News You Can Use
February 09, 2020
Spirit Week!
Monday, Feb 8, 2021, 08:00 AM
Redding Elementary School, Lonetown Road, Redding, CT, USA
February PTA Meeting
Wednesday, Feb 10, 2021, 07:00 PM
undefined
ER9 School Community COVID-19 Information
Presidents' Note
Welcome to the second half of the 2020-2021 school year. February is a busy month of renewed activity and programs at school thanks to the help of volunteers -- new and returning. Don't forget to join our short meeting on Wednesday night - 7:00 PM - to hear updates, vote on budget allocations and voice your opinion or question.
New Visual Displays - Coming Soon!
Fantastic volunteers will be erecting new visual displays through school celebrating the voice of Amanda Gorman, the accomplishments of individuals with disabilities and the celebration of the Lunar New Year - The Year of the Ox. A huge thank you to Maisie Todd Wallick for lending her artistry and design to these installations.
RES Spirit
With record levels of snowfall, the RES Spirit is stronger than ever with pivots from in-person to remote days working seamlessly thanks to the amazing work of our teachers and staff! Don't forget we have two days of spirit left this week -- Wednesday (RES Spirit Wear Day) and Thursday (RES has HEART -- Wear Red, Pink or Hearts) -- and a chance to paint rocks and create an outdoor art space. Thank you to Tara Patrick and Amy Whittle for making this spirit week a huge success!
Your Voice Matters
It's the last day to answer 10 questions and help the RES PTA serve the needs of the community and your family better. Don't forget you can win a custom 203 Gift Basket for completing the survey. Click here to complete. Many thanks to Melissa Stern for building the survey.
-- Angela and Meredith
Annual RES International Festival
The annual RES International Festival is a celebration of countries, customs and traditions from Taiwan to Brazil, Russia to Antarctica! Families "captain" a country for a one-afternoon event where students can learn 3 key facts, look at visuals, see traditional dress or understand something unique. Many families embrace the event as an opportunity to celebrate family traditions and customs with friends from school.
So, be a part of this years' festival as we rethink how to make the magic happen. Reach out to RESPTA4Kids@gmail.com if you have one hour to help!
Here are photos from past events (2019).
2021-2022 Town & School Budget Season
Budget season is well underway since January, so now is the time to speak your mind about your priorities and values as it pertains to town spending. The RES PTA closely follows the Board of Education budget as we care deeply about class sizes, arts programs, building repairs, staff retention, post-COVID catch-up, social and emotional learning, special education funding, advanced learning opportunities and much more.
Each meeting allows for public comment and we encourage you to attend and share. If your child really thrives in smaller classrooms and that’s a value our community holds dear, our elected officials need to know! If you can’t imagine a middle school without a robust music program, now is the time to share that! Whatever your perspective, the public comment time is there so our board members can hear feedback - and the voice of parents MUST BE well represented!
The RES PTA asks that we all do our part to shape our school’s futures - and the future of our kids! - by attending, listening and speaking up.
Key Upcoming Meeting Dates:
- Feb 16 Board of Selectmen - Meeting 7:30 PM
- Mar 2 Redding Board of Education - Meeting 7:30 PM
- Mar 18 Board of Finance - Meeting 7:30 PM
Sign up to receive information on all town meetings and events at https://townofreddingct.org/.
Black History Month
Xin Nian Kuai Le -- Happy Chinese New Year!
Wishing all our community members and families celebrating the Lunar New Year much joy and happiness in the Year of the Ox.
M&T Bank
M&T helps people and businesses manage their money and make sound financial decisions, so they can live better today and realize their goals for tomorrow. M&T operates in communities throughout New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC.
Website: https://www3.mtb.com/
Location: 2 Prospect Street, Ridgefield, CT 06877, USA
Phone: (203) 894-1512
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MandTBank
Twitter: @mandt_bank
Safer Internet Week -- From the National PTA
In celebration of Safer Internet Day, National PTA is hosting an entire week of live, virtual events Feb. 8-12. The virtual events and National PTA’s celebration of Safer Internet Day are part of the association’s PTA Connected initiative and are designed to help families, PTAs and school communities take charge of their digital lives and create a safer, kinder, more inclusive online community together.
“Safer Internet Day is an international education and awareness-raising effort to promote safer and more responsible use of digital devices and online technology, especially for children and youth,” said Leslie Boggs, president of National PTA. “With so many aspects of our daily lives now conducted digitally, it’s more important than ever that we do so in a way that’s safe, kind and inclusive. Safer Internet Day is the perfect time for families to evaluate their online habits and do a refresh of online safety tips and best practices. It is also a time for communities to join together to make the internet a safer and better place for all.”
Following are the virtual events National PTA will be hosting with the association’s PTA Connected sponsors and nonprofit partners during its week-long celebration of Safer Internet Day. The interactive series includes something for everyone—kids, families, PTA leaders and teachers.
Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. EST
Real Conversations with Families About Digital Kindness
Zoom event hosted by National PTA
Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. EST
Helping Families Navigate Technology
Google Meet hosted by Google
Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. EST
The Ultimate School Assembly
TikTok livestream hosted by TikTok
Friday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. EST
Have the Smart Talk
Zoom event hosted by National PTA and NortonLifeLock
For more information about National PTA’s celebration of Safer Internet Day and to register for the events, visit PTA.org/SaferInternet.
4th Grade Yearbook
Thanks for the pictures you have sent already! We want to make this year memorable for your 4th Grader; Do you have any photos of friends, class parties, SnowBall Dance, field trips, garden club, Boys and Girls Club Activities, Art Show, and International Festival...
Click here to upload your images directly to our yearbook website
Browse to select the photo(s) you wish to upload, click on “Select My Images.”
Enter information about the photo and provide contact information in case the staff needs additional information.
Click “Upload Chosen Images.”
It’s that easy, submit your photos today!
Grab-and-Go Meals
Reminder: Grab-and-Go meals are available for pick up to all students this year, regardless of financial need. We urge families to take advantage of the opportunity for healthy meals on the go to support students learning from home. Regular meal pick up at Joel Barlow High School will provide a nutritional boost to hard-working students with little to no preparation needed.
Please feel free to contact David Kennedy at David.Kennedy@compass-usa.com or Deena Robushi at drobushi@er9.org with any questions or concerns.
In case you missed it -- January 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.
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!
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!