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!

SESS CONTINUUM OF SERVICES INFO SESSION

Please join Principal Luke Forshaw and Assistant Principal Lindsay Sulzycki on April 4th at 10 AM in the main office conference room to discuss the Continuum of Services available to all students. Topics will include:

1. Regular Education: Differentiation and DI Block
2. Section 504
3.  SRBI: Tier I, II and III
4. Special Education
5. Specialized Learning Programs: DLC 

Coffee, hot chocolate and light bites will be served. No RSVP required, but if you plan to attend please email your Special Education Representatives to assist with planning: Anne Cotton, Kira Saunders, and Dayna Checketts. 

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 held 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.

SPRING BOOK FAIR

The Ox Ridge Spring Book Fair “Enchanted Book Fair” runs March 27-29th.  Family Nights are Monday (27th) & Tuesday (28th) from 5-7pm (those needing a quieter shopping experience may enter at 4:30). Payments accepted include cash, check and 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!

OX ROCKS TALENT SHOW TICKETS ON SALE 

Come out and support the 4th and 5th graders in the Ox Rocks Talent Show Thursday, March 30^th @ 7 PM at Darien High School! This is your chance to see the wide range of talents 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. The Ox Rocks Committee wants to ensure all children are able to enjoy the talent show. We have arranged to stream the show in the chorus room at DHS for anyone who would prefer a calmer experience - no tickets necessary. We hope you can join us - it is going to be an awesome celebration of the Ox Ridge students! 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! 

4TH and 5TH GRADERS - DEADLINE TODAY TO SUBMIT PHOTOS OF TALENT

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.

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. 

SUPPORTING LEARNING DISABILITIES AND EARLY INTERVENTION By Taina Coleman 

On Thursday, March 30, 11 am - Noon, Taina Coleman, MA, MEd, Educational Specialist from the Child Mind Institute will present Supporting Learning Disabilities and Early Intervention in Darien Library Community Room. This workshop will provide advice and resources to learn more about a child's learning profile, which change as a child grows, and strategies for developing a strength-based approach to managing symptoms and building skills. Hosted by Darien SEPAC and Darien Library.  For more information and to RSVP, please click here. 

DARIEN JUNIOR FOOTBALL LEAGUE REGISTRATION

Darien Junior Football League registrations for Flag/Tackle/Cheer opens April 1st! Please visit the website, djfl.org for all important information.

HEADS UP! DHS BOYS LAX SPRING BREAK CLINIC

The Darien High Schools Boys Lacrosse team and Coaches will be hosting a Spring Break youth lacrosse clinic for boys in grades 1st-8th. The clinic will take place at the DHS center oval turf field, Monday, April 10th - Thursday, April 13th from 8:30am - 11am. You can do one day or all four days! The camp’s goal is to stimulate the love of the sport of lacrosse. The camp is dedicated to provide individual instruction to players of all ages and abilities. A low player to coach ratio and players to field ratio makes for a great teaching and learning environment. Instruction will include the fundamental skills, tactics and techniques of lacrosse. Lots of Prizes! More information and registration info to come soon.

LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL SPRING BREAK CLINIC – APRIL 11th

The DHS Varsity Baseball team and Coaches will be hosting a Spring Break youth clinic for players in grades 1-6 on Tuesday, April 11 from 12:00-2:00pm. (Rain date will be Wednesday, April 12). Don’t miss this great opportunity to kick off the baseball season and get to play with the high school players. 

Cost is $50 and is a fundraiser for the DHS Baseball program. Come out for some great baseball and support the program! The clinic will take place at the Varsity Baseball field at DHS.  

Registration required by Noon on April 10. Please venmo $50 per player to Natalie Alini @Natalie-Alini and include your name, your child’s name/grade, and the best contact number to reach you if needed in the memo area. 

YOUTH COMMISSION AND P2P DRIVE-THROUGH FOOD DRIVE

The Darien Youth Commission and P2P are proud to partner on another Drive-through Food Drive (this is our 6th in just over two years!). Hunger and food insecurity continue to be a reality for many local families. At the April 2022 food drive, P2P received over 3000 pounds of food in 3 hours! We hope that we can count on you again. Taking place on Saturday, April 1 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon in the Darien Train Station Parking Lot (Koons Lot, across West Ave. from Tilley Pond Park), volunteers will remove donations directly from donors’ cars. Visit the DYC website for additional details and a list of most needed items: www.darienct.gov/yc.

"DON'T WAIT" FILM SCREENING AND PANEL DISCUSSION

The Thriving Youth Task Force, Silver Hill Hospital and YWCA Parent Awareness are presenting a free screening and panel discussion of “Don’t Wait,” the award-winning film about substance use prevention and early intervention utilizing the power of proactive parenting, on Wednesday, March 22nd at 7pm at Darien Library. The 52-minute screening will be followed by a discussion with Erin Kelley, Executive Director of Addiction is Real, and a mother featured in the film who will share her personal experiences with addiction. The program is intended for elementary, middle and high school parents. Register HERE

THE EMOTIONAL LIVES OF TEENAGERS - SAVE THE DATE

On May 10th @ 7PM in DHS Auditorium, the Middlesex Parent Association (MPA), along with Darien High School Parent Association (DHSPA) and Thriving Youth Task Force (TYTF), are pleased to host an interactive discussion with New York Times Bestselling Author and Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Lisa Damour, Ph.D, featuring "The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents". Lisa will be joined by Reena Ninan, television journalist and Middlesex Middle School mom, who will moderate the discussion. Registration is required and can be done HERE. Purchase Lisa's new book via Barrett Bookstore HERE. Questions? Email Patty Deery or Lorraine Collins.

NOROTON YACHT CLUB SUMMER SAILING PROGRAM

Noroton Yacht Club Summer Junior Sailing Program is one of the longest running and strongest sailing programs that teaches your children skills that will last them a lifetime! It offers all levels of sailing, from beginners to advanced racing and recreational sailing for non-racers. Boats include the Optimist, C420, ILCA, Feva and Open BIC. Sign up for 4 or 8 weeks session. Register at www.norotonyc.org

DARIEN JUNIOR SAILING SUMMER SAILING PROGRAM  

DJST offers programs from novice to advanced level junior sailors at Weed Beach, including instruction in Optimist sailboats for sailors 8-15 years of age and in Club 420s and Lasers for those 13+..No boat needed, rental fee included in the cost of the session. Morning and afternoon programs available. All levels of experience welcome.  For online registration and more information visit: http://www.dariensailing.org. Questions? Contact dariensailing@gmail.com. DJST is run by parent volunteers. Let us know if you would like to get involved. New parent volunteers always welcome!! DJST is a 501 (c ) (3) non-profit organization.

DARIEN ARTS CENTER SUMMER REGISTRATION

Register at darienarts.org. The Darien Arts Center is located at 2 Renshaw Rd, behind Town Hall. For questions, call (203) 655-8683. Summer Camps and Classes include Dance, Visual Arts and Martial Arts.

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