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2020-21 SCHOOL CALENDAR

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• PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
• WPS BUDGET PRESENTATION
• BOE REPORT
• VIRTUAL FAMILY FUN NIGHT SAVE THE DATE
• WIS SPIRIT T-SHIRTS
• NEW YEAR STAFF LUNCHEON
• ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK
• FLIPGIVE FUNDRAISER
• ELC LOTTERY
• AROUND TOWN

Hello WIS Families,

I hope that everyone had the chance to enjoy a relaxing and restful break. I know we all deserved it.  

Hopefully everyone survived 2020! Welcome to 2021!

The PTO as a team,  even with all this covid craziness, continues to be diligent in finding ways to get things done, fundraise and create exciting, fun and involved family fun nights to connect us. Instead of enjoying a Sweetheart Dance this year, we hope to connect  from  iPad screens, computers and bring afar together.  A huge thank you to Jennifer Bernheim, who once again is finding fun ways to engage in family fun nights, this time with a family baking event for February. We are sad to not have the Sweetheart Dance this year. I’ll miss those cute, happy and smiling photo booth photos.  Instead  the baking will be a sweet event all around. Please find detailed info in the newsletter below.  

Another huge thank you to Debbie Carrothers our secretary and fabulous  fundraising chair who has been hard at work searching , procuring and securing some very nice items to add to our store. We will let you know when the new item(s) are rolled out with items being pre-ordered.  Stay tuned!!

Please note:  Wednesday, January 13th 7:00-9:00 PM is the WPS 2020-2021 Budget Presentation. Please joins us and contribute your questions.  The collective PTO’s and Dr. McKersie look forward to the discussion.  

I’m also reaching out to those families who opted for VDL who want to be included in a VDL class list (to be shared ONLY among other VDL families). It’s the hope and purpose to help VDL families to arrange for social connections, lean on each other for academic support and create a sense of community.  If you would like to be included please reach out to me. This amazing idea was brought to me by Shara Kolodney. I thank her as well for such a insightful way to join, support and help families.  

Finally, please save the date, February 23rd 9:30-10:45 AM for a special speaker event about Diversity and Inclusion.  

Hopefully the first few days back to school lead to a happy and positive return. 

Have a wonderful weekend,

Daniella Swetland 

PTO President 

daniellarc@aol.com

PLEASE JOIN HES/WIS/WMS & WHS PTOs

WPS 2021-2022 Budget Presentation with:

Bill McKersie & Phil Cross,  

Principals: Laura Kaddis, Pattie Falber, Dan Doak, & Lisa Wolak.

Including Q & A with the Cabinet: Ken Craw, Tracy Edwards, & Dan DiVito

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82827660430?pwd%3DMW9oQ1p0OUtmeUtLNmZPVTl3WElBQT09&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1609161210953000&usg=AOvVaw1v_Ie5NEmNg1WbmoauxVx_

Participants will be muted upon entry and the chat function will be used for questions.  We will post a recording of the meeting on the PTO website after the call.  Should you be unable to attend, please email questions to whsptovp@gmail.com. The PTOs, in cooperation with Superintendent McKersie, look forward to giving the WPS community the opportunity to discuss the proposed district budget with parents.

BOE Report – January 7, 2021

The Board of Education met on January 7th,  via Zoom.  Dr. McKersie, and other members of the Board, presented the proposed budget for the 2021-2022 school year. 

The slide presentation and the proposed budget can be viewed using the following link: 

https://westonps.org/budget-2021-2022/

Budget highlights for WIS include the following. This year WIS will continue to implement the curriculum renewal process for math. Last year a curriculum upgrade of the Math in Focus program was begun in grade 5. This year WIS will continue this work in grades 3 and 4. The majority of these costs will come under the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum’s budget and can be found in the Curriculum and Instructional Improvement section of the district budget. WIS will continue to support the implementation of a social-emotional curriculum through the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, as well as the continuation of the school and district initiatives on Emotional Learning and the RULER Approach, and DBT strategies. This budget also supports the continued implementation of a revised reading 10 curriculum that directly aligns with the current writing curriculum, the ongoing implementation of the newly revised curriculum for science, and the increased utilization of student data to provide individualized instruction. The FY 22 Operating Budget proposal supports the staffing needed to provide intervention services to meet the varied needs of the learners in literacy and mathematics. 

The overall projected enrollment for WIS in the 2021-2022 school year is expected to be 486 students. In third grade, enrollment is projected to be 150 students, organized into seven sections, this will result in an 11 average class size of 21.4 students. The fourth grade is projected to have an enrollment of 155 students, the number of sections will be reduced to 7 sections from 8, which will result in an average class size of 22.1 students. Enrollment in the fifth grade is projected to be 181, which organized into eight sections will result in an average class size of 22.6. The number of sections proposed for each grade will allow us to meet the district class size guidelines. 

Budget highlights for Hurlbutt include the following. The book and material budget is driven by replacement needs for the classroom libraries as well as guided reading materials and books to support the science and social studies curriculum. Hurlbutt continues to build the non-fiction book choices in the classroom which supports the science and social studies curriculum. Hurlbutt is also committed to providing books and resources that reflect a variety of cultures and races. The LRC budget supports classroom instruction by continuing to provide a high quality circulating collection and a wide range of resources to the students. The requested amount reflects one shelf-ready book per student for the preschool through grade two students and supports growing the collection of resources supporting diversity, equity and inclusion. 

With a projected enrollment of 127 students, kindergarten will have 7 sections with an average class size of 18.1. The projected first grade of 145 students will be organized in 8 sections with an average class size of 18.1. Second grade, with a projected 152 students, will have 7 sections with an average class size of 21.7.

The next regularly scheduled Board of Education meeting will be Tuesday, January 19th.

Julie Ruby

WIS BOE Rep

Virtual Family Fun Night - Save the Date - 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 Choppedand Chopped Champions. Join us in baking cupcakes with hearts made from marshmallow fondant (with optional berry stuffing). The fee will be $25 per family. Registration will begin next week! 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.

You can purchase the WIS Spirit t-shirt HERE

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 of $29.75 will last through January 9th.  On January 10th  the book will go up to $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

Even though the library is currently only open for curbside or by appointment, there is still tons of virtual programming and options for you. If you want to browse the 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. This month includes Winter S.T.E.M., Book Chats, Food Programs, BINGO, Scattegories and CLUE, and of course, our Weston Cutest Pet Contest!  We have continued to offer our binge boxes for those that would like us to select books for their children and teens. To do this, and to learn more about all that is going on this month at the Weston Public Library including how to register for our programs and events, check out our LATEST NEWSLETTER 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.