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JANUARY

BLUE AND GOLD CALENDAR JAN & FEB

2020-21 SCHOOL CALENDAR

WIS PTO WEBPAGE

WIS MAIN WEBPAGE

WIS PTO FACEBOOK PAGE - Please follow us to get updates on WIS PTO news!

• PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
• PARENT WORKSHOPS - COVID COPERS
• WPS BUDGET CALENDAR
• VIRTUAL FAMILY FUN NIGHT
• WIS SPIRIT STORE
• 2021-22 WIS PTO BOARD
• NEW YEAR STAFF LUNCHEON
• YEARBOOK UPDATE
• FLIPGIVE FUNDRAISER
• ELC LOTTERY
• AROUND TOWN

Hello WIS Families,

Hopefully the first week back was a happy success.

Mindy Fierro, Grade Coordinator and Jennifer Bernheim, Family Fun Night Chair have been collectively planning for Valentine’s Day fun. If the  Virtual Family Baking Event is “your thing” don’t forget to sign up.

If you missed last night’s WPS Budget Meeting you will be able to listen to it online (the recording will be available next week).
Also be aware that the FY 2022 Budget Calendar has been amended. You can find the upcoming meeting calendar dates below.

Thank you to all of you who have continued to donate to our New Year’s Lunch for teachers and staff. We are still planning and organizing that luncheon to show our continued appreciation for all they do for our children.

Please be aware that this month’s general meeting has been changed to 12:00pm to accommodate our speaker Laura Cleary, the Weston Youth Director. She will talk about ways to engage our children to have fun and connect with friends during this unprecedented situation. We hope you can join us for our meeting on January 21st. The Mission of Weston Youth Services is to promote the mental and physical health and well-being of Weston youth and families.
Weston.

Finally, we need you! We are searching for three (3) general PTO members to join the Nominating Committee. If you have the time please consider joining. Please see detailed information below.

Thank you!

I hope you all have a wonderful extended weekend,

Daniella Swetland
PTO President 

daniellarc@aol.com

HES and WIS, in partnership with the PTO, have scheduled a series of parent workshops to support parents during this unusual year.  Please see below for information about the first topic, "Covid Copers."   

The speaker, Claudia Elfreich is a mom and former general and special educator She has been in the field of education for over 20 years.  She is an education specialist at CREC (Capital Region Education Council) as well as a member of the CT Transition Task Force, a PBIS endorsed trainer and the head of the SEL (Social/Emotional Learning) Council at CREC. She is passionate about SEL in schools and homes for children and adults. 

Our first part of the series is scheduled for Tuesday, January 19, 9-10 a.m (an alternative date for the first session, from 6-7pm on Thursday 14th January, has already taken place).  

Speaker Session # 1 is called Covid Copers.  Learn strategies on how to reduce stress and focus on self-care.  Focusing on "filling your cup" will allow you to be present for yourself and also for your children.  Parents need to take care of themselves in order to be there for their children's needs each and every day.   Learn how to create a self-care routine for yourself and how to teach self-care to your children to create a more peaceful home.

Save the date for the following sessions.

February- Session # 2

Tuesday, February 9,   9-10 am  or 6-7 pm

March- Session # 3

Thursday,  March 4,  9-10 am  or 6-7 pm

Claudia Elfreich is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Parent Speaker Series Session #1- AM

Time: Jan 19, 2021 09:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://crec.zoom.us/j/9502187591

Meeting ID: 950 218 7591

The BoE would like to draw attention to the fact that they have adjusted the FY 22 Budget Calendar.  Two changes have been made:

1. The Public Forum scheduled for Thursday, January 21 has been moved to Tuesday, January 26.  This is to ensure that the public has a more complete view of the Budget Recommendations, Deliberations and Potential modifications that are under consideration these couple of weeks.
2. A BOE Budget Workshop has been added on January 21, in the time slot that was to have been for the Public Forum.

