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Dear Families,
September seems to be flying by. Routines are now well established and our students are making more peer connections everyday. Please note the reminders and information below as well as upcoming dates at the end of this email.
Bus Safety
This month, during our PBIS assembly, our students learned about being safe, kind, and responsible on the bus. Mr. Jacoby, our health teacher, spent the week teaching bus safety lessons to all kindergarten, grade 1 and grade 2 students in health class.
You can support this learning at home by asking your child what they learned about bus safety. Do they remember how to board the bus safely? Can they identify the danger zones around the bus?
In addition to bus safety, students reviewed our school’s bus procedures. Kindergarten students sit at the front of the bus, followed by 1st graders, and then 2nd graders. Intermediate School students (3rd, 4th, and 5th graders) sit in order of their grade, with the oldest students sitting at the back of the bus.
If a Hurlbutt student wants to sit with a sibling from the Intermediate School, the older sibling must sit in the younger grade’s section of the bus (closer to the front). If you have any questions about our buses, please contact Mr. Paylor, who supervises bus loading and unloading at the start and end of each school day.
Important Update for Walker Option on School Dismissal Manager
For families within close proximity to campus, we have a walker option available in School Dismissal Manager. Starting Monday, September 22 the walker area for Hurlbutt is being relocated to the Core Playground area of the campus where students will be dismissed out of the library entrance. If you have designated a caregiver or other family member to walk to school to pick up your child, please convey this information to them. Any questions about this process can be directed to the main office. Please use this option if you are within walking distance to campus. At times, you may be driving to campus to meet your child for an after school activity or trip to the town library or playgrounds. If this is the case, please join the car line and pick your child up as a car rider. You can then proceed to the appropriate parking lot to park. This keeps our parking lots safer and makes the dismissal of our other after school activities more efficient and effective.
Family Handbook Highlight
As a reminder, students in grades K-5 are not permitted to ride each other’s buses until Monday, September 29. This gives our students and drivers time to familiarize themselves with the route, students and their families. Once these routines and rides are well established, a student may ride home with a friend as long as your dismissal manager reflects this information and plans are made prior to the opening of school. We cannot facilitate changes in plans or playdates scheduled during the school day. Please do not have more than two students ride home with your child for an activity or playdate. Many of our buses have full routes and buses cannot accommodate large groups of students on the routes. Our young learners thrive on routine and predictability so keeping after school plans consistent helps ensure a safe, smooth, and calm transition at the end of the school day.
School Lunch
Our students will have additional choices from the a la carte items in the cafeteria starting October 1. In advance of those choices, now is a great time to review lunch options with your child. This link: Lunch Menus will take you to the culinary services section of the website and the school lunch menus. Please note there is a lunch menu and a separate a la carte, beverage and snack menu so be sure to check out both. A la carte and drinks are currently available. Starting October 1, the snack portion of the menu will be available for purchase in our cafeterias. It is our recommendation that you review these items with your child and set some clear expectations about what you want them to purchase. If you are interested in placing any restrictions on your child’s account, please email foodservices@westonps.org. Please review your My School Bucks account often to review your student’s purchase history and account balance.
Hispanic Heritage Month
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month beginning on September 15th through October 15th, the office of Congressman Jim Himes is holding an essay contest to honor Hispanic/Latinx icons and their legacy in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Submissions must be received in their office by Friday, October 3th. Students from all elementary, middle, and high schools within Connecticut’s Fourth Congressional District are invited to participate in honoring Hispanic/Latinx icons and their legacy. The essay should reflect how the icon has inspired the student and their own aspirations, the importance of the icon’s legacy in the last 100 years and recognize their contributions and vital presence as a Hispanic/Latinx person within the United States.
One winner will be chosen from the elementary, middle school, and high school submissions (totaling three winners). The winners will be chosen by October 15th, the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month. Once the winners are chosen, schools will be notified of the winners. Winners will have their essay displayed in the office of Congressman Himes, on our social media, and will receive a Congressional Certificate.
Essays should be no more than 600 words for high school students (grades 9-12), 300 words for middle school students (grades 6-8), and up to 150 words for elementary school students (K-5). Essays may be in English or Spanish. Pictures are optional with submissions. Submissions must include parent/guardian name, address and contact information, student’s name, grade and school name. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Christine Cornielle in my Bridgeport office at (203) 333-6600 or Christine.Cornielle@mail.house.gov.
Math and Reading Informational Sessions for Families
Hurlbutt’s curriculum instructional leaders are Kelly DelVecchio for math/science and Andrea Noble for language arts/social studies. They support all of our teachers and are a valuable resource for families. We will be holding informational sessions throughout the fall for families to learn more about our reading and math curriculum. Save the date for the following upcoming math sessions. The sign up link will be included in the next weekly update on September 26. Reading session dates will be released by the beginning of October.
Thursday, October 23, 9:15-10:30am in the South House cafeteria
Wednesday, October 29, 9:15am-10:30am in the South House cafeteria
Sincerely,
Laura Kaddis
Principal
Important Dates:
September 23: School closed for Rosh Hashanah
September 25: HES/WIS PTO meeting at WIS 9:00 a.m.
September 29: Students may ride a friend’s bus with dismissal manager notification. Please limit this to no more than two friends riding home with a friend to prevent overcrowding.
October 1: Photo Day
October 1: Additional snacks available for purchase during lunch in the cafeteria
October 2: School closed for Yom Kippur
October 10: Early dismissal at 12:35 p.m. for staff professional development.
October 13: School Closed for Indigenous People/Columbus Day
October 14-20: Hurlbutt Book Fair for students
October 16: Book Fair Family Shopping 4:00 - 6:30 p.m.
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