Weston Schools To Start Sept. 6

Update: Tuesday, Aug. 30 — 3:45 p.m.

Weston's schools will now open on Tuesday, Sept. 6, according to an email blast sent out by the district.

Original article:

In an ironic turn of events, Weston Public Schools will delay their opening to Thursday, Sept. 1 due to public safety concerns relating to Hurricane Irene.

School was supposed to start on Tuesday, August 30, with the last day scheduled for Tuesday, June 12, 2012. According to previously announced contingency plans, the new last day of school will be Thursday, June 14, 2012.

On the Monday afternoon following Irene, most if not all homes in Weston were without power. Several roads were still impassable, despite round-the-clock efforts by road crews and Connecticut Light and Power to restore normalcy.

Weston Middle School facilities were currently available on Monday afternoon to those who wanted to shower; residents supplied their own towels and toiletries.

Several pre-open activities had already been canceled prior to the announcement; plans for freshman orientation, the 3^rd grade “Meet and Greet” as well as Kindergarten and pre-K orientation were adjusted to reflect the delayed start.

Freshman orientation will take place on the morning of September 1, and the morning bus schedule will operate as planned. Those in grades 10 through 12 should plan to operate on a 2-hour delay. A separate bus run will pick up these students, although they may take the earlier bus if they choose; the High School will provide a quiet place for studying.

Students who will attend Hurlbutt Elementary, Weston Intermediate, and Weston Middle Schools will be picked up on Thursday morning according to the originally published schedule.

The 3^rd grade Meet and Greet will take place on Thursday morning, and Weston administrators indicated that there would be plenty of staff on hand to answer incoming Intermediate-schoolers’ questions.

Incoming Kindergartener families may stop by the classroom on Thursday between 1:15 and 3:15pm to visit; information on the pre-K orientation was unavailable.

The school campus was in good shape following the storm. At the August Board of Education meeting, called the work that was completed by the schools’ grounds staff “spectacular.”

The asbestos problem, found just a few short months ago, was remediated successfully. In addition, new signs, fencing, resurfaced gym floors and repainting and paving projects were all completed quickly.

“It’s hard to believe this was accomplished in 10 weeks,” Palmer said.

The high school and middle school were also updated. Users of smart devices will not have “double the access,” according to Palmer.

Dr. Palmer’s employment with the district has not been uneventful. At the August meeting, she informed the board that unexpectedly high Kindergarten enrollment numbers . 

Meanwhile, the Revson field remediation project was beset by weather-related delays. The impact of Hurricane Irene on the renovations is unclear.