November 6, 2020
HOLIDAY BOOK BUNDLES
Make the holidays extra magical this year by surprising your little reader with the first ever West Book Bundle! Starting at $50 you will be able to select 3 or 5 books from our reading list of more than 30 books carefully curated by West School teachers, librarian Patrick Murren, and principal Jan Murphy. Our bundles have been hand picked by grade so there is no guesswork. Not a fan of wrapping? We can deliver your books beautifully packaged in a limited edition canvas Westy Tote. With every bundle you are making a generous donation to West School! Click here to review the full catalog of over 30 books and be on the lookout for an email with the link to purchase next week.

MINTED FUNDRAISER
When ordering your holiday cards this year, please consider purchasing them through Minted! From October through December, you will receive 20% off your order PLUS 15% of the proceeds will go back to West School with the code FUNDRAISE WEST.

HALLOWEEN YEARBOOK PICS
Last call for Halloween pictures! Please send pictures of your kids in costume (without masks if safe) to memorybooks@westschoolptc.org. Thank you!
VETERAN'S DAY ASSEMBLY, Wednesday, November 11th
Wear red, white or blue!

SPIRIT DAY, Friday, November 20th
Wear your green, white or Westy!

Wednesday, November 25th
Early Dismissal (12:05pm.)

THANKSGIVING VACATION, Thursday, November 26th - Friday, November 27th
No School.

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES, Tuesday, December 1st - Friday, December 4th
Early Dismissal (12:05pm.)

PICTURE RETAKE DAY, Tuesday, December 8th
LAST CALL FOR SPIRIT WEAR HOLIDAY PREORDER!
Many NEW items added to help you tackle your holiday shopping! Order here by Sunday, November 8th to guarantee size availability and arrival in time for the holidays. Questions? Contact spirit@westschoolptc.org.
CONFERENCE DAY ENRICHMENT PROGRAMS AT WAVENY HOUSE
The New Canaan Recreation Department has planned special programs for elementary school conference week December 1st - 4th. The early school dismissal days will allow the two-hour program to be held from 1:30-3:30PM indoors at Waveny House. There will be a very limited enrollment due to Covid-19 restrictions. Parents can register their child for one day only. Parents must drop off and pick up their children for this event. Each day will start with a first hour Mad Science presentation for all participants before we break to separate "kid pods" for Hands On Pottery or Holiday Crafts in the second hour. This program is open to New Canaan residents only. Please click here to register.
WEST MEMORY BOOK COVER ART
Attention all 4th Graders!! The West School Memory Book needs you to design its cover! First and second place winners each receive a free Memory Book! All submissions must be returned to your teacher by Friday, November 13th. See flyer for additional details. Any questions, please contact the Memory Book team at memorybooks@westschoolptc.org. Be creative and have fun!
WEST MEMORY BOOK PORTRAITS
For any students who missed Picture Day, parents may submit their own portrait-style photo for the yearbook by emailing memorybooks@westschoolptc.org and include your child's name and teacher. Please submit by Friday, November 13th.
4TH GRADE BABY PHOTOS AND QUOTES FOR WEST'S MEMORY BOOK
Help make it extra special for our fourth graders! Please fill out the Google Form and submit a baby photo (JPEG, with a filename that includes firstname.lastname.teachername) as well as your child's answers to the two quotes listed. All submissions due by Monday, November 30th. Please email memorybooks@westschoolptc.org with any questions.
JOIN THE PTC
The new online directory is now available! Please click here to link to our directory website, Membership Toolkit. Register and pay your $30 membership fee to gain access to the site. Your support funds our programming and events, which cost over $250 per child each year. Please contact Martha Harper at directory@westschoolptc.org with any questions. Paper copies of the directory will be available for an additional $5 fee. Only PTC members will gain access to the online directory.
BOE UPDATE
This Monday, November 2nd, the board of education convened in the Wagner room at NCHS. First on the agenda was Darlene Pianka, assistant superintendent of pupil and family services, who presented her annual update on student enrollment and staff utilization. Ms. Pianka reported the district is currently in a period of stable but slightly decreasing enrollment. Following Ms. Pianka, superintendent Bryan Luizzi provided an update on the district's response to Covid-19. Dr. Luizzi highlighted the effectiveness of the mitigation strategies in preventing the spread of Covid-19 within the schools. The district is working with town administration to put in place a testing program for staff and students soon, likely at Waveny. Dr. Luizzi also reiterated the district's deep gratitude to Nurse Janet Reed and the nursing staff for their hard work contact tracing when cases do arise. Dr. Luizzi reminded everyone that the district records the number covid cases and close contacts in quarantine on the Charting Our Course website.

The next BOE virtual meeting is Monday, November 16th at 7:00PM. The meeting agenda and prior meeting minutes are here. Questions? Please contact the West BOE representative Erica Schwedel at edurep@westchoolptc.org.
NEW CANAAN TRAVEL BASEBALL
Register now for the 2021 New Canaan Travel ‘Select’ Baseball Program. The New Canaan Travel Program is for selected players aged 7 to 12 who are interested in engaging in a higher level of competitive play. Tryouts will take place at BVSA located at 4 Largo Drive in Stamford on Sunday, November 8th. Players must be registered in advance to tryout. CLICK HERE to visit New Canaan Baseball's website for more information and to register now!
SPAGHETTI MEAL KIT FUNDRAISER - PACK AND TROOP 45 - ST. ALOYSIUS CHURCH
Cub Scout Pack 45 and Scouts BSA Troop 45 in New Canaan are sponsoring a Spaghetti Dinner Meal-Kit fundraiser on Saturday, November 7th from 4-6PM to raise money to purchase camping and cooking equipment for the Scouting programs at St. Aloysius. Reserve your Walter Stewart’s prepared Meal-Kit for four ($60 each) here.
NEW CANAAN LIBRARY AUCTION
The New Canaan Library Auction is now open! The auction is part of the Library's 13th Annual Lit Lunch @ Night fundraiser. There are many wonderful types of items and price points. Please click here to view them all. The auction is open until November 16th at noon.
UNITED METHODIST PRESCHOOL
If you are looking for a preschool for your youngest learner, United Methodist Preschool is the place! Following all of the CDC and OEC guidelines, the children are having a safe and fun filled fall semester. UMPS is a non-profit NAEYC accredited preschool located conveniently on South Avenue and counts many West School families amongst their alumni community. Please contact the director, Carol Hammond for more information or to schedule a tour. 203-966-3176 or mnskids34@aol.com, or visit us at www.mnskids.org.