FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK | |
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Dear Ox Ridge Owl Families,
Thank you for attending Open House on Thursday evening! It was exciting for our teachers to have you in our new building and celebrate these first few weeks of school with students. Administrative Team Members, Christina, Laura, Maya, and I appreciated welcoming you and hope it was an evening filled with learning and joy. We are consistently proud of our teachers who put heart and soul into every day with children. We also greatly appreciate all parents do to prepare their children for the school day!
While we know that our internal routines are going well, busing and traffic remain a concern. Your patience, support, and kindness have been overwhelming as we navigate this challenge. We are working with the Ox Ridge PTO Co-Chairs, Central Office Personnel, and Dani Powers, Director of Transportation, to come up with creative solutions. Although our creativity has yet to result in a smoother arrival and dismissal routine, I can assure you that we are trying our best to improve the current situation. We appreciate the frustration that parents are experiencing and want to reiterate that we are troubleshooting as much as possible while things remain unstable. One idea that has come to light is for parents to try to enter the school from the right (i.e. making a right turn into the property). Because buses come in on Mansfield and make the left, less car traffic on this route would help.
Maya Feldman, newly hired SESS AP, will be officially starting on September 26. Many of you had the chance to meet her at Open House. I look forward to working with her. Maya’s past experiences in Greenwich as a Speech Language Pathologist have readied her for the role of SESS AP at Ox Ridge. Shirley Klein, Assistant Superintendent of Special Education, and Kristin O’Reilly, Elementary Program Director for SESS, will continue to be of support throughout the transition.
I am also excited to welcome our Interim AP, Siobhan McCormack, who will be taking over for Christina Ulreich while she is out on maternity leave. Christina’s anticipated due date is November 11, and she will be on leave for the remainder of the 23-24 school year. Siobhan is coming from the Fairfield Public Schools with a background as a Literacy Coach and Language Arts Specialist. She will collaborate in person with Christina beginning on October 4, so she can hit the ground running when Christina’s baby arrives.
Information regarding the Phase 2 Ribbon Cutting rescheduled for October 7 and Halloween celebrations on October 30 will be forthcoming in future Hoots. Until then, enjoy the beautiful autumn weather.
Please remember that our nurses can be reached via email at oxrnurses@darienps.org.
With gratitude,
Melissa Kay
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Dear Ox Ridge Community,
It’s hard to believe that we are already in mid-September with fall temperatures finally here! It was wonderful to see so many of you at our open house last Thursday. We hope that you were able to take a look at the new assembly wing and see the great space that we now have. We will be having our ribbon cutting ceremony in October.
Our executive PTO board held our first meeting, and we have lots of exciting events planned for the school year.
The Ox Ridge Directory is now available - see below for additional details for how to sign up and update your information.
As always, please feel free to reach out to us at any time with any questions or concerns related to our Ox community, or even to share ideas for this upcoming school year!
Vanessa Donatello & Kate Kaufman
PTO Co-Chairs
oxridgepto@gmail.com
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OX RIDGE DIRECTORY
The Ox Ridge directory is LIVE!
Please click here to access our online school directory and update your family’s information if needed. You do not need to pay to be listed or to access the directory. You may also download the “Membership Toolkit app” for your mobile phone.
Please note the following instructions when first accessing the Directory:
1) Click “Register/Login” (NOTE: If you already have a Membership Toolkit Account, you can use the same email and password from last year to login. You’re ready to go).
If you are new, create a “New User” account:
- Click on “Create Account“
- Create your family’s account and click “verify my email“
2) You’ve got mail!
- Check your email for a link to complete the process. The link expires in 2 hours. If you do not receive the email, check your spam or junk folders.
3) Finish your registration/Review
- Review and validate the details listed for your family and child – you may suppress and edit the visibility of any personal information.
- Elect to Opt-in or Opt-out in the “Directory Publish Preferences.” The default is to Opt-In (note, this is not linked to your preferences in Aspen).
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Carolyn Elmi.
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OX RIDGE OUTFITTERS WEBSTORE
Ox Outfitters is excited to launch its very first pre-order webstore for new OX gear! Start the school year off with new styles of sweatshirts, hats and more! The store will open on Tuesday, September 12th and close on the 19th. Make sure to grab your gear as soon as possible, because once the store closes on the 19th, we will not be able to place additional orders. Orders will be delivered to your child's classroom or to your home for an extra cost, 3-4 weeks after the store closes. CLICK HERE FOR GEAR!
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FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL PHOTOS NEEDED
The Ox Ridge yearbook committee is requesting 1st day of school photos. Please send your pictures to OxRYearbook@gmail.com. We would love photos with more than one child if possible. Thank you so much for helping us out!
