January 21, 2024

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR

January 22 - Parent Workshop with Dr. Dadd at 9:45am

January 23 - Board of Education Meeting at 7:30pm (Add/Cut Night for Budget)

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 5-9 - Canned Food Drive

February 5 - 100th Day of School (assuming no more Snow Days)

February 9 - Kids Care Club at 8:15am

February 10 - Ox Ridge Night at the Bridgeport Islanders Game at 7:00pm

February 11 - SOUPer Bowling Event at Bowlero at 11:00am

February 12-15 - Kindness Week

February 15 - 4th & 5th Grade Beginner Band Winter Showcase at 8:30am

February 16-25 - February Break (No School)

Useful Links:

Missed last week's Hoot? Click here

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK

You will receive the results of the OLSAT test, given to 3rd and 5th graders, within the next week (some of you may have already received). Please review the letter and the printout page carefully to ensure that you understand the results. The OLSAT is one of several tools used to identify children who will benefit from the Idea Program (Darien’s Gifted and Talented Program). The entire identification process is outlined on our website and can be accessed by clicking here. Please note that the Parent Permission Form must be completed by January 26th.

For recess, we try to have the children outside as much as possible. Indoor recess, however, is called if the real feel temperature is below 22 degrees and/or if the playground and blacktop are not usable for use due to ice and snow. The decision is made daily. With that said, please be sure that your children have warm coats. If we are out for recess for an extended time it can get quite cold. Mornings, children have to wait outside until the doors open. Also, please encourage your child to wear the coat – I cannot tell you how often a child says the coat is in their knapsack.

Harry Laub, Ph.D.

Interim Principal

Ox Ridge Elementary School

Dear Ox Ridge Community,

We hope you are as excited as we are to finally have a 5-day school week this week (fingers crossed). We look forward to seeing parents on Monday morning at 9:45am, in the Ox Ridge Cafeteria, for our workshop with Alycia Dadd, Director of Mental Health. This first workshop will focus on Strategies for Having Challenging Conversations with Your Child. Unfortunately, we cannot record the session, but we have been told future sessions will be held in the morning and evening.

We continue to actively engage in the 2024-2025 school year budget discussions. Last Thursday (January 18), there was a Special Board of Education meeting to continue discussions, including a thorough deep dive of the proposed ELP 5-day program and Special Education administration restructuring.

Below is a summary of some key initiatives in the Superintendent’s proposed budget impacting Ox Ridge students:

The proposed budget significantly reduces the number of instructional aides in our elementary schools, suggesting only two aides per school. This drastic cut could severely disrupt the critical aide-to-student ratio that is especially vital in early education. For larger schools like Ox Ridge, the impact of this inequity could be profound. We must advocate for the needs of our youngest learners who deserve an optimal learning environment.

For parents of students entering middle school - elimination of six teacher positions which may result in the reduction of one team from either 6th or 7th grades (current 5th or 6th graders).

The proposed budget would eliminate the Elementary Special Education Program Director and the Secondary Special Education Program Director positions and instead create one K-12 Director of Special Education. While the official responsibilities of this new role are yet to be fully understood, it is potentially a very large role for one person, who would oversee the entire District's Special Education programing and student population.

For ELP families - extension of the ELP program from four days to five (note this comes with a tuition increase)

We are asking for parent support during this process. We appreciate that many of you have shared your thoughts with us, but it is even more impactful for the Board of Education to hear from you directly. You can also voice your opinions during public comment at Board of Education meetings.

Key links

The next Board of Education meeting to discuss the proposed budget is Tuesday, January 23, at 7:30pm.

Have a good week!

Vanessa Donatello & Kate Kaufman

PTO Co-Chairs

[email protected]

PARENT WORKSHOP ON MONDAY, JANUARY 22ND AT 9:45AM - PARENTING IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Please join Alycia Dadd, Director of Mental Health, on Monday, January 22nd from 9:45-10:45am in the Ox Ridge cafeteria. Dr. Dadd is holding a series of four workshops - Building Your Toolkit for Parenting in the 21st Century. January 22 will be the first workshop - Strategies for Having Challenging Conversations with Your Child.

In the first of a series of four workshops, Dr. Alycia Dadd, Director of Mental Health, will provide parents with strategies to increase effective communication with their children. The primary focus of this workshop is to equip you with techniques to create an environment that promotes productive conversations. These conversations may encompass a variety of topics, such as setting boundaries around technology use, addressing sensitive news topics, or helping your child navigate their peer relationships. A prerequisite to successful family conversations includes being able to regulate our own emotions in challenging situations. Annie Farson, Ox Ridge School Psychologist, will provide an overview of how the RULER Meta-moment, which is currently being taught to students, is a tool relevant for parents as well.

