigation and one of the suspected motives of the gunman alleged to be a white supremacist but with no evidence as yet as to whether that he acted with or without the knowledge of the group.

I recommend reading it along with the points of other nationally respected periodicals for an across the board sense of the Oak Creek story as the FBI runs its investigation. In this age of daily poll taking on a variety of social issues, it is important to measure the national pulse on how to.

Your views are important to the resulting evaluation. Apathy is a serious deterrent to serious change in the social climate that enables, such domestic terror to occur.

But we must also recognize and understand the ramified roots of such monstrous behavior. At that point, we may have a basis for developing and executing a plan that is proactively committed to short and long term solutions.

In point of fact, this is a simple proforma for action on other antisocial behavioral patterns: aggressive education and promoting of safe driving, (auto accidents remain a major weapon in the destruction of life), stepped up efforts to wipe out drug-trafficking through relentless legal enforcement and public education, and in the avoidance of unforced errors that result in risks to our health.

Please consider sharing your views in the comments section of this blog whether or not you agree with these ideas.

Are There Lessons Learned From The Terror of Deranged Human Violence?

America was again visited with a murderous outburst in yet another mass shooting at a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin this past Sunday, August 5th.

Innocent American citizens of the Sikh faith, honest people of faith, whose essential beliefs and ethical principles are based on hard work, generosity in sharing the fruits of their labors with others, and daily meditation on the One God most people of faith believe in. 

The mass shooting murders in our country have become so common and frequent that the most shocking thing about them is that may may no longer be shocking to us!

Town Manager, Garry Brumback - Comments on Town Organization and Emergency Response Upgrades

As published in the Southington Citizen August 3, 2012

Conversations with Garry Brumback, Town Manager - Part 3 

By E. Richard Fortunato

Town Manager, Garry Brumback reviewing drawings
in the new Engineering Department at the new
Municipal Complex on North Main Street, Southington

Prior installments in this series have covered the topics of the progress and a forward-look at the town’s communications and technology and its infrastructure, including roads, sewer system and facilities.

Fortunato:  I would like to talk about commissions such as the Senior Citizens Commission, the Police and Fire Commissions and the Library Board.  How do you view this area of our town’s organization, who operate with the authority and supervision of a controlling board?  And, with the Town Council’s action on July 9^th to re-organize the senior citizen commission so that it is now an advisory board along with the change in having the executive director of Calendar House, Bob Verderame, now reporting directly to you, what is your feeling about the effectiveness of the unchanged system in the cases of the remaining groups? 

  

Brumback:  It depends on what your goals are.  Effectiveness is in the eyes of the beholder.  But I can tell you that it’s a very inefficient way to run a town government.  If your goal is efficiency, we are not organized as efficiently as we should be. If you r goal is the distribution of authority and the dilution of power in any one person or entity then we then we are a very effective government in that we’ve distributed a lot of authority over a lot of elected and appointed bodies that meet those goals and you have met your goals with an elected Board of Finance, Planning & Zoning Commission, Board of Education and Town Council, none of whom are beholden to the other. This causes conflict that cascades throughout an organization.  When you add on to that an appointed Police Commission, Fire Commission, Library and senior Services Commission you have multiplied the distribution of authority and sometimes an organization structured like that can become confused.  My personal view is one of a purist. The town manager is a professional appointed by the town council to operate the government. He or she is trained in that profession and has a working knowledge of all of the departments and how best they inter-operate and should therefore be given the authority and responsibility for a government that runs as efficiently as possible in order to meet the goals and objectives of the elected officials.   That’s the structure with which I am most familiar.  But, as I said, the first thing you’ve got to do is define the goals and the structure is secondary.     

Fortunato:  (Assistant Town Manager), Mark Sciota has been working to develop an upgraded Emergency Response System that is at least compliant with new state standards.  In May, he met with the Southington Interfaith Clergy Association and made an informative presentation of what this is all about, specifically encouraging the faith community leaders to provide, in strictest confidence, the names and locations of particular individuals in their congregations who might otherwise be left out In a natural or accidental catastrophe.  Your thoughts on this new system?

Brumback:  What Mark (Sciota) and all of us are doing is to try to make sure that all who need our assistance are aware of it.  Last year we had a huge hurricane and an unseasonal (Halloween) snowstorm, both resulting in power outages, not to mention floods, high winds, record snowfalls and no snow at all in some recent years.  We’ve found in 2011 was that we had about a 75% solution for the number of people who have medical care or special needs facilities in the event of a disaster. In the two instances last year homes did get their power back within anywhere from two days to a week or so at most.  We got lucky, in contrast to a disaster like Katrina and others in the past decade. Potentially, we could be looking at longer periods without power so we really need to be ready beyond the first response for a catastrophe of that magnitude to meet the needs of people for medical and special assistance, what they need and where to place those needs and vital things such as food and water supply, shelter, etc.  There are all kinds of disasters.  There’s nothing you can do to stop a tornado, for example; it comes; it goes and it leaves devastation behind it.  But what you can assume will happen is loss of power and I’m glad to see that Connecticut is doing a better job in preparing for power outages.

