Philip R. Smith Elementary School

January PTO News

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PGKcnvoUTIBZb97ZUwFf8o9BKkNhpM6h/view?usp=sharing

Bingo Night: Tonight!! If you have any questions, please reach out to Jill Duval at jill.s.duval@gmail.com or 781-264-0229.

Cook's Night Off

🎉 Exciting News from the PRS PTO! 🎉

Thanks to your amazing support, we raised $259.91 for the Math Mobile and Reading Vending Machine during our first Cook's Night Off event! 🙌💙

Mark your calendars, because our next Cook's Night Off is coming up on January 9th at Red Robin! 🍔 Whether you dine in or take out, you’ll be helping us make a difference for our students. Let’s make this another successful night!

We can’t wait to see you there! 🥳

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_dYbwoutslkZl5IW3_HyeO7Tvbktdjnf/view?usp=sharing

PTO Valentine Hearts: Send your children a Valentine that will be displayed outside their classroom! Each message costs $1 and will be attached to a heart and placed outside your child's classroom. All messages are due by Monday, February 3rd. Please see the attached link for more details and the form! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VX7is6mcRmlNWHNFPn4hil2B5yptekGF/view?usp=sharing

Adventures with Avery

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10eiNN5zubopCxnz_ebaYnRFPGHHZ_W19/view?usp=sharing

Yard Goats Save the Date

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FGeEF3IKw6HCOXOJdUzkDR95slunpxGw/view?usp=sharing

We want to learn more about the wonderful traditions, holidays, and cultures that are relevant to our school community. Our goal is to celebrate and appreciate the diverse backgrounds of our students, and integrate them into our school community.

Please take a few moments to complete this survey. Your responses will help us create a richer, more inclusive learning environment for all students.

https://forms.gle/zNpJdgZzSv3wCARXA

We are always looking to build our daily substitute list! If you are interested in being a daily substitute at PRS or any other school in district, please call Christina or myself and we can guide you to the online application process.

Grade 5 parents, please see this information regarding an enrichment opportunity for students in grade five!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1onIrHz8InfDKSayS9OlFZZBnHsVYD5_U/view?usp=sharing

PRS is excited to have our Third Annual Global School Play Day on Wednesday, February 5th, 2025!

The goal of Global School Play Day is to raise awareness about the importance of unstructured play. As research shows, play is an important part of the classroom and “contributes to developing the whole child.” Through play, a child's creativity, physical and cognitive abilities are refined and strengthened.” Some other reasons play is so important are:

1. Helps children learn about the world and society

2. Promotes problem-solving

3. Promotes creativity, imagination, cognitive, social, and emotional development

4. Can be used to deepen understanding of classroom content

5. Enhances language and cultural development

All of our students are invited to bring in items to play with on February 5th. No trading cards or electronic gadgets please.

1. The toy or game needs to be school appropriate.

2. Students will need to share what they bring in with others in their class.

3. If it is a very special or expensive toy, it should stay at home.

4. Students should be able to play with the item without adult help.

5. Consider sending a game that celebrates and shares your family’s heritage and culture.

6. Indoor games only.

Teachers will decide when and how to incorporate play throughout the day on February 5th. It promises to be a fun day of play!

The Student Leadership Team is helping pets in January. We are collecting new toys, food, and small items that household pets could use. All donations will go to the CT Humane Society. We have a Stuffed Animal Spirit Day next Friday, January 17. Please see the attached flyer for details. Thank you!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ytunn-vLrcCibUZ6Ps_J6Pvbt0f2zC1flDIxvpfYFKU/edit?usp=sharing

As you can imagine we go through headphones for students pretty quickly around here. We purchase ear buds but they don't necessarily work for our youngest learners. If you have any extra sets of headphones at home or know someone who might, would you please send them into school and we can distribute them to classrooms that need them.

If you have had a chance to spend time outside in our beautiful memorial garden, you would have noticed engraved bricks in the walkway. There have been two opportunities over several years for families to purchase engraved bricks. We would like to offer this to our families again. Please see the link below for more information if you are interested in purchasing a brick that would be included in our memorial garden!

https://www.canva.com/design/DAGVzvoULfw/_tYuz7g_br8mcT5qkMnNjQ/view?utm_content=DAGVzvoULfw&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=viewer

Latest article about building resilience in our students. https://www.understood.org/en/articles/building-resilience-in-kids

Senator Murphy invites your students to participate in his Office’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest. We ask students from elementary, middle, and high schools from across Connecticut to participate in honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. by submitting essays that reflect on Dr. King’s dream, their own aspirations, and the importance of what Dr. King means to them.

