Scotty Updates
A Newsletter from Scotland Elementary School
Week of February 5, 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,
Happy Sunday! It's hard to believe that the 100th day of school is tomorrow! The school year is just moving so quickly! As it is winter, and germs are a-plenty, just a note to remind your children to avoid sharing drinks, chapstick, hats, and any other items that might spread germs. As much as we love to share, there are some things we should perhaps keep to ourselves. 😌
Beginning this past Friday and in the coming weeks, students will begin to have health lessons, provided by our district health teacher, Heather Lynn Ferullo. Please find a letter from her below.
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February 2024
Dear Parents and Guardians,
My name is Heather Ferullo, and I am a health education teacher in the Ridgefield Public Schools. I will be coming into your child’s classroom to teach one or two health education lessons. Depending on their grade level, students will either be learning about germs and the immune system, or drugs in a grade-appropriate manner. Kindergarten, second-grade, and fifth-grade lessons will fulfill the requirement that HIV/AIDS education be taught in a planned, systematic, and ongoing program taught by certified health educators. HIV/AIDS will not be mentioned until fifth grade. Please see below for the lesson outline for your child’s grade.
Kindergarten (Two 30 minute lessons)
Main Focus: Handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes with their elbow, not sharing
items that have been in their mouths.
Students will understand how germs are spread and identify ways to prevent them from spreading.
Students will learn to use the health-enhancing skills of proper handwashing and coughing or sneezing into their elbow.
1st Grade (One 30-minute lesson)
Main Focus: Medicine
Students will define what medicine is.
Students will recognize the importance of following the medicine safety rules.
Students will learn the skill of accessing health information. (Who can I go to if I need help?)
2nd Grade (Two 30-minute lessons)
Main Focus: How germs are spread.
Students will learn how germs can enter the body and how they can prevent it, including not touching bodily fluids (age-appropriate).
Students will practice health-enhancing skills and decision-making skills to prevent illness.
3rd Grade (One 40-minute lesson)
Main Focus: Nicotine’s effect on the body and analyzing influences.
Students will learn the effects of nicotine on the body.
Students will learn the skill ‘analyzing influences’ to determine what influences their choices.
4th Grade (One 40-minute lesson)
Main Focus: Drugs that are helpful and drugs that are harmful, and refusal skills.
Students will understand that some drugs are helpful and some are harmful.
Students will practice the refusal communication skill in response to peer pressure.
5th Grade (Two 40-minute lessons)
Main Focus of Lesson 1: How the body's natural barriers prevent germs from causing illness.
Students will be able to name the body’s natural germ barriers and explain how to care for them, as well as how to keep their immune systems strong.
Students will learn the importance of goal-setting skills and will set a health goal of their own.
*A separate letter will come out for 5th grade parents and guardians in the spring regarding the second lesson on HIV/AIDS.
Parents and guardians can find the curriculum at a glance on the Ridgefield Public Schools website. Any questions regarding the health lessons can be sent directly to me at HFerullo@ridgefieldps.net.
Best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Heather Ferullo
Health Education Teacher
Ridgefield Public Schools
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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,
Author Visit - Bob Shea
On March 6th, Bob Shea will be visiting our K-5 students. Bob is an award-winning author and illustrator of your favorite children’s books. His titles include the popular Ballet Cat series, The Dinosaur VS. … series and , Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great. He also wrote Who Wet My Pants illustrated by his friend Zach Ohora.
Bob has worked with Comedy Central, was the designer of the PBS Kids logo, developed an on-air character for Playhouse Disney, worked with Nick Jr., has appeared on Noggin and The Sunny Side Up Show. Dreamworks is developing one of his books into a television show.
In addition to authoring and illustrating books for children, Bob Shea has a creative firm that has produced award-winning work in the realms of animation, illustrating and design.
You can purchase a book by Bob Shea here. The deadline to order is February 6th.
Spotlight on Curriculum 🔦
Scottie Stories & Snacks
Events & Happenings:
Monday, February 5th:
- F Day
Tuesday, February 6th:
- A Day
Wednesday, February 7th:
- B Day
Thursday, February 8th
- C Day
Friday, February 9th:
- D Day
- Scotty Spirit Day - wear your Scotty spirit wear!
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Upcoming Events:
Friday, February 16th:
- Early Dismissal for students 11:40AM
- Teacher & Staff PD Day
Monday, February 19-Friday February 23rd:
- No School - February recess
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.
Essentials Schedules - 2nd Half of the Year
Snaps around Scotland 📸
1st Grade Groundhog Celebrations
1st Graders Acting out Piggie and Gerald
❤️ 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
February Lunch Menu TBD
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