This week our students practiced their first fire drill. From Kindergarten through Grade 5, students conducted themselves in a calm and responsible manner. They were quiet while exiting the classrooms and waited patiently outdoors for reentry. We appreciate our staff members who assisted in keeping our children safe at all times.

We also hosted the famous Back to School night! Teachers were delighted to meet family members and share with them the many positive happenings in their classrooms. In addition to important academic goals, we strive to demonstrate PAWS behavior in all settings to become positive Middlebrook citizens both inside and outside of our school grounds.

We wish everyone a restful weekend.

Best,

Ms. Ponte, Principal

Ms. Molloy, Assistant Principal

Prepay link is now active until Oct. 10th. See below.

If there are siblings in the same school, then you may enter the next child's name after placing the first child's package in the cart.

Robert Taylor offers the 3rd child free package for the district for Pre-K thru 11th grade (Seniors are not included). This is a special only available thru the end of the prepay period. Directions below:

link:

Middlebrook photo prepay active until Oct. 10th code "mbu24"

3 siblings in the same school

· prepay the first and second child's orders and 3rd child’s order (3rd will come up free in the cart)

3 siblings in different schools

· prepay the first and second child's orders in each school's prepay

· email the studio at roberttaylorphotostudio@gmail.com with the 3rd child's name, school and what package was ordered for the other siblings.

Starting next week, students in Grades 2 - 5 will begin our district-wide iReady testing. These tests measure a student's benchmark performance in the areas of literacy and mathematics. The assessments are spread over 2 days for each assessment. We encourage all students to put forth their best effort so we can obtain meaningful data so we can target each child's instructional needs.

I-Ready dates - grades 2-5

9/9/2024 - 9/25/2024

Beginning September 16th, students in Grades K - 3 will begin our districtwide DIBELS testing. DIBELS is a universal screener that asses the acquisition of foundational literacy skills.

DIBELS dates - grades K-3

9/16/2024 - 10/8/2024

Meet our third grade team! Their creativity, energy, and dedication create a learning environment where curiosity thrives. Each teacher is committed to every student's growth, making them feel supported and inspired every day. We're proud to have such a dynamic team shaping the future!

Let's see if you are able to answer the following trivia questions about our Grade 3 team! Answers are at the bottom of this newsletter-have fun!

How many years has Mrs. Lopez been teaching? 26 or 15

What second language can Mrs. Carrano speak? Portuguese or Croation

How old is Mrs. Ebert? 10 or 35

Which country did Mrs. Perkins visit when she was in college? Brazil or Greece

At our school, we believe in building strong connections with our students both inside and outside the classroom, so that’s why Ms. Ponte and Ms. Molloy occasionally hop on the bus for the ride home with our students. It’s a fun way for us to share in our student's day, enjoy some laughter, and see firsthand the important part of their daily routine. These rides also help foster a sense of community, showing our students that we care about their entire school experience, from the time they walk into school to the last bus stop. Certainly, it's also a great opportunity to reinforce the expectations that we want students to demonstrate on the bus each day.

Now is the time to enroll your child in our band and strings programs. Please use the link below to access information and enrollment instructions. Students love working with Mr. Turechek, our band teacher, and Mrs. Savkovic, our strings teacher.

Band & Strings Registration Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsZn3Y61JCQKX07KdYTvvrB0eAsIitZlXKgdiVcHn6jER7BQ/viewform

SAVE THE DATES!
2024-2025 Concert Dates:

December 9th - Winter Concert

May 14th - Spring Concert

Postural Scoliosis Screening will be completed for female students in grade 5. Please have your child wear a tank top/bra under their shirt. Screenings take place on Wednesday, September 25th and Thursday, September 26th.

If mandated screenings were documented on a physical exam for the current school year, and they were submitted to the school nurse, they may be used as the valid screening for this year.

If the results of any screening tests indicate further evaluation, the school will notify the parent/guardian and recommend further medical evaluation of the suspected problem. If the nurse is unable to test a student, the parent/guardian will be notified.

If a parent/guardian does not want a student to participate in any of the screenings they should notify the school nurse in writing/email at jhoggatt@trumbullps.org

Summer Math Reminder: Elementary Summer Math Website

All students that participated in the TPS Summer Olympics Math Program have 2 items due:

1. Please be sure you have done the Paper Summer Math Exit Ticket and send the corrected packet back to school to be handed to classroom teacher. (Downloadable Packet and Answer Key can be found here for your entering grade level) Due by Friday 9/13/24 Summer Math Exit Ticket
2. Please be sure to fill out this google form to be included in both the CT Commissioners Summer Math Challenge and the TPS Summer Math Olympics. Due by Friday, 9/13/24 CT Commissioner's Summer Math Challenge 2024 Form
   

Final submissions for summer reading are due by Friday 9/13.

