Librarian Ms. Tess reads to Honey Bear students.

Honey Bear Learning Center went on a field trip to the Stratford Library on Friday, Nov. 15. The trip concluded their week long “Early Learning Experience Plan” (ELEP), that teachers created on Library and Literacy which implements the Connecticut State Department of Education’s Preschool Learning Performance Standard: Cognitive 10- shows understanding of stories.

The young Honey Bears sang and enjoyed themselves as Librarian Ms. Tess read stories about squirrels and introduced the children to new finger play songs. Prior to their library trip, Honey Bear staff supplied families with library card applications from their town of residence for children to obtain a library card. The children checked out a book from the Stratford library to take home and read with their families.

“Early literacy plays an important role in supporting the kind of early learning experiences that research shows are linked with academic success, higher graduation rates and enriched productivity in adult life,” said Honey Bear Director, Cathie Vanicky.

Honey Bear is a NAEYC Accredited Early Care and Education Center, open year-round, Monday through Friday from 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m., with open enrollment at any time for full and part time slots for three- to five-year-olds.

The location at 1498 North Ave., is set on 1.3 acres with 2 fully-equipped oversized playgrounds across from Nichols Elementary School. The school also offers before and after care for school-aged children.

Sacred Heart University and Connecticut Audubon Society have been awarded a $59,000 Long Island Sound Futures Fund grant to construct an innovative “living shoreline” project at Stratford Point.

The project is designed to both improve critical bird and wildlife habitat and protect the state’s coastline from storms such as Hurricane Sandy.

The living shoreline includes the construction of a reef through the installation of 40 permeable concrete reef balls — a technology never before used in Long Island Sound — along with the restoration of a salt marsh behind the reef. The project will be constructed in roughly 3.5 acres of intertidal zone in the 40-acre coastal estuary restoration site at Stratford Point, which is managed by Connecticut Audubon Society.

Stratford Point is a peninsula in the Lordship section of Stratford located near the mouth of the Housatonic River. The site consists of approximately 28 acres of upland and an additional 12 acres of shallow intertidal zone.

The Stratford Point project is designed to test the feasibility for use by other coastal communities throughout the state to help protect against major hurricanes and storms, and prevent erosion and other negative impacts of sea level rise.

The living shoreline works by slowing and breaking up waves and storm surges that cause erosion, allowing for sediment deposition and for protective tidal marsh plants to take root.

“A natural community will emerge, providing habitat that acts as a fish and blue crab nursery and a hard substrate for shellfish settlement, and enhancing habitat for Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Black-crowned Night Herons and other birds,” according to a press release from Sacred Heart.

More specifically, it will help protect the newly restored upland coastal habitats that Connecticut Audubon and Sacred Heart have undertaken at Stratford Point over the past four years.

“This project will greatly improve its value as a key bird and fish habitat in the heart of the Housatonic River estuary,” according to Sacred Heart.

The Long Island Sound Futures Fund 2013 grant was announced by the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation at the Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk. It was one of 23 Long Island Sound Futures Fund grants awarded by the foundation.

“Connecticut Audubon Society is proud to be working in partnership with Sacred Heart University to introduce innovative technology to our shoreline that will both increase its biodiversity while also strengthening its resilience to future storms,” Connecticut Audubon President Alex Brash said. “We are grateful that the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation recognized the great value of this project and brought their support to the table to help ensure our vision might become a reality.”

Professor Jennifer Mattei, director of the environmental science and management graduate program at SHU, said the project also will have educational value for people interested in coastal protection and ecology.

“Once the reef and marsh are installed, the public is welcome to come and see how the reef is working,” she said.

The reef balls will be installed in March or April of 2014 by a team of SHU and Audubon staff and volunteers.

Living shorelines use a variety of structures and natural features, such as dunes, reefs and marshes, to protect fragile coastal features as well as shoreline property. These are in contrast to seawalls, riprap walls, bulkheads and other armoring structures which, at the expense of natural habitat, tend to harden and destabilize the shoreline, cause loss of beachfront and sever the biological link between the land and sea, according to a description of the project.

