A Word from the Superintendent

Thank you! We feel extremely fortunate that you entrust us to educate your child. As I listen and watch students learn alongside their peers, their energy is contagious. And, if you take a moment to listen, they will tell you the most inspiring, creative stories about a project they are working on in class. We hope you are hearing the magic being created in classrooms at your student’s school and across the Shelton School District.
By now, we hope you have heard about our strategic plan: Shelton Success. Three years ago, we conducted a listening tour where we worked with our stakeholders to understand what they wanted prioritized for our students, pre-k through high school graduation. In addition to strong core academic experiences in safe and welcoming schools, they wanted to make sure we crafted a learning journey so that when students graduated, they were empowered with a high number of options and opportunities.
Taking what we heard from the community, families, staff, and students, we forged a comprehensive plan to ensure the educational services provided will equip each and every student to be college and career-ready. Ambitious? Yes. Will it take time? Yes. Will it require us to change how we have served students? Yes.
Today, we are not the same district we were five years ago. We have hundreds of books in each class that teach reading and writing. We are not only teaching the foundational elements of reading instruction but are fostering a love of literacy and learning. Only two years into our strategic plan, 3rd-grade reading scores have increased significantly and suspensions have decreased! 
We strive to know your child’s story, strengths, and needs. We teach students how to positively participate in their community. We offer 11 Advanced Placement courses for possible college credit. We have a high school focused on project-based learning and another one that offers individual written student learning plans. We also offer students enrichment activities that further their engagement and leadership. All these actions were possible because of your support and the commitment of our educators. 
As we move forward, please look for more authentic learning activities, such as projects that deal with community health, fiscal literacy, climate change, publishing writings, and web/app development. To empower students means we have to engage them in learning activities, challenge them to meet or exceed their potential and show them how to be successful as learners and community members. We hope you visit a school soon to see all of the amazing learning your students are doing and helping to create for others! 
Warm Regards, Wyeth Jessee, Superintendent