Long Hill School Newsletter

I can not believe that we are in our final trimester of this school year. Even though we only have a few months left of school, we have a lot of exciting events planned. Dates for some of our events will be shared shortly. It was great to see so many parents at our Parent/Teacher Conferences in March. Your continued support is essential to your child’s success.

I would like to wish all of our families a happy and relaxing spring break. Whether you are traveling the week of April 14 or staying local, I hope that you have the opportunity to pause and enjoy time with family and friends. We will see our students when we return on Monday, April 21.

• Tuesday, April 1: Spring Picture Day by Photography by Roman
• Wednesday, April 2: LHS Goes Blue for Autism - wear blue
• Thursday, April 10: Board of Alderman meeting at 7:00pm at City Hall
• Friday, April 11: Spring Celebration drop off snacks
• Monday, April 14-Friday, April 18: No School - Spring Break
• Monday, April 21: School Resumes

Please join me in welcoming our new school nurse, Nurse Hope to LHS! You can contact Nurse Hope by calling the main office or via email at hserra@sheltonpublicschools.org.

There will be a meeting with the Board of Aldermen and Board of Education at Shelton City Hall on Thursday April 10th that begins at 7:00. The Mayor has proposed a $1 million increase to our 2025-2026 budget, the BOE's request was $3.5.

Last year, the Aldermen listened to the community's feedback, overrode the Mayor's proposal, and increased the BOE's funding. The Aldermen recognize the importance of proper education funding and we are optimistic for the same result this year. Your attendance at the meeting would be greatly appreciated.

Spring Celebrations drop off snacks will be held in Pre-K through fourth grade classes on Friday, April 11. Your Room Coordinator has already provided additional information about this.

Important Reminders:

• Due to the number of snacks requested and various allergies, only snacks that are listed on Sign-Up Genius will be passed out.
• Any snack that was not on the classroom’s Sign-Up Genius sheet, will not be passed out and will be sent back home.
• Since we are a nut free school, all snacks must come from a nut free facility - if they are not then the snacks can not be passed out.

Our third and fourth grade students will be taking the Smarter Balanced Assessment the end of this month. This assessment be administered during the weeks of April 28th, May 5th, and May 12th. Please make sure your child has a good night’s sleep and breakfast the morning of and is on time for school. If you know your child will be absent during any of these weeks, please contact the main office immediately as this will impact their testing schedule.

Save the dates for the following year end activities (more information and times to follow):

• K-4 Field Day: Friday, May 23 (rain date: Friday, May 30)
• Pre-K Field Day: Tuesday, May 27
• Pre-K Step-Up (for those students moving on to Kindergarten ONLY): Wednesday, June 4
• Kindergarten Step-Up: Wednesday, June 4
• Fourth Grade Step-Up: Monday, June 9

The tentative last day of school is now Tuesday, June 10, 2025 due to the one snow day. The last four days (currently Thursday, June 5; Friday, June 6; Monday, June 9; and Tuesday, June 10) are early dismissal days.

If you have plans to move before the start of the new school year, please email me at adaiuto@sheltonpublicschools.org This helps us in making class lists. The staff and I devote much time and thought when placing your child in a class.

Parental requests for specific teacher placements will not be considered; however, if there are any special circumstances or consideration regarding class placement, please notify me via email.

We are so grateful for the strong partnership we have with our families and truly appreciate the open communication between home and school.

As we continue working together, we want to kindly remind everyone that teachers and staff may not respond to messages sent after school hours right away. Just like our students, they need time to rest and recharge so they can bring their best energy and care to LHS each day.

Messages received after school hours will typically be responded to the next school day. Please know that we will always do our best to address your questions and concerns as soon as possible.

As the weather is getting warmer and more families are using the playground after school hours, please keep the following in mind:

• Students are expected to follow the same rules that they follow at recess and should play and act appropriately.
• Please actively monitor your child while he/she is playing on the playground equipment.
• The Pre-K playground is LOCKED and there is no access to this playground after school hours.
• Students should not be riding bikes, scooters, etc. during school hours or during dismissal time as this poses a safety risk.

As the weather is getting warmer, please review the district's dress code policy (which was previously sent to all families). Parents will be contacted to bring a change of clothes if a child is not in proper dress code.

In February, our Pre-K through fourth grade students students participated in the Kids Heart Challenge. Thank you to Mr. Beloin, our Physical Education teacher, who organized this event. Thank you to our students, parents, and staff members who helped make this challenge a success!

LHS raised $10,182 for the American Heart Association! Congratulations to our top five Kids Heart Challenge fundraising students:

• Harper Spinetti
• Makenna Hammond
• Nora Saikus
• Sydney Saikus
• Cayden Hulsizer

For planned absences, such as vacation during the school year, teachers are NOT required to provide students or parents/guardians with advance work or assignments. It is the student’s and/or parent’s responsibility to get the work upon their return. Taking time from school to go on a vacation poses a risk to your child’s educational progress. Both students and parents must understand that when school is missed due to vacations, it is not the responsibility of the teachers to provide remedial instruction for the assignments/content that has been missed.

We are seeing an increase of students being absent for an extended period of time. When a child misses school for an extended period of time, he/she is missing important and imperative instruction and content and can pose a risk to his/her progress.

It has come to our attention that some students have been engaging in inappropriate conversations with one another and accessing unsuitable online content while at home. While these activities are not taking place on school grounds, they can impact students' behavior and interactions at school.

