Wallingford panel to look at full-day K

As published in the Record Journal Tuesday June 25, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff
evo@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235
Twitter:@ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD - School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo is putting together a committee of school administrators, teachers, parents and Board of Education members to analyze full-day kindergarten.

“They’ll look at the need versus the want. What is the need for full-day kindergarten versus a want for full-day kindergarten,” Menzo said. “If we could identify and clarify that, the next step would come naturally.”

The nine-member committee will be made up of two K-2 school principals, two K-2 teachers, two board members, two parents and one central office staff member.

Menzo said he is working to fill the seats on the committee. So far, Board of Education members Chet Miller and Michael Votto are the only members. Menzo is hoping to have the group selected by August so meetings can begin in September.

“The role of this group is to gather the information and figure it out and debrief us,” said school board Chairwoman Roxane McKay. The school board will have the final say on the issue.

Discussion of full-day kindergarten in Wallingford isn’t new, but lately more parents have expressed support. One parent created an online petition to get the Board of Education to discuss it.

Miller said he doesn’t have an opinion on all day kindergarten.

“I’ve got an open mind ... My only problems are with space and what it’s going to cost, but let’s see what the real need is and what the benefits are,” Miller said.

Votto said he’s seen firsthand the benefits of all-day kindergarten because St. Aedan-St. Brendan Catholic School, where he is principal, has an all-day program. Votto said he won’t be looking for a full academic day for the students, however, and hopes to review data and studies on how all-day kindergarten affects children.

“Being on the committee will help me with my job as a Board of Education member and listen to parents, who are into it and desire it,” Votto said. “At the same time, I learn if I’m doing the right thing with (St. Aedan-St. Brendan) full-day kindergarten.”

While full-day kindergarten is the group’s main focus, it will also examine other needs for preschool and kindergarten, Menzo said.

“We need to figure out what is the best way to address X and then research all the different possibilities for that particular topic — it might be preschool or all-day kindergarten,” he said. “We have an opportunity to create what’s in the best interest of students.”

After Meriden made the transition to all-day kindergarten this year, and with Southington planning to offer the program in the fall, some Wallingford parents say they’re curious as to why Wallingford has yet to adopt it. But Menzo said just because other school systems in the area and around the state have full-day kindergarten doesn’t mean Wallingford should do the same.

“It should take on its own tone and its own approach based on what (the committee) finds in the initial stages,” he said.

While all-day kindergarten is a part of the equation, Menzo said, “it’s more than all day kindergarten.” The committee must identify why parents want an all-day kindergarten program, he said.

Debate over school snacks continues in Wallingford

As published in the Record Journal Friday June 21, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff
evo@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235
Twitter:@ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD - The school system’s cafeteria account made $142,787 in snack sales at the elementary schools during the school year. With a new snack program starting in the 2013-14 school year, it’s likely the revenue from snack sales will dip. Despite this, administrators, dieticians and town officials believe it is more important to promote healthy eating.

“We recognize that there is a potential loss of revenue; it was discussed at the committee meetings and the principals knew about it, too,” said School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo.

At the start of the next school year, elementary school students will be able to purchase snacks only on Wednesdays, rather than every day.

“My biggest thing is we don’t want to sacrifice the healthy implications of this for potential revenue,” Menzo said. “We’re trying to make the best decisions, and the board will review where we are and where to go from there.”

Town Councilor John Sullivan believes there is a “middle ground” by offering students healthy snacks every day. Sullivan said he’s concerned about obesity and believes snacks could still be offered five days a week, so long as the snacks are low in calories.

“Revenue is certainly important,” Sullivan said, “but the health of the children is more important.”

But Food Services Director Sharlene Wong said the snacks being offered are healthy and approved by the state.

“The snacks we provide are already healthy; they’re on the state Healthy Food Certification list,” she said. “We only sell snacks at elementary schools that are on the state Healthy Food Certification list. The meals we serve are highly regulated by the feds and state.”

The snacks named on this list must meet “stringent requirements to be a healthy snack,” Wong said. While the snacks are on a state list, Maryann Meade and Betsy Crisafulli, registered dieticians in Wallingford and Southington, respectively, said the snacks aren’t as nutritious as other food.

“For chips, it doesn’t matter if they’re low-fat or not. They’re not exactly the most nutritious. It’s a treat food,” Meade said. “Ice cream is also a treat food; it doesn’t have as much calcium as milk. They aren’t nutrient dense.”

