Plainville Community School District

Frank T. Wheeler Elementary School students celebrated Autism Awareness Month in the school's library in April. Students read books about autism to develop an understanding of what it means to be autistic. Additionally, they designed their own Autism Awareness puzzle hearts to share with friends and family.

Students, families, faculty, staff members and guests filled Plainville High School on April 24th for the annual Superintendent's Showcase event, which featured several musical performances, artwork, and an open house style showcase throughout the high school spotlighting academics, student works, programs, clubs, athletics, initiatives, and more across the district. Refreshments from "Around the World" were provided by the outstanding PCS Food and Nutrition Services Department!

The Louis Toffolon Elementary School community celebrated Earth Day on April 22nd with a variety of activities. The Plainville Conservation Committee donated dogwood seedlings to each Toffolon school kindergartener, and members of the Toffolon Garden Club created a presentation to teach the kindergarteners about the dogwoods and how to plant them. Additionally, members of the Toffolon School Student Council read books to the pre-K, kindergarten, first, and second grade classes about recycling and how they can help keep the Earth clean.

Plainville High School students from the Science National Honor Society hosted Elementary Family Science Night on April 7th, at Plainville High School. Over 250 students and family members representing students in Pre-K through grade 5 attended. Students experienced hands-on demonstrations, experiments, and scientific phenomena. Highlights included make your own slime, "mentos" explosion, underwater candles, and lava lamps. Family Science Night 2025 sparked curiosity and excitement for all!

The Plainville Community Schools’ Elementary Music Department welcomed families of students in Kindergarten, First Grade, and Second Grade to spend music class with their students as part of Music in our Schools Week from March 24th to March 28th. Families observed and participated in a music lesson highlighting student learning, student musicianship, and music literacy. March is designated National Music in our Schools Month by the National Association for Music Education (NAfME), and via their website: "The purpose of Music In Our Schools Month is to raise awareness of the importance of music education for all children – and to remind citizens that school is where all children should have access to music."

Frank T. Wheeler Elementary School fourth graders showcased their innovation, creativity and problem solving skills once again this year at their annual “Invention Convention” held on March 24th. As part of their studies about how things work, what problems they solve, and how they could be improved, the fourth graders were tasked with looking for a problem to solve with an “invention” as the solution. They presented their unique inventions to family members, staff and student peers during the annual Invention Convention event.

The Frank T. Wheeler Elementary School community is celebrating Women's History Month in March. Students have been reading a variety of books that recognize the accomplishments of trailblazing women. The books are compelling explorations of women’s lives across decades. Additionally, interesting facts about women in history are shared daily with students during morning announcements.

Plainville Community Schools' volunteer mentors and student mentees had a fun evening filled with magic tricks and illusions at the district's annual "Mentor Fun Night" on March 12th at Plainville High School. The New York Magician was sponsored by a generous grant from the Elizabeth H. Norton Trust Fund. Volunteer Coordinator Sue Bradley hosted the event, offering mentors and mentees a chance to enjoy a memorable experience outside the regular school day.

Students from the Plainville Community Schools Transition Program recently enjoyed a visit from WTNH News 8 Meteorologist, Joe Furey. Mr. Furey shared insight on his career path, weather, broadcasting, and what it takes to be successful in the Meteorology world.

A number of special reading related events and activities happened across the Plainville school district over the past two weeks, as Louis Toffolon Elementary School, Frank T. Wheeler Elementary School , and Linden Street School celebrated Read Across America! Highlights featured guest readers (including Plainville High School students who participated in a Learning Adventure Experience reading to students at all three elementary schools), book character dress up days, door decorating, Stop, Drop and Read, Makerspace activities, contests, and more. "Read Across America" is a yearly program initiated by the National Education Association (NEA) that encourages children and adults to celebrate reading.

The Middle School of Plainville hosted the annual CT State VEX IQ Robotics Championship at the middle school on March 1st with more than 60 teams represented from schools across the state. The Middle School of Plainville's Team 10931A earned a spot in the upcoming "Worlds" event in Dallas, Texas by winning the "Teamwork Championship Award" at the state competition. The Middle School of Plainville Robotics Advisor is faculty member, Camille Westfall.

The Middle School of Plainville Art Club recently created Valentine's Day "Love Bugs" as gifts for the community. The cute yarn creations were delivered on Valentine's Day to the Plainville Senior Center.

