12/23/16

Hello Doolittle Families,

I wish you all much happiness and time together during the holidays and next week while we are on vacation.  

Regardless of how and what you celebrate, passing on family traditions and talking about them is good for kids.

Our first day of school in 2017 is Tuesday January 3rd.

See you all then!

12/16/16

Hello Doolittle Families,

On Thursday the Doolittle Chorus, Band and Orchestra performed for all the students at our school. They were fantastic!

We are fortunate to have strong music teachers at Doolittle School:

Mrs. Weed

Mrs. Odell

Mr. Szulczewski

Next week these groups have their evening performances:

Band - Tuesday, 12/20

Orchestra & Chorus - Wednesday, 12/21

Both nights begin at 7pm in the Doolittle Gym.

Remember that next Friday 12/23 is an early dismissal day.

The following week there is no school for Winter Vacation.

School begins again on Tuesday 1/3/17.

Pictures of the week:

6th Graders Programming Robots

12/9/16

Hello Doolittle Families.

As we get ready for winter, be sure your family has a plan for inclement weather.  Most importantly, Doolittle School Staff needs to know how you would like your child to go home in the event of an emergency early dismissal.

On PowerSchool in the Demographics Tab there is a place for transportation notes. You can list your plans for how your child should go home if we have an unplanned early dismissal. PowerSchool

This year ALL delayed openings will be 2 hours.

If it becomes necessary to cancel school, delay opening, or dismiss early, due to weather conditions, announcements will be made on local television and radio stations.

We encourage all Doolittle families to take advantage of the early notification services offered by news organizations such as NBC30.  

Log onto www.NBC30.com to register for this free service.

Typically I receive the text from NBC only a few minutes after I receive a text from the Superintendent!

Our winter concerts are coming up:

Band - 12/20 at 7pm

Strings / Chorus - 12/21 at 7pm

Picture of the Week:

Preparing for the Concert!

12/2/16

Hello Doolittle Families,

How did it get to be December already?

Report Cards will be sent home on Monday, December 12. Elementary School grades in Cheshire are based on a rubric score of 1-4 and are not a numeric average of test scores, work scores, etc. Our Report Cards are intended to communicate with parents about how their child is progressing toward our end of year common standards.  

The following information comes from the Parent Report Card Handbook.

Teachers use number and letter codes to answer three evaluation questions for each student:

1. To what extent has this student achieved grade level expectations and standards?

2. To what degree does this student demonstrate effort during learning, especially when tackling challenging, new content and skills?

3. To what extent is this child developing the characteristics of successful learners?

The report card uses two different grading keys to communicate the answers to these three questions:

one for the academic areas (Question 1) and one to describe learning behaviors and effort (Questions 2-3).

Within the academic areas there are four numerical codes that will be used to tell parents and students how student work compares to grade level expectations and standards:

4: Exceeds the Grade Level Standards/Expectations: The student consistently and independently applies the grade level standards/expectations in this category to advanced content.

3: Meets the Grade Level Standards/Expectations: The student independently demonstrates the grade level standards/expectations in this category.

2: Approaches the Grade Level Standards/Expectations: The student requires some teacher assistance to demonstrate the grade level standards/expectations in this category.

1: Not Meeting the Grade Level Standards/Expectations: The student does not yet demonstrate the grade level standards/expectations in this category.

The full Parent Report Card Handbook can be found at the link below:

http://www.cheshire.k12.ct.us/district-departments/curriculum--instruction/report-cards

Picture of the Week:

Grade 2 students study weather in science.

On Tuesday the NBC First Alert Weather Tracker came for a visit.

A video of our second graders will be aired on Monday morning (DEC. 5th) from 4:30-7:00 a.m on NBC.

11/23/16

Hello Doolittle Families,

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to pause and reflect on all the good things in our lives.

Taking time to talk about things you and your family are grateful for, is good for kids.

Helping children focus on the positive and be mindful of what is right with their lives, builds on their natural resilience and perseverance.

Helping children humbly appreciate their individual strengths, talents and accomplishments helps them build an authentic sense of self esteem.

Picture of the week:

Doolittle School is home to a unique family of Black Squirrels!

11/18/16

Hello Doolittle Families,

Happy American Education Week!

Our American Education Week has been very busy. Parent visits throughout the week seemed to go very well. These visits are a great opportunity for parents to get a peek inside their child’s classroom and get a sense of how the classroom runs as well as see some of the expectations and routines that teachers have. Also these visits serve as another opportunity to support communication between families and school.

