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November 3: Mom's Night Out at Element Medical Aesthetics
November 8: Professional Development (No School)
November 10: Veteran's Day Program
November 10:School picture retake day
November 23: Early Dismissal
November 24-25: Thanksgiving Recess (No School)
November 29 - December 2: Early Dismissal (Conference Week)
December 1 - Special Education Appreciation Day
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK | |
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Hi All,
Congratulations to our assistant principal Lindsay Sulyzcki this week! She had a beautiful, healthy baby boy, Alexander, over the weekend! We wish her the best with a new addition to the family. Christina and I will step into any special education teams to support progress during Lindsay’s time away from Ox Ridge.
Looking forward into October, know that we will have a spirit day on Monday, October 31st for all students. Halloween is one of the most exciting days of the year for children and we want to celebrate the joy on campus! I’m pleased to share the our annual kindergarten parade will happen that afternoon as is tradition!
For students in grades K - 5, there are some choices in how to participate in this fun day. With parental permission, students may wear costumes. “Weapons”, scary or gore-y costumes, excessively large or cumbersome outfits / accessories are not permitted.
Teachers can certainly ask students to remove a part of their costume if it becomes overly distracting or disruptive to the learning process. In addition or as an alternative to costumes, students can celebrate the day by wearing pajamas, orange and black or Darien School colors of Blue and White. Our ELP classes will have their own safe and fun way to celebrate; ELP teachers will reach out to their families with details.
Finally, I know many students who plan to trick or treat in the community. In addition to the yearly safety reminders, I also encourage you to learn more about the inclusive-awareness building work lead by FARE's "Teal Pumpkin" campaign. As you see these teal pumpkins in the neighborhood, I hope you can appreciate the sensitivity and awareness our community has regarding food allergies on this exciting day!
Thanks,
Luke
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Dear Parents,
That is a wrap on another Scholastic Book Fair! “Fall into Reading” was a huge success and the students loved all the festive decorations and all of us enjoyed seeing the colored acorns and leaves that were displayed throughout. I know parents were especially excited to be able to join their child’s class during Book Fair time. Special thank you to the co-chairs along with their committee and all the volunteers in helping us make this such a successful event.
The Special Education Social on Tuesday night at Louie’s was a great success. It was so nice to see some new faces and catch up with parents at a great local spot!
We also had our first Kids Care Club and first Ox Spirit Day last week. The kids and teachers looked fantastic in their Ox gear- keep an eye out for the next one!
XO OX,
Christina & Meghan
Christina Kreuz & Meghan Thornton
PTO Co-Chairs
oxridgepto@gmail
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OCTOBER IS NATIONAL DYSLEXIA AWARENESS MONTH
Did you know that Walt Disney was dyslexic?? Albert Einstein, Stephen Hawking, Steve Jobs…they all had dyslexia too! The National Today website provides the following definition: “Dyslexia is a learning impairment that causes problems with writing, reading, and spelling. The intelligence of dyslexic people is unaffected. This misunderstanding of the condition leads to stigmas, which Dyslexia Awareness Month aims to eradicate.” There are many ways to learn more about dyslexia. The Ox Ridge Library has informative books on Dyslexia on display in our special Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) section – tell your child(ren) to take a look. Read the State of Connecticut’s, Department of Education answers to FAQs. The DEI committee and Special Education representatives are honored to acknowledge and celebrate the neurodiversity of the Ox Ridge community. Please reach out if you have any questions.
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MOM'S NIGHT OUT
Join us for a Mom’s Night Out at Element Medical Aesthetics (80 Main Street, 2nd Floor, New Canaan) on Thursday, November 3 from 7-9 PM. Meet Merry Thornton, PA-C, MBA and Element Medical Aesthetics Founder who will present information about her practice and services while enjoying appetizers, wine and soft drinks. The event is limited to the first 20 to register. We will also have a waitlist and will do our best to accommodate those interested in attending. Please register here. Join us for cocktails at Uncorked at 9pm following the event at Element.
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BOOK CLUB
Calling all 4th and 5th Grade Bookworms!
The Ox Ridge 4th and 5th Grade Book Clubs are open for registration! If you have a 4th or 5th grade child who loves to read — this is the club for them! Each club will read a book over the December break and meet twice in January during their lunch/recess time to share and discuss. The books will be decided upon with the help of Mrs. Constantine and we will notify you of the selection by December so the students have plenty of time to read the books before we meet in January. We will read a second book over April break and will meet twice after that break, as well.
4th Grade January Meetings - 1/18 and 1/27 from 1pm-2pm
5th Grade January Meetings - 1/18 and 1/27 from 12pm-1pm
The deadline for registration is Friday, November 18th. Please sign-up via the links below. Please note that space is limited.
