March 3, 2024

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR

March 6-7 - Ox Rocks Auditions / Initial Rehearsals

March 13 - Board of Education Meeting at 7:30pm

March 13-15 - 2-Hour Early Dismissal for Parent-Teacher Conferences

March 15 - Kids Care Club at 8:15am

March 21 - Ox Family Games Night

March 25-27 - Spring Book Fair

March 26 - Board of Education Meeting at 7:30pm

March 28 - Ox Rocks Talent Show

March 29 - No School for Good Friday

Useful Links:

• DPS Calendar 2023-24
• Six Day Schedule for Elementary Schools 2023-24

Missed last week's Hoot? Click here

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone back from our break. The children came in happy to see their teachers and friends and ready to tackle the rest of the year. We have heard many exciting stories of trips and activities in which the children participated.

Success in school is supported by the support of the family at home. The National PTA has

identified these three characteristics as key to that support:

1. creating a home environment that encourages learning;

2. communicating high, yet reasonable, expectations for achievement; and

3. staying involved in a child’s education at school.

In an excellent article entitled “The Key to Student Success...,” The Annie E. Casey Foundation describes supporting your child’s learning and growth. The link to the complete article can be found here.

Harry Laub, Ph.D.

Interim Principal

Ox Ridge Elementary School

Dear Ox Ridge Community,

We have lots of exciting PTO events coming in March including our first Family Games Night fundraiser, on March 21, our Spring Book Fair, and our second annual Ox Rocks Talent Show.  However, without the support of parent volunteers like yourselves, we are unable to make these exciting events happen for our students! Please be sure to read the “School News” section of the Hoot for details on how to get involved!

Also, Yearbook sales have begun! You can purchase them directly HERE.  The yearbook team is especially in need of 100th Day photos - please email to the Yearbook team.

Vanessa Donatello & Kate Kaufman

PTO Co-Chairs

[email protected]

YEARBOOKS ARE NOW ON SALE

Yearbooks for the 2023 - 2024 school year are now on sale!

Click here to place an order. Each yearbook is $25 with options to personalize. Yearbook sales will close on April 1st.  If you are ordering multiple yearbooks for each of your children, please fill out their names, grade and homeroom teacher individually, adding each yearbook to the cart one at a time. If you are ordering one yearbook for your children to share, please enter the name, grade and homeroom teacher of the child who should receive the yearbook. Yearbooks will be distributed to students during the last week of school. Please contact Natalie Gould with any questions. Finally, financial assistance is available to eligible families for yearbook purchases. Please contact Dr. Laub for more information.

SPRING BOOK FAIR

Spring Into Books at The Ox Ridge Spring Book Fair! The fair will run March 25-27th.  Family Nights are Monday (25th) & Tuesday (26th) from 5-7pm (those needing a quieter shopping experience may enter at 4:30).

ROCK YOUR SOCKS DAY - WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY ON 3/21

World Down Syndrome Day is Thursday, March 21st (3/21), a day selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which leads to Down syndrome. We invite all students to wear bold, brightly colored, mismatched socks! Doing so allows us to celebrate all of the wonderful things about people with Down syndrome while also advocating for their rights, inclusion and well-being. We can't wait to see how our Ox Ridge community rocks their socks!

BOARD OF EDUCATION BUDGET UPDATE

On February 15th, the Board of Education (BOE) approved a 2024-2025 budget of $121,522,322, up 6.18% from the current year. On February 16th, an error was identified and the actual increased budget figure was calculated at $121,864,475, up 6.48%. Therefore on February 27th the BOE voted again to approve the revised figure and it passed unanimously; there was no review of line-by-line items. A replay of the meeting can be found here.

The budget will now move to the Board of Finance (BoF) for further review and approval. On Tuesday, March 5th, the BoF will begin discussions around the BoE budget and a public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12th.  Meeting materials for the March 5th meeting can be found here. We encourage parents and community members to participate in the public comment period at the upcoming Board of Finance meetings.

AUTHOR VISIT - DAN SANTAT

The Ox Ridge PTO is excited to announce that Caldecott Award winner and New York Times bestselling author and illustrator, Dan Santat, will be visiting our students on April 11th! Dan is the author and illustrator of over a hundred books for young people. We are pleased to offer you the opportunity to purchase some of his books that Dan will sign when he visits. Please be sure to note the name you would like the book signed to under “Child’s Name” in Pay4SchoolStuff. Orders will be due on March 10th.

GAME NIGHT - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The Ox Ridge Fundraising Committee is looking for volunteers to help with the planning and running of Game Night scheduled for March 21st. If you are interested in helping plan this fun night for our students, please sign up here. 

