Spring is here and we couldn't be happier to be having some warmer weather! We are thrilled to share the news that our Town Council voted to
fully fund the Board of Education budget for the 2019-2020 school year. A big THANK YOU to South parents who voiced your support and helped with this huge undertaking. Please see more information in the Board of Education section.
South is also quite busy these next few months so please take a few minutes to read through the entire POST so you are aware of important dates and information.
Feedback is always welcome on the Post or other South School PTC matters at
[email protected]
Lindsey Niedermeier for keeping our bulletin boards bright and up to date all year!
Samantha Pound for all her work coordinating Tish Rabe's visit to South School.
Lindsey Niedermeier
and
Steph Coogan
for organizing a fun and enthusiastic Sound Tigers Hockey outing for South School!
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From Joanne Rocco and Matt Kascak
Withdrawals from NCPS
As we begin to plan for next year, it would be very helpful to know if your child(ren) will be withdrawing from NCPS for the 2019 - 2020 school year. It would also be important for Saxe to know of any fourth graders who will not be attending fifth grade at Saxe. This information is beneficial to us during the placement process and in determining the number of class sections needed. Please contact us at
[email protected] or
[email protected] as soon as possible. A withdrawal form must also be completed and can be found on the district website
here
.
South School Staff Join the NCHS Color Run - April 27
23 of your favorite South School staff members will be donning their sneakers and participating in this year's Color Run at NCHS on April 27. To see our South School training video for this event, click on
here.
Never participated in the Color Run? Click on this link to see a video from last year's exciting event -
2018 NC Color Run Video
. If you would like to support the South School team please click here to help! We hope to see you there!
Walk to School Day - Friday, May 3
One of our favorite South School traditions is approaching - Walk to School Day! South School is partnering with the Town of New Canaan to encourage students and families to begin walking or bicycling to school to promote healthy lifestyles and reduce traffic in the South School area. We hope students will wake up a few minutes earlier, have a hearty breakfast and join in the fun with friends or families to help us kick off this initiative the morning of
Friday, May 3.
Celebrating our South School Staff
Over the next two months, we celebrate
Administrative Professionals Day
(
April 24
),
School Nurse Day
(
May 8
) and
Teacher Appreciation Week
(
May 6 - 10
). Our terrific secretaries, nurse and staff would love it if your children stop by on these days to thank them for their hard work on the behalf of everyone at South School.
Congratulations to Mrs. Cross on the birth of her second child, Kayleigh Grace born on March
28 and to Mrs. Cornwell on the birth of her granddaughter Emerson, also born on March 28. Best wishes to Mrs. Cross and Mrs. Cornwell and their families on their newest addition to their families
.
Kindergarten Orientation
Kindergarten Orientation sessions will be held on April 10 and 11. Parents who have already completed and submitted the registration paperwork have been invited to attend one of these sessions with their child. If you, or anyone you know, has a child who is eligible to attend kindergarten next year, please complete the online registration forms as soon as possible. Thank you.
IMPORTANT - Spring Standardized Assessment Schedule for Grades 2, 3 and 4
District-wide annual standardized tests will be administered to students in the following grades on the dates listed below. These are not assessments that your children can study for ahead of time. The best way to prepare is to make sure that your children have a good night's sleep, a healthy breakfast and arrive at school on time. Please make every effort to avoid appointments or other non-health related absences on these days. Each of the test sessions lasts no more than an hour and are designed for the grade levels that are taking them. The results of the Grade 2 assessments will be shared with parents at the end of the school year, and the third and fourth-grade results are shared with parents in the fall. We use the results along with data from other assessments to help plan and adjust curriculum and to help teachers meet individual student's needs.
- UPDATED DATES: Grade 2 will take the Degrees Of Reading Power (DRP) assessment on Wednesday, April 24 and Thursday, April 25.
- Grades 3 and 4 will take the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments (SBA) between Wednesday, April 24 through Friday, May, 3 (the state requires us to have 100% participation in these assessments).
- Grade 3 will take two subtests (Quantitative Reasoning and Verbal Reasoning) of the Educational Research Bureau, Comprehensive Test Program IV (ERB-CPT IV) - Dates yet to be determined, but will be in late May.
If you have any questions about these assessments, please contact your child's teacher or Mr. Kascak.
Follow South Happenings on Twitter!
Follow South School's great work and happenings at @South_School. I'll be posting weekly updates to keep everyone informed and updated.
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April 2019
10: Innovation Night, NCPS
10-11: Kindergarten Orientation
12:
School Spirit Day - Mismatch Day!
15-19:
Spring Break - No School
23: PTC Presentation: What is Right with My Child, 9:30 a.m., East School
26: Art Show, 6-8 p.m.
