About CGS
2023-2024 Coventry Public Schools District Handbook
Coventry Grammar School opened its doors to children in 1955 and, although its physical appearance and grade configurations have changed over the years, the same welcoming spirit that greeted the first generation of its students continues to the present day.
Educational programs and curriculum development at Coventry Grammar School are organized around a K-2 instructional framework. Teachers in each instructional group communicate regularly during in-service training and at grade-level and staff meetings, and share a continuing commitment to the development of higher-order thinking skills and the integration of language arts and mathematics with other content area subjects. Children are encouraged to climb the scaffold of skills and concepts at their own pace, fully confident of their teachers’ support and assistance.
Classes are grouped heterogeneously and in the spirit of full inclusion. Our school is wholly committed to differentiated instruction so that children are grouped in a variety of ways (e.g., by ability, interest, special talent, etc.) to meet specific educational needs during the school day and week. Such groupings are flexible to allow students diverse learning opportunities and to encourage students to partner with a variety of their classmates. Concerns about struggling students are discussed immediately with parents. Teacher resources include consultation with special education and related services staff (such as a school social worker and psychologist), and/or referral to the school’s Child Study Team (CST) for short-term interventions by a CST case partner. Every effort is made to support students within the regular education environment before a referral is made for a Planning and Placement Team (PPT) meeting and the consideration of testing and the possibility of special education.
Annual classroom themes and school programs at Coventry Grammar School stress the importance of friendships, caring, sharing, and respecting the differences of others whether in class, on the playground, at lunch, or on the school bus. Bullying and other forms of harassment will not and cannot be tolerated. To help ensure the encouragement of a safe, respectful, and welcoming learning environment for all students, our faculty and staff have continued to receive training in two nationally recognized, social skills-based programs – “The Responsive Classroom” and “Don’t Laugh At Me”.
Clear, regular, on-going, and two-way communications between home and school are essential. We fully acknowledge and respect that parents and families are the first teachers of children. As the result, our faculty and staff reflect this message in the myriad formats provided that encourage home-school collaborations. Each student’s academic and social progress is reported to parents quarterly, and parent conferences are scheduled at the parents’ and teachers’ mutual convenience in November and April. Additionally, conversation is encouraged via parent meetings, telephone calls, notes, and email exchanges.
Through weekly flyers and other topical handouts, classroom teachers suggest ways in which parents can best help with their children’s learning. Classroom programs such as storybook-bags, book logs, and reading journals have a home component that asks parents to read along with their children and to monitor their children’s reading progress. The school Library encourages parents to check out books to share with their children and to visit pre-viewed websites that feature famous authors of children’s literature. Additionally, our Library has books and videos designed to assist parents in developing reading skills at home.
A very popular PTO newsletter is sent home to each family monthly, and contains information about each grade-level’s current instructional units as well as news of upcoming school happenings. Our school’s website posts information about our school, telephone numbers and email addresses of our faculty and staff, an up-to-date calendar of events, and slides of special school activities, presentations, and celebrations.
In all areas and programs, parent volunteers are welcome and valued! Their active presence and eager participation bonds them to our school in a very special way, and their diverse skills and talents are an incredible resource. Even separated or divorced parents who do not see their children daily can also “stay in touch” through the newsletters, report cards, and other pertinent notices that we will gladly send them at their request.
Our school’s dynamic and dedicated PTO provides creative, enthusiastic, and unwavering support for co-curricular programs and field experiences, and sponsors a number of “family fun” activities throughout the year at no cost to parents or students. In March, the primary and intermediate schools’ PTOs co-sponsor a “Kids Fun Fair” that attracts and engages hundreds of Coventry and local area visitors on a Saturday afternoon. Our school’s Spring Arts Festival, an eagerly anticipated annual event, features every child in a song or dance number planned and carried out with the cooperation of classroom teachers and Art, Music, and Physical Education specialists.
Welcome to Coventry Grammar School. We are proud to have you join our wonderful school family!