DPS BUDGET UPDATE

On March 7th, the Board of Education (BOE) presented its approved budget of $114.5m to the Board of Finance (BOF). A replay of the meeting can be found here. On March 14th, the BOF will hold a Public Hearing on the BOE’s budget in the Town Hall Auditorium. On March 30th, the BOF will hold a budget review and discussion with BOE and on April 6th, the BOF will vote on the BOE budget. The BOE budget then goes to RTM for vote and approval on May 8th.

DARIEN AFTER SCHOOL

Please share ideas and suggestions for a class! Spring Session is just around the corner, and the best way for us to bring the greatest After School Program to your school is to hear from YOU and YOUR CHILDREN! Email or call 888.212.3837

BOOK FAIR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Book Fair Volunteers Needed – Click here to help out!  Slots are open for classroom visits (during the school day) plus set up and breakdown.  The teacher visit schedule is included in the sign-up sheet if you’d like to coordinate with your child’s class.  We need your help to make this event a success! Family Nights are Monday (27th) & Tuesday (28th) from 5-7pm (those needing a quieter shopping experience may enter at 4:30). Click here for full Fair details and here to set up your child's eWallet.

CALLING ALL OXR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES!

Come out and support the 4th and 5th graders who are participating in the live Ox Rocks Talent Show Thursday, March 30^th @ 7 PM at Darien High School!  This is an exciting opportunity to see the wide range of talented students we have at Ox Ridge -- from dancers, to gymnasts, to instrumentalists, and singers. The 5th graders will also be singing a finale song, something we hope to make a tradition for years to come. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased here. Come cheer on your peers at Ox Rocks! For more information, visit the Ox Rocks webpage or email us if you have any questions! 

ATTN 4TH and 5TH GRADERS - SHOW US YOUR TALENT WITHOUT GOING ON STAGE!!

The Ox Rocks Talent Show Committee recognizes that there are many talented students that might not be able to showcase their talent on stage (i.e. painter or builder) or might not want to perform "live." We are collecting photos of 4th and 5th graders alongside their "talent." Examples include photography, sculpture, painting, drawing...or maybe your child is a great chef!? Or a poet!? Or incredible Lego creator!? In an effort to be true to the Ox Rocks goal of celebrating the diverse talents of all our students, we want to give another option for contributing to the show. Please upload a picture of your child holding/presenting their "talent" onto the Ox Rocks Google Drive HERE by Sunday, March 19th. Please name the file to include your child's name, grade (4th or 5th) and description of talent. All submissions will be shown in a video montage at the Talent Show.  Questions? Contact Mary Elizabeth Garvey

YEARBOOKS NOW ON SALE!

Yearbooks for the 2022 - 2023 school year are now on sale! Click this link to place an order. Each yearbook is $24 with options to personalize. If you are ordering multiple yearbooks for each of your children, please fill out their names, grade and homeroom teacher individually, adding each yearbook to the cart one at a time. If you are ordering one yearbook for your children to share, please enter the name, grade and homeroom teacher of the child who should receive the yearbook. Yearbooks will be distributed to students during the last week of school. Questions? Contact Natalie Gould. Please contact Dr. Luke Forshaw for more information about financial assistance.

ROCK YOUR SOCKS DAY - WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY ON 3/21

World Down Syndrome Day is Tuesday, March 21st (3/21), a day selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which leads to Down syndrome. We invite all students to wear bold, brightly colored, mismatched socks! Doing so allows us to celebrate all of the wonderful things about people with Down syndrome while also advocating for their rights, inclusion and well-being. We can't wait to see how our Ox Ridge community rocks their socks!

