News You Can Use
December 15, 2020
Parent-Led Support Calls
Zoom links:
Special Ed: Tues, Dec 22 @ 7PM -- link to join
Pre-K: Mon, Dec 21 @ 7:30PM -- link to join
Kinder: Mon, Dec 14 @ 7:30PM -- link to join
1st: Wed, Dec 16 @ 8:30PM -- link to join
2nd: Wed, Dec 16 @ 7:30PM -- link to join
3rd: Tues, Dec 15 at 8PM -- link to join
4th: Thurs, Dec 17 at 7:30PM -- link to join
Monday, Dec 14, 2020, 07:00 PM
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President's Note
What makes this December 2020 the most wonderful time of the year?
As our RES PTA community enters a tenth month of doing more to keep ourselves and others safe, we have the opportunity to spread a little cheer, reach out to support others and remember you are not alone. A simple thank you note -- to yourself, to your teacher, to your paraprofessional -- might help us all. Drop off art, notes of thanks and celebration for your teachers or staff members to RES this week! It's very hard work to co-teach and co-parent remote learning.
We are incredibly grateful for a truly dedicated team of board members -- Amy, Laura, Seana, Stephanie, Tara and Melissa -- and our staff partners -- Natalie, Joe and Melissa -- who continue to welcome new ideas, inspire socially distanced fun and enhance our education with extraordinary programming! Are you ready to build a snowman on our first big snowfall?... see below for more info!
Most importantly, we are thankful for you. You joined our PTA as a member. You contributed when and if you could to fundraising initiatives. You reached out to your company workplace for matching volunteer hours or gifts. You inspired a community to create, build and advocate for our children. Thank you.
Take a moment to share the good news, check in on a classmate or family and help us give thanks.
Take care and be well!
Meredith and Angela
Build a Snowman
Staff Appreciation
Please help us show our appreciation for our incredible RES teachers and staff this holiday season!
We invite parents and students to show the spirit of the holidays to our RES teachers and staff through letters, drawings, or other artistic expressions of appreciation. Please don't forget that the RES community includes many different professionals, including teachers, paraprofessionals, office and administrative staff, custodial staff, and numerous others. We want to ensure that each and every staff member receives a token of our appreciation this year, so please feel free to submit multiple letters, drawings or other artistic expressions of appreciation. Your letters, drawings and other artwork can be addressed to a specific individual or left blank to be distributed to staff.
Your letter, drawing, or other artwork can be dropped off in the bin located at the RES Vestibule from Monday, December 14th to Thursday, December 17th between 8:00 am and 2:30 pm.
RES PTA Frosty Gift Drive
Frosty jumps for joy at the 130 gifts donated by our community -- RES, JRMS and the Town of Redding -- to Redding Social Series, Kids in Crisis and the Boys and Girls Village. Thank you for making the 2020 Frosty Drive a tremendous success! A special thank you to the master organizer Nicole Lilley who transitioned the whole drive virtually and encouraged more gift giving than ever before.
RES has heART -- update!
RES Has HeART thanks to the tireless efforts of our art teacher, Mimi Weiss! What will your child's heART be when complete? All RES students are completing 4"x4" canvas tiles to contribute to a community mural. We anticipate more than 480 hearts to be completed by mid-January. Funding for this project and all art supplies is thanks to the National PTA and TikTok Grant awarded to the RES PTA in 2020. Each RES student received a PTA art kit with watercolors, markers, pastels, an art journal, a canvas tile inside a mesh pouch (approximately $4,500). We hope to construct the community mural in late Winter 2021.
Driving Social and Emotional Wellbeing
The awarded grant focused heavily on engaging students artistically and equipping students with tools to cope through the changes, stress and frustrations of our pandemic times. Our collaborative efforts stretched from the PTA to all teaching staff, wellbeing staff and art team to consistently offer tools and coping mechanisms to navigate the ups and downs of every day. Work initiated over the summer has been actively in place for the school year.
Thanks to the leadership of Meredith Ferris and the professional skills of Jay Patts, the RES team created a video on our strong emotions and what we can do to manage our feelings. We are incredibly appreciative of the time of Dr. Sammi Gureasko, Kristin Miller, Ms. Carr and Mrs. Fisher. Click to watch it at home - as parents, as a family, as an extended family! https://vimeo.com/464223877/c5d3cf6e14
As always we appreciate ideas and feedback on these initiatives -- reach out in person or email respta4kids@gmail.com.
Fourth Grade Yearbook
We are currently gathering photos for the yearbook, and are in need of many more. We are looking for 2020 Halloween and 2020 learning at home photos as well as memories "through the years" (think field days, class parties, class trips, groups of friends, etc.).
Please send your photos to Jen Lyons at reddingyearbook@gmail.com
Note that not all photos may make it into the yearbook, but we would love to gather as many as possible!
2020-2021 HRRA Annual Billboard Contest
The deadline is January 15th and artwork can be submitted electronically but students are asked to keep their original artwork. More details can be found here. And the template to enter can be found here.
