 |
|
|
PRINCIPALS' CORNER
Jan Murphy and Ashley Furnari
|
|
|
|
|
|
MOOD METER "CHECK-INS"
Students in Grades K through Four have been participating in lessons that introduce the
-
The RED area (upper left) is home for emotions that feel unpleasant and have lots of energy, such as
angry
and
scared
.
-
The BLUE area (lower left) is home for emotions that feel unpleasant and have little to no energy, such as
sad
and
lonely
.
-
The GREEN area (lower right) is home for emotions that feel pleasant and have little to no energy, such as
relaxed
and
calm
.
-
The YELLOW area (upper right) is home for emotions that feel pleasant and have lots of energy such as excited and brave
.
Students will be using the
Mood Meter
to describe feelings and demonstrate how different they look in the four quadrants. The big idea is that the Mood Meter is a tool that helps us to understand our feelings. Students are displaying their ability to recognize the differences between these four quadrants and how they might be feeling throughout the day.
(The Mood Meter is a tool from Marc Brackett's RULER training and is being used to teach students to Recognize, Understand and Label their emotions.)
GRADE LEVEL "CHECK-INS"
Over the next month, students across grade levels will have multiple opportunities to "check-in" on their learning as teachers make use of a variety of tools to monitor student learning and progress across subject areas. These assessments are embedded into our instructional practice throughout the year in order to collect important information on student growth and to ensure that all students are meeting district benchmarks. Evidence of student growth is collected in a variety of different ways in the form of student work samples, one-to-one conferences, paper and pencil tasks, formal assessments, and through the innovative use of technology. These offer students multiple opportunities to demonstrate new learning and understanding over time. In turn, the information is used to inform instruction that is differentiated to meet the needs of all learners. We use a strength based philosophy, always looking for each student's strength and using it to strengthen other areas. This valuable information will allow teachers to make informed decisions about next steps for instruction to meet all student needs.
VALENTINE'S DAY IS COMING!
On
Thursday, February 14th
, we will be celebrating Valentine's Day. Students should bring in a Valentine for
each
of their classmates on
Friday, February 8th
. Please take note: No chocolate, candy, or ANY food item should be attached to the Valentine. This is in compliance with the district's Food Allergies Policy (5461). Valentines can be store-bought or hand-made. Valentines are passed out during snack and individual classes do not have a Valentine's Day party. Thank you for your cooperation.
BRRR...IT'S COLD!
It is that time of year again!
Please remind your children to wear warm hats and coats to school! We have had many students "forget" and they are not prepared for recess. There are also many coats, hats and other items in our
lost and found
area in the Brown Bag Theater.
|
STORYTELLER ANTONIO ROCHA,
Tuesday, January 15th
The PTC welcomes
Antonio Rocha, a solo storyteller, mime, and author who has been touring and performing professionally since 1985. Take a wild trip with Antonio into the jungles of Brazil and Africa. Antonio draws from his repertoire of animal tales with an ecological theme and a myriad of fantastic sound effects that will entertain and educate. Prepare to open your hearts and minds and go on a wild trip with Antonio!
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY, Monday, January 21st
No School
SPIRIT DAY,
Friday, January 25th and Friday, February 1st
Wear your
green, white or Westy!
THE GREATEST SHOW BY WEST SCHOOL, Thursday, February 7th at 6:30 PM in the Saxe Auditorium
 Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages...please join us for The Greatest Show by West School! Our third and fourth graders will showcase their talents at our annual Variety Show. We hope to see you there.
|
WELCOME TO MIGHTY MATH, KINDERGARTEN!
 Next week,
Trish Gracia, our West School Math Specialist, will visit Kindergarten classes to launch the
2019 Mighty Math all school program to Kindergarteners. Now, all West students have the opportunity to report math minutes and reach their next prize milestone! Click
here to learn more about the voluntary program which is open to all West School students and encourages the practice of mathematics at home.
WEST PTC EXECUTIVE BOARD - CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
The West School PTC Nominating Committee has initiated a search for potential volunteers to serve on the 2019-2020 Executive Board. We welcome nominations from within our parent community, and we encourage you to nominate yourself if you are interested in this important commitment. Please click here to review the PTC Board position descriptions and to submit a nomination. The deadline for submissions is Friday, January 11th.
PRE-REGISTRATION FOR KINDERGARTEN 2019
If you were unable to attend the Transition to Kindergarten meeting, please visit the New Canaan Public Schools website at www.ncps-k12.org to pre-register your child for Kindergarten. (Click on "Parents", then "Kindergarten Registration"). Additional Kindergarten orientation sessions will be held at each elementary school in the spring.
SAVE THE DATES FOR END OF YEAR CONCERTS
Mark your calendars for this year's concerts:
- Kindergarten: Friday, June 14th, 10:00 AM
- First Grade: Friday, May 3rd, 10:00 AM
- Second Grade: Friday, May 17th, 10:00 AM
- Third Grade: Thursday, June 6th, 10:00 AM
- Fourth Grade: Wednesday, June 12th, 6:00 PM
- Fourth Grade Picnic: Thursday, June 13th, Waveny Park (Rain date either June 14th or June 17th, TBD)
Please note that the third and fourth grade concert dates have been changed. All concerts will be held in the Brown Bag Theater. Any questions, please contact music teacher, Monica Fitzgerald (
monica.fitzgerald@ncps-k12.org
).
