The Foote School 
E-News
October 30, 2014
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Halloween Parade & Fair Tomorrow!


The annual Halloween Parade and Fair is tomorrow - Halloween Day, Friday, Oct. 31! Here is the schedule of events:
  • 12:30 p.m. - All-school dismissal. There will be no After School Program, sports practices or play rehearsal. Eighth and ninth graders will remain on campus. Parents of students in grades K-7 are responsible for their children from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m., and again after the parade. If going home between 12:30 and 1:45 will be problematic, parents are welcome to bring lunch and eat with your child at one of the picnic tables on campus.

  • 1:45 p.m. - Students in grades K-7 meet in classrooms
  • 2:00 p.m. - Halloween parade on the Middle School recess field, followed by the fair
  • 4:00 p.m. - Fair ends
  • 4:30 p.m. - Pickup for eighth and ninth graders

Kindergarten and MAG students will return to classrooms after the parade to meet their parents. Parents may then take their children to the fair.

 

Third graders will meet their parents at the hill by the arts building after the parade.

 

Fourth graders will be dismissed to their parents on the Middle School recess field at the end of the parade.

 

Fifth, sixth and seventh graders have responsibilities at the fair and will be free to enjoy the fair with parents when their jobs are done.

 

Eighth and ninth graders will remain on campus after dismissal to set up and decorate. They will need to bring a lunch. After the fair, they will clean up. The traditional pizza dinner for the clean-up crew will be enjoyed at a later date so that students can get home for trick-or-treating. Pickup is at 4:30 p.m.

 

Tickets for games, food and other fair activities cost 25 cents each and will be available at various locations on campus before 8:15 a.m. Tickets will also be sold at the fair. A portion of the proceeds from the fair will go to Columbus House in New Haven, which runs shelters and programs for the homeless.  

 

** Please note that the city prohibits parking on the residential side of Loomis Place.

 

Questions? Please contact Cindy Raymond at craymond@footeschool.org. 

 
AllSchoolNewsALL SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Open Houses This Weekend!


This weekend, Foote is holding two open houses for prospective families:
  • Saturday, Nov. 1 at 9:30 a.m. for families applying to Kindergarten, and at 10:00 a.m. for grades 1 through 5
  • Sunday, Nov. 2 at 1:00 p.m. for families applying to Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Click here for open house schedules and details.

 

In addition, Parent Tours are scheduled through January and provide a great opportunity for parents to see Foote's love of learning in action.

 

If you know families who might be interested in Foote, please let them know about these opportunities to visit our school.

  

Thank you!

 

    MSNewsMIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Secondary School Recommendation Forms


Parents of eighth and ninth graders:

If your child intends to apply to secondary schools this year, please remember that all recommendation forms must be submitted to the proper teacher and the Registrar's office by Wednesday, Nov. 26. On or before that date, please send an email with the subject line "Schools Applying To" to Liam Considine (lconsidine@footeschool.org) and Erika Villa (evilla@footeschool.org) indicating the final list of schools to which your child will be applying.

Additionally, please encourage your child to carefully complete and submit the student questionnaire that Mr. Considine will make available to them early next week.
Reminders: ERBs and Parent Conferences


Two reminders for Middle School parents:
If you have questions or need assistance scheduling conferences online, please contact Registrar Erika Villa at evilla@footeschool.org, or 203-777-3464 ext. 208.

   LSNewsLOWER SCHOOL NEWS AND INFORMATION
Bring Lunch On Parent-Teacher Conference Days

All Lower School students should bring lunch on the two parent-teacher conference days (Thursday, Nov. 6 and Friday, Nov. 7) whether they are staying for After School Program or going home.

Thank you!

Reminder: ERB Tests for Grade 5


Fifth graders will take eight timed sections of the ERB standardized test on Thursday, Nov. 6 and Friday, Nov. 7. There is a 12:30 p.m. dismissal on both days (After School Program is available).

On Monday, Nov. 10, and Tuesday, Nov. 11, the fifth graders will complete the writing portion of the test during the regular Language Arts block. An email with more detail about the test was sent to Grade 5 parents on Oct. 27.

 PTCNewsPTC NEWS
November PTC Meeting


Parent Teacher Council Meeting

Wednesday, Nov. 5
3:15 p.m. in the Sturley Room

All parents are welcome and encouraged to attend.

Questions? Email PTC Co-Presidents Christina Herrick and Rosa Holler at ptc@footeschool.org.

Book Fair and Author Visit: Volunteers Needed!



Parent volunteers are needed for the annual Book Fair, taking place Nov. 18-20. Click here to sign up as a volunteer. Thank you!


DayInLifeA DAY IN THE LIFE OF FOOTE
Fifth Graders Weather the Storm at Deer Lake

Rain and thunder couldn't dampen the spirits of fifth graders during their big trip to Deer Lake last week. While the weather wasn't ideal, the fifth grade had a wonderful time exploring the Killingworth scout reservation and participating in canoeing, rock-climbing, archery, pond study, forestry and team-building activities. They had their camp fire indoors, and and even squeezed a night hike in during a break in the thunderstorms. "The kids were real troopers, despite some pretty cold and nasty weather," says fifth grade teacher Jake Burt. Find more photos on the the blogs of fifth grader teachers Jake Burt, Jim Adams and Adam Solomon.

Learning About Native Cultures and Themselves

What's your spirit animal? Seventh graders pondered that question as part of a project making Native American shields. Inspired by the Blackfeet Nation in Montana, where art teacher Karla Matheny went on sabbatical last summer, the shields served as self-portraits for the students. Each shield depicts an animal the student most identified with, and three others that represent traits to which they aspire.

In humanities class, the students then chose a name based on their central animal that would serve as their Native American name (in the Cree tradition) and as the title for a poem about how the animals relate to the author. Among the names chosen were "Playful Otter," "Soaring Hawk," and "Protective Mountain Lion."




The shields are now hanging in the main building hallway, where seventh graders gathered to read their poems aloud and offer positive critiques of their peers' work. "The project was a great collaboration between art and humanities that offered interdisciplinary connections,  allowed for personal introspection and exhibited the creativity of our seventh grade students," Karla says.

From the Faculty Blogs

Jess McKinney's Kindergarten class learned all about skin from a special guest.

Meanwhile, fruit flies were the focus of a special guest in Sue Delaney and Cara Hames' MAG classes.

Fifth graders had some pre-Halloween fun with their third grade buddies (pictured). Adam Solomon and Amanda Diffley have photos and a "wrap-up."

Curriculum Coordinator Lauren Goldberg imagines how Alice (from Wonderland) would have fit in at Foote.

Head of Middle School John Turner blogs about  getting dunked for a good cause.

To read more, check out the Lower School blogs and Middle School blogs.  
DatesDates to Remember
Oct. 31 - Halloween Parade & Fair (No After School, sports or play rehearsal)
Nov. 6-7 - ERB Testing (Grades 5 - 8) - All School Dismissal 12:30 p.m.
Nov. 6-7 - Middle School and Lower School Conferences (by appt)
Nov. 14 - Professional Development Day - NO SCHOOL - No Vacation Program
Nov. 18-20 - Book Fair and Author Visit