One of the wonderful things about dressing in themes throughout the week is that it promotes unity and a sense of belonging. We love building community spirit, encouraging participation and engaging in a fun filled manner with school activities. Our five days of thematic clothing coincided with Dr. Seuss's birthday and the beginning of National Reading Month. Whether it was hat day, sports day or pajama day, our students were thrilled to see what one another was wearing and shared their excitement with their teachers.

We also kicked off the month with our first, ever Masked Reader! Throughout the week students viewed videos highlighting a disguised staff member reading an engaging text. They were provided with three clues and could listen carefully to the voice. When Friday finally arrived, students gathered in the gym for the unveiling. To say they were excited was an understatement!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Best,

Debbie Ponte, Principal
Michele Molloy, Assistant Principal

This afternoon's event was a true highlight, and our very own third-grade teacher, Mrs. Lopez, did an incredible job emceeing the festivities! Our masked readers had the students guessing their mysterious identities! The fun began with Monkey (Ms. Ponte), who swung in with a fun story. Tiger (Mrs. Balzano) prowled the stage, captivating everyone with her voice. Giraffe (Ms. Molloy) stretched the imagination with a tall tale, while Duck (Mr. Flynn) waddled in with a story full of quacks and laughs. The magic of Unicorn (Mr. Elliff) took us to a world of wonder, and Pigeon (Mrs. Russo) brought humor and charm to the event. The excitement was in full swing as each reader gave us a memorable performance!

Thursday, March 13th will be an early release day, 1:00pm, for students to accommodate for elementary parent/teacher conferences. All required conferences will occur on this day/evening. Not all students are in need of a conference at this time. Letters will be sent home next week indicating whether or not your child is in need of a conference,. The best outcomes in student progress are the result of ongoing communication between home and school. If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher.

March

National Reading Month
National Nutrition Month

National Women's History Month

Irish American Heritage Month

Sunday, March 9th
Daylight Savings - Spring ahead!

Wednesday, March 12th
Scoliosis screening - 5th grade girls

Father's Club Meeting 7:00 pm in the cafeteria

Thursday, March 13th
Early Dismissal 1:00 pm
Conferences 6-8 pm

Purim starts at sunset

Friday, March 14th
Purim ends at sunset

Monday, March 17th
No School - Teacher Professional Development Day

St. Patrick's Day

Tuesday, March 18th
TAY performance for all grades

Wednesday, March 19th
Report Cards available on Infinite Campus (weather permitting)

Thursday, March 20th
Book Fair - day and evening 5:30-7:30 pm

Friday, March 21st
Book Fair - day only

Monday, March 24th
PTA Meeting 7:00 pm in the library

Thursday, March 27th
5th grade students visit to middle schools

Friday, March 28th
School Store

Movie Night - sponsored by the Father's Club

Saturday, March 29th
Ramadan ends at sundown

Sunday, March 30th

Eid al Fitr begins at sunset

Monday, March 31st
Eid al Fitr ends at sunset

Thanks to the generous support of our PTA, we will be welcoming three authors this April to visit with our students.

Abi Cushman will visit on April 3rd with students in grades K - 3. Students will listen to a reading of one of her books, then Abi will share an overview of the research, writing and illustration process, and finish with a drawing demonstration.

Josh Funk will visit on April 8 with all students. Josh, who is a software engineer, as well as, an author has written 20 books with more than 500,000 sales worldwide. He will share his writing process and a sneak peek at an upcoming release! Josh will also be at Black Rock Books on Sunday, April 6th for a story time event at 1:00pm that is open to the public.

Rob Buyea will visit on April 10th with students in grades 4 & 5. Rob shares how he gets his ideas, creates his characters, and the revision process. He also discusses the importance of reading, lessons on failure, and more with students.

If you are interested in purchasing any books to be signed by the author, please see the link below for ordering information. Please be sure to include our school's name, teacher's name, and your child's name with your order.

Ordering Info for Author Visits

Riding the bus can be a fun time for all! We appreciate the students selected this month for exemplifying positive behaviors!

Congratulations to the students recognized this month by our staff members. They continue to be role models for our school.

Students and staff alike enjoyed hat day this week!

Students from the upper grades visited some primary level classrooms to share the joy of reading.

Students in Mrs. Reding's 2nd grade classroom learned about Ramadan and made a star and moon craft.

Students in Mrs. Angelovic’s fourth grade class participated in an engaging lesson about Ramadan. They listened to a read aloud from the book “Lailah’s Lunchbox,” made a moon and star craft, and learned to write "Happy Ramadan" in Arabic. (رمضان مبارك)

Mrs. Hoben has been a paraeducator at Middlebrook for over 10 years. She loves to see her former students all over town! She lives in Trumbull with her husband, three sons, and Blue Russian cat. In the past, she was inspired by the adorable Kindergarten chicks, and has also raised backyard chickens for the past five years! She loves to read, go to the movies, and most especially, to travel. She has been to five continents and lived in Australia for five months during college.

In 1984, the White House officially recognized March as National Social Work month to recognize the dedication and empathy of social workers who provide services to people in need. The 2025 theme is Social Work: Compassion + Action. In addition, School Social Work Week is celebrated this week, March 2nd - March 8th. We are so grateful for Middlebrook's School Social Worker, Mrs. Doyle.

