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January 15: No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 18: Special Board of Education Meeting at 7:00pm
January 18: Special Education Parents Social at 7:00pm at Molto Ristorante
January 19: Kids Care Club at 8:15am
January 19: 4th & 5th Winter Concert at 9:45am
January 23: Board of Education Meeting at 7:30pm
January 29: 3rd Grade Orchestra Winter Concert at 8:15am
January 30: Dance China Enrichment Event
January 30: Board of Education Meeting at 7:00pm
February 2: Ox Ridge Alumni Event at 4:30pm
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK | |
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I am happy to say that I am back at school and busy as ever. Thank you for all of the good wishes that I have received from families and staff.
Right after the Winter Break our full time Spanish teacher, Ada Dordoliani, began. She is quickly finding her way around and working with all of the children. Please welcome her to Ox Ridge.
We are also looking forward to our winter concerts–grades 4 and 5 on January 19th at 9:45 a.m. Please be sure to sign up online prior to the concert to facilitate the security process. 4th and 5th grade parents will receive a separate email with details. The grade 3 concert will be on January 29th. Please stay tuned for all of the details.
We have now had a new dismissal plan in place for two weeks. The afternoon buses have consistently been loaded more quickly, with the last bus leaving the school a full 5 or 6 minutes earlier than previously.
Best Regards,
Dr. Laub
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Dear Ox Ridge Community,
We hope you are enjoying the long weekend and come back on Tuesday refreshed. We are almost halfway through the school year.
As you are aware, the 2024-2025 school year budget discussions are in full swing. Superintendent Addley has presented his proposed budget which includes making changes at all levels based on the advice of outside consultants. We encourage your attention this budget season because there is not a single student who will not be affected by the proposed changes, should they be accepted.
All PTO chairs, ourselves included, have been attending the BOE budget meetings to stay informed and continue to have conversations with our principals about what, if any, concerns they may have about the proposed changes. We will continue to share any major updates, but you can also stay informed via the Board of Education website for the latest agendas, meeting minutes, and recordings. The next Board of Education meeting to discuss the proposed budget is Thursday, January 18 at 7:00pm.
Below is a summary of some key initiatives in the Superintendent’s proposed budget impacting Ox Ridge students:
- Reduction in number of instructional aides at all the elementary schools to two per school in order to add additional permanent building substitutes. The remaining aides will concentrate their support in Kindergarten and 1st grade.
- For ELP families - extension of the ELP program from four days to five
- For parents of students entering middle school - elimination of six teacher positions which may results in the reduction of one team from either 6th or 7th grades (current 5th or 6th graders)
As we proudly continue to represent the Ox parent community throughout this process, we cannot do so without your input. Please reach out to us with any and all questions, comments, suggestions, etc. about Dr. Addley’s proposed budget and/or how it will affect Ox Ridge.
We wanted to highlight a couple of events happening this week:
- This Thursday (January 18) our special education committee is hosting a parent social at Molto Restaurant at 7pm - we hope to see you there!
- Our next Kids Care Club meeting will be this Friday, January 19 at 8:15am in the cafeteria.
Finally, thanks to all parents who signed up to participate in the district’s communication focus groups which are being held this week.
Have a good week!
Vanessa Donatello & Kate Kaufman
PTO Co-Chairs
oxridgepto@gmail.com
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SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT SOCIAL
We hope that you will join us on January 18th at 7pm, at Molto Ristorante for an evening of cocktails and conversation. This evening is an opportunity for parents of children with IEPs, 504s, or those who are interested in Special Education resources, to connect in a casual and fun setting.
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4Th & 5TH GRADE WINTER CONCERT, ON FRIDAY JANUARY 19TH AT 9:45AM
The Winter Concert will take place on Friday, January 19th, at 9:45 am in the Ox Ridge gymnasium. The concert will include Chorus (4th and 5th) as well as the 5th grade Band and the 4th and 5th grade Orchestra. To help us prepare to check in audience members quickly, we are asking everyone planning to attend to complete this form and submit it no later than Wednesday, January 17th by 3:00 p.m. As parking is extremely limited, we are asking you to carpool if possible. Please enter the building through the main entrance.
