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PRINCIPALS' CORNER
Jan Murphy and Ashley Furnari
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FIRE PREVENTION AT WEST
On
Friday, October 26th
, our Pre-K, Kindergarten and Grade One students enjoyed a visit from the New Canaan Fire Department. Students listened to
Captain Mike, Fireman Kevin, Donny, Paul and Charlie
as they spoke about fire safety at home. Students learned the importance of keeping bedroom doors closed at night, and how to yell so a fireman can find you. Students went outside to learn about the firetruck and all of the tools that are used to put out fires. Our students were reassured that whenever they see a fireman dressed in heavy gear, they are there to help. To show this, the firemen invited students to give them a "high five". Our Preschool, Kindergarten and Grade One teachers were appreciative of the time and effort given to teach our youngest students about fire safety. Thanks to our
New Canaan Fire Department
for making this an important part of student learning at West!
LEARNING ABOUT SAFETY IN THE MEDIA CENTER
This week, students in Grade Two were reviewing internet and computer safety in anticipation of creating videos for our Kindergarten and Grade One students.
Mrs. Sommerville,
our
ICT teacher
, facilitated the small groups as they created a movie storyboard for teaching "computer rules" to our younger students. Simultaneously, our
school librarian, Mr. Murren
had students collaborating on a script for the video they will produce that will teach our Kindergarten students about expectations and safety in the media center.
WEST SCHOOL IS CREATING CLASSROOM CHARTERS!
As part of our ongoing work on Emotional Intelligence, West School teachers and students have been hard at work developing their unique classroom charters. Teachers and students used the book,
Chrysanthemum
to help them identify how they want to feel in school. Students brainstormed ideas and selected 3 - 5 words that describe how they want to feel in their classroom. They discussed specific things they can do as a class to feel that way, and what they can do if they aren't feeling that way. Below are a few examples of classroom charters that have been created. We will be making copies to share with special area teachers to support our work in this area as students move from special to special. Ask your child to tell you about the words in their classroom charter!
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| Grade Two Example |
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WEST SCHOOL VETERANS DAY CELEBRATION - WEAR RED, WHITE AND BLUE!
 On
Friday, November 9th
, we will celebrate Veterans Day dressed in red, white and blue during a patriotic presentation organized by our
music teacher, Mrs. Fitzgerald
.
Captain Leon Krolikowski of the New Canaan Police Department
will be our featured speaker.
Captain Krolikowski
was born in Bridgeport, raised in Stratford, and lives in New Canaan with his wife Anna and three children. After completing his high school education at Fairfield College Preparatory School, Capt. Krolikowski joined the New Canaan Police Department, where he has been employed for the last twenty-one years. Currently, he is the Captain of Operations and is second in command of the police department. While working full time, he received a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Connecticut. He later received a law degree from Quinnipiac University School of Law, where he graduated cum laude. After law school, Capt. Krolikowski was admitted to practice in the States of Connecticut, New York and the Federal District of Connecticut. In 2004, he joined Mark Sank & Associates, LLC where he is a part-time associate. Capt. Krolikowski is currently enrolled at the University of Massachusetts where he is pursuing an M.B.A. We are looking forward to learning more from him during our Veterans Day Celebration!
BUDDY CLASSES AT WEST
This year, West School continues our work with our "Buddy Classes". Classroom teachers from Grades Three and Four have formed buddy classes with those from Grades K through Two to support our Learning Community Growth goal of building empathy. Students worked together during International "Dot Day" to create dots that line our hallways. And recently, classes got together to decorate socks for our "Socktober" sock collection to support former West School Boy Scout Benjamin Clay in his quest to earn his Eagle Scout badge. Buddy classes promote positive role models in our older students and provide our younger students with opportunities to learn from them about empathy and caring for others. Our older students set the example as leaders and communicate expected behaviors for all.
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 Monday, November 5th,
9:00 AM to Sunday, November 12th, 9:00 PM
The West School Online Auction
is bigger and better than ever! With over 70 items available, there's something for everyone. Highlights include:
- The chance for your child to be principal for a day, ride to school in a police car, have an "almost sleepover" in the library with Mr. Murren or get a singing telegram delivered in class by Mrs. Fitzgerald.
- Great tickets to see the NY Rangers, Boston Red Sox, University of Michigan Football and the WWE.
- Three incredible getaways to the Berkshire East Resort, Sugarbush and the Weekapaug Inn.
- Four tickets to this year's Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving Day -- a New Canaan tradition.
- A 10-foot tree installed in your home with lights and five decorated wreaths for your door and windows.
And much, much more!
Make West 100%
The West School PTC spends over $250 PER STUDENT on programs beyond classroom instruction to enrich the school's curriculum. In addition to enrichment programs, this year's funds will support the development of a NEW Outdoor Learning Center in the West Courtyard. It's our goal to MAKE WEST 100% and get every family involved no matter the size of the donation.
More details to come! Questions? Contact
auction@westschoolptc.org
.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, Tuesday, November 6th
No school.
