MARCH

APRIL

2021-22 SCHOOL CALENDAR

WIS PTO WEBPAGE

WIS MAIN WEBPAGE

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

** NEW - WIS PTO YOUTUBE CHANNEL **

• PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
• OUTDOOR MOVIE
• 2022-23 PTO BOARD
• 2022-23 WIS YEARBOOK COVER CONTEST
• MEMORIAL DAY FAIR IS BACK!
• LOST AND FOUND
• YEARBOOK PHOTOS NEEDED
• NEXT PTO MEETING
• BOE MEETING REPORT
• NEXT BOE MEETING
• 5TH GRADE PARENTS: JOIN WMS PTO BOARD!
• HES KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
• AROUND TOWN

The students at Weston Intermediate School learned all about kindness this week from Brian Williams - the Kindness Ninja. Not just what it means to be kind, but how one act of kindness can make a huge change in someone else’s life and their lives.  I have heard from parents, students and faculty how much they enjoyed hearing from Brian and have seen such a positive response from the children. Please take a minute to view this video from Brian after his visit. Warning! It might just melt your heart.

This amazing experience was made possible by the financial support from past and current families.   The WIS PTO - actually all 4 Weston PTOs - depend on your time, talents and funding to provide programs that benefit our children. Whether you purchase a hat or blanket from the WIS Spirit Store, make a donation to fund a specific event, or buy a ticket / bracelet for the Memorial Day fair (YES!! The Fair is back!!!), your financial support is appreciated!!

Let’s take the lead from our kids and do something kind for someone this weekend. I’m not just talking about paying if forward and buying someone’s coffee or lunch.  Give someone a compliment, hold the door open for the next person, call an old friend to tell them how important they are in your life or even just be kind to the person who frustrates you the most. You might be surprised how much change and good you can create by just one act of kindness.

Have a great weekend!!

Debbie Carrothers

WIS PTO President 2021-2022

Please consider volunteering yourself, or someone else, for a position on the WIS PTO board for the upcoming school year. Click on the link to complete the nomination form:

http://assn.la/UserForm.asp?RegID=228683&org=westonpspto.org     

If you have any questions, regarding any of the positions, please contact Mindy Fierro at mindyfierro@gmail.com

ALL WIS STUDENTS are invited to enter their original artwork into the 2021-22 Yearbook Cover Contest. Design a cover that shows off your school pride.

The winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card!

Rules for Submission:

• Art must be on 8.5 x 11 plain white paper.
• The orientation of the paper must be vertical.
• Be bright and colorful.
• SCAN (do not take photo) and email to seobrie@hotmail.com (include Student’s full name, grade and teacher)
• OR 
  DELIVER hard copy to main office (Student’s full name, grade and teacher should be written on the back in light pencil).

DEADLINE: Friday, April 22, 2022

Tips:

• Use as much white space as possible.
• No lead pencil, as it may smear. No highlighters. Use colored pencils, markers and pens.
• Protect your work by keeping it in a folder or envelope.

Questions? Contact Sarah Gargiulo, WIS Yearbook Chair at seobrie@hotmail.com.

The next meeting will be Wednesday, April 20th, at 9:30 am via Zoom (see details below).  

We look forward to seeing everyone who can make it then! 

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87660269527

Meeting ID: 876 6026 9527

One tap mobile

+19294362866,,87660269527# US (New York)

Summary of Board of Education Meeting, March 14, 2022

Winter Update on District Goals: 

There are several documents were discussed in depth that parents will want to access:

• At the beginning of the school year strategic goals in the areas of math, reading and healthy learning environment with specific strategies to meet them were set forth:

  • Hurlbutt’s 2021-22 Action Plan can be found Here

  • WIS’s 2021-22 Action Plan can be found Here

• The full Winter Update on the strategic goals can be found Here

• NWEA & SBA Reading and Math scores can be found Here

• Student performance in grades 1-5 on the F&P can be found Here

HES/WIS Performance on the F&P Assessment 

• F&P (Fountas & Pinnell Assessment for Reading) assesses students in reading in grades 1-5 on accuracy, oral reading fluency and comprehension. It is a highly individualized and personalized assessment conducted 1:1 with teacher and student. 

• F&P results showed positive results and trends. No reading regression over the past 3 years.  There is clear progress between the Fall and Now. 

  • HES: Proud of reading progress. Curriculum instructional leaders use these results and each individual child’s reading is thoughtfully addressed. Goal is to have 2nd graders at level L. Most of those who are not there are nearly there.

  • WIS: Lots of great progress since returning to school where students can talk about books and not just read on their own. 

• Comparisons with the SBA, which presents a different picture of student progress: 

  • F&P is a highly individualized test. SBA is multiple choice.

  • Some content covered on SBA may not have been taught yet.

  • Discussion suggests that the BOE is still trying to understand why SBA test scores are lower than they would like. They are concerned and focused on interventions. 

  • Teachers are responsive to test data. Providing intervention where necessary. Pivoting in the classroom to support student growth. HES/WIS principals feel that they have the resources to support students. 

• Math “Learning Walk” Results

  • An invited professional went into math classes K-5 and observed how math is being taught and learned.

  • Findings: 

    • Much to celebrate in K-5 math classrooms. Student centered learning was observed, where the student is the teacher and teacher is coach.

    • Suggestions for improvement: decrease independent student work and increase group learning/student partnerships; help students move from concrete to more abstract math thinking; provide more graphical/visual math representations for students; among other suggestions. 

Preschool Enrollment:

• For the first time there was a waitlist for GenEd spots in the preschool, mostly in the 4s program. After communication with those waitlisted and identifying who had found preschool elsewhere, there were 8 students remaining on the waitlist. 