The full Budget Calendar can be accessed HERE.

Virtual Family Fun Night - Friday, Feb 5th at 6pm

Bake with Your Sweetheart Hosted by Chef Kathleen of Chopped and Chopped Champions! 

While there may not be a WIS Sweetheart Dance this year, you can still dance around your kitchen while baking with your sweetheart! WIS students and their families are invited to bake with Chef Kathleen who has appeared on both Chopped and Chopped Champions. Join us in baking cupcakes with hearts made from marshmallow fondant (with optional berry stuffing). 

The fee will be $25 per family. Participants will need to buy their own ingredients.

You can register HERE.

If you have any questions, please contact Family Fun Night Chair Jennifer Bernheim at jbernheim@onpurposepr.com. 

Show your WIS pride and support the PTO.

New items are available in our Spirit store.

You can purchase the WIS Spirit t-shirt or pre order the hat HERE

It is that time of year where we are putting together the Nominating Committee responsible for selecting the 2021-2022 WIS PTO Slate.  We are looking for 2 PTO Executive or General Board members to serve on the committee and 3 PTO members (1 will be an alternate). If you serve on the Nominating Committee, you are not eligible to serve on the Executive Board (you can still serve on the General Board).  If you served on the committee last year, you are not eligible to serve again this year. If you are interested in serving on the Nominating Committee, please contact me at jbernheim@onpurposepr.com or complete the nomination form HERE.

We would also love to hear from you if you are interested in joining the Executive or General Board itself next year!  We welcome new and returning members - it is a great way to meet other parents, and is also a way for friends to work together and for you to get more involved in your child's school environment.  A full list of the various board positions can be found on the PTO website - if you have any questions regarding any of the positions, or any part of the process, please contact me at jbernheim@onpurposepr.com.   And please go ahead and fill out the nomination form HERE if you know which position you would like - or if you know of someone else who would be fantastic!  

Thank you!

Jennifer Bernheim
WIS PTO Nominating Chair

Hello all,

We would like to thank our teachers and make them start the 2021 feeling parents appreciation for their amazing job. 

 We will treat them with a catered lunch but we can't do it without your help. Please consider making a monetary donation to assist in the purchase of these items. Any donation will be greatly appreciated.

Click here to donate

Thanks as always for your support!

Daniella Swetland
daniellarc@aol.com

Don’t forget to order your yearbook!

https://wis.picaboo.com/weston-intermediate-school-2020-2021

Password: WIS2021

This price is $36.50 

You can personalize your book with four personalized pages as we have done in recent years (at no charge) and you will be able to stamp your Childs' name and symbols on the cover in silver foil (for an added fee). The personalized pages need to be completed by May 1st.  Please disregard the Picaboo site telling you that pages need to personalized by a different date. 

Please contribute photos to the yearbook making sure they are  added to the correct section. 

https://uploads.picabooyearbooks.com/9186108

Yearbooks will be back on track to be handed out at school during the school year.  

Please also contribute your fifth graders’ baby photo. Photos must be vertical. They can be in black & white, sepia or color.  Please only send one baby photo.  Submit photos by February 20th, 2021. 

21wisyearbook@gmail.com

Before the books go to print the fifth grade parents will receive a proof of the baby photo section for review.  

Thank you!

Please stay tuned for more updates.

Daniella Swetland 

daniellarc@aol.com

This year we have an exciting opportunity to make our fundraising efforts for the Weston PTOs easier by using an app called FlipGive.

Simply join our team on FlipGive and start shopping through the app or our team page and we'll earn money every time you shop with popular brands like Sam's Club, Starbucks, Lululemon, Dick’s, Marc Jacobs, Athleta, Williams-Sonoma and so many more!

Join our team now by clicking HERE.

If you are prompted for a join code, enter this code NTFCQ3

Remember to use FlipGive before you shop online so we'll earn cash back - make a purchase within the first 14 days of joining and we'll receive an additional bonus!