Using the grant, Sacred Heart and Connecticut Audubon will install 40 reef balls in a 3.5-acre intertidal area in Stratford Point’s north cove. Reef balls are dome-like concrete structures of various sizes. At Stratford Point, they will range from two feet tall with a three-foot diameter base to nine inches tall with a 17-inch diameter base. Each reef ball, manufactured by the non-profit Reef Ball Foundation, has Swiss-cheese-like holes to allow water, tides, sediments and marine life to move in and out.

At Stratford Point, four sizes of reef balls will be installed in four rows of 10. To add stability to the area, a 60-foot-long biodegradable sock, filled with the shells of bivalves, will be snaked through the middle two rows of reef balls.

The reef balls are designed to allow sand and sediment to settle out of the water near the shore, creating habitat for tidal marsh grasses, which themselves provide habitat for estuarine animals and added protection for the shore. The reef balls become habitat for fish and lobsters. Surveys in New Jersey found 14 species of fish, as well as American lobsters, inhabiting a reef ball area.

The research team, led by Mattei and professor Mark Beekey, SHU scientists, two additional colleagues and graduate students, will collect data throughout the first year of the living shoreline project to gauge whether it is successfully trapping sediment, enhancing habitat and protecting the point’s shoreline. After the first year, they will continue with the project well into the future by modifying the design, if needed, and augmenting the reef, if possible, to maximize the benefits.

Connecticut Audubon Society will be responsible for obtaining the necessary permits from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) and the state Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Aquaculture. Anthony Zemba, director of conservation services, and Milan Bull, senior director of science and conservation, will oversee the project for CAS.

SHU and CAS will provide their analysis to DEEP and the Department of Agriculture, and if the project is judged to be a success, SHU and Connecticut Audubon will seek funding to expand the project.

Stratford Point is owned by Sporting Goods Properties, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the DuPont Company. The site is protected by a conservation easement held by the state and managed by the Connecticut Audubon Society. For much of the 20th century, it was the site of the Remington Gun Club. About a decade ago, DuPont completed a large remediation project to remove lead shot that had been left over the decades.

To restore the Point, CAS and SHU have collaborated on several projects, including a controlled burn of almost 20 acres of upland to help control invasive vegetation and the buildup of thatch, and the planting of almost 100 native trees and shrubs to improve the Point’s upland habitat.

In 2011, a manmade dune stretching for 900 linear feet along the north cove was constructed. During Hurricane Sandy, the dune helped prevent major erosion of Stratford Point and other inland areas. Although the storm washed away the dune’s sand and vegetation, the base remained intact and the shoreline remained undiminished.

The living shoreline will help protect the dune area, and DuPont, SHU and CAS plan to rebuild the dune next year.

The Stratford Public Schools Music Department announces its schedule of Holiday and Winter performances for the month of December. These performances will feature students in the school Band, Orchestra and Chorus programs.

We encourage the public to attend any of these concerts and show their support for our students.

December schedule

Dec. 17: Franklin Elementary School. Holiday Winter Concert at 1:30 p.m.; Eli Whitney Elementary School, Winter Band & Chorus Concert at 9:00 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.; Bunnell High School Holiday Concert at 7 p.m.

Dec. 18: Wooster Middle School Advanced Band, Jazz Band, Strings, Grade 8 Chorus & Select Choir at 7 p.m.

Connecticut Commissioner of Education, Stefan Pryor, far right, presents the Board Leadership Award to The Stratford Board of Education. With him are Stephen Wright, Connecticut State Board of Education member, Stratford board members Andrea Veilleux and Robert Chaloux, Stratford Schools Superintendent Dr. Janet Robinson, and Stratford board members Gavin Forrester and Jancee Pust-Marcone.

The Stratford Board of Education received the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) Level Two Leadership Award during the annual CABE/CAPSS (Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents) Convention held in Mystic on Friday, Nov. 15.

CABE believes that Boards of Education and Superintendents which exhibit the most effective leadership are characterized by their ability to work together as “teams.” The CABE Board Recognition Awards are designed to recognize Boards which work effectively in this manner. In order to appropriately recognize those Boards which are truly exemplary, CABE has now established a second level of awards, the Board of Distinction Award. Only Boards which have achieved Level One distinction at least twice in the prior four years are eligible to receive the Board of Distinction Award. Boards must achieve at least two Level Two items in each Level Two category to receive this award.

The Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) serves local and regional school districts in Connecticut and is dedicated to improving the quality of education throughout the state and the nation. CABE’s membership includes 150 school districts representing 90 % of the state’s public school population. CABE is a leading advocate for public education at the State Capitol and in Washington D.C., and offers many types of support services to local boards of education including the Board Member Academy, a continuing education program for local board of education members.

The Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (CAPSS) is a statewide nonprofit educational administration organization whose membership includes Connecticut public school superintendents, assistant superintendents, central office administrative personnel, state department of education officials, and college and university professors. It provides educational and administrative leadership on a state and national level; it provides personal support services for its members; it holds statewide conferences of interest to the educational community; and it is a strong voice and staunch advocate of quality public school education.

Veterans and Housatonic Community College students Doran Lewis of Bridgeport, Chris Charles of Stratford and Jeff Stewart of Bridgeport, display turkeys that were distributed along with food baskets to HCC’s needy vets. The items were donated to the HCC veterans’ center by Save Our Vets of Bridgeport, which supports needy veterans in Fairfield County. Stewart also serves as HCC’s veterans’ representative.

Louis Spetrino

Stratford native and independent filmmaker Louis Spetrino has begun casting his feature film Incomplete.

The movie will be filmed on location in Stratford and will feature mostly local high school students both in front of and behind the camera. Spetrino graduated from Bunnell High School in 1996.

A news release about the project says Incomplete is about a video production teacher who longs to be a filmmaker. He devises a plan to create a high school-based ‘found footage’ docudrama to help him get discovered. Six students are selected to take part in the video project, with varying degrees of ‘drama’ between them. What happens changes all of their lives, according to the release.

Spetrino said he is very excited to be working closely with students from both high schools in Stratford: “Since this is a high school based film, I thought it would be a great opportunity to involve the students from Stratford in the filmmaking process. I am so happy with the response from the students thus far.”

An internship program has been established for the students that chose to participate. Behind the scenes, students will be working with the cameras, the sound, set design, music, and marketing.

“I like the idea that students from both high schools will get the opportunity for this authentic learning experience that may open doors to future careers in this industry,” said Diane Christiano, coordinator of Career & Technology for Stratford Public Schools. “There are so many different types of careers they will be exposed to with this project that will help them make good education and career decisions as they leave high school.”

Over 60 students have already auditioned for the film. The six lead roles were recently cast. There are five students from Stratford High and one from Bunnell.

“Participating in Incomplete is going to provide students with the opportunity to experience the film industry first hand. Our students are going to be able to connect what they learn in the classroom to real life applications,” said Ms. Rusate, School to Career Coordinator at Stratford High School.

The movie will be shot in January over a 10 to 12 day period. Screenings at both high schools will take place once the film is completed. Spetrino would then like to travel to other high schools in the area to screen the film. Spetrino hopes that this is the first of several feature film projects he will work on with the help of the students from Stratford and the surrounding towns.

Additional info is also available on the following site: incompletethemovie.com.

Students Michael LaMonica, Matt Morrissey, Donato Quattrucci, Ashlinn Derleth, Karissa Kerkes, and Winston Wu organize their collection.

The Student Service Club at St. Mark School in Stratford recently organized their 6th annual Stuff the Chimney toy drive.

The club, comprised of students in grades 4-8, collected more than 130 new, unwrapped toys to donate to Sister Theresa Tremblay of the Daughters of Charity in Bridgeport.

Sister Theresa hosts an annual Christmas party for hundreds of impoverished children, where each child receives a present of their own. The Daughters of Charity is a grass-roots rescue mission that ministers directly to the needy people within the Bridgeport community, regardless of their ethnic background or religion.

Pictured: Abigail Sharkey, Sofia Sannella, Jordan Nails, Mya Zayas, Katie Mandolfo, and Cali Jontos.

Girl Scouts Troop #37121 at St. Mark School in Stratford recently organized Project Fairy Godmother, a school-wide collection of new or gently-used holiday dresses for two Bridgeport organizations.

More than 100 dresses filled three adorned dress racks displayed outside the school library. The dresses were donated to Cooperative Educational System (CES) and Sr. Theresa Tremblay’s Daughters of Charity.

Project Fairy Godmother was a joint effort by St. Mark School Daisies, Brownies and Juniors, all of whom agreed that every little girl deserves a beautiful holiday dress at Christmas time.

