This year Middlebrook Elementary School has started a Best Buddies chapter! Best Buddies Connecticut is part of Best Buddies International, which is a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendship, leadership development and integrated employment for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

As part of having Best Buddies at Middlebrook Elementary School, Students will engage in both group and one-on-one activities during the school day that help teach awareness, develop leadership skills and foster inclusion and friendships throughout the year.

The Best Buddies program is open to all students within the school, both with and without disabilities. There is no cost to be involved in Best Buddies. If your child is interested in making new friendships and developing leadership skills, this is the program for him/her!

To join the Best Buddies chapter at Middlebrook for the 2022/2023 school year, all students must have a submitted and approved membership application by March 10th 2023. To fill out an application on behalf of your child, go to www.bestbuddies.org/join and select the state, “Elementary Schools” as the program and search for Middlebrook Elementary School. Fill out all applicable information.

Faculty advisors can be reached at:

Lindsay Lee (School Psychologist) LLee@trumbullps.org

Diana Reding (2nd Grade Teacher) DReding@trumbullps.org

Lucia Abate (2nd Grade Teacher) LAbate@trumbullps.org

Liz Browne (SRP Teacher) EBrowne@trumbullps.org

Chelsea Barnett (SRP Teacher) CBarnett@trumbullps.org

Please be reminded that Thursday, March 9th will be an early release day for students to accommodate for elementary parent/teacher conferences. All required conferences will occur on this day/evening. Not all students are in need of a conference at this time. The best results in student progress are the result of ongoing communication between home and school. If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher.

Please note Dr. Semmel will present the BOE adopted budget and answer questions from BOF members at the upcoming meeting on March 9th. It would be greatly appreciated if you are able to attend this meeting to show your support for the 2023 - 2023 BOE Budget. In addition, there will be two important upcoming opportunities for members of the Trumbull community to share their thoughts regarding the needs of our budget. The first opportunity is Saturday, March 18 at 10 AM in Town Council Chambers. The second opportunity is a virtual meeting on Tuesday, March 28 at 7:00 PM. If you would like to sign up for public comment, we encourage you to do so to share your thoughts.

Please see Dr. Semmel's weekly update for more information: https://www.smore.com/8vc5r

You can also view the entire budget and TPS elementary budget presentation by accessing the links below:

• The complete TPS budget book can be accessed below: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yRJk0hCm73JODV4jBQ-Kqd4Gt2Ti9h-4/view?usp=sharing

• Dr. Semmel's PowerPoint Presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BsHzZo7zlVyp-ZNYtFp-uA9XYG5jBBiJ/view?usp=sharing

• January 12 BOE Presentation; including TECEC, Elementary School, Middle School and Special Education https://fb.watch/i1lAyrSupr/?mibextid=RUbZ1f

We truly appreciate your ongoing support and active involvement in your child's education.

As always, if you have any questions, concerns or good news to share, please feel free to email us at dponte@trumbullps.org or mmolloy@trumbullps.org.

Warm regards,

Ms. Ponte, Principal
Ms. Molloy, Assistant Principal

March

Women's History Month

National Nutrition Month

Music in Our Schools Month

February 20-March 9

After School Enrichment Registration

March 6th - March 10th

School Social Work Week

March 6
Purim starts at sunset

March 7
Purim ends at sunset

March 9th

Early Dismissal 1:00pm

Afternoon/Evening Conferences upon request

BOF meeting 7:00pm in the Town Council Chambers

March 10th
Fruits and Veggie Challenge ends

March 12
Daylight Saving Time Begins

March 13th

PTA Meeting 7:15pm in the library

March 14th

Pi Day
BOE Meeting 7:00pm

March 16th

5th grade activity - Urban Air 5:30-8:00pm (see flyer below)

Father's Club Meeting 7:30pm in the library

March 17th

St Patrick's Day
Report cards posted to the parent portal

Saturday, March 18th
BOF 10 AM in Town Council Chambers

March 20th

First Day of Spring

NO SCHOOL - professional learning for teachers

March 21st

World Down Syndrome Day

March 22nd

Ramadan begins this evening through the evening of April 21st

March 24th

BINGO Night - snow date March 31st

March 28th

Book Fair - day and evening 6-8pm

BOE Meeting 7:00pm
BOF Meeting 7:00 pm virtual

March 29th

Book Fair - day only

March 31st

School Store

SAVE THE DATE

Saturday, April 1st

Middlebrook Mixer - Adults Only, see below for information

Thursday, March 2nd - RJ Fontilla

Friday, March 3rd - Paula Tyszka

Middlebrook Elementary School celebrated reading week from Monday, February 27th, to Friday, March 3rd. Special activities designed to encourage a love of reading among the students filled the week. Wednesday's activity was "Let's celebrate that reading is fun to do as a team."