Submissions are now open and must be received by Saturday, January 11th at 11:59pm. Essays can be submitted online or mailed to our Hartford Office.

Essay instructions and FAQs can be found here on our website. This site includes word count guidelines, submission guidelines, and information on what we look for in essays.

We look forward to reading and reviewing your student’s work! If you have any further questions, please contact Sarah Lopez at 860-549-8463 or email at MLK_Essay@murphy.senate.gov.

Can you please share on your newsletters and on digital displays in your buildings that the our Preschool Outreach Program is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 school year? This can be found on our district website and the link for the application is here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScrU9FT-f2f1h_UdwHnwOuWgKKJOorVz9CvYfiAblI0nfKDUg/viewform

Do you know someone who deserves an award for their volunteer service?

The South Windsor Board of Education invites residents, or employees of a South Windsor business, to nominate someone who has volunteered their time for the betterment of the South Windsor community.

The Eugene Policelli Service Awards were established by the Board of Education to recognize and honor Dr. Eugene Policelli’s service to the town of South Windsor.

The nominee must:

1) be a resident of South Windsor for the past three years, or have worked and/or volunteered in South Windsor for at least three years, or

2) be a South Windsor High School Grade 12 student, and

3) be an example of outstanding citizenship and have made a significant contribution to enhancing the quality of life in South Windsor.

Nominees may be nominated by an organization where an individual has volunteered, an employer, a school employee, or a community member.

A family member cannot initiate a nomination.

Prior to making a nomination, please read the service/leadership criteria below:

Impact on the Community: Was the nominee’s contribution substantive enough to make a difference in the organization and the community?
Amount/Depth of Service: Does the nominee appear to have demonstrated a long-term commitment to one or more community service activities?
Leadership: Has the nominee assumed a leadership role in the community service activity?

After completing this Google nomination form, the award selection committee will reach out to the nominee to inform them of the nomination, explain the award program, ask the nominee if they would like to formally apply for the award, and provide them with the application (if needed).

The nomination deadline is February 24, 2025.

Please reach out to Benjamin Wry, South Windsor Public Schools School Counseling Curriculum Specialist, at 860-648-5033, or bwry@swindsor.k12.ct.us, with any questions or concerns. Thank you!

1/17 Bingo Night

1/20 MLK Jr. Day-No School

1/23 PRS Math Night

The South Windsor Patriotic Commission is happy to announce the start of the annual Student Essay and Poster Contest on January 10th, 2025. Would you please be able to provide an announcement throughout the school system for school websites, electronic email announcements and other communication methods for students and teachers to be aware that the contest is beginning. Please see below a general announcement that can be used, and please feel free to edit as necessary. Additionally, see the attached documents for the 2025 entry form and cover letter, to be utilized as necessary.

South Windsor Patriotic Commission 2025 Student Essay & Poster Contest

The SWPC 2025 Student Essay & Poster Contest is held each year for students to provide their opinions on patriotism. Essays and posters will be collected from January 10th until March 7th, 2025. Judging will take place and winners are announced on May 6th, 2025, where they will receive prizes and the opportunity to participate in the South Windsor Memorial Day parade. To submit an essay or poster, and to learn more, please visit //www.southwindsor-ct.gov/patriotic-commission.

Please let us know if there is anything additional needed for this communication to go out. Thank you.

Sincerely,

South Windsor Patriotic Commission

Adding Someone to School Messenger https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h2vqldyvZFOK_jumwjaGUbHMP2H4GSLs/edit#heading=h.gjdgxs

Yearlong Calendar

https://cdnsm5-ss13.sharpschool.com/UserFiles/Servers/Server_239916/File/Calendars/2024-2025%20School%20Calendar%20SWHS%20Principal%20Update.pdf

Attendance https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-0idrvt_FgrUNOSYEH85cJwtMIoiBsEj/view?usp=sharing

Open House Informational Links https://secure.smore.com/n/8y39c

Nurse's Blog

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QoYcCkcavl8PlOhe7qdj66idT1cmvLoV9IW4z_DOjl8/edit?usp=sharing

Universal Stories https://sites.google.com/apps.southwindsorschools.org/prs-universal-stories/home

Volunteer Registration: This is the newly revised Volunteer Registration form-In order to volunteer you must complete this form. If you have already completed it in the past and have been approved to volunteer, you do not need to complete it again.

https://www.southwindsorschools.org/cms/one.aspx?portalId=240000&pageId=28297053

Girls Lacrosse https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jg6GSBe1vxhbl2-NYOvtxw6PqHFq8vV_/view?usp=sharing

Screenagers

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WK2l-Sc3yl1jjVTHc7RD8NE1KveWQ4YE/view?usp=sharing