May 2019
2: Variety Show Dress Rehearsal, 5-7 p.m, Saxe Auditorium
3: Walk to School Day
3: The Variety Show, 6:30 p.m., Saxe Auditorium
6-10: Staff Appreciation Week
15: 3rd Grade Concert
22: 4th Grade Concert
27:
Memorial Day - No School
31: Adult Social, 6:30 - 10:30 p.m., Carriage Barn House
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Last call for Final After-School Fun Registrations
Registration for the final session of After-School Fun began on March 25. A limited number of new spring classes will be offered after school beginning at the end of April and extending for 5 weeks.
Many of these classes are taught by our own fantastic South School teachers! For a list and registration info,
click here
.
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We Need Your Help for Staff Appreciation Week!
Planning is underway for South School's Staff Appreciation Week from May 6-10. To show our gratitude to our wonderful South School Staff, we are providing a week of delicious catered meals and treats from several New Canaan-based vendors.
If you would like to make a donation to fund the staff festivities, please click
here to help. Thank you for your support!
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Variety Show: Join the South Paw Shuffle!
Join the South Paw Shuffle: c
alling all 3
rd
and 4
th
graders who want to be part of the opening act featuring Mr. Messina and Mr. MacDonald! The Shuffle is a fun dance (very simple, no experience needed) created by Mr. MacDonald and Mr. Messina that has become a Variety Show tradition.
If your child would like to join the act, here's what you need to do:
- Email Erica D'Urso with your child's name and grade.
- Click here to pay $20 registration fee. (Note: only pay if your child is not in the show already)
- Plan to attend the mandatory dress rehearsal on May 2 and show on May 3 at Saxe auditorium (exact arrival time TBD).
- Make sure you are able to attend a quick rehearsal before school on May 1 (more info to come).
COVER ART CONTEST
Don't forget to submit your art (color accepted) on a white 8.5" x 11" piece of paper, to the basket in the main office by Friday, April 27. Only 3
rd
and 4th
graders may enter.
Parent volunteers are needed to help during the dress rehearsal and show. No experience is needed! If you can help please email
Shipra Kamboj.
Important dates to remember:
- Mandatory Dress Rehearsal - Thurs, May 2
- THE BIG SHOW - Friday, May 3 - Saxe Auditorium
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Parent Talk: What is (Wrong) Right With My Child
The next Joint
Elementary
PTC will be on
April 23 at 9:30 a.m., East School Galley.
Do you ever wonder why your child acts a certain way? Join New Canaan CARES speaker Bunny Potts and learn how to understand and celebrate your child as the unique individual he/she is. Discover ways to appreciate and nurture your child even if they are very different from yourself or siblings.
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"Litterless Lunch" on April 24 - Bring an Item to Compost!
In honor of Earth Day, South School will hold a Litterless Lunch on Wednesday, April 24. The goal is for students to see if they can avoid throwing anything out as trash and will compost food scraps instead. As usual, students will recycle all recyclable items and are encouraged to use reusable lunch containers, silverware and cloth napkins. Since this will serve as an introduction to composting, we would like everyone to have something to compost. If packing lunch from home, try to include a food that would have scraps to discard. For example, an orange so your child can compost the peel or grapes with a vine to compost. Let's see how little actual trash the students generate!
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The Spring Art Show Returns on April 26!
South School's annual Art Show is on
Friday, April 26 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Every child's artwork will be
featured in the halls of South School and light refreshments will be provided. For aspiring artists, there will be a craft table available to create a new masterpiece!
Please consider volunteering!
We are looking for volunteers for the evening of the Art Show to make the event a success.
Please sign up
here
to volunteer.
(Featured art by Marco Monaco, Grade 3)
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Author Tish Rabe Shares Her Writing Tips
On March 27, the South School PTC welcomed award-winning author Tish Rabe to South School! Tish hosted an assembly filled with singing and stories of her life as an author, singer, and song writer.
She shared interesting facts about continuing the Dr. Seuss legacy including
chara
cters she's allowed to write for and using the
Dr. Seuss rhyming style with fun made-up words. The kids were surprised to learn that some of her science Dr. Seuss books, such as There's No Place Like Space, take up to 2 years to com
plete. She shared her personal writing strategy of starting with the last page first, and news of her youngest grandchild who was just born on March 2 - Dr. Seuss's birthday!
Finally, Tish left our young writers with a tip: when writing a book, have a friend read your words aloud to you, it will help your writing process and you'll learn a lot!
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Walk to School Day is Back on May 3!
Wear your South School colors and clothing and walk to school on Friday, May 3! The PTC will have coffee and bagels on both playgrounds for all parents! It's always a fun morning at South School, so plan to meet up or park in town and meet up with friends. Your class parents can help organize a plan for you, so please reach out to them if you need ideas.
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Upcoming 3rd and 4th Grade Concerts
The
3rd Grade Chorus Concert will be May 15, and the 4th Grade Chorus Concert will be on May 22, both at 9 a.m. in South Hall. All are invited to attend!