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FAMILY PHOTO DAY FUNDRAISER - ONLY 7 SPOTS LEFT!
Reserve your spot now for our fall Family Photo Day Fundraiser with the talented Karen Morneau Photography! It’s a great opportunity to have professional family photos taken and support the Ox Ridge PTO at the same time.
Spots are still available for:
Saturday, October 14th - Tilly Pond
Click here to select an open time slot and pay the $75 sitting fee (which will be donated directly to the Ox Ridge PTO). There are several digital and print packages available to choose from following the session.
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THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PTO VOLUNTEERS
Our Ox Appreciation Committee (Mary Elizabeth Garvey, Meghan Thornton, Christina Kreuz, and Sibel Magripli-Mesta) for restocking the staff lounge.
Megan Katz and Jaklyn Limoges (Recruitment) for ensuring a complete PTO slate.
Carolyn Elmi for updating our Ox Ridge Directory.
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE FOLLOWING OX RIDGE STAFF
Jessica Rosado (ELP Paraprofessional) on September 20
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4TH GRADE GIRL SCOUTS AT OX RIDGE
Do you have a 4th grader interested in Girl Scouts? We are starting a new troop at Ox Ridge this Fall! Girl Scouts is a wonderful way for girls to build character and confidence, learn new skills, and make an impact on the community -- all while having fun with friends! The Troop will meet once every 4-6 weeks during the school year. To learn more, please join us at the first meeting on Friday, October 6 from 3:30-4:30pm in the Ox Ridge cafeteria. If you cannot make the meeting, please add your contact information to this form and someone will reach out to you. We hope you will consider joining us!
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DARIEN ARTS CENTER - UPCOMING EVENTS
WOOF WOOF the Shadow Pup: A magical shadow puppet performance perfect for the whole family! Performances are on Saturday, September 23rd at 4pm and Sunday, September 24th at 11am and 1pm in the DAC Weatherstone Studio. Recommended for ages 3 & up. Tickets are $30.
SkyHunters in Flight!
The Darien Community Association is thrilled to present Skyhunters in Flight: Birds of Prey Demonstration on Sunday, October 1st at 12:00pm. Grab your ticket (tickets are sold per car for entry), your lawn chairs or a blanket, and come and learn all about these magnificent creatures up close and personal! Brian Bradley is a master falconer with over 30 years experience training and flying various raptors. Last year Brian and his wife Teddy brought a variety of owls, hawks, and falcons from around the world to the DCA. The audience was captivated and many asked for a return visit. This event will take place at the Darien Community Association, 274 Middlesex Road, Darien. Tickets can be purchased on the website.
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DARIEN SCOUTS MEGA-AUCTION - ONLINE NOW
The Darien Scouts tag sale is now online! The Darien Scouts Online Mega-Auction consists of multiple auctions featuring furniture, art, decor, antiques, toys, rugs, lamps, lawn & garden items, electronics, and more! Visit often, new items are added regularly and bidding starts at $1! The Darien Scouts Mega-Auction will run through May 6 and all proceeds go to support the Darien Scouting program, building young leaders and serving the local community. Thank you for your support!
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DARIEN SCOUTING HOSTING FAMILY FUN DAY AT WEED BEACH
Families are invited to stop by Weed Beach on Sunday, September 24th from 1-3pm to learn about the Darien Scouting programs, participate in fun games and interactive activities, and enjoy some yummy treats! Darien Scouting has been around for over 105 years benefitting our youth and our community. Boys and girls in grades K-12 enjoy fun and challenging outdoor activities, build leadership skills, and provide valuable community service, all while gaining lifelong friends and mentors. Programs include Cub Scouts for boys and girls grades K-5, separate boy and girl Scout BSA troops for grades 5-12, and a co-ed STEM Venture Crew for high schoolers. Programs are up and running now, and new Scouts can join any time, visit www.darienscouts.org or email darienscouts@gmail.com for program and registration information.
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WEEKEND MEAL PROGRAM
Darien Human Services participates in a partnership with Filling in the Blanks weekend meal program. Filling in the Blanks is a local non-profit organization that provides food on the weekends to school aged children. Each packet consists of a variety of nonperishable food items such as oatmeal, granola bars, fruit cups, mac and cheese, canned food, tuna and chips. Meal packets are distributed bi-weekly at Town Hall during designated times to families who struggle with food insecurity. If you have questions or would like to find out if your family meets eligibility requirements, please contact Darien Human Services 203-656-7328.
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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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