“That sounds like junk to me,” Crisafulli said of the list of approved snacks. “Even though those foods meet the healthy snack list, they just sound like empty calories. As far as nutrition, they don’t sound exciting to me.”

Meade and Crisafulli agreed that reducing the number of days elementary students can buy snacks is a good idea. Students should be encouraged to eat school lunch, since it is meets healthy guidelines, Meade said.

Reducing the number of days students can purchase snacks was done for health and wellness purposes. During the Board of Education meeting Monday night, one parent said she knew students would buy a lunch and throw it out and opt to eat the snacks instead. Another parent was worried about the potential weight gain a student can experience by eating the snacks. She said she found out her daughter was purchasing snacks during lunch and attributed her weight gain to it.

After the American Medical Association recently identified obesity as a disease, parents may be right to be concerned. But Wong said placing the blame for a student’s weight gain on the snacks is wrong. Wong said she “doesn’t believe it’s the snacks making the children overweight, because the children are only eating a small percentage of meals in school.”

Meade agreed, adding that to keep healthy, students should eat the lunches provided by schools. “You can never say that, because that’s only one item five days a week,” Meade said. “There are many things contributing. You can hardly say snacks are a major contributor. You want students at a healthy weight and nourished. They can get what they need, the calories they need and nutrition they need by eating the lunch.”

Sullivan said obesity has to be a large concern and that schools can’t be completely responsible for a student’s health.

“Parents have to take an active role too,” Sullivan said.

The Board of Education will review the snack program in November to determine whether changes have to be made. Menzo said he recognizes it’s a drastic change, but the students’ best interests were kept in mind.

“It’s a challenging scenario and everybody wants to be conscious of all sides of the discussion,” Menzo said. “We’ll take it one step at a time. The board is open and I’m certainly open to listening to parents’ questions and concerns.”

Veteran principal named Administrator of Year

As published in the Record Journal Thursday June 20, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff
evo@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235
Twitter:@ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD - As Victoria Reed reflected on the experiences she’s had as principal of Highland School, she couldn’t help but laugh as she tried to pick her favorite one.

One of her favorite memories was celebrating the 50th birthday of Highland School in 2008, when it was a K-5 school. To celebrate, Reed said, each grade represented a different decade and sang or presented historical information. The event was attended by town officials, school administrators and former Highland teachers and principals.

This year, Reed has something new to add to her list: being named Administrator of the Year.

“It was set up for a staff meeting and then Sal and my mom and sister came in,” she said, noting that a banner had been strung up in the room. “It was certainly a surprise.”

Reed has been principal since 2001, when she was hired to replace Aida B. Campos. She had been a first- and second grade teacher in New York from 1983 until 1996. In September 1996, she was the assistant principal of Mary Morrison Elementary School in New York .

Having been an administrator for more than a decade, Reed said she enjoys seeing the students develop as they progress through the school.

“I like working with the staff and the parents and seeing the growth of the students,” she said. “Even though we’re a K-2 school, you can still see the growth of them as they go on to Yalesville (School). We’re a big family here.”

While she still misses teaching, Reed said she makes an effort to visit students around the school as much as she can.

“I go to the cafeteria often to talk to the kids about sports and I’m at a lot of the town celebrations,” Reed said.

In addition to her responsibilities at Highland, she also was very involved in the teacher evaluation committee, said School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo. Reed is a member of the Connecticut Association of Schools and the National Association of Elementary School Principals.

“She’s an exceptional professional. She’s extremely committed to curriculum and instruction at her school,” Menzo said.

As a member of the National Association of Elementary School Principals, she attended a conference in 2009 in New Orleans. She arrived a day early to work with 100 other principals to survey a high school and two elementary schools that had been damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

“It was exciting, but also to see the damage firsthand was eye-opening,” she said. “There was mud, flood, and so much damage.”

Reed admitted she didn’t have plans to become an administrator, but things fell into place and it worked out. She laughed after telling a story of one of her first days as an administrator.

“As people were leaving and saying goodbye, I realized I had to stay. I said, ‘What? I have to stay even after everyone left?’ But now, I love it. It’s so quiet and I can get so much work done,” she said as she let out a big laugh.

An administrator since 2001, Reed has interacted with many students and parents.

“The residents and community members really care about schools and want their kids to get the best education,” she said, “and the Board of Education works hard to provide it.”

School board hears comments on plan to reduce snack days

As published in the Record Journal Tuesday June 18, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff
evo@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235
Twitter:@ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD — A food services employee and parents voiced their opinions during a Board of Education meeting Monday night on the new snack program at the elementary schools.