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There are two drives currently going on at South School. The fourth grade is collecting non-perishable food donations to support
the Bread Of Life Drive, sponsored by
the University of Notre Dame. B
oxes are located
in South Hall Lobby or in the fourth grade
hallway
.
Preferred items include: canned soup, fruit and vegetables, baby food, formula, pasta, tomato sauce, canned tuna, meat or ravioli, oatmeal, cereal, peanut butter & jelly, powdered or evaporated milk, cooking oil, salt, pepper, cinnamon, pancake mix, syrup, instant or regular coffee, microwave popcorn, powdered drinks, rice, instant potatoes, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, granola bars, and boxed snacks.
The first grade is collecting children's books to benefit the Read 2 Succeed Program. Collection bins are located in each of the first grade classrooms, and any elementary or preschool-age books are welcome!
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South School Marker Recycling Program
Student Council will be collecting used markers that are ready to be discarded. Send in any used markers you may have around the house - even non-Crayola brands! Highlighters and dry erase markers can also be included. Drop-off boxes will be located around the school for your child to deposit the markers. Student Council will then ship them to the Crayola ColorCycle Program to be recycled into asphalt, roofing shingles, and even to generate electricity!
Don't throw out that used marker-ColorCycle it!
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South School Adult Social
Tickets: Wild Wild "South"
Time to dust off your cowboy boots! Saddle up and mosey on over to the South School Adult Social in the Wild Wild "South." Break out your western gear or throw on some jeans and a bandana!
Friday, May 31, 6:30-10:30 p.m.
Carriage Barn at Waveny, 681 South Avenue, New Canaan
Pay up by April 22 to take advantage of early bird pricing: $75 per person.
(Price per ticket increases to $85 per person after April 22)
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Board of Education Update
Last week, the Town Council voted to fully fund the Board of Education budget for the upcoming year. TC Member Steve Karl gave "a big shout out to everybody that came out and voiced their opinion in favor of the school budget."
Thank you to all of the South parents who attended meetings or shared comments with our town legislators throughout the process.
The next Board of Education meeting is Monday, April 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Wagner Room at NCHS. Proposed items are a School Start and End Times update, NCHS Graduation Requirements update & recommendation and Solar Co-Gen update
. All are welcome and encouraged to attend. The BOE meetings are televised live on Channel 78 and are also videotaped and posted to the BOE website.
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New Canaan Summer Enrichment Classes
Registration for New Canaan Summer Enrichment is now open and taking registrations online. There is a variety of fun-filled experiences for elementary students, many taught by South School Teachers. Check out the Enrichment website at
www.ncps-k12.org/domain/748 for class descriptions, dates, and to register/pay online
.
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Innovation Night
All students in grades K-12 are invited to attend
Innovation Night, on
April 10, 2019
from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. at NCHS. Admission to Innovation Night is free and open to everyone.
Innovation Night is a opportunity for students to share personal investigations into new and exciting areas of science, technology, engineering, and more! Students can combine their problem-solving skills with their personal passions to create innovative solutions to real-world challenges.
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New Canaan Color Run/Walk
Run (or walk) and celebrate the third annual NC Color Run to support the NCHS Scholarship Foundation! Register at
NCHS-SF.org by April 26. Join this great cause and fun event! Cost is $35 per individual, kids 5 and under are free! Family maximum is $130.
Saturday, April 27
Kids Color Dash: 9:00 a.m. (.8 miles)
NC Color Run/Walk: 9:30 a.m. (5K)
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Boy Scout Troop 70 Tag Sale Collection Weekend
Boy Scout Troop 70 is having their annual Tag Sale and the only
collection weekend this year will be April 27-28 in the Railroad Parking Lot. The Tag Sale itself will be held on May 4 at St. Aloysius School Gym.
More details about the sale, including what is and not collected
,
are
here
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Fresh Air Fund Seeking Summer Hosts
The Fresh Air Fund is seeking volunteer host families who are willing to open their hearts and homes to give New York City children from low-income communities an experience they'll never forget. Children ages 7-12 stay for one to two weeks in New Canaan. Please contact Lisa Hill, New Canaan Fresh Air Fund Chairperson, at 203-594-9472 or
[email protected] or visit our website (
www.freshair.org) for information about the program. Informational coffees will be on April 25 and May 15. Please contact Lisa for more information.
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Ben Young Sports Camp
Ben Young, Saxe 7th grade teacher (and fiance of our own Miss Barbosa!) will once again run his All Sports Camp in June and July. The camp is open to grades K-8 and there will be 3 sessions (June 24-28, July 8-12, and July 15-19. All sessions are from 9-12) Registration is on
ncrams.com later this spring, and you can contact Ben with any questions.
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