Sikorsky Credit Union is continuing its partnership with the Business Education Support Team (BEST) Program of the Stratford Chamber of Commerce to promote financial literacy at Stratford High School. Pictured: Bob David, board member at Sikorsky Credit Union; Elaine Watson, assistant superintendent of Stratford Public Schools; Brittany Blake, youth initiative coordinator at Sikorsky Credit Union; and Michael Shirling, vice president of retail delivery at Sikorsky Credit Union.

The recent financial crisis exposed consumer behaviors that show very low levels of financial literacy across the nation. People are taking on more debt than they can afford, and often, this debt load starts with college loans. According to the Center for Financial Literacy, it’s critical that financial literacy education be well established in high school.

Staffers at the Sikorsky Credit Union aim to improve the financial acumen of the state’s high school students with an innovative, hands-on solution: in-school branches in several Connecticut high schools. “We saw a need for financial education,” explains Mike Shirling, Director of Retail Delivery, who oversees the operation of the high school branches. “And we decided to partner with schools to solve it.”

Credit Union’s branch at Stratford High School is in its second year. It operates from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., on Wednesdays and Fridays for students, faculty and staff. “Having Sikorsky Credit Union here helping to facilitate our students’ understanding of financial literacy has been a wonderful addition to Stratford High School,” said Joseph Corso Jr., principal at Stratford High School.

While it is not open to the public, those within the school can transact financial business of any kind during branch hours. The branch is staffed by a Sikorsky Credit Union employee, along with paid student apprentices, who will be learning about credit union operations and are actually part of the Sikorsky Credit Union staff. Over the course of the school year, three different students will be working as apprentices and acting as Credit Union ambassadors within the school, facilitating projects to help build financial literacy and get their peers involved in real-life financial issues.

“Financial Literacy is very important, and having our branches in our high schools gives students many great opportunities to learn skills that will stay with them for their entire life.” notes Shirling.

Sikorsky Credit Union also operates branches in Oxford and Seymour High School.

The new mock trial team at Chase Collegiate School was formed with the help of Stratford attorney Ed Brady III.

Attorney Ed Brady III, of Coyne, von Kuhn, Brady & Fries law firm in Stratford and his son, Chase Collegiate School senior, Jared Brady, built a mock trial team at Chase and competed against 68 teams in its first mock trial at the statewide Mock Trial Competition in Danbury Superior Court on Dec. 2.

Similar to a real trial, the lawyers prepared and delivered opening statements, direct examinations of their own witnesses, cross examinations of the opposing teams’ witnesses, and closing arguments. Witnesses learned the facts of the case through a review of all the case materials as they are prohibited from using notes while testifying.

The Chase plaintiff team won convincingly as both Jared Brady and Bobby Bickley, ‘15 received strong accolades from the judges.

For more information, call 203-236-9500 or visit chasecollegiate.org

“We have a responsibility for the world,” Bunnell High School Principal Dudley Orr says he teaches his students. And when events in the world call for action, he tells the students, “We can’t shirk the responsibility.”

It appears that students at Bunnell High School are putting Orr’s philosophy into action.

Eleventh grade Bunnell students Audrey Law and Kayleigh Ross became aware of the fact that children in Syrian refugee camps are currently enduring cold temperatures and snow, and some do not even have shoes on their feet. The refugees are attempting to avoid the violent chaos as Syria fights a civil war with attempts to oust the current leadership.

According to Bunnell Latin teacher Dylan Connor, 12 refugee children have reportedly frozen to death in recent weeks.

Law and Ross approached Connor, whose wife is Syrian, with the idea of collecting winter clothing at Bunnell and shipping it to the Syrian refugees. And that is what they did.

From early November to early December, Bunnell collected an estimated 600 donated items of winter clothing and footwear. Students and helpers then packed the donated items into bags, and Connor drove the goods to Massachusetts, where a group called NuDay Syria shipped the cargo out of Boston on its way to Turkey.

Once the shipment arrives in Turkey, NuDay Syria is expected to take the items across the border into Syria and distribute them to the refugees. The activists will risk their lives to distribute the goods, according to Connor, who added that his wife has had relatives jailed and tortured for peaceful activism in Syria.

