Focus on Building Community
By Lauren Valentino, PrincipalCelebrating All—Creating Community is a Botelle Elementary School theme. Our staff celebrates our students, their strengths and interests and strives to create a community of learners who soar to new heights. Teaching the children of Norfolk their ABC’s and 123’s is our focus. However, it’s also important to teach children about their […]
Norfolk Salutes Its Volunteers: Spotlight on Botelle School
Lisa Bazzano When I was growing up in Norfolk, I had a Norman Rockwell childhood, and I wanted the same for my five children. That’s why I chose to raise them in Norfolk, and it’s why I want to give back as much as I can through volunteering. My first child to enter Botelle School […]
Getting Ready for the New School Year at Botelle
The Botelle Beat By Virginia Coleman-Prisco As the days get shorter and fall approaches, Botelle Elementary School has been busy preparing for a new school year. Principal Lauren Valentino is excited that “Botelle School is fully staffed and ready to welcome back students and families.” Three new staff members have been hired to replace teachers […]
New Year, New Protocols at Botelle
The Botelle Beat by Virgina Coleman-Prisco A year ago, the Botelle community was preparing to return to in-person learning for the first time since Covid-19 forced the school into remote instruction in March 2020. Two primary factors, the smaller population and the amount of available space for instruction and mask breaks, allowed Botelle to have […]
“A Small School with a Big Heart” Plans for Reopening
By Virginia Coleman-Prisco Under the direction of Governor Ned Lamont and the Connecticut Department of Education (DOE), school districts have been required to develop plans for three scenarios for fall 2020: a full reopening of school with in-person instruction, a blend of in-person and remote instruction, and full remote instruction. School superintendent Mary Beth Iacobelli says […]
It’s a Waiting Game for Norfolk Educators
Botelle Beat by Clinton J. Sosna “We educators are planners. We are very good at planning,” says school superintendent Mary Beth Iacobelli, expressing the frustration she feels, in mid-June, with still no official word from the state on how Norfolk’s school should proceed in the fall. It’s a waiting game, filled with unresolved questions concerning […]
Going to School but Staying Home
By Wiley WoodPhoto by Ann DeCerbo When Virginia Coleman-Prisco told her school-age children that spring break was over, one of them piped up, “Does that mean we can go back to school?” The answer, of course, was no, school would still be online. Going to Botelle School these days means sitting down at an internet-connected […]
New Year, New Beginnings at Botelle
By Virginia Coleman-PriscoPhoto, of some of Botelle School’s new staffers this year (from left: Melissa Asselin, Winter Thorne-Kaunelis, Erin Dubecky, Lauren Montagna, Tyler Yelsits, Mary Krusch, Erica McCleary and Shana Bazelmans), by Virginia Coleman-Prisco As summer winds down, Botelle Elementary School is already buzzing with activity in preparation for the new school year. The Botelle […]
Enriching Talent at Botelle
By Virginia Coleman-PriscoPhoto by Kailyn Nadeau On Friday, May 3, Botelle Elementary School hosted its fourth annual Talent Show to a large and enthusiastic audience. Botelle parent and talent show producer Kailyn Nadeau pointed out how “great it is to see Norfolk residents who are without kids in the school attend the talent show and […]
Children’s Book Author Visits Botelle
The pre-K/K and first/second grade students at Botelle Elementary enjoyed a visit with local author and collage artist Sara Beth Videtto, on Thursday, March 21. All students in those classes received a softcover copy of her book, “Turtle’s First Winter: A Read and Find Storybook,” as part of a giveaway contest on Videtto’s Facebook author […]
