Dear Families and Staff,

This week’s email has a lot of information. Each section has a clear heading to help you navigate through the topics.  The big news for the weekend is the approaching storm. A decision about school on Monday will be coming from the district office. We are anticipating an impactful storm this weekend. If you are new to Weston, please check the town website for advice on storm preparedness and to sign up for emergency and community alerts. Community Alert System and e-Notifications | Town of Weston, Connecticut

A New Publication from the District

Bricks and Mortar is a new communication series designed to keep our community informed about the information and details discussed during the Board of Education’s monthly facilities meetings. This publication summarizes updates, information, and discussions that impact our schools and facilities. Its goal is to promote transparency and connection, ensuring our community stays informed as we invest in safe, functional, and future-ready learning environments.  Bricks and Mortar 

Coding at Hurlbutt

Students are learning coding skills using the Code.org curriculum and access lessons through their school accounts. If you’d like to support your child’s learning at home, you can create a Home Account using the following link for additional practice and exploration, here is the link for parents to set up Home Accounts. Please do not link to the school account. Activities for a page of activities and lessons. We work on Pre-Reader Express in school. 

Poster Contest

Kindergarten through second grade students have the opportunity to enter the annual eesmarts student contest which raises awareness among Connecticut school children about the importance of making smart energy choices and their lasting effect on our environment.

Registration to enter the contest is open to all K-12 students starting Friday, March 20, 2026. Submissions are due Friday, March 27, 2026. Each grade level has a different prompt. The K-2 prompt is: Create a poster that shows how you can help save energy around your house (for instance, turning off a light or TV when you’re not using it). Use your imagination and show what you’ve learned about saving energy!

Posters must be between 11″ x 17″ and 18″ x 24″ in size and there is no restriction on tools used (crayons, watercolor, markers, pastels, etc.)

All entries require a completed consent form.

eesmarts Student Contest Consent & Entry Form – English

eesmarts Student Contest Consent & Entry Form – Spanish

For more information call 1-800-674-8243 X5, or email eesmarts-studentcontest@EnergizeCT.com

Parent Cover Letter for Consent Form – English

Parent Cover Letter for Consent Form – Spanish

An awards ceremony will be held in May, where grade-level finalists receive prizes of $400, $250, or $100.

10th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest

Our students learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in school last week. We hope they were inspired by his actions and words. The following information is a great extension activity available to families. Please follow the link to Senator Murphy’s website if this is of interest to you or your child. 

Senator Murphy is excited to announce his 10th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest is now open!

The Senator’s 2026 Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest is open from Monday, January 20th to Monday, February 23rd. Important contest information can be found on the Senator’s website here: Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest | Senator Chris Murphy. 

Parent Coffee with Our Mental Health Team

We invite you to join the School Social Workers and School Psychologists from Weston Intermediate School and Hurlbutt Elementary School for an informal coffee and conversation. This first meeting is an opportunity to meet us, learn more about our roles, and discuss topics you’d like to explore in future parent sessions. We look forward to connecting and partnering with you to support our K–5 students and families! 

When:   January 29 from 9:00am-10:00am 

Where:  Weston Intermediate School Room 118 

RSVP to parent coffee

Parent Coffee Flyer

Valentines Day

In just a few weeks our students will celebrate kindness and friendship with their class and exchange valentines.  If your child is bringing valentines, please be sure they have one for each child in the class.  Do not attach candy or food to the valentines.  We do not allow candy or food to be shared at school due to health and allergy concerns. With snow in the forecast this coming weekend, it is a great project to get started on while everyone is waiting out the weather at home.  

Coming Soon…..

A big day at Hurlbutt every year is our recognition of 100 days of learning. Depending on snow days, that day will fall somewhere in the first week of February.  The excitement has been building for this milestone day.  Stay tuned for more information next week as we get closer to that day. 

Mid Year Progress Monitoring

We are still in the process of 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.  

I wish all of you a safe and enjoyable snowy weekend.

Sincerely,

Laura Kaddis

Principal

Important Dates: 

February 6: 12:35 p.m. early dismissal for Professional Development

February 13: School closed for Professional Development

February 14-20: February Recess.  School closed