KIDS CARE CLUB FOOD DRIVE

The Kids Care Club is having a food drive until Monday, November 21! The food items will be donated to The Food Bank of Lower Fairfield County. This food drive serves many needy families and individuals in the area. The collection box will be located in the front lobby of Ox Ridge. We are collecting non-perishable food. Some suggestions are: 

• Breakfast Cereals
• Instant Oatmeal
• Pasta
• Jarred Pasta Sauce
• Apple Sauce
• Juices (Bottles & Boxes)
• Shelf Stable Milk
• Peanut Butter
• Jelly (Grape & Strawberry)
• Progresso Soup
• Campbell's Chunky Soup
• Macaroni & Cheese
• Dried Beans (1 lb Bag)
• Fruit Cups
• Rice - White or Brown (1 lb Bag)
• Canned Protein (Tuna & Chicken)

We would love to help stock the shelves in time for Thanksgiving. Questions? Email Alexis Starzynski or Kerry Goldberg.

NATIONAL SPECIAL EDUCATION DAY

Darien Public Schools will observe this important milestone on December 1st to include our ELP staff. This day commemorates the anniversary of our nation’s first federal special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, signed by President Ford on December 2, 1975. The Darien Public School District’s parent community is proud to show our appreciation of all of our teachers and staff.

As part of our celebrations, we are asking Ox students to create 'thank you' cards for their teachers and service providers. Your child may decorate and sign the attached card template, or feel free to create your own card!  Please have your child deposit their card(s) in the designated box in the front office by Wednesday, November 30th.

Questions? Contact your Ox Ridge Special Education Reps: Dayna Checketts, Kira Saunders, and Anne Cotton. 

OX RIDGE HOLIDAY PARTY

Kick off the holiday season with us at the 314 Beer Garden on December 8th from 7-10PM. The $65/per person ticket includes open bar, refreshments and some delicious pizza to snack on! Join us for a fun, festive night with your fellow Ox Ridge parents! Buy your tickets here.

314 Beer Garden is located at 314 Wilson Avenue in Norwalk. Reach out to Nicole Sweeney or Meghan Shain with any questions.

BUDDY POPPIES

This year’s Poppy Drive raised just over $1000! The money will be donated to help disabled veterans here in Connecticut. Thank you to all members of the Ox Ridge Community for participating.

SUPPORT THE OX RIDGE PTO WITH DISCOUNTS AND SPECIAL OFFERS FROM MINTED, AMAZONSMILE, AND MABEL’S LABELS!

With the holiday season right around the corner, we wanted to remind our Ox Ridge community of some quick and easy ways to raise money to support our PTO throughout the year (while taking care of some holiday shopping)! Please take a look at our partnerships with AmazonSmile, Minted and Mabel's Labels here and share with friends and family! Thank you for supporting the Ox Ridge PTO!

MOM'S NIGHT OUT

Join the Ox Ridge PTO for Holiday Wreath-Making at Nielsen's Florist on Tuesday, November 29th from 6:30pm - 9pm. Gather with friends and enjoy light bites and drinks. You'll go home with a gorgeous Holiday wreath from Nielsen's for your front door! Tickets are $100. Nielsen's is limiting headcount to 60 people.  There are only a handful of tickets remaining. Please reach out to Nicole Sweeney to purchase a ticket.

HOLIDAY HOPE CHEST

Ox Ridge is marking its 21st anniversary this year of supporting the Family & Children’s Agency through their Hope Chest program, which sponsors foster children in Fairfield County during the holidays. If your family would like to contribute, please assign your name to a foster child listed on the Sign Up Genius.

Please wrap your gifts, label them with the child’s name and drop them off at 66 Holly Lane (box on the side porch) by Friday, December 9th. Please visit the FCA webpage to learn more about the work of this vital organization and contact Beth Marengo for any questions.

OPUS FOR PERSON-to-PERSON'S TOY DRIVE

The OPUS for Person-to-Person's toy drive benefiting P2P's "Holiday Toy Store" program is running from Monday, November 4 through Sunday, December 4. This annual event ensures our low-income neighbors have gifts for their children during this special time of year. 

OPUS for Person-to-Person will be collecting new, unwrapped gifts for kids of all ages through the toy drive. There is a collection box located in the Ox Ridge lobby. Please consider donating a gift! There will also be a QR code on the box linking to P2P's Amazon toy wishlist. Thank you for your generosity! 

