Ox Ridge Elementary School
January 30, 2022
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January 31st: Ox Ridge Budget Discussion Zoom with Dr. Addley (1:00pm)
February 4th: Kids Care Club Meeting, Common Room (8:15am)
February 14th-17th: Kindness Week
February 18th: NO SCHOOL - Professional Development
February 21st-25th: NO SCHOOL - February Recess
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BOARD OF EDUCATION'S BUDGET CALENDAR
Tuesday, February 1st at 7pm - Special Board of Ed Meeting
- Public Hearing on 2022-2023 Proposed Budget
- Final Budget Review as needed
Tuesday, February 8th at 7:30pm - Regular Board of Ed Meeting
- Approval of 2022-2023 Board of Education Budget
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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 again to our awesome PTO enrichment team, headed up by Jennifer Antroszewski for bringing Mr. Jerry Pallotta to Ox Ridge this week! Our students had a wonderful opportunity to hear from Jerry about how his life journey and passion for learning lead him to create such treasured non-fiction books for generations of kids to enjoy. Your support for our PTO ensures the extra opportunities for our students to be inspired and grow continue at Ox Ridge!
Thanks to Dr. Jenny Trifiatis for once again organizing our school-wide 100th day of school drive! This year, we are asking for the following items by grade level:
- Toothbrushes from preschool
- Mac and cheese from Kindergarten
- Cans of tuna from 1st Grade
- Ramen noodles from 2nd Grade
- Plastic bottles of Jelly from 3rd Grade
- Bars of soap from 4th Grade
- Cans of chicken noodle soup from 5th Grade
We plan to celebrate our 100th day of school (without any more snow days; February 8th) by organizing and getting our students involved in charity for Bridgeport Rescue Mission with a planned pick up on the 11th. All contributions welcomed!
Thanks,
Luke
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Dear Ox Ridge Parents,
Please join us tomorrow (Monday) for a Zoom meeting with Dr. Addley at 1:00pm to discuss the 2022-2023 proposed budget. This is your chance to ask your questions directly! See below for more details.
Also, if you missed last Monday’s Special Board of Education meeting on Open Choice and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), a meeting replay can be found HERE.
Finally, February is Black History Month and we look forward to celebrating the exceptional contributions and achievements of African Americans from throughout our nation’s history. Stay tuned for more to come!
XO OX,
PTO Co-Chairs
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KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
Kindergarten registration is happening online! To register your child, please go to www.darienps.org and select “Student Registration” under the “District Information” tab to start the process. More information can be found HERE.
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SCHOOL-WIDE ENRICHMENT
On January 25 & 26, the PTO sponsored author Jerry Pallotta's visit to Ox Ridge. During his visit, Mr. Pallotta discussed his books, including those from the Who Would Win series. He also told students about his many adventures and trips to places such as Antarctica. If your child did not have an opportunity to order books books prior to his visit, you can do so now by clicking here. If you placed a book order and did not receive all of the books ordered, those that are missing will be shipped to Ox Ridge as soon as they are available (currently back ordered) and distributed to students. Please reach out to Lia Stewart with any questions about book orders.
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OX RIDGE BUDGET DISCUSSION WITH DR. ADDLEY
Join us on Monday, January 31st, at 1:00pm for Dr. Addley's Zoom with the Ox Ridge and Tokeneke communities. Have you been following the budget discussions? Did you see Monday's Special Board of Education Meeting regarding Open Choice and BYOD? Do you have questions for Dr. Addley? Here is your chance to ask them directly! Please submit any questions you have HERE no later than this evening. We want to make sure our community is heard and questions are answered. If time allows, we will have an opportunity for additional Q&A at the end of the call for those questions that arise throughout. For those unable to attend live, the Zoom will be recorded and available to view at a later time.
Zoom details:
Monday, January 31st, 1:00-2:00pm
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PREPARING STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES AND 504 ACCOMMODATIONS FOR MMS
Please join us on Thursday, March 3rd, at 9am for an informative panel discussion and explanation of the middle school transition process for elementary students with IEPs and 504 accommodations. Please register for the panel discussion by Tuesday, March 1st. You will receive a link to the meeting the day before. Please click HERE for more details.
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ANNOUNCING THE 2022 MUSIC FOR YOUTH & DPS MUSIC DEPT. POSTER & GRAPHIC ART CONTESTS
The world-famous Dallas Brass ensemble is coming on April 22nd to celebrate this year's district-wide study of American Popular Music. Make a poster or a graphic design inspired by music from Dallas Brass! Winners of the contests will have their work displayed and be invited up on stage at the concert. The graphic art winner will have their design printed on the shirts of all 500 student musicians. The contest is open to all students, grades K-12, and there will be winners in every age group. Submissions are due at school on Tuesday, March 1st. Flyers with details and links to music will be available from music teachers or can be found HERE. Questions? Please call the district music office at 203-655-3981 x2329.