WEST CONFERENCE DAY FUN, Sign ups start November 7th
Students will have early dismissal on Teacher Conference Days from
Tuesday, December 4th to Friday, December 7th. After-school classes, sponsored by the New Canaan Recreation Department, will be offered to keep your student busy while you attend your conference. Classes offered this year include legos, science, sports, art, holiday crafts and chess! Class descriptions and offerings are listed on the Rec Department website
here. Registration begins
Wednesday, November 7th at 9:15 AM. IMPORTANT: To allow room for everyone, there is a registration limit of one class per student for enrollment November 7-11. Beginning
Monday,
November 12th, you may register for all remaining classes. Classes are open to K-4 students. Contact the Recreation Department for assistance.
ENCHANTED FOREST BOOK FAIR - Family Night, Tuesday, November 13th, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Discover the magic of reading at the West School Book Fair starting
Tuesday, November 13th
through
Thursday, November 15th
.
Be on the lookout for teacher gift certificate information in an upcoming Friday Folder.
The Book Fair can't happen without the help of our parent volunteers! Please click
here to sign up to help and see class schedules.
Questions? Contact
bookfair@westschoolptc.org
.
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BOOK FAIR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We need you to help make West School's Enchanted Book Fair a success. There are so many tasks to choose from: wish list helpers, cashiers, book organizers, set-up, pack-up assistants and more. Opportunities available starting
Friday, November 9th and ending
Friday, November 16th. Please click
here to volunteer.
AUTUMN KIDS CARE COLLECTIONS
Hello West School families! Kids Care is asking for your help! In the month of
November
we will collect NEW & GENTLY USED CHILDREN'S books for the CT based "READ TO GROW" program. This program supports parents in an effort to promote literacy and language skills for children from infancy. This is a perfect opportunity to go through your bookshelves before you add new books from the Fall Book Fair! There will be designated bins beneath the Kids Care Bulletin Board for the month of November only. We are grateful for your donations! Also, in an effort to support those within our own community, we are excited to announce that we will be collecting much needed items for the New Canaan Food Pantry throughout the school year. There will be a box beneath the Kids Care bulletin board (near the teacher's lounge) for the entire school year. The following food items are always in need: Canned tuna, canned chicken, canned fruit, canned vegetables, canned tomatoes, canned chili, canned stew, canned soup, pasta, pasta sauce, pancake mix (just add water type), maple syrup, brown rice, and white rice. MANY THANKS!
EARN MIGHTY MATH PRIZES!
 We are so excited to see how many students are participating and earning prizes in Mighty Math since its launch only a month ago! Many students are spending their time completing math worksheets, computer games and commercial games, such as legos. Click
here to learn more about the voluntary program or
here to print a tally sheet to keep track before entering online. This program is open to all West School students to encourage the practice of mathematics at home.
SHOP MINTED HOLIDAY CARDS AND SUPPORT WEST SCHOOL!
 Now that you have your beautiful family photos, use them in a MINTED HOLIDAY CARD while supporting West School! Use the PROMO CODE:
FUNDRAISEWEST when you check out and Minted will donate 15% to WEST School and you will receive 15% off your order! This fabulous offer will run for the entire month of NOVEMBER! Click here to shop, and remember to use the PROMO CODE above! Promo Code expires on Friday,
November 30th, 2018.
WEST SCHOOL DIRECTORIES
Don't have the latest West School directory? It's not too late to join the PTC and get your copy! Directories include class lists, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and school information. They are a great resource for planning play dates and birthday parties! Click
here for more information and to join the PTC online. Questions? Contact Megan Morales at
secretary@westschoolptc.org.
LOST AND FOUND
The Lost and Found is filling up, and the fall clean out is right around the corner! Please stop by and look for lost items. The Lost and Found is located in the entryway of the Brown Bag Theater. All unlabeled and unclaimed items will be donated to Person-to-Person.
CALLING LUNCHROOM VOLUNTEERS!
 Click here to sign up for lunchroom shifts. It's a great opportunity to be in the school and see your child(ren) interacting with their classmates.
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HALLOWEEN PARADE
West's Halloween Parade of students, faculty and administration, all in amazing costumes, was a terrific success with glorious fall weather and a great feeling of excitement and fun! Thank you to Mrs. Murphy, Mrs. Furnari and to the teachers and staff for organizing such a great day!
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At the meeting on Monday, October 22nd, Dr. Correnty presented the district's 2018 results on the Smarter Balance Assessments. 88.3% of New Canaan students in grades 3-8 met or exceeded their respective grade level achievement standard in ELA and 87.8% of New Canaan students met or exceeded the grade level achievement standards in Math. These percentages are the highest in the District Reference Group (DRG). The entire presentation can be found here. Dr. Luizzi also announced that at the Monday, November 19th BOE meeting, he will present the findings of the Later School Start Times Transportation Study. At this meeting the Board will welcome parent comments regarding school start times. The public comment period will be extended beyond the usual 15 minutes. Parents are encourage to attend this meeting.
The next BOE meeting is scheduled for Monday, November 5th at 7:00 PM, NCHS, Wagner Room. On the proposed agenda is the K-8 Assessment Report for the district. 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.