If you still have questions, click HERE for a handout that explains FlipGive in more detail.

The Early Learning Center (ELC) is a preschool program that has been developed to integrate special education students with typical peers to provide strong communication and positive role models.  The ELC is open to Weston Families only.  The program runs 5 days a week, 4 ¾  hours a day (8:30am - 1:15pm) with parents expected to provide transportation. To participate in the ELC children must be 3 or 4 years old on or before September 1, 2020 and toilet trained.  The anticipated cost for the program is $7,000.   

Applications for Hurlbutt Elementary School’s Early Learning Center (ELC) are now available on the Hurlbutt Elementary School website.  We are accepting applications from December 7th through January 22nd.  In the event that we have more students apply than open slots a lottery will be conducted on Wednesday, January 27th.  A virtual informational Open House will be held on Tuesday, January 19th at 2:00pm please RSVP to jodihanna@westonps.org.

If you are interested in having your child participate in the program, complete the application located at https://forms.gle/jENW3ZbcPJrSWcH8A.  It can also be found on the district website, www.westonps.org on the Hurlbutt Elementary School Home Page.  To find the application scroll down and click on the Parent Quick Link “Top Forms & Resources” under Parent Resources.  

We will be accepting applications for the program from Monday, December 7, 2020 through Friday, January 22, 2021.

For further information please contact, Jodi Hanna at jodihanna@westonps.org or 203-221-6343

January 15^th is the last day to register for baseball and softball winter workouts. Sessions are available for baseball programs from Kindergarten - 12U (i.e. players who do not turn 13 prior to May 1, 2021) and all softball players from 1st through 8th grade.  Please visit 

https://www.leagueathletics.com/Registration/Default.asp?n=125819&org=westonll.com

to learn more about the programs and to register.

Registration for the Spring programs will be opening soon!

• Winter Book discussion:  We’re starting a Youth Services book group! Our first book in February is Self Compassion, by Kristen Neff PhD. We’ll have a private FB group where WYS Director Laura Cleary will share highlights of chapters and encourage discussion (we’ll have a virtual discussion group end of February if there’s interest). Email: lcleary@westonct.gov  Open to any interested adult.
• WYS Youtube Channel: Parent education and wellness videos & webinar recordings
• Youth-to-Youth Mentor Program: We’re gathering interest in a youth-to-youth mentor program, with Weston teen mentoring WIS or WMS students. This would be light mentoring/friendship. Teens will have a 3-hour training and be encouraged to meet with their mentees a minimum 30 minutes per week. If you’re an interested teen or the parent of a WIS or WMS student, email for info.: lcleary@westonct.gov
• Family RE-treat: A virtual DIY retreat for families to Re-imagine purpose, vision, and values, sponsored by Weston Youth Services and On Purpose Family. Family activities include a gratitude scavenger hunt and create a family vision board kit! More information and Register HERE

• The WIS PTO newsletter is distributed on Fridays, please send your submissions by the prior Wednesday, 2 pm.
• It is your responsibility to write and submit your relevant WIS activity each week.
• All submissions should be either included in the text of your email or attached in Word format and the content should be print-ready (please proofread!). Keep it simple and short.
• If you have a flyer, please submit a brief write-up along with it in PDF format and we will link it to the newsletter.
• Please send all necessary links, there will be a click "here" linking to the more detailed information.
• If you want to re-run a write-up from the previous week, check to see if it requires updating, i.e. changing the wording from  "next week" to "this week", etc.  If so, please make appropriate changes and re-send the revised write-up.
• All submissions should be sent to: wisptocommunications@westonpspto.org. All will be acknowledged.
• Submissions should be relevant to WIS and the town of Weston (i.e., town sports programs, Town of Weston sponsored community events or after-school sports programs for students taking place in the Town of Weston). If there is any question regarding the relevance of submission, final approval will be determined by the HES PTO Communications Chair and/or President.