On February 20th, UBI Federal Credit Union CEO, Edward Bohnwagner, and Vice President of Marketing , Fred Brown, made the rounds visiting Linden Street School, Louis Toffolon Elementary School and Frank T. Wheeler Elementary School kindergarten classes to donate the book, "The Bear Ate Your Sandwich" to each student. This generosity was in recognition of "Random Acts of Kindness Day" celebrated on February 17th!

The Plainville Community Schools Transition Program members recently visited "The Next Chapter," a second-hand bookstore in West Hartford Center, run by West Hartford's Transition Program student group. Leading up to the visit, the Plainville student group worked to plan the trip and generate questions to ask the students in the West Hartford program. The Book store crew let every visiting student pick out a book to take back, and the West Hartford student group was eager to share their experiences in running their bookstore.

As the culminating activity for this year’s Chase The Chill Project, members of the Kids in the Middle (K.I.M.) Program, supported by Middle School of Plainville faculty member Melanie Ricci and Youth Services Program Coordinator Dayna Snell, distributed winter scarves, coats, mittens, gloves and hats throughout town for those in need to access.

The Louis Toffolon Elementary School Student Council, led by faculty member / advisor Shayla Quirion, recently held their annual "SOUP-ER BOWL" food drive. During the week of February 3rd, students brought in non-perishable food items to donate to the Plainville Community Food Pantry. They placed their donation into their respective "team's bins" and voted for who they thought would win the Super Bowl this year.

The Linden school community celebrated World Read Aloud Day on February 5th, with a number of special guest readers who visited classrooms to share a book or two with students. Additionally, author Bill Thomson visited Linden kindergartners, and several virtual sessions were held with authors throughout the day. Pictured is special guest reader, Plainville Board of Education Member, Foster White!

Excitement filled the halls of MSP as sixth grade students in Camille Westfall's Technology Education class recently completed their CO2 car project, combining hands-on engineering with friendly competition. The young engineers began their journey by creating prototypes out of foam, learning valuable design principles before moving on to the construction phase. Under Ms. Westfall's guidance, students gained practical experience using various saws and tools to bring their designs to life. Students approached the project with different strategies in mind. While some focused on creating sleek, aesthetically pleasing vehicles, others prioritized aerodynamic designs aimed at maximizing speed. This division in approach added an interesting dynamic to the project, allowing students to explore different aspects of engineering and design. The culmination of their hard work took place in the school hallway, where students raced their CO2-powered vehicles against one another. The races not only provided an exciting finish to the project but also gave successful designers some well-earned bragging rights among their peers. Through this hands-on project, Ms. Westfall's students gained practical experience in design, engineering, and construction while having fun in the process.

Frank T. Wheeler Elementary School fourth graders recently visited the Connecticut Historical Society. The students worked in teams and participated in hands-on activities examining artifacts and documents to introduce them to the historical stories of moving to Connecticut.

Students in Emma Bartley’s After School Program Multicultural Club at Frank T. Wheeler Elementary School recently learned about Lunar New Year, the Year of the Snake, what brings good luck for those who celebrate Lunar New Year ( like the color red), and read stories to learn more about it! The students also created Lunar New Year lanterns and lit them with flashlights.

Per state law, children must be five (5) years of age on or before September 1 to be eligible for kindergarten registration. Additionally, children need to be four (4) years of age on or before September 1 to register for Preschool. As such, the Plainville Community Schools kindergarten and preschool registration processes are as follows for the 2025-26 school year

Plainville High School students Hailey Andersen and Jacob LeGeyt have been named recipients of the first semester “Student Rocks Award” recognizing their outstanding contributions to Plainville High School.

On January 14th , members of the Plainville High School Choirs presented a coffeehouse style performance featuring solos and small group performances with a culminating piece including the full choir. The performance took place in the choir room at Plainville High School and featured lighting, sound, and graphic design from the Music and Media Technology classes at the high school. "This was truly a student organized event with students practicing and performing all of the music and students designing and running the technical aspects of the performance," said Plainville High School Choir teacher, Todd Helming. Audience members were captivated by the array of colors and amazing singers within the Plainville High School community. "This performance rivals what I would see in a professional concert," shared one audience member.

The January Plainville Community Schools “All-Star” award winners were recognized at the January 13th Board of Education meeting. They include: PCS Bilingual Teacher, Nicole Baker, Plainville High School Special Education Paraeducator, Sarah Clark, Linden Street School Special Education teacher, Elizabeth Rosenthal, Linden Street School Social Worker, Stacia Montague, Linden Street School Tutor, Fransiola Baci, and Linden Street School Special Education Paraeducator, Jamie Haas. The “All-Star” award recognizes students, faculty, staff and community members who go above and beyond in modeling the school district’s Portrait of the Graduate characteristics and demonstrating excellence in alignment with the school district's goals.