The PTA ice cream social on Tuesday was a lot of fun. Many families turned out, despite the rain. Students seemed to have a great time eating ice cream and shopping at the Book Fair.

Speaking of the Book Fair, EVERYONE at Doolittle School is grateful to the PTA and all the volunteers who worked during the week to provide this awesome experience for our children. The book fair always motivates students to read and gets books in their hands!

On Wednesday night, Mr. Solan hosted the Superintendent’s Awards Dinner. Students are nominated for the Superintendent’s award based on their service to others, community service and positive leadership. Each year Doolittle School nominates one Fifth Grader and one Fourth Grader to receive the award. It was great to see that in addition to our two nominees at least four students from Dodd and Cheshire High School were Doolittle Alumni.

Last night, Thursday 11/17, at the Board of Education Meeting, Doolittle’s own Kristina Veilleux received the School Partnership award for all she does for our school as a PTA member, Instructional Assistant and, most importantly, Mom.

Also last night Mr. Shawn Parkhurst was appointed as our new Assistant Superintendent.

Picture of the Week:

Book Fair!

11/11/16

Hello Doolittle Families,

Happy Veteran’s Day!

At our Town Meeting this morning, in addition to our usual spotlights, students sang patriotic songs and heard from our Assistant Principal, Mrs. Susan Lessard, who served in the first gulf war; Desert Storm.

At our Town Meeting students also had a chance to say goodbye to our School Counselor, Tamara Kelly. Today was her last day at Doolittle School.  Mrs. Kelly has taken a position in the Wallingford School System. She has made a positive impact on our school and we all wish her the best in her new job.  

We recently completed the hiring process for our new Counselor and hope to have her start very soon. In the meantime, Teri Averack, our current School Psychologist, will be filling in. Mrs. Averack has been a staff member at our school for a number of years and knows many students. If you ever have concerns about your child’s social-emotional well being, please feel free to call the Doolittle office.

Next week is American Education Week

As part of our celebration, families are formally invited to visit their child’s classroom at the times below:

Grade 1 - Wednesday, 11/16  from 12:30-1:30

Grade 2 - Thursday, 11/17 from 9:00-10:00

Grade 3 - Tuesday, 11/15 from 10:00-11:00

Grade 4 - Thursday, 11/17 from 9:30-10:30

Grade 5 - Tuesday, 11/15 from 8:30-10:00

Grade 6 - Wednesday, 11/16 from 8:30-10:30

• The PTA Book Fair will be in the All-Purpose Room during the week.
• The PTA will hold its annual Ice Cream social on Tuesday 11/15.

Picture of the Week:

Our Veteran’s Day Mural - created by Doolittle Students - is now hanging in the

Waterbury V A.

10/28/16

Hello Doolittle Families,

I hope to see you at our Trunk or Treat tonight!

• Grades 1&2: 6-7pm
• Grades 3&4: 6:30-7:30pm
• Grades 5&6: 7-8pm
• Students will begin in the All Purpose Room.
• We ask those attending to bring a bag of candy to share.

Many thanks to those helping this evening!

American Education Week 2016 is 11/14-11/18

As part of our celebration, families are formally invited to visit their child’s classroom at the times below:

Grade 1 - Wednesday, 11/16  from 12:30-1:30

Grade 2 - Thursday, 11/17 from 9:00-10:00

Grade 3 - Tuesday, 11/15 from 10:00-11:00

Grade 4 - Thursday, 11/17 from 9:30-10:30

Grade 5 - Tuesday, 11/15 from 8:30-10:00

Grade 6 - Wednesday, 11/16 from 8:30-10:30

• The PTA Book Fair will be in the All-Purpose Room that week.
• The PTA will hold its annual Ice Cream Social on Tuesday 11/15.

Picture of the Week:

Students in Grades 4-6 saw the presentation “Revolutionary Women” on Wednesday. This presentation was sponsored by our excellent PTA.

10/21/16

Hello Doolittle Families,

With chilly mornings and warm afternoons, fall is the peak time for students to lose jackets, sweatshirts, coats, hats and other items! The Doolittle Lost and Found bins are located in the cafeteria.  Please ask your child to check the bin for any items that he or she may be missing.  Parents are welcome to come check the bins as well, just be sure to sign in at the office. Labeling your child’s belongings with his or her name will assist in their return.  Unclaimed items are donated to charity twice during the year.