HINDLEY HOLIDAY MARKET

Mark your calendars for the Hindley Holiday Market on Saturday, December 3rd from 2pm - 4 pm. This family friendly event has a variety of activities for a fun-filled afternoon! Kids can enjoy cocoa, cookie decorating and crafts as well the opportunity to do some of their holiday shopping at the kids gift village! Parents can sip a complimentary custom coffee and shop over 15 local vendors offering jewelry, bags, ornaments, children's clothing, homemade food items, hot chocolate bombs, craft kits, curated books from Barrett's and more!

The DHS choir will add to the festivities by singing a collection of holiday songs and you can also expect a special performance from Dance on the DL's 2400 crew! With a little something for everyone, kick off the holiday season and make this year's market better than ever! Tickets are $10 per person for all ages 4+ and are available at the door.

CDSP MEETING UPDATE

CDSP Info Series # 2: Is CDSP part of Darien’s Board of Education?

The Council of Darien School Parents (CDSP) is not part of the Darien Board of Education, nor Darien Public School Administration. CDSP is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit which is the umbrella organization for all Parent Teacher Organizations (PTOs) for Darien Public Schools. CDSP Officers are volunteers, not elected officials, and each school has three voting members: two PTO Chairs and one CDSP Rep (also volunteers for schools). Follow @CDSPDarien or visit cdspdarien.org for more information! 

2023-2024 Budget Process for Darien Public Schools

The 2023-2024 budget process for Darien Public Schools will commence later this month! On 11/22/22 Dr. Addley will introduce his high-level budget priorities to the Board of Education (BOE). On 1/5/23, Dr. Addley will present his proposed budget for 2023-2024 in more detail. “Super Saturday”, an all-day session in which the BOE begins discussion on the proposed budget at a granular level, will be held on 1/7/23. These meetings are all open to the public. Additional details coming soon!

YWCA PARENT WORKSHOP

Parent Workshop Monday, December 5th at 9am: Join YWCA Parent Awareness at New Canaan Country School for "Keep Calm and Parent On", a presentation and Q&A featuring Nancy Close, PhD, Associate Director of the Yale Program in Early Childhood Education. Dr. Close will talk about the difference between supporting and pushing, and the importance of parent-child attachments and how to establish them, for parents and guardians who want research-based insights and practical advice for raising happy, healthy children. Register here. Event address: New Canaan Country School, 635 Frogtown Road, New Canaan.

DR. MARC BRACKETT PARENT WORKSHOP

The Council of Darien School Parents, on behalf of the PTO, is excited to invite you to attend Dr. Marc Brackett’s parent workshop on December 6th at 7pm in the DHS Auditorium.

Dr. Brackett is the founder and director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and co-creator of RULER, an evidence-based approach to social-emotional learning. After a year of professional development, teachers are implementing RULER in every classroom in the district. Have you heard about the ‘mood meter’ or the ‘class charter’? That’s RULER! Dr. Brackett is also the author of “Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive.” The workshop will be an interactive discussion with parents that focuses on wellness, mental health and social-emotional learning. If you would like to read “Permission to Feel,” copies are available at a 10% discount at Barrett Bookstore, or at the Darien Public Library.

DARIEN HUMAN SERVICES CHARITABLE OPPORTUNITY

Consider bringing joy to a struggling family or Senior. Adopt a family on your own or with friends, book clubs or church groups. Families range in size from 2-6 people. Or adopt a Darien Senior. We are asking for donations of gift cards (you will received suggestions and stores where the family/senior likes to shop to make things easier and more personal). Drop off the gift cards to Darien Human Services and we will get them to the “adopted” family or senior.

Please reach out ASAP as donor matches will commence after Thanksgiving through Monday, December 5th. Questions? Call Darien Human Services: 203-656-7328 or email.

SPRING 2023 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL & SOFTBALL REGISTRATION

Are you ready to hit the diamond?! Registration for Spring 2023 House Baseball and Softball now open! To register, visit www.dybs.org and click the Registration tab on the left. All players must be Darien residents, in K to 7th grade during the 2022-2023 school year and may not be older than 12 on September 1, 2023. Regular registration until Dec 31, 2021, after which late fee will apply. It is the policy of Darien Little League that all children have the opportunity to play regardless of ability to pay. To request scholarship, email John Butler. Scholarship requests and grants are handled discreetly and confidentially. If you have any questions regarding registration, contact Akshay Das.

BLACK FRIDAY BOYS LACROSSE YOUTH CLINIC

The Darien High School Varsity Lacrosse Coaching Staff and Players are offering a fun Friday morning of lacrosse the day after Thanksgiving!

Where: Oval Turf at Darien High School

When: November, 25th 9am - 12:30pm

Cost: $100

Get those kids out of the house and running around! Fun games and prizes. Click here for more details and to sign-up! All proceeds will support DHS Boys Lacrosse Program and CITYLAX.