Dear Families,

As we move into the week of Thanksgiving, I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of you for supporting our school and staff.  We are so fortunate to have such an involved community. I hope that the upcoming long weekend brings you time with family and friends and many moments of joy.  School will be closed on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday next week.  We will reopen on Monday, December 1.  Our next weekly email will be sent on December 5.  

Promoting Play 

This past week, we brought in a speaker, Suzanne Clement, to the evening PTO meeting to share information about the importance of play for children. Families learned strategies to support the different kinds of play for children including free play and guided play. Engaging in play supports the development of critical skills including executive functioning skills and social skills. Suzanne Clement is a passionate advocate for high quality early childhood education experiences for children and families. She serves as the Early Childhood Coordinator for Cooperative Educational Services, one of the six Regional Education Service Centers in Connecticut. In this role, she leads early childhood professional development initiatives across Fairfield County and statewide. In the past two years, Suzanne has engaged Weston teachers in training focused on play-based learning in response to recent CT state legislation regarding play-based learning in public schools. Her career as an educator of children and adults has included roles as a classroom teacher, program administrator, adjunct professor and family specialist. Suzanne’s practice is informed by her educational background including a B.A. in Child Development, an M.S. in Family Support and Parenting Education, and an M.S. Ed. in Early Childhood Leadership. 

Daffodil Planting

Last week, Hurlbutt joined the Daffodil legacy trail that began at Weston High School in 2023 and has grown each year with contributions from every graduating class. These flowers brighten our district campus each spring — a lasting, living reminder of your student’s time at Weston. This year, with the support of our PTO, Hurlbutt is now participating.  Members of the WHS sustainability class helped some of our second grade Green Team students plant bulbs near our main entrance. We can’t wait to see them bloom in the spring! 

Photo Retake Day

If you are dissatisfied with your child’s student portrait and would like another try, you have the opportunity for a retake on Wednesday, December 3.  Please return the undamaged portrait package to the photographer on retake day. Also, if your child missed picture day, Coffee Pond will take your child’s photo on December 3. For refund information, please email at lifeguards@coffeepond.com or call at (508) 907-6633 ext. 0

Health Information and Resources

The change in seasons often brings a return of illnesses as we start spending more time indoors.  We encourage handwashing and have hand sanitizer available throughout the school.  We are fortunate to have a full time nurse, nurse Suzy, at our school to support students throughout the day. You can visit the district health services webpage for important information about guidelines for staying home from school when ill.  Health Services Webpage

Attendance/Tardy Information

As you know, increasing on time arrival to school is a school focus for us this year. Unfortunately, our tardy data continues to increase.  To date, we have logged 566 tardies so far this year.  This year, we are striving to improve our on time arrival to school.  Students who are tardy to school miss out on the opportunity to have a consistent routine which fosters a sense of security and readiness to learn. Each day at Hurlbutt starts with a class morning meeting. During this time, children connect with their peers, review the day's schedule, and participate in activities that promote social and emotional growth. We know that mornings can be hectic at home.  If you find that you are consistently struggling with getting everyone out the door, you can reach out to us for support.  Our school social worker, Jillian Desiderio is a wealth of information and can help support the development of routines that make busy mornings more manageable.  Creating systems now will pay dividends down the road as children move through their school years.  Please refer to the attached tip sheet from Ms. Desiderio for more information. Help For Getting To School On Time

Lunch Menus/A La Carte Items

We now have chicken soup as an option in the cafeteria. You can find the full November lunch menus by following this link:  Lunch Menus  It 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.  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. 

Have a great weekend and a wonderful Thanksgiving week filled with family and friends.

Sincerely,

Laura Kaddis

Principal

Important Dates: 

November 26-28: School closed for Thanksgiving break

December 1: Trimester 2 begins

December 1-2: Grade 2 field trip

December 3: Photo Retakes

December 12: Progress Reports issued

December 23: 12:35 p.m. early dismissal

December 24-January 2: Winter Break

January 5: School back in session