It’s hard to believe that is it May and we are in the home stretch of this school year. The pace picks up at this time of the year as we begin to wrap up units of study and plan end-of-year activities. I enjoy seeing all of the great and engaging activities our students are taking part in. I am proud of all of our students for the progress they have made throughout this school year.

The week of May 8th is Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week. I want to thank all the teachers and staff members for their dedication and the impact they make on a daily basis. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful staff at LHS!

• Thursday, May 11-Friday, May 12: PTO Sponsored Plant Sale - see schedule below
• Thursday, May 11: Kindergarten Field Trip - Beardsley Zoo
• Thursday, May 11: ABC's Countdown to Summer Vacation begins - More information to follow
• Thursday, May 18: Family Engagement Night at 6:00pm - more information to follow
• Thursday, May 25: Second Grade Field Trip - Shelton History Center
• Monday, May 29: No School - Memorial Day
• Tuesday, May 30: Third Grade Field Trip - Beardsley Zoo
• Wednesday, May 31: Fourth Grade Field Trip to PHS
• Friday, June 2: K-4 Field Day - More information to follow
• Monday, June 5: Pre-K Field Day - more information to follow
• Thursday, June 8: 4th grade Chorus Concert - 10:00am and 2:00pm - more information to follow
• Friday, June 9: K-4 Field Day RAINDATE
• Monday, June 12: Kindergarten Step-Up - 10:00am - more information to follow
• Tuesday, June 13-Friday, June 16: Early dismissal K-4:1:50pm; Pre-k am session hours: 8:45am-11:05am; Pre-k pm session hours: 11:45am-1:50pm
• Tuesday, June 13: Pre-K Step-Up for our 4 year olds - more information to follow
• Thursday, June 15: Fourth Grade Step-Up - more information to follow
• Friday, June 16: Last Day of School - 1:50pm dismissal

Due to our one snow day, our current last day of school is Friday, June 16, 2023. The last four days (currently Tuesday, June 12-Friday, June 16, 2023) are early dismissal days.

Upcoming important Board of Alderman Meetings regarding next year's budget. Parent attendance and support is very important at these meeting.

• Tuesday, May 9, 2023 7:00pm - City Hall - Public Hearing on Budget
• Thursday, May 25, 2023 5:30pm - City Hall - Special BoA Meeting to Adopt Budget

Our third and fourth grade students will be taking the Smarter Balanced Assessment during the weeks of May 8th and May 15th. Please make sure your child has a good night’s sleep and breakfast the morning of and is on time for school.

Our spring assessments, including the NWEA Assessment, will begin the week of May 15, 2023. Here are some ways to help your child prepare for these assessments:

• Play educational games at home to encourage your child.
• Encourage your child to read as much as possible - and to increase vocabulary. Reading magazines, newspapers, and comics will also improve reading skills.
• Have your child teach you what he/she is learning in school.
• Practice math facts and have your child solve real world math problems.
• Please be sure your child has a good night's sleep and is on time for school.
• Encourage you child to relax and do his/her best.

As the weather gets warmer, please make sure your child is dressed appropriately. According to the district’s student dress policy, students are not allowed to wear tank tops or sleeveless shirts. Students should be wearing appropriate footwear as they have outdoor recess and gym. If your child is not dressed appropriately, then a parent will be called to bring in appropriate clothing.

Our ABC’s Countdown to Summer Vacation will begin on Thursday, May 11th. We have many exciting ways that we will be counting down to the last day of school. Look for the calendar which will be coming home soon!

Field Day for all kindergarten-fourth grade students is scheduled for Friday, June 2, 2023 and Field Day for our Pre-K students is scheduled for Monday, June 5, 2023. Look for more information about these fun events from Mr. Beloin, including volunteering opportunities.

Please note, parents/guardians are NOT permitted to walk around with their children on field day. All parents/guardians who attend field day must be a volunteer and assigned to an event.