The program, which goes into effect next school year, will only give elementary students an opportunity to purchase snacks at school on Wednesdays. Before the change, the students were able to buy a snack every day of the week. Fruits and vegetables are not considered a snack and will still be offered to students every day. Some snacks students are able to purchase include low sugar and low fat cookies and ice cream.

Iris Papale, a former member of the Town Council who now works at Rock Hill School’s food services department, expressed her concerns about the new snack program.

“I know how difficult it can be when items come up in front of you and a decision has to be made. But this decision should not be difficult at all to make,” Papale said. “... Parents should have the say of what their children buy and what they eat.

“If parents were not happy with what the children are putting in their stomachs while they’re in school, they should not be putting the money in the account that they use,” Papale added.

School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo said not all parents are as involved in their students’ lives as others.

“Parents do front load the account. Some parents are very diligent, they go online and know their account,” Menzo said. “Others aren’t as diligent and often times their students aren’t as focused on what they purchase.”

The new snack rules were developed in part because some students weren’t eating their school lunches and opting to eat snacks instead, Menzo said.

Papale said she’s never seen a student choose not to eat their lunch.

“We want the children to eat healthy foods, that’s been the push for Wallingford food service for quite a few years and we’re right on top of things,” she said. “But I think if the snacks are only served once a week, the parents are going to be packing the students’ lunches and they won’t be as healthy as they are now.”

One parent spoke in favor of the new program, discussing how her daughter had gained weight after buying the snacks at school.

Menzo presented a video to the board that pointed out about 90,000 cookies were purchased in the schools during the current school year.

Another parent suggested the board send out a survey to give parents the chance to comment. The same parent also said believes students are passing on school lunch and opting for school snacks.

Food Services Director Sharlene Wong said the Board of Education will revisit the program in November to discuss if changes should be made.

Since the program isn’t an official policy by the Board of Education, no official vote was required. Despite this, Papale said she wants board members to make the right decision.

“I really want the Board of Education to give this much thought,” she said. “The parents should make the decision, not the people in the Wallingford school district.”

School systems cast net wide for administrators

As published in the Record Journal Friday June 14, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff
evo@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235
Twitter:@ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD — The clear trend in hiring local school administrators has been to look out of town.

Eight of the school system’s 12 principals came from elsewhere, as did the superintendent and two assistant superintendents.

The four principals who were working within the school system before being promoted are David Bryant, of Lyman Hall High School; Rosemary Duthie, of Sheehan High School; Richard Napoli, of Parker Farms School; and Jan Murphy, of Cook Hill School.

And although Napoli was promoted in 2012, he was hired in 2011 from Stratford, where he had been an assistant principal.

Since Salvatore Menzo became school superintendent in 2009, moving from Marlborough, Napoli has been the only internal hire to fill an administrative position. Sashi Govin, from Canton, was hired this year to replace Ann Cocchiola as principal at Dag Hammarskjold Middle School. Joseph Piacentini, the principal at Moran, was hired in 2012 from Willimantic. Carrie LaTorre, principal at Rock Hill, was hired in 2010 from Easton. Deborah Dayo, principal at Yalesville School, came from Stratford when she was hired in 2010. Robert Arciero, principal at Moses Y. Beach, was hired in 2009 from West Hartford, and Nicholas Brophy, principal at E.C. Stevens School, was hired in 2011 from Westport.

The remaining two principals, hired before Menzo became superintendent, also came from outside the town. Victoria Reed, principal at Highland School, was hired in 2001 from Groton. Richard Pizzonia was hired in 2005 from Southbury to be principal at Pond Hill.

The most recent administrative hire is Colin McNamara, who is replacing Jan Guarino, assistant superintendent for personnel. McNamara is coming to Wallingford from Killingly. Guarino is leaving to become superintendent in Old Saybrook.

Though the vast majority of the principals were hired from outside the school system, Guarino said each situation is different. The number of applications from staff already working in the school system depends on the vacant position, Guarino said.

“No one from the inside went for my position. I don’t know if that’s necessarily true with Ellen Cohn’s position. It might be different,” Guarino said. “Sometimes, internal folks don’t go for these positions.”

Cohn, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, is leaving the school system to take a director’s job with the state Department of Education.

Guarino said Menzo continues to look at internal candidates. Although hiring from within is desirable, Menzo said the goal is to hire the best candidate, even if the best are coming from outside the school system.