Upcoming Schedule:

• Tuesday 10/25 - Early Dismissal for Parent Conferences
• Thursday 10/27 - Early Dismissal for Parent Conferences
• Friday 10/28 - PTA Trunk or Treat
• Grades 1&2: 6-7pm
• Grades 3&4: 6:30-7:30pm
• Grades 5&6: 7-8pm
• Students will begin in the All Purpose Room. We ask those attending to bring a bag of candy to share.
• The Cheshire Food Drive will have a barrel for collecting non-perishable items in Doolittle School next week.

Picture of the Week:

Foliage at Doolittle School

10/14/16

Hello Doolittle Families,

Each Friday afternoon right before dismissal, I meet with one bus of students. During these meetings I explain that I want students to enjoy their ride to and from school. I simplify my expectations for bus behavior into 3 brief rules:

1. Be Safe

2. Be Nice

3. Follow the Seating Plan

I ask students to give examples of the first two rules and they always have great suggestions such as; stay seated, keep your hands to yourself, and no bad language.

Then the students and I review the seating plan. 6th grade students get the back seats, then 5th grade and then 4th grade. Students in grades 1, 2 and 3 should be anywhere from the front of the bus to the middle but not in the back.

Finally, I ask the students to tell me about any situations going on during the bus ride that they would like me to address. I ask them not to name names in front of everyone but to let me know what is happening. Then we discuss how to handle these specific situations.

I know the bus ride can be challenging as there are many students and limited supervision. I ask for parents’ help in addressing bus expectations with their children.

If there is ever a problem on your child’s bus, please let me know and I will do my best to address and end the problem.

Picture of the Week:

We have new cafeteria tables which greatly help with setup and clean-up.

They also allow more students to sit together which is socially beneficial.

10/7/16

Hello Doolittle Families,

I’m looking forward to our Trunk or Treat. It was a lot of fun last year.

Volunteers from the PTA are working to make it even better this year.

Trunk or Treat will be on Friday, October 28.

To eliminate the long lines that occurred last year we are staggering times for students to come based on grade level. Siblings are welcome to attend whichever time works better for families.

Grades 1&2: 6-7pm

Grades 3&4: 6:30-7:30pm

Grades 5&6: 7-8pm

Students will begin in the All Purpose Room.

We ask those attending to bring a bag of candy to share.

Next week we are off on Monday for Columbus Day and Wednesday for Yom Kippur.

Picture of the Week:

The Cheshire High School Marching Band performed for us this week!

9/30/16

Hello Doolittle Families,

I can’t believe we are almost into October. Our first month in school has flown by!

Conferences:

In October we have parent conferences scheduled on Wednesday 10/19, Tuesday 10/25 and Thursday 10/27. These are early dismissal days; Doolittle School lets out at 12:40.

Conferences are important! Conferences are an opportunity to ask about your child’s strengths and needs as well as how you can work with the teacher to ensure they are learning as much as they can. Most importantly conferences help create and maintain lines of communication between families and school. Good communication is key in helping students succeed.

Call the office if you have questions or need to set up a time to meet with your child's teacher.

FOOD!

A number of folks have asked for more clarification on our new procedure for maintaining control over what food comes into classrooms.

• No food should enter classrooms unless it is pre-packaged with an ingredient list beginning on Monday, October 17th.
• ALL food means both snacks and food for celebrations.

• There are no restrictions on food eaten in the cafeteria.

• We’ve always had peanut and treenut free classes. How we manage these rooms has not changed and requiring pre-packaged food should make things better!
• Mainly we would like to eliminate homemade food in classrooms (snacks, parties, celebrations, etc.) as we have no way to verify the ingredients
• Fruit and veggies are OK
• If you buy snacks in bulk (big bag of pretzels) and then send in a smaller bag for snack - this is OK but we need the ingredient list the first time. Take a picture and email it to your child’s teacher or Mrs. Zimmitti.
• When parents purchase things from a restaurant (like a pizza) this is OK but we need an ingredient list from the restaurant or assurances that it does not contain peanuts, treenuts or whatever other allergens are a concern in your child’s classroom.
• Let me or Mrs. Zimmitti know if you have questions.
• It is a good idea for room parents to contact Mrs. Zimmitti before any event involving food.
• Safe Snack Guide

Picture of the Week:

A young man who has been away serving our country, stopped in

to surprise his little sisters.