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FOR YOUR CALENDARS 

November Dates:

20 (Fri) Kids Care Club 8:15 a.m.
24 (Tue) Board of Education Meeting, Board meeting room, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m.
25 (Wed) Modified day for all students, 1:25 dismissal; progress reports sent home
26/27 (Thurs/Fri) Thanksgiving Recess No School

December Dates:
1, 2, 3, 4 Modified Days, 1:25 dismissal, Parent/Teacher Conferences
8 (Tue) Board of Education Meeting, Board meeting room, Town Hall, 7:30 p.m.
9 (Wed) PTO Meeting, 9:30 a.m. (see below)
              Grade 1 to Maritime Aquarium
11 (Fri) Holiday Concert, 10:00 a.m. (see below)

•Wednesday mornings 8:00 4th and 5th grade Chorus

•Thursday mornings 8:00 5th grade Band  

            New members are always welcome for Band and Chorus!!

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From the Principal's Desk...

Progress Reports:  Our first of three marking periods ends on this Friday, the 13th.  Teachers will soon complete a progress report for each student.  They will be sent home on Wednesday, November 25th, the day before Thanksgiving.  Conferences will be scheduled the following week, December 1st through 4th.  On those days, students will be dismissed at 1:25 (pick-ups at 1:15), as on Wednesday, the 25th.
PTO Meeting:  The next meeting of the PTO will take place on Wednesday, December 9th, at 9:30 (coffee at 9:15).  Antoinette Fornshell, the district's Language Arts and Social Studies Specialist, will give an overview of recent work by the district's Social Studies Curriculum Committee, and will answer parents' questions.  This should be a very interesting meeting, and I hope that I you'll be able to attend.
Holiday Concert:  Our music teachers - James Allen, John Macri, and Dylan Spielvogel - will lead their students in concert on Friday, December 11th, at 10:00 a.m. in the common room.  Presenting their talent will be our 4th and 5th grade orchestra, 5th grade band, and 4th and 5th grade chorus.  
Ox Ridge Babies:
I'm happy to share the news about the births of babies to members of the Ox Ridge staff:
Autumn Elizabeth Margolus, the daughter of assistant principal Keith and his wife Lydia, was born on November 13th.  She weighed 8 lbs. 3 oz. at birth, and joins big sister, Ella!
Cole Thomas Marcinko, the son of speech therapist Hillary and her husband Rob, was born on November 17th (which is also Hillary's birthday!).  He weighed 10 lbs., 1 oz., and is the Marcinkos first child.

I want to wish all Ox Ridge families a wonderful holiday, and a meaningful Thanksgiving!  Take time to enjoy the break from everyday routine, and to appreciate the gifts with which we are surrounded!

John F. Rechi
Principal

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Ox Ridge News

Student Council Requests Assistance for
Lower Fairfield County Food Bank

The Student Council would like to assist The Lower Fairfield County Food Bank in providing wonderful, nutritious dinners for families in need at the holiday time.  Ox Ridge families can help by gathering some non-perishable supplies a family might need for a meal.  We can replenish those empty shelves before, during, and right after Thanksgiving.  If you're able to help, thank you for participating!  Please place your items in the box in the Ox Ridge lobby through the month of November and please know that you have made some families' holidays the best possible!

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Holiday Hope Chests and Gift Cards Still Needed
Ox Ridge Kids Care Club will be collecting Holiday Hope Chests for foster children this holiday season.  This program has grown considerably this year and these Hope Chests are usually the only gifts these children receive.  All you have to do is decorate a shoe box and fill it with new small gifts not exceeding $25.

Short on time to put together a Hope Chest? - Then please consider donating a $25 gift card for one of the older children.  If you would like to be assigned a child please email denisebrereton@sbcglobal.net.  You will receive an email back with details of your child, instructions, gift ideas or gift card suggestions.

ALL BOXES NEED TO BE COLLECTED BY DECEMBER 1st.  There is a collection box in the school lobby or boxes can be dropped off at 285 Brookside Road.

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Conference Week Staff Luncheon

The Conference Week Staff Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, December 1st.  We are looking for volunteers to contribute desserts for the luncheon.  If you are interested please contact Ali Daniel (asdaniel@optonline.net ) or Rosemary Bevill (bevillfamily@optonline.net).

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SIGN UP FOR STOP AND SHOP A+ BONUS BUCKS IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!!
Please be sure to register your Stop and Shop card in time for holiday food shopping and encourage your family and friends to register as well. With each food purchase, you accrue points which turns into cash.  Go to www.stopandshop.com, click on the "Our Stores" tab and go over to "Register Your Card" under "A+".  Our school number is 06669 or you can look up by town.  It can take up to 7 days, so be sure to do it soon!!! It's quick and easy and a great way for Ox Ridge PTO to earn money.