ELP TO K: PARENT ARTICULATION COFFEE

Join us for a panel discussion to prep ELP Students with Special Education Services & 504 Accommodations for Elementary School. This Zoom session (Zoom link) will be held on Thurs, 3/23 10:30-11:30am. Topics will include: Continuum of services; general education, special education, and related services staff; specialized programs; articulation IEP/504 process; schedule; contact information; and Q&A. Panelists include Kristin O’Reilly, Program Director for Special Education and Student Services; Laura Straiton, Program Director of Early Childhood, Special Education and Student Service; Leslie Davis, Hindley Assistant Principal; Anmarie Galgano, Holmes Assistant Principal; Lindsay Sulzycki, Ox Ridge Assistant Principal; Katie Risk, Royle Assistant Principal; Kat Brunswick, Tokeneke Assistant Principal. The presentation will be recorded via zoom until the Q&A session at the end. 

NEW OFFERINGS AT THE DARIEN MUSEUM OF ART

DARIEN ARTS CENTER Register for all classes and purchase event tickets at darienarts.org. The Darien Arts Center is located at 2 Renshaw Rd, behind Town Hall. For questions, call (203) 655-8683.

NEW DATES: DANCE IS IN THE AIR, an all-new varied program from East Coast Contemporary Ballet. The evening of dance features four neoclassical and contemporary love duets and an original and fresh world premiere. Friday, March 17 and Saturday, March 18th at 7:30pm Tickets are $35.

DAC Summer Camps: Mon.-Thurs., 1-4 week options | $285 per week | For Preschool-Kindergarten:10am-12:30pm, June 5-June 29 | For Grades 1-3: 10am-1pm, July 3-July 27. Campers will have art class followed by music and creative movement to release energy, develop physical skills, and promote self-expression! Each art class will introduce different art forms, using different materials, and at the end of each week the campers will have different projects to take home.

Tiny Dancers Camp: Grades K-2 | Mon.-Thurs., June 19-29, 12-3pm | $480. (1 week option available.) A joyful summer experience! Each day ballet class is followed by a dance-related craft, ballet story time and a Rhythm class. An in-studio performance will take place on the final day of the second week.

Summer Dance Intensives: Mon.-Fri. | Intermediate for Grades 3-8: June 17-July 28, 1:30-4:30pm. $600. Advanced for Grades 9-12: Aug. 8-18, 12-4pm. $800. Dancers will train in ballet, pointe, variations, contemporary. Intensives culminate in an in-studio performance on the last day.

Summer Dance Classes: Dance Beginnings for Preschoolers, Mon., July 10-Aug 7, 12:15-1pm. $160. Pre-Ballet for Preschool-Grade 1, Wed., July 12-Aug 9, 11-11:45am. $160. Ballet 1 for Grades 1-2, Wed, July 12-Aug 9, 12-12:45pm. $160. Open Ballet Class for Adults/Teens, Mon and/or Thurs, June 12-Aug 24, 10-11:30am. $200 or $25 drop-in.

DARIEN YOUNG COMPOSERS & SONGWRITERS CONCERT

The Music Department of the Darien Public Schools will be sponsoring the 22nd annual concert on Wednesday, March 29th at 6:30pm in the Darien High School Auditorium. This program is open to all students currently enrolled in the Darien Public Schools. It is a great opportunity for students to compose their own original music and share it with an audience.

THE DEPOT'S 80s AFTER DARK

Back by popular demand, The Depot Youth Center’s annual fundraiser returns with a 1980’s-themed party headlined by New York City-based cover band, Rubix Kube. Tickets are now available for The Depot’s 80's After Dark, which is 21+ and will take place at 7:30pm on Saturday, March 25, 2023, at Woodway Country Club. Billed as “The hottest ticket in town” last year’s benefit sold out, so get yours today: TICKETS

DARIEN SOFTBALL

Spring is just around the corner! If you haven't already, please consider registering your daughter for softball! It's a great way to learn the fundamentals of the sport, make friends, and have tons of fun.

If you have any questions about the program, or softball generally, please do not hesitate to contact Chris Maduri. He runs the Darien House softball program and is very excited for this upcoming season! Please see the DLL registration links below.

LINKS TO REGISTER

• NEW players
• RETURNING players