ASD WEEKLY

November 3, 2023

Trunk or Treat!

(see story below)

Halloween Parade and Trunk or Treat - Thanks to staff who came to help with Trunk or Treat! Also thanks for wonderful coordination on Tuesday for the Halloween parade. Everyone looked amazing in their costumes and the students loved it! (See story below)

Dorm Groundbreaking – We will break ground on our new dorms this coming Monday, November 6th! Several members of our Board will be on campus, as well as West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor and a few of our state legislators. Lot 4, the parking lot at the quad across from the playground, will be blocked off for Monday’s event. If staff who work in the Vocational building could please park in the lot behind the VCC, this will help on Monday. Thank you for your cooperation as we get underway with this important project! 

IB Kitchen Expansion – This project will start on Monday, November 6 as well!

Staff Info Sessions – We are cancelling the final Staff Info Session previously scheduled for November 6th. The video link for the October Staff Info Session is here and the Powerpoint is attached here. It is also up on the staff page of the ASD website on Blackbaud. If you didn’t attend one of the sessions, please watch the video and get email questions you have to Jeff Bravin.

French Visitors to ASD – Thanks to Darlene Borsotti for being a great host this week to the French visitors led by former ASD employee Hiram Arroyo.  

Visit from OCFS – On Friday, we had a visit from the New York Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS). One of the areas that this agency provides is oversight in ensuring the safety and well-being of children involved in foster care. The agent visiting us had never been to ASD before so he had a wonderful time touring the campus and learning about all of our programs. During his visit, he continually complimented our campus and all that we are doing to support students – he even said of all the programs he visits, ASD was one of the most impressive he has seen.  

I would like to thank the student life team including the 2nd shift and overnight RC’s and deans – the dorms were sparkling!! Special thank you to Jose Viera and Kristin Feldman who participated in the tour and meetings and helped to share all the wonderful programming provided in the dorms. A great big thank you to Amanda Tini and Keri Weston Thomas for joining the meetings to discuss transition and medical care that we provide.  

It was a wonderful day to “show off” our programs and campus and have an opportunity to hear such positive feedback from OCFS!  

ASD Calendar 2023



11/6/2023 – New Dorm Groundbreaking Ceremony, 11:00 am

11/6/2023 – Staff Info Session: CANCELLED

11/6 - 11/10/2023 – Scholastic Book Fair (and online store through 11/19)

11/9/2023 – School Picture Make-up Day (staff & students), GCEC room 147 (Parent Center), 8:30 am-9:30 am

11/10/2023 – Curriculum Day/Parent Open House

11/23 - 11/24/2023 – HOLIDAY for all: Thanksgiving

12/1 - 12/2/2023 – Big East Classic at ASD

12/18 - 12/29/2023 – Winter break

12/22, 12/25 & 12/26/2023 – HOLIDAY for all: Christmas

4/26/2024 – Founders' Day

Birth to Three had our very first music playgroup! Our kiddos came excited and in costumes to celebrate Halloween! We had a blast singing, dancing, and even doing a fun pumpkin craft. We can't wait to plan more fun playgroups in the future. Thank you to all the Birth to Three coordinators for helping to make this possible! 

Kristen Urban

Assistant Coordinator of Education, Birth to Three Services

Thank you to the staff, faculty, CT State Grange and other volunteers who came out on a rainy Monday night to support our students! Happy Halloween!

The Grange returned to ASD on Halloween day to join us for our annual parade. The library was the last stop on the route where Grange themes and images were worked into the space so our elementary students could celebrate Halloween while learning about the importance of agriculture.

PACES Voc Building spent Halloween building words together playing Scrabble. We were the tiles. Happy Halloween! 

Cheyenne Rhodes

Behavioral Data and PBIS Intervention Coordinator

The Scholastic Book Fair will be held on campus in our ASD library November 6-10 and our online store will be available November 6-19! All purchases through the Book Fair benefit our school library. Click here to visit our book fair webpage.



Thanks for supporting our kids! Happy reading!

Maria Jacovino 

Coordinator LRC/Library Services

On Halloween we welcomed the cARTie art bus to campus. It was a great experience for all involved. From Clare Murray, cARTie co-founder and executive director: "This is FANTASTIC! Thank you for welcoming us with such open arms. We’ve been blown away by your leadership, all of you. Happy Halloween!"

I would like also to commend Jennifer Hong for her patience, creativity and collaboration with cARTie on the day of Halloween. The students' artwork is remarkably phenomenal. Students were engaged throughout the activity and the bus tour. One student resonated with the whole theme of the art and drew a picture of the bus that reflected his positive experience that day. Kudos to Jennifer Hong! 

