BTW 2/22/2013

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
25	26	27	28	01
7:45 am Chorus 100th Day Canned Food Drive	7:45 am Gr. 4 Band 9:30 - 10:30 am Incoming Kindergarten Orientation	7:45 am Gr. 5 Band	6 pm PSEE Workshop First Presbyterian Church
04	05	06	07	08
7:45 am Chorus	7:45 am Gr. 4 Band	7:45 am Gr. 5 Band	7:45 am Gr. 4 and 5 Orchestra 7 pm BOE Work Session Havemeyer Building	7:45 am Gr. 3 Orchestra (Violas Only)

February 28 - March 22 CMT Testing Window

School Happenings (March 09 through April 06)

Feb. 28 - Mar. 22 - CMT Testing Window

Mar. 11 - 15 - Incoming Kindergarten Registration, by appointment

Mar. 12 - PTAC SIP Workshop, Havemeyer Building, 10 am - 12 pm

Mar. 14 - PTA Job Fair, Media Center, 9 am

Mar. 15 - Report Cards Go Home

Mar. 18 - Kindergarten Enrichment, Nappy's Puppets, 9 am

Mar. 21 - BOE Meeting, Western Middle School, 7 pm

Mar. 22 - Jump Rope For Heart

Mar. 26 - Principal Drop-In Hours, 8:30 - 10 am

Mar. 28 - Music on the Menu, Work for Hire

Mar. 29 - Good Friday, No School

Apr. 4 - Grades 2 and 3 Young People's Concert, 11 am - 2 pm

Apr. 4 - BOE Meeting, Havemeyer Building, 7 pm

Apr. 5 - Grade 5 Curriculum Enrichment, Fairfield Historical Museum, 9 am - 1:30 pm

For more dates, please refer to the Calendar of Events on the OG PTA website.

Memorial Service

The family of Liz Benn invites you to attend a memorial service to honor and celebrate the life of their daughter, sister and our teacher.

Date: March 2

Time: 3 pm
Location: First Congregational Church
108 Sound Beach Avenue

Reception immediately following at the FCC auditorium with refreshments.

You may also send your sympathies to Liz's parents and siblings at the below address:

Mr. and Mrs. Robert Benn

79 Indian Cave Road
Ridgefield, CT 06877

From the Office

Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) Update

Attention parents of grade 3, 4 and 5 children. The CMT will be administered to all students beginning Thursday, February 28 and ending Thursday March 14. Make-ups will be administered through March 22. The daily testing times are 9 - 11:30 am. Students who arrive at school after 9 am will be held in the office until the testing is complete for that day. The test make-up will result in missed class time. All grade 3, 4 and 5 students will be tested in the areas of writing, reading and mathematics, while grade 5 students will also be tested in science.

How can you help? Please make every effort to have your child maintain perfect attendance, get a good night's sleep and a healthy breakfast. Also, we ask that you impress upon your children how important it is that they do their best on each and every question. Finally, although we allow for test make-up time, we ask that you avoid making any appointments for your child during the CMTs. If you have any questions about this annual testing, do not hesitate to contact the classroom teacher or Abby Ostruzka, Assistant Principal.

At School

100th Day of School Canned Food Drive

Assembly Monday, February 25, 2:30 pm

Help the kindergarteners celebrate the 100th day of school and collect 100 cans from each classroom for Neighbor to Neighbor.

Please bring the following canned items in the morning, which will be collected at the assembly later that day:

Black Beans
Red Kidney beans
Vegetables
Fruits
Soup

Love Your Media Center Book Drive

Ends February 28, Media Center

Last chance to buy a book for the Media Center. Mrs. McHarg has pre-selected books that would be perfect additions to the Old Greenwich School collection. Send the purchase form and check with your child and the Media Center staff will help select a title, or feel free to join your child in the Media Center to review the books.

Incoming Kindergarten Registration Process

Parent Orientation, February 26, 9:30 - 10:30 am. Registration information will be given at this meeting.
Registration, March 11 - 15, by appointment.
Visitation Day, May 16.

GPS Middle School Math Program Informational Meeting

Monday, March 11, 9 - 11 am, Town Hall

Grade 5 parents please make note of this informational meeting presented by Brenda Brush, Dana Fesko and Bonnie O'Regan.

PTA

2013 - 2014 PTA Slate

The Nominating Committee is beginning the process of filling the 2013 - 2014 PTA slate. If you are interested in joining a committee or would like to nominate someone, please contact Lorraine Sweillam. PTA job descriptions are listed on the OGS Website.

2012 - 2013 Yearbook

Order Deadline Friday, March 22

Don't miss out on the 2012 - 2013 OGS yearbook. It's a great memento of your child's year at OGS. The yearbook will include individual and candid photos for all grades, plus photos of events that occurred throughout the year.

The cost of the yearbook is $25, if ordered by Friday, March 22. After that date, the price will increase to $30. We will not be ordering extra books to sell later. Only those orders placed will receive a yearbook. Please complete an order form and return it, along with a check made out to OG PTA, to the blue bins in the front hall.

Box Tops for Education

Submission Deadline Tuesday, February 26

Did you know that Old Greenwich School participates in Box Tops for Education? It's easy and your kids will love helping you cut and collect these labels. Please clip the Box Top labels from your favorite brands and submit them to the Box Top blue bin at the front of the school. OGS earns money for each label submitted. You can even go to the Box Tops for Education website to track our school's progress and to register for additional ways to earn free money for our school.

Positive Parenting by Dr. Julia Trebing

Wednesday, April 24, 7 pm, OGS Media Center

Please save the date for a positive parenting presentation by Dr. Julia Trebing. Dr. Trebing is a doctor of psychology and for more than 25 years has offered psychological care for children and their families, social skills groups and parenting programs. She has lectured nationwide and is well known and acclaimed for her successful, short term solution oriented therapy with children.

Advanced Learning Placement (ALP)

Student Identification Process

The process of identifying students in grades 2 through 5 for placement in 2013 - 2014 ALP has begun. This multi step process begins with a screening of students in math and language arts.

Parents of children who have been recommended for the evaluation phase will be notified by March 15. Parents must sign and return a consent form allowing their student to continue in the evaluation process by March 27.

Children may also be nominated for additional testing by their parents. The Parent Nomination Form will be available at your school office and on the ALP website after March 15 and must be returned to your school office by March 27.

Informational meetings will be held:

Tuesday, March 5 at 1 pm at the Byram Library

Wednesday, March 6 at 9 am at the Greenwich Library

Monday, March 11 at 6:30 pm at the Cos Cob Library

Tuesday, March 19 at 9:30 am at the Board of Education Building

Contact: Bonnie O'Regan, Program Facilitator at the ALP office 625-7462

PTA Thank You

Music on the Menu

Tracey Bruce, Stephanie Norton and Katja Pita

District News

Parents Supporting Educational Excellence (PSEE) Workshop

Thursday, February 28, 6 pm, First Presbyterian Church of Greenwich

Greenwich Public Schools will be offering a 12-week Parents Supporting Educational Excellence workshop series. This is a leadership course for parents who are interested in children's learning and improving schools. The course provides practical strategies for actively engaging with other parents, educators and community leaders to address public policy issues and improve schools for all children. More details are available on the PSEE website.

Contact: Mary Ann Murray

Please e-mail submissions to OGSBTW@gmail.com

Submissions should be in the text of the e-mail and not in an attachment. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday at 3 pm.