MAY

NEXT MONTH - JUNE

2021-22 SCHOOL CALENDAR

WIS PTO WEBPAGE

WIS MAIN WEBPAGE

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** NEW - WIS PTO YOUTUBE CHANNEL **

• PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
• OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT CANCELED
• BALLON BUNCHES FOR WESTON GRADUATES
• 2022-23 YEARBOOK TEAM
• 5th GRADE BREAKFAST CELEBRATION
• MEMORIAL DAY FAIR
• WESTON 5K ROAD RUN 
• WESTON CALENDAR ART CONTEST
• NEXT BOE MEETING 
• BOE MEETING REPORT
• HES KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
• AROUND TOWN

Dear WIS Families,

Due to the pending storm tonight, the WIS/Hurlbutt PTO along with the movie company have decided to postpone tonight’s movie night. Mother Nature is not working with us to make movie night happen! We will release our new date hopefully next week. Thank you for your patience and for your continued support of the PTO.

Our slate of nominees for the 2022-2023 school year was approved earlier this week at the General Membership meeting on 5/18. Thank you to all of you who are returning to the PTO board. And a warm welcome to those who are new to the PTO. We encourage you to get involved and volunteer. There are many opportunities throughout the year to get involved. 

Logistical information for Memorial Day Fair: 

Thank you to everyone who purchased their Memorial Day Fair unlimited ride bracelets, t-shirts and drawstring bags. We will have your advance sale purchases delivered to school Monday, May 23rd to be distributed to the classrooms and brought home in your child’s backpack. Please remember, the “coupon” you receive needs to be turned in at the ticket booth at the fair for your bracelet. One bracelet, per child, per day. 

If you missed out on the pre-sales…Don’t worry!!! We will have individual tickets and unlimited ride bracelets for sale at the ticket booth. We will also have Memorial Day Fair t-shirts and backpacks for sale at the PTO table in the community booth area.  

I highly recommend you bring cash to the fair to purchase food from Kiwanis and the carnival, for games, and for your purchases at the ticket booth. There will be an ATM machine onsite (with fees) and the ticket booth will have a credit card machine (with fees).

Parking for the fair: Reserved parking locations: Onion Barn, Senior Center and rotunda in front of Hurlbutt, the rotunda behind Hurlbutt (bus drop off) and the lot by East House/Library. These spots are reserved for vendors and sponsors. 

Additional parking: the teacher lot before the bus drop off, Board of Education building, WIS, WHS and WMS. Please park legally and safely while you enjoy the Memorial Day Fair. 

Have a great weekend!!

Debbie Carrothers

WIS PTO President 2021-2022

The weather is against us, again!

We are working on a new date and will get that to you ASAP!

Thank you for supporting the Hurlbutt and WIS PTOs!

Warmly,

Maria and Debbie 
_____________________
Maria Risso Rowbotham
Hurlbutt PTO President

Debbie Carrothers 
WIS PTO President

We are happy to announce the WIS PTO BOARD SLATE for the 2022-2023 School Year.

BE A MEMORY MAKER! 

Volunteer for the 

WIS 2022-23Yearbook TEAM

A CHANGE for the next school year is there will be FOURpeople working on the yearbook instead of one.

The YEARBOOK COORDINATOR will oversee the project, set the theme and book layout, and handle the business side of things. 

Then there will be a YEARBOOK CHAIR for GRADES 3, 4 & 5. Each Chair will be responsible for pictures for the pages in their grade section and divide up school events. 

Please email mindyfierro@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering for Yearbook Coordinator, Yearbook Chair 

Grade 3, Yearbook Chair Grade 4 or

Yearbook Chair Grade 5. 

This Annual Tradition is Back!

4th Grade Parents Host the 5th Grade Breakfast Celebration

Please consider donating. Sign ups coming shortly

Thank you 

Jennifer & Francesca 

4th & 5th Grade chairs 

Get your Race On!! 

The Weston Memorial Day 5k is back!! Join us as Weston comes together for this annual community celebration! The 28th Annual Weston 5k is set to run Saturday, May 28th after a 3 year hiatus.  We are all so excited to be back at this fabulous event - in person! Memorial Day Weekend is the highlight of the year in Weston - our fair, a parade, and of course the road race - that brings our community together.

www.weston5k.com

HOW CAN YOU PARTICIPATE?

