Scotty Updates
A Newsletter from Scotland Elementary School
Week of April 26, 2021
Scotty Updates
The Scotty Updates has been created to provide families and staff with information regarding upcoming events, happenings, and programs at Scotland Elementary School. Please take time each Monday to review our newsletter. Thank you!
A Message from Mrs. Katkocin ❤️
Dear Scotland Families and Staff,
I hope you are all well and enjoyed your weekend! Our countdown is on, and we have just 7 weeks left of school (our last day will be Monday, June 14, 2021). We are excited for the many exciting activities to come! Please see end of year events scheduled for our 5th grade students under the Events & Happenings section below.
Our Scotty Read-A-Thon begins today!! 📚 We have many fun activities planned for the next two weeks for our students to encourage them to keep reading. See below for more details from our PTA!
Just a reminder that our classes have begun to each lunch outside daily when weather permits. Kindly send your child to school with a beach towel, so they can sit on it while they eat. These towels can remain at school so students don't have to transport them back and forth. Please also remember to send your child with a water bottle each day. We have run out of extra bottles at Scotland, and students can use the bottle filler if they have a bottle from home. Thank you!
This week, we held our final vote for both the K-2 and 3-5 brackets of our SES March Book Madness. Below are the winners!!
- Grades K-2 - Bo the Brave by Bethan Woolvin!!
- Grades 3-5 - All the Way to the Top by Annette Bay Pimentel!!
This week, our staff voted on the Scotland nominee for Teacher of the Year. I am thrilled to announce that Mr. Jim Tornatore is the Scotland pick for Teacher of the Year! Some of the feedback that his colleagues shared in their nominations included:
- "Jim consistently devotes hours and hours beyond his workday.”
- “His passion for music comes through in all of his lessons.”
- “Jim has always been an exceptional music teacher, but we feel that he has really shown in this difficult pandemic year.”
- “Jim always provides educational, high-energy, highly engaging, relevant and personalized learning for all members of the community.”
Congratulations to Mr. Tornatore on this much deserved honor!
A message for our kindergarten parents from Ms. Gillette:
- As you are aware, May 24th has been designated as an Early Release Asynchronous Learning day for our students to enable our staff to address professional learning and planning needs. Based on the need to adjust our Mini K experience, we will need to use the morning of May 24th for our Mini K for incoming kindergarten students. We cannot accommodate incoming kindergarten students and current kindergarten students at the same time due to a variety of factors. Therefore, our current kindergarten students only will have a full day of asynchronous learning. That means that current kindergarten students should not come to school in person on May 24th.
Wishing you all a wonderful, healthy week!
Kind regards,
Jill
Reminder: If you are requesting to change your child's learning models, please complete this form, and email your child's classroom teacher, Mrs. Anderson at canderson@ridgefieldps.net, and Jill Katkocin at jkatkocin@ridgefieldps.net to notify us. We ask for 72 hours notice for any change in learning model, so we can ensure our records, PowerSchool, and classrooms are prepared for the change.
*Follow Scotland on Instagram @ScotlandElementarySchool
A Message for Kindergarten Parents
A Message for 5th Grade Parents - D.A.R.E.
Snaps around Scotland 📸
Events & Happenings 📅
WEEK AT A GLANCE:
Monday, April 26th:
- E Day
- Early Dismissal Day: Dismissal will begin at 11:30am
- Students will be involved in "asynchronous" (not live teaching) activities in the afternoon from home
Tuesday, April 27th:
- F Day
Wednesday, April 28th:
- A Day
Thursday, April 29th:
- B Day
Friday, April 30th:
- C Day
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Monday, April 26th:
- Early Dismissal Day: Dismissal will begin at 11:30am
- Students in grades k-5 will be involved in "asynchronous" (not live teaching) activities in the afternoon from home
Monday, May 24th:
- Early Dismissal Day: Dismissal will begin at 11:30am
- Students in grades 1-5 will be involved in "asynchronous" (not live teaching) activities in the afternoon from home
- Students in kindergarten will be involved in "asynchronous" (not live teaching) activities ALL DAY from home
Thursday, June 3rd:
- Whole school Field Day (more information to follow)
Friday, June 4th:
- Rain Date - Whole school Field Day
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5th Grade End-of- Year Events!