On January 3rd, 2025 Linden Street School hosted their first-ever induction ceremony into the Linden Street Chapter of the National Elementary Honor Society (NEHS). Principal, Melissa Orfitelli, and advisors, Sarah Baker, Cristine Bravado, and Anais Rosario, honored twelve outstanding students who have exemplified the qualities that they strive to cultivate in the school community—character, scholarship, leadership, service, and citizenship

Several school district programs and initiatives received additional support this year, thanks to grants received from the Elizabeth H. Norton Trust Fund. Volunteer Coordinator, Sue Bradley, received a grant to support the district’s volunteer-based Mentor Program. Specifically, the grant funding will support the annual “Mentor Fun Night” event in March, where district volunteer mentors will gather with their student mentees to participate in a “magic” themed, interactive evening of fun, outside of their traditional weekly mentoring sessions at school.

Plainville Community Schools once again participated in “PJ Day for the Kids” on December 13th, raising funds to support pediatric cancer research and children fighting cancer at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford. This year, the Plainville school district raised over $8,450, placing the school district in the Top 5 in Connecticut for fundraising this year.

Students in the Middle School of Plainville's VEX Robotics program, under the direction of faculty member and advisor, Camille Westfall, participated in the Connecticut STEM Academy’s 2025 VEX Robotics Competition on January 4th at Quinnipiac University. The Plainville students joined more than 30 middle school teams for the competition, and took home the “Teamwork Award”.

Fourth and fifth grade students from all three Plainville elementary schools attended the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) Elementary Leadership Conference at Asnuntuk Community College College in Enfield on January 6th. Students had the unique opportunity to develop 21st century leadership skills through various activities and working with students from other school districts. The students were engaged in hands-on activities that focused on creative problem solving, communication, decision making, and productive thinking.

The Plainville Adult and Continuing Education program received $500 from 4imprint’s “one by one® Grant." Funds will support special edition adult bucket hats, produced by 4imprint, and will be given to the first 25 enrollees in the mandated adult education program, Integrated English Literacy and Civics Education. This group of adult English language learners partake in weekly community field trips. The hat’s design features a hand drawn school bus with the words “Learning on the Go!” created by Adult Education student, Dylan Johnson. Kelley Whitlock, Office Professional, oversaw this community service project while Johnson spent many hours developing and fine tuning the design. Whitlock commented, “ The hats will provide a talking point which may lead to beautiful conversations about 4imprint, and our collaboration, cultures, citizenship, and languages. Jill O’Brien, Plainville Adult and Continuing Education Coordinator added, “The hats will provide a symbolic message to the community: it’s never too late to seek learning opportunities.” The Plainville Adult and Continuing Education Spring Semester’s Program Guide will be mailed to all Plainville residents in late January.

Linden Street School Kindergarteners and their guests participated in a “Gingerbread House Family Event” on December 19th! The “Lindy Café” was filled with fun, creativity and a lot of sweet materials for decorating the gingerbread houses!

The Plainville High School Physical Education Department recently hosted a "Breakfast Of Champions" for all ninth and tenth grade students who passed all four sections of the Connecticut Physical Fitness Assessment.

Middle School of Plainville (MSP) students had an exciting Snow Spirit Week, leading up to the school community's first Winter Wonderland Celebration. Students had the opportunity to sign up to participate in a variety of festive and creative activities to celebrate the season. MSP Art teachers, Laura Meehan and Lori Vigue hosted a group of student artists who created beautiful hand painted canvas winter landscapes.

On December 18th, the Louis Toffolon Elementary School Choir, under the direction of Toffolon Music Teacher Greg Wilfrid, went on their annual Holiday Caroling Field Trip! There are 49 fourth and fifth graders in Toffolon's Choir, which rehearses before school on Wednesday mornings. The Choir traveled to Apple Rehab Plainville, the Plainville Senior Center, the Jerome Home, and Arbor Rose in New Britain to spread holiday cheer with holiday carols.

The Plainville Adult Education Advisory Council hosted a holiday gift drive to benefit the Prudence Crandall Center. In photo: Adult and Continuing Education Office Professional, Kelley Whitlock, with Caylee Chenkus, Prudence Crandall Center Development Manager, Communications.

