WEST PTC | WEST PTC CALENDAR | WEST SCHOOL | NCPS DISTRICT

May is going to be a busy month at West, filled with fun activities for both students and their families!

The West School Art Show and Spring Family Social is Friday, May 13th from 5:30-7pm. Enjoy our students' works of art throughout the halls of West and then join us on the back playground for a magic show and ice cream truck treat, sponsored by the PTC. This event is free, bring the entire family and a picnic blanket! Pre-order Joe's Pizza here. Orders are due by Monday, May 9th. Please contact event chairs Jamie Buschman and Kristen Costello with questions. 

All science lovers, physicists, astronomers, biologists, geologists, chemists, meteorologists, engineers, this is the event for you! You can conduct an experiment, explore a scientific concept or demonstrate a scientific topic. Think outside the box: do you have any ideas for renewable resources, alternatives to conventional materials or do you care about sustainability and recycling? We would love to hear more! All students from Grades K-4 are invited to participate in this year’s Science Fair on Tuesday, May 17th from 5:00-6:00pm (rain date Thursday, May 19th). More information here. Registration deadline is Monday, May 9th. Questions? Please email parent volunteers Kristina Ancker and Celina A. Allibhai at sciencefair@westschoolptc.org.

All students K-4 will participate in Field Day on Friday, May 20th. Grades K-2 will be from 9:20-11:20 and Grades 3-4 will be from 1:15-3:15. A Sign Up Genius for parent helpers at Field Day stations will be circulated next week. All parents are invited to come spectate this beloved school event.

Spirit Day

Science Fair entries due

Nurse Appreciation Day

Art Show and Family Social

Sunday, May 15th, 2:00 - 4:00pm (rain date Sunday, May 22nd)

Incoming Kindergartener Bike Rodeo

Tuesday, May 17th, 5:00 - 6:00pm (rain date Thursday, May 19th)

Science Fair

Friday, May 20th (rain dates Friday, June 3rd and Monday, June 6th)

Field Day

Dance-a-thon

Wednesday, June 1st (rain date Thursday, June 2nd)

Save the date for the Third Grade Concert

Thursday, June 9th (rain date Tuesday, June 14th)

Save the date for the Fourth Grade Concert

Memorial Day

On Wednesday, our incredible front office team was celebrated on Administrative Professionals Day. Thank you to Kelly Maar and Janine Farkas for keeping West School running and organized, always with a big smile. Fun fact, they have been friends since elementary school, and met in kindergarten!

We are so excited to welcome volunteers back to West School! West Parents Care is a new volunteer opportunity that will be available on Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:30-11am and on Mondays from 1:00-2:30pm. There is a table set up in the lobby of the school, along with bins of projects requested by our amazing teachers-copying, laminating, cutting for class projects etc. A link to sign up can be found here. Please kindly only sign up for 1 spot to allow as many parents as possible the opportunity to volunteer. Please email Eileen Hojnacki and Frances Sacripanti at parentscare@westschoolptc.org with questions. 

As the end of the year approaches, we want to encourage students in some math activities that hopefully will continue over the summer: measuring distance walked or biked outside, trying a new recipe, keeping track of weather and temperatures, trying a game as a family such as Monopoly or Checkers, practicing basic addition and subtraction facts, etc. More ideas on the Mighty Math Website. The Mighty Math Team will carefully track grade level data for the month of May. The class (for each grade level) with the most minutes practiced during the month of May, will earn an extra recess! If you have any questions, please email mightymath@westschoolptc.org.

Please join the West School PTC Instagram page @westptcnc ! You can learn important school information, and receive reminders and event recaps on the site. Please contact Carolina Castellano with any questions at socialmedia@westschoolptc.org.

At the Monday, April 18th Board of Ed meeting, Mr. Bill Tesbir gave a district Special Education update. Dr. Luizzi and the cabinet gave a budget update. The next Board of Education meeting is Monday, May 2nd. Questions, email Meghan Gould at edurep@westschoolptc.org. The agenda and prior meeting minutes are here.

Filling in the Blanks is partnering with Lesley's Recycling for Earth Day 2022! Join this initiative by collecting recyclables (bottles & cans only) to be cashed in. Proceeds will be used to purchase foods for Filling in the Blanks' Weekend Meal Bag Program! It's as easy as 1, 2, 3! Collect from Friday April 1st to Saturday April 30th! Please collect, sort, and count bottles and cans with the cashback recycling symbol. Recycle on Saturday, April 30th from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. Feed Hungry Kids! See here full event details.