There are so many ways for you to participate in this wonderful community event!

- Run or Walk in the 5K!

- Have your kids run in the Kids Run and/or come play in the FunZone with our GIANT inflatable obstacle course!

- Volunteer on Race Day! So many easy and fun opportunities to make a difference!

- Be a spectator!  Just come and enjoy watching the runners, walkers, kids, and volunteers enjoying a great community event.

Share the word! Please tell your friends to join you in supporting the Weston 5k! 

Everything you need to know about the race can be found on our website:   www.weston5k.com

Questions?  weston5k@gmail.com

THE 2022-2023 WESTON CALENDAR ART CONTEST HAS BEGUN!!

DEADLINE: June 16, 2022

All Weston students, from Pre-K to 12^th grade, are invited to enter the art contest.  Fourteen (14) winners will be selected to appear in the 2022-2023 Weston Schools Wall Calendar. 

The artist whose work is selected to appear on the cover will be awarded a $50 VISA gift card!  Two artists selected randomly from the interior monthly pages will receive a $25 VISA gift card each.

Art Contest Guidelines: 

●       Art should be family-calendar appropriate, including but not limited to that depicting seasons, specific months and holidays – be creative!  We encourage students to submit any artwork that depicts our Weston community as well. 

●       Artwork should be produced in a LANDSCAPE format only on 8.5” X 11” white paper.

●       Colorful designs, with less “white space” work best and all mediums including crayons, markers, digital images, photographs, etc. will be considered.

●       Cover art work CAN but does not need to represent Weston & Weston schools as a whole.

●       Art must be submitted with the student’s name, school, and grade clearly marked on the BACK in light pencil.

●       Art may be dropped off in the HES, WIS, WMS, or WHS Main offices in the ‘Calendar Art’ basket.

●       Photographs & digital images of oil paintings, murals, etchings, etc. will be considered.  Files should be emailed to Aimee Drummey at WestonArtCal@gmail.com

●       Please have fun and encourage your friends to participate!

Selection Process: 

●       Students may submit up to three (3) pieces of artwork, although only one submission per student might be selected to appear in the calendar.

●       Winners will be notified on June 20th and may be asked to participate in a group photo with their work. 

●       Due to the volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee that artwork will be returned, but we will try!

BOE Report May 16, 2022

2021-2022 Annual Instructional Update Document 

A 26-page report details the 2021-22 goals, accomplishments, and challenges in every subject area including Math, Science, Language Arts, Social Studies, World Language, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts. The report can be accessed here: 

Here are some highlights from the report:

• Math, Grades K-5, Accomplishments 

  • Having a dedicated CIL in both HES and WIS allowed for increased and consistent professional development, coaching and teaching support;

  • All classes transitioned to the new edition of Math in Focus materials;

  • Data teams in HES and WIS closely examined the learning of all students; 

  • Teachers received CIL support in creating and implementing their personal math goals, analyzing student data, and planning to meet student needs;

  • Over 200 learning walks took place in grades K-5. Data from them showed a strong return to student-centered instructional strategies;

  • Mathodology: Developing Roots was piloted in two Kindergarten classrooms;

  • Math Olympiad returned to an in-person program with 40 4th and 5th graders participating. 

• Challenges/Needs:

  • Professional development will be required for all Kindergarten teachers to implement Methodology:Developing Roots

  • The 2nd year of COVID pandemic recovery will still require some specific differentiation and support for many students in mathematics, as is the case throughout the country 

• Science, Grades K-5, Accomplishments

  • While extra time for recovery of core academics was needed this year, classes moved closer to pre-pandemic levels of science instruction;

  • While some content has been compacted, all units will be taught to some extent in all grades;

  • The science labs reopened to students, allowing for return to more of the lab experiences included in each unit;

  • The ability to use all hands-on and shared materials brought back a greater level of excitement for our science learners.

• Challenges & Needs

  • Consistent, time-sufficient science blocks are needed for effective science learning. This is a challenge for some grades due to scheduling constraints.