DARIEN AFTER SCHOOL - EMBRACE THE SEASONS OF FUN!

Embark on a Spring adventure with Darien After School!

Spring Session & Conference Day program registration is Now Open!

Sprint into action: Join us from 3/18 to 5/31. Don’t miss out – grab your spot here.

Conference Day Program 3/13–3/15 - Don't miss out on this unique opportunity. After registering for Conference Day Programs, please update your child’s dismissal plans to CONFERENCE DAY PROGRAM in School Dismissal Manager for each day your children are registered.

Questions? Contact us: [email protected] / 888.212.3837

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PTO VOLUNTEERS

The Ox Rocks committee for their hard work in planning the upcoming Ox Rocks Talent Show.

Danielle Kohlberger for being this month’s Hoot editor.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE FOLLOWING OX RIDGE STAFF

No staff birthdays this week!

DHS ORCHESTRA'S AMERICAN GIRL TEA PARTY

The Darien High School Orchestra will host an American Girl Tea Party from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 14, at Darien High School. Open to children in Kindergarten through 5^th grade, the tea party will include food, crafts, and entertainment by Orchestra members. Tickets are $15 per person and may be purchased through the DHS Orchestra either online or at the door. Reservations are required as seating is limited. All proceeds will benefit the Orchestra’s performance activities, including the group’s upcoming performance at the World Strides Music Festival in New York City.

For reservations, please complete this online form:   For more information, please contact Jane Minnis at 203-655-3981, ext. 2287 or e-mail [email protected].

HARLEM WIZARDS COMING TO DARIEN!

The World Famous Harlem Wizards are coming back to Darien on Sunday, March 24th!!

The Darien Blue Wave Booster Club is excited to announce the return of this sell-out event! Come out for an afternoon of great fun as The Harlem Wizards take on The Blue Wave Home Team (our own talented teachers and administration, including Dr. Addley!) in a basketball extravaganza loaded with laugh-out-loud audience participation. Never in the history of sport will the losing team have so much fun! If you’ve never been to a Harlem Wizards game, check out this video! 

Ticket Details:

General Admission $30

3 and under are FREE and do not need a ticket.

Reserved Student $50

STUDENT TICKET- Receive special reserved seating close to the court and free team poster.

Reserved Adult $50

ADULT TICKET-Receive special reserved seating close to the court and $5 souvenir gift certificate.

Courtside Plus Student $75

STUDENT TICKET-Receive courtside reserved seating, pregame meet & greet with players, souvenir lanyard and color team photo for kids that is perfect for autographs and a $5 discount on Wizards replica jersey.

Courtside Plus Adult $75

ADULT Ticket-Receive courtside reserved seating, pregame meet & greet with players, souvenir lanyard and a $10 souvenir gift certificate for adults.

Courtside Player $250 (only 10 available!)

STUDENT TICKET(K-8 grade)-Receive courtside reserved seating, pregame meet & greet with players, jersey (picked up at game) souvenir lanyard and color team photo for kids that is perfect for autographs AND and the opportunity to play in a 3 minute game with the HARLEM WIZARDS during half-time.

We do expect this event to sell out quickly yet again. Click HERE to buy tickets now! Alley Oooop!

The Blue Wave Booster Club will host a concession stand outside of the gym (cash and venmo accepted!). 

The proceeds from this exciting event directly support the athletic programs at Darien High School for the physical development and betterment of all of its students! Thank you for your support and we hope to see you there!

DARIEN YOUTH SOFTBALL

Darien Little League Youth Softball Registration for the Spring House League is still 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, please contact Akshay Das and if you have questions about the softball program or would like to be a parent volunteer, please contact Caroline Comfort.  

DARIEN JUNIOR SAILING

DJST offers youth ages 8-15 the opportunity to enjoy the summer on LI Sound. We offer two 3-week sailing camps and one 2-week camp, June 24 - August 16. No boat needed, rental fee included in the cost of the session. Morning and afternoon programs available. All levels of experience welcome.  

Click here for online registration. For more information visit: http://www.dariensailing.org.  Questions? Email: [email protected]. DJST is run by parent volunteers. Let us know if you would like to get involved. New parent volunteers always welcome!! DJST is a 501 (c ) (3) non-profit organization.  

DCA ANNUAL EASTER EGG HUNT

This long standing community tradition is an egg-cellent way to celebrate the holiday! The Easter Egg Hunt will start at 10AM sharp on Friday, March 29. There will be a special visit from the Easter Bunny! Bring your own basket. For kids 8 and under. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, March 5 at 9AM at dariendca.org. 

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 [email protected] 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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