The Windham Connection

Update: March 6 Changed to an Early Dismissal Instructional Day

Dear Windham Community,

Thank you to the leaders, teachers, and families who shared their perspectives regarding our school calendar.

At the Special Board of Education meeting held on Friday, February 27, 2026, the Board voted to change Friday, March 6, 2026 from a full-day professional development day to an early dismissal instructional day. This adjustment allows us to make up one of our recent snow days while still preserving time for professional learning.

On March 6, students will attend school following an early dismissal schedule. Dismissal times will follow each school’s established early release schedule. Breakfast and lunch will be served. Professional development for staff will take place during the afternoon, following student dismissal.

We appreciate your partnership and flexibility as we work to balance instructional time, staff development, and the impact of winter weather on our calendar.

If you have any questions about the schedule, please contact your child’s school.

With gratitude,

Dr. Iris Gomero

Superintendent of Schools

Windham Public Schools

Despite winter weather challenges, we continue to see meaningful improvement in student attendance across Windham Public Schools. We closed the month of February with notable declines in chronic absenteeism compared to this time last year, and in several cases, the lowest rates we have seen in years.

School Highlights:

WECC

43.75% — Lowest since 2020

A steady multi-year decline from 79.89% in 2022.

Natchaug School

8.21% — Lowest since tracking began (2016)

An extraordinary reduction from 55.39% in 2022.

North Windham School

24.61% — Lowest since 2020

Continued stability below 25%.

Sweeney School

28.75% - Slightly above last year but still significantly lower than 2021–2023 levels.

C.H. Barrows STEM Academy

11.90% — Lowest since 2020

Windham Middle School

25.23% — Lowest since 2020

Windham High School

26.98% — Lowest since tracking began (2016)

A dramatic drop from 56.28% in 2022.

Windham Phoenix Academy

82.00% — 4.27% improvement from last year

With Gratitude

These improvements are not accidental. They are the result of intentional, consistent, collective effort across our entire district.

Thank you to our entire community!

• Our principals and assistant principals for monitoring data weekly and leading attendance-focused conversations
  

• Attendance teams and liaisons for early outreach and persistent follow-up
  

• Teachers, paraeducators, and coaches for creating engaging classrooms students want to attend
  

• Family engagement teams for strengthening home-school connections
  

• Transportation staff and crossing guards for ensuring students arrive safely each day
  

• School nurses, counselors, social workers, and support staff for removing barriers to attendance
  

• Campus safety, office assistants, custodial and facilities teams for maintaining safe, clean, and welcoming learning environments
  

• Cafeteria workers and nutrition services staff for ensuring students are nourished throughout the day and ready to learn
  

• Families and caregivers for prioritizing daily school attendance
  

• Board of Education members and leaders across the district for supporting attendance efforts

• And most importantly, our students, for showing up!

Members of the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Board from Windham Middle School and Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy, along with students from Windham High School, will be visiting the State Capitol on Wednesday, March 4th alongside Superintendent Dr. Iris Gomero and Assistant Superintendent Neil Weathers to advocate for the passage of S.B. 7, An Act Concerning Educational Equity, and to support H.B. 5002, An Act Concerning Education Funding, Special Education and Early Childhood Programs.

These important bills represent steps toward more adequate, fair, and equitable state education funding for all public school students. Both proposals would increase the foundation amount in Connecticut’s Education Cost Sharing (ECS) formula, which has not been adjusted since 2013, and begin to account for inflation, ensuring that funding more accurately reflects the true cost of educating a Connecticut student.

This public hearing is an opportunity for our students to engage directly in the legislative process, share their perspectives, and advocate for policies that strengthen resources for schools and communities across Connecticut.

We are incredibly proud of our students for stepping into this civic leadership role and representing Windham Public Schools with confidence, preparation, and purpose.

We encourage families, staff, and community members to make your voice heard in support of fair and equitable education funding.

You may:

• Submit written testimony to the Education Committee in support of H.B. 5002 and S.B. 7
  
  

• Register to testify in person or via Zoom (registration closes at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3rd)

Your voice matters. Increased state investment in education benefits not only Windham students, but students and communities across Connecticut.

Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy recently welcomed students, families, and community members for an engaging and memorable Literacy Night featuring acclaimed storyteller Tom Lee. The event highlighted our continued commitment to fostering literacy experiences that extend beyond traditional reading and writing, emphasizing the essential role of listening, speaking, imagination, and cultural connection in student learning.

