Week of February 8
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Dear Families and Staff, Today we celebrated 100 days of learning together! We are so proud of all of the progress our students are making socially, emotionally and academically. This milestone in our calendar marks the number of days we have been in school. It also brings to life math concepts and skills. We invite you to celebrate at home by asking your child what they have learned so far in school. Encourage them to reflect on the friendships and social skills as well as their academic growth. Our youngest learners also love to show off their math skills by counting to 100 or beyond in many ways including by 5, 10 and 20. Health Information and Resources Winter germs continue to be prevalent in the community and Hurlbutt is no exception. We encourage handwashing and have hand sanitizer available throughout the school. You can visit the district health services webpage for important information about guidelines for staying home from school when ill. Health Services Webpage Valentines Day Next week 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. Voluntary Family Reading Survey Learning to read is a key foundation for success in school, and families play an important role in that journey. This year the state of Connecticut requires districts to start administering the Voluntary Family Reading History Questionnaire. It is recommended that districts distribute it to families as part of the winter universal screening process for students in grades K–3 or to families during conferences. It is important to remember that the questionnaire is voluntary; families are not required to complete it if they choose not to. To help us better understand how to support each child’s reading development, we invite families of K–3 students to consider completing a Voluntary Family Reading History Questionnaire. Research shows that a family history of reading challenges can be helpful background information when paired with classroom assessments, allowing schools to provide the right support at the right time. Completing the questionnaire is completely optional, confidential, and does not diagnose any reading difficulty. The survey results will be kept in the student’s confidential file. Your participation can help us strengthen early literacy support for all students. The below FAQ document details important information about the survey. A link to the voluntary questionnaire is also included below. Voluntary Family Reading Questionnaire 26 School Dismissal Manager: Important Information We need your help ensuring that dismissal plans are updated daily. We are fielding an increasing number of calls every day for changes to dismissal after the 1:00pm cut off time and sometimes even in the middle of dismissal. Each call after 1:00 p.m. involves multiple processes to ensure student safety at dismissal time. It also involves calls into the classroom interrupting teaching and learning. We know that emergencies and unexpected situations arise but the daily calls are increasing and having an impact on our classes. Each family has unique needs so finding what works best for your family is key. Some families find that a Sunday night review before the week starts is the best time to review plans for the coming week. Other families set a daily reminder on their phones to check School Dismissal Manager at noon so there is time to make any adjustments. Also, please remember that last minute changes due to unforeseen circumstances, must be made through the office staff. Email changes to teachers are not allowed. The teachers may not see the email before dismissal so please call the office for any emergencies. Thank you for helping us keep dismissal a safe and smooth process for all involved. 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@ 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 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. 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. Hurlbutt second graders took the first assessment, the NNAT3, the week of January 26. Makeup testing will continue into this coming week. 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 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 February 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: February 13: School closed for Professional Development February 16-20: February Recess. School closed
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