From the Principal's Pen
March 1, 2020
IMPORTANT - March Parent Conferences
As you know our staff has been very focused on increasing Parent Engagement at JC this school year. We devoted extra time to parents in the fall preparing for the fall conferences. The feedback on those conferences was very positive from both parents and teachers. The GREAT NEWS is we will now be offering winter conferences to ALL parents. This is a new initiative for our school and something being offered as a pilot only at Julian Curtiss and New Lebanon Schools. Parent/Teacher conferences will be offered on March 11th from 1:00- 6:00 pm and March 18th from 2:45-6:45. March 11th is an Early Release Day for the students. Students will be released at 12:45. You should have received a notice and schedule from your child’s teacher. If you have not yet signed up for a conference, please reach out to your child's teacher right away.
COMPLETE YOUR PRE-CONFERENCE SURVEY BY MONDAY, MARCH 2ND
You should have received a hard copy of the parent pre-conference questionnaire in your child's Friday folder today. Below is a link to an electronic questionnaire if you prefer to submit your information that way. Please complete either the written form or the electronic form here and return to school by Monday, March 2nd.
Being informed about what your child does at school and family support of learning at home is important for ALL children. Education is a team effort - teacher, student, and family!
Pre-conference Questionnaire - English
Staff Updates
Nurse Joann Concepcion has transferred to Old Greenwich School. We are fortunate to have Nurse Sarah Flynn rejoin us temporarily as we seek a permanent replacement. You will recognize Nurse Sarah as she served as a leave replacement for Nurse Helen last spring. Welcome back, Nurse Sarah!
Our full-time school psychologist, Tony Farniacci, has left JC for family illness reasons. We are sorry to see him go and wish him the best. Gillian Howard, a psychologist from our district's evaluation team, has joined us to help support our students as we look to hire a replacement. Ms. Howard has an excellent relationship with the JC PPS team and we have every confidence that our students are in good hands!
Finally, Mrs. Ariel Wilshaw will be going on maternity leave as of this coming Wednesday. Our students have been getting to know her replacement, Mrs. Gabrielle Duncan, as she has spent the past two weeks with us. We wish Mrs. Wilshaw the best as she rests up to prepare for the arrival of her baby girl!
Personalized Learner Profiles
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten Registration for the 2020-2021 school year is coming up soon! If you know of new families to the Julian Curtiss district, please make sure they know about the Kindergarten Parent Presentation on March 9th at 9:30 am.
Put Your Hands In the Air - Show That You Care!
This past Tuesday, we had an assembly offered by our PTA that was character-based and focused on anti-bullying and respect. Brian Chevalier has been engaging and inspiring audiences in schools since 1995 with his highly interactive Character Education and
Anti-Bullying school assemblies in NY, LI, NJ, VT, PA, MA, and CT. From Mr. Chevalier's description of his program:
"My approach is definitely different for different ages. I also really try to hit home a message about empathy, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, and also the importance of respect for others and for yourself. I believe that it’s important for each child to know that they are unique and special in their own way and that everyone has their own strengths, so no one deserves to be treated poorly. I really go from a proactive standpoint of what we are going to do as opposed to what we’re not going to do. Standing up for yourself and others and the fact that there are adults here that care very much about you and are here to look out for you are also messages that I send.”
The children were highly engaged, and enjoyed every moment! Many of our students participated as volunteers, and everyone sang along. A special thank you to Nicole Kenealy (mother of George James in 3M) for arranging this fun and meaningful assembly!
Earth Week of Action
Dear Parents and Guardians,
This April, Julian Curtiss will join in a collaborative Town-wide Earth Week Celebration!
We will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and enjoy all of Greenwich's schools - public, private, faith-based, preschool, elementary, and secondary - working together as one educational community to preserve our home.