“We always look for the best candidate,” Menzo said. “If it happens to be someone internally, that’s fantastic.”

Menzo said professional development will continue in order to provide more opportunities for local teachers. In addition, he said he is investigating development programs in other school systems that Wallingford might adopt.

In Meriden, a leadership academy was developed two years ago, said Thomas Giard, assistant superintendent for personnel and staff development. Partnering with the Connecticut Association of Schools, the program gives teachers the chance to learn more about the school system’s policies and to improve their work in the classroom.

Southington schools have a similar program. The town’s schools have partnered with Central Connecticut State University to give interested teachers a chance to participate in a two-year program, School Superintendent Joseph Erardi said. For the first year, professors from CCSU come to Southington to teach the teachers. The second year consists of an internship in which the teachers must complete 500 hours of professional service in a project or program, Erardi said.

“It’s an enormous win-win. ... I’m pleased and proud of the program,” Erardi said.

Giard and Erardi credited their school systems’ programs for helping them achieve a balance of internal and external hires. Of the last 12 administrative positions filled in Meriden, Giard said eight were from within the school system and four came from outside. Southington hired a new assistant principal for Derynoski School on Thursday from a pool of 175 applicants, many coming from within the school system, Erardi said. Kelly A. Nichols, a teacher at Southington’s DePaolo Middle School, was selected.

All three superintendents stressed the importance of hiring the best candidate.

And though Meriden and Southington have made more internal hires recently, Giard stressed the importance of bringing people in from the outside.

“We value the outside perspectives. We don’t pretend to be the best at everything,” he said. “There are lessons learned and knowledge gained.”

As Guarino says, an internal hire “understands the climate and culture of the community and the sense of history,” but with outside hires “you get new ideas and different experiences.

“Once you’re part of an institution, you don’t think of it differently,” she said. “So it’s nice to have new ideas.”

High hopes for planetarium; Restoration should be done by year’s end

As published in the Record Journal Friday June 14, 2013
By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff evo@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235Twitter:@ericvoRJ


WALLINGFORD — The Wallingford Education Foundation expects to restore the Mahan Planetarium and Learning Dome at Sheehan High School by the end of the year, according to David Baker, the foundation’s chairman.

“We’re hoping to have it done by the end of the fall or by the end of the calendar year,” Baker said. “I’m very optimistic we’ll get it done by the end of the year.”

The WEF has been working for 2½ years to raise money for the restoration. As of Thursday, $43,000 has been raised.

 

The organization originally thought it would need $300,000, Baker said, but after finding a cheaper projection system, the amount needed was cut to $100,000.

 

“The new system is a more portable unit and costs $78,000 for the projection unit alone,” Baker said. “We can also buy preprogrammed shows with it. So with the $100,000, we can buy extra shows.”

 

The foundation has also been approved by the Town Council to be part of the Neighborhood Assistance Program. The state program provides a tax credit to business firms that make cash investments in qualifying community programs conducted by tax-exempt or municipal agencies.

 

The other organizations approved for the program are Gaylord Hospital, Habitat for Humanity of Greater New Haven, Meriden-WallingfordChrysalis, MidState Medical Center, Ulbrich Boys & Girls Club and the Wallingford Family YMCA.

 

If a business donates money to one of these organizations, it’s eligible to receive up to $150,000 in a state tax credit. The only exception is Meriden- Wallingford Chrysalis, for which the largest tax credit available is $10,000.

 

“It’s essentially a state program that a municipality helps facilitate,” said Don Roe, state and federal program administrator for the town’s Program Planning Department.

 

The WEF has been on the list for the past two years, Baker said. Being approved by the Town Council to participate in this program “is incentive for (businesses) to keep the funds locally,” Baker said.

 

Although businesses receive a tax credit for their contributions, Baker said, it is unclear if participating in the NeighborhoodAssistance Programyields more donations.

 

“It’s hard to say. We’ve been raising (money) for 2½ years,” he said. “It’s hard to say if that’s relatable. It could very well be, but we just don’t know about it.”

 

Baker said he is waiting to see if the organization will receive a number of grants it applied for.

 

Once the new system is purchased, restoring the planetarium will be a quick process. The old projector simply has to be removed and replaced. Baker said it will only take a day to train teachers on the new equipment.

 

“The system is really easy to install. It’s very mobile and the control panel is like an iPad,” Baker said. “It takes a day to get it installed; it’s very simple.”

