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January 9: Board of Education Meeting at 7:30pm
January 12: No School - Professional Development Day
January 15: No School - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 17: DPS Communications Focus Groups at 10am
January 18: DPS Communications Focus Groups at 6pm
January 18: Special Education Parents Social at 7pm at Molto Ristorante
January 19: Kids Care Club at 8:15am
January 19: Winter Concert at 9:45am
January 23: Board of Education Meeting at 7:30pm
January 30: Dance China Enrichment Event
February 2: Alumni Event at 4:30pm
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK | |
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I would like to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy New Year and to thank you for welcoming me into the Ox Ridge Community. As we approach the next half of the year, you will probably see huge growth in your children as they start preparing for their new grade next year.
My own New Year got off to a bit of a difficult start. On New Year’s Day, I just knew I did not feel
right. By Tuesday morning, instead of heading to school I went to the Emergency Room, where I was diagnosed with appendicitis. Definitely no way to start off the year! Anyway, now all is well and I expect to be back in school shortly.
This past week we implemented our new bus dismissal plan. One of the goals was to load the buses more quickly to get the children home faster. On Wednesday, our last bus left a full six minutes earlier than it had under the previous plan. We will continue to monitor and tweak the system to make it as efficient as possible.
Best Regards,
Dr. Laub
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Dear Ox Ridge Community,
Budget season began at the end of last week. We will communicate important updates, and you can always go to the Board of Education website for the latest agendas, meeting minutes, and recordings.
We are excited to be hosting an Alumni event for current 6th and 7th graders who attended Ox Ridge on Friday, February 2 from 4:30-6:30pm.
Finally, for any parent interested in participating in the district communication groups, please fill out the form (see below for additional details).
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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WINTER CONCERT
The Winter Concert will take place on Friday, January 19th, at 9:45 am in the gym at Ox Ridge. This will include Chorus as well as the 5th grade Band and the 4th and 5th grade Orchestra.
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OX RIDGE ALUMNI EVENT
February 2nd from 4:30pm-6:30pm at Ox Ridge. The Ox Ridge PTO and the Fundraising Committee 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 for them 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!
RSVP’s will be accepted until January 28th. The cost per student is $25 (no cost for the parent). Get your tickets by January 28
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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!
Ticket Delivery: You will receive an email from Fevo following your purchase with instructions on how to digitally access your ticket(s) on your Total Mortgage Arena account.
Cashless Venue: Total Mortgage Arena is now a cashless venue and will utilize a cashless experience for all box office, concessions, and retail purchases. Credit and Debit Cards will be accepted.
Parking: The City of Bridgeport parking is $18 CASH ONLY in the parking garage and CARD preferred in the dirt lot.
Bag Policy: Total Mortgage Arena has updated their bag policies as of January 2023. Please review these here before entering the arena. Click here to purchase tickets.
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COMMUNICATIONS FOCUS GROUPS
The Board of Education Communications Committee is in the process of reviewing District communications to support the development of a District Communications Plan. As a follow-up to the Communications Survey administered last spring, the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) will be facilitating a series of focus groups with parents, staff, and the community.
Focus groups for elementary, middle, and high school parents are scheduled for Wednesday, January 17, 2024. An evening opportunity is scheduled for Thursday, January 18th, and is open to parents from all of the schools. All sessions will be held at Central Services located at 35 Leroy Avenue. Times for the focus groups are noted below:
January 17th: High School Parents: 8:15 - 9:45 AM
January 17th: Elementary Parents: 10:00 - 11:30 AM
January 17th: Middle School Parents: 11:45 - 1:15 PM
January 18th: Parents from any age group: 6:00 - 7:30 PM
In order to facilitate productive sessions, each focus group will include 15 - 20 (max) parents from each school level (elementary, middle, and high school) for each session. The 15 - 20 parents from the elementary level will include 3 - 4 parents from each of the five schools. Click here to fill out the form.
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THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PTO VOLUNTEERS
Christina Kreuz and Meghan Thornton for being our CDSP Budget Co-Chairs.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE FOLLOWING OX RIDGE STAFF
Michelle Fitzgerald (ELP Para) January 11
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MATHER HOMESTEAD WORKSHOP: LEARN TO HAND SEW WITH MAKE-MODERN
Have your child learn a new skill as their New Year's resolution! Mather Homestead is hosting a “learn to hand sew” workshop for kindergarten-3rd graders on January 27th. We are delighted that Erika Allen from Make-Modern is leading this workshop where each participant will make a beautiful quilted pillow. The workshop will take place from 3-4:30 in the Mather Homestead barn. All snacks and materials included. Tickets and more information can be found here: https://www.matherhomestead.org/event-details/make-modern-comes-to-mather-learn-to-hand-sew
The Mather Homestead, built in 1778, was famously raided by Tories during the Revolutionary War and later the home of Stephen Tyng Mather, the first Director of the National Park Service. After passing through six generations of Mathers the home became a museum in 2017 and has quickly become a destination for learning and fun. The Mather Homestead is Darien’s only registered national historic landmark. Please reach out to info@matherhomestead.org with any questions.
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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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DARIEN GIRLS BLUE WAVE BASKETBALL CLINIC
MONDAY, JANUARY 15, 2024 MLK DAY
3RD GRADE - 8TH GRADE GIRLS - 9:00AM - 11:00AM @ DARIEN HIGH SCHOOL GYM
The Darien Blue Wave Girls Basketball MLK day clinic is back again this year!
Come join the Darien High School Girls basketball team and coaches for a fun basketball clinic on Monday, January 15th (Martin Luther King Jr. Day) from 9:00am-11:00am at the Darien High School gym. This clinic promises to be a fun two hour session for girls in 3rd - 8th grade to tune up their basketball skills and develop some new moves!
The cost is $50 per player and checks are to be made out to Darien High School with “Girls Basketball” in the memo. All proceeds will go to support the Darien Girls’ High School program.
To register for the clinic, please email eryan203@gmail.com with your child’s name, grade, parent contact/phone number and parent email address.
On the morning of the clinic, please send in a check with your child. We will collect the checks at the entrance of the gym beginning at 8:50am.
Get ready for some fun! LET’S GO BLUE WAVE BASKETBALL
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DARIEN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION
Cotillion at the DCA
Attention parents of 4th-6th graders! The Darien Community Association is honored to offer Cotillion classes with Robin and Ed Poska, Directors of the Cotillion of Fairfield County. Kids will learn everything from making a good first impression to table manners to digital etiquette! Classes start January 10. Sign up at dariendca.org.
Parenting Workshop
Handling big emotions is a challenge - not just for ourselves but also for our children. Join Jacqueline Telgheder, certified parent coach and Darien mom, for this 3-session workshop to learn fresh insights on enhancing emotional intelligence for both you and your child. For parents of children under 10. Register at dariendca.org.
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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
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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