The grade five students were excited to read to the younger ones and share their love of reading, while Grade 1 and 2 students were thrilled to have the older students read to them. Kindergarten and 1st grade also paired up. Mrs. Abate's class and Mrs. Lopez’s class paired up to read with a book buddy. Students chose just right books to read to each other. Book buddies then had a book talk to review the characters, setting, problem and solutions for the books. Students were able to tell which part of the book was their favorite, and why they enjoyed the books they read. The best part was meeting new friends! The students were highly engaged in the activity and thoroughly enjoyed it. Reading aloud is an essential skill that improves students' comprehension and vocabulary, and the book buddy day helped to reinforce this skill in a fun and engaging way. The reading week was a huge success, and the students look forward to next year's celebration.

The 3rd graders had a visit from The Eli Whitney Museum to review force and motion as a culminating activity. Students constructed cars powered by rubber bands and measured their performance by seeing which cars traveled farther. In addition, they tested what happened when more friction was applied to the rubber band car. Students made lively insights into the mechanics, measurement and mathematics of motion. Exploration and problem solving became obvious when a student had to question why someone's car went further or faster.

2nd Graders created choice chambers for our pill bugs in order to figure out what kind of habitat they live in! The pill bugs were placed in the center and crawled to the dark, moist soil vs. the sand!

TICKETS ARE ON SALE! Get ready for a great adult night out with some awesome auction items! We have over $15,000 in donations and some great teacher experience items up for bids! The one month countdown is on! Get your tickets on Membership Toolkit.

One of the amazing opportunities that our PTA sponsors annually is the Author Visits at Middlebrook. This year our students will have two opportunities to hear writing tips and experiences from two published authors.

Grades K - 3: Steve Swinburne and David Biedrzycki

Grades 4 & 5: Steve Swinburne and Janae Marks

Our friends at Turning the Page book store are helping with a book sale for this upcoming event. You can purchase one of the author's books and have it signed by the author on the date of their visit. Click here to place an order. All orders must be in by Wednesday, March 8, 2023.

We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition) is a national education program designed to give parents and communities a way to help children learn to eat nutritious foods. As parents, you can do a lot to help your children learn healthy eating habits and maintain a healthy weight. Involving them in meal preparation and cooking can motivate them to try new foods – and is a good way to spend time together as a family.

What is a Healthy Diet?

A healthy eating plan is one that:

• Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free milk products.

• Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts.

• Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium/salt, and added sugars.

• Stays within your calorie needs.

Good nutrition is key to good health. Try a rainbow of fruits and vegetables for better health:

Choosing in season fruits and vegetables with a variety of colors like red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple will give you a variety of healthy nutrients.

Visit the WE CAN website for more information on healthy eating!

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/index.htm

Women’s History Month began as a local, week-long commemoration and celebration in Santa Rosa, California in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. This idea became popular across the country and in the next year other cities and towns created their own Women’s History Week celebrations.

In 1980, several women’s rights groups and historians joined together with the National Women’s History Project (which is now known as the National Women's History Alliance) to get national recognition. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8, 1980 to be National Women’s History Week.

The next US Presidents each continued to proclaim a National Women’s History Week in March until 1987 when Congress passed a law designating March as Women’s History Month. Between 1988 and 1994, Congress passed additional resolutions requesting and authorizing the President to proclaim March of each year as Women’s History Month.

Since 1995, each president has issued an annual proclamation designating March as “Women’s History Month.”

You can read this year’s Presidential Proclamation here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2022/02/28/a-proclamation-on-womens-history-month-2022/

Sources:

https://www.womenshistory.org/womens-history/womens-history-month

https://womenshistorymonth.gov/about/

Take a look at the resources below to celebrate and learn with your family!