Here are some field day tips from Mr. Beloin, our PE teacher:

• Have your child wear shorts or comfortable clothing and sneakers.
  
• Apply sunscreen at home. Sunscreen CAN NOT be reapplied at school.
  
• Students should have labelled water bottles.
  
• Students may wear hats while participating in events.
  
• Promote good sportsmanship and encourage your child to have fun and cheer on his/her classmates.

With several field trips occurring now through the end of the school year, it is imperative that students are at school on time. We can not wait for a tardy student. Buses will leave as scheduled and if your child arrives after the bus has left, your child will be placed in an alternate classroom until the class returns from the trip. Field trips are prepaid and money can not be refunded if your child misses the trip.

If you have plans to move before the start of the new school year, please email me at adaiuto@sheltonpublicschools.org This helps us in making class lists. The staff and I devote much time and thought when placing your child in a class. Parental requests for specific teacher placements will not be considered; however, if there are any special circumstances or consideration regarding class placement, please notify me via email.

We will continue to register incoming Kindergarten students for the 2023-2024 school year.

• Contact the school at (203)-929-4077 to register your child
• Children who will be five years old on or before January 1, 2024 are eligible to attend kindergarten

Please share this information with any families that you know who have children eligible to register.

As the weather is getting warmer and more families are using the playground after school hours, please keep the following in mind:

• Students are expected to follow the same rules that they follow at recess and should play and act appropriately.
• Please actively monitor your child while he/she is playing on the playground equipment.

This is just a reminder that free meals (which were reinstated on March 1) continue through the end of this school year. This means that each student is eligible for one one free breakfast and lunch daily.

Students are now able to purchase A La Carte snacks. Free/reduced status does not count toward these items.

Students will only be able to purchase these snacks (subject to availability) if:

• their student account has money in it-you can add money through the parent portal or send in cash/check to school

• there is not an outstanding balance on their student account-any student with a balance will not be allowed to purchase A La Carte items until the amount is rectified

As stated in the school's Policies & Procedures:

For planned absences, such as vacation during the school year, teachers are NOT required to provide students or parents/guardians with advance work or assignments. It is the student’s and/or parent’s responsibility to get the work upon their return. Taking time from school to go on a vacation poses a risk to your child’s educational progress. Both students and parents must understand that when school is missed due to vacations, it is not the responsibility of the teachers to provide remedial instruction for the assignments/content that has been missed.

As previously stated, we will NOT accept any change of dismissals after 3:00pm on a full day or 1:00pm on an early dismissal day.

April behavior trends at Long Hill School reflected that students need more reinforcement with keeping hands and feet to oneself. In addition to what we practice at school, you can participate in the following activity or game(s) with your child to provide more reinforcement for the above skills. Click the links below for detailed descriptions of some fun games to try!

https://www.thepathway2success.com/12-games-to-practice-self-control/

https://www.counselorkeri.com/2019/11/04/games-to-teach-kids-self-control/

1. Teachers Appreciation Week to be celebrated from May 8th to May 12th.
2. Please support PTO via No Frill Fundraiser. Your generous donations help us to host cultural events and assemblies and make various purchases for School.

3. Quassy Family Night – May 5th 4:30pm – 9:00pm, Rain date - May 6th. Tickets will be sent home soon.

4. Mother's day plant sale on May 11th & 12th . More details on the flyer.

5. Nomination for New Treasurer for the year 2023-24 accepted. Still looking for Vice President and Secretary. Please email your nominations at ptolonghill@gmail.com. Please mention Your name, Child's name and grade, any PTO event/s if chaired or volunteered and why do you want to join the PTO Board.

Address: 565 Long Hill Avenue, Shelton

Phone number: (203)-929-4077

Fax number: (203)-929-8250

Website: http://longhill.sheltonpublicschools.org/home_page

Twitter: @DAiutoAndrea

LHS Policies & Procedures: https://www.smore.com/1uhka