Within hours of the shootings at Sandy Hook School on 12/14, St Rose of Lima Church was home to one of the first candlelight vigils in town. Thousands of people...
The website has been spotty, but Access Health CT, the state’s new health insurance marketplace created by the federal health reform law, enrolled its first mem...
To the Editor:
So much has changed about our quaint Sandy Hook village since last year’s Passport to Sandy Hook event – it is evident in the “We Are Sandy Hook....
To the Editor:
The Garden Club of Newtown would like to thank McLaughlin Vineyards and staff for hosting our Fall Luncheon.
We couldn’t have chosen a more perf...
To the Editor:
In Sandy Hook, like in other areas, our elementary school is the center of our community. Our children learned to ride their bikes in the parking...
To the Editor:
I am writing in support of the Sandy Hook School referendum being held this Saturday, October 5, at the Newtown Middle School from 6 am to 8 pm.
...
To the Editor:
Please be sure to vote in the town-wide referendum on Saturday to accept the grant that will fund rebuilding of Sandy Hook Elementary School. We...
Newtown Youth and Family Services, Inc. (NYFS) will hold an American Red Cross CPR Certification class on Wednesday, October 16, from 6 to 9 pm.
“The class whic...
To the Editor:
In reading Ms. LeRow’s letter [“Accepting A Gift,” Letter Hive, 9/27/13] I was amused by her statement that the $50 million grant to the town of ...
To the Editor:
On behalf of The Animal Center of Newtown, we wish to thank Caraluzzi's management for generously holding an extended cat food drive during Septe...
Unfortunately as voter turnout continues to decline the chances of it increasing also decline. The LC and BOF already know that the budget will be approved by virtue of the low turnout so why try to make smart decisions? The so-called referendum is essentially just a rubber stamp. They will continue to increase the budget by 2-5% every year because it's low enough to not cause a pushback under the cover of "inflation" and "maintaining the schools." Sending the budget to vote with 9% turnout is meaningless and a waste of resources on April 23rd.
I have seen Mr. Pisani repeatedly assert in the pages of the Bee that Newtown schools are "testing at a failing 64.9%". I'd be curious if he could elaborate on this statistic, as I have been unable to verify it independently. Which test exactly is our school system failing? How do our schools compare to other towns? How does our score compare to historical measures? It's very hard to draw conclusions from a single data point, so here are a few more data points to think about for context: Newtown is consistently ranked among the top 20 school districts in CT by the US News and World Report and Niche, which consider a range of performance metrics in their rankings; on average, Newtown students perform similar to, if not better than, students in neighboring school districts on standardized math and reading tests; the only data point on the CT Department of Education District Report Card where Newtown "fails" -- that is, falls behind the state average -- is access to art instruction. I'm glad the council member has acknowledged in this letter what taxpayers in high-performing (and high-spending) school districts like Darien, New Canaan, and Westport already know: "School funding does impact student achievement." Please keep that in mind when you vote this week!