Activities you can do at home or just a short drive away in Connecticut:

https://www.connecticutchildrens.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/celebrate-womens-history-month-with-kids/

https://www.ctvisit.com/listings/harriet-beecher-stowe-center

https://www.ctvisit.com/listings/connecticut-womens-heritage-trail

Web resources to learn more at home:

PBS Learning Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVrvMJWrJlk

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/womens-history-month

Suggested books which highlight accomplishments of women throughout history:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12396987-here-come-the-girl-scouts

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/164299.Clara_Barton

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/752372.Susan_B_Anthony

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/914517.Elizabeth_Blackwell

https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/childrens-books-to-celebrate-womens-history-month

Dear Parents,

Thanks very much in advance for your participation in our regional Trumbull elementary

2023 Fruit & Vegetable Challenge which will run from Monday, February 27 - Friday, March 10. Teachers will work with students to check off one box in their class Challenge Charts for every serving (½ cup) of fruit or veggie consumed at snack only each day Monday through Friday for 2 weeks. Please make sure to help your student pack their fruit and/or veggies for SNACK to get their class points.

Prizes will be awarded to highest participation among Kindergarten vs.1st Grade, 2nd Grade vs. 3rd Grade and 4th vs. 5th. Each class in the 3 winning grades will get to choose their type of recess item as their prize (choices such as kickball, soccer ball, football, etc.) and everyone will get a healthy experience prize: extra recess!

Kick-off Ideas Let your student help with grocery shopping and cooking. Why does eating fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables matter? Think of someone they might look up to: an aunt who ran a marathon, favorite Olympian or pop singer. What do you think they eat to perform their best? What foods give them strength, endurance and energy to think quickly and clearly?

Thanks again for taking time out of the busy school week to recognize the importance of good nutrition!

Melanie Kostopoulos

PTA Health & Wellness Committee

Middlebrook PTA SPRING 2023 AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT

ONLINE Registration BEGINS

MONDAY FEBUARY 20 6p & ENDS MARCH 9 10p

You will not see classes till 2/20 6p when registration opens

Middlebrookelementarypta.membershiptoolkit.com

Instructions to log into membershiptoolkit for the first time on Middlebrookelementary.com/pta/

!!!PLEASE UPDATE YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER AND GRADE PRIOR TO SIGNING UP!!!

Sign up early!!! Classes are on a first come, first served basis

Students will be brought at end of school day to the class and MUST be picked up by TLC or parent at 430p

PARENT VOLUNTEER NEEDED FOR EVERY CLASS

Volunteer and your child attends that class for FREE!

*Must be a parent and available each date of the program from 3p to 4:30p

If we do not have a volunteer class will be canceled!

Contact: MiddlebrookASE@gmail.com if interested

· Once logged in go to store and only the classes available to your child's grade will show up.

· TLC students will be picked up by TLC staff at 4:30pm. Add the TLC option when selecting class.

· The school NURSE or her room will NOT be available during ASE. First aid kit located in the PTA office available to all the classes in case of an emergency.

· If an instructor or parent volunteer deems a child's behavior as inappropriate, endangering themselves or others, parents will be called to pick up child early. ASE will determine if the child needs to be removed from class with NO refund.

· Classes will not run on early dismissal days, days where school closes due to inclement weather/holidays or instructor illness. There will be a make up class for last minute cancellations.

· IF your child will be absent from ASE but went to school that day, you MUST send a note to their MB teacher and ASE. If a note is not sent in, your child will remain at school!

· Please remind your child on the days they have ASE that they are to stay after school on their scheduled day.

· There will be NO refunds AFTER MARCH 9 when online registration closes!!!

PLEASE KEEP THIS FLYER FOR YOUR RECORDS OF DATES AND CONTACT INFO

MONDAY CLASSES- March 27, April 3,17,24, May 1,8.

MON: Cross Stitch (grades 2-5) $100 Students will have fun with Mrs. Bossio by learning a great craft! Develop fine motor skills while creating projects to be proud of. Everyone will enjoy this pastime without a screen!!

MON: Middlebrook Spartan club (grades 3-5) $100 Spartan participants will walk, run, climb, crawl, and jump their way through obstacles all while having fun. The Spartan Team, led by Mr Elliff and Mrs Ebert, will celebrate their hard work by participating in Middlebrook’s own Spartan Race during the last session.

MON: Slime Club (grades K-2) $110 Have a blast making & playing with slime with Mrs Farmer and friends. We will offer 6 different slime themes learning how and why the ingredients we mix together turn into slime!

TUESDAY CLASSES- March 28, April4,18,25, May 2,9.