4TH GRADE BOOK CLUB SIGN-UP
5TH GRADE BOOK CLUB SIGN-UP
QUESTIONS? Please contact Jennifer Antoszewski at or Julie Brown.
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OX ROCKS! TALENT SHOW
This Spring, Ox Ridge will host its first annual Talent Show — OX ROCKS— in an effort to celebrate all talents and creativity. This is a chance for the school and community to come together in an inclusive, empowering and fun environment to cheer on friends and peers. All 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students will be invited to participate. Details are still being finalized, but to get started, volunteers are needed to serve on the OX ROCKS committee, led by Sarah Evans Thelen and Ashley Hinchman. We're looking for 6 to 8 spirited volunteers to help with the planning, coordination, and execution of the talent show, including show production and technology support, stage crew, event marketing and promotion, and ticket sales. If you're interested or have additional questions please email Sarah and Ashley.
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HOOTIE ARTWORK FOR THE YEARBOOK
Every year, students' drawings of Hootie are included in the yearbook, and one drawing from a 5th grade artist is featured on the cover. Please fill out this form and upload your child's artwork to be included! The due date is Friday, November 4th.
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KIDS CARE CLUB COAT DRIVE
For October, the KCC is working on a Coat Drive with Person-to-Person. There will be a collection box placed in the lobby of Ox Ridge School starting on Monday. Please help your children collect coats from home, neighbors, family and friends. They can be dropped off anytime during school hours and we will continue to fill the box through the end of the month. Let's build excitement around this and teach our kids one way they can make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate in our local community, especially before temperatures really drop! Please reach out to Alexis Starzynski or Kerry Goldberg with any questions.
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THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PTO VOLUNTEERS
Kelly Andricopoulos and Lauren van de Kamp (Book Fair co-chairs) for organizing the Book Fair along with, Meghan Curcuruto, Ceci Davies, Nicole DiOrio , Theresa Driggs, Melissa Kelly, and Diana Turowski (Book Fair Committee)
Marisa Chadda (Treasurer) and Sarah Santana (Asst. Treasurer) for keeping track of all of our fundraising events.
Caitlin Griswold and Elizabeth Melaugh (OxFitters) for selling Ox Gear at the Book Fair.
Dayna Checketts, Anne Cotton and Kira Saunders (SE Reps) for organizing the SE social at Louie’s.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE FOLLOWING OX RIDGE STAFF
Mr. Austin Rooney on October 24
Ms. Leah Swick on October 25
Ms. Lindsay Sulzycki on October 30
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DARIEN HIGH SCHOOL HALLOWEEN CONCERT
Current and Future Elementary Musicians, and families, are invited to the DHS Halloween Orchestra Concert on October 27 at 7pm. The concert will take place in the Darien High School auditorium, with a special guest performance by the MMS 8th Grade Sinfonia. Costumes welcome!
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DARIEN YMCA TRICK OR TREAT PARTY
Friday, October 28, from 6:30 - 8:00 PM. Trick or treat around the Y building, and walk the Haunted Playground if you dare! (Weather permitting). Enjoy popcorn and a movie in the gym, candy, games, activities and a selfie booth! This event is open to the public. Register here.
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DARIEN EMS - POST 53 HAUNTED HOUSE SUNDAY OCT 30 FROM 2-4 PM
The Post 53 Haunted House is back! Come join us as we return to providing three different levels of fright on Sunday October 30th from 2-4pm 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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HOLIDAY EVENT TO BENEFIT DARIEN EMS
Please join us for a holiday shopping event to benefit Darien EMS - Post 53 on Thursday November 10th from 5-7:30pm at Nielsen’s florist. There will be shopping discounts, raffle prizes, festive displays and ideas for the holidays. Come and enjoy a night out with friends supporting Darien’s ambulance service. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door, inclusive of beverages and hors d’oeuvres. Purchase tickets here.
Since 1970, Darien EMS-Post 53 has provided the town of Darien with high-quality emergency medical services, while providing local high school students with an exceptional opportunity to serve their community. The dedicated volunteers of Post 53 staff three fully-equipped state-of-the-art ambulances, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Darien EMS-Post 53 does not rely on any town funding for our annual operating budget. The organization depends on the generous support of our friends and neighbors to maintain our growing operating budget.
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OX RIDGE HOOT | HOOT EMAIL | PTO WEBSITE
EDITORS NOTE:
Meghan Egan - Nov, Jan, May, June 19
Danielle Kohlberger - Oct, Feb, Apr, June 12
Baye Larsen - Sept, Dec, Mar, June 5
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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