Weekly Wildcat

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Dear Western families,

I want to thank you for making my mornings a bit less stressful this week by helping the drop-off line move more quickly. I see more cars pulling all the way up to the stop sign. It is sad how excited I get when we see a car pull all the way up to the stop sign and a long line of cars behind it letting many kids out at the same time. Efficiency brings me great joy. I was very close to pulling out my giant, yellow foam finger to get your attention to pull up, but I think I can hold off on that for now.

I do believe I have also seen an improvement in students getting to school on time, so thank you to those that have made the effort to leave your house a few minutes earlier. However, I know we can do better, because there are still many kids arriving by car, bike or their own two feet after 8:00 am. I like to tell our students that their job right now is school and that I know if we were paying them to arrive on time, I would have no cars or walkers arriving late. Think of how you feel when you rush into work late, which happens to the best of us. If your child is late to school, then they are feeling the way you do when arriving late to work. That is not a good way for anyone to start their day. Of course when we ask our students why they are late, they blame you. Let us help you prove your child wrong! Please encourage your child to leave the house a little bit earlier if they are late each day. You can also tell them that their principal said you are not allowed to stop off at Starbucks, Dunkin’ or the deli on the way into school (I don’t mind being the bad guy). Please, please reach out to us if you are having any difficulty getting your child out of the house in the morning. We have dealt with this many times before and can help you. I promise, this will be the last time I mention morning drop off for a while. If you see me one day waving my giant, yellow foam finger, then you will know I need your help again.

We have just one week left before a much needed spring break. I know we have been jealous of the many school districts around us on break over these last few weeks. However, they will not have had the weather we will have on our break. Our first Monday off is predicted to have a temperature of 74 degrees, so the wait will be worth it!

I hope to see many of you at the Matilda Jr. show this weekend. You are in for a real treat!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Suzanne Coyne

suzanne_coyne@greenwich.k12.ct.us

(203) 531-5700

• Tonight and Tomorrow: Western’s Production of Matilda Jr.: Tonight at 7:00pm and tomorrow at 2:00pm and 7:00pm. Tickets still available: $12 per person for the evening shows (7:00 pm) and $10 per person for the Saturday matinee show (2:00 pm).
  

• Tuesday, April 9th: PTA General Membership Meeting, 7pm, Media Center

• Friday, April 12th: Career Day (see below)

• Monday, April 15th through Friday, April 19th: No School- Spring Recess

• Monday, April 22nd: No School - Passover Begins

While we would like to believe our middle schoolers won’t stare at the eclipse for a length of time after being told not to, we all know that middle school students do not always make the best decisions. Therefore, we will be canceling sports after school just to be safe. Any students staying after school will remain inside, except for any students joining the Solar Eclipse Viewing Party (see below). Here is some additional information about the eclipse:

• The eclipse starts at approximately 2:13 pm. Maximum coverage of the sun by the moon will occur close to 3:27 pm when about 92% of the sun’s surface will be covered by the moon.

• During the 3:15 pm to 3:45 pm period the lighting outdoors will be similar to what we experience during the minutes prior to a normal sunset. It will grow darker (less bright), but it will not get completely dark and there will be sufficient sunlight to safely continue outdoor activities

On a normal sunny day, the incredible brightness of the sun keeps people from staring at it. But during this solar eclipse when 92% of the sun becomes hidden behind the moon, there is a false sense that you can safely look directly at the sun. You should NOT. This does not mean you have to walk around looking down at the ground, and if you were to accidentally glance briefly toward the sun you will not be harmed. The bottom line is this event is not something you should fear, but you should NOT purposely look at the sun and certainly not stare at it unless you are wearing SOLAR ECLIPSE GLASSES.

On Monday, the moon and sun will align creating a partial solar eclipse. Seeing one of these events is pretty rare, but luckily it will happen right as we are leaving school! If your child would like to safely view the celestial event, they are invited to come to the cafeteria to grab a pair of eclipse glasses and step outside for an eclipse viewing party! Our Science teachers will be supervising the event.

Every year we do a Mismatched Day fundraiser at Western in honor of Sam Buck. Sam is a 7th grade student who suffers from Vanishing White Matter disease, which is a rare, genetic brain disease. The fundraiser benefits a non-profit (the VWM Families Foundation, Inc.) and all the money supports research and clinical trials to find a treatment for Sam's disease. Starting Monday, we will be selling mismatched socks for $5.00 a pair, so our students can be a part of this great day and raise even more money. We ask students and staff to wear mismatched socks, shoes, and clothing on Thursday and to donate $10 (or whatever amount can be donated) that day.

For those who wish to donate money via Venmo, please go to the Mismatched Day link for more information. Please help make this the most successful Mismatched Day ever!

We are excited to once again be hosting a school wide career day on Friday, April 12. During this special day, students will have the chance to listen to 6 different presenters in the morning and then spend the afternoon reflecting on their learning and connecting it to potential interests in the future. Some sample careers represented are: plumbing, construction, law, dermatology, veterinarian, engineer, product development and forensic detective. Be sure to talk with your student when they get home about their experience.

GYCP is a summer employment program for Greenwich 14 & 15 year olds in which students help plant and maintain Town of Greenwich parks and properties. 8th graders are invited to apply and applications are due Friday, April 26th.

Art Field Trips

This past Monday, 7th grade arts students had an opportunity to visit the Greenwich Arts Council and view The Nexus of Machine Learning & Artistry. The artist, Quoc-Bao, was on hand to answer student questions and explain his process. This visit is part of their curriculum work, helping students see how art is curated and created for an audience. The trip was funded by a gift of the buses from the Greenwich Arts Council.

Last Thursday 8th grade art students visited The Bruce Museum and discussed the work Anika Quayyum Agha: Dualities. The students selected this exhibit from several options. Their visit supports curriculum goals; why we value art and how artists work. The trip was funded through The Bruce Museum Community Grant.