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DIRECT APPEAL: LET'S GET TO 100%
The OX Ridge PTO is excited to have brought back in-school enrichment opportunities, such as performer Soro Bindi and author Jerry Pallotta, as well as started some new initiatives to support students, families and faculty. To continue the PTO's important work, we need your support! If you have not donated, please consider donating to Ox Ridge’s 2021/2022 Direct Appeal, our main fundraiser of the year. While we are suggesting a donation of $75 per student, our goal is 100% participation from Ox Ridge families. Any amount counts! To help increase total participation, we are having a competition. The top two grades with the highest participation rate will earn extra recess. Currently, the 2nd grade is in the lead with 63% participation. Overall, 55% of students have contributed to the direct appeal. Let's get to 100%. To donate, please send in checks made out to Ox Ridge PTO with your students, or donate online (select PTO Fundraising Donation). If you are unsure whether you donated, please feel free to reach out to Eleanor Davidson or Megan Malone. Thank you for supporting Ox Ridge PTO!
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THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PTO VOLUNTEERS
Katherine Grambling & Lauren Stisser (Kids Care Club) for partnering with Animal Embassy who taught the children about “Creating Kindness Through Creatures.” Students learned the importance of celebrating our similarities and differences while meeting diverse live animal ambassadors!
Lia Stewart & Vanessa Donatello (School Wide Enrichment) for organizing the visit of the well-loved author of the “Who Would Win?” series, Jerry Pallotta! (see pictures in Dr. Forshaw’s note above!)
2nd grade Room Parents and families for sponsoring a special treat for the staff for the month of January. Staff enjoyed a breakfast buffet of large biscuits and mini chicken biscuit sandwiches from Chick-fil-A!
Marisa Chadda & Ashley Hinchman (Ox Appreciation) for coordinating and delivering the Chick-fil-A biscuit drop for staff!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE FOLLOWING OX RIDGE STAFF
Mrs. Danielle Pimpinella (Paraprofessional) on January 31
Mrs. JoAnn Mittelstadt (Teacher) on January 31
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We introduced integrity last week and now it's time to discuss and practice different scenarios with your family. How do we treat the people and items in our home, even when no one is watching? Our behavior and our beliefs should line up. Use this link for journal prompts, or take an extra step to create a list of family values, rules and expectations.
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DARIEN YOUTH COMMISSION’S SUMMER CAMP PROGRAM!
The Darien Youth Commission’s Summer Camp registration beings Monday, February 14. Registration forms will be posted on the DYC website on Thursday, 2/10; online resident registration is live Monday, 2/14. There will again be three grade-level programs taking place two sites this year: Camp Royle-1 students entering grade 1; Camp Royle-2/3 for students entering grades 2 & 3; Camp Mather (@ Holmes School) for students entering graders 4, 5 & 6. Summer camp dates are: TUESDAY, June 21 – July 29 (three, 2-week sessions). FAQ regarding pricing, program content and registration is currently on the Youth Commission website (in the Summer Camp Programs section).
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SUMMER AND AFTER-SCHOOL PROGRAMS AT THE DARIEN NATURE CENTER
Are your kids ready for a summer filled with animal encounters and outdoor adventures? If so, send them to the Darien Nature Center! This summer the Nature Center is offering three, two-week sessions for children ages 4-9. The program runs June 27th - August 5th. A registration lottery for all 2022 Summer Camp programs will run February 1-8. For full program and pricing details visit dariennaturecenter.org/summer-camp. To be added to the Nature Center's mailing list email leah@dariennaturecenter.org.
Enrollment is now open for the Darien Nature Center's after-school program, Outdoor Explorers. This is a monthly series for students in grades K - 5 that meets three times per month from 3:30 to 5:00 PM. Each month has a new theme. The theme for February is Adaptations: Feathers, claws, camouflage, and more! Children will spend 90 minutes outside, exploring the different areas of Cherry Lawn Park. For more information and to register, please visit dariennaturecenter.org/after-school.
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NEW PROGRAMMING AT THE DARIEN ARTS CENTER
Summer programs: registration is now open for Darien Arts Center Summer Camps and Classes. Sign up now at darienarts.org.
Valentine's Day Sip & Paint: Friday, February 11, 7-9pm. Grab your spouse, date, 'galentine' or best buddy for this fun night out! Bring your own beverages of choice and snacks and enjoy an evening of relaxation and creativity with DAC instructor and artist Stephanie Lush-Mastriano. All materials included and all levels welcome. $50 per person. Sign up at darienarts.org.
The Darien Arts Center is located at 2 Renshaw Road, behind the Town Hall. For questions, please call (203) 655-8683.
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CDSP “DID YOU KNOW" SERIES - #6
The Council for Darien School Parents (CDSP) is the umbrella organization for all Parent Teacher Organizations (PTOs) in the Darien Public School (DPS) District. Each of the seven schools have representation on CDSP. The purpose of CDSP, formed over 20 years ago, is to promote communication and collaboration across all seven Darien schools, District Administration, the Board of Education (BoE) and the DPS parent community. CDSP encourages the exchange of creative ideas for things such as fun, engaging enrichment programs for our students, appreciation events for our teachers and staff, exploration of synergies to help reduce costs (such as author visits for our students), and representation of all parents’ views / concerns. CDSP also coordinates district-wide efforts such as last year’s “Showing Staff the Love”! If you have any great new ideas contact Kristen Smith, Libby Cook or Mary Elizabeth Garvey. Follow CDSP on Instagram (@cdsp_darien) and Facebook (CDSP Darien)!
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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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