Dear Families and Staff,

A friendly reminder that school is closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. day. We encourage our students to take time this weekend to think about Monday’s holiday and the significance of the day.  They have been learning about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and the contributions he made to our world through age-appropriate learning activities. They explored his message of equality, kindness, and courage and how his peaceful leadership inspired change. We also encourage our students to think about how their acts of kindness can make a positive difference in their own class, school and community. 

Mid Year Progress Monitoring

This week we started our winter progress monitoring of student learning.  In addition to ongoing classroom assessment of progress, our district administers universal screener assessments throughout the year. The NWEA Measure of Academic Progress assessment in math, which provides our staff with valuable information regarding your child’s academic progress, will be administered this month. First and second graders take this NWEA assessment three times a year in the fall, winter and spring. Kindergarteners are taking this assessment for the first time this month and then again in the spring. The universal screener literacy skills using the DIBELS8 for students in kindergarten, first and second grade will also be completed this month. Weston uses multiple forms of assessment (e.g., formative, summative) to monitor student growth, understanding that no single measure provides the complete picture of a child’s progress. We are committed to ensuring that each child continues to grow academically. Once these assessments are completed the reports will be uploaded to the portfolio plus in the powerschool parent portal. We will send out notification to families once this process is complete. 

Second Grade Testing

On January 12, all second (and fifth grade) families received an email from Dr. Tina Henckel, Assistant Superintendent. Here are some highlights from that email.  As part of Weston’s commitment to meeting the needs of all learners, students in Grades 2 and 5, as well as new students to the district in Grades 3 through 8, will participate in the OLSAT (Otis-Lennon School Ability Test) and the NNAT3 (Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, Third Edition) this winter. These assessments serve as Weston’s universal screening tools to help identify gifted and talented learners and to better understand each student’s learning profile and strengths. Once testing is complete, results will be shared with families through Profile+, located in PowerSchool. If you do not want your child to participate in these assessments, please email your building principal directly by Tuesday, January 20, 2026.  Hurlbutt second graders will be taking the first assessment, the NNAT3, the week of January 26.  The OLSAT will be given in March.  

Kindergarten Registration for 26-27 School Year Now Open!

We opened Kindergarten registration the first week of January and families can now register.  We encourage families to register early so that we can plan for the needs of the incoming class.  Children who are 5 years old on or before September 1, 2025 are eligible to begin kindergarten in the fall. You can register an incoming kindergarten student through this link:  Registration Information  Registration   Be sure to select the registration for the 26-27 school year.  Questions about registration or required documents can be directed to our registrar, Nicole DiPierro at nicoledipierro@westonps.org

Lunch Menus/A La Carte Items

If you have not checked your child’s lunch balance, please take a moment to check your My School Bucks account.  You can find the full January 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. 

Sincerely,

Laura Kaddis

Principal

Important Dates: 

January 19: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - school closed

February 6: 12:35pm early dismissal for Professional Development

February 13: School closed for Professional Development

February 14-20: February Recess.  School closed