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DAEG Presents a Conference Week Enrichment Program

"RUSSELL THE HERMIT CRAB"

Wednesday, December 2nd, 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm in the Ox Ridge Common Room

 

MagicalMusicals presents this wonderful tale.  This program tells the story of Russell, a young hermit crab who, as a result of living in other creatures' shells, doesn't know who or what he really is.  His journey to discover his identity begins at home in the bay with his friends, but takes him deep into the ocean.  With wonderful costumes and vibrant music, this show deals with identity, attitude and friendship in a fun, yet thought provoking way.
 
Who can attend:  Grades 1-5, Kindergarteners with a parent or caregiver.
 
Fee: $15/child or $25/family. Please pay by check made outout to DAEG.            Scholarship available.
 
Registration:  Please print, complete and return (along with your check) the registration form posted on the Ox Ridge PTO website,
http://www.darienps.org/oxridge/pto/DAEG_Conference.html.   Confirmation of registration will be sent by email.  
 
Forms and checks are due no later than Monday, November 23rd.  Space is limited - reserve early! All children must be picked up from the Ox Ridge Common Room promptly at 2:30 pm.
 
We will need several adult chaperones at this performance.  Children of chaperones attend free (first 10 to sign up).  For more information or to volunteer, please callor email DAEG's Ox Ridge representatives, Sharon Hager or Meg Aronsohn. 
Sharon Hager 662-0016, swhager@yahoo.com
Meg Aronsohn 662-1264, megarons@yahoo.com

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TOOLS FOR LEARNING
Your Used Pencils, Crayons and Notepads can help send a child to school!
Tools4Learning is kicking off their winter school supply drive, and our school is participating. All you have to do is drop off your lightly used school items in the colored bin in our entrance with the Tools4Learning (T4L) poster. T4L provides basic school supplies for children in remote areas around the world. For more information about specific items and the program visit: http://www.computersforguatemala.org/Tools4Learning

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Gingerbread House Decorating
The popular Gingerbread House Decorating classes are back!  The classes run 45 minutes after school in the Common Room the week of December 7-11; registration forms for both signups and parent volunteers are being sent home in backpacks this week, and can also be found on the Ox Ridge website.
The cost of the classes will remain at $25/child as in years past, and each child will get their own large, freshly baked gingerbread house to decorate from start to finish with icing and candy!
Registration forms, along with payments, are due back by Wednesday, November 25th in the "Gingerbread" box in the main office, so please don't forget to send your forms in so your child can participate in this festive holiday event!
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact any of our co-chairs:

Aimee Richards (655-5110) or rich0417@optonline.net
Karin Sharp (662-0171) or KDMSharp@aol.com
Barbra Bell (656-2959) or bdbell@optonline.net

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Website Quick Links
 

Darien Public Schools                       The Depot

Ox Ridge Website                             Darien Parks & Rec
Middlesex Middle School                   Darien Youth Commission         
Darien High School                          Darien Library
Darien Continuing Education             Darien YMCA

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Ox Ridge Hoot Editors:
Nicole Hornick: oxridgehoot@gmail.com
Jessica Hoyt:  oxridgehoot@gmail.com

Ox Ridge Hoot Submission Guidelines
The Ox Ridge Hoot is emailed every Thursday during the school year. The deadline for submission is Tuesday at noon. Please send your submission (please proof read) in the text of your e-mail, single spaced and left adjusted (no formatting), with "Ox Ridge Hoot Submission" in the subject line to oxridgehoot@gmail.com.
 
Please include a contact name and e-mail address in the text of your submission for questions we may have. We do not accept download files, attachments, formatted text or flyers of any kind. Submission does not guarantee publication. Text may be edited. Submissions must be age appropriate and Darien school and/or community relevant.

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Weather Email Alerts

Email notification of weather related closing, delayed opening, and late starts: You can receive an email about closing, late starts and delayed openings as soon as the decision is made by registering with the Connecticut Weather Center. Go to www.ctweather.com, click on "eNotifications" in the left-hand column. Click on "Schools" and then enter your email address. Within 72 hours, you will receive a confirmation email. You must activate your account by clicking the link in the confirmation email and follow the directions to access your account. Select Darien in the pull-down menu. You must identify and submit Darien as a notification district - this is not automatic. We will not be sending out emails regarding snow delays or cancellations.

If you are using a special coupon or promo code, include it here. Or, indicate if the coupon must be printed and presented in person. Is the coupon transferable? If so, encourage recipients to share the offer with friends and family to maximize the viral effect of the coupon. Add a link to your website with more information to drive traffic and to gauge what offers your customers find most appealing.