Our local coordinator for the contest is Peggy Palmer: ppalmer@townofreddingct.org
Don't Forget -- Use Amazon Smile for your Holiday Shopping
Employer Donation Matching
As we approach the end of the year, you may be thinking about charitable donations. The RES PTA is a 501(c)(3) organization, and if our work is valuable to you, you can consider making an angel donation right here, or by mailing it to the RES PTA at 33 Lonetown Rd., Redding, CT 06896.
We'd also like to remind you that your employer might be like Thomson Reuters -- a company that generously matches employee gifts to local nonprofits doing the work communities rely on. If that's the case, please let us know, and we'll help you complete all the paperwork you need to make it happen!
Ring's End
Ring's End is a Connecticut-based lumber and building materials retailer serving Connecticut, South County, Rhode Island, and Westchester County, New York. They are a third-generation, family-run company with a rich history dating back to 1902. Guided by a tradition of service and a commitment to innovation, Ring's End dedicates themselves to their vision to be the premier resource in the building supply industry for builders and remodelers, painting contractors, architects, and homeowners.
A big thank you from the RES PTA to Ring's End for being a Gold Sponsor!!
Bethel, CT
9 Taylor Avenue
Bethel, CT 06801
Phone: (203) 797-1212
Open: 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wilton, CT
129 Danbury Road
Wilton, CT 06897
Phone: (203) 761-1000
Open: 7:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Website: https://www.ringsend.com/
Library Books
Library books are available to RES Families!
Our RES Library staff is providing an opportunity for our students and families to continue borrowing books from school during Distance Learning. Mrs. Peronace and Mrs. DiScipio have shared the following steps necessary for checking out a book. You can find the steps here or by following the steps below:
Step 1: Student will search the online Destiny catalog
Step 2: Student will complete a Google Form to request a book
Step 3: RES Library staff pulls the book and prepares it to be distributed
Step 4: RES Library staff emails the student and parent that book is ready for pickup
Step 5: Requested books will be prepared and left in the front vestibule on a blue cart marked “Library Book Request Holds”
AND... We want your help with adding books to our RES library. If you have any recommendations of children's books that will help us with our diversity and inclusion goals please let us know! We will be working with the library to add books that represent all families and cultures. Email dianajimenez11@gmail.com with your recommendations.
Notes From the Backpack: A PTA Podcast
You may not be aware, but every school has LGBTQ youth and families. Is your PTA using inclusive language and offering affirming programs and activities? We sat down with two guests from the Human Rights Campaign Ellen Kahn, senior director of programs and partnerships, and Jodie Patterson, board chair of the HRC Foundation, to learn how to become better allies to the LGBTQ community.
Parents-Helping-Parents
Thanks to Becky Parkin for starting a thread of Facebook, we have terrific tips and tricks as parents-help-parents successfully navigate remote learning. Keep the ideas rolling to respta4kids@gmail.com!
Tips to keep you on task
- Add the zoom schedule into the google calendar with 1-minute reminders and a quick link
- Check email in the morning and create a list of tasks for the day
- Set alarms on house smart speakers
- Name alarms on the iPhone
- Download your child’s ER9 account and classroom app to your phone so you can take a photo and easily upload it to the assignment
- Investigate the “NOTES” app allowing you to create documents with multiple pages and scan a child’s work
- Erase/archive older emails or assignments so you can navigate quickly
Tips to keep children on task and focused
- Utilize small whiteboards to write tasks -- schedule and erase after completion
- Synch the Chromebook screen to the household TV with a Chromecast device
- Place a clock within the workspace to help the child take ownership of time and schedules
- Keep healthy snacks and drinks in an easy to reach location
Keeping worksheets organized
- Purchase a storage clipboard with side opening – keep all the week’s work in one place
- Print out all the worksheets for the week/night prior and review order with your child
Structure the day
- Encourage quiet activities in between lessons – e.g., arts & crafts
- Create a scheduled time for work vs. time for play
Thank you super parents for these tips and tricks – Becky Parkin, Sarah O’ Dell, Martine King, Kori Gawrych, Teresa Elizabeth, Melissa Lukas, Nicole Lilley, Alex Zuluaga, Steve Arnott, Dana Schmitt, Chase Sobelman, Dani Garavito, Pina Jabbari, Melissa Stern, Marla Wendell and Becky Rappoccio!
In case you missed it -- November PTA meeting
Easton, Redding, Region 9 Special Education Committee
The tri-district special education committee works to support students and families who rely on additional support services in kindergarten to 12th grade.
Learn more about the committee's efforts and events at its website here.
Contact Us
Email: respta4kids@gmail.com
Phone: (203) 938-2519
Join the PTA!
As a PTA, our main goals will remain what they have always been:
- To provide academic, cultural and social programs for our children to enhance their learning and
- To support our teachers and staff and to act to unify our school community.
To fulfill our mission for a unified parent/ teacher community, we strive for 100% PTA membership. Dues are $25 per family this year. For more information on how to join, go to:
RESCTPTA.MEMBERSHIPTOOLKIT.COM
We are planning lots of safe and exciting virtual events this year that will be available to PTA members only, so sign up today!