The Saugatuck Scoop
Saugie’s Checklist:
🎨 ArtSmart Workshop: Get Inspired!
👻 Oct 31st: Kindergarten Rise & Read & Halloween Storyteller
🍪 Vote for Treats! It’s Election Day Bake Sale time!
🚗 Who won the PTA VIP Parking Spot for the month of November? Read on to find out...
Save the Date:
TODAY, 9:30-10:30am | Special Ed Sip-n-Chat |
TONIGHT, 7:30pm | “A Conversation with the Superintendent” in BMS Auditorium |
TOMORROW, 9:30am | ArtSmart Workshop @ Westport Library |
TOMORROW or October 28th | 5th Grade Jack O’Lantern drop-off |
October 28th, 6:30-8:30pm | Halloween Boo Bash! |
October 31st, 7:30am | Kindergarten Rise & Read |
October 31st, 8:00-8:30am | Kindergarten Parent Coffee |
October 31st, 9:00am (grades 3-5) & 10:00am (grades K-2) | Halloween Storyteller: Tom Lee |
November 7th | PYD meeting for all grades |
November 8th | Election Day Bake Sale - |
November 10th | School Picture Retake day |
November 10th, 7:30am | 3rd Grade Rise & Read |
November 10th, 6:30-7:30pm | Math Night (Grades 3-5) |
November 12th, 2:00-4:00pm | Special Ed Community Fun Day |
Halloween Boo Bash is Sold Out!
Wristbands and Luck of the Draw tickets were sent home in backpacks earlier this week! Did you receive yours? Did you put them in a safe place? If you did NOT receive your wristbands, please talk to your child and triple-check his/her backpack. If you still have a question or concern, contact seshalloween@yahoogroups.com. Thank you to everyone who answered our desperate call for volunteers and signed up earlier this week! There are still open slots but if you simply can’t make it, please consider donating snacks or drinks… CLICK HERE NOW to do either!
Fifth Grade Jack O’Lantern Contest
Today’s the day for your fifth grader to carve his/her jack o’lantern! Bring it to morning drop-off or afternoon pick-up tomorrow or Friday. The more pumpkin submissions we get, the better the Fifth Grade Lounge is going to look! Prizes will be awarded for the Most Original, Spookiest and Funniest, so get to work! Questions? Contact Andrea Berkley (andreafberkley@gmail.com).
A Conversation with the Superintendent
Please join Dr. Colleen Palmer, our new Superintendent, TONIGHT at 7:30pm in the Bedford Middle School Auditorium for a 30-minute presentation on the current work of the district, including major initiatives for 2016-17 and emerging trends in education. A Q&A session will follow the presentation.
ArtSmart Workshop
Were you just wondering about how you could incorporate Visual Thinking Strategies into your ArtSmart project? Well, you’re in luck! The next ArtSmart Workshop will be held at the Westport Library on TOMORROW at 9:30am and Lindsay Heffernan, an independent art educator, will be offering advice on how to do that very thing! Join the workshop to receive ArtSmart inspiration from a true professional.
Rise & Read and Kindergarten Coffee
Don’t forget, Monday, October 31st is a big day for our Kindergarten families! First, Rise & Read will be held at 7:30am in the library. Then, parents can stay for coffee and conversation with Principal Beth Messler from 8:00-8:30 and lastly, parents can head outside to watch the Halloween parade. Ms. Alegi’s and Ms. Bader’s classes, have you signed up for doughnut duty (or another type of treat!) yet? Sign-up now to contribute NUT-FREE food/drink donations! Contact Lavinia Larsson (ldlarsson2002@yahoo.co.uk) with any questions.
Halloween Storyteller
Professional Storyteller Tom Lee will be engaging our students with seasonal stories “drawn from cultures around the world... rich with vivid imagery and compelling characters” on Monday, October 31st. Parents are invited to join in on the fun (come to either performance!)
*9:00am - Grades 3-5
*10:00am - Grades K-2
Find out more information about Tom on his website, www.tomleestoryteller.net, or find recordings on iTunes and Spotify. See you on Halloween!
Election Day Bake Sale
RED Velvet Cupcakes or BLUEberry muffins… what will we choose? Please CLICK HERE to contribute to our Bake Sale! (Important note! Contributions do NOT have to be homemade! You CAN buy the goods and we will repackage them for you. There is no shame in recognizing that Fresh Market makes better cookies than you do!) All contributions should be brought to SES or to Andrea Berkley’s house (19 Baker Ave.) on Monday, November 7th. *Please include a copy of the ingredients! And don’t forget to sign up to work a shift on Election Day… a fun and educational experience for your kids.
