Amy Stino - Assistant Principal

Tammy Nye - Administrative Assistant

Joanne Solecki - Administrative Assistant

Email: Klevenduski@hwporter.org

Astino@hwporter.org

Website: hwporter.org

Location: 3 Schoolhouse Road Columbia, CT 06237
Phone: (860)228-9493

Holiday - No School -October 14, 2024

Professional Development Day -No School -October 15, 2024

PTO Cornhole Tournament - Oct. 19, 2024 at Parks and Rec 2-4

PTO Meeting Cafe 7:00 - Oct. 22, 2024

Dress like a book character/Fall Parade - October 31, 2024 (more info to come)

This month we are celebrating Kindness! Today students were awarded certificates for student of the week. These students have shown kindness here at school, in their classrooms, and with their peers. Porter the Panther walked around handing out certificates and congratulating students! We are so proud of our Porter students for showing kindness!

On Thursday, October 31, 2024 we will have a Book Character Parade. Students and staff are invited to dress up as a book character on this day. Families are INVITED to come watch our parade outside around our building from 2:15pm-2:45pm. Our 7th and 8th grade band students will be playing spooky music in the front of the school for added entertainment. Please mark your calendars and join in on the FUN!

Porter the Panther had some fun with staff and students today!

ParentSquare is our new platform for communication. We are encouraging all families to join ParentSquare. This is the platform we will be switching over to instead of using School Messenger. We are hoping to fully transition by November this year. If you are having difficulty, please click the link below for more information so you do not miss out on notices, alerts, or messages from your child's teachers.

We are excited to be having a Veteran's Day Ceremony this year (more details to come)! We would love to celebrate all of the amazing Veteran's within our Porter Family! If you have a picture you can share of a Veteran or someone who is in active duty, please send it in and we would love to include it in a slideshow at our assembly. Along with the picture please send the following information:

Name, rank, branch, the relationship the Veteran has with the person at our school.

Email all photos and information to Karen Martin: kmartin@hwporter.org

If you have submitted a picture in the past we can use it. Email Karen Martin and let her know the information and she can use the same picture.

The 5th and 8th graders had a field trip this week to Yeoman's Hall. The students met Drew who gave a Native American Presentation. Drew shared his heritage and the life style of Native Americans in the 17th century. Drew shared animal skins, bows and arrows, artifacts, and musical instruments made from nature. Drew was dressed in clothing he had made including moccasins.

Congratulations to our Boys Soccer Team for winning their last home game against Lebanon, 7-0! The eighth grade boys had large cut-outs made with their pictures along with picture collages that represented their past years on the team. Congratulations, we are so proud of you!

The Horace Porter Girls Soccer Team has been having a fun season! They are pictured after a Black versus Gold scrimmage and on a team outing to watch the UCONN women's soccer team play Providence! The girls play their last home game next Thursday, October 17 at 3:45pm versus Windham. Go Panthers!.

• Drop off is 7:50am. Some mornings students get dropped off early because they are in clubs; however, if your child is not in a club they can not get dropped off before 7:50am.
• Please bring an ID for entering the building and parent pick up. We understand it is not convenient, but it is for your child's safety. We appreciate your help with this!
• If you plan to pick up your child from school or need to make any changes to their transportation please complete the Transportation & Notes Form.
• All cellphones must remain in student's lockers.

• Registration for After School Clubs is open. You can register your child through Family ID. Please read the After School Clubs Flyer to view the clubs offered for this session. Please feel free to contact Jessica Doubleday at jdoubleday@hwporter.org if you have any questions. Session 1 begins Sept. 24th and ends Oct. 31.

• Don't forget to check out our PTO page for many fundraisers and events that are happening this month!

• We have many things happening in our community! Be sure to click the "Events Around The Community" down below to check them all out!

Substitute Paras and Teachers needed. Please contact Klevenduski@hwporter.org

The Popcorn Fundraiser pick up will be on Wednesday, 10/16, after school from 3:45-5:00 pm.

Everyone can help take action to prevent suicide. Click on the link for more information. https://www.preventsuicidect.org/

• Connecticut Public Act 22-47 - legislation regarding suicide. Connecticut Public Act 22-47, Section 28, requires that the 988 National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline number be included on identification (ID) badges of students in Grades 6 through 12. Due to the timing of the implementation of 988, the requirement becomes effective for the 2024-25 school year. The United Way of Connecticut has provided the 988 QR code for access to the Connecticut Suicide Advisory Board website that may be posted to the back of student IDs with a brief statement such as “Call or text 988 for crisis support,” or an equivalent. The 988 Contact Center services include rapid 24/7 access to trained staff who can help students (and adults) experiencing suicidal, substance use, and other mental health crises, provide referrals to resources, and perform warm transfers to Mobile Crisis or emergency services as needed/desired.

AHM is OPEN to the public and excited to offer our services to Porter students and Columbia residents!

AHM Youth and Family Services offers mental health clinical services to youth and their families! These

services are designed to support families in transition, crisis, or normal developmental processes.

Individual and/or family therapy is available for children, adolescents, and young adults up to age 26 to

address social, emotional and/or behavioral issues. Family and parent sessions are often utilized in

conjunction with individual sessions to support a child’s progress in therapy.

In addition, many fun programs are offered throughout the year for all ages, including theater, health &

wellness, and craft programs. For more information and registration links, please visit ahmyouth.org or

call the office at (860) 228-9488.