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January
20: No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
21: Board of Education Meeting at 7:00pm
28: Board of Education Meeting at 7:30pm
30: Bingo Night at 4:45-5:45 and 6:00-7:00
31: Kids Care Club at 8:15am
February
4: Board of Education Meeting at 7:30pm
8: Bridgeport Islanders Game at 7:00pm
10-14: Kindness Week
11: Board of Education Meeting at 7:30pm
15-24: February Break, no school
25: Board of Education Meeting at 7:30pm
Useful Links
DPS Calendar 2024-25
Six Day Schedule for Elementary Schools 2024-25
PTO website
Missed last week's Hoot? Click here
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK | |
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Dear Ox Ridge Families,
Last Friday, the Ox Ridge gym was filled with music, joy, and community spirit during our annual Winter Concert, a wonderful celebration of our students’ hard work and musical talents. The event featured impressive performances by the 4th and 5th Grade Orchestra, 5th Grade Band, 4th/5th Grade Chorus, and the Orff Ensemble. The orchestra and band amazed the audience with their well-rehearsed pieces, demonstrating both technical skill and teamwork. The Orff Ensemble delivered an energetic and engaging performance, while the chorus captivated everyone with their beautiful harmonies and expressive singing.
Beyond the joy of performance, participation in music programs has been shown to support academic success by enhancing skills such as concentration, memory, and problem-solving. Music education also fosters creativity, discipline, and collaboration, skills that benefit students across all areas of learning.
We extend a heartfelt thank you to our dedicated music staff, Mr. Allen, Ms. Hanley, Ms. Thompson, and Dr. Walters, for their guidance and passion in preparing our students for this memorable event. We are also incredibly grateful to our Ox Ridge families for attending and supporting our young musicians. Your encouragement made the day even more special. Thank you for helping us celebrate the joy of music at Ox Ridge!
Sincerely,
Chris Melillo
Principal - Ox Ridge School
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Dear Ox Ridge Parents,
We hope you are all enjoying the holiday weekend. We appreciate the high level of engagement you’ve shown in the budget process this year and encourage parents to attend Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting where changes that could impact elementary schools will be discussed (including instructional aides, class sizes).
We are excited to bring back the Ox Ridge BINGO night at the end of the month - be on the lookout for a dedicated email with more details.
Vanessa Donatello & Kate Kaufman
PTO Co-Chairs
OxRidgePTO@gmail.com
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DARIEN PUBLIC SCHOOL 2025-26 PROPOSED BUDGET REDUCTION AND INITIATIVES
On Tuesday evening, January 14th, the Board of Education (BOE) held its regularly scheduled meeting, which included additional discussion around the Superintendent’s proposed 2025-2026 budget. Full meeting materials can be found here. A recording of the meeting is available here with the timestamped guide of the meeting available here.
After extensive public comment, the BOE discussed the proposed elimination of the IDEA/gifted program and voted to take any elimination or changes to the program off the table for the 2025-2026 budget. This change will add $469K back to the proposed budget. Dr. Addley has proposed the following budgetary changes to account for that amount:
All other proposed initiatives and reductions, including the replacement of 15 instructional paraeducators with 10 educational interns at the elementary school, remain unchanged in the budget. An additional Board of Education meeting was added for this coming Tuesday, January 21 at 7:00pm to continue discussions prior to “add / cut” night on January 28 and the Board of Education vote on February 11.
Parents are encouraged to make public comment at Board of Education meetings (note the January 21 meeting will only have public comment at the end of the meeting). You may also email the BOE with any thoughts or suggestions.
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DARIEN MUSIC PARENTS ASSOCIATION & NORWALK SYMPHONY PARTNERSHIP
The Norwalk Symphony will be presenting an enrichment assembly at Ox Ridge on January 24th for grades 2-5 called "It's all about the Bzzz."
The Norwalk Symphony's Brass Quintet (Trumpets, Trombone, Horn and Tuba) all have the origins of their sound in the same skill - called 'Buzzing." What else gives this family of instruments its unique sounds? Join us as we explore the science and physics of their sound and hear all the different variations they can make. Learn about their versatility across a variety of musical genres, such as jazz, ragtime, blues, classical and more! Listen to some rousing tunes as the musicians put it all together.
This event is sponsored by the Darien Music Parents Association. Please consider joining us in membership today! Parent volunteers and/or donations are welcome: www.darienmpa.org
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SAVE THE DATE - OX RIDGE BINGO NIGHT THURSDAY JANUARY 30
Join us on Thursday January 30th for a fun night of Ox Ridge Bingo! We will have 2 sessions, 4:45-5:45 and 6:00-7:00pm. Each $4 ticket will include bingo, a snack, and a water. Everyone attending will need a ticket. Additional information, including how to purchase tickets and sign up to volunteer will be shared in a dedicated email.