Monday, June 7th:
- 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony (more information to come)
Tuesday, June 8th:
- 5th Grade Field Trip - Mountain Workshop (at Scotland)
Wednesday, June 9th:
- 5th Grade Virtual Poetry Cafe
- 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony (Rain Date #1)
Thursday, June 10th:
- 5th Grade Beach Party & Food Truck
Friday, June 11th:
- 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony (Rain Date #2)
Town Meetings Focused on the Board of Education 2021-2022 Budget
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
- Town Referendum on the Town and Board of Education budgets
Scotty Read-a-Thon Starts NOW!
Read & Reach out to Family & Friends to support our student's efforts! We are so proud of them this year.
Hey, 5th graders....the money your raise will go to support your end-of-year school celebrations!!
How to Collect Donations
The Read-A-Thon is our PTA’s #1 fundraiser this year. Due to Covid, we will not have our Scotty Sprint (don’t worry, it will be back next year!). Our goal is to raise $20,000. Thank you in advance for your support! We are using 99Pledges, a secure platform to collect and track donations. For privacy, we have NOT included the name of the school, NOR the last names of students and teachers.
To find your child(ren)’s sponsorship page:
Step 1: Visit link: https://app.99pledges.com/fund/scottyreadathon
Step 2: Search for your child first name (will appear like John - 4-L)
Step 3: Help spread the word on Facebook, Twitter or Email. You’ll also see a link that you can copy and share with family and friends.
How To Log Your Reading
Step 1: Keep track of your reading offline on the Reading Log Form over the next two weeks.
Step 2: Enter your reading minutes online here at the END (MAY 7) of the Read-A-Thon.
Please be honest & accurate. Only minutes logged online will count towards prizes that will be given out at the end of the read-a-thon!
Looking for some book suggestions?? Click here to see a list from Books on the Common!
If you have any questions, please email scotlandelementarypta@gmail.com
Teacher Appreciation Luncheon
Teacher Appreciation Week is coming soon! Let's show our teachers how much we appreciate them! The PTA is sponsoring a luncheon for the staff on Friday, May 7th. We are looking for some parent donations of chips, seltzers, and desserts to go with the lunch. Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. We would appreciate it if you can send in the donation by Wednesday, May 5th, and leave it with security at the door. Thank you!
CLICK HERE to donate!
Attention 5th Grade Parents!! SRMS Needs You!
Join the PTA Today!
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Information to Keep Handy! 📓
A Message from Dr. Da Silva
Per Dr. Da Silva's communication on 3/19/2021, please note the following:
Remote Learning:
Remote learning is available to students:
have elected this option as their learning model
who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, but are well enough to attend school
who are awaiting COVID-19 test results
who are in quarantine
Remote learning is not available to students:
who are on vacation
who are located at a second home and are not sleeping in Ridgefield
who occasionally prefer to remote learn
who are running late to physical school
who are not well enough to engage as a learner
who have an appointment, and may otherwise be “late”
Students who do not meet the criteria for remote learning will be considered absent.
Health And Safety:
Travel Advisory: As of Friday March 19, the Connecticut Travel Advisory changed from being a requirement to being a recommendation. The state of CT will no longer require a 10-day quarantine or a negative COVID-19 test when returning from out-of-state travel. RPS will continue to recommend and ask for a negative COVID test after out-of-state travel however we will not be requiring it. Please find the Governor’s press release here.
The Town of Ridgefield and RPS have seen an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks. COVID-19 is spread primarily via droplets from person to person when individuals are not wearing a mask and are less than 6 feet apart. Please continue to practice social distancing and the wearing of masks when meeting with individuals outside of your home. It is important that we remain vigilant with the mitigating measures.
Virtual Attendance of In-person Learners
The main office staff and teachers have been receiving many questions regarding temporary switches to remote learning for students. Our elementary principals have put together these reminders to clarify questions around attendance and remote learning.
Remote learning is available to students:
have elected this option as their learning model
who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, but are well enough to attend school
who are awaiting COVID-19 test results
who are in quarantine
Remote learning is not available to students:
who are on vacation
who are located at a second home and are not sleeping in Ridgefield
who occasionally prefer to remote learn
who are running late to physical school
who are not well enough to engage as a learner
who have an appointment, and may otherwise be “late”
Students who do not meet the criteria for remote learning will be considered absent. As a reminder, if you wish to change your child to cohort C, we do request that you provide 72 hours notice.
Please note:
The learning experience, on short notice, may not replicate the remote experience that occurred during hybrid, or with other remote learners, as the lesson plan may already be drawn up for the day.