Last point, it’s the recovery that is sow
 important. And that’s what this emergency response system is designed to accomplish. Disasters are going to happen! But it is in the planning, preparation and readiness for these events that we can deal most effectively in protecting property, moderating some of the worst of the damage that can occur. Most important is the recovery of the community.  

In our next installment, we will take a look at the newly refurbished Municipal Complex formerly known as the North Center School.   

Simple Words of a Living Witness

Rev. Henry C. Frascadore, Author
"Beyond the Weeping Willow Tree:
Mystery is a Gift Wrapped In Ordinary Papter"

Poetic wisdom  ... a simple prescription   
for a life of peace, love and eternal light.

Believe in me

By Rev. Fr. Henry C. Frascadore

when the crowd  finally caught up with Jesus in Capernaum

someone in the crowd asked

"what can we do to accomplish the works of God?"

Jesus answered simply

"the work of God is to believe in me

listen to what I say

imitate what I do

watch how I treat people

the poor and the wealthy

the sick and the well                                                                                           More about Fr. Henry

those on the inside

and those on the outside

those who are oppressed by the law

and those who impose the law

those who think they have all the answers

and those who know they haven't

those who consider themselves sinless

and those who know that they have sinned

if you want to do the work of God

believe in me

serve the needs of others

and serve them with the best you have within yourselves

and love them not because a commandment tells you to

but because you have learned from me that only

by loving others can you ever hope to  live fully

believe in me

and you will never hunger or thirst for

things that cannot satisfy

believe in me

and you will perform the work of God

unbeknown to yourself

Jesus Christ at Capernaum

for it is I living in you and through you

believe in me

and you have already

begun to live on God's time

and not on yours"

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."  

    - John 3:16

Town Clerks Collaborate as Protectors of the Election Process

Town Clerks, Leslie Cotton, Southington, Maria Mullady,
Barkhamsted and committee chair, Donna LaPlante of
New Hartford meet as Liaison Election committee.

Published in the Southington Citizen
July 27, 2012

With all the appearances of National Election as a full time process for as much as two years for the candidates and their campaigns, it comes down to essentially a duty performed by voters on one day.

However, being ready for that second Tuesday of November is a complex task for the Liaison Committee on Elections of the Town Clerks’ Association of Connecticut. They are always preparing meticulous and various phases of the processes of elections, primaries, year-round registrations and compliance with state statutes. 

The Liaison Committee on Elections, a group of town clerks from across the state, meets periodically to coordinate their collective efforts to ensure that election processes go smoothly and that results are accurate and operating under strictly secure guidelines.

Present at the most recent meeting on July 10^th in Southington Town Hall were Chairperson Donna LaPlante of New Hartford, Maria Mullady of Barkhamsted and Leslie Cotton, Town Clerk of Southington. Some members not present had scheduling conflicts.

LaPlante explained that the committee coordinates and disseminates general election information concerning guidelines to procedures and forms in compliance with standards provided and coordinated by the office of the Connecticut Secretary of State.  Their job covers review and changes to Absentee Ballots, election day ballots, use of new tabulators that replaced the old voting machines, registration procedures, tracking and verification of information provided by citizens during the course of the year and primary procedures, to name a few of their responsibilities.

Privacy booths for completing ballots

Cotton described how meticulous a process it is to ensure compliance, every step of the way leading up to election day. The new tabulators have brought some changes in the election process including the specific roles of town registrars, moderators and town clerks in the scrupulously checked and balanced vote count with the number of voters who signed in at the polls and absentee ballots counted on election day.  In multi-districted towns like Southington sealed bags of ballots and tabulator tapes are checked at each polling place by election officials and brought to a central election headquarters in town by a designated member of each political party where verification procedures and forms are completed before being delivered by election officials to the Secretary of State’s office.

Mullady pointed out that town clerks offices are also responsible for qualifying the signatures on candidates’ petitions and that voter registrations are on a central system to which town clerks have access to corroborate qualification of voters in a town.  The mostly rare occasional discrepancies in voting procedures, e.g. last year’s reports of voter fraud in Bridgeport, the closely monitored procedures appear to maintain the essentially secure election results citizens expect and deserve.