WEST PTC          WEST PTC CALENDAR         WEST SCHOOL         NCPS DISTRICT
September 21, 2018
 


PRINCIPALS' CORNER
Jan Murphy and Ashley Furnari


 
What's New at West?
Last week, we hosted our K-2 Open House . The evening provided parents with information about their child's educational experiences through the lens of classroom teachers, special area teachers, and our PTC presidents. Parents viewed a Google Slide Presentation created by our faculty to show "What Makes West a Great Place to Learn?". Our PTC parents shared a short presentation showcasing the many ways they support our school. We will hold our Open House for grades 3 and 4 next Tuesday, September 25th. The schedule is below:
  • Grade 3 will meet in their child's classroom from  6:30 - 7:10 PM
  • Administrator/PTC Welcome will be in the BBT from 7:15 - 7:40 PM
  • Grade 4 will meet in their child's classroom from 7:45 - 8:25 PM
Expectations Assembly
Last Friday, we held our   "Expectations Assembly" in the Brown Bag Theater to review school-wide expectations and celebrate being back at school. Mrs. Fitzgerald, our music teacher, and Mr. Stella, our PE teacher, led us in dancing to the "Cha-Cha Slide" and "Whip Whip Nae Nae"! Our custodian, Mr. Ted, talked about the need to "Keep it Clean" and explained the importance of recycling. Character Ed and Mrs. Fitzgerald selected some new "School Words" for the new year to support our Proud to Read Aloud book The Word Collector by Peter Reynolds. We ended our assembly with the song, "It's Such a Good Feeling" (From Mr. Roger's Neighborhood), which was a new song for the whole school and aligns with our work on emotions.

Fall Family Fun Night!
Tonight is our West School Family Fun Night! We hope each of our families will come out to enjoy a special time together, "picnic style", playing games and dancing to music. A ticket to the event includes dinner and ice cream. There will be a variety of local food trucks on hand to provide families with a unique selection for dinner. A special thanks to the great support from our PTC; this event has become a new favorite at West and we would like to send a huge shout-out to our parents for their hard work in making the event so successful! It is always a fun event for our families and a great way to kick off another Great Year at West!

Parent Pickup
For safety purposes, please remember to follow the K-4 pick-up line procedures.
Pick-up Procedures:
  • Please remember that you need to be in the office by  3:20 PM for an early dismissal; otherwise, you will be redirected to the pick-up line and need to follow pick-up line procedures.
  • For safety reasons, buses are the only vehicles allowed to park in the front loop.
  • Please park in the parking lot and walk to the office when requesting an early dismissal for your child. 
  • All pickups prior to dismissal time are recorded as an early dismissal.
  • We appreciate your support in keeping everyone safe.
  Dismissal from Building Three: (Back)
  • Dismissal Manager: Please add the name of the person picking up your child.  For example,  Picked up by Mom (Mary Lane) or Picked up by babysitter (Ryan Man)  
  • All children being picked up will be dismissed from building three.
  • Please stay in the car line and place a sign with your family's last name (written in large letters) in the window of the passenger side of the car.
  • One of our teachers will greet you and call your child's name over the walkie-talkie. The children will queue up at several stations marked with orange cones. The stations are numbered, which allows us to safely load many cars at one time.
  • Once the cars are loaded, we send them on their way and load the next cars. Students are loaded into the passenger side of the car for safety reasons .
  • Please resist the urge to pass a car that is loading children. If everyone stays in line until all cars are loaded, the pickup will remain safe for everyone.
  • Thanks so much for your continued support with a safe dismissal for our children.



UPCOMING EVENTS


 

FALL FAMILY FUN NIGHT TONIGHTFriday, 
September  21st, 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
It's going to be a great night to be outside! Don't miss the first and largest family social event of the year! Grab a picnic blanket and bring the entire family to enjoy dinner from a variety of amazing food trucks plus ice cream, g ames, music by DJ Stella and more! We look forward to seeing you there! Tickets may be purchased at the door  ($20/person). Kids 2 and under are free. 

KIDS CARE SIGN UP, Monday, September 24th at 8 AM
The mission of Kids Care is to develop compassion and a sense of citizenship in children through hands-on service projects that benefit West school and the needy in our community. During each meeting the children will be involved in all aspects of each service project including identifying needs, developing and executing projects, and preparing for delivery to recipients. Kids Care is taught by Lorraine Cerino and will meet once a month in the BBT Wednesday mornings on October 10th, November 14th and December 12th from 7:45 AM - 8:45 AM. Before signing up, please be sure your child can make all three listed dates. Kindergartners must attend with a a parent or caregiver. Due to the popularity and high demand of the Kids Care program, each family will only be able to register for THIS FALL session or the SPRING session during this 2018-19 school year. Space is limited to the first 40 children to sign up. Please click here to enroll. Questions? Email Barbara Calaba and Samantha Gaumer at  kidscare@westschoolptc.org.

