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October 16: Coffee with Principals (ELP)
October 17-18: Darien Sports Shop Fundraiser
October 20: Kids Care Club
October 21: ELP Trunk & Eat
October 23-25: Fall Scholastic Book Fair
November 7: No School - Election Day
November 9: Picture Retake Day
November 9: Veteran’s Day Program
November 9: Speaker Series with Dr. Alycia Dadd (DSP Director of Mental Health) at 6pm
Useful Links:
Missed last week's Hoot? Click here
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK | |
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Dear Families,
We hope this coming week is positive and productive for all! We plan to enjoy this lovely fall weather and enjoy our outside spaces as much as possible this week. We are also excited to shop for books during our upcoming Scholastic Book Fair, October 23 – 25, 2023!
PTO COFFEES
It was wonderful to see so many parents in attendance at the PTO Coffees this past week! Thanks to Kate Kaufman and Vanessa Donatello, PTO Co-Chairs, for hosting these sessions. We have scheduled our first Evening Parent Series of the year with Alycia Dadd, Director of Mental Health, at 6:00 pm on November 9. Details to follow. We look forward to seeing you then!
DISTRICT COMMUNICATION FROM DR. ADDLEY
Dr. Addley, DPS Superintendent, recently sent out a communication regarding unfolding events in the Middle East. Our school psychologists have put together a few resources that may be helpful as you answer questions that may come up from children.
American Psychological Association:
Common Sense Media:
Unicef:
UPENN:
REMINDER RE: PHOTOS
If you are visiting a classroom to read a story or celebrate your child’s birthday, please be mindful to refrain from taking photos of other children unless specifically for the purpose of use in the Ox Ridge Yearbook. We need to be cognizant of privacy concerns with images of students being used.
SAFETY
Please be sure to use the crosswalks and sidewalks when in our parking areas. Although we have a lovely new parking lot, there can be significant traffic where people are walking in these areas and not paying attention to vehicles.
Enjoy the week!
Melissa Kay
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Dear Ox Ridge Community,
It was wonderful to see many of you at our K-5 PTO Coffees this past week. We’re so happy you had a chance to hear from our principals and see the highlights of the PTO plans for the school year. For those who would like to see the presentation slides, we have added them to our PTO website here, where you can also find additional details about the PTO budget, slate, and events.
This Friday, October 20, will be our first Kids Care Club meeting! Kids Care Club is a great way for our kids to learn about community service and get involved with several local charities. See below for more details, including KCC’s upcoming coat drive partnership with Person2Person.
Finally, we hope our ELP families enjoy their Trunk & Eat event this Saturday - can’t wait to see pictures!
Have a great week!
Vanessa Donatello & Kate Kaufman
PTO Co-Chairs
oxridgepto@gmail.com
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ELP COFFEE WITH PRINCIPALS
ELP parents and/or guardians are invited to join the ELP PTO and Ox Ridge Principals on Monday, October 16, at 9:30 in the ELP Common Area.
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SUNDAY FUNDAY PHOTOS NEEDED
The Ox Ridge yearbook committee is requesting photos from Sunday Funday for use in the yearbook. Please send your pictures to OxRYearbook@gmail.com. Thank you so much for helping us out!
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OX RIDGE BOOK FAIR
The Ox Ridge Fall Book Fair “There’s No Place Like Home” runs October 23-25th. Family Shopping Nights are Monday (23rd) & Tuesday (24th) from 5-7pm (those needing a quieter shopping experience may enter at 4:30).
Payments accepted include cash, check and eWallet (an alternative to cash, the Book Fair eWallet can be used to fund your students' purchases at the Fair).
Set up your eWallet here & click here for full Fair details. Parents may shop with their child during their classroom visit (see schedule here) - and please consider helping set up by volunteering! We look forward to seeing you!
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DARIEN SPORT SHOP FALL CHARITY DAYS FUNDRAISER
Support Ox Ridge and have fun shopping with the Darien Sport Shop fall charity shopping benefit! Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Ox Ridge PTO. Purchase tickets here for $10 and receive a 15% discount on all Darien Sport Shop purchases during their charity shopping days, Tuesday, October 17th, and Wednesday, October 18th. Tickets can also be purchased in person at Sunday Funday on October 8th and the PTO / Principal coffee on Monday, October 9th. Any tickets purchased online will be emailed prior to October 17th. This is a great time to purchase outfits and goodies for the holidays! Please reach out to Courtney Concannon or Paola Sordoni at oxridgepto.fundraising@gmail.com with any questions. Happy Shopping!