1.88% looking likely Wallingford school board votes next week on budget with small increase

As published in the Record Journal Wednesday June 12, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff
evo@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235
Twitter:@ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD - After cutting $1,510,998 from its original proposed budget, the Board of Education will vote next Monday on a 2013-14 spending plan that represents a 1.88 percent increase over this year’s.

The Board of Education was initially seeking a 3.56 percent increase in the budget, or $92,766,109. The initial rounds of cuts by Mayor William W. Dickinson Jr. were not drastic and the school board was generally pleased. But when Dickinson made a second round of cuts — after learning that the town may get less money from the state than originally believed —days before the Town Council’s vote on the budget, the board was left with $91,255,111.

“We took our fair percentage of reduction, just like probably every other aspect of the municipal budget,” Board of Education Chairwoman Roxane McKay said. “... It was a fair cut. Do I like it? I would prefer it not occur, but I understand how that dollar amount was derived.”

When the Town Council approved Dickinson’s revised budget, McKay and School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo were present. McKay told board members Monday night at an operations committee meeting that the council didn’t want to make any more cuts to the education budget. Despite Dickinson’s cutting the budget, McKay said she believes “it was an equitable way to cut all municipal departments.”

A number of reductions were made Monday to the budget the full board will vote on, and likely adopt, next week. On a list of 61 line items, organized by priority, the first call for cutting seasonal help in the business office. That will yield a $10,000 return to the budget. A reduction of about $300,000 in spending for technology and $125,000 in curriculum also offers big savings.

Funds from the unencumbered funds balance, or unused money at the end of the year, will go toward severance payouts. Since money from the school system is being used, the board doesn’t have to ask the Town Council for this money. This means the board will use $681,848 for certified severances.

Dickinson had approved the use of money from a settlement with the Connecticut Resources Recovery Authority to fund safety and school code mandates. The $723,268 would be used for a number of items, such as access control, sidewalk repairs, fire alarm system upgrades and playground repairs. Since the use of CRRA settlement funds is a “onetime thing,” McKay said that money is not included in the 1.88 percent increase.

While the Board of Education should adopt the increase, McKay said, there is still a chance for more money to come in, either from grants for which the schools have applied or from the state. Instead of getting less money from the state, as expected, the town is eligible to receive more funds than it did this year.

Dickinson and McKay said they were unsure how much money each department would receive. Dickinson and his staff are working to figure out how much money is available and how to get it from the state.

“We’re looking to find out if that is restricted or unrestricted. Given that it is bond funds, it will be funded through bonding,” Dickinson said. “But does the Bond Commission have to vote on it to be available? We’re trying to find answers on how to make that money available.”

Menzo also told board members Monday night that there may be an opportunity to receive money from the state specifically for security upgrades. However, to qualify, an audit must be conducted by a certified representative, Menzo said.

Despite all the reductions made, Menzo believes the school system is in a good position for the 2013-14 school year.

“Is it optimal? No, of course not,” he said. “But with the possibility of more money being returned by the state ... and the hard work from the team, I think the appropriate decisions were made.”

Wallingford names new assistant school super

As published in the Record Journal Tuesday June 11, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff
evo@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235
Twitter:@ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD — The Board of Education voted unanimously to appoint Colin McNamara the school system’s new assistant superintendent for personnel during a special meeting Monday night. “We’re very excited. He’s experienced as an assistant superintendent in another district ... It’ll be a nice opportunity to bring in new experience,” said School Superintendent Salvatore Menzo. McNamara will start July 15, Menzo said. He replaces Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Jan Guarino, who is leaving the school system at the end of the school year to become school superintendent in Old Saybrook.

“I’m really excited and looking forward to working with you all and getting to know you all better,” McNamara told the Board of Education and administrators after being appointed.

Guarino, who was assistant superintendent in Wallingford for about four years, announced she was leaving in April. The posting for her replacement went up on the Wallingford Public Schools website shortly after.

McNamara’s appointment Monday night came ahead of the Board of Education and Menzo’s original timeframe. Menzo was initially hoping to find Guarino’s replacement by mid-June.

Menzo said he is looking forward to McNamara coming to the school system because he will bring new ideas to the schools.

McNamara earned a bachelor of science degree in elementary and special education from Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Penn.; a master of education in administration and supervision and an education specialist degree in administration and supervision from the University of Virginia, Charlottesville.

In addition, McNamara has also completed the executive leadership program at the University of Connecticut.

McNamara worked as a teacher and an administrator for the Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax, Va., for nine years. He then served as principal of Center School in Willington, Conn., from 2005 to 2011, when he became the assistant superintendent for the Killingly Public Schools.

