Scotty Updates
A Newsletter from Scotland Elementary School
Week of March 18, 2024
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.
Scotland Visitor Form
A Message from Jill & Tim
Dear Scotland Families,
I hope you are all well! Did you know that you can access your child’s universal screener score reports in PowerSchool?
Three times a year, we conduct universal screener assessments for all students in grades K-5. These assessments take place in the fall, winter, and spring. The fall and winter assessment results are available for you to view in PowerSchool. The spring assessments are staggered. The aimsweb literacy assessments are available for parents to view in late April for student in grades 3-5. For parents of students in grades kindergarten, first, and second grade, the aimsweb literacy assessments are available by the end of the school year, as are the math assessments for grades kindergarten and grade one. For parents of students in grades 2 - 5, math NWEA assessments are available by the end of the school year.
Below you will find how to access your child’s score report as well as a link to presentations about the elementary universal screeners.
A note for 5th-grade families: We have made a change to the date for our Musical. Our evening performance of Peter Pan for families will be held on April 30th. The date for Ramadan has been adjusted since we originally set the date due to the anticipated sighting of the crescent moon. We value the traditions of the members of our community and want to ensure that all of our students can participate and enjoy this performance. We appreciate your flexibility and understanding!
Wishing you a wonderful week!
Kind regards,
Jill
Kindergarten Registration is coming soon. If you have a child turning 5 before September 1, 2024 please contact the main office at (203) 894-5825. If you have a child who will be turning 5 between September 1, 2024-January 1, 2025 and you are interested in enrolling them in kindergarten for this fall, please reach out to the main office for more information. Additional information about kindergarten registration and mini-kindergarten will be forthcoming,
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A reminder about dismissal. The cutoff in School Dismissal Manager is 12PM daily, and any changes need to be made prior to that time. We truly appreciate your help!
April Parent Teacher Conferences
Our parent-teacher conferences will take place on April 11th and 12th, both of which will be early release days for students. We will also have an evening option for conferences on April 11th. Spring conferences will be scheduled for fifteen-minute sessions.
If a teacher is requesting a conference they will do so by March 14th. If you wish to request a conference, please do so by March 21st. Conference schedules are intended to be finalized by April 4th.
A note for parents of 5th-grade students: Please note that math placement data will not be available during spring conferences. As shared in January, math placement decisions will be finalized and sent to families in May.
We appreciate our partnership with parents and if a conference is not necessary, you should always feel free to reach out to our Scotland Faculty with questions or concerns!
Spotlight on Curriculum 🔦
Events & Happenings:
Monday, March 18th:
- A Day
Tuesday, March 19th:
- B Day
Wednesday, March 20th:
- C Day
Thursday, March 21st
- D Day
- Early Dismissal for students - 11:40AM
- Professional Learning for staff
Friday, March 22nd:
- E Day
- Scotty Spirit Day - wear your Scotty spirit wear!
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Upcoming Events:
Thursday, March 21st:
- Early Dismissal for students - 11:40AM
- Professional Learning for staff
Friday, March 29th:
- No school - Good Friday
Thursday, April 11th-Friday, April 12th:
- Parent Teacher Conferences
- Early dismissal for students - 11:40AM
Monday, April 15-Friday, April 19th:
- No school, Spring Recess
Tuesday, April 30th:
- 5th Grade Musical - 5:30PM
Summer Bridge
Summer Bridge Registration Now Open
The elementary program is device-free and includes multiple opportunities for outdoor time with peers, creativity, an emphasis on social-emotional support, and thematic project-based sessions.
Register Here
Snaps around Scotland 📸
5th Grade Trip to Aladdin
Ridgefield Public Schools Digital Backpack
RPS distribution flyers for outside groups via a Digital Backpack.
Organizations that meet the RPS policy may submit their request for inclusion in the digital backpack. Please help us in our effort to go green by checking students' Digital Backpacks Organizations that meet the RPS policy may submit their request for inclusion to cmelagrano@ridgefieldps.net. Thank you!
March Lunch Menu
A Note from the Health Office
Head Lice Information
Head lice: They’re the words no parent wants to hear. Head lice can be acquired by anyone, but it is most common in kids ages 5-12. According to the CDC every year as many as 6-12 million children are affected by head lice. Our own community has just experienced our first few reported cases. The good news is that head lice are not harmful and can be treated. To detect, treat and prevent head lice, it helps to know more about them.
Below I have included a link to an article titled Head Lice: What Parents Needs to Know (Healthychildren.org/AAP). Please take a few minutes to read the article. It provides parents with a good source of information about head lice detection, management, and treatment.
Curriculum Presentations
Essentials Schedules - 2nd Half of the Year
❤️ A Message from Our PTA 🖤
Yearbook Sales are Open!
To place your order, go to www.coffeepond.com and use our password: scotty1234
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. Our updated volunteer calendar starts January 19 - May 31.
Thank you so much!
-Mrs. Gonillo
Kindergarten- https://signup.com/go/afZpBQb
First Grade- https://signup.com/go/cGNYUCe
Second Grade - https://signup.com/go/xFXYUMj
Third Grade- https://signup.com/go/CKryWTj
Fourth Grade- https://signup.com/go/kmPMRMp
Fifth Grade- https://signup.com/go/rfRZAkM
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 and Dismissal Procedures
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 x2143 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
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