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EXCITING NEWS FROM KIDS CARE CLUB!
Get ready for an amazing start to a year filled with compassion and community spirit! The Kids Care Club is thrilled to invite your students to our first meeting of the year on October 20th at 8:15 am.
What's the Kids Care Club all about? We're a group dedicated to exploring the wonders of local community service. This month we are honored to host Sarah Demark from Person to Person, who will enlighten us about their incredible work and how we can contribute to making a positive impact. We will dive into the spirit of giving as our young philanthropists create vibrant posters for our upcoming Coat Drive, happening from October 23rd to November 3rd. Let's make a difference together!
We can't wait for another fantastic year of caring and sharing. Visit Kids Care Club to enroll your child and join us in shaping compassionate leaders for the future.
Here's to another year of kindness, community, and countless heartwarming moments!
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OX RIDGE VETERANS DAY PROGRAM
Ox Ridge will continue the tradition of our Veterans Day program this year on Thursday November 9th. As many of you know, this program is an extremely significant event at our school. Our goal is to continue to develop a greater appreciation among students for our country and the veterans who sacrificed so much for our safety and freedoms. We look forward to paying tribute to all the veterans in our families and community – past, present, near and far – with an in-person program in our new cafeteria and auditorium! We are thrilled to welcome our veterans back this year.
How to participate:
If any of the veterans in your life are able to join us in-person that day, please contact us by Monday October 23rd by emailing oxridgepto@gmail.com with the Subject Line “Veterans Day 2023”. We will have our veterans participate in some Q&A with our students as we have done in the past.
If you have a veteran or active duty service member in your family, or if you know a veteran who you would like to honor by having their biography and pictures displayed in school, please complete this form by October 23rd as well. Please note: If you have submitted your veteran’s biographical information before, it is not necessary to do so again. The photos and biographies will be posted in the pod area for each grade.
If you are able to volunteer your time, either with set up before, during, or after the celebration or in preparation for the event, please contact us at oxridgepto@gmail.com. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to honoring our country’s heroes once again!
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DEI: OCTOBER
This October, we will be celebrating kindness and working to create a kinder school community.
We ask each community member (parents, students and staff) to actively engage in creating a kinder atmosphere.
Here are some ideas on how you can participate
- compliment a job well done as well as positive and helpful attitudes
- Lend a hand by volunteering
- Include those who are left out
- Actively listen and celebrate differences
For books on kindness, visit the library and look for some of these titles:
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Kindness Rules by Sabrina Moyle
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Kindness Matters by Kim Thompson
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Kindness Is Cooler, Mrs Ruler by Margery Cuyler
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PTO FUNDRAISER - MINTED
Ox Ridge is Fundraising with Minted! Get 20% off your Minted card and gift purchases, including custom photo gifts, tote bags, stationery, children’s art and more. For every order placed, Minted will donate 15% back to the Ox Ridge PTO!
Step 1: Visit minted.com and start shopping!
Step 2: Apply code FUNDRAISEOXRIDGE at checkout to claim your 20% discount. The code can be used year-round!
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THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PTO VOLUNTEERS
Courtney Concannon and Paola Sordoni (Fundraising) for organizing the Darien Sports Shop Fall Fundraiser shopping days.
Kerry Goldberg and Alexis Starzynski (Kids Care Club) for leading our Kids Care Club and hosting the first meeting of the year.
Beth Morgan (Photography Coordinator) for working with Karen Morneau to arrange (and rearrange thanks to rain) our Fall Family Photo Days fundraiser.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE FOLLOWING OX RIDGE STAFF
Marissa Furnari (SLP for Talarico) on October 16
Livia Flood (DLC, SPED Teacher) on October 18
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DARIEN ARTS CENTER
Try a Martial Arts Class for Free - Pop in to any DAC Martial Arts classes for a free trial: Open Martial Arts For Grades 3-Adult:
Tues. 6-7pm, Youth Martial Arts For Kindergarten-Grade 7: Thurs. 5:30-6:30pm, Teen/Adult Martial Arts For Grade 9-Adult: Thurs. 6:30-7:30pm. Martial Arts classes take place in the DAC studio across from the baseball field in back of Town Hall.