Students will receive live on camera instruction, but some instructional materials may not be available for the student. If a student is going to be marked as "remote present" for a long duration, by the third school day, the teacher will provide an experience that resembles the typical remote learning experience.
Kindly let your child's teacher, the principal, and the nurse know by email if your child will be participating virtually prior to the start of the school day. The nurse will give you a call. If this is not possible, your child will be able to begin participating virtually the following school day.
Thank you so much for helping our teachers provide the best experience they can for all of our students.
Travel Advisory - Connecticut
Health And Safety:
Travel Advisory: As of Friday March 19, the Connecticut Travel Advisory changed from being a requirement to being a recommendation. The state of CT will no longer require a 10-day quarantine or a negative COVID-19 test when returning from out-of-state travel. RPS will continue to recommend and ask for a negative COVID test after out-of-state travel however we will not be requiring it. Please find the Governor’s press release here.
The Town of Ridgefield and RPS have seen an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the last two weeks. COVID-19 is spread primarily via droplets from person to person when individuals are not wearing a mask and are less than 6 feet apart. Please continue to practice social distancing and the wearing of masks when meeting with individuals outside of your home. It is important that we remain vigilant with the mitigating measures.
Dismissal 🚘
Our dismissal process has been working smoothly, and I am incredibly grateful for your patience and flexibility as we navigate the space we have to use. We will continue to work with Ridgefield Police to ensure a safe, efficient pickup at Scotland! Just a few dismissal reminders as we head into the week...
- Please be sure to enter dismissal information into School Dismissal Manager. If a family arrives to pick up a student whose name is not entered in SDM, the family will be asked to park, and then sign out their child with our security guard. This is to ensure the safety of each and every student.
- Please have your students name(s) visible in the front windshield on the passenger side of the car. This will allow our staff to call students for dismissal in the most efficient way possible.
- In the pick up line, students MUST enter the car on the passenger side of the car. We cannot have students walking between cars to enter from the driver's side. If your child must enter on the driver's side, please park your car, and one of our staff members will walk your child to you.
- If you need to help your child buckle, or perhaps open a snack for their ride home, kindly park the car in one of the available spots to do so.
A Note from Mrs. Martire 👩🏻⚕️
If your child is ill or has been exposed to Covid-19 please contact me at 894-5825 extension 6575 or email me at lmartire@ridgefieldps.net.
Attached below is the letter that was sent out from the RPS nurses at the start of the school year for your reference. It includes a link to Addendum 5 ( also attached below: link to CT Guidelines) which was a collaborative effort by the Connecticut State Department of Education and the State Department of Public Health to provide schools districts with guidance and protocols for responding to specific Covid-19 scenarios that may occur with school reopening.
Due to COVID health and safety concerns, any student with any one of the potential COVID symptoms (cough, difficulty breathing, fever or chills, fatigue, muscle or body ache, headache, new loss or taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea) must remain home until the CSDE and CT DPH guidance is met in accordance with Addendum 5.
Addendum 5 has several scenarios based on symptoms and exposure. Becoming familiar with the document will be helpful as I will be referring to this often this year as we continue to experience this global pandemic.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions .
Stay well,
Lisa Martire
Virtual Learning Reminders
- Students will be visible to the teacher and other participating students (please remind your child to have their camera on throughout the lessons).
- Parents are encouraged to have their students independently participate via a location that is quiet and free of distraction, to the extent possible. Other individuals in the home are not permitted to participate in or be visible on the video conference, or otherwise observe the lesson, other than reasonable adult supervision of the student.
- Parents and students are prohibited from recording video conferencing sessions. The district will not be recording any classes/sessions.
- Depending on each student’s individual circumstance, teachers or service providers may request the facilitation of the supervising adult to assist the student in engaging in the session.
- In addition, if your child needs to leave for a period of time during instruction (i.e. doctor or dentist appointment), please notify the classroom teacher ahead of time, just as you would if they were in the building.
Thank you so much for your partnership in making this experience a success!
School Dismissal Manager
We continue to use School Dismissal Manager this year at Scotland. Please click below for information regarding this system. This system will be available to families in late August. A welcome letter will be emailed to families when the system is available. If you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us!
We'd love to see all the wonderful things our kids are doing during each week!
Send Photos To: robinpro@live.com
Contact Us!
Email: jkatkocin@ridgefieldps.net
Website: https://ses.ridgefield.org/
Location: 111 Barlow Mountain Road, Ridgefield, CT, USA
Phone: 203-894-5825
Twitter: @Scotland_Elem