The December Plainville Community Schools “All-Star” award winner, Middle School Special Education Teacher, Thomas Lombardo, was recognized at the December 9th Board of Education meeting. The “All-Star” award recognizes students, faculty, staff and community members who go above and beyond in modeling the school district’s Portrait of the Graduate characteristics and demonstrating excellence in alignment with the school district's goals. Tom is pictured with Superintendent Brian Reas, Middle School Principal, Aimee Roberts, and Plainville Board of Education Chair, Becky Tyrrell.

Students in Laura Meehan’s Art classes at the Middle School of Plainville recently participated in the 2nd annual “MSP Disguise the Turkey” drawing contest. Students were tasked with creating an original costume to disguise a turkey for Thanksgiving. Congratulations to the winners as follows: Third Place “Waldo” by Nick Ballinger, grade 7, Second Place “Snoop Dogg” by Jaxson Bouchard, grade 8, and First place “Turkey Tree” by Giovanni Evangelista, grade 7.

(Plainville, CT) The Plainville school district has been recognized with several awards from the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE), according to Superintendent of Schools, Brian Reas.

Linden Street School fourth graders recently spent time learning about the Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. Students read about the history of the parade and created a timeline to represent the changes that have happened since the parade was established. They also listened to a "read aloud" about the parade, and watched a video to learn about the engineering and art used to create the balloons. Finally, fourth graders created their very own balloons and celebrated by participating in a balloon parade for the kindergarten and first grade students at Linden.

Members of the Middle School of Plainville's Art Helper’s Club, led by faculty member, Laura Meehan, recently attended a field trip to the New Britain Museum of American Art. Students were able to experience a guided tour of the Museum's contemporary art collection. The students participated in discussions about art, and had the opportunity to create their own unique piece of Art inspired by the museum collection. The Art Helpers Club is comprised of a group of MSP students who create community service based art projects. In November, the Art Helpers created holiday ornaments for local veterans. They also made hand drawn Thanksgiving cards for residents of Apple Rehab in Plainville.

The Middle School of Plainville Robotics program, under the direction of faculty member Camille Westfall, fared well at the first competition of the season held in Greenwich, Connecticut on November 23rd. MSP Team 10931A was ranked 20th out of 28 after qualification, and received sixth place in Finals. Additionally, they were tied for third place in Skills, and won the "Judges Award" at the competition!

Since September, the students in sixth grade Social Studies classes at the Middle School of Plainville have been studying the importance of water. One area of focus was on the causes and effects of drought on communities. Students learned that forest fires and wildfires can be caused by extreme drought conditions, along with other issues. As a result of their studies, the extremely dry local conditions, and the Hawthorne Fire in Berlin, Connecticut, the students wanted to support firefighters in some way. Under the direction of faculty members Stephanie Turbett and Karen Baleshiski, the students spent three weeks planning, organizing, collecting contributions, and putting care packages together, including grab-and-go snacks, for local fire departments and crews working in Connecticut. The care packages were recently delivered to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Incident Command in Newington, Connecticut and the local Plainville Fire Department. As a result of the thoughtful gesture by the Middle School students, a group of firefighters from across the United States and Canada, who are working in collaboration with DEEP, visited the sixth graders at the Middle School on November 21st to share their gratitude and provide an overview of their role in combating fires in Connecticut and across the country. The students also enjoyed a cameo visit from "Smokey the Bear" as part of the event.

The Middle School of Plainville held their 2024 National Junior Honor Society induction ceremony on November 22nd. The program included a welcome address from faculty member / advisor Victor Terranova, NJHS President Grace Muldoon, and MSP Principal Aimee Roberts. Current members of the MSP NJHS reviewed the qualities of the Honor Society, followed by the induction of five new members for 2024.

Public School Superintendents’ (CAPSS) Superintendent / Student Recognition Award and Certificate of Excellence at the annual Superintendent’s Award Presentation held on November 19th, during a luncheon at J. Timothy’s restaurant.

The Linden Street School community is supporting those in need through a "food drive" organized by faculty members Kerry Craft and Sarah Baker. The school community filled two large bins with items to be donated to the Plainville Community Food Pantry.

The November Plainville Community Schools “All-Star” award winner, Louis Toffolon Elementary School Paraprofessional, Christiann Jones, was recognized at the November11th Board of Education meeting. The “All-Star” award recognizes students, faculty, staff and community members who go above and beyond in modeling the school district’s Portrait of the Graduate characteristics and demonstrating excellence in alignment with the school district's goals.

A group of Middle School of Plainville students, together with faculty members Camille Westfall and Kim Coyle, attended the Future Workforce Opportunities Fair at the Aerospace Components Manufacturers Aerospace Alley Tradeshow event at the Connecticut Convention Center on October 31. The students interacted with over 100 manufacturers and learned about various career pathways.

