Students at Hall Memorial School became involved in an exciting scientific expedition last month. Mrs. Rodriguez, the seventh grade science teacher, received a fellowship grant to participate in a study of caterpillars in the Pearl River Wildlife Management Area in Louisiana. As part of the fellowship she traveled to Louisiana for nine days to work in ecosystems damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. There she studied not only how caterpillars defend themselves, but also how all these species have been affected by recent extreme weather conditions. She was part of a team of teachers from around the country who helped researchers update the Forest Caterpillar database, a vital tool for tracking biodiversity in the region and explore how it has been affected by disruptive events like Katrina. During her trip she maintained a blog for her students to work with her on this project and also conducted several videoconferences with her students. You can check out her blog at http://www.earthwatch2.org/LFF/rodriquez/.

For those of you who have never seen the annual Shakespeare Production put on by the Discovery Place, Hall Memorial School’s gifted and talented program, you need to stop by on November 21st to see this year’s performance of The Tempest, at 7pm in the HMS Gym. It is always a great show and you will be amazed to see our young thespians performing Shakespeare.

Mr. Conlin, our new Physical Education teacher at Center School, will soon have a basketball court installed in the multi purpose room. Our young students will now have the opportunity to hone their skills on the court.

During the month of October, Center School students and staff enjoyed a wonderful performance of the Three Little Pigs put on by the Connecticut Opera Company. In this interpretation of the age-old fable, each pig sets out to build themselves a new home. While two of the pigs play games and don’t put too much thought into the building of their houses, the other goes to the library to study and learn about how to build a house. The wolf eventually visits, teaching a lesson to the two lazy pigs that they should have gone to the library to “do their homework” as well! The performance was made possible thanks to the generosity of the Willington PTA, as well as grant money from the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.

The first semester is ending soon and I would like to hear some feedback from parents on the new parent portal that allows parents to access their child’s grades from home. Please send me an email at dharding@willingtonct.org with any comments about the new system.

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation.

David C. Harding