*NO SCHOOL MONDAY*

The book fair was a huge success! It was wonderful to see so many students excited about picking out new books to read. Their enthusiasm for reading was contagious, and we are proud of how well-behaved they were throughout the event. Thank you to our amazing PTA and all the parents and volunteers who helped make the fair such a positive experience for our students! Your support is greatly appreciated.

Have a great weekend,

~Debbie Ponte, Principal

On September 25, the community came together for a forum on the "New" Hillcrest building. During the presentation we agreed to create a document that answers questions that we received at the forum and in other communications. Please use the link below to review the FAQ Document. This document provides quite a bit of information about the project and the upcoming referendum.

October

National Dyslexia Awareness Month

Italian Heritage Month

Fire Prevention Month

Sunday, September 15th - Tuesday, October 15th

National Hispanic Heritage Month

Monday, October 14th

No School - Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day

Wednesday, October 16th - Friday, October 18th
Sukkot

Wednesday, October 16th
Grade 5 Field Trip - Hillcrest Planetarium

Thursday, October 17th

5th grade activities committee meeting 7:00pm virtual
Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89071693835?pwd=Djm4SKiMYJJaYQiIZDJuatjYuy2aDN.1

Friday, October 18th
PINK PLEDGE - wear pink to school - $1.00 donation to Norma Pfriem Breast Cancer Center
5th grade activity - Plasko's Creamery

Monday, October 21st
PTA Meeting 7:00pm in the library. There will be an option to join virtually if you can't attend in person. You can access the link here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87058712814?pwd=J5UA5dN2gjQ8oRaeQjbbFxNStXLVxd.1

Tuesday, October 22nd
Early Dismissal 1:00pm - Conferences (by appointment)

BOE Meeting 7:00pm

Thursday, October 24th
Early Dismissal 1:00pm - Conferences (by appointment)

United Nations Day

Friday, October 25th
School Store - grades 1-5 only

Zombiebrook

Tuesday, October 29th
School-wide Read Aloud

Wednesday, October 30th
Halloween parade for K and 1

Thursday, October 31st
No School - Diwali

Halloween

Congratulations to our September PAWSitively Awesome award recipients! These students in grades K-5 were recognized by classroom, specialist, and support staff teachers for demonstrating PAWS in our Middlebrook community during the month of September. Way to go!

Real World Math Outdoors with Mrs. Stanton

Students in Mrs. Collins class are excited to share that just a month into school, kindergarteners have begun writing their own wonderful ideas! They’ve been working hard to put their thoughts on paper, and we are so proud of their progress. The class recently shared their writing pieces with one another, celebrating their creativity and growing skills within the classroom community.

Mrs. Mercier has twins, and she is a twin.

Mrs. Abate can write backwards!

Mrs. Reding rode an elephant in Thailand!

Mrs. Stanton loves to cross stitch.

Myth 1: Dyslexia is a visual problem.

Truth: Many children reverse their letters when learning to write, regardless of whether or not they have dyslexia. However, reversing letters is not a sure sign of dyslexia.

Myth 2: Dyslexia only affects boys.

Truth: Both males and females can be dyslexic.

Myth 3: If you perform well in school, you can't be dyslexic.

Truth: Some students with dyslexia perform very well in school. Students with dyslexia can be highly motivated and work incredibly hard, but many students with dyslexia have the necessary accommodations to help them to demonstrate their knowledge.

Myth 4: Smart people can't be dyslexic.

Truth: Dyslexia occurs in students with average, above average, and highly gifted intelligence. Many people with dyslexia are at the top of their fields.

Myth 5: There are no clues to dyslexia before a child enters school.

Truth: Since reading is based on spoken language, clues to dyslexia can be found before a child enters school. Often, children with dyslexia have slightly delayed speech, have trouble with rhyming words, and many have a family history of reading difficulties.

http://dyslexia.yale.edu/Myths.html

Halloween is fast approaching and will be celebrated at Middlebrook School on Wednesday, October 30th. This is a fun time for our students. Kindergarten and First grade students are invited to come to school dressed in costume; while Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth graders can bring a costume that can be put on in their classroom over their clothes.

Please know that costumes are OPTIONAL. Costumes cannot be violent in nature. Face paint or scary masks such as the “Evil Jester”, “It”, “Grim Reaper”, “Chucky”, “Scream” or any other costumes that contain blood/scars will not be allowed to be worn. No accessories of any kind are allowed.

Thank you for helping us to keep our students safe.

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

See the Zombiebrook flyer below.

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

Our next PTA meeting will be on Monday, October 21st at 7:00pm in the library. There will be an option to join virtually if you can't attend in person. You can access the link here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87058712814?pwd=J5UA5dN2gjQ8oRaeQjbbFxNStXLVxd.1

Do your kids enjoy art, music and dance or have an interest in writing, producing films and taking photos? Then have them submit their creations to the PTA Reflections Program. This year's theme is: Accepting Imperfection.

For inspiration, visit the Reflections virtual art gallery and learn more about prizes and scholarships.

Click here for full details and how to submit your creation. Submissions are due on December 20th.

https://files.constantcontact.com/c02813e3301/ea671c89-03c1-4f27-870f-f95135409a9c.pdf

Last week, the Town of Trumbull and the Trumbull Board of Education hosted just under 300 people at the Hillcrest Community Forum. This event provided important information regarding the upcoming referendum on the construction of a new Hillcrest Middle School. In case you missed it, here are some important highlights from that evening:

• The video of the community forum on 9/25 can be found here.
• A copy of the presentation slides can be found here.
• The referendum will be on November 5th (Election Day), and the question will appear on your voting ballot;
• The project has a one-time reimbursement rate of 44% from the state of Connecticut, representing an approximately $60 million dollar savings for Trumbull taxpayers;
• Hillcrest is the only school without sprinklers;
• Hillcrest is currently approximately 80 students over capacity, with that number expected to grow to 100 in the next several years;
• This project represents the first step of a larger plan to address all of the buildings in our district. Information about the district’s master plan can be found here.

Our school’s PTA will be reaching out to you directly with more information.

The Great Pumpkin Classic Run/Walk, which benefits Trumbull students through the THS Scholarship Foundation, is looking for participants. See PDF below for details.