Jennifer Labriola-Megee

Principal

In ASL class, students re-enacted the story “Room on the Broom” in ASL! Afterwards, they participated in fun Halloween activity centers.

Sharon Halscheid

Teacher of the Deaf/Special Education ASL Instructor 

Curt and I taught Pre-K and Kindergarten Physical Education class this first quarter and enjoyed it very much. Since the beginning of the school year, we noticed that the students are improving their developing skills. We are very proud of them! It was a challenging experience with different levels of skills and we have plans for adapted activities to support and help the students enjoy PE class even more. Some activities we did in class included obstacles, yoga, dance freeze, variety stations, and bikes. Thank you to the TAs for helping and handling their students. We also want to say many thanks to Jennifer L-M and Paige. The kids enjoy playing with them and we appreciate their time to come and support our students.

Brittainy Payne, M.Ed

High School PACES Teacher

ASD will be collecting grocery store or Visa gift cards to distribute to ASD Families in need for Thanksgiving. Please consider making a donation to help our families who may be struggling this time of year. Cash or checks will also be accepted. Please make checks payable to ASD, with 'Giving Hand' in the memo line. Please contact Stephanie McClellan or Betsy Denorfia if you have any questions. The gift cards should be in by November 17^th so they can be sent home to the families. Thank you, in advance, for your support.

Betsy Denorfia

Senior Administrative Assistant Family Education Services (FES)/Birth to Three

Student-Athletes of the Month for October: These students displayed Leadership, Sportsmanship, and Athleticism. Congratulations to Diana M (Varsity Volleyball) and Dushawn J (Varsity Soccer)!

Christopher DiSanto

Athletic and Afterschool Program Director

Fatima Silvestre has decided to resign from her position as ASD’s full-time Certified Deaf Interpreter so that she may return to Community Interpreting. We are very pleased to share that Fatima will continue working with ASD Interpreting as a Per Diem CDI. We have posted for the position of a Certified Deaf Interpreter, and the job posting may be found here. We are grateful for all that Fatima has done for the ASD Community and we look forward to our continued work together!  

Heidi Catalan, Supervisor, ASD Interpreting Department

Check out the following job openings on the New ASD Career Center!

Located on the Employment page of the ASD Website.

Reminder: ASD offers a sign-on bonus for new employees as well as a referral bonus for staff who personally refer a new hire. 

************

Communication Department Coordinator (Audiology)

Camp Director Isola Bella – 2024

Reading Specialist

OT / PT Department Coordinator

Per Diem Registered Nurse

Driver (CDL with V Endorsement Required) 

ASL Interpreters

Residential Counselors – All Shifts

Teacher Aides

Birth to Three Providers

Senior Administrative Assistant

Dean of Students – Weekdays & Weekend

Winter Coaching Positions:

Cheerleading Coach

Cheerleading Assistant Coach

Part-time Receptionist, Afternoons 

For more information on any of these positions please visit the ASD Website

Gwynne Deveau

Human Resources Manager

ESY teacher application deadline is March 28, 2024! If you are interested in working for ESY, please fill out and submit your form to my attention at GCEC 101, NOT Human Resources. Letter below is also a link to the form. Thank you.

Darlene Borsotti

Senior Administrative Assistant  

The State of Connecticut, Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) is seeking a Clinical Social Worker to join their team. This position is primarily located in Bridgeport; however, time may be spent at the Stamford location based on client and agency needs. Click here for more information.

Academic Hub has implemented a new newsletter subscription called SMORE. It is replacing the weekly Google newsletter that we have used in the past. SMORE newsletter is where you can find relevant information and important student event details. It also offers a shortcut to the sites where you can immediately navigate and access information. So far, a total of four SMORE newsletters have been sent out since the start of this school year. If you have not seen one yet, please check your junk-email folder. If still no luck, please see one of the Academic Hub members. See the newsletter images above which may help you to find them in your emails. 

Jennifer Labriola-Megee

Principal

Cinepolis Theater in Blue Back Square is offering Open Caption films every week.

The next will be: What Happens Later (rated R) Sunday, 11.5 at 4:30 pm

Husky dog looking for a forever and safe home. Two years old, vaccinated and spayed. Need information or have questions? Please call or text Karim @ 917-463-6585.

Thanks, Angel

Horticulture classes still need your help!

When you rake your leaves, please don’t put them out on the curb. Bring the bags of leaves and mulch to ASD! We will use them to build soil and add nutrients to next year’s gardens.

Inform Anne Nutt and she will let you know where to drop off your “garden gifts." If you have seeds to share, we’ll take them too! We can also use worn but safe and functional garden benches, bird baths, large planters, trellises, etc. to add to the student gardens and sensory garden.

Remember - the gardens (in the front lawn, by Clerc’s statue, near the Museum, and by the clock tower) are for EVERYONE!! Go visit and find some joy!