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HEALTHY SCHOOL START TIMES NEW CANAAN
The
Monday,
November 19th Board of Education meeting will be dedicated to school start times.
Dr. Luizzi will present the Transportation Study and the BoE encourages parents to attend and speak before or after the meeting. If you would like to learn more about this important topic, visit
Healthy School Start Times New Canaan. The site includes facts, resources and FAQs on why school start times matter.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND JR. AT SAXE
Experience the magic of Wonderland! Join dancing flowers and singing Woodland Creatures, a grinning Cheshire Cat and a helpful Caterpillar, a Mad Hatter's tea party and a White Rabbit running late for the evil Queen's croquet game, and, of course, Alice in all her various sizes as they explore the topsy-turvy, colorful world that is Wonderland. Based on the 1951 Disney film and the beloved novels of Louis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland Jr. is a not-to-miss musical! Tickets on sale now. Click
here for tickets. There will be three performances:
Friday, November 30th at 7 PM and Saturday, December 1st at 11 AM and 2 PM.
Presented by 5th and 6th graders at Saxe Middle School Auditorium.
NEW CANAAN LIBRARY
 Explore the wonderful world of reptiles and amphibians on
Tuesday, November 6th at
2 PM. Drop in.
NEW CANAAN RACQUET CLUB YOUTH TENNIS
Give the gift of tennis to your child! Classes are held on weekdays after school and on the weekends. For more information go to:
www.ncrctennis.com/junior-clinics to ensure your child learns the "sport of a lifetime"!
NEW CANAAN YOUTH WRESTLING
Interested in Wrestling? Registration for our 2018-2019 season is now LIVE! You can click
here or go to the "Register Now" button
on our Club Website - www.newcanaanwrestling.org.
We are pleased to offer 3 programs again this year: Elementary (K-4th grade); Middle School (5th-8th grade) and a Travel program. Our travel program is by coach invitation only. If you have not participated before, but are interested in joining the travel team contact Coach Jason Milligan at
jason@milliganrealty.com
. Practice will begin the week of December 3rd. Register prior to November 16th to avoid a $50 late fee and to guarantee that you get the club gear included with your registration fee. New wrestlers are welcome! We always love to expand our wrestling family and get more kids out on the mats. Questions? Contact Patty Zoccolillo at
pzoccolillo@optonline.net
or 203-428-7678.
New Canaan Girl Scouts is looking for parents of girls in grades K-3 to volunteer to start new troops at West School. Your unique strengths and skills will benefit and inspire girls. Our NEW process is QUICK and EASY to get a troop up and running. Our program is very flexible and progressive, so you are able to choose a schedule that works best for you! And if you are not able to be a Co-Leader, consider being a Troop Helper. For more information, please contact: Michele Breed at
mbreen@gsofct.org.
FORMER WEST SCHOOL STUDENT'S EAGLE SCOUT PROJECT
Benjamin Clay attended West Elementary, Saxe Middle school, and is now a sophomore at NCHS. He is a Boy Scout in New Canaan's Troop 286 and is currently working on his Eagle Scout project. For his project, he has chosen to collect new and gently used winter outerwear, clothing, and boots for the Open Doors Shelter in Norwalk. The shelter needs items for ALL ages and ALL sizes before it gets too cold outside. He is hoping West School will support his project. A large plastic bin has been placed inside the lobby to collect donations. Items may also be picked up by calling 203-594-1253. For those who prefer to make a bulk purchase online, click
here
to purchase from a wishlist. All items will be donated to the Open Doors Shelter. More information can be found
here
.
NEW CANAAN CARES VINEYARD VINES SHOPPING EVENT
On Wednesday, November 7th, join New Canaan CARES for this special event at Vineyard Vines on Elm Street from 10AM to 4PM and save 10% on your purchase, while an additional 10% goes to support New Canaan CARES programs.
HANK DURFEE COOKING CONTEST
 Hank Durfee, a fourth grader at East School, is one of 25 finalists in the Uncle Ben's Beginners cooking contest where he could win $30,000 for East School. He needs your votes to win! Please vote as often as you can until
Sunday, November 11th (one vote per day) and help Hank win. Click
here to vote.
NEW CANAAN CARES HELPING KIDS MANAGE STRESS
Just like adults, some kids have a hard time managing anxiety caused by stress. Hear speaker Tracey Masella, LCSW, Silver Hill Hospital Tuesday, November 13th, at 9:30AM at East School. Understand what causes anxiety and explore simple strategies to better manage stress and anxiety for both kids and parents. Learn helpful tips for more effective communication with our kids to help navigate the tricky terrain of childhood. Please PRE-REGISTER @ newcanaanCARES.org.
EVERTON 2011-2009 GIRLS SOCCER TRYOUTS
Everton America is holding supplemental travel soccer tryouts for girls born between 2011 -2009 on Monday, November 19th 5PM to 6PM at SONO Fieldhouse, Norwalk. There are a few spots open on the team for girls looking to play premier soccer this winter and spring. Register here. If you have any questions you can email Leanne Campbell - lcampbell@evertonamericact.com or call the office on 203 529 3330.
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