Scotty Updates
A Newsletter from Scotland Elementary School
Week of October 2, 2023
Scotty Updates
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.
A Message from Jill & Tim
It's hard to believe that it is already October! The days and weeks are going so quickly. Our students and staff have settled into their routines and our students are engaged in learning throughout the day. We are so fortunate at Scotland, as we have such incredibly talented teachers who deliver rigorous curriculum, designed to meet the needs of our learners. Throughout the year, I will continue sharing Spotlights on Curriculum, as I feel it is important for our families to have an understanding of what our students are learning, how they are learning it, and why. These spotlights are designed to provide you insights into our curriculum, teaching practices and approaches, in addition to the newsletters you receive from your child(ren)'s teacher. You will see spotlights from our math and literacy team, essentials teachers, school psychologists, special education teachers, and our related service providers. Our first one this week focuses on vocabulary and word study in 4th and 5th grade.
This week, we will host our Scotty Sprint on Wednesday, October 4th from 3:30-4:15pm. The weather looks like it is going to be beautiful, and we are so excited for this event! We encourage students to wear their Scotty spirit wear for this fun afternoon. Please be sure to fill out School Dismissal Manager, so we can release your child(ren) to the sprint. This is an incredibly well-attended outdoor event, and we hope to have 100% participation! You can find more information about the Sprint below. We hope to see you all there!
Have a great week!
Kind regards,
Jill
Spotlight on Curriculum 🔦
Picture Retakes 📸
PICTURE RETAKES:
If your child was absent on Picture Day or you are unhappy with your child's picture, retakes will be taken on November 3rd.
Please reach out to Ryan Meyerhoff (ryanmeyerhoff@gmail.com) if you would like to have your child’s picture retaken. Include your child’s name and homeroom teacher.
- If parents do not notify Ryan, we will not know to call their child for retake.
Be sure to send the original picture package in with your child on 11/3
QUESTIONS??
Parents with questions (such as about order forms; late orders; missing orders & refunds etc.) should contact Coffee Pond:
- By phone: 1-800-632-2323 ext '0'
- By email: Lifeguards@coffeepond.com
All-RPS Art Show
For the first time, the district will host a K-12 Art Gallery showcasing students' artwork from the 2022-23 school year. The idea was conceived by Hillary Lewis, an art teacher at East Ridge Middle School. After discussions with Department Chair Michael McNamara and art consultant Cindy Parsons, the concept was presented to the administration, whose enthusiasm for this opportunity was palpable. The Gallery will feature multiple works in 2D and 3D media from a selective group of students who represent great enthusiasm for art from all of the schools.
"We have accomplished so much in advancing the visual art strand of our VPA Department that we have decided to celebrate! Hats off to all the art teachers and students for their dedication to the arts!" said Michael McNamara, Department Chair.
“The pieces that were selected to be showcased in the Gallery truly represent the learning progressions students experience through the Visual Arts pathways. It is very exciting to see this come together,” shared Linda Johnson, Director of Elementary Education.
Events & Happenings
Monday, October 2nd:
- F Day
Tuesday,October 3rd:
- A Day
Wednesday, October 4th:
- B Day
- Scotty Sprint - Rescheduled! After School until 4:15
- Wear your Scotty spirit wear!
Thursday, October 5th:
- C Day
Friday, October 6th:
- D Day
- Scotty Spirit Day! Wear your Scotty spirit wear to show your school pride!
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Coming Soon:
Wednesday, October 11th - Monday, November 27th:
- Fall Enrichment
Thursday, October 12th - 5:30PM:
- Evening Book Fair
- DEI Art Night
- Pumpkin Blaze 🎃
Snaps around Scotland 📸
🖤❤️ A Message from Our PTA ❤️🖤
Scotty Sprint
Click here to register for the Scotty Sprint:
The Scotty Sprint is one of our high-impact fundraisers and we need EVERYONE to help out! Help us fundraise for 2023-24 Programming:
After School Fall Enrichment
Lastly, Fall enrichment is open, with classes on Monday and Wednesday ranging from Sports, Magic, STEM Robotics with LEGOs, Scotty Cares Giving Back, Art, and so much more! Visit here to enroll.
The PTA Harvest Gala is November 4, 2023
Join the PTA!
Joining the PTA helps you stay connected with the school community. You will receive information about family events, before & after school programs, school events, parties and much more! Get to know teachers & staff better with informational sessions throughout the year!
To join, visit our website: www.scotlandpta.org
The new PTA registration form is now live on the website, click here!
Important Information
Volunteering in the Library Learning Commons
Volunteers in the Library Learning Commons:
We are looking for volunteers in the LLC! We would love to have you come in and help out! Please click below on the grade level in which you would like to volunteer. Thank you so much!