• All will be accepted and will be distributed across the 4 classrooms that currently exist. As a result there will be a higher ratio of general education to special education students than there would be otherwise. 

• There are a lot of benefits to introducing students to Hurlbutt sooner than later. The tuition revenue will help cover the cost of an extra paraprofessional. There is no programmatic downside. 

New Hires:

• There is a new school psychologist at Hurlbutt. 

Projected Last Day of School:

• June 21, 2022

Covid Updates

• Mask option policy is going well

• Welcoming parents into the school for conferences, and hopefully soon, for tours

• Lisa Wolak continues to meet weekly with Covid Task Force and medical advisors 

• Currently 3 cases in the School District, none of which are associated with school spread

Next BOE Meeting: 

• April 19, 2022, 7:00pm (changed from April 18)

Hello 5th grade parents! 

We’d love to have you on the WMS PTO Board next year! It is the BEST way to have a say in your children’s WMS experience & work with and learn from other parents who also care deeply about our schools. We have positions perfect for stay at home parents, working parents, parents with young children, & parents who want to discuss ideas with others or work alone on a computer.  

If you would like to volunteer to hold a position on next year’s general or executive board, please complete the nominating form: Click Here.  

If you have questions regarding any of the positions, please feel free to contact Ann Kyle at AnnMikeKyle@gmail.com

The nomination form will close on March 15. 

Children who will turn five years of age on or before January 1, 2023 are eligible

to begin kindergarten next fall. Please complete the online registration from the Hurlbutt website. The link to the “New Student Registration 22-23 School Year” is: https://westonps.org/schools/hurlbutt-elementary-school/new-student-registration/  Copy/paste the link into your internet browser to begin the registration process.

To complete your registration, we will need the following:

• Online registration
• Proof of Residency:
• Warranty Deed or Signed/dated lease AND
• Utility Bill (telephone, gas or electric)
• Copy of your child's birth certificate
• Updated CT Health Assessment form, through the 5-year old checkup

This year we have added an option where you can upload the required documents at the end of the online registration before you submit the form.  Without all of these, your child cannot be registered.

Should you have any questions, please call (203) 221-6300.

The Weston HS SGA has initiated a drive for Ukrainian Relief.  The items collected will be shipped to Ukraine through ENGin, a non-profit organization that pairs Ukrainian students with English speaking peers for free online conversation practice and cross-cultural connection.  

Please see the flyer for more details.  Bins will be both inside and outside the school for donations.

Weston Youth Services Welcomes Spring and Summer! 

Our WOW! catalogs for the spring session are now online for preview for students in Grades K-5. We’re excited to introduce several new programs at HES including Kool Mandarin, Spring Into STEM with LEGO Materials, My First Lemonade Stand, and Mad Science’s NASA’s Milky Way Mission. New programs at WIS include My First Food Truck, Mad Science’s NASA’s Milky Way Mission, Bonjour mes Amis, Kool Mandarin, and Sew Together. And of course it wouldn’t be WOW! if we didn’t include our favorites! Registration begins on Wednesday, March 23^rd at 10:01 a.m. To preview our catalogs and to register online, please visit our website at www.westonyouthservices.org. 

And if you’re undecided about your child’s summer plans and are looking for a camp that doesn’t require a long term commitment, then look no further! Weston Youth Services is pleased to be offering students, entering Grades 1-8 a variety of mini summer camps including Baking, Science, Legos, Business camps, Sewing and Chess. Online registration begins on Thursday, March 24^th at 10:01 a.m.  Please visit our website at www.westonyouthservices.org to preview our catalog for program dates, grade eligibility, costs, details, and to register online. 

Bee Friends - Bee Club

The Wonderful World of Honey Bees - Honey Bees 101

The NEW Bee Friends - Bee Club, a nature adventure for 3rd, 4th and 5th graders to learn about and observe the amazing and wonderful world of honey bees.

Dawn Boulton, an Environmental Science Teacher at WHS, Boy Scout leader, and a mom, will guide your child through exciting and fun interactive learning activities; and professional Beekeeper, Rick Glover will explain and supervise close-up observations at the Lachat Town Farm’s beehives.

April 20th - May 25th,  Six Wednesdays, 3:45-5:30 pm

$90 for 6 weekly sessions, small group size, all materials included

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF HONEY BEES

www.lachattownfarm.org

Little Farmhands and Junior Farmhands Summer Programs

This summer, we’re offering the children of our community 9 amazing week-long sessions of nature-connection! With new themes in Wonderful Wildlife, Earth Engineers, Fantastical Fairyfolk, and more, your children will experience all of the beauty Lachat’s land has to offer.

Little Farmhands - Ages 5 - 8

Junior Farmhands - Ages 8 - 12

www.lachattownfarm.org

The digital citizenship series with Diana Graber, author of Raising Humans in a Digital World and founder of Cyberwise, continues with two parent/student workshops.  Please note that each workshop has a unique registration link. The workshops are limited to 25 parent/student pairs. All participating students will be entered to win a $50 Amazon gift card. These workshops are made possible by Weston Youth Services and Weston Middle School PTO. If you have any questions, please contact Lauren Axelrod at laurenax@gmail.com. 

Workshop #1- March 15, 2022, 7 p.m. Digital Reputation: What You Post Online Matters. Link:

 https://bit.ly/3g0FVqX

Workshop #2- April 19, 2022, 7 p.m.  Being Kind Online: Behind Every Screen is a Real Person. Link:

https://bit.ly/33RulvR

Town Hall Link: https://www.westonct.gov/about-us  

Weston Public Library: https://www.westonpubliclibrary.org/ 

Weston Historical Society: https://www.westonhistoricalsociety.org/ 

Weston Garden Club: https://www.westongardenclub.com/

Weston Education Foundation: https://www.westoneducationfoundation.org/

• 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.