THE HOOT

Ox Ridge Elementary School

January 1, 2023

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MARK YOUR CALENDAR

January 3 : Students return to school (B day)

January 3 : Darien After School Programs winter programs start

January 5 : BOE Meeting – Presentation of Superintendent's Budget (7:00pm)

January 6 : Kids Care Club Meeting @ 8:15am

January 7 : BOE Mtg - “Super Saturday”

January 13 : NO SCHOOL - Professional Development Day

January 16 : NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 18 : Ox Appreciation Day

January 26 : PTO Speaker Series - Details TBD

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FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK

Hi All,

Happy New Year! Please be on the lookout for our holiday concerts digitally distributed in the new year. Looking forward to welcoming all to campus next year for these excellent student performances, once the “assembly wing” is complete!

Thank you for an outstanding 2022 together. I hope you all had a truly wonderful, safe, and peaceful holiday break. Looking forward to seeing you all in 2023!

Thanks,

Luke

FROM THE PTO

Dear Ox Ridge Parents,

Happy New Year! We hope everyone enjoyed the holiday break!

Budget season is in full swing for Darien's Board of Education (BOE). On January 6th at 7pm there will be a Special BOE meeting to present the superintendent’s proposed 2023-2024 Darien School District budget, followed by “Super Saturday” on January 7th. This is an all-day meeting during which the proposed budget will be presented in great detail. Meetings and discussions of the proposed budget will continue through the month of January, and CDSP and PTO Chairs are seeking input and feedback from all parents. Please reach out to either of us if you have any questions about the budget process or how it will affect Ox Ridge.

What is happening with school lunch? With the new school and construction still underway we know that not having a hot lunch option for kids to buy is frustrating. We have been working closely with Food Services on getting some more hot options at lunch as soon as possible. Right now there is a hot soup lunch offering along with cold sandwiches etc. We will communicate updates as we get them.

Looking forward to a great 2023 for the Ox Ridge Community!

XO OX

Christina & Meghan

Christina Kreuz & Meghan Thornton

PTO Co-Chairs

oxridgepto@gmail

OX RIDGE NEWS

DARIEN AFTER SCHOOL - WINTER SESSION REGISTRATION

Registration for Winter Session (running from January 3rd through April 6th) is open thru the session. The After School program includes sports, arts, STEM and more available Monday thru Friday. Schedule, program details and registration available here.

For the first time ever, Darien After School is partnering with Project Buddy Up for a Homework Club. In this weekly class your child will work with a teacher and an older volunteer buddy/mentor on any schoolwork from Math to Reading. What better way to get some school work done! Class will run Mondays from 3:30 - 4:30pm.

Reach out with questions: [email protected] / 888.212.3837

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR SPRING FUNDRAISER

Planning is underway for our spring fundraiser in March 2023 (more details to come)! We are so excited for our first in-person fundraiser since 2019! We are still in need of volunteers to serve on the event committee. We are looking for 6-8 volunteers to help with silent auction, communications, decorations, and photography. Please see the link for more information and to sign up! Thank you so much for your help in advance on what will be a fun evening for our Ox community! For more information or any questions, please reach out to Danielle Paccione and Heather deBie

CAN I GET A HOOT, HOOT?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE FOLLOWING OX RIDGE STAFF

Ms. Yousra Hamzaoui - Lunch Monitor on January 1

COMMUNITY NEWS

SPRING 2023 LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL & SOFTBALL REGISTRATION

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. Registration after Dec 31 is subject to late fees. 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.

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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 [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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