Dear Eli Terry Families...

As we find ourselves wrapped in the warmth and excitement of the season, we wanted to take a moment to extend our heartfelt holiday wishes to each and every one of you.

All fall long, the halls of our school have been filled with laughter, learning, and boundless joy, all thanks to the incredible spirit and enthusiasm of our students, dedicated educators, and supportive families. As we approach this festive time of the year, it's a perfect moment to reflect on the wonderful journey we've shared together.

The holiday season is a time to cherish the moments spent with loved ones, to embrace the traditions that make this time of year so special, and to create beautiful memories that will be treasured for a lifetime.

May your holidays be filled with love, laughter, and the simple joys of life. May the warmth of family and friends bring you comfort and happiness. And may the New Year ahead be filled with endless opportunities, success, and prosperity.

As we bid adieu to 2023 and eagerly await 2024, we encourage each of you to take this break to rest, rejuvenate, and relish in all the things you love! Whether you're traveling or enjoying a peaceful time at home, may it be filled with moments of happiness and joy.

Thank you for being an integral part of our school community, for your unwavering support, and for entrusting us with the privilege of nurturing and educating your incredible children. It's an honor we cherish deeply.

Wishing you all a joyous holiday season and a fantastic New Year!

Warmest regards,

Mike & Jenn

When we return to school, following Winter Break, Wednesdays will be FULL DAYS, with dismissal occurring at the usual time of 3:20PM. Full day Wednesdays will continue through March 6th. We'll return to early release Wednesdays on March 13th with the beginning of spring parent-teacher conferences!

We recognized many students in the month of December with "PAWSitive" Office Referrals. These students went above and beyond with regards to their effort, kindness, learning, teamwork, and/or attitude. In addition to being featured on our monitor displays in the Main Office, Lobby, and Cafeteria, these students also had the opportunity to make a positive phone call home with Mrs. Hammer or Mr. Kenyon.

We also recognized many members of our Eli Terry community through our "shout out"/Thankful Thursday program. We hope you'll take a peek at the slides below and help celebrate these amazing individuals!

Invention Convention is back and better than ever!

As you already know, the Invention Convention is a special kind of science fair that South Windsor’s students have participated in for many years and it has been met with much success because of judges like you!

I am reaching out to you to see if you, or anyone you know, may be interested in serving as a judge for our SWPS Invention Convention on Saturday March 2nd. Similar to past years, judges do not need to have an engineering or science background but should be able to communicate with students, ask questions and see the inventions for their innovative ideas. All judges will be trained on how to use the invention rubric on the day of the event so there is no need to worry about not knowing what to do.

If you are not able to judge, but still want to help, we are also looking for volunteers to help mentor our young inventors during a work session at TEMS on January 10th from 6:30pm-8:00pm. The focus for this work session is for the inventors to get feedback about their invention so that they can begin the revision portion of the engineering design process. This time is intended to be an informal opportunity for students to talk about their invention with community members, high school students and fellow inventors to elicit feedback to guide their revisions. Mentors will listen to the description of the invention and look at any diagrams or models in order to provide feedback to the student about the invention. The volunteer can ask questions of the inventor/invention or provide ideas to reflect upon. As you can imagine, this is an exciting time because you will be working with students as they are beginning to craft their final invention!

Please take a moment to complete this 2 question survey about your availability to help this year by clicking on the link below. You can also email me if that is easier for you!

https://forms.gle/QsqHhSLvH1kTTRR66

Throughout the fall we've highlighted the RULER skills and tools your child(ren) have been explicitly taught and are utilizing to help explore their social-emotional intelligence. This work will continue through the spring, and in future years.

If you've forgotten what RULER is, or would like a refresher, we've prepared an overview video to help! Being partners in this work is SO important to not only your child's elementary experience, but through middle/high school, and well into adulthood!

The Preschool Outreach Program (POP) is currently accepting applications for the 2024-2025 school year (linked below is the application and an informational flyer).

Please submit your application at your earliest convenience as the role model screenings are occurring. More details regarding a date and times for screenings will be sent to you from the POP staff once they receive your application.

Kindergartners in Mrs. Botticello's class read with their 5th grade buddies!

Staff really enjoyed our "Two Turtle Doves - Twin Day" that was celebrated as part of our 12 Days of Giving fundraiser!

5th grade students enjoyed their field trip to the Old State Capitol Building!

We had a WONDERFUL holiday sing-a-long today that began with Choral Spectrum and included performances from our talented student musicians!

Need a great holiday gift idea??

Join members of the Eli Terry community at the Hartford Wolf Pack hockey game on Saturday, February 3 at 7:00 pm!

All children attending will be able to head out on the ice to hold the flag during the National Anthem.

Ticket sales are available online now! Visit the link below to order.

• NO SCHOOL - Winter Break - December 25th - January 1st
• PTO Ice Cream Social - January 26th, 6:15-8:30PM (there will be 2 waves!)
• PTO Wolf Pack Game - Saturday, February 3rd @ 7PM

Remember...any of the above events can be quickly added to your own Google Calendar just by clicking the blue hyperlink!

Throughout the year, you may miss something and want to easily access a previous week's newsletter. Thanks to YOUR feedback, we've made that easy. You'll be able to just click the links below! We've included the last few weeks of newsletters here:

December 15th, 2023

December 8th, 2023

December 1st, 2023

November 17th, 2023

If you would like access to ALL previous newsletters you can find them here!