2018
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Award Winners

NBRS Badge for Forest School

Forest School - West Haven, CT

Students display Books for Keeps from our Owls Nest Library.

Students display "Books for Keeps" from our Owls Nest Library.

Forest School (PK-4) is located in the Allingtown section of the city of West Haven, Connecticut. Forest is a Title I school that serves 453 students. Our school has one of the largest populations of English Learners (EL) in West Haven with over 16 different primary home languages.

Forest prides itself on its model of layered shared leadership that provides strategies, resources, and training to support teachers. Collaboration from the district level to the building level maintains this support. Building level needs are supported by the building’s Mathematics Coach, Reading Consultant, SPED and EL teams. These supports provide model lessons, strategies and resources to grade levels as well as tier level instruction(SRBI) while echoing the belief that all children can learn.

We capitalized on the strategies utilized focusing on the five tenets of learning: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking. Each lesson is created to integrate these tenets explicitly and consistently in all lessons to all youngsters. Youngsters are taught and reinforced skills within their Tier I and Tier III instruction, using Scientific Research Based Interventions (SRBI) supported by EL, literacy, mathematics, and special education staff.

We have recognized even the smallest movements in academic and social-emotional growth. We have taken teachers and students alike, through the process to independently use research based strategies, and corresponding resources to improve teaching and learning. We continue with our successful journey in making a difference for all of students.

2018 Awardee

Forest School

95 Burwell Road
West Haven, CT, 06516-1299

(203) 931-6800

Principal at time of Nomination:
Mr. Thomas J Hunt

Title I School

West Haven School District

Urban or large central city

School Website

Mission

Forest Elementary School faculty and staff are committed to a philosophy that all children can learn by building character, fostering respect, and inspiring a quest for knowledge to achieve success for all students.

Student Demographics

  • Asian: 4%
  • Black/African American: 27%
  • Hispanic: 46%
  • Native American: 1%
  • White: 15%
  • Two or more races: 7%
  • ELL: 29%
  • Economically Disadvantaged: 78%
  • Application