Anne Nutt

Horticulture Teacher

We are need of cardboard ream box tops for our Middle School Tiger STEM Challenge.



Email Jean Orientale with any questions or to drop off box tops

Our Autism Program is collecting recyclable cans, bottles, and glass. Please save for our classes and send an email to Amy Ronkese or Susan Breen for more info or to arrange pickup (we can pick up from your rooms).

Thank you!

So you’ve gotten hurt on the job. Now what?!

Well, first you let your supervisor know what happened, and then you report your injury to HR via the Worker's Compensation Claim Reporting Form or by scanning the QR code with your phone. Then go get medical attention if you need it!

**If you sustained a head injury YOU MUST GO GET MEDICAL ATTENTION! No ifs, ands, or buts. And someone else must drive you, you are not allowed to drive yourself with a head injury. Safety First!**

You may go to any Concentra location, the Occupational Health department at Hartford Healthcare at 445 South Main Street, or any emergency room. The information for these locations is on the Reporting Form.

Help us help you not get hurt at work! If you see another staff member struggling or possibly in an unsafe situation, get help or help them yourself if you have the appropriate training! Workers’ Comp affects everyone, not just the injured employee. We want everyone at ASD to feel safe and supported so please help out!

Note: If your personal property was damaged during the injury (e.g. a student smashed your glasses), please complete an Incident Report documenting the incident and what was broken and bring the receipt for the replacement of the property to HR. We will review and reimburse your broken property if it’s been properly documented or proven to have happened in the course of your normal duty.

If you ever have any questions, concerns, or comments please contact me, Sophia Lanza, your Benefits Administrator! I can be reached via email, by VP (860) 956-3910, by desk phone at ext. 305, or by cell/Facetime (860) 987-2715

Sophia Lanza

Benefits Administrator

ASD to Host Big East Classic, December 1st & 2nd

The Big East Classic Tournament 2023, will be held at ASD December 1st and 2nd and we are seeking volunteers to help make this a fun, safe and successful event for all. Guests joining our ASD Tigers on campus will be Lexington School for the Deaf, Marie Philip School for the Deaf, New York School for the Deaf and our amazing fans! 

Available Volunteer positions:

1. Crowd Control
2. Locker Room Control
3. Admissions
4. Tiger Den Concession Sales
5. Game Clock Keeper
6. Game Floor Manager
7. Team Meals Supervisor
8. Social Night Supervisor

Click here to sign up for a volunteer slot on SignUp Genius or email Alexandra Daly, Big East Classic Chairperson,

or Christopher DiSanto, Athletic Director, with any questions.

Sign Language View is a meeting experience in Microsoft Teams on Windows, Mac, and web that helps signers – people who are deaf or hard of hearing, sign language interpreters, and others who use sign language – keep one another prioritized in a consistent on-screen location throughout every meeting.



Sign Language View provides a more predictable, static meeting experience that allows users to prioritize up to two other signers’ video streams for placement on center stage. When Sign Language View is enabled, the prioritized video streams appear at the right aspect ratio and at the highest available quality. You can enable Sign Language View either on the fly during a meeting or as a setting that persists across all your calls.

Click here to learn more about Microsoft Teams Sign Language View.

Randy D'Angelo

Director of Operations

With a new school year come new faces, and we here at the business office wanted to send out a little refresher on petty cash policies and procedures to help keep things moving smoothly.

• Disbursements are daily 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM;
• A completed, signed and approved Expense Statement must be provided;
• Receipts, change and a copy of the Expense Statement must be returned within a week of use (petty cash will not be provided again until receipts and previous request are properly accounted for);
• Requests over $200 or the need for specific denominations are best made via email two days prior at [email protected]; and
• Mileage reimbursements and items over $50 are processed through Accounts Payable. 

The Business Office is always available if you have any questions or concerns. Please feel free to reach out to Jennifer Vincent at Ext. 232 or [email protected]

Thank you!

Angela Paydos, Controller

Due to excess traffic in the dining room during classroom instruction and activity time, access to the kitchen and dining room will be limited to the following times starting 10/2/23:

• Sunday/Saturday & Holidays
• Breakfast: 9am – 10am
• Lunch: 12:30pm – 1:30pm
• Dinner: 4:45pm – 6pm (open early for PACES Supergroup)
• Monday-Thursday
• Breakfast: 7:45am – 9am
• Lunch: 11:15am – 1:45pm
• Dinner: 5:15pm – 6:30pm (open early for PACES Supergroup)
• Friday
• Breakfast: 7:45am – 9am
• Lunch: 11:15am – 1:45pm
• Dinner: 4:45pm – 6pm (open early for PACES Supergroup)

Access to the dining room will NOT be changed for the following groups: Nursing, Deans, Student Life Directors, ELT, Student Services Coordinators, Academic Hub, Security, and Plant Ops.