Here is the link the google form:

https://forms.gle/7J8bTcQNGinqxWz8A

The CHET Dream Big! Competition launched on August15th! This competition is brought to you by the Connecticut State Treasurer’s Office as Trustee of the Connecticut Higher Education Trust (CHET). Dream Big! is open to all Connecticut residents in grades K-12.

This is an opportunity to win contributions toward your child's CHET 529 college savings plans!

This year, they will be awarding almost $350,000 in CHET 529 College Savings Plan – Direct Plan (“CHET 529 Direct Plan”) account contributions to students in grades K-12 and technology prizes to schools. For the winning students, they will be awarding:

• Three prizes of $20,000
• 24 prizes of $6,000
• 239 prizes of $500

To enter, students are asked to answer a question in the form of a drawing, painting, essay or video. Younger students will be asked to answer a question focusing on lessons they’ve learned and their dreams for the future. Older students will be asked about an experience or person that has impacted them and how that will influence their future goals

Submissions must be uploaded by 11:59 p.m. on November 4, 2024. There is no cost to enter. For program details and entry process visit:

www.chetdreambig.com

Thank you for your support!

The CHET Dream Big! Competition Team

Just a reminder if you haven’t already done so please sign up for the Fathers Club!

The club is a group of fathers who get together to plan exciting events for the students throughout the year. Our biggest and most popular event, taking place on Friday October 25th, is our annual “Zombiebrook” Halloween Party! The event is filled with games, food, and of course, our famous Haunted Hallway! Keep reading the weekly SMORE for more details in the coming weeks. As we get closer, tickets will be available on the Membership Toolkit.

We have more exciting events to be announced in the near future!

If you’d like to join the club, please use the following Google link to sign up!

https://forms.gle/BGXXBijaG8cqxrsJ7

Our first meeting will be held in the Middlebrook cafeteria on Wednesday September 11th from 7-8 PM to discuss the planning of Zombiebrook. We look forward to seeing you!

If you have any questions about the club, please email your Co-Presidents at middlebrookfathersclub@gmail.com

Ryan Mones & Max Palmer

Co-Presidents, Middlebrook Fathers Club

THANK YOU to our wonderful PTA for furnishing our adult bathrooms with some of our basic necessities. The staff certainly appreciates the kind gesture!

REMINDER:

The first meeting of our Parent-Teacher Association is on Monday, September 23rd at 7:00pm in the library. We'd love to see you there!

https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1724692407/trumbullpsorg/r8pvk47vxvle5xmn1rxr/ele.pdf

• Use the translate and accessibility buttons at the top of the page to make the newsletter format work for you.
• Previous newsletters are stored on our school website as the year progresses.
  
• Use the Table of Contents on the upper left side of the newsletter to quickly navigate to a specific section with just one click.
• Open the weekly newsletter before the weekend begins so your family is ready for all that is happening at Middlebrook and can relax Sunday night.
• Share the newsletter with your child.

Please take the time to fill out the TPS volunteer form for the 2024-2025 school year. All individuals seeking to volunteer in the Trumbull Public Schools must fill out and sign this “School Volunteer Security Check” form prior to volunteering. The form must be completed annually. No person whose name is listed on the Department of Children and Families (DCF) Child Abuse and Neglect Registry, or who is registered as a sex offender under state or federal law may volunteer in any District schools. Failure to provide complete or accurate information on this “School Volunteer Security Check” form will disqualify an individual from volunteering in any District school. A volunteer is defined as an individual, other than an employee, who works with the students at any of the Trumbull Public Schools.

If you plan on volunteering, please fill out this form. Keep in mind, every cell of this form needs a response in order to be processed. If a cell does not apply to you, please indicate N/A. We thank you in advance for volunteering! 😊

Sunday, September 8th

Grandparent's Day

Monday, September 9th - Wednesday, September 25th
I-Ready testing for grades 2-5

Tuesday, September 10th

BOE 7:00pm

Wednesday, September 11th

Patriot Day

Father's Club 7:00pm in the cafe

Saturday, September 14th
International Observe the Moon Night

Sunday, September 15th - Tuesday, October 15th

National Hispanic Heritage Month

Monday, September 16th - Tuesday, October 8th
DIBELS testing for grades K-3

Tuesday, September 17th
Citizenship Day/Constitution Day

Monday, September 23rd

PTA 7:00pm in the library

Tuesday, September 24th

BOE 7:00pm

Tuesday, September 24th - Thursday, September 26th

Vision and Hearing Screenings grades K, 1, 3, 4, 5

Thursday, September 26th

Picture Day - See info. above

District ML (Multilingual Learners) Night 6:00pm (location TBD)

Friday, September 27th

School Store - grades 1-5

Mrs. Lopez has been teaching for 26 years.

Mrs. Carrano speaks Croatian.

Mrs. Ebert is 10 years old- she is a Leap year baby and has a twin sister.

Mrs. Perkins traveled to Greece in college visiting historic sites in Athens and Mykonos.