FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK | |
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Welcome Back, Ox Ridge Owls!
We hope your Thanksgiving holiday was filled with moments of joy, gratitude, and connection with loved ones. Whether you traveled to see family and friends, stayed close to home, or simply took time to relax, we hope the break provided an opportunity to recharge and reflect.
The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving are always busy, and the pause in routine gives us all a chance to catch our breath. Now, as we return to school, we are ready to embrace the final stretch of the calendar year with renewed energy and focus.
The transition back to school is the perfect time to set new goals, revisit classroom routines, and celebrate the progress made so far. As a team, we are committed to helping each student feel supported and ready to thrive in the coming weeks.
A quick reminder to all families that Progress Reports will be released on December 2nd at noon. These reports provide an excellent opportunity to reflect on your child’s accomplishments and growth so far this year. You can access the reports through your Aspen account. If you have any questions or need support with access, please don’t hesitate to contact the school office.
Thank you for your continued partnership as we work together to create a joyful and enriching school for all our students. Let’s approach these next few weeks with enthusiasm, collaboration, and kindness.
Sincerely,
Chris Melillo
Principal, Ox Ridge School
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Dear Ox Ridge Parents,
We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
This week we celebrate all our Ox Ridge Staff with Monday being National Special Education Awareness Day. There’s still time for your children to show their teachers support by making a poster and/or card.
We hope everyone enjoys the Hootie Comedy night on Tuesday evening - tickets are still available.
Vanessa Donatello & Kate Kaufman
PTO Co-Chairs
OxRidgePTO@gmail.com
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CABANA SHOPPING DAY ON DECEMBER 6
Get all of your holiday shopping done at the Cabana this Friday, December 6th. 20% of your sales will be donated to Ox Ridge when you say Ox Ridge at checkout.
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GENTLY USED TOY DONATION
Attention, attention! Calling all gently-used toys! If you have toys in good condition that just aren't played with anymore, drop them in the Ox Ridge lobby from December 9-16th. They will be rehomed to local shelters and donation stores to have a second life in time for the holidays and beyond. This is also a great opportunity to talk to your children about how they are participating in a Zero Waste Lifestyle while also helping those in need with their donations! Thanks for your support! Happy Holidays from The Green Team!
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DMPA POINSETTIA FUNDRAISER
Get into the holiday spirit and help us enrich our music programs! The DMPA (Darien Music Parents Association) is holding a Holiday Spectacular Poinsettia Fundraiser. Poinsettias will be used to decorate the lobby for the DHS Holiday Spectacular Concert on Wednesday, December 18th at 7:00pm and are yours to take home after the concert! This family-friendly concert will feature holiday favorites from the DHS Band, Chorus and Orchestra all on one program! Come enjoy the sounds of the season and while supporting the music program and DMPA.
Order here and choose between: 2.5 quart size (6.5”) - Red, White, or Pink - $15 OR 4 quart size (7.5”) - Red, White, or Pink - $25
Order Deadline: December 1st; Concert & Pick-Up Date: December 18th
Proceeds directly benefit DPS music enrichment programs! Thank you for supporting our talented student musicians!
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HOLIDAY HOPE CHEST
Ox Ridge is marking its 23rd year of supporting the Family & Children’s Agency through their Hope Chest program, which sponsors foster children in Fairfield County during the holidays. We still have children who need gifts this year. Please sign up for a gift and drop by tomorrow December 2nd to make each child's Christmas wish comes true.
Just assign your name to a foster child listed on the sign up genius and purchase one of the child’s desired gifts/gift cards from any convenient location. CLICK HERE
Please wrap your gifts/your gift card and label them with the child’s name. Wrapped gifts should be dropped off at 383 Middlesex Road (hidden driveway between houses 375 and 385 - red mailbox) and left in the box by the porch by Monday December 2nd. Gifts will be hand delivered to FCA in time for their holiday party on December 5th, when the foster children will receive their gifts.
Please visit the Family & Children's Agency webpage to learn more about the work of this vital organization and contact Suzanne Anderson with any questions about the Hope Chest Program.
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HOOTIE COMEDY CELLAR
Hootie Comedy Cellar invites you to an evening of comedy featuring EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH IMPROV! Featured on the weekends in NYC Times Square, and at our very own Ox Ridge Gym on December 3rd! This will be an interactive family friendly show, so get ready to laugh your feathers off owls! EIGHT IS NEVER ENOUGH IMPROV has toured 1000s of public and private events from The Smithsonian to local YMCAs. This show will be hosted by Walt Frasier, as seen on MTV, HBO, Billions, Blue Bloods, Letterman, etc.
Tickets are $5 per person and everyone attending needs to have a ticket.
There will be 2 showtimes: 5-6PM and 6:15-7:15PM. PURCHASE TICKETS HERE
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SPECIAL EDUCATION DAY - CELEBRATE TEACHERS
In honor of National Special Education Day, please help us show our amazing teachers and staff how much we appreciate them and all that they do to support our student body, while promoting inclusion and acceptance within our Ox Ridge Community. Please consider having your child create a thank you poster to be displayed in the Ox Ridge teachers lounge (sign up here for posters) or thank you card for their teachers, service providers, administration or staff (children may create their own cards, or download this card template). Posters and Cards can be dropped in the Ox Ridge Main Office with a deadline of Monday December 2nd. Questions, please contact the PTO Special Education Committee: Laura Costello, Kristin Saltzman and Kristinia Tomai Schuster
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THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PTO VOLUNTEERS
Sibel Mesta and Caroline Verrone for providing breakfast to the Ox Ridge staff this Wednesday.
