Week of February 9, 2009
 
 
The Central Administration extends best wishes to all of you for an enjoyable Winter Recess next week.
 
 
Yesterday, February 12, 2009, a HKMS bus carrying 15 students southbound on Route 81 in the vicinity of Lover's Lane had an unfortunate encounter with a falling power line.  Just as the bus was passing the location of the incident, a power line fell on top of the bus.  The bus continued to travel and stopped approximately 100 feet from the base of the pole where the line was severed.  The bus driver called in to receive the necessary support and emergency personnel and CL&P arrived on the scene within minutes.  The driver was transported to the Shoreline Clinic after she reported having "tingling in her arm."  She was seen and released with no injuries.  The 15 students were taken back to the HKMS, examined and then returned to their homes using a different bus.  Both the HKMS and BES nurses placed calls to the parents of each student who was on the bus at the time of the incident.  All emergency response systems worked well and we concluded the event without further incident.
 
 
The district has recently posted the following documents under the Curriculum and Instruction section of the district website at www.rsd17.org.
 
Pre-K through Grade 8 Power Standards
Kindergarten through Grade 8 Assessment Plan
 

The district is pleased to announce that it will sponsor the first ever Haddam-Killingworth Hall of Fame Dinner this coming May.  The dinner will be held on Saturday evening May 30, 2009 beginning at 5:00 p.m. at Haddam-Killingworth Middle School.  The program for the evening will include a social hour, buffet style meal, a notable speaker and many special presentations being made to this year's inductees.  The HK Hall of Fame has been formed to honor the contributions made by coaches (both past and present), former student athletes and others to the various athletic programs offered as a part of the Regional School District 17 schools.  The Hall of Fame Class of 2009 will recognize the coaching careers of Patsy Kamercia (Field Hockey), Richard Dupuis (Cross Country / Track & Field), Richard Langer (Volleyball), Dennis O'Rourke (Football) and Mark Brookes (Baseball) All of these recipients are the founding coaches of each program and they also continue to serve the district as active coaches for these same programs.  Details about purchasing tickets will be made available in the very near future.

The Central Administration of the school district is in the process of assembling a proposed 2009-2010 budget for the Board of Education to consider.  This process will take until early March 2009.  If you have ideas regarding cost containment measures, ways you think the district can be more economically efficient and other similar thoughts, please forward them to Gary S. Mala, Superintendent of Schools at gmala@rsd17.org.
 
 
The Regional School District 17 Board of Education and Superintendent Gary Mala continue to seek public input from the Haddam and Killingworth communities in preparation for the 2009-2010 operating budget.  Community members are invited to share their ideas by submitting them via e-mail to gmala@rsd17.org, in person at Board of Education meetings or my sending a note or letter to the Office of the Superintendent of Schools. A timeline for all budget-related meetings can be found on the Regional School District 17 website at http://www.rsd17.org/boe/budgettimeline.shtml.  All meetings are open to the public.
 
The following is the remaining budget development schedule as approved by the Board of Education.
 
                                           REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTICT NO. 17
                                                   2009/2010 Budget Time Line
                                    
Tuesday, March 3, 2009                    
Special Meeting for the presentation of the Superintendent of Schools recommended budget for 2009/2010
6:00 pm Central Office, Board Room
 
Monday, March 9, 2009                                     
Budget Committee 
Review of Elementary, Middle & High School
6:00 Central Office, Board Room
 
Monday, March 16, 2009                                   
Budget Committee 
Review of Special Education, Transportation, Buildings & Grounds and Food Services
6:00 Central Office, Board Room
 
Tuesday March 24, 2009* 
Joint Meeting with Town's & Board Meeting with the Selectman and Boards of Finance from the towns of Haddam and Killingworth
7:00 pm, Student Commons, Haddam Killingworth Middle School
* - REVISED FROM ORIGINAL DATE

Tuesday March 31, 2009                                    
Budget Committee If Needed
6:00 pm Central Office
Possible vote on the proposed 2009/2010 budget
 
Tuesday April 7, 2009                                        
Budget Committee If Needed
6:00 pm Central Office
Possible vote on the proposed 2009/2010 budget
 
Monday, April 13, 2009                                      
Budget Committee If Needed
6:00 pm Central Office
Possible vote on the proposed 2009/2010 budget
 
Monday, April 20, 2009
Annual Hearing and a Special Meeting of the Board of Education
Annual Hearing of the Board of Education's proposed 2008/2009 budget. 
7:00 pm Student Commons, Haddam Killingworth Middle School.