If anyone has any needs outside of the times listed above, please feel free to reach out us so we can assist you in those respects and requests. Kindly remember, anything requested that is outside of meals or the service program will need ELT approval. Again, we will begin these access times starting 10/2/23. Please reach out with any questions or concerns--thank you!

Chris Brozak, General Manager

We are actively seeking staff who would like to join ASD's Health and Safety committee. These meetings play a pivotal role in upholding a secure and healthy environment. Our committee convenes on a quarterly basis, with exact dates and timings yet to be determined. If you're eager to contribute, please send me an email. Thank you!

Randy D’Angelo, Director of Operations

Looking to learn ASL? Please fill out THIS GOOGLE FORM.

Anyone interested in teaching staff classes, or Community Sign language Classes, please see Krystal Sonidis (GCEC 139 – across from the Central Ed office). 

Thank you!

Krystal Sonidis

 Student Information Systems (SIS) Data Manager

We need your empty food and drink containers! If you have any we could use to help our students practice their cafeteria skills, please drop them by the Life Skills Center, Room V115. Thank you!

Eleni Miller, Transition Services Assistant

See below for calendar updated 10.17.2023. Please note Founders' Day was changed from April 4th to April 26th, 2024.

Please look into this important information from the

State of Connecticut Office of Policy & Management.

"State law provides a reimbursement program for

Connecticut renters who are elderly or totally

disabled, and whose incomes do not exceed certain

limits. Persons renting an apartment or room or

living in cooperative housing, or a mobile home may

be eligible for this program. Renters' rebates can be up to $900 for

married couples and $700 for single persons. The renters' rebate

amount is based on a graduated income scale and the amount of rent

and utility payments (excluding telephone) made in the calendar year

prior to the year in which the renter applies. Application may be made

at the municipality social service agency, or the Assessor's Office

between April 1st and October 1st."

"2023 APPLICATION PERIOD OPEN APRIL 1 - OCTOBER 1

If a renter misses the designated filing period they have until

November 15, 2023, to submit a request for an extension of time to file to OPM. The request for an extension of time to file must be

accompanied by a doctor’s letter indicating that the renter had a

medical condition that contributed to them not applying during the

designated filing period. The extension request must be received by

OPM or postmarked no later than November 15th."

For the application, click here.

For an information booklet, click HERE.

ASD's Anonymous Alerts safety app is an important tool for our community--please learn more here!

FROM SECURITY:

Hi all, as a reminder, please use this form to sign up for our optional Emergency Communication App (from Layered Solutions Inc.) You will be notified via your mobile device when lockdowns occur on campus as well as when lockdown has been cleared.

Once we receive your request for the app, you will get an email on how to install the mobile app to your device. The email will be sent from: [email protected]

Click here to take you to the form

Thank you!

Randy D’Angelo

Assistant Director of Operations

COMMUNITY EVENTS

For all the latest flyers and announcements about Community Events, please click here!

Mission Statement

At the American School for the Deaf, students and families are surrounded by inspiring peers, guided by dedicated and committed staff, and supported by robust technology. We foster a language-rich communication environment that maximizes each student’s potential, empowering them to become educated and self-directed lifelong learners.

Vision Statement

The American School for the Deaf is a comprehensive learning community that welcomes all deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing children with unique communication needs. We develop the whole child – intellectually, emotionally, physically, and socially.

The American School for the Deaf strives to be an inclusive community that welcomes and celebrates diversity. As a society, we have work to do in the fight against racial violence and discrimination. ASD maintains the fundamental principle that equity should prevail for all, and we uphold the school-wide values of respect, responsibility, and safety. As a learning community, we must engage in productive dialogue to combat systemic racism and social injustice. By teaching the importance of equality, we will allow our students to grow into responsible citizens who will change the world – for the better.

The American School for the Deaf (ASD) does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, nationality, disability, sex or age in treatment or employment at ASD, admission or access to ASD, or any other aspect of the educational programs and activities that ASD operates. 

ASD is required by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (Age Act), and their respective implementing regulations at 34 C.F.R. Parts 100, 104, 106 and 110, not to discriminate in such a manner. 

Inquiries concerning the application of each of the aforementioned statutes and their implementing regulations to ASD may be referred to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights, at 617.289.0111 or 5 Post Office Square, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02109-3921 OR to the applicable ASD Coordinators: Kristin Feldman, Associate Director of Student Life. 

American School For The Deaf

139 North Main Street

West Hartford, CT 06107

860-570-2300

www.ASD-1817.org

To Contact the Editor Click Here