Between Monday, April 20th and Friday, April 24th, students will have the opportunity to take part in activities designed around different themes during the school day. Each day will have a different theme:
- Monday 4/20 - Artists for the Earth
- Tuesday 4/21 - FoodPrints (an Earth-friendly Lunch)
- Wednesday 4/22 - Earth Day Tribute and Inquiry Night
- Thursday 4/23 - Citizen Science
- Friday 4/24 - Arbor Day, Trees for the Future
Students will be informed and reminded of each day's activities through our morning announcements. The only optional preparation requested would be for students who normally bring a bag lunch to pack a "waste-free lunch" on Tuesday, April 21st. We will also be collecting recycled materials for art projects and Inquiry Night stations during the last week of March. More information about both of these things will be made available over the next couple of weeks.
Earth Week 2020 will be an historic experience for the Greenwich educational community. What a difference we can make by working together!
The Julian Curtiss Earth Week Team
Mrs. Brenda Brush - Committee Chair
Ms. LeAnn Hinkle - Teacher Co-Chair / Inquiry Night
Mrs. Kristina Loechner - Teacher Co-Chair / Teacher Communication
Mrs. Trish McGuire - Parent Liaison
CCI Reading Incentive
Dear JC Parents,
Community Center Inc. (CCI) is celebrating 65 years of partnering with Greenwich schools to support students and families. CCI is a social service agency dedicated to building skills that empower clients to overcome educational, social, and economic barriers so that they can reach their full potential. CCI organizes Homework Club, summer programs, after-school reading groups, and provides individual counseling to students and families in the JC community.
To commemorate this amazing achievement, CCI has invited JC students to take part in a reading incentive program. Starting on Monday, March 2, 2020, JC students will be given an activity sheet called, “65 Ways to Be a Reader, ” the students may choose as many reading activities as they like from the attached. You do not have to complete all 65 to be part of the fun! Have your child color in each task that they complete and return the form to Dr. Blomberg or Mrs. Iannazzo by Friday, March 27th.
On Friday, March 27th, when your child submits their “65 Ways to Be a Reader” form they will...
earn a cool “I love to read” wristband.
be entered to win a pizza party for their class, and an ice cream party for their class.
be entered in a raffle with other participating schools for a brand new bike for themselves.
Happy Reading!
CCI & the JC Staff
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Estimadas Familias de JC:
Community Center Inc. (CCI) celebra sus 65 años de colaboración con las escuelas de Greenwich, brindando apoyo a sus estudiantes y familias. CCI es una agencia de servicios sociales dedicada a desarrollar las habilidades que capaciten a sus clientes a superar barreras educativas, sociales y económicas para que puedan alcanzar su máximo potencial. CCI organiza el Club de Tareas, programas de verano y grupos de lectura después de la escuela. También provee asesoramiento individual a estudiantes y familias de la comunidad de JC.
Para conmemorar este increíble logro, CCI ha invitado a los estudiantes de JC a participar en un programa de incentivos para leer. A partir del lunes 2 de marzo de 2020, los estudiantes de JC recibirán una hoja de actividades llamada "65 maneras de ser un lector". Los estudiantes pueden elegir tantas actividades de lectura como deseen. ¡No tienen que completar las 65 actividades para ser parte de la diversión! Haga que su hijo/a coloree en cada tarea que complete y devuelva el formulario al Dr. Blomberg o a la Sra. Iannazzo antes del viernes 27 de marzo.
El viernes 27 de marzo, cuando su hijo/a presente su formulario "65 maneras de ser lector" ...
● ganará una pulsera que dice "Me encanta leer".
● participará en un sorteo para ganar una fiesta de pizza y una fiesta de helados
para su clase.
● entrará en un sorteo con otras escuelas participantes para ganarse una
bicicleta nueva.
¡Feliz lectura!
CCI y el personal de JC
Pennies for Patients
During this program, students will collect money to support LLS’ mission:
Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease, and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.
Students will learn about service, leadership, philanthropy and how they can make a difference by changing patients’ lives.
More information about the specifics of the program will be sent home next week.
Reminder - Family First Closed on Friday 3/6
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Mrs. Trish McGuire - Principal
Email: trish_mcguire@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Website: www.greenwichschools.org/jcs
Location: 180 East Elm Street, Greenwich, CT, USA
Phone: (203) 869-1896
Twitter: @jcsprincipal