Dear ISD Parents/Guardians,

I am pleased to report that I have hired a new strings teacher to replace Ms. Madonna, who left to take a new position closer to home in Long Island. Our new teacher is Ms. Allocca and she is eager to start seeing her students and will start doing so next week. She has fine credentials and I look forward to seeing her bring out the musical talent in your children. 

This year, the teachers and I have decided to change the manner in which we celebrate student birthdays. Keeping nutrition and students with allergies in mind, we thought of shifting the mode of celebrating from using food to wearing a decorated t-shirt. The birthday student will wear a white t-shirt all day that has been decorated by their classmates. By doing so, their birthday will not only be known within their own classroom, but they will be offered birthday wishes throughout the day by others who see them wearing their t-shirt. This method has been used successfully in other schools outside of our district so we are giving it a try this year. Class parents will be asking to collect five dollars from each of you to cover the cost of a t-shirt for your child. We have not decided how we will celebrate summer birthdays, but of course, we will, and will communicate that information to you.

Our fifth grade students and teachers experienced a warm, memorable day this week hosting their new friends from the Doshisha International Academy in Japan. Last year, they began communicating with their assigned pen pal and got to meet them in person during this visit. The students were amazed at how much they have in common, yet eager to learn of each other's cultural differences. A new "partnership" with a soon "to be authorized" IB school has been forged and we are eager to see it strengthen.

Open House for the first grade classes will be held on Monday, 9/22, at 6:30. This is a different scheduled date than for the rest of the school, which will be held on Thursday, 10/2. More details about that schedule will be forthcoming.

The annual ice cream social is this Sunday 9/7, rain or shine, from 2-4. It is an informal gathering and a time to meet or reconnect while enjoying delicious ice cream. I hope you can make it.

In closing, I want to end with several reminders regarding safety procedures. I have noticed a number of dogs around the school at arrival and dismissal times. The Town of Greenwich prohibits dogs from the immediate area around the school and certainly, no dogs are allowed in school. Although many students enjoy seeing the dogs, I need to enforce the rule about them not being on school grounds. Thank you for your understanding about this matter.

As we end our second week, I also want to remind you about morning drop offs and afternoon pick ups. In the morning, students should be ready to exit their cars with all of their belongings. If you need extra time or need to get items out of a trunk, then parking your car and walking with your child to the front door is recommended. We try to keep the flow of cars moving as everyone is pressed for time. It only takes one car when a driver stops, and gets out to open the trunk to retrieve materials for a major traffic back up to occur.

In the afternoon, the three buses come into the front circle to pick up students. The first bus usually arrives around three o'clock. If you are here at school and parked in the few spaces in the front, you may be blocked in. We do try to get the buses out by 3:20, at which time, the front circle opens for cars to pick up students. We have found it works best, if you do pick up your child(ren), to arrive after 3:20, to keep the street traffic moving for the benefit of everyone's safety. Thank you and have a great weekend. 

Sincerely, 

Terry Ricci

K

 Freeda

Nikki Glickman

K

Murphy

Lisa Palmer

K

Shane

Angie Hartofilis

1

Garofalo

Kaori Higgins

1

Iwai

TBD

1

Peters

Suzanne Woody

2

Macri

Lilian Ruiz

2

Martin

 Kysa Englund

2

McCauley

Lilian Dutra

3

Mansy

Penny Echevarria

3

Millspaugh

Karen Mair

3

Sangermano

Suzanne Sullivan

4

Daur

Karen Saggese

4

Mink

Brenn Jain

4

Williams

Stacy Loveless

5

Murray

Margaret Mullen

5

Piazza

Maria Merrill

5

Stewart

Renee Jennings