Ox Ridge Elementary School
May 8, 2022
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May 9th and 12th : Kindergarten Field Trip to Darien Nature Center
May 11th & 13th : 2nd Grade Field Trip to Selleck Woods
May 13th : 3rd Grade Field Trip to Stamford Museum & Nature Center
May 16th and 17th : Mad Science coming to 2nd Grade
May 17th : Parent Social Event - Floral Arranging (7pm)
May 19th : DEI Meeting @ Ox Ridge Library
May 24th : Parent Social Event - Yoga (9:30am)
June 17th : Last Day of School (early dismissal @ 1:20pm)
Missed last week's Hoot? Click here
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK
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Hi All,
Congratulations to Mr. Allen, Mr. Spielvogel, Mrs. Turkosz, Mr. Walters and our incredible student musicians on a beautiful spring concert! Thank you for all of the dedication and engagement in music education at Ox Ridge. It was awesome to see you all back in action, live at DHS – well done!
I’m also excited to share this highlight reel from our recent Darien Unified Sports Day; produced by the CT Association of Unified Sports. They plan to share our team’s success across the state!
Finally on behalf of all faculty and staff – thank you all for a truly heartwarming teacher appreciation week! We most certain felt the love and recognize all you do as families to support our school community!
Thanks,
Luke
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Dear Ox Ridge Parents,
Enrichment, Enrichment, the calendar is full of upcoming Enrichment! The PTO is happy to be able to support and fund so many incredible field trips and in-class visits from STEM vendors, including Mad Science. We continue to be so grateful for the generous support from YOU, our parent community, which allows us to provide these amazing enrichment opportunities for all students. With 7 field trips and 2 in-class STEM demonstrations planned for the months of May and June, it is an exciting time!
It was such an honor to shower the Ox Ridge Staff with so many treats to show our appreciation this past week! Pictures below show some highlights from the week. Thank you Ox Ridge Staff for all that you do!
XO OX,
PTO Co-Chairs
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VOTE FOR THE 2022/2023 PTO SLATE & BUDGET
In preparation for the next school year, we invite all parents to review and vote on the proposed 2022-2023 Ox Ridge PTO Slate and Budget. As per the PTO By-Laws, the proposed slate and budget shall be posted for all PTO members to review and vote on. All parents & staff are part of the PTO and asked to vote HERE. The voting period concludes Sunday, May 22nd.
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ORDER YOUR SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR NEXT YEAR
Can you believe it?! Its that time again....Avoid the back-to-school rush! Order now and 1st-5th grade school supply kits will be delivered directly to your child's classroom on the first day of school. To order, log on to www.SuppliesToPlease.com and click on the blue "Log In" button in the top right corner.
Username: OxRidge
Password: ox2022 (case sensitive)
Please place your order by June 23. You will receive a confirmation email once your order is placed. If you do not receive an email, please contact Supplies to Please that day. Click here to view the flyer. Please contact Dr. Forshaw for information about school supply scholarships. When purchasing your kit(s), please consider making a donation to the Darien Human Services' Back-to-School program to help provide much-needed school supplies and other services to local families in need. This is a high need year! Questions? Contact Jeanne Zimmer at jma_0075@yahoo.com.
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FLORAL ARRANGING WITH SWEET PEAS AND POPPIES
Please join us on Tuesday, May 17th at 7pm for a floral arranging class with Kira Saunders (Ox Ridge mom) and Sara Watts, co-owners of Sweet Peas and Poppies, a floral business located in Darien, CT specializing in floral and table-scape designs. Enjoy a fabulous evening in Dayna Checketts' backyard, sipping refreshments and making a lovely arrangement for your home or as a gift. Kira and Sara will teach you the importance of color, texture, and height in the composition of arrangements and share tips on foraging for flowers and foliage in your garden or the surrounding landscape.
Space is limited, so please purchase your tickets soon! Ticket Price $60, click HERE to purchase.
Ticket sales will close when the event is at capacity or by Friday, May 13th. Questions? Contact samanthabohlen@gmail.com.
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A CONVERSATION ABOUT DEI
Join us for an open conversation on May 19th at 9:30am about diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in our school district and at Ox Ridge specifically. We’ll hear updates from Dr. Forshaw and other Ox Ridge members of the District’s DEI Team. We’ll talk about the vision and role of the Ox Ridge DEI Committee moving forward and share ideas about how we can celebrate diversity, instill kindness, and promote inclusivity within our Ox Ridge Community. All are welcome to attend in person (Ox Ridge Library) or via Zoom.