Laura Costello, Kristin Saltzman, and Kristinia Schuster for being our Special Education representatives and planning our activities to celebrate National Special Education Awareness Day.
Meghan Shain for organizing the Hootie Comedy Cellar event.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY OX RIDGE STAFF!
December
2 Sydney Kazlouskas - Building Substitute
3 Nikki Oczkowski - ELP Paraprofessional
6 Stacy Johnson - 2nd Grade Teacher
12 John Latona - 5th Grade Teacher
15 Andrea Aaron - IDEA Teacher
16 Phyllis Kovacs - Paraprofessional
18 Rena Field - ELP Paraprofessional
19 Maya Feldman - Assistant Principal
24 Ciara Dunn - Paraprofessional
28 Jenna Stewart - ELP Paraprofessional
28 Jessica Santos - ELP Paraprofessional
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DARIEN DEPOT HOLIDAY EVENTS
Depot Wrap-up
The Wrap-up is The Darien Depot's biggest fundraiser of the year. Residents can drop off their unwrapped, labeled gifts, and our student "elves" will handle the rest. It's a minimum $25 donation for anyone who is bringing in their gifts to be wrapped. See details in flyer.
The Henry L. Farmer Toy Drive
Donate new, unwrapped toys, books, and games for underserved Bridgeport students in PreK-4th grade. The Toy Drive runs from now until December 17th and all gifts will be dropped off to Adam J. Lewis Academy. They can drop off the toys at The Depot or they can check out our Amazon List to have them delivered here. Here is the link to the Amazon list.
The Depot's Gingerbread Party
The party takes place on Friday, December 13th. The 6-8th grade party will be from 3:00pm-4:30pm and 4:30pm-6:00pm for our 5th graders. There will be cookie decorating, games, and a hot cocoa bar. It's $35 dollars for registration but our scholarship is always available to those who need it and they can register at Dariendepot.com.
Volunteers For The Depot Wrap-up
The Depot is looking for volunteers to help with our biggest fundraiser of the year. If you are interested in registering to volunteer, you can sign-up for as many shifts as you would like.
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DARIEN HUMAN SERVICES - HOLIDAY GIFT GIVING PROGRAM
With prices of food and energy continuing to rise, many Darien residents continue to feel the strain. During the holidays Darien Human Services manages a Holiday Gift Giving Program to help Darien families and seniors in need. We are looking for individuals or groups (book clubs, neighbor groups, scout troops) to help make someone’s holiday a little brighter by adopting a local family or senior. Alternately, Darien Human Services also has an Amazon Wishlist including gift cards and home good items that we give our clients on a monthly basis throughout the year. Please contact Darien Human Services at 203.656.7328 with any questions - thank you for your consideration and support!
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DLL SOFTBALL REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN - EARLY BIRD SPECIAL
Darien Little League Youth Softball Registration for the Spring House Program is now open to girls in Kindergarten through 7th grade! Please CLICK HERE for a schedule of games and practices based on age groups and CLICK HERE to register your child! Our goal is for your daughter's experience on the softball field to be fun and rewarding, while developing skills and fostering friendships! If you have any questions about the registration process or the program, please contact Emily Brown.
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NOROTON FIRE DEPARTMENT - ANNUAL TOYS 4 TOTS COLLECTION
Noroton Fire Department is an official drop off location for the US Marine Corps Reserve Toys For Tots Foundation. With the community’s help we donated over 1,000 toys in 2023, and we’re hoping you’ll join us again this year as we collect new, unwrapped toys for Toys For Tots. Please stop by Noroton FD anytime and leave a donation in the Toys for Tots bin in the back parking lot, 1873 Post Road (across from St. Luke’s Church). Better yet, get together with your friends, neighbors, Scout Troops, Kids Care Clubs or sports teams and start a collection - give us a call and we’ll come to your neighborhood with a fire truck to pick up your donations, or host a station visit! To schedule or questions, contact Alan Hyatt at 203.943.8649 or hyatt1996@yahoo.com
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OX RIDGE HOOT | HOOT EMAIL | PTO WEBSITE
EDITORS NOTE:
Jenn Marty - September, December, March, June 1
Roberta Brodis - October, January, April, June 8
Aynsley Joyce - November, February, May, June 15
OX RIDGE HOOT SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
The Ox Ridge Hoot is emailed every Sunday during the school year. The deadline for submission is Thursday at noon. Please send your submission to oxridgehoot@gmail.com with the text of your e-mail, single spaced and left adjusted (NO FORMATTING!), with "Ox Ridge Hoot Submission" in the subject line.
"Community News" information/events will run for a maximum of two consecutive Hoot editions. Please time your submissions accordingly.
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO EDIT OR DECLINE ALL SUBMISSIONS.
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