A student club under the direction of teacher Ben Wrubel coordinated and handled the Bunnell clothing drive project.

Connor said that through this experience Bunnell students have learned how easy it is to make a difference. “A story can seem too big, but all it takes is one person at one school” to have a positive impact on people who are suffering.

“The kids found that with a little organization and will they saw an outpouring of support,” said Connor.

Orr said that in today’s world, “kids are more connected to the world around them. It is one of the positives of the Internet.”

“Kids see the world as smaller and more cohesive,” he said.

Goods are still being accepted. To arrange a donation, call Connor at 203-545-2625.

With their collection of winter clothing donations for Syrian refugees, are Bunnell High School Latin teacher Dylan Connor and 11th grade students Audrey Law and Kayleigh Ross.

The first Stratford Public Schools district-wide Pathway Day highlighting the Career Pathway programs offered was held on Dec. 12.

Over 500 students in the Career Pathway programs at Bunnell and Stratford high schools were given a brightly colored t-shirt to wear and share their career aspirations with the rest of the student body. The goal of the day was to heighten awareness of the Pathway Programs and to initiate conversations about academic and career planning.

As part of the day’s activities, Pathway students attended a College & Education Fair held at Stratford High. This event was sponsored by Sikorsky Financial Credit Union. Over 30 two-year and four-year colleges and universities participated in the fair.

Pathways Day was produced with the assistance of mini-grants and personal contributions.

Career Pathway courses assist students in developing marketable, state-of-the-art career and technical skills that will help them meet the challenging needs of business and industry. Pathway programs are available in the following areas: business and finance, communications, culinary, health and medical careers, pre-engineering, and pre-teaching and social services.

For more information about the career curriculum contact Diane Christiano, coordinator of career and technology education at christianod@stratfordk12.org.

The Stratford Public Schools Music Department has announced its schedule of winter performances for the month of January. These performances will feature students in the school band, orchestra and chorus programs. The public is invited to attend any of these concerts and show their support for the students.

Jan. 14 — Stratford Academy Johnson House, Winter Instrumental Concert, 7 p.m.; Wilcoxson Elementary School, Winter Concert, 7 p.m.

Jan. 15 — Second Hill lane Elementary School, Winter Instrumental Concert at 7:00 p.m.

Jan. 22 — Stratford Academy Johnson House, grades 5 and 6 Chorus and Keyboard Concert, 7 p.m.; Second Hill lane Elementary School, Winter Chorus Concert, 7 p.m.

Jan. 23 — Nichols Elementary School, Winter Concert, 7 p.m.

Jan. 24 — Lordship elementary school, Winter Concert at 1 p.m.

Jan. 28 — Stratford Academy Johnson House, Winter Concert (AM Kindergarten and grade 1), 9:30 a.m.

Jan. 28 — Stratford Academy Honeyspot House, Winter Concert (PM Kindergarten and grade 2), 1:30 p.m.

Jan. 29 — Chapel Elementary School, Winter Concert, 1:30 p.m.

Sikorsky Credit Union is again offering the Thomas J. Williams Scholarship program, where five high school seniors will receive $1,000 to use toward their higher education.

The program is named after Thomas Williams, who in 2012 retired after more than 30 years as the CEO and President of Sikorsky Credit Union. Each scholarship applicant will submit an essay, with the subject “How Sikorsky Credit Union helped me take charge of my money.” In order to be eligible, the student must be a high school graduate in the spring of 2014 and planning to attend an institute of higher learning in the fall of 2014. Also, the student must be a member of Sikorsky Credit Union on or before March 15, 2014. Membership can be started with just a $5 minimum opening deposit.

“We have given tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships over the years,” mentioned Diane Farrell, who is the vice-president of Marketing at Sikorsky Credit Union, “I am really looking forward to helping five more seniors get off to a terrific start.” Interested seniors may pick up an application at any of the Credit Union’s branch offices in Danbury, Milford, Seymour, Shelton or Stratford. Seniors at Oxford, Seymour and Stratford high schools may also visit the Credit Union branch inside their school. The application can be downloaded at sikorskycu.org/scholarship. The application deadline is April 30, 2014.

With St. James School Teacher Colleen Simon are students: Clockwise top left, Julianna Santiago, Allison Boursiquot. Mikaela Puzzo, and Sofia Santiago.

