Sprague School principal outlines student routines, discipline gains and after-school activities

Sprague School Principal Stephanie Carpentieri told the Waterbury Board of Education on Feb. 13 that the school has focused on learning targets, daily warm-ups and restorative practices and has seen improvements in student outcomes.

Carpentieri said Sprague began a partnership with a consulting provider in fall 2022 and that teachers start lessons with “do nows” and warm-ups so students can refer to clear learning targets and success criteria. "Mrs. Maes and I are super proud of our discipline data," she said, noting decreases in both in-school and out-of-school suspensions for general-education and special-education students.

The nut graf: The presentation emphasized classroom routines, social-emotional supports and community events as the driving elements of the gains Carpentieri described — including a school-based bounce-back program from the Connecticut Mental Health Authority (CMHA), weekly screening and an eight-week intervention series.

In the body of the presentation Carpentieri listed school practices she credited with improvements: morning meetings, restorative circles, daily lunch groups focused on respect and conflict resolution, and a new “building-thinking” classroom approach intended to increase collaboration and problem solving from kindergarten through fifth grade. Carpentieri reported midyear iReady growth rising from 51% in the prior year to 60% in the current year for students advancing about one grade level at midyear.

Staff and former Sprague students who now teach at the school also addressed the board. Teacher Marcion Smith Price said he feels “honored to be able to return and give back to my community,” and third-grade teacher Jessica Menegro described building “really strong connections” with students as a rewarding part of her work. Several student representatives — Marcel Fleming (grade 5), Dxeli McDonald (grade 4), Jacob Inman (grade 3), Qualief Red Cross (grade 3) and Angel Mohika (kindergarten) — told the board what they like about the school, naming teachers, activities and gym as favorites.

Carpentieri also described community events and fundraisers used to pay for student activities and transportation, including trunk-or-treat nights, a multicultural potluck and family nights that brought authors and presenters into the building. She invited board members to attend spring fundraisers and school celebrations.

Ending: The presentation concluded with a brief question-and-answer period about traffic and dismissal patterns at Sprague and a request from a commissioner to explore traffic control during peak drop-off and pick-up periods. Carpentieri explained buses use the school front entrance and car drop-offs occur at the rear; she said the pattern has been in place for nine years and that the school has reworked procedures but acknowledged high traffic at the site.