SUPERINTENDENT DR. JOHN BARRY
SOUTHWICK – The first day of school for the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District has been bumped to Sept. 2 due to construction work.
Superintendent John Barry notified parents last week of the change via phone message and a letter was posted on the district website.
Opening day for grades one – 12 is Sept. 2, with preschool and kindergarten orientation the following day and kindergarten starts Sept. 4.
Barry said the last day of school has not changed and is set for June 12 if there are no snow days, and June 19 if there are five snow days.
“We made some changes to professional development days and we are using Good Friday as a half-day so that it doesn’t change the last day,” said Barry.
Construction and renovations continue at the Southwick-Tolland-Granville-Regional Middle High School. (File photo by Frederick Gore)
Construction on all three Southwick campus schools has forged ahead throughout the summer. While much of the project is ahead of schedule, some items set parts of the project back.
“We did not plan on having to change the calendar, but it became obvious in early August that if we did not make some changes there was the distinct possibility of a disorganized opening,” said Barry.
Teachers are set to head back to their classrooms Aug. 27 and Teacher Professional Days are planned for Aug. 28 and 29.
The planned open houses and staff collaboration days remain the same, and there will be no school for students Jan. 2 in order to have a professional day for teachers.
While changing the start of school in August is not a routine practice, Barry said it could not be helped.
Barry’s letter apologized for the change.
“We have tried to make this decision early enough for families to plan ahead, nonetheless, I am sorry if the changes cause any inconvenience for you or your family,” the letter states. “Also, please understand that while there is no construction at the Granville Village School, these calendar changes apply to all our schools.”