Tom Lee’s performance demonstrated how storytelling serves as a bridge between generations, connecting ancient narratives with modern perspectives. Through stories that have been shared across centuries, Lee created an immersive experience that invited students and adults alike to step outside the immediacy of the moment and enter a reflective, imaginative space. Audience members were visibly captivated, focused, relaxed, and fully engaged as each story unfolded.

Grounded in thoughtful research and cultural appreciation, Lee’s storytelling encouraged dialogue, reflection, and curiosity. His performance reminded our community that storytelling not only preserves history but also promotes empathy, critical thinking, and meaningful conversation, all essential skills for student growth in both academic and social contexts.

Literacy Night reflects the Barrows commitment to creating inclusive, engaging opportunities that support the development of the whole child. Events such as this reinforce our belief that literacy is a living experience, enriched through creativity, collaboration, and authentic community engagement.

We extend our appreciation to our staff, families, and community partners for their support in making this event a success and for continuing to nurture a culture where stories inspire learning, connection, and possibility.

In celebration of Black History Month, Natchaug students explored the work of influential Black artists through art lessons focused on color theory. Kindergarten and first-grade students studied the vibrant radial designs of Alma Woodsy Thomas, while second-grade students learned about Jacob Lawrence and created colorful landscapes while practicing mixing secondary colors.

Third- and fourth-grade students explored the Florida Highwaymen, known for their bold Florida landscapes. These lessons strengthened students’ artistic skills while celebrating the creativity and lasting impact of Black artists.

*Above Kindergarten and grade 1 impressions of Alma Woodsy Thomas.

In honor of Heart Health Awareness, Natchaug hosted a schoolwide Jump Rope Event on February 13 during all specials classes. Students and staff wore red to show their support and rotated through active stations, including jump ropes, trampolines, and hula hoops.

Students proudly demonstrated skills practiced in PE class while staying active, having fun, and learning the importance of keeping their hearts healthy.

Iron Sharpens Iron is what we're calling our approach to peer, non-evaluative classroom visits designed to support professional growth through collaboration. All teachers are required to visit at least 4 classrooms this school year. Teachers open their classrooms to one another to share effective strategies that build rigor, align to standards, and increase student engagement. These visits are about learning not judging and they provide a safe, powerful way to reflect on practice and gather new ideas. When teachers learn from each other, everyone grows stronger, and our students benefit most.

Amy Majek, Principal

Through this experience I visited a first grade classroom. During my observation I saw strategies and materials used to support students during an informational text writing lesson. After visiting the classroom I plan to integrate some of the strategies and materials I saw into my lessons. I feel that my students would benefit by working on main ideas and details through modeling with graphic organizers in kindergarten. This opportunity to visit another classroom was valuable because I was able to gather useful strategies that I can bring into my classroom.

Emily Kelly, Kindergarten

As a third-grade teacher, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful the Iron Sharpens Iron initiative can be. When teachers are given opportunities to visit one another’s classrooms in a low-stress, informal way, we grow stronger together. During a recent peer observation, I observed effective vocabulary frontloading and a student-centered literacy activity that I was able to immediately adapt for my own classroom. This type of collaboration builds trust, supports professional growth, and positively impacts student learning. Expanding Iron Sharpens Iron across schools in the district would further strengthen collaboration, instructional consistency, and our collective growth as educators.

Jessica McCormick, Grade 3 Unilingual

As a coach, I am in classrooms throughout the day, which gives me the opportunity to see strong instructional practices and meaningful learning experiences happening across our building. The Iron Sharpens Iron structure extends that same opportunity to teachers by allowing them to observe effective strategies and classroom routines in real time. Because our staff has built a strong foundation of trust, classroom doors stay open, and collaboration feels natural rather than forced.

Chiara Coutinho, Math Coach

When I first learned about the Iron Sharpens Iron initiative, I felt nervous about visiting other classrooms, but my experience at NWS showed me how safe and powerful it can be. I appreciated seeing teachers openly share their practices, especially their intentional focus on academic language.

Yazmin Gonzalez Fuentes, Grade 3 Dos Rios

Fourth Grade Student Ambassadors visited Douglas Manor and made stained glass Valentine’s crafts. The residents and the students had a fantastic time! They even had time for a quick game of Balloon Volleyball!

