January 3rd: Two (2) hour delayed opening schedule

January 3rd: Register for Before/After School Winter Programs to avoid late fees

January 6th: Special Board of Education Meeting – Presentation of Superintendent's Budget (7:00pm)

January 14th: NO SCHOOL 
 
January 17th: NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 

January 21st: Kids Care Club Meeting, Common Room (8:15am)
Missed last week's Hoot? Click here
FROM THE PTO
Dear Ox Ridge Parents,

Happy New Year!  We hope everyone enjoyed the holiday break.  Please note that there is a two (2) hour delayed opening tomorrow, Monday, January 3rd! See Dr. Addley’s communication HERE 
  
Budget season is in full swing for Darien's Board of Education.  On January 6th at 7pm there will be a Special Board of Education meeting to present the superintendent’s proposed 2022-2023 Darien School District budget, followed by “Super Saturday” on January 8th, 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.
  
Looking forward to a great 2022 for the Ox Ridge Community! 

XO OX,
 
PTO Co-Chairs
OX RIDGE NEWS
DARIEN AFTER SCHOOL @ OX WINTER ENRICHMENT – REGISTER NOW
  • General Registration Ends Tomorrow, 1/3
  • Late Fee Starts Tuesday, 1/4
  • Classes Start 1/10

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                

Click on this link to get a more detailed class description: Darien After SchoolMost run from 1/10-4/8 (3:30 pm-4:30 pm). Questions? [email protected] / 888.212.3837
KINDNESS WEEK IS COMING!
National Kindness Week is next month, from February 14th to 18th. The PTO will sponsor several fun activities and events for our students that week. If you would like to help us plan these activities and events, please sign up to be on our Kindness Committee.
HANDPRINTS FOR KINDNESS BANNER
As part of our Kindness Week celebrations, we will be unveiling a HUGE banner at the school that reads "Kindness Begins with Me." Students' handprints will surround those words, serving as a pledge that each one of us can do our part to be kind. We have hundreds of handprints so far and want to be sure to include every student. If your child has not yet submitted their handprint for the banner, please follow these instructions to do so:
  • Print out the blank handprint found here and ask your student to color/decorate it. 
  • Snap a photo of the decorated handprint. 
  • Upload it to this shared folder
The banner will go to the printer next week, so this is your last call!  Contact Minnie Liu with any questions.
PURCHASE YOUR "KINDNESS BEGINS WITH ME" T-SHIRT
The "Kindness Begins with Me" banner will be unveiled on Tuesday 2/15. On that day, we'd love for all students to wear a "Kindness Begins with Me" t-shirt. These custom t-shirts will be printed by Floyd, our beloved OX16 Bus Driver, who owns a screen printing business. These short-sleeved white t-shirts are $10 each. To purchase, click here. Orders will be delivered to you by the Kindness Committee. Contact Erin Noonan with any questions. 
KINDNESS IN YOUR NEST
Sometimes the special things our family does or shares together makes us feel included. This week, as we continue to explore the ideas of inclusiveness and kindness, let's play a game that invites family members to share all the ways they feel included. 
COMMUNITY NEWS
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.
CDSP DID YOU KNOW SERIES - #5 - DARIEN PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT BUDGET PROCESS
The Council of Darien School Parents (CDSP) is the umbrella organization for all Darien Public School PTOs. Did you know that the 2022-2023 Darien Public School District budget process kicks off soon? Each school’s PTO Chairs and Budget Reps will want to hear ALL parents’ views about the proposed budget; they in turn will communicate these views back to this year's CDSP Budget Chairs, Stacey Tié and Deb Ritchie. CDSP will then formulate speeches based directly on collective feedback from parents so that the Board of Education can hear what is important to the community.
 
As always, PTO Chairs / School Budget Reps should be your first point of contact; if you’re not sure who this is for your school, please contact [email protected] and we will gladly connect you.
 
Important near-term dates to note:
  • Jan 6th, 2022 @ 7pm - Special Board of Education meeting to present proposed 2022-2023 Darien School District budget
  • Jan 8th, 2022 @ 8.30am - “Super Saturday” - an all-day meeting during which the proposed budget will be presented in great detail (snow date Jan 15th)
  • Jan 7th - Jan 13th - PTO Chairs and School Budget Reps will seek input / feedback from all parents
  • Jan 13th - Jan 30th - CDSP will formulate speeches based on feedback from all parents
  • Feb 1st, 2022 - Board of Education Public Hearing on budget / speeches given
  • Feb 8th, 2022 - Board of Education vote on budget

EDITORS NOTE:
Sara Osberg - Sept, Dec, Mar, June
Tory Bolton - Oct, Jan, Apr
Baye Larsen - Nov, Feb, May

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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