Are you crazy about horses? Join us at New Canaan Mounted Troop on April 30th from 4pm to 6pm, to meet middle-grade author Carrie Seim, author of Horse Girl, and New York Times reporter Sarah Maslin Nir, author of Horse Crazy. Carrie and Sarah will share their journeys as writers and riders. Instructors from New Canaan Mounted Troop will take us on a barn tour and give a horse-grooming demo! This program is ideal for horse enthusiasts of all ages, beginning with late elementary students. Register here. All children under 12 years must have an adult onsite for the duration of the program. New Canaan Mounted Troop is located at 22 Carter Street, New Canaan, CT 06840.

After a three year hiatus, the annual May Fair will be held on Friday May 6th and Saturday May 7th at St. Mark’s Church. May Fair is a 70+ year tradition of Outreach and one of the largest and most anticipated annual events in New Canaan. The May Fair team would love the help of the West community in collecting gently used toys to get into the hands of new children, and use the proceeds to benefit area charity programs. Please consider bringing in unused toys, baby equipment, games, etc. and deposit them in the collection box with the May Fair logo in the West School lobby. Larger items can be brought to the St. Marks Church House on 111 Oenoke Ridge Rd. Your donation will not only bring joy to a child but help the broader Fairfield community. Additionally, the May Fair team is looking for volunteers to help out at the many fair venues. For more information, click here and learn about the volunteer opportunities at the web site’s volunteer registration page. Come to the Fair, meet your neighbors, have some fun and join this New Canaan family tradition.

As New Canaan Library's Family Services department plans to transition into the New Library next year, we are eager to identify ways that we can more effectively serve all members of our community. We would love to meet with families with preschool- and elementary-aged students with special needs/disabilities to learn how the Library can better meet families' needs in terms of programs and access to resources. If you are interested in participating in this conversation, please email Rebecca Fox, Assistant Manager of Family Services, at rfox@newcanaanlibrary.org.

New Canaan Recreation Soccer is starting soon. Parents are also welcome to help. $35 for the season. All games on Saturday, NO practices, Optional Friday games at 4:30. Register here.

Looking for an affordable, fun and educational day camp for your 1st-5th grade son or daughter? The Hoyt Adventure Day Camp offered by Connecticut Yankee Council of the Boy Scouts of America in nearby Redding, CT may be just what you're looking for. Five weeklong sessions available from late June to late July. Click here for more information and to register.

Connecticut Yankee Council of the BSA is hosting a camp weekend for all family members at its Deer Lake scout reservation in Killington, CT. Activities will include swimming, shooting sports, archery, games, slingshots, crafts, and other Scout fun. You do not need to be members of a scouting unit to participate. Click here for information and to register.

Looking for local summer camp options for your kids? Enroll your rising K-9 student in Ben Young All-Sports Camp! Offering an inclusive, welcoming, and positive environment, Ben Young welcomes children of all ages, genders, and athletic abilities who come together, regardless of their level of experience, to have fun. Children will take part in activities that range from basketball, soccer, and baseball, to kid-favorites like kick ball, capture the flag, and four-square - over fifteen different sports/games will be played each week!. The staff is an impressive crew of high school and college counselors that are all highly charismatic, mature, nurturing, and responsible. And this year, Ben Young welcomes a fully certified PE/Health teacher as Camp Manager. Ben grew up in New Canaan, attending our incredible public schools, and graduated from Bucknell University, where he was a 2-year co-captain of the Division I tennis team. This is now Ben’s 14th year at Saxe, and he absolutely loves being a 7th grade language arts teacher and a member/advisor of numerous clubs and committees. Additionally, Ben is the proud Head Coach NCHS boys varsity tennis team. Sign up for Summer 2022 today!

St. Luke's School is offering four sports camps in 2022 for ages 5-14. The popular multisport camp returns for five weeks (5-14) and campers can choose between full-day and half-day. Also returning is the St. Luke's Baseball camp (6-13) run by St. Luke's Varsity Head Baseball coach Sam Colon. The half-day camp will be focused on providing a fun learning experience for all with individual skill development at the forefront. Also this summer is another two weeks of St. Luke's Football Camp (6-13). This full-day camp is led by St. Luke’s Varsity Football Coach Noel Thomas, players will thrive in a football family environment that builds confidence and what Thomas calls supreme character. New this Summer is the St. Luke's Basketball camp (5-13). The half-day camp will work on individual skills, while also competing in age-appropriate competitions and games, with individual skill development and love of the game at the forefront. The camp is led by St. Luke's Varsity Basketball Coach Matt Ward. For more information and to register please visit here.