-Mrs. Gonillo
- Kindergarten- https://signup.com/go/bFGFTWA
- First Grade- https://signup.com/go/TQhSvTH
- Second Grade - https://signup.com/go/YyufgPj
- Third Grade- https://signup.com/go/RCCPZHB
- Fourth Grade- https://signup.com/go/rCCNxKx
- Fifth Grade- https://signup.com/go/frXROYD
Looking for peer models for social skills groups!
Peer Models:
Our school psychologists are looking for student volunteers to participate in a small social/emotional skill development group where they can act as peer models for similarly aged peers. The groups occur once weekly for approximately thirty minutes. Groups will generally take place during lunch or extension block and are facilitated by a school psychologist. Please click here to read more and sign consent for participation.
Reminders:
Playdates and Riding the Bus:
We know how fun it is for our students to get together after school and enjoy time together! Due to safety and limited space on the buses, we are asking that students have no more than 2 guest riders with them at a time. Anytime there is a need for more than 2 additional students to ride, families will need to make arrangements for parent pick up that day. Thank you for understanding!
Hats & Hoodies:
Over the last several years there was no standard hat/hood procedure in the elementary schools, likely related to Covid, when classroom windows were kept open for air circulation and there was the potential for it to be cold in classrooms.
As we have started the 23-24 school year with a typical school opening, we will return to only permitting hats to be worn outside the school building. Students may choose to wear a hat, but will be reminded to remove it upon entering the school building. Students will be permitted to wear hats for outdoor recess. Teachers have discussed this with students and I will remind our school community during the morning announcements on Tuesday.
On special occasions/spirit days, hats may be permitted and this will be communicated to students and families.
2023-2024 School Hours
⚽️ 🎼 Essentials 🎨 📚
- Each class will have one 45 minute essential per day (Art, Library, Music, or P.E.)
- We will continue to follow the six day A-F day schedule
- Please find the essentials rotation below
Arrival & Dismissal 🚗
We will follow a similar drop off / pick up procedure that we did last year.
Arrival
- Drop off begins at 8:30am. Please do not drop off your child prior to 8:30am as there will be no supervision at this time.
- After 8:45am, you will need to walk your child into school, as they are late. You will need to sign them in with security. Please do not drop your child off without adult supervision.
Dismissal
- Pick up will begin at 3:25pm.
- Each day, please have your child(ren)’s first and last name displayed on your passenger visor, and have it remain visible until your child is in the car. This needs to be bold and large enough to be visible at a distance. This is a very important step to ensure we have your child ready when you arrive.
- For the safety of both students and staff, proceed carefully and slowly through the lot.
- Please have your child exit/enter the vehicle when your gear is in the park position and is one of the cars at the front of the line designated for drop off.
- Students must exit the vehicle on the passenger side (building side) of the vehicle. Multiple children must exit on the passenger side. It is dangerous to exit/enter on the driver's side of the vehicle!
- Students need to have all of their items ready in hand and will then exit the car immediately.
- Parents, please stay in your vehicle at all times so that the process will prevent backups on Barlow Mountain Road.
- If you miss the drop off time (after 8:45 a.m.), please park in the front lot and walk your child across the designated crosswalk to the main entrance of the building. If you arrive after the drop off window and must park in the parking lot, we kindly ask that you use the crosswalk.
Chromebooks 💻
- For information on this year's Chromebook distribution and policies click here to watch a short video
- If you have further questions or concerns email: helpdesk@ridgefieldps.net
School Lunch 🥪
School lunch will be available from the first day of school. Aramark is the new District-wide food service provider. The school lunch menu is available online on the RPS website; click Departments and click on Food Service. For all students, we have transitioned away from LunchTime software to MySchoolBucks for families to fund student lunches.
MySchoolBucks is available via the PowerSchool Parent Portal, and communication was sent to families in early August regarding adding funds for lunch. Any balances have been rolled over from LunchTime to MySchoolBucks. Additionally, the district sent a communication in early August regarding Reduced Lunch for eligible students.
Snacks for Purchase in the Cafeteria:
Students in grades 2-5 are permitted to purchase snacks during lunch (last 10 minutes). Please be sure you have set up MySchoolBucks if you would like your student to be able to purchase a snack.
- In short, students eligible for reduced lunch will be provided free lunches in grades K-8 for the 2023-24 school year.
- Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the Free School Meals for Children grant, please do not hesitate to contact us or the District Business Office.
- Questions in regard to school MySchoolBucks can be directed to Eric Nickelson, RPS Food Service Director at 203-894-5550 x1127 or enickelson@ridgefieldps.net
Website to set up an account.
Some Support Links for Troubleshooting:
Updating Your Payment Method | MySchoolBucks
Setting up Automatic Payments | MySchoolBucks
Adding a New Student | MySchoolBucks
Setting Up Low Balance Alerts | MySchoolBucks
October Lunch Menu
School Dismissal Manager
We will 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!
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