Dear Hartford Public Schools Families,

It’s hard to believe we have completed our first semester of the school year! There are so many reasons to celebrate the work of our HPS staff and students. This fall, we committed to two very important goals for our District - 1) To increase student achievement through collaboration and 2) To improve our culture, making Hartford Public Schools a great place to learn and work. To meet these goals, our staff have embraced the Capturing Kids Hearts process to help build a positive culture and committed to becoming a Professional Learning Community with a focus on student achievement results. 

Our high school students are enjoying being part of the new Husky Huddle homeroom. Each homeroom consists of a mix of students in grades 9-12. This was done intentionally to build connections between students of all ages and to provide younger students with a mentor to support their success. Students in Husky Huddle form a team that takes part in fun competitions, community service, and character lessons.

Our middle school has developed a culture of affirmation. Students and staff affirm each other weekly through Ms. Campbell’s Affirmation Station. Those messages then get displayed on the big screen. Students who submit affirmations are eligible to earn incentives and Principal Mohney contacts parents to share the affirmations their children have received. 

Our elementary students enjoy a special “Launch with Love” each Friday afternoon leading into the weekend. Redwood WAVE council students have collected food for local food pantries, NEHS students have beautified the campus with flowers and decorated trees throughout the building.

Our alternative education students are excited to move into their newly constructed space in January. The alternative education program is currently serving 91 underclass students and 51 adults from the surrounding community.

Our HPS team is committed to ensuring all students learn at high levels within the positive culture we are growing. To accomplish this, all staff are working in collaborative teams to deeply understand the standards students must learn, to measure the effectiveness of our instructional practices, and to collectively respond when our students need additional time and support to learn.

This is an exciting time to be a part of Hartford Public Schools! With a clear and intentional focus on our culture and student achievement, we look forward to what the future holds for our students.

Respectfully,

Brad Geesaman

Superintendent