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Originally delivered on 9/18/2020 3:14 pm

SUBJECT: The Whistle Newsletter

NEWSLETTER FOR THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR

THE WHISTLE - September 18, 2020
WIS PTO NEWSLETTER 

 

QUICK LINKS:

 

WIS SCHOOL EVENTS CALENDAR:

September 18Early Dismissal - Rosh Hashanah, 12:35pm for HES/WIS
September 22BOE Meeting 5:00pm via Zoom Live Stream
September 224th Grade Back to School Night, 7pm via Zoom
September 23WIS PTO General Board Meeting, 2pm via Zoom
September 23     Early Dismissal - Professional Development Day 12:35 pm for HES/WIS
September 245th Grade Back to School Night, 7pm via Zoom
September 28NO SCHOOL - Yom Kippur

BLUE AND GOLD - DAYS SEPTEMBER

September Calendar

 

INSIDE THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER:

  • President's Message
  • Back to School Nights
  • Emergency/Communication Information
  • District Calendar
  • AROUND TOWN

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE: 


Welcome, WIS Families!


As we move forward in our year (a year like no other), we will look at our past to help us plan for a successful academic year. We want to ensure every child and family feels supported and connected, and every child feels engaged in their learning experiences. The Spring of 2020 has challenged us all to find a new "normal" for our learning and also provided us a new sense of engagement in which we interact. What I have learned throughout this experience is that we at Weston Intermediate School are courageous and resilient, and we should appreciate the small gains that our children accomplish. I have also learned that patience is indeed a virtue and how much I appreciate our teachers, staff, and parents. What I MOST appreciate about the WIS community is our willingness to help one another in our time of need and that we are a learning and caring community.

Please join us next Wednesday, September 23, at 2 pm for our first General PTO Meeting. All are welcome. The zoom link will be sent out before the meeting. Our PTO Membership Registration for all four schools will be out shortly. Please be on the lookout in the coming days.

I hope your first week back, whether in person or distance, went as smoothly as possible, and I look forward to learning together this school year.  

Best,

Monica Stromwall
WIS PTO President


BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHTS:

 

The Back to School Nights are happening virtually this year - please watch out for the Zoom details directly from the school.

The next dates for your diaries are:

• TUESDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER, 7PM - FOURTH GRADE

• THURSDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER, 7PM - FIFTH GRADE

 

 

EMERGENCY/COMMUNICATION INFORMATION:

The class contact lists are an important and very useful tool for everyone, especially in this unusual year and with so many new families to the district! The school is unable to provide names and contact details directly to the PTO, due to district policies. As some of you will know, Room Parents normally collect contact information in person at the Back to School Nights, and then circulate a contact list to the class.
This year is going to have to be a little different, as the Back to School Nights are happening virtually.
 
So please email your class Room Parent with the following information: your name, your child's name, cell phone number, email address, Yes or No if pictures of your child can be shared with the class or the yearbook, and Yes or No if your information can be shared with the class.
 
The information you provide will only be used for emergencies and class communication and not for solicitation purposes. 

 

WPS DISTRICT CALENDAR:

To view the district calendar for this year and next, click HERE.

 

AROUND TOWN

 

WESTON YOUTH SERVICES:

  • WOW virtual Fall 2020 enrichment programs: We have a wonderful variety of classes for students at HES, WIS, WMS & WHS. Registration opened on 9/10 and is ongoing! View the catalog of classes at Westonyouthservices.org Questions? Contact Charlene Monn cmonn@westonct.gov

For Parents & Caregivers: Register for these free virtual programs at Westonyouthservices.org or email your interest or questions to lcleary@westonct.gov

  • Coping with Uncertainty in Back to School: We’re offering a small virtual follow-up group to discuss the Wilton/Weston 8/25 webinar with Dr. Murphy: Q&A/discussion with WYS Director Laura Cleary, LMSW: Thursday 9/17 with two time options @ 10 AM or 7:30 PM. (When you register, we’ll send you the link to the recorded webinar.)
  • Seeing Clearly: Understanding anti-racism and anti-bias in children's media: A 2-part webinar for parents, educators and caregivers, with anti-bias, anti-racism educator Aundrea Tabbs-Smith: Wednesday Sept. 23 and 30th, 7:30-8:30 PM
  • Supporting Your Child for Effective Virtual/Hybrid learning, Q&A with Executive Function Coach Stacy O'Neill. Tips for organization, goal setting & more. CHOOSE ONE to attend: Tuesday Sept. 29, 7:30- 8:30 PM OR Tuesday October 6th, 12-1:00 PM
  • Individual support and referral to resources available to parents: Contact Laura Cleary, LMSW.lcleary@westonct.gov

 

Please like us on Facebook, where we share WYS program updates, regional program information, and resources for youth and families.

 

WESTON PARKS AND RECREATION:

CLICK HERE for a flyer detailing the latest offerings from Parks and Recreation.

For further information, please visit our website, www.westonct.gov/parksandrec

 

WESTON PUBLIC LIBRARY:

Did you know that the Weston Public Library is open? You are able to come to the library to browse the collections for limited time frames 11am-4pm Monday-Saturday.  If you would like to browse the children's room collections, please use THIS LINK to sign up for an appointment.
We also have a calendar full of virtual programs, grab and go crafts, and more that you can take part in from home.  We have continued to offer our binge boxes for those that would like us to select books for their children. To do this and to learn more about all that is going on this month at the Weston Public Library, check out our LATEST NEWSLETTER HERE.

 

SUBMISSIONS

 

  • 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.