September 4, 2020
First Week of School!
And they are off… This week West School welcomed back 421 students in two cohorts as our hybrid learning model is under way! In addition to the usual first week of school orientation activities, students learned the new three “W”s: Wear your mask, Wash your hands and Watch your distance! Students also received instruction on mask breaks, outdoor recess areas, updated dismissal procedures and much more. A BIG thank you to our teachers and staff for making it a great first week at West.
Garden Committee
We are so lucky to have had the talented Anca Jordan helping to beautify the front of West School for the past several years, from chrysanthemums in the fall to tulips in the spring and Westy decorated for each season in between! With our students expected to spend increased time learning outdoors this year, we would love to find a couple of volunteers to work with Anca to enhance the Outdoor Learning Center in addition to the usual spaces, and continue the tradition into next year as Anca’s girls will graduate West in the spring! Please contact us at presidents@westschoolptc.org if you are interested.
West Safety Fund
If you have not already, please consider supporting the West Safety Fund! The PTC has committed $3500 and counting to modify the school environment and keep students safe during Covid-19. Click here to learn more about the PTC’s involvement in this effort, and to donate! 

Contact Us
Please be in touch with us anytime throughout the year at presidents@westschoolptc.org. We welcome new ideas and feedback to help make it a great day at West, and we look forward to “seeing” you at West events!
LABOR DAY, Monday, September 7th
No School.

ROSH HASHANAH, Friday, September 18th
No School.

VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE, Tuesday, September 22nd, beginning at 6:30PM
Grades K, 1 and 2

VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE, Wednesday, September 23rd, beginning at 6:30PM
Grades 3 and 4

FALL FAMILY FUN NIGHT, Friday, September 25th, 5PM

YOM KIPPUR, Monday, September 28th
No School.

VIRTUAL PTC COFFEE, Tuesday, September 29th, 9:30-10:30AM
FALL FAMILY FUN NIGHT
Please join us for our annual Fall Family Fun Night on Friday, September 25th at 5PM, with a slightly modified format this year which includes a scavenger hunt and prizes! There will be funny costumes, music, balloons, and goodie bags! A few lucky prize winners will receive a “golden” ticket in their bag. This will be a community event that you will not want to miss! Tickets are $20 per participating child which includes admission, Westy hat and goodie bag. To purchase tickets, click here. To volunteer for this event, click here (We’re sorry, due to social distancing guidelines children will not be permitted to accompany you while volunteering at this event).
MEMORY BOOK 
Calling all Parents! Please email your back-to-school photos to the Memory Book team at memorybooks@westschoolptc.org. Preferably pictures without masks so we can see your kids’ smiling faces!
SPIRIT WEAR
The Fall 2020 online Spirit Wear store is open! Exciting new items for everyone including Westy Whale masks, cozy lounge pants, custom printed lax shorts, adult sizes and updates to all of the classic favorites. Don't forget to stock up now as orders must be placed by September 14th! Contactless delivery will be arranged by our dedicated Spirit Wear team.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Do you still need to purchase school supplies? We can help! Extra kits are available for each grade K-4. Please contact Kate Noell at supplies@westschoolptc.org to arrange an order.
WEST SCHOOL VOLUNTEER HUB
Though visitors are not permitted in the building this year, there are still many ways to support our school and volunteer! You can design layouts for the memory book, support the library's share-a-book program, create our first virtual science fair, and more! We hope all parents will find an opportunity to get involved. Click here for our volunteer interest form.
The next BOE virtual meeting is Tuesday, September 8th 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 LIBRARY
The Children's room is OPEN for appointments! Click here to book your appointment! We also have limited capacity for walk-ins. Learn more about the Library's re-opening and express service here! Please take a look at our September Virtual Family Programs including SEAM Rippers, a monthly non-fiction book club, with a paired do-at-home activity for 1st – 3rd graders. There are four paths to choose from, each a letter from SEAM: Science, Engineering, Art or Math. Register by September 11th. To learn more please click here.
NEW CANAAN CARES
New Canaan Cares presents Managing Emotions in Masked Times. Open to Parents/Caregivers of children ages 6-12. Emotions have been escalating during the pandemic and wearing masks can make it even harder to show and share our feelings. Join us for an interactive discussion on how to manage emotions during these challenging times. Wednesday, September 16th at 9:30AM at the NC Historical Society (max 20 people) and Zoom. Please register here.