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UPDATE YOUR CALENDARS: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL IS NOW FRIDAY, JUNE 17
Thanks to several snow days, our NEW last day of school will be Friday, June 17th. This is an early dismissal day - students will be released at 1:20pm. The 5th Grade Graduation Ceremony will be held on Wednesday June 15th (note corrected date).
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THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PTO VOLUNTEERS
Kermit Cook & Julia Swan (Hospitality) for providing delicious refreshments for the April 28th Speaker Series on Parenting in a Digital Age!
Kelly Andicopoulos, Page Berger, Marisa Chadda, Vanessa Donatello, Ashley Hinchman, Caitlin Griswold, Annie Horn, Soohee Laforteza, Erin Noonan, Danielle Paccione, Sandra Sadowski, Meghan Shain & Nicole Sweeney (Staff Appreciation Committee) for planning an incredible “Bee Themed” Week to show our teachers, staff and administrators how BEE-loved they are. Treats included a lunch from Burgers, Shakes and Fries, Fan Mail from Students, Coffee Truck with Breakfast Treats, Gift Cards and Jars of Honey!
Lauren Stisser & Katherine Grambling (Kids Care Club) for planning another incredible meeting to educate the students on Star’s Inc mission to "Light the Way" for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The students designed and colored star puzzles, which will be given out to Star's younger clients!
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE FOLLOWING OX RIDGE STAFF
Mrs. Laura Straiton (ELP Director) on May 13
Mrs. Kim Egan (Teacher) on May 14
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As we close out our final lesson on Kindness in Your Nest this week, lets reflect on all that we've learned over the past several months. We talked about respect, caring for others and ourselves, being inclusive, having integrity, building responsibility, and finally, having courage. As a final assignment, work as a family to perform a Random Act of Kindness (RAK) for a family in our community (see link). Its important to remember that a RAK is a selfless act performed for others for no other benefit than to spread kindness. Be kind owls!
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DARIEN SOCCER ASSOCIATION (DSA) - TRAVEL TRYOUTS REGISTRATION OPEN UNTIL MAY 9th
Register now for DSA travel tryouts for the 2022-2023 season. Travel tryouts are open to all 2014-2008 birth year (non-high school) athletes. All tryout information including dates and times can be found at dariensoccer.org or by registering HERE.
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DARIEN ARTS CENTER SUMMER CAMP AND CLASS REGISTRATION
Registration is open for camps and classes for all ages in dance, visual arts, music and martial arts. Summer dance classes available for PreK-Gr.1, Gr.1-3, Teen/Adult Ballet, Ballet Intensive (Gr.6-12) and Dance Intensive (Gr. 4-8). Spots are also available in ART! DANCE! MUSIC! Camp for kids from preschool through 1st grade and Cartooning Camp for Grades 1-4. To register, visit darienarts.org or call (203) 655-8683.
THOMAS/ORTIZ DANCE PERFORMANCE: Saturday, May 14, 7:30pm. Thomas/Ortiz Dance introduces a fresh and emotionally engaging new vision to contemporary dance. The company of twelve dancers from culturally diverse backgrounds performs a repertoire which explores a multitude of thought-provoking and socially-relevant themes. Tickets for the performance, which takes place in the DAC Weatherstone Studio, are $35 at darienarts.org.
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GETTING REAL ABOUT DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY PLAGUING OUR KIDS
The Darien Depot, in partnership with the Darien Library, will host a mental health discussion for parents and kids on Monday, May 16th at 7 p.m. in the library’s Community Room. The objective is to help de-stigmatize the topics of depression, anxiety and suicide. Renowned local psychiatrist Dr. Aaron Krasner will moderate a panel discussion between Dr. Yann Poncin, MD, a child and adolescent psychologist and Yale faculty member; Cheryl Bundy, the Chaplain and Spiritual Counselor of Silver Hill Hospital; and Jim Kuczo, the local father who started Kevin’s Afterglow to honor his son, who took his own life after a battle with depression. For more information, visit dariendepot.com.
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FIELD HOCKEY REGISTRATION IS OPEN
Darien Junior Field Hockey (DJFH) is now open for registration for our third season. DJFH is a not-for-profit organization led by a dedicated group of community volunteers, along with support from DHS coaches Mo Minicus and Kari Johns, who all collectively want to share their love of the sport with Darien youth athletes. At DJFH, we hope to inspire the love of the game by creating an atmosphere of positivity, inclusivity, skill development, and, most importantly, FUN!
Our Fall season runs from early September through early November, registration is now open to athletes in grades 1-8. For more information, please visit www.djfh.org.
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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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