OPEN HOUSE GRADES 3-4,  Tuesday, September 25th

  • Grade 3 meet in their child's classroom from  6:30 PM - 7:10 PM
  • Administrator/PTC Welcome in the BBT from 7:15 PM - 7:40 PM
  • Grade 4 meet in their child's classroom from  7:45 PM - 8:25 PM


SHARE-A-BOOK FOR WEST SCHOOL'S LIBRARY AT OPEN HOUSE NIGHT, Tuesday, September 25th 
Our Libr ary Media Specialist,  Mr. Murren , continues to build an inspiring and forward-l ooking space for our school. Parents and caregivers can strengthen that vision by d onating books. Please look for our table in the lobby at the Open House on September 25th. Share-a-Book is the only fundraiser  for the library at West. With a $20 donation, donors will receive a bookplate that can be personalized. The bookplates will be placed in new books selected by Mr. Murren. Please contact  Barb Rosen  at  ( shareabook@westschoolptc.org ) with any questions.  

SPIRIT DAY, Friday, September 28th and October 5th
Wear your Green, White and Westy! Spirit wear will be on sale at the Open House on September 25th. Shop early to get the best selection, and Be Ready for Spirit Day. 

VISITING AUTHOR ROSEMARY WELLS, Monday, October 15th
We are excited to welcome Visiting Author,  Rosemary Wells, to West School. Your child can receive  personalized, signed copies of Rosemary Wells' books! ELM STREET BOOKS  will deliver the books to the school to be signed by the author during her visit. Book order forms were sent home in backpacks (or click  here  to download and print). All forms must be returned to your child's teacher by  Friday, September 28th.

DISTRICT-WIDE PARENT MEETING, Thursday, October 18, 2018, 7:00 PM 
Marc Brackett, Ph.D., Director of the Yale University Center for Emotional Intelligence presents "From Theory to Practice: Emotionally Intelligent Parenting". It is widely recognized that Emotional Intelligence has a powerful influence on performance, decision making, relationships, and health. Dr. Brackett is returning to New Canaan by popular demand to share strategies to help increase our emotional intelligence as parents. He will review the five key skills of Emotional Intelligence, including tools that will be taught to students in the district this year and next. He will also discuss how parents can support this work at home. He will be speaking at the Saxe Middle School Auditorium. 


 

WESTY ANNOUNCEMENTS


 

MEDIA CENTER VOLUNTEERS
The long awaited media center signup has arrived and we need you! We especially need additional volunteers for all Kindergarten classes, Kennedy, Hedus, Hauser, Land, Brady and Drummond. Come see your child during their class session and help make it a great day in the West School Media Center. Please click here to sign up.


WEST FAMILY PHOTO DAYS
The PTC is thrilled to announce that Family Photo Days are back! This is one of West School PTC's most popular fundraisers. Book your Family Photos Days session today! Click  here  fo r all the details and to sign up.


JOIN THE PTC TODAY
Join the West PTC and get a free copy of the school directory. Dues are $30 and directories will be sent home with your oldest child. Click  here for more information and to join the PTC online. 

A MESSAGE FROM MRS. ZEISS IN THE ART ROOM
Welcome to the Art Studio! I would like to take this moment to extend a warm welcome to you and your family.  I am excited about the upcoming school year and have many projects your children will learn from and enjoy. Art classes meet once for an hour on the six day rotation schedule.  We began the year drawing self-portraits. Please be on the lookout for artwork hanging in the halls. Each grade has a display board near their classrooms, and each board includes an explanation of the art project. Periodically I will send home portfolios of artwork rather than send one piece home at a time. I have explained the importance of caring for the Art Studio to all West School students. The children are proud of their art room and have expressed their interest in working hard, as well as taking care of their supplies. Thank you in advance for your support.  REQUESTED SUPPLIES: Please send in a large adult (or oversized) t-shirt for your child to use as a smock, with their name clearly identified.  We have found that old dress shirts and store bought smocks are too large, often put on wrong, and don't hold up as well as the t-shirts.

LUNCHROOM VOLUNTEER SHIFT SIGN UPS
Click  here to see and help your children and their friends during lunch! 





WEST SCHOOL VOL U NTEER HUB
The PTC needs parent volunteers throughout the year to keep our programs running smo othly . We hope all parents will find an opportunity to get  involved.  Click  here  to see the c ur rent volu nteer opportunities around school.




WESTY'S WEEK IN REVIEW


 

INTERNATIONAL DOT DAY
On  Friday, September 14th , the school celebrated International Dot Day. Using the book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, we reminded students about the importance of individual expression, creativity, and thinking outside of the box. West School librarian, Mr. Murren , planned this special event to send the message to all students to believe in yourself and always do your best. Students were given a white paper plate (their dot) to decorate any way they wanted. Students worked with other students in their grade level and/or with their buddy class. Look for these 'dots' in the hallways as classes will be displaying them throughout the building. In the spirit of fun, Friday was also Orange Day, so students and teachers were encouraged to wear orange or DOTS!