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OX RIDGE SCHOOL NIGHT WITH THE ISLANDERS
Come out and join Ox Ridge Elementary School at Darien night with the Bridgeport Islanders on February 8th! Support the Ox Ridge Elementary School chorus along with the choruses from all 4 Darien elementary schools as they perform God Bless America! The Bridgeport Islanders will take on the Charlotte Checkers! Doors open at 6pm for a 7pm game! Purchase tickets here!
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SAVE THE DATE - OX RIDGE GALA IS MARCH 22
We are actively planning our silent auction gala. Save the date for Saturday, March 22 - event is expected to be held at Wee Burn Country Club.
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SAVE THE DATE - OX ROCKS 2025
Mark your calendars for our 3rd annual Ox Rocks Talent Show! Ox Rocks 2025 will bring the school and community together for an inclusive, empowering, and fun evening on Thursday, March 27 to celebrate the impressive talent and creativity of our fabulous 4th and 5th grade Ox Ridge students. Registration will open for interested students in early February. Here are a few details that we would like to go ahead and share for planning purposes. We know many of the students are already excitedly discussing their acts!
All 4th and 5th graders are invited to participate. Acts are limited to 60 seconds. And we strongly encourage no more than 10 people per act. Only one act per student. Please encourage your children to be as creative as possible when considering performance options. For reference, singing, dancing, comedy, martial arts, magic, gymnastics, and acting are just a few of the performances from the first two years. We will hold mandatory auditions in early March at Ox Ridge but please note that everyone that wants to be included in the talent show will be. The main purpose of the audition is to give the students an opportunity to share their acts and costumes with the committee prior to the show. Exact dates will be determined and shared in the coming weeks. We will also hold a mandatory dress rehearsal at DHS the afternoon of March 27th, a few hours before the show.
More details coming soon. In the interim, please email oxrockstalentshow@gmail.com with any additional questions.
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YOUR AFTER SCHOOL WINTER ENRICHMENT
Mark Your Calendars - Your After School Spring Registration Opens Soon!
Spring is just around the corner, and Spring Your After School Enrichment Registration will open on January 23rd at 10:00 AM! This is the perfect time to sign up for our exciting after-school programs, designed to inspire and engage kids of all interests. From hands-on science experiments to creative arts and high-energy sports, there’s something for everyone.
Our programs offer a fun, positive environment where kids can learn, grow, and make new friends. Whether they’re trying something new or building on a current passion, they’ll have a blast!
To register, visit www.yourafterschool.com, log in, and choose your classes. If you have any questions, reach out to us at 888.212.3837 or info@yourafterschool.com.
Don’t miss out—mark your calendars for January 23rd at 10:00 AM, and get ready for a fun-filled spring!
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THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PTO VOLUNTEERS
- Katherine Ritchie for working with administration and grade level leads to plan the many field trips our children enjoy.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY OX RIDGE STAFF!
January
23 Briana Prochorenko – Kindergarten Teacher
30 Sara Sproch – 3rd Grade Teacher
31 Marta Sari – Custodian
31 JoAnn Mittelstadt – 1st Grade Teacher
31 Danielle Pimpinella – Paraprofessional
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YWCA's PARENT AWARENESS PRESENTS
Developing Executive Functioning Skills With Kit Savage
Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025
Time: 7:00 am - 8:00 pm
Location: Darien Library
Event/Registration Link: https://ywcadn.org/event/parent-awareness-presents-understanding-your-child-developing-executive-functioning-skills-with-kit-savage/
Event Description:
In this informative workshop, Darien mom Kit Savage will lead parents through:
- Age appropriate strategies to improve your child or teen’s Executive Functioning skills
- Authentic tools for parents with students struggling with EF deficits.
- The connection between emotional regulation and school performance.
- Strategies for building emotional IQ and reducing anxiety.
This event is free of charge, but please register so we know how many to expect.
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CURIOSITY & EXPERIMENT NIGHT COMING THIS FEBRUARY
On February 3rd, the National Technical Honor Society will host the 2nd annual "Curiosity & Experiment" Night at DHS from 5:00 - 7:00 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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DARIEN DEPOT 5th GRADE VALENTINES DAY PARTY
Calling all 5th Graders! We want to see you at The Depot for our Valentines Day Party on Friday, February 7th at 4:00pm. There will be food, games, and prizes! If you are interested in registering or learning more about the event you can visit our website at DarienDepot.com.
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THE POWER PAUSE ON JANUARY 31 AT DCA
Join us for an inspiring and interactive morning with Neha Ruch of Mother/Untitled and local Darien mom Tiere Hessert of MamaCollective as they discuss Neha’s first book,
THE POWER PAUSE: How to Plan a Career Break After Kids--and Come Back Stronger Than Ever, a paradigm shifting, first-of-its-kind guide to approaching stay-at-home motherhood as an enriching chapter. Come meet and mingle with other like-minded women in our community while hearing about Neha’s mission to update and elevate the perception of stay-at-home motherhood in America. Your ticket includes coffee and refreshments as well as a signed hard copy of The Power Pause.
Sign up at www.dariendca.org.
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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
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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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