A group of Plainville High School students in the high school's Italian language program, together with faculty member Rosy Pitruzzello, recently participated in a Full Immersion Italian Language and Culture Day at UCONN and competed against other Connecticut High Schools in a Quiz Bowl - the Plainville High School student group placed third in the competition!

Plainville Community Schools has been awarded a 2023-2024 “Red, White & Blue” school district designation from the State of Connecticut, for its districtwide Veterans Day programming.

The Middle School of Plainville's MSPN student group, together with faculty members Kim Coyle and Camille Westfall recently toured WFSB 3. During the visit, they were able to see a professional broadcast studio and production.

Local musician Peter Peluso and Plainville Board of Education member / volunteer Foster White are once again hosting an “accordion lesson” after school program for elementary school students in Plainville, with third grade students at Louis Toffolon Elementary School participating in the fall session. The primary focus of the free, six week program is to introduce a new musical instrument as well as exposing students to the cultural aspects of accordion music.

During the month of October, Frank T. Wheeler Elementary School students, families, and staff wore mismatched socks or shoes and made a one dollar donation toward Down Syndrome awareness. As a result, the school community raised $170 for the Down Syndrome Foundation.

The Plainville Community Schools Food and Nutrition Services team at Linden Street School hosted a special event on October 9th in recognition of CT Grown for CT Kids Week. CT Grown for CT Kids Week is an annual event happening every October in Connecticut. This week aims to celebrate and support local agriculture, public education and our community commitment to the importance of healthy nutritious meals in schools. The event highlighted the Plainville Community Schools' Food and Nutrition Services Department's commitment to incorporating fresh, local produce and products into school meals and featured the newly remodeled Linden Street School cafeteria promoting health and wellness, a local "Harvest of the Month" taste test, supported by a recently awarded CTGFCTK microgrant, and the opportunity to see Linden students act as "chefs-in-training" as they prepared the "Harvest of the Month" item and served it to fellow students and guests. In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the taste test featured Alhambra Elote (Mexican Street Corn) which will be on the menu in all Plainville schools this year.

A group of Plainville High school students, led by Career Center Coordinator, Sue Bradley, enjoyed a comprehensive tour of local manufacturing company Trumpf Inc. in Farmington, Connecticut, on October 4th, as part of National Manufacturing Month. The students were able to learn about the Trumpf company and related career pathways while touring the facility.

The Plainville High School Counseling Department hosted the annual "College Fair" for students at the high school on October 7th. Students were able to visit with representatives from more than 100 colleges, universities , trade schools and military branches to learn about the admissions process, academics, campus life, career preparation and more.

More than 100 professionals from local businesses and organizations, representing the 16 National Career Clusters, participated in the Plainville High School "Career Gallery 2024" event held on September 27th. The Career Gallery event, held in the school's Wood Gymnasium allowed high school students to visit "career tables" organized by Career Cluster, to discuss vocational pathways of interest with visiting professionals. Additionally, Plainville High School will host a "Career Focused Learning Adventure Day" on November 7th, where students will have the opportunity to visit professionals on site at their workplaces and / or attend interactive vocational exploration sessions at the high school hosted by visiting professionals.

Special Olympics North America has announced that Plainville High School, a school with Special Olympics Unified Champion School® programming, is receiving national banner recognition for its efforts to provide inclusive sports and activities for students with and without intellectual disabilities.

During a recent "morning meeting" in Bridget McKenna's first grade class at Linden Street School, she introduced the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. To help students understand its significance, they watched a video that explained what Hispanic Heritage Month is and why it is celebrated.

Louis Toffolon Elementary School Physical Education Teacher, Rob Silliman, has been selected as the Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CTAHPERD)'s Elementary School Physical Education Teacher of the Year! Rob will be honored at the organization's Annual Awards Reception in Southbury, Connecticut on November 21st.

September 9-13, 2024 is National Arts in Education Week! We are proud of the multitude of opportunities our students have to participate in high quality, award winning Arts programs led by our talented faculty members in Plainville Community Schools.

Plainville Adult and Continuing Education has been awarded WIOA Title II Program Enhancement Projects (PEP) for Adult Education federal grant funds, to support three priority areas, totaling $105,000, according to Superintendent of Schools, Brian Reas.

Joanna Tysko and Jacqueline Cappiello have been named assistant principals at the Middle School of Plainville, according to Superintendent of Schools, Brian Reas.