THANK YOU TO OUR CLASSROOM COORDINATORS
Thank you to all who have volunteered to be Classroom Coordinators this year at West! Your time and efforts are much appreciated and are instrumental in helping your teachers and class parents throughout the school year. Thank you to Classroom Coordinators Chairs,  Caryn Kelly, Sheri Cronk and Susan Clarke , for getting everyone up and running! Click  here  to download a complete listing of Classroom Coordinators for each class.



BOARD OF EDUCATION


 
At the meeting on MondaySeptember 17th, Mr. Clarke and and Mr. Perna presented the Facilities Project Update regarding maintenance and capital projects at the District's five schools. Over the summer, among other projects, West was painted and got new LED lighting; playground equipment was repaired, and new hand dryers were installed. The gym floor project is still being completed. Click here for full minutes, meeting videos, and agendas.

The next BOE meeting is scheduled for Monday, October 8th at 7:00 PM, NCHS, Wagner Room. All BOE meetings are broadcast live on cablevision channel 78 and rebroadcast on Thursdays at 7:30 PM and Mondays at 4:00 PM. Questions? Please contact the West BOE Reps Janée Hunter and Mary Blanc at   edurep@westschoolptc.org.



COMMUNITY CLICKS


 
NCLA FALL LACROSSE CLINICS
New Canaan Lacrosse Association Fall Ball Clinics are open for registration. Girls' clinics are grades K-8 and boys' clinics are K-4. Click here for details and to register.

NEW CANAAN NATURE CENTER

ANIMALS, AUTHORS & ART CLUB: KINDERGARTEN & 1ST GRADERS
If you love animals, stories, and crafts than this is the club for you! This club will offer participants the chance to meet two animals each week, read a nature-themed story, and show off their artsy side. Come get creative with us as we discover the many ways animals & humans alike express themselves! Join us on the Green at the nature center every Tuesday after school from 3:45 PM to 5 PM. Program runs for 8 weeks starting September 25th to November 20th (we will not meet November 6). Cost to register for all 8 weeks: $230 per member/$310 per non-member. Register here today!

ADVENTURES IN NATURE CLUB: 2ND & 3RD GRADERS
If you like to get outside, explore the natural world, and have a love for animals, this club is for you. We will have the opportunity to explore everything nature has to offer, by looking for wildlife, finding animal prints and signs, and interacting with the animals in our collection. Adventurers will meet every Wednesday after school from 3:45 PM to 5 PM at the nature center. Program runs for 8 weeks starting September 26th to November 14th. Cost to register for all 8 weeks: $230 per member/$310 per non-member. Register here!

WILDLIFE EXPLORATION CLUB: 4TH & 5TH GRADERS
If you want hands-on wildlife experience with a professional naturalist, than the Wildlife Exploration Club is for you. Students will get to help handle and care for the captive animals at the Nature Center. They will also be able to handle and study the native wild animals found in our ponds, fields, and forests. Join us on the trails and in our Animal Care Center every Wednesday after school from 3:45 PM to 5 PM. Program runs for 8 weeks starting September 26th until November 14th, 2018. Cost to register for all 8 weeks: $230 per member/$310 per non-member. Register here!

TRY SQUASH
The NC Squash K-4 fall season starts Wednesday, September 26th and registration is open! Click here to register and to learn more details. In addition, if you want to see if squash is for you, students are welcome to attend one "Try It" clinic for no charge on September 26th (or another scheduled practice by appointment) by contacting Suzanne Koeppl at 
suzanne.koeppl@gmail.com.

NEW CANAAN YMCA
Elementary schoolers have the run of the Y for one night this month on  Saturday, September 29th  from  6:30 PM to 9 PM ! For this event, participants will be divided into groups of 5 or so and led around the Y to several activities such as free swim in the Scooter pool (non-swimming option available), time in Bouncing Bears, events in the gym, and activities in the Flex Space! A snack will also be provided at the start of the event! Register here . Member and non-member rates $20/$35. Must register beforehand! Join the fun at the Y this fall! Other dates for the program are  October 20th and  November 10th.

KIDS FALL WOODWORKING CLASS
Kids Fall Woodworking Class at the Carriage Barn Arts Center. A hands-on introduction to woodworking for kids! In this 4-week workshop kids will plan and create a one-of-a-kind project such as a hinged wooden storage box. Mondays, October 8th to October 29th from 4 PM to 5 PM. Ages 6-10. Fee: $210/$190 for family members (supplies included). Register here or call 203-594-3638.


SUBMISSION DEADLINE: WEDNESDAYS AT NOON
PLEASE USE THE SUBMISSION FORM

CO-EDITORS: Maya Frey and Vanessa LaVerne
PTC CO-PRESIDENTS: Stacey Harmon and Karen Willett
PRINCIPAL: Jan Murphy
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL: Ashley Furnari

Questions?  Email  fridayfolder@westschoolptc.org