To commemorate the 100th day of school, our Kindergarten students marched through the halls of NWS, flaunting their 100 day capes. We were also able to have a sensory friendly parade for our RISE students where students used the ASL sign for clapping to show their support! Older students opted to dress up as 100 year olds!

Sweeney students learned about a special person each day. These 43 important figures who have influenced our world in meaningful ways were displayed along the hallways for all students to see. We were able to follow up on this important learning each week at our weekly opening assembly. Teachers were also provided with short videos related to each person, articles for students to read, and a discussion question to support thoughtful conversation along with additional articles and read aloud suggestions. Sweeney will be purchasing many of the suggested books for our library.

Mrs. Miller’s Kindergarten students and Mrs. Gendron’s 1st graders celebrated the 100th day of school in style on February 12th! Students enjoyed a day full of fun and learning, including special read-alouds about the number 100, creative ways to count to 100, and hands-on activities building with 100 items. It was a memorable day filled with excitement and new discoveries!

The Willimantic Public Library and The Friends of the Willimantic Library hosted Sweeney’s February Art Show. Our talented Sweeney artists truly impressed everyone with their creativity and skill! A special thank you to our dedicated art and music teachers, Amy Walker and Enoch Robbins, for organizing this wonderful event to celebrate student achievement and showcase the arts.

Students agree that school is better when everyone is there! Students work hard as a class-team to all be in school as a whole class each day! Each day everyone is present, students fill in the letters of the class poster “We Are All Here” and Ms. Firth gets to visit to talk about attendance, how much better things are when we are all here and share the school treasure chest! We all agree, when someone is not at school we miss them!

We were excited to welcome our Windham High School friends for our much-anticipated monthly visit. During their time with us, they generously gifted each student a book to take home. We are incredibly proud of this meaningful partnership and the special connections it continues to build!!

Sweeney is proud to be an active part of the Best Buddies program. Students meet several times each month, building meaningful friendships and creating lasting connections!

MATHCOUNTS team members. From left to right: Nolan Sullivan, Alex Sam Maric, Rayan Alshugran, and Angel Ramos Viveros.

To celebrate Black History Month at WHS, the main hall, gym area, and upstairs feature posters to commemorate the achievements of leaders, inventors, and firsts in their respective fields. A deeper dive into the origins of Black History Month can be explored in the main hall through information and timelines about the founder, Carter Woodson, and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH).

Students can also further research Black History Month through interactive online museum exhibits about influential arts and culture topics and have the opportunity to complete Google Forms to earn their name into a prize drawing at the end of the month. Furthermore, Art and Black and Latino Studies courses have completed collaborative art projects, photo opportunities, and history about HBCU and the Divine Nine. We'd like to thank Ms. Fleeting for sharing information from her Culture Cafe about significant events, people, or information about Black history.

WHS celebrated Valentine’s Day with a “Whippet Love” photo booth. We are grateful to Mrs. Copley and her photography and arts students for taking pictures of our WHS students and staff and also our School Climate Committee.

Time: 6:00 PM

Location: Windham High School Auditorium and Via Zoom

Open to the Public

Zoom Link:

Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/94010468046?pwd=MuX3ebmHN32fMW3wzFVeT9oj5lne2v.1 Meeting ID: 940 1046 8046 Passcode: 114136

This is it! On Saturday, March 7th, the district is hosting the Multi-state Association of Bilingual Education (MABE)’s annual Dual Language Education conference. The conference will be held at Windham High School, and MABE is expecting approximately 350 participants, 40 of whom are Windham staff members.

Windham staff are also presenting 11 of the conference breakout sessions, and Roberto Blanco Garcia, Natchaug Grade 2 Dos Ríos teacher, is MABE’s 2026 Conference Director.

Lots of achievements already, and the event hasn’t even started yet!

Friday Chats with the Superintendent provide staff and community members an opportunity to engage in informal, one-on-one conversations. These sessions are designed for sharing ideas, asking questions, and building connections. Meetings are available virtually or in person on Fridays from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. To schedule a meeting, please email Loren LeBel at lLebel@windham.k12.ct.us.

Superintendent of Schools

Windham Public Schools

Email: igomero@windham.k12.ct.us

Phone: (860) 465 - 2300