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OX RIDGE ALUMNI EVENT ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND AT 4:30PM
February 2nd from 4:30pm-6:30pm at Ox Ridge. The Ox Ridge PTO would like to announce an opportunity for our recent Alumni to come together one more time and experience the new school that they saw being built! The event will be for current 6th and 7th graders who graduated from Ox Ridge in 2021 or 2022. This will be a fun opportunity to get together again a year or two after moving on to a different school.
The students will have gym time, a tour of the school, and pizza for dinner. Students must be accompanied by a parent. It will be one more opportunity for you to see old friends and reconnect!
The cost per student is $20 (no cost for the parent) - get your tickets by January 28.
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OX RIDGE FUNDRAISING GAME NIGHT
Save the Date: Ox Ridge Fundraising Game Night
March 21st, 5:30-7:30pm at Ox Ridge
The Fundraising Committee needs your support in planning this event. If interested in volunteering please email Courtney Concannon and Paola Sordoni at oxridgepto.fundraising@gmail.com
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THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PTO VOLUNTEERS
Kerry Goldberg and Alexis Starzynski for running our January Kids Care Club meeting.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE FOLLOWING OX RIDGE STAFF
Jennifer Gould (ELP Para) January 15th
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NTHS PRESENTS CURIOUSITY & EXPERIMENT NIGHT
On February 5th, the National Technical Honor Society will host "Curiosity & Experiment" at DHS from 5:00 - 7:30 PM. This will be an event filled with STEM activities for Middle School and Elementary students, as well as a DHS Independent Projects in Engineering showcase. There will be games, robotics, engineering, electronics, computer science, structures, flight, prizes, and more!
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MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID TRAINING
Darien Human Services will be sponsoring a Mental Health First Aid Training on February 7th and 8th from 8:30am - 1 pm at EMS Post 53. Mental Health First Aid is an 8-hour certification course that helps individuals and communities better understand mental health issues and respond accordingly to others who may be experiencing distress. More information can be found here. Any questions or requests to register can be made to Ali Ramsteck with Darien Human Services at aramsteck@darienct.gov.
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DARIEN ARTS CENTER FREE CARTOONING CLASS
Darien Arts Center is offering a Cartooning class for FREE: Grades 1-3 and 4-7 can attend a Monday, January 15th class at no charge - simply just register for the free class at darienarts.org. Meet the DAC's new fabulous cartooning teacher, artist and designer, James Paget and have some fun while creating characters and comics!
Students can also try a Martial Arts class for free on Tuesdays or Thursdays by emailing Martial Arts instructor Rasheem Brown at lyricalthinker22@yahoo.com
Drop-in classes are available ($35) for Expressive Art for grades 6-8 and for Little Artist and You, a class for preschoolers with an adult.
Mask Making & Dinner at Naya ($35) for kids PreK-Grade 5 (accompanied by an adult) is taking place on Thursday, Jan. 25 from 4:30-5:45pm. Kids create their own mardi gras or super hero mask followed by enjoying a delicious Naya kids meal (At Naya in Darien Commons.).
To register for classes, visit darienarts.org or call (203) 655-8683. The DAC is located at 2 Renshaw Road, behind the Town Hall.
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DARIEN BOYS BASKETBALL CLINIC
MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 MLK DAY
Darien High School 1:00-2:30pm, 3rd-5th grade-North Gym and 6th-8th grade South Gym Space is limited, sign up now!
Your sons will be coached by DHS Coaches, Varsity and JV players. It’s a great way to work on dribbling, passing and shooting.
Please RSVP name, grade and emergency contact to Marty Hendrickson and bring $50.00 cash or check made out to DHS with MLK Clinic in memo. Please have your child bring their own labeled water bottle.
We will have drinks & snacks to purchase along with Wave Basketball Wristbands and a raffle to help our program meet our fundraising goal.
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OX RIDGE HOOT | HOOT EMAIL | PTO WEBSITE
EDITORS NOTE:
Danielle Kohlberger - September, December, March, June 2
Jennifer Marty - October, January, April, June 9
Roberta Brodis - November, February, May, June 16
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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.
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