We kindly ask for your support in reinforcing the importance of respectful communication and safe internet use. Here are a few ways you can help:

• Monitor Online Activity: Ensure that your child is using age-appropriate websites and apps. Consider using parental controls and filters to limit access to inappropriate content.
• Encourage Respectful Communication: Talk to your child about treating others with kindness and respect, both in person and online.
• Set Clear Expectations: Establish family rules regarding internet use and respectful interactions with peers.
• Stay Informed: Keep an open dialogue with your child about their online activities and social interactions.

By working together, we can create a safe and respectful environment for all students.

We will continue to accept kindergarten registrations for the 2025-2026 school year. Children must be aged five on or before September 1, 2025 to enter kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year.

Unsure which school you are assigned to? The School-by-Street listing can be found here:

http://www.sheltonpublicschools.org/transportation

According to Public Act 23-208, Section 1(a), students must turn 5 on or before September 1, 2025 to enter Kindergarten for the 2025-2026 school year.

However, children who turn 5 between September 2 and December 31, 2025 may be admitted:

(1) upon a written request by the parent or guardian of such child and

(2) following an assessment of such child, conducted by the building principal and an appropriate certified staff member of the school, to ensure that admitting such child is developmentally appropriate.

Please send your written request to Kristen Santilli at the Office of Teaching & Learning at ksantilli@sheltonpublicschools.org

Once you contact Kristen Santilli, she will send you the assessment.

Once the Office of Teaching & Learning has received your written request and you have completed the assessment, someone from the school where your child will be attending will contact you with further information on how to proceed.

If you have further questions, please call the Office of Teaching and Learning at 203-924-1023, extension 317.

*Exceptions are not accepted after the first day of school.

As previously stated, we will NOT accept any change of dismissals after 3:00pm on a full day or 1:00pm on an early dismissal day.

We are excited to continue Culture in the Classroom at LHS!

If you are interested in participating in Culture in the Classroom please email Mrs. Krauss at skrauss@sheltonpublicschools.org.

The bus company will not let students off the bus if there is no adult waiting at the stop. Be sure you have a plan in place for your child if you are unable to meet the bus. Traffic and weather can unexpectedly impact your ability to arrive for your child on time. If there is no adult waiting, the bus company will return your child to school and someone must pick them up in a timely manner.

Students are expected to attend school each day school is in session for the entire day. Students arriving after 9:00am will be marked as tardy, unless they have arrived on a bus. Being late to school is disruptive for all in the classroom.

Our instructional blocks start promptly at 9:10am daily. To ensure a smooth morning transition, please have your child to school on time.

Students have 9 excused absences allotted to them-after that all absences are considered unexcused unless accompanied by a doctor's note.

• Parents will not be allowed to the rear of the building until 1:35pm on early dismissal days and 3:35pm on full school days.
• There will be NO access for parents or vehicles until 3:35pm when the chain is removed by a staff member. Please DO NOT park in the front and walk to the back of the school if the chain is up.
• Please be cognizant of this because we can not block access to the school and back up traffic on Long Hill Avenue.

Please understand there are classes outside until that time, therefore there is no access until 3:35pm to ensure the safety of our students.

As a reminder, breakfast and lunch are available each day for kindergarten - fourth grade students at a charge. In addition to the hot lunch choice-chicken nuggets, bagel, grilled cheese, and salad are available each day.

• Elementary Breakfast $2.00/ Reduced $.30
• Elementary Lunch $3.45/ Reduced $0.40

A menu will be sent home electronically at the beginning of each month with food choices (subject to availability). Menus are also available on the district's website. Students may also bring lunch from home.

We do not have a microwave for students to heat lunches and staff will not cut up food for students. Please be sure your child knows how to open their lunches, drinks, and lunch boxes.

Households may submit a free-and-reduced-priced-meal-application as soon as possible

to determine a student's eligibility for this school year and to avoid unpaid meal charges. If your children were approved for Free/Reduced meal benefits last school year that eligibility will expire on October 20, 2024. Only one application is required per household.

If you need a paper copy of this application, please contact the main office.

Please find the complete FRAM packet below attached or you may find the application located on the district's website. Please return all completed application forms to the school.

1. Winter Spirit wear distribution completed. We have extras that will be posted soon.

2. Thank you for your support at the following – School Dance, Egg Hunt and Book fair.

3. Quassy Family event – May 9th. Ticket purchases open now. Flyer sent home.

4. Heads up for Plant Sale – May 8th & 9th. More info will be shared closer to the event.

5. PTO General meeting on Tuesday - May 13th, 5:30 to 6:30. Voting for 2025-26 Executive Board. Interested to be on the Board, please send your nominations at ptolonghill@gmail.com for review.

6. End of the year party – May 30th. More details to follow.

7. LHS 2024-25 Yearbook will be distributed in June. Information on extras copies will be shared then.

8. Join us on Facebook by searching LHS PTO SHELTON or https://www.facebook.com/groups/969539826920560

Address: 565 Long Hill Avenue, Shelton

Phone number: (203)-929-4077

Fax number: (203)-929-8250

Website: http://longhill.sheltonpublicschools.org/home_page

Twitter: @DAiutoAndrea

Instagram: mrsdaiutolhs

LHS Policies & Procedures: https://secure.smore.com/n/mhfz9