St. James School teacher Colleen Simon was recently awarded the 2013 National Catholic Educational Association’s (NCEA) Distinguished Teacher Award.

The award is presented annually to a maximum of 12 teachers in the United States by the Department of Elementary Schools of the NCEA to give public recognition to outstanding Catholic elementary school teachers throughout the United States.

Simon was chosen for her exceptional contributions to Catholic education over the past 16 years. Simon will receive her much deserved award April 22nd on the opening night of the NCEA Convention and Expo in Pittsburgh, where she and eleven other teachers will be honored at a special banquet.

Criteria for the award include:

• A teacher in a Catholic elementary school(s) for at least ten years

• A teacher with a clear, integrated philosophy of Catholic education

• A teacher held in high regard by peers, students and parents

• An individual or institutional member of the NCEA Elementary Schools Department.

St. Mark School’s Winter Weekend will feature a Winter Carnival, on Saturday, Jan. 25, from 11 a.m.-3 p.m., and an open house on Sunday, Jan. 26, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

The family-oriented indoor carnival will include moon bounces, games of skill, prizes, food, raffles, face-painting, and more.

The open house will introduce visitors to the pre-kindergarten to grade 8 nationally recognized Blue Ribbon School.

For more information, call 203-375-4291 or visit stmarkschool.org.

The school is at 500 Wigwam Lane.

Classes begin Jan. 27 for Stratford Continuing Education’s three routes toward completing secondary school — Credit Diploma Program, National External Diploma Program, and GED Test preparation classes. These evening Adult Education classes are offered without charge to Stratford residents 17 years or older who want to earn a high school diploma.

Students may register in person Friday, Jan. 17, from 5:30-7:45 p.m., at Stratford Academy / Parents’ Place on Birdseye Street, or Jan. 22 and 23, from 6-8 p.m., at Stratford High School; or, call 203-385-4270 to make arrangements to register.

Counselors are available to assist prospective students in choosing the program appropriate to their needs and schedules.

Other programs available to adults are Adult Basic Education, English as a Second Language and American Citizenship.

For more information, refer to the Stratford Community Calendar delivered to all Stratford residents in mid-January or visit us on line at the Stratford Board of Education’s website at stratford.k12.org. Click the District Programs tab, and then Continuing Education or call 203-385-4270.

Stratford Continuing Education currently offers a variety of general interest courses for residents of any town or city.

Computer education, stained glass, drawing, knitting, Spanish (beginner and conversational), Italian, budget and money management, the alexander technique, self defense for women, writing for the horror market and fiction writing, and ballroom dancing-basic and Latin/swing, are just some of the classes offered. SAT prep classes and driver education classes are also being offered.

Adults wishing to enroll in the classes may register by mail, come in person to the Continuing Education office, located at Stratford High School. Call 203-385-4270 for office hours.

Look for detailed information, course descriptions, cost, and mail-in registration forms printed in the Community Calendar delivered to all Stratford residents in mid-January, or visit the Stratford Board of Education’s website at stratford.k12.org. Click the District Programs tab, and then Continuing Education, or call us at 203-385-4270.

At a local Three Kings Day celebration are Josephine Burruano, member of the sponsoring Stratford Hispanic Heritage Committee, and Hector Gonzalez, Mario Guerrero and Luis Marrero as the three kings.

Stratford celebrated Three Kings Day on Sunday, Jan. 5, at St. James School gym, in an event for all the children in Stratford, sponsored by The Stratford Hispanic Heritage Committee.

Celebrating Three Kings is very important to the Latino/Hispanic community, according to the committee. A short play of the Story of Baby Jesus was directed by committee member Josephine Burruano, with the assistance of Kristi Peña. The cast consisted of local children ages 6 to 14.

The children decorated boxes which were filled with treats from the three kings during the celebration. Singer Rita Marie Valle entertained the audience with her voice. It was a very joyful event for the children and adults of the community, the committee reported.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014: Due to expected inclement weather conditions, all Stratford Public Schools have an early dismissal. Please refer to your school’s early dismissal schedule. All afternoon activities, including Continuing Education classes are canceled. In addition, all afterschool childcare such as YMCA after school program are cancelled.