12/21/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

I wish you all a wonderful Winter vacation and many blessings and

much happiness in the new year!

We had a wonderful Town Meeting this morning. Students sang

holiday songs and received all their classroom gifts from our

amazing PTA.

We will return from our December break on Wednesday,

January 2nd.

12/14/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

Report Cards came out on Monday. We have a new program for our
Report Cards. From now on Report Cards will be available to parents
electronically. We will email them in March and then in June parents
will be able to access their child’s report cards through powerschool.

Our Winter Concerts this week were wonderful.

On Monday, December 17 at 7pm in the gym is our Band and
Strings concert.

Chorus Concert!

11/21/18

Happy Thanksgiving to all Doolittle Families!

I hope you have many opportunities to discuss all the things for which
you are thankful with your children. Having kids focus on the good
things in their lives helps them develop their ability to persevere and
maintain a positive attitude when challenges arise.

Statements of Thanks in Third Grade:

11/16/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

What a busy week.

Our Veterans’ Day Town Meeting on Monday was excellent. Students
sang a number of patriotic songs and were riveted by Warrant Officer
Jone’s speech.

Our huge “Thank you Veterans” banner, signed by all Doolittle students,
is hanging in the West Haven VA.

Our American Education Week activities were great. Many thanks to all
the parents who came to visit classes during the week. It was a shame
we had to cancel the Ice Cream Social on Thursday evening but it was
definitely the right call. On Wednesday night we honored two wonderful
Doolittle students at the Superintendent’s Awards Dinner.

SAVE THE DATE!!! Internet Safety Presentation by Scott Driscoll at Dodd Middle School – The mission of Internet Safety Concepts is to help families learn about being safe while using the Internet and other technology. The Internet can be a fun and educational place, but if not used properly or with safety in mind, it can lead to some very serious and dangerous situations.  There is a presentation for parents only in the evening on Monday, December 3 in the Dodd Cafeteria from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.  The presentation aims to teach everyone how to make smart choices while using the Internet and today’s technology.  Parents, please mark your calendars for this extremely informative presentation. Please click here for Scott Driscoll’s Internet Safety Concepts website.  The Dodd PTA is sponsoring this event so it is free for parents.

11/2/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

American Education Week is November 12 through November 16.

Parents are invited to visit their child’s classroom at the following times:

• Grade 1 - Wednesday, 11/14  from 12:30-1:30
• Grade 2 - Thursday, 11/15 from 9:00-10:00
• Grade 3 - Tuesday, 11/13 from 10:00-11:00
• Grade 4 - Friday, 11/16 from 9:30-10:30
• Grade 5 - Tuesday, 11/13 from 8:30-10:00
• Grade 6 - Wednesday, 11/14 from 8:30-10:30

On Monday, November 12 we will celebrate Veterans’ Day with a
rousing Town Meeting featuring patriotic songs, messages of
gratitude to veterans and we will hear from a Doolittle parent who
is currently serving in the Army. 3rd grade is running a school-wide
community service project collecting extra Halloween candy to send
to troops. Our school will be creating a large poster, thanking
veterans, that will be hung at the Waterbury VA.

The TRUNK OR TREAT last Friday was SO much fun!

We had over 250 kids attend!

10/2618

Hello Doolittle Families,

Tonight is Doolittle School’s Trunk or Treat!  

I’m looking forward to some great costumes and lots of fun.

Grades 1-3 come at 6:00 and Grades 4-6 should come from 7-8.

Be sure to bring a bag of candy to share for each child attending.
We will collect the candy and distribute it to the participating trunks.

Dress warmly, it looks like the weather will be about 46 degrees.

Our Family/Teacher Conferences seemed to go well this week.
I trust that lines of communication were opened, questions were
asked and answered and plans were established for any lingering
concerns. Our next conferences will be scheduled in March but
DO NOT WAIT until then if you have a concern. Please call the school
or email your child’s teacher.

Parent Conferences!

10/19/18

Hello Doolittle Families.

There are two Early Dismissals next week for Family/Teacher
Conferences: Tuesday 10/23 and Thursday 10/25. If you have
NOT set up a conference with your child’s teacher - it’s never too
late. Call the office and we can help.

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.

Wildlife at Doolittle School!

Turtle in the Courtyard:

A Little Snake on the Playground  

Turkeys in front of the school

10/5/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

The very sad news about the passing of a Cheshire High School Teacher has directly affected Doolittle School as this was a former Doolittle family. I will be sure to keep the Doolittle community informed of plans to support the family and those affected by this wonderful teacher’s untimely passing.

Next Tuesday 10/9 at 7pm at Doolittle School is our October PTA meeting. We will discuss the many events and plans that the PTA has in store for this year. We will discuss the upcoming Trunk or Treat on Friday October 26.

I was asked to share the following link about a science activity:

Saturday Science at Yale

Morning Meeting in Grade 6

5th grade Portraits shouting out Hopes and Dreams

9/28/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

It’s hard to believe that next week we will start October. Our school year is off to a great start.