POSTPONED - OX RIDGE ALUMNI EVENT ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2ND AT 4:30PM

Unfortunately, due to a scheduling conflict, we must postpone our Alumni event. Please stay tuned for the new date.

OX RIDGE SCHOOL - NIGHT WITH THE ISLANDERS

Enjoy a night of hockey with Ox Ridge Elementary School on Saturday, February 10th! Listen to the Ox Ridge choir perform "God Bless America" with the Darien elementary schools followed by a National Anthem performance by Middlesex Middle School! Doors open at 6pm for a 7pm game! Ox Ridge students can sit in the same section. Click here to purchase tickets.

SAVE THE DATE - SOUPER BOWLING EVENT ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH AT 11:00AM

Get ready for Super Bowl LVIII with a parent + child bowling event at Bowlero in Norwalk on Sunday, February 11th from 11:00-12:30. The price will be $30 per person and includes 90 minutes of unlimited bowling, complimentary shoe rentals, unlimited soft drinks, 1 slice of Cheese Pizza, and a $10 arcade card for each child. An email will be sent this week with the Pay4School stuff link.

SOUPER BOWL FOOD DRIVE TO SUPPORT PERSON2PERSON

Help replenish Person2Person’s food pantry by supporting the Ox Ridge SOUPer Bowl Canned Food drive. Boxes will be placed at the school entrance to collect the week of February 5th. Most needed items can be found here.

BEGINNER BAND SHOWCASE - FEBRUARY 15TH AT 8:30AM

Save the Date - The 4th and 5th Grade students who participate in the Beginner Band Program will have a performance in the Ox Ridge School Gym.

No special dress is necessary---students can wear their normal school clothes. The showcase will last around 25 minutes. Daily practice is essential for the success of this showcase. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

DARIEN AFTER SCHOOL - EMBRACE THE SEASONS OF FUN!

Discover, learn, and connect in our exciting Winter and upcoming Spring sessions! Whether it's Sports, Art, or more, there's something for everyone.

Winter Session thru 3/12. Rolling registration open throughout the session*

Get ready for new adventures!

Spring Session 3/18 – 5/31. Registration opens 1/30 @ 8PM.

Conference Day programs 3/13 – 3/15. Registration opens 2/13 @ 8PM.

Questions: Reach out to us anytime! [email protected] / 888.212.3837

See you after school…

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 [email protected]

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PTO VOLUNTEERS

Meghan Thornton and Christina Kreuz for being our CDSP Budget Co-Chairs and helping inform parents of the proposed budget changes for the 2024-2025 school year.

Laura Costello, Kristin Saltzman, and Kira Saunders (Special Education Chairs) for advocating for Special Education during the budget process..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE FOLLOWING OX RIDGE STAFF

Briana Prochorenko (Teacher - Kindergarten) January 23rd

Catherine Villavincencio (ELP Para) January 26th

DARIEN LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL AND SOFTBALL

DLL is excited to announce that registration is now open for spring house softball and baseball! It's a great team sport that promotes skill development while having fun! Please register, as evaluations for upper grades will be soon!

Click here for information and to register for 2024 Spring House Softball

Click here for information and to register for 2024 Spring House Baseball

Please email Akshay Das with any questions about registration!

HELLO SQUASH PLAYERS

The Ox Ridge Riding and Racquet Club is organizing a Winter Matchplay Series gathering junior squash players from Darien and nearby towns to come together and enjoy playing squash in a fun environment while improving their game and building new friendships. There are 2 levels of Matchplay, and players are invited to stay at Ox Ridge’s restaurant to enjoy lunch together afterwards.

Here are the details:

Dates: January 27th, February 3rd and February 10th.

Junior Development Level: Matchplay from 12pm-1pm

Elite/Pro Level: Matchplay from 2pm-3:30pm

The cost per player is $20 dollars. Additional cost for pizza.

Please RSVP by sending your name, age, and playing level to [email protected] or at this JotForm Event Registration - Google Forms

Any questions or inquiries about our squash program please email: Rodney at [email protected] or Adam at [email protected]

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!

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 [email protected].

DARIEN ARTS CENTER

SHORT CUTS FILM FESTIVAL - See 4 short documentary films curated from the Tribeca Film Festival, followed by an in-person discussion with director Jacob Krupnick. A can’t-miss opportunity to see award-winning, thought-provoking and buzzworthy films from Darien. Friday, February 2 at 7pm in the DAC Weatherstone Studio, 2 Renshaw Rd., behind the Town Hall. Tickets are $25 at darienarts.org.

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.).

Students can try a Martial Arts class for free on Tuesdays or Thursdays by emailing Martial Arts instructor Rasheem Brown at [email protected]

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.

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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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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