Ox Ridge Elementary School
December 19, 2021
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December 23rd : Early Dismissal (1:25 pm)
December 24th - December 31st : NO SCHOOL
January 3rd : Students Return to School
January 3rd : Register for Before/After School Winter Programs to avoid late fees
January 6th : Special Board of Education Meeting – Presentation of Superintendents Budget (7:00 pm)
January 21st : Kids Care Club Meeting, Common Room (8:15 am)
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Missed last week's Hoot? Click here
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK |
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Hi All,
Thanks to our music teachers, Mr. Walters, and Mr. Spielvogel, for leading another wonderful holiday concert! Music education is a critical feature of our overall school program. We are very fortunate to have expert educators teaching our kids how to listen, create, perform and appreciate music. If you’d like to check out the performance or share it with relatives, you can do so via this link.
Your support for the arts as parents is recognized and appreciated. We value the structure, support, and guidance you provide as our burgeoning musicians practice regularly at home! I hope you enjoyed the concert as much as we did.
We were looking forward to our holiday chorus performance to come in January!
Thank you for an outstanding 2021 together. I wish you all a truly wonderful, safe, and peaceful holiday break. Looking forward to seeing you all in 2022!
Thanks,
Luke
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Dear Ox Ridge Parents,
A big thank you to all of our room parents who organized teacher gifts for each of their classes. On behalf of the PTO, we also delivered Amazon gift cards to the rest of the Ox Ridge staff (paras, custodians, front office, specials, etc.). We are so incredibly thankful for them and wanted to express our appreciation and share some joy with them this holiday season.
Can you believe that the holiday recess begins this week? Although this year has continued to bring some challenges with covid and construction, we are so thankful for the wonderful “pre-covid” PTO traditions and enrichment opportunities that we could resume. This will be our last Hoot of 2021. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday!
XO OX,
PTO Co-Chairs
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DIRECT APPEAL FUNDRAISER
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to date! We are halfway there with roughly 50% of Ox Ridge families participating! If you have not donated yet, please help us reach our goal of 100% participation! While we are suggesting a donation of $75 per student, any amount you are able to give is very much appreciated. These important funds support our children's field trips, enrichment, classroom supplies, teacher appreciation efforts, and much more. To donate, please send in checks made out to Ox Ridge PTO with your students, or donate online (select PTO Fundraising Donation). Thank you for supporting the Ox Ridge PTO! Questions? Contact Ellie Davidson or Megan Malone.
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ATHLETICS, ART, AND STEM...OH MY!!!
Spots are filling up quickly for Darien After School's winter session. There are a couple more weeks to register before late fees begin on 1/4. There are classes to pique any interest:
Athletics: Soccer, Hip Hop Dance
Art: Hands on Clay, Kindness Rocks, Dragons and Unicorns
STEM: Roblox Developer, Adventures in Engineering, Blast off Math
Academics: Cursive Writing, Homework Club
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YEARBOOKS WILL GO ON SALE IN FEBRUARY
This year's yearbook sales will start in February and will again be online. Once yearbooks are available for purchase there will be an announcement in the Hoot with a link to place your order. You have not missed your opportunity! Stay tuned for more details and pricing.
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THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PTO VOLUNTEERS
Room Parents for organizing holiday gifts for each classroom teacher!
PTO Exec Board for writing thank yous and delivering Amazon gift cards for every staff member that works at Ox Ridge, outside of the classroom teachers!
Jen Brauman (Grade Level Enrichment) for partnering with the Discovery Museum to bring awesome enrichment to the 1st Graders!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE FOLLOWING OX RIDGE STAFF
Mr. Dylan Spielvogel (Music Teacher) on December 20
Mrs. Katie Risk (Curriculum Coordinator) on December 25
Mrs. Lori Hoge (Cafeteria Monitor) on December 26
Ms. Yousra Hamzaoui (Cafeteria Monitor) on January 1
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Inclusiveness means including others, inviting them in and welcoming them with open arms. This month, we are going to focus on being more inclusive in our families. Use this link to access discussion questions and journal prompts to build inclusiveness in your family.
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SAVE THE DATE: RIDING THE WAVES OF MIDDLE SCHOOL FRIENDSHIPS
On January 11th at 7:00 pm in the MMS Auditorium and on Zoom, the Middlesex Parent Association will host a parent presentation and discussion with Darby Fox, LCSW, Child and Adolescent Family Therapist, as featured on ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox News and author of "Rethinking Your Teenager: Shifting from Conflict and Control to Structure and Nurture to Raise Accountable Young Adults". Darby will discuss strategies to help parents successfully navigate the ever-changing landscape of adolescent friendships. Register here.
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ICE SKATE AND HELMET DRIVE FOR ICE SKATING FOR EVERYONE
Ice Skating for Everyone, Inc., founded by Emily Kelting, a retired professional figure skater, has partnered with Horizons at NCCS, the Darien Ice House and the SONO Ice House to offer skating lessons to underserved 1st and 2nd-grade children from Stamford and Norwalk. Ice Skating for Everyone is in need of figure or hockey skates and hockey/ bike/ski helmets for children ages 5-7 years old – we accept used items! If you would like to donate, please email Tracey Riccardi or text/call (917) 969-6313 for pick-up.
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RACIAL EQUITY & SOCIAL JUSTICE EDUCATIONAL CHALLENGE
Start your year off by taking part in the YWCA 14-Day Racial Equity & Social Justice Educational Challenge beginning on January 3, 2022. In response to multiple requests, the YWCA is re-releasing the 14-Day Racial Equity & Social Justice Challenge. The Challenge asks participants to make time and space to build more effective social justice habits— particularly those dealing with issues of race, power, privilege and leadership—for 14 days. Participants who have signed up for the Challenge will receive daily tasks via email to help foster their understanding and awareness, including activities such as: reading an article, listening to a podcast, and reflecting on personal experience. For more information and to register, please click here.
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THE DEPOT’S ANNUAL HOLIDAY WRAP-UP DECEMBER 18 - DECEMBER 22
Have time to shop but no time to wrap? The Darien Depot Youth Center’s “elves” are back to wrap presents for residents just before the holidays! For a minimum $20 donation, residents can drop off unwrapped and labeled Christmas presents at the Depot from 10 am to 3 pm on weekends and from 3 to 8 pm on weekdays. The Depot will supply all wrapping paper and accessories.
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CDSP: DID YOU KNOW?
The Council of Darien School Parents (CDSP) is the umbrella organization for all Darien Public School PTOs. Did you know that CDSP has a Community Outreach Committee? Community Outreach supports various organizations in town including Music for Youth, the Darien Foundation and the Darien YWCA. Community Outreach also champions CDSP's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. This DEI component includes communication with the Administration, as well as monthly meetings with DEI Chairs from all schools to coordinate ideas related to enrichment for students and resources for parents, focused on promoting a welcoming and inclusive social and learning environment for all DPS students. Jennifer Sherman is the Community Outreach Chair for CDSP this year and can be reached at cdspdei@gmail.com with any questions or comments.
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EDITORS NOTE:
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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