THE NEW CANAAN HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION
The New Canaan High School Scholarship Foundation (NCSF) is critical to many of our graduates who hope to pursue higher education at the undergraduate level. In 2018, 59 deserving NCHS graduates qualified for scholarships through the NCSF. Because the need for help has been increasing every year, the average scholarship is less than $2,000. We have an immediate need to increase the dollar amount of each scholarship and hope to build our endowment in order to do better in the years to come. The NCSF relies on the community's support to ensure that every qualified student will have the opportunity to receive financial aid and continue their education. In addition to our general scholarship fund, donors are now able to create Named Scholarships, funded annually or by endowment, established in honor, name or memory of an individual, group, organization or business. (i.e. The Bill Smith Family Award). These are tax-deductible donations, funded annually.
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR FUNDRAISING EFFORTS!
- Donate to this Annual Appeal
- Create a Named Scholarship
- Support the NC Color Run on Saturday, April 27, 2019
- Purchase a lawn sign honoring the NCHS graduates.
Click
here to see student testimonials. Click
here for the NCSF website. Please click
here for the link to see our 2018 Color Run video.
|
JOINT PTC MEETING AT EAST SCHOOL
On
Tuesday morning, the PTC's from West, South and East Schools held a joint PTC meeting at East School and welcomed Dr. Luizzi as he presented the superintendent's budget to our elementary parent members. Dr. Luizzi walked parents through the thoughtful process of balancing important district priorities with sound stewardship of the district's resources. Dr. Luizzi also provided an update on School Start Times and shared with parents the options for start times that were developed by the district's external transportation consultant and presented to the Board of Education in November. Parents were able to ask questions about the budget and school start times, as well as share their perspectives about the timing and impact of the potential changes. The meeting was very well attended and informative for parents, and we thank Dr. Luizzi for his time!
|
At the BOE Meeting on Monday, January 7th, Dr. Luizzi presented the School Start Times Update and the 2019-2020 Budget. After the public comment period, Dr. Luizzi discussed initial takeaways from the Traffic Study on School Start Times, which include investigating a new 3-tier system for dismissal and the need to manage dismissal traffic flow from Saxe and the High School. Further information from NCPS on School Start Times can be found here.
Also at this meeting, the BOE approved a first read of the Superintendent's 2019-2020 Budget of $92M - a 2.55% increase over last year's budget of $90M. $1.6M of that increase is due to contractual increases in salaries and anticipated employee benefits costs. The proposed budget also anticipates savings from reductions and efficiencies found in contracted and property services, supplies and equipment. Also discussed at this meeting was the 2019-2020 Capital Budget Request of $4.1M with the main driver of that being the replacement of the South School roof. For a detailed breakdown please find Dr. Luizzi's full report here.
The next BOE meeting will be on Monday, January 22nd at 7:00 PM in the Wagner Room at NCHS. If you have any questions please contact the West BOE representatives, Janée Hunter or Mary Blanc at edurep@westschoolptc.org. All BOE meetings are broadcast live on Channel 78 and rebroadcast on Thursdays at 7:30 PM and Mondays at 4:00 PM.
|
|
NC SOFTBALL WINTER CLINICS AND SPRING REGISTRATION
 New Canaan Softball is accepting registration for "Softball Sunday" Winter Clinics (grades 1-8) that begin Sunday, January 27th and for the 2019 Spring Little League season for girls in grades K-8 (late fee applied after 2/17). Please visit our website here and learn more about our exciting programs that emphasize team work, town pride, and building confidence through skill development.
WINTER SESSION II REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR SQUASH K-4 PROGRAM
Winter Session II 2018/19 registration is now open for the New Canaan Squash elementary (K-4) program! You can click here to register or go to the New Canaan Squash website, www.ncsquash.com (click on "Elementary" Tab for details).The program is designed for New Canaan public school students to learn squash in a positive team environment. Players will be grouped by grade (K-2, 3-4) and practices will be held at St. Luke's Squash Club in New Canaan. Clinics are available 1 day a week or 2 days a week! If you have any questions, please contact Liz Schmidt (ebschmidt@optonline.net) or Suzanne Koeppl (suzanne.koeppl@gmail.com).
NCLA SPRING 2019 LACROSSE PROGRAMS FOR BOYS & GIRLS, GRADES K-8
New Canaan Lacrosse Association Spring 2019 programs are open for registration. Click here for details and to register. Regular deadline for Grades 5-8: Wednesday, January 23rd.
NEW CANAAN CARES
Cakes for New Canaan Cares - Sunday, January 13th, 2 - 4 PM at the NC YMCA
Join us for an afternoon of family fun and help us celebrate.
You don't have to bake to be part of the fun!
Enter the Baking Contest,
Cupcake Decorating,
Face Painting,
Fondant Demonstration,
Bid in the Cake Auction. Registration required to enter the baking contest. See our website for contest rules and to register. Please
go to
www.newcanaancares.org
for more information.
"LIKE" Documentary Screening - Wednesday, January 23rd, 7 PM in the Saxe Middle School Auditorium
Join us for the documentary "LIKE" which explores the impact of social media on our lives and how we can learn to navigate it more safely together. There will be a panel discussion after the movie. Register here.
YWL Empowering Women Series: Financial Fitness - January 24th, 9:30 - 11 AM at the New Canaan Historical Society - Lindstrom Room
Common financial challenges that women face will be explored in a supportive and fun atmosphere. Participants will also be given techniques to teach kids financial responsibility. You will walk away with easy to digest practices women can start using right away. Register here.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
