Principal's Weekly Update

Books everywhere this week-- from the background all the way down to the "Big Photo". I've been prmoting the March Madness Book Tournament in recent weeks, and I could not happen but notice that today we flipped the calendar to March. So--we are hoping that literacy has its moment in March. The fervor might not quite rival that which basektball generates, but we are always looking for ways in which to cultivate a love for reading, in the hope that more and more students will give pleasure reading a try.

Tickets are on sale now for the Broadway Babies production of Charlotte’s Web. This is a show about friendship, courage, and kindness. The cast and crew have been working very hard to make the show a success. Purchase your general admission tickets through the IC portal for $10 each. The show will be on Wednesday, 3/12 and Thursday, 3/13, starting at 6:30pm. We ask that All students must be accompanied by an adult. We hope to see you at the show!

After consulting with both middle schools, our District Technology Personnel have asked us to share the following information with you:

Students Creating/Using Proxy Sites to Bypass Filters***

We have been receiving a high number of alerts in Go Guardian of students who are using Proxy Sites (pseudo URLs) to bypass our filters, which is a direct violation of our Internet Acceptable Use Policy. There are students who are creating their own sites to post blocked links, links to public chat rooms and/or inappropriate content using their Trumbull account. In many cases they are using Google sites and sharing the Google Sites link with other students. Please help us to make sure that our students are aware of our concern about this. Students found to be violating this policy may face disciplinary consequences consistent with our Code of Conduct.

In a somewhat related vein, the district has decided to block student access to YouTube. That will go into effect on Monday. Teachers will still be able to embed any videos which they intend for instructional purposes into slide presentations, etc. which they share with their students.

Announcements:

Registration is now open for Student Led Conferences! Scheduling will end on March 10th at 6:00 PM. Please see this letter for more information and directions on how to register.

Say Something Week: Next week our S.A.V.E Club will celebrate National Say Something Week in partnership with Sandy Hook Promise. One of the goals of the week is to remind students to Say Something to a trusted adult when they recognize warning signs of those who are at risk to hurt themselves or others. Please click here for more information about the Say Something Program. As part of Say Something Week on Wednesday, March 5th our 6th graders will participate in No One Eats Alone Day during lunch.

Attention all 6th and 7th Grade Artists! Do you want to design next year’s Student Agenda Pad Cover? Please see the LINK to the following contest. All entries must be received by Friday, March 28th. Contact Mr. Coppola with any questions.

8th Grade Students: Join your friends to sign up to participate in the Design Sprint Workshop and competition that will be happening on March 8th at Trumbull High School. It’s a cutting-edge design thinking and collaborative problem-solving process with up to $3,000 in cash prizes at the end of the day for the top performing team members. See your grade level Google Classroom for more information and to register!

Upcoming Fundraiser Reminders:

Our PTA will once again host a Cornhole Tournament on March 21st. It features parent/student teams competing against each other. Just like last year, we will have NCAA tournament basketball games broadcast on a big screen, so the event doubles as a “tournament watch party” If you are interested, please sign up by Friday, 3/14. See this flyer for more information.

That same weekend our PTA will also host an online auction fundraiser. You can bid on (and hopefully win) some amazing auction items. Bidding commences at 8pm on Friday 3/21 and concludes at 10pm on Sunday, 3/23. Stay tuned for more information on the possible prizes which you can win.

Clubs & Activities:

Chess Club will meet Monday, 3/3 in Room 122

Madison MakeOver Club will meet Monday, 3/3 in Room 220 after school. All members should report. We are looking to complete projects by the end of March.

Pokemon Club will meet in room 122 on Thursday, 3/6.

The next Sports Club Activity is Volleyball (Part 2). Signups are underway in all PE classes. The permission slip deadline is Friday, March 7th.

I will close this week by mentioning that this upcoming week is School Social Worker Appreciation Week--I want to publicly thank our very own School Social Worker, Meredith. Barton, who does such incredibly important work which often is "under the radar". Perhaps it's a "happy coincidence" that this appreciation week occurs at the same time as "Say Something Week", since Mrs. Barton is a trusted adult to so many of her students. They know that they can come to her with problems both big and small, that she will patiently listen, and that she will offer sound guidance which is the product of maany years of experience. It is our intention that every student has a trusted adult to turn to in a time of need-- Mrs. Barton is one of the best trusted adults that we have to offer.

Have a great weekend !!

Take care,

Peter Sullivan