January 15, 2021
Joint PTC Meeting
On Tuesday morning the PTCs from West, South and East held a joint meeting via Zoom and welcomed Superintendent Dr. Luizzi, director of curriculum Dr. Jill Correnty and the principals from the three elementary schools. Dr. Luizzi and Dr. Correnty discussed the 2021-22 budget and provided a covid update. If you were unable to join the presentation and would like to view the recording, please click here. The passcode is E0#7EBb%

Holiday Teacher Appreciation Luncheon
On Wednesday afternoon the teachers and staff at West finally enjoyed the holiday luncheon we had planned for December (and was rescheduled due to the snow storm!) Here are some photos of the festive spread, which included boxed lunches from Walter Stewart’s and fresh baked cookies from the NCHS cafeteria. We are always so grateful for the amazing staff and everything they do for our children… especially this year, after a week of remote learning!
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY, Monday, January 18th
No School.

PERFORMING ARTS COMMITTEE PRESENTS THE TANGLEWOOD MARIONETTES, Friday, January 29th

SPIRIT DAY, Friday, January 29nd
Wear your green, white or Westy!

VIRTUAL VARIETY SHOW, Thursday, February 4th at 6 PM

SPIRIT DAY, Friday, February 5th
Wear your green, white or Westy!

VISITING AUTHOR STUART GIBBS, Tuesday, February 9th

JOINT ELEMENTARY PTC CARES MEETING WITH SPEAKER LYNN SULLIVAN, Tuesday, February 9th

WINTER BREAK, Friday, February 12th - Friday, February 19th
No School.
WEST SCHOOL STEM CHALLENGE - STRAW BRIDGES!
Unfortunately, this year we will not be able to get together to enjoy Math Night activities. However, this brings an opportunity to try something new! Are you ready for a challenge? Introducing West School Stem Challenge: Straw Bridges! This activity will give students the opportunity to learn more about what makes bridges strong. They will then use the information they've learned to build their own bridge! A materials kit will be sent home with the youngest child in the family. Look out for an email on Monday, January 25th for more details!
WEST SCHOOL VIRTUAL VARIETY SHOW
Grab the popcorn, gather the family and snuggle up on the couch, our annual variety show is going virtual for 2021 on Thursday, February 4th! Our talented third and fourth graders have been working hard on their performances and we can't wait to see what they will entertain us with this year. Please save the date - a virtual link will be sent out soon!
IT'S TIME TO ORDER YOUR WEST SCHOOL MEMORY BOOK!
It's time to order your West School Memory Book! Memory books contain 144 dazzling, colorful pages of fun from the year. This is a treasured book children will love to look back on in years to come. Books are $25 each. Deadline to order is Monday, February 15th. 1. Click here to purchase 2. Find West School in the drop downs 3. Click ‘Shop My School’ 4. Click ‘Add to Cart” 5. Enter student information 6. Complete your purchase! Questions? Email [email protected]
BOOKS! BOOKS!
Please check your homes and backpacks and return any West School library books you may have. Let’s start the new year off with the library full of books for students to bring home.  
WESTY FACE MASKS
LIMITED remaining inventory! You can purchase your Westy face mask and waist pouch here along with other fun spirit wear items for the cold winter months!
3RD AND 4TH GRADE VIRTUAL CODING CLUB
Mr. McLeod, East School's ICT teacher, has started a new virtual coding club for all 3rd and 4th graders who are interested in learning to code. This class includes a weekly emailed challenge that the students receive from Mr. McLeod, to be completed by the following week. Students learn the basics of coding, starting with Scratch, and will delve deeper into the world of coding via Python. To learn more about this exciting new opportunity, click here! This class schedule is flexible! Students can participate each week that they are available. To access the class directly, have your child enter the following code into google classroom: ucpkxys
BOE UPDATE
On Monday, January 11th, the Board of Education convened in the Wagner Room with some members attending virtually. To begin the meeting, Dr. Luizzi provided an update on the district-wide remote learning from the week of January 4th and covid testing at the conclusion of last week. Dr. Luizzi also discussed the updated quarantine guidance, the ongoing impact of covid on sports and the decision to maintain the high school in the hybrid mode this week. Following the covid update, Dr. Luizzi and Dr. Keating presented an in-depth review of the Superintendent's 2021-22 budget for operational and capital expenses. The budget plans for around $95M in operational spending and includes funding for the new DEI goals and modifications for school start times.
 
The next BOE virtual meeting is Monday, January 25th at 7:00 PM. The meeting agenda and prior meeting minutes are here. Questions? Please contact the West BOE representative Erica Schwedel at [email protected].
NEW CANAAN LIBRARY - THE MYSTERIOUS ZOOM ART SOCIETY
In Trenton Lee Stewart’s Mysterious Benedict Society books, children enroll to tackle a series of missions that only the most resourceful and creative children could complete. Join us on Zoom on Wednesday January 20th at 4:15 PM for a monthly mystery art project. Pickup a kit from the library with the supplies needed to complete your secret art mission and we’ll work it out together during our virtual class time. We will start each meeting with a riddle or puzzle needed to unlock the secret project. For 2nd-5th grades. Register by January 15th to pickup a supply kit from the library! Kits will be available for pickup January 11th-20th. In addition to the supplies in the kits, you will need markers, scissors and a gluestick for this month’s project. Please click here for more information.