Congratulations to the following individuals who won during our Wings Scholarship this week:

March 3- Richard Baker

March 4- Crystal Bogos

March 5 Cynthia DeFaria

March 6- The Annis Family

March 7- Bill Beecham

Dear Parents/Guardians of 5th Grade Girls,

The Trumbull Public Schools, in compliance with the state law, will provide postural screening for female students in 5th grade. The purpose of this screening program is to detect possible spinal variations, specifically scoliosis. The nursing department will be performing postural (scoliosis) screening of all 5th grade girls at Middlebrook Elementary School on March 12, 2025.

If you prefer that your child be excluded from this program, please notify the school nurse in writing by March 7th.

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

Next meeting 3/12 at 7pm in the cafeteria

Ryan Mones & Max Palmer

Co-Presidents, Middlebrook Fathers Club

The meeting scheduled for March 6th at 7:00pm is cancelled. Please join us on 4/3.

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

Future meeting date: 4/3 at 7:00pm

Thank you,

5th Grade Activities Committee

The time has come to start marking your calendars for the events leading up to Middle School.

Parent Orientations:

• Parent Orientation - Madison Middle School : April 24th @ 7:00 pm
• Parent Orientation - Hillcrest Middle School: April 24th @ 6:30 pm
• Spring Concert (All bands and strings) May 14th
• Talent Show - May 29th @6:00 pm in the school gym
• Promotion Ceremony: Tentatively June 11th @ 9:00 am (will change if there are more snow days)

It is that time again- the exciting Final Mile in Trumbull! Last year Middlebrook impressed all with our participation- let's keep the momentum for 2025!

Sign up your student to join in the fun, town wide event that takes place May 18th at Trumbull High School. All children are encouraged to join no matter your running abilities. Students can work to run a total of 25.2 miles (one mile short of a full marathon) over the next few months . All kids will come together to run the final mile while getting cheered on by friends and family. This is a great step towards a lifetime of healthy habits and fitness. Each child will get a T-shirt, medal and a keychain with 26 foot charms to track their progress.

How to sign up: Go onto the Middlebrook website and sign up in the Membership Toolkit! Happy running (or walking, or jogging or skipping ) 😀

As we approach Middlebrook's annual International Festival, we’re excited to bring together the talents and passions of our school community. To make this event a success, we need dedicated volunteers who are willing to help with various tasks. The event will be held on the evening of Friday, April 25th. We are in need of volunteers for the following tasks:

· Food & Door Prize Donations: Help secure food vendors and prizes for the event.

· Country Tables: Assist with staffing and decorating the tables representing various countries.

· Cultural Performances: Help with securing and coordinating cultural performances for the event.

· Event Day Support: Assist with distributing food and ensuring the event runs smoothly on the day of the festival.

If you are interested in volunteering, please know that we greatly appreciate your support! In order to ensure everything runs smoothly, we kindly ask that volunteers commit to their roles and remain reliable throughout the process. Your involvement will be crucial in creating a positive and vibrant experience for our students and families.

If you are ready to join us in making this festival an unforgettable event, please email me at sanditat81@gmail.com or message me at the number below and I will provide more details on how you can get involved.

Thank you in advance for your time and commitment. I look forward to working together to create a truly special celebration!

Best regards,
Sandra B. Tatroe
Chair, International Festival Committee
203-258-1876

**Middlebrook Yearbook 2025!**

Purchase your copy of the 2024-2025 Middlebrook Elementary School yearbook today! To buy a copy, please visit The Membership ToolKit using the link below:
https://middlebrookelementarypta.membershiptoolkit.com/home

We also invite you to upload your photos from Middlebrook activities such as bingo, 5th-grade events, clubs, classroom crafts, and school concerts. Your contributions will help us create an amazing 2024-2025 school year album. You can upload your photos using the link below:
https://www.hjeshare.com/eShare/?code=middlebrook

We appreciate your support,
Middlebrook Yearbook Committee

Kindergarten registration has begun for the 2025-2026 school year, please click here for all the information you need.

Registration link
https://www.trumbullps.org/general/student-registration

Thursday, April 24th from 9-10:30am

THS Musicals is hard at work on this year’s Spring Musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. One of the most enduring shows of all time, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a reimagining of the Biblical story of Joseph, his father Jacob, eleven brothers and the coat of many colors. Told entirely through song with the help of a main character Narrator, the musical follows preferred son Joseph. After being sold into slavery by his brothers, he ingratiates himself with Egyptian noble Potiphar, but ends up in jail after refusing the amorous advances of Potiphar’s wife. While imprisoned, Joseph discovers his ability to interpret dreams, and he soon finds himself in front of the mighty but troubled, Elvis-inspired, Pharaoh. Joseph’s solution to Egypt’s famine elevates him to Pharaoh’s right-hand man and reunites him with his family.

Check out some of the choreography and singing. Tickets are on sale now at thsmusicals.com. Show dates are 3/14-15, 3/21-22 @7pm and 3/16 @2pm.

Looking for something to do? Check out the programs offered at the

Trumbull Public Library!

Delayed Opening Hours

1 ½ hour Delay – 10: 05 AM – 3:20 PM
2 hour Delay – 10:35 AM – 3:20 PM
2 ½ hour Delay – 11:05 AM – 3:20 PM