Pumpkin Decorating Workshop at NAYA - Thurs. Oct. 26, 4:30-5:45pm. Kids 5-8 years old join us at Naya to embellish their own one-of-a-kind pumpkin with stickers, gems, paint pens and more, just in time for Halloween! After creations are complete, kids enjoy their own Kids Meal with classmates. (Each child must be accompanied by an adult.) At NAYA: 146 Heights Road in Darien Commons. $35.
Strings & Asymmetry East Coast Contemporary Ballet Performance - Friday, October 20, 7:30pm. A dynamic evening that marries contemporary dance and string music in expert and unexpected ways.Tickets are $40 at darienarts.org. (DAC students may purchase tickets at a discounted rate of $20 through the DAC office.) In the DAC Weatherstone Studio.
NEW! Drop-in classes are available for Little Artist and You, Middle School Expressive Art, Teen/Adult Martial Arts and Adult Ballet.
Registration is ongoing for Darien Arts Center classes for all ages in DANCE, MUSIC, VISUAL ARTS and MARTIAL ARTS. To register, visit darienarts.org or call (203) 655-8683. The DAC is located at 2 Renshaw Road, behind the Town Hall.
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GROWING UP IN PUBLIC: COMING OF AGE IN A DIGITAL WORLD
How do we help our kids navigate growing up in a world where nearly every moment of their lives can be shared and compared? Dr. Devorah Heitner will join us on Tuesday, October 24th at 7pm at the Middlesex Middle School auditorium to discuss her new book - "Growing Up in Public" - and offer strategies to help our tweens and teens navigate boundaries, identity, privacy, and reputation in their always-connected digital world. Program sponsored by Thriving Youth Darien, Middlesex Parent Association, YWCA Parent Awareness, The Depot, YMCA Darien/Norwalk, Family Centers, and Kids in Crisis. Register at www.communityfunddarien.org/ty-programs-and-events.
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DARIEN EMS - POST 53 HAUNTED HOUSE
Darien EMS - Post 53 Haunted House - Sunday October 29th from 1:30-3:30pm
Come join us for three different levels of fright on Sunday October 29th from 1:30-3:30pm at our headquarters 0 Ledge Road, Darien. Get your Halloween costumes ready and join us for a fun filled afternoon with exciting events and fun games for kids of all ages. There will be ambulance tours, pumpkin decorating, face painting, and many more games and treats! CPR/AED training will be offered to any adults or children interested. Suggested donation is $10 per child and all donations will support Darien EMS-Post 53, Darien’s Volunteer Emergency Medical Service staffed with state certified Emergency Medical Technicians, who are Darien High School Students and their Adult Advisors.
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OX RIDGE KINDERGARTEN GIRL SCOUT TROOP
Do you have a kindergartener interested in being a Girl Scout? We are starting a Daisy troop for kindergarten girls! Get ready for fun, friendship and amazing adventures! Being a Girl Scout encourages girls to develop skills, character, courage, other important life skills, along with having great adventures with friends and spending time outdoors. Click this link to join (our troop number for kindergarteners is 50558 if you need to search for the troop). Our first meeting will be Thursday, November 2 at 3:30 pm, and we will meet once a month. Stay tuned for details! Contact Kathleen Sartorius with questions.
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MUSIC FOR YOUTH
Darien Music For Youth is a 501(c)(3) that has been supporting music education in Darien for over 50 years, relying on donations to make this happen. All donations go straight into programs in the schools. Building on the success of last year’s strings festival year with Mark Wood's Electrify your Symphony, we are geared up for a choral festival year for 2023-2024 with numerous visiting vocal ensembles and a culminating masterclass and concert in the spring with the talented Western Connecticut State University choir. We will also continue our poster and graphic design contests, summer music scholarships, and offer bonus events for all students. We need your continued support! Review this MY FLYER for more details, and please click here to donate.
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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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