Scotty Updates

Scotty Updates has been created to provide families and staff with information regarding upcoming events, happenings, and programs at Scotland Elementary School. Please take time each Monday to review our newsletter.

Dear Scotland Families,

Happy Sunday! We had a fantastic first week back! It was wonderful having students and staff back in the building and engaging in learning together.

I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you on behalf of myself and the Scotland office staff to all of our families for all of your kindness and generosity this holiday season. We are so grateful for your thoughtfulness and consideration. Thank you for thinking of us during this time. ❤️

I hope you all enjoyed the first real snowfall of the season! Students were so excited on Friday, talking about all of the fun they were planning to have this weekend in the snow! With the freshly fallen snow, students who bring snow pants, boots, and gloves/mittens will be able to play in the snow during recess. Please make sure your child’s snow gear is labeled as our lost & found is already overflowing with misplaced items.

Kindergarten Registration is coming soon. If you have a child turning 5 before September 1, 2024 please contact the main office at (203) 894-5825. If you have a child who will be turning 5 between September 1, 2024-January 1, 2025 and you are interested in enrolling them in kindergarten for this fall, please reach out to the main office for more information. Additional information about kindergarten registration and mini-kindergarten will be forthcoming,

Kind regards,

Jill

In grades K-8, students complete universal screeners three times a year in reading and mathematics. These diagnostics help teachers support the needs and build upon the strengths of our students. Recently, additional resources for families were added to the repository on the engagED webpage on the RPS Curriculum Site. The engagED page provides important information for families and community members to support learning at home, in school, and beyond. The resources include information about aimsWebPLUS Reading and NWEA Mathematics used in the Elementary grades as well as the iReady Reading and Mathematics diagnostics given in Middle School. We encourage you to watch the brief videos to provide more context on these assessments and how to understand your child’s results.

Monday, January 8th:

• E Day

Tuesday, January 9th:

• F Day

Wednesday, January 10th:

• A Day

Thursday, January 11th:

• B Day

Friday, January 12th:

• C Day

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Upcoming Events:

Thursday, January 18th:

• Early Dismissal for students - 11:40AM
• PD for staff

To place your order, go to www.coffeepond.com and use our password: scotty1234

Joining the PTA helps you stay connected with the school community. You will receive information about family events, before & after school programs, school events, parties and much more! Get to know teachers & staff better with informational sessions throughout the year!

To join, visit our website: www.scotlandpta.org

The new PTA registration form is now live on the website, click here!

Volunteers in the Library Learning Commons:

We are looking for volunteers in the LLC! We would love to have you come in and help out! Please click below on the grade level in which you would like to volunteer. Thank you so much!

-Mrs. Gonillo

• Kindergarten- https://signup.com/go/bFGFTWA

• First Grade- https://signup.com/go/TQhSvTH

• Second Grade - https://signup.com/go/YyufgPj

• Third Grade- https://signup.com/go/RCCPZHB

• Fourth Grade- https://signup.com/go/rCCNxKx

• Fifth Grade- https://signup.com/go/frXROYD

Playdates and Riding the Bus:

We know how fun it is for our students to get together after school and enjoy time together! Due to safety and limited space on the buses, we are asking that students have no more than 2 guest riders with them at a time. Anytime there is a need for more than 2 additional students to ride, families will need to make arrangements for parent pick up that day. Thank you for understanding!

Hats & Hoodies:

Over the last several years there was no standard hat/hood procedure in the elementary schools, likely related to Covid, when classroom windows were kept open for air circulation and there was the potential for it to be cold in classrooms.

As we have started the 23-24 school year with a typical school opening, we will return to only permitting hats to be worn outside the school building. Students may choose to wear a hat, but will be reminded to remove it upon entering the school building. Students will be permitted to wear hats for outdoor recess. Teachers have discussed this with students and I will remind our school community during the morning announcements on Tuesday.

On special occasions/spirit days, hats may be permitted and this will be communicated to students and families.

• Each class will have one 45 minute essential per day (Art, Library, Music, or P.E.)
• We will continue to follow the six day A-F day schedule
• Please find the essentials rotation below

We will follow a similar drop off / pick up procedure that we did last year.

Arrival

• Drop off begins at 8:30am. Please do not drop off your child prior to 8:30am as there will be no supervision at this time.
• After 8:45am, you will need to walk your child into school, as they are late. You will need to sign them in with security. Please do not drop your child off without adult supervision.

Dismissal

• Pick up will begin at 3:25pm.
• Each day, please have your child(ren)’s first and last name displayed on your passenger visor, and have it remain visible until your child is in the car. This needs to be bold and large enough to be visible at a distance. This is a very important step to ensure we have your child ready when you arrive.

• For the safety of both students and staff, proceed carefully and slowly through the lot.
• Please have your child exit/enter the vehicle when your gear is in the park position and is one of the cars at the front of the line designated for drop off.
• Students must exit the vehicle on the passenger side (building side) of the vehicle. Multiple children must exit on the passenger side. It is dangerous to exit/enter on the driver's side of the vehicle!

• Students need to have all of their items ready in hand and will then exit the car immediately.
• Parents, please stay in your vehicle at all times so that the process will prevent backups on Barlow Mountain Road.
• If you miss the drop off time (after 8:45 a.m.), please park in the front lot and walk your child across the designated crosswalk to the main entrance of the building. If you arrive after the drop off window and must park in the parking lot, we kindly ask that you use the crosswalk.

• For information on this year's Chromebook distribution and policies click here to watch a short video
• If you have further questions or concerns email: helpdesk@ridgefieldps.net

School lunch will be available from the first day of school. Aramark is the new District-wide food service provider. The school lunch menu is available online on the RPS website; click Departments and click on Food Service. For all students, we have transitioned away from LunchTime software to MySchoolBucks for families to fund student lunches.

MySchoolBucks is available via the PowerSchool Parent Portal, and communication was sent to families in early August regarding adding funds for lunch. Any balances have been rolled over from LunchTime to MySchoolBucks. Additionally, the district sent a communication in early August regarding Reduced Lunch for eligible students.

Snacks for Purchase in the Cafeteria:

Students in grades 2-5 are permitted to purchase snacks during lunch (last 10 minutes). Please be sure you have set up MySchoolBucks if you would like your student to be able to purchase a snack.

• In short, students eligible for reduced lunch will be provided free lunches in grades K-8 for the 2023-24 school year.
• Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the Free School Meals for Children grant, please do not hesitate to contact us or the District Business Office.
• Questions in regard to school MySchoolBucks can be directed to Eric Nickelson, RPS Food Service Director at 203-894-5550 x2143 or enickelson@ridgefieldps.net

Website to set up an account.

MySchoolBucks

Some Support Links for Troubleshooting:

Updating Your Payment Method | MySchoolBucks

Setting up Automatic Payments | MySchoolBucks

Adding a New Student | MySchoolBucks

Setting Up Low Balance Alerts | MySchoolBucks

Reset Your Password Using Your Mobile Phone Number

Reset Your Password Using Your Email Address/Username

We will continue to use School Dismissal Manager this year at Scotland. Please click below for information regarding this system. This system will be available to families in late August. A welcome letter will be emailed to families when the system is available. If you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us!

Email: jkatkocin@ridgefieldps.net
Website: https://ses.ridgefield.org/
Location: 111 Barlow Mountain Road, Ridgefield, CT, USA
Phone: 203-894-5825
Twitter: @Scotland_Elem