Math Night
3rd + 4th + 5th graders + Math = FUN. Join us for Math Night on Thursday, November 10th from 6:30-7:30pm. Parents and kids come to play games, solve puzzles and enjoy a variety of math-related activities with no pressure of tests or grades! The deadline to sign up is November 7th and spots are limited, so SIGN UP NOW! Contact Marinka Hudonogov (mhudonogov@mac.com) or Katherine O'Brien (kjobrien72@mac.com) for more information.
School Picture Retake Day
Well, the photo results are in. Does your child need a do-over? Picture “Retake Day” is Thursday, November 10th! If your child missed School Picture Day in September, he/she is already on the retake list and will be photographed. If your child was photographed in September but you’d like to retake the photos, then please sign your child up HERE and send back the entire photo package - except the class group picture - to your child’s teacher. That package will be returned to Coffee Pond and your child will sit for a new portrait on November 10th. Questions? Please contact Caroline Evans (ses_pta@westport.k12.ct.us).
SES Art Webpage
Check out what our student artists created in October! Bright colors abounded! Grades K-1 continued their study of Friedensreich Hundertwasser by creating vibrant landscapes in his style. Grades 2-3 learned about artist and educator, Josef Albers, and created wall murals reflecting his experimentation with contrasting colors. Lastly, grades 4-5 worked in teams to construct and paint 3-D living creatures out of wood. To learn more about lesson plans and see examples of student work, please visit our updated SES Art Page!
And The Winner Is...
Congratulations to Leila & Nick Shields… you will be parking in style for the entire month of November as the proud owners of the VIP PTA parking spot! If the rest of you are wondering how YOU can win, the answer is JOIN THE PTA TODAY (if you haven’t already) to be entered into the monthly drawing!
👉 Don’t forget…
PTA Membership!
We’re still looking for 100%, but we’re not there yet. Click here to register.
Order “Books As Gifts” Online Now!
It’s so easy to help our incredible library grow… CLICK HERE to donate a book now.
A Scoop of Thanks To...
Quote of the Week
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” - William Butler Yeats
🌟 Special Education News 🌟
Community Events:
Click here for information on events in the community.
Sip-n-Chat:
TODAY, 9:30-10:30am, Panera Bread (1860 Post Rd East, next to Home Goods).
Meet, exchange ideas and ask questions with other Special Ed parents. Open to all parents of students receiving Special Education services in Westport schools.
Community Fun Day:
Sat, 11/12, 2-4pm, Greens Farms Elementary School.
This free event, open to all students receiving Special Education services from Stepping Stones Preschool & Westport schools grades K-8 (and their families), includes sports, karate, arts & crafts, magic & snacks. RSVP to Laura Campagnino (laura_woodbridge@yahoo.com).
Presentation: Understanding ADHD From the Inside Out by Robert Tudisco, Esq.
Mon, 11/14, 7-8:30pm, Westport Library.
New perspectives on ADHD from activist and motivational speaker Robert Tudisco, who will discuss why kids with ADHD are doing what they're doing, common myths/ where they come from + views on medication/ other interventions.
👉 Other Community News…
Community Bulletin Board:
Click here to check out what’s new…
Staples Players presents THE MUSIC MAN!
Performances are November 11th, 12th, 18th & 19th at 7:30pm and November 13th & 19th at 3:00pm. Buy your tickets online now at staplesplayers.com — or at the door, beginning 20 minutes before performances, as available.
Tools for Schools
Did you know that all eight schools in the district have a Tools for Schools (TFS) Team made up of at least one administrator, teacher, school nurse, head custodian and parent? They meet at least twice per year and do a walkthrough of their school to check for any potential Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) issues. The team’s findings are kept in a TFS binder in either in the nurse’s or administrator’s office. If you have any IAQ concerns, please contact a team member at your school.
Register to Vote!
New Voters… your application must be submitted or received by a voter registration agency by the 7th day before an election (OR you may register in person with your Registrar of Voters by the 7th day before an election).
Questions? Call the Registrars at 203-341-1115 or email: mcowden@westportct.gov or kwhite@westportct.gov.
Visit All of Your Westport PTA Council Sites!
Contact The Scoop:
If you’d like your announcement or event to be included in a future edition of the Scoop, complete THIS NEW FORM to request submission. (Flyers or attachments need to be approved by Principal Beth Messler (emessler@westport.k12.ct.us) and PTA Co-Presidents, Caroline Evans (carolinesespta@gmail.com) and Jodi Harris (jodiharris.pta@gmail.com). Once approved, email it to saugatuck.scoop@gmail.com.) Contact the Scoop (saugatuck.scoop@gmail.com) with any questions… or just to say hi. 👋