• Language Arts, Grades K-5, Accomplishments 

• All K-5 literacy curriculum has been taught completely; 

• Student data was analyzed and tracked using multiple measures to determine areas in need of remediation, intervention, and enrichment;

•  Student discourse has resumed and has been an integral component of Reading and Writing Workshop to bolster vocabulary, comprehension, and engagement;

• An analysis of the impact of various learning environments during the 2020-21 school year revealed instructional areas in need of additional support;

• Reading performance, based on benchmark assessments, has returned to or exceeded pre-pandemic levels in all grades K-5.

• Challenges and Needs

  • The State of Connecticut will be creating a model curriculum for literacy in the upcoming year. It is not clear when the state curriculum will be finalized and to what extent school districts will need to be aligned with it. The BOE will review the state curriculum once it is developed, and determine implications it may have for our curriculum.

• Social Studies, Grades K-5, Accomplishments

  • All social studies units were taught to completion in grades K-5;

  • Resources and lessons related to diversity and inclusivity were implemented;

  • Second grade students participated in a “field trip” within their classrooms with the Weston Historical Society. Students learned about several prominent historical figures in Weston as part of their integrated biography and reading/writing unit;

  • Third grade students participated in a field trip to the Weston Historical Society to learn about life in Weston long ago and Weston’s place in history. 

• Challenges and Needs

  • State of CT Social Studies frameworks are in development, delaying any curricular revisions we may need to make. It is anticipated that the frameworks will be completed in June;

  • The CT Social Studies Council is suggesting districts wait to revise their curriculum until the State creates and releases their model curriculum to ensure proper alignment.

PRE-K Tuition Increased 

• An tuition increase of 2.4% to $7,118 from $7,000 for children without special needs (children with special needs are admitted tuition free) was voted on and passed.

BOE Hybrid Schedule Debated

• A discussion took place about whether BOE meetings should go to a schedule that meets in-person one time per quarter, and otherwise meets on Zoom. The community is invited to contact the BOE Communications Committee with their opinion on the proposed hybrid schedule. 

Update from HES

• The Green Team and recycling program has been embraced by the students (a 1st grade class created videos on How to Recycle)

• The One School, One Book program was a success (where the school community reads the same book). One example of interdisciplinary work is the 2nd graders creating a bat cave in the maker space for the main character of the book. They learned how to think like engineers, utilize math and integrate literature. 

• At the incoming Kindergarten tour nearly 160 families showed up!

Update from WIS

• In-person concerts took place; it was exciting for students and families alike 

• John Patrick Green, author of the Investigators series, visited the school. His love for writing and illustrating began in 3rd grade, which was inspiring for students. Every child received a copy of his book courtesy of the PTO.

• A presentation for incoming 3rd grade students and families, along with tours, is scheduled for Thursday

Next BOE Meeting

The next BOE meeting will be Tuesday, June 14, which is a change from the originally scheduled date. 

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.

Norfield Grange Pop Up Sale - Sat., May 21st @ 10 am - 4 pm. Vendor Slots Available. Sell anything. Artisans, Estate & Tag Sale Items and anything in-between. $25/Outside. Venmo $25 @LynKimberly. FMI: NorifeldGrange@gmail.com
Music will be provided by WHS Students.

A Message from Weston Youth Services…

If you're looking for one or more fabulous and local camps for your child(ren) this summer, look no further because we have you covered!

• Legos Camps 
  1. Minecraft Engineering using Legos
  2. Jedi Engineering Strikes Back 
• Mad Science Camps  
  1. Gross Science
  2. Cool Bommerang
  3. Mad Transformers
• Spark Business Academy  
  1. My First Food Truck
  2. My First Lemonade Stand
  3. Little Shoppers
  4. Jr. CEOs
  5. Little Inventors
• Theatre Camps
  1. Youth Acting Camp
  2. Youth Musical Theatre Camp - Disney's The AristoCats Kids 
  3. Youth Theatre Camp Counselor in Training
• Chess
• Baking with Gabriela
• Sitter Safety
• Summertime Sewing

For more information, dates, grade eligibility, and to register, please visit our website at www.westonyouthservices.org. 

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.