TUES: Basketball (grades 2-5) $100 These fun sessions will go over Basketball skills like dribbling, passing and shooting. CT Network run by Rich Sutherland a Trumbull High coach is openly inclusive of all players and abilities!

TUES: Art Club (grades K-2) $100 Calling all artists! Your child will grow confident in their creative expression and in their day-to-day life. Mrs Farmer will empower kids to explore, create, and learn with hands-on fun!

TUES: International Club (grades 1-5) $90 Explore different languages & cultures from our own Middlebrook families! Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, French and ASL! So proud to have a rainbow within our MB family!

WEDNESDAY CLASSES- March 29, April 5,19,26, May 3,10.

WED: Gym Games I (grades K-2) $90 Mr. Elliff will feature some of the most popular P.E. activities. Play your favorite games like Monster Ball, Parachute games, Bingo Bowling and Pirates of the Caribbean!

WED: Kickball/Dodgeball (grades 3-5) $90 Join Mr. "S"trychalsky and have a blast learning varies types of Kickball games (Matball, Aerobic Kickball, 5-ball Kickball) and safe, non-elimination style dodgeball games.

WED: STEM Makers Space (grades 2-5) $110 Come join Mrs Balzano and Mrs Rydelek at Makerspace Mania, as we use STEM, to design, build, experiment, and explore creative projects!

THURSDAY CLASSES- March 30, April 6,20,27, May 4,11.

THURS: Gym Games II (grades 3-5) $90 Gym games II with Mr Elliff will feature some of the most popular P.E. activities. Play your favorite games like Monster Ball, Mission Impossible, and Pirates of the Caribbean!

THURS: STEAM (grades K-2) $110 Come join Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Velazquez to explore, create and build through, Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math. All new activities! Materials included with fee.

THURS: Game Night (grades 2-5) $90 Come unplug and have a blast with friends learning your favorite games! Laugh, strategise and learn fun games together with Mrs Bossio!

FRIDAY CLASS- March 31, April 21,28, May 5,12,19.

FRI: Chess Club (grades 2-5) $90 Have fun and show sportsmanship In Mr. Elliff's Chess Club! No experience required!! Beginners to advanced players welcome. Learn the game, strategy and match wits with new friends.

FRI: Slime Club (grades 3-5) $110 Have a blast making & playing with slime with Mrs Farmer and friends. We will rotate through 6 different slime themes learning how and why the ingredients we mix together turn into slime!

FRI: Budding Magicians (grade 2-5) $90 Magic Mike's class is the place for kids to have fun developing self-esteem, confidence performing, and to acquire new skills of illusion. Magic kit with all supplies are provided.

PARENT VOLUNTEERS NEEDED IN ALL CLASSES (YOUR CHILD GOES FREE)

Middlebrookelementarypta.membershiptoolkit.com

Please submit your child's physical by June 1, 2023. Physicals must be dated between June 1, 2022 and June 1, 2023 to meet the requirement.

If you have questions, concerns, or aren’t sure if you sent this in already please contact Nurse Jeanne at 203-452-4412.

As an all-volunteer group, the Fathers Club is very flexible and appreciates of all contributions of time and/or services parents can give. Getting involved is easy, fun and a great way to be connected with the children and their school.

For more information on the organization and how you can get involved,

please contact Brayan Murillo.

Email: middlebrookfathersclub@gmail.com

Upcoming meetings

Location: Middlebrook Library

March 16

April 20

May 18

District K-5 Curriculum Guide Overviews

The Department of Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessments has captured in brochure format the major curriculum outcomes across all subject areas for each primary school grade, from kindergarten through grade 5. Below, please find the link to each grade-level curriculum overview. https://www.trumbullps.org/techlearn/curriculum/k-5-curr-overviews.html

Parent Volunteer Form

We welcome volunteers at Tashua school, however you must complete the Volunteer Form, link below. Please make sure every blank is filled in, use N/A where necessary.

Trumbull Public School Volunteer Form .

Trumbull Mental Health Matters

The Trumbull Rotary Club has worked with community partners to offer this brochure on available mental health resources for our families. We appreciate the Trumbull Rotary for taking an active role in such an important area of need.

Middlebrook School Hours

Doors open at 8:20 AM

Regular School Hours: 8:35 AM - 3:20 PM

Early Dismissal Hours: 8:35 AM - 1:00 PM

Delayed Opening Hours

Click below to view the Trumbull Public School 2022-23 Calendar