Monday, May 4, 2009                                        
Annual Meeting. 
7:00 pm HK High School Auditorium Annual meeting on the 2009/2010 budget.
 
Tuesday, May 5, 2009                                        
REFERENDUM in each respective town on the Board of Education's Budget for 2009/2010

 
The public is more than welcome to attend any of the budget workshops and any of the Budget Committee meetings.  Certainly our Budget Committee is eager to communicate effectively with the town officials in both Haddam and Killingworth.  As a Budget Committee responsible for articulating the educational needs of the school district in a fiscally responsible manner, we have the difficult task of striking a balance between our educational needs and our fiscal responsibilities.  Our committee will be monitoring activity and actions at the legislative level most carefully, and wherever possible will be providing input in order to protect both the educational and financial interests of the district and our towns.
 
 

HKHS Project Graduation's committee meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00pm in the Lower Media Center of the high school.  March 10 is the next meeting dates.  The Project Grad Committee would like to welcome Joan Cizek and Stacey Grimaldi as our new Food Committee Chair people.  Please contact Stacey at ssgrimaldi@comcast.net if you are able to volunteer your time to help pick up and deliver food the night of Project Graduation.  The Project Graduation Committee is looking for a person(s) to chair the Fund Raising Committee for next year after the retirement of two dedicated and hard-working women, Lisa Weise and Cathy Cavanaugh.  If you are interested in this position, please contact Kaycee Blancaflor at kccallahan@uks.com.  Hope to see you at the next meeting!
 

 

The following entry is being inserted (as it has been provided) at the request of a local Girl Scout Troop...........
 
Haddam Killingworth Girl Scout Troop 62804 is coordinating this event for our friends and neighbors at the new indoor water park located in Waterbury, CT. 
CoCo Key Waterpark Discount Tickets
March 15th or March 21st.  Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Cost:  $25.00 per person   (A daily weekend ticket normally costs $39 per person.)
Since the tickets must be paid for in advance, Mrs. Martin will need your ticket order by March 3rd.
To order tickets at this reduced rate call Susan Martin at 860 305 2492 or email at Susan_Martin@Midhosp.org . Payment can be sent to Susan Martin, 322 Silver Spring Drive, Higganum, CT 06441
 
No matter what the weather's like, it's always a bright and sunny 84º at CoCo Key.  With over 55,000 square feet. of indoor Key West adventure, CoCo Key Water Resort has all the fun and excitement you can handle. You will love all the indoor water resort adventure that CoCo Key has to offer.
* Three 40-foot slides                                                 * Adventure River
* Key Quest Arcade                                                    * Coral Reef Cavern activity pool
* Parrot's Perch interactive play island                       * Indoor -Outdoor Jacuzzi
* A&W Snack Shop & Pizza Hut Express                   * ...and gallons more!
CoCo Key will be an experience you'll never forget!   Take a Virtual tour Cocokeywaterresort.com
 

Please visit the District Calendar located on the district's homepage (www.rsd17.org) to see when various events are scheduled to happen.
 
 
A reminder that the district utilizes the Honeywell Instant Alert system to communicate with parents during times of emergency or to deliver messages of high importance.  Please be sure that you are registered with Honeywell (link available at www.rsd17.org) and have indicated how you wish to have messages received.  If you have questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to contact the Principal of any one of our schools for assistance.  
 

If you wish to have an announcement included in any Weekly Message or if you have any suggestions regarding the Weekly Message, please contact Gary S. Mala, Superintendent of Schools at gmala@rsd17.org.
Week of February 2, 2009