During his tenure in Killingly, he led the schools’ data team and the development of the District Improvement Plan.

McNamara is also an adjunct faculty member at UConn, Saint Joseph College and George Washington University.

His salary has yet to be determined as the contract is being finalized, Menzo said. Guarino’s salary as the assistant superintendent for personnel was $139,260.

Some parents object to summer reading

As published in the Record Journal Monday June 10, 2013

By Eric Vo
Record-Journal staff
evo@record-journal.com
(203) 317-2235
Twitter:@ericvoRJ

WALLINGFORD — There are mixed feelings among parents about making “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” mandatory reading for incoming freshmen at both Sheehan and Lyman Hall high schools.

As part of the school system’s efforts to achieve a 100 percent graduation rate, the 21st Century Innovation Team — made up of two teachers and an administrator — selected the book to be read by freshmen so they could develop a “growth mindset.”

To ensure that families don’t have to purchase the book and that every incoming freshmen will be able to read it, 1,000 copies of “Mindset” were purchased. The books will be sent to students at the end of the month.

It can be difficult to enforce the required reading material, but from the first day of school, the concepts and ideas of “Mindset” will be present in the classroom. The students will take part in discussions of the book, according to Kate O’Donnell, a member of the Innovation Team.

“We want it to become part of the culture,” she said. “We’ve asked all teachers to include it in their discussions and any activities they do.”

Priscilla Torcello, whose daughter will a ninth-grader during the 2013-14 school year, believes students should be able to do as they please during the summer break.

“They have such limited time in life to be kids,” she said. “They need some downtime to just be kids.”

Students are going to school until June 28, with summer vacation cut short because of winter weather. It’s another reason Torcello feels students shouldn’t be forced to read a book.

“Summer vacation is summer vacation,” she said. “When we take vacations from work, do we do work on vacation? I don’t think we’d be very happy if our boss told us to bring and do work on a vacation. There’s other things the kids would be doing.”

Torcello was also concerned for her daughter, who is a special education student. Although O’Donnell said ninth graders should be able to read the book, Torcello believes it’ll be a challenge getting her daughter to read the book and to grasp the concepts.

But O’Donnell said the Innovation Team took into consideration students who might not be at a ninth-grade reading level or may have trouble reading the book. To help them, O’Donnell said, she will provide parents with videos that discuss the differences between a growth and a fixed mindset.

The book maintains that intelligence and ability are not fixed and can be increased through discipline, hard work and by not being afraid to fail.

“They’ll still get the information even if they don’t read every single thing from the book,” she said. “As long as they understand the basic concepts and ideas, they’ll be fine.”

‘It’s not a choice’

Other parents were concerned their children wouldn’t read the book at all because of the subject matter itself. The books were sent out to some teachers and staff members in the school system earlier this year. The book was criticized by some teachers. Some parents questioned how they would get their children to read “Mindset,” if adults wouldn’t do it.

“We did not require teachers to read it. If every teacher didn’t read it, then that’s their choice. It was not required reading — it was recommended. We wanted all the teachers to have exposure to the concepts,” O’Donnell said. “To students, it’s required reading. It’s not a choice.”

But Bob Morrison, a parent in town, said people shouldn’t jump to conclusions so quickly. Morrison read the book and believes in its message. Although he doesn’t have a child entering high school next year, he believes his children would be willing to read the book if they were asked to.

“The kids who are normally inquisitive ... would pick it up,” he said. “They may surprise us all.”

Both O’Donnell and Patty Pursell, another Innovation Team member, said the parents can use the opportunity to read the book with their children and discuss it.

“It’s a great opportunity for parents to be included in the Wallingford 100; in changing the mindset and helping students achieve 100 percent graduation rate,” O’Donnell said. “It’s an opportunity for them to read the book with their child or have discussions with them.”

“The parenting chapter really spoke to me,” said Pursell, who bought the book for her kids. “There’s something there for everybody.”

Parents and students will also have the opportunity to speak with the book’s author, Carol Dweck, on Aug. 28 at the Oakdale Theatre. If they have questions about anything in the book, it’s another opportunity for them to get answers,O’Donnell said.

The Innovation Team plans to have each incoming class of freshmen read “Mindset.” It’s unclear whether parents will continue to express their concerns or will become accustomed to the requirement. But for now, the parents in town are divided over the assignment.

“I’m all for reading and encouraging kids to read more,” Torcello said. “But I think there's a limit.”