Family/ Teacher conferences have been scheduled for the last two weeks in October.

If you have NOT scheduled a conference yet, please call the Doolittle office at 203-272-3549.
Conferences are important times for families to hear about how their child is doing in school
and ask about their child’s strengths and needs.

Conferences days are Early Dismissal Days - 10/23; 10/25 and 10/30.  We also have an early
dismissal NEXT week, 10/3.

The PTA is planning the annual Doolittle TRUNK OR TREAT for Friday, October 26. This
is always a VERY fun event. Check the Doolittle PTA website for additional information:

http://www.cheshire.k12.ct.us/doolittle/parents-resources/doolittle-pta

Girls Scouts along with a Gerry Richards, who specializes in creating butterfly way stations,
worked on our courtyard yesterday afternoon.

Before:

After:

They did a GREAT Job!

9/14/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

We had our first Doolittle Town Meeting today. We hold Town Meetings
about 6 times during the year. The whole school gets together in the
gym to hear about the many activities and all the learning that is going
on at Doolittle School.

Town Meetings are completely run by students. We have MC’s who
present each Spotlight. During Spotlights groups of students present
about many topics such as community service projects, writing, student
council and social studies.

9/7/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

We had a very warm week. Thank you for your support as we dealt
with an inconsistent week of early dismissals and holidays!

OPEN HOUSE for grades 4-6 is next Thursday, 9/13 at 7pm.

We will begin the evening in the all purpose room. Most of the
evening will be spent in your child’s classroom hearing from the
teacher about class routines, curriculum and other information.

Follow us on Twitter - DoolittleSchool@SchoolDoolittle

8/31/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

We have had a great start to the school year!

We had a very warm day yesterday and a few warm days are
predicted for next week. Please be sure to dress your child in
appropriate clothing for the heat. We will be sure that students
are drinking water. Classes will work to maximize the use of the
few air conditioned spaces in our school.

A number of schools in Connecticut have dismissed early due
to heat. We need to be ready just in case we have an early
dismissal at some point next week. Be sure to enter your
emergency early dismissal information into the Transportation
Notes of the Demographics section in PowerSchool.

https://cheshirect.powerschool.com/public/home.html  

OPEN HOUSE for grades 1-3 is next Tuesday, 9/4 at 7pm. We
will begin the evening in the all purpose room. Most of the evening
will be spent in your child’s classroom hearing from the teacher
about class routines, curriculum and other information. OPEN
HOUSE for grades 4-6 is Thursday, 9/13 at 7pm.

Follow us on Twitter - DoolittleSchool@SchoolDoolittle

Beginning of the year pictures:

8/30/18

Hello Doolittle Families!

Our new year is off to a wonderful start. There were many smiling, happy faces as students walked into school for the first day. Thank you for instilling in your children a love of learning and the importance of school. It is great to work in a community that SO values education.

Be sure to follow Doolittle School on Twitter. You can find us at DoolittleSchool@SchoolDoolittle.

8/14/18

Hello Doolittle Families! I can’t wait to welcome back our awesome Doolittle students. The first day of the 18-19 school year is Thursday, August 30th. For students in Grades 2-6; classroom/teacher assignments for the 18-19 School  Year will be available on PowerSchool on Wednesday, August 15th. Due to fluctuations in enrollment district wide, grade one class assignments will not be available until next week. If you have any issues with PowerSchool, please contact Doolittle School at 203-272-3549 or email our secretary, Mrs. Brainard, at lbrainard@cheshire.k12.ct.us . Be sure to update your family’s information on PowerSchool under the Demographic icon https://cheshirect.powerschool.com/public/home.html   Dismissal Information needs to be recorded in PowerSchool before Aug. 30th. Make sure that the information we have about your child’s dismissal plans is accurate. Add the Monday - Friday dismissal plan (including what to do in an UNPLANNED early dismissal) in the After School Transportation Notes section on the Parent Portal. We want all children to get home safely and appropriately right from the FIRST DAY. There are a number of consent forms for parents to sign electronically; they will be accessible at http://www.cheshire.k12.ct.us/district-information/back-to-school-documents Important Dates and Information: Wednesday, August 22nd at 6:00 pm in the Doolittle Cafeteria, NEW parents are invited to a “Parent Orientation Night.”   This night will be very similar to the evening held in June for those who missed it.  Mr. Hinckley will review with you the day-to-day procedures at Doolittle and answer questions. Wednesday, August 29th from 11:45 - 12:30 Incoming first grade students and students new to Doolittle are invited to come to school to see their classrooms and meet their teachers.  First Grade Parents should bring their child to his/her classroom and then come to the cafeteria for a question and answer session. Thursday, August 30th is the first day of school.  It is a full day: 8:05-2:35. Arrival; Students are permitted to enter the building at 8:00 am.  All students should enter through the front doors. Students should not arrive earlier than five minutes prior to the start of school.   Parents who choose to drive their children to school must drop them off at the Oak Avenue entrance drop-off area only.   If your child is late to school, we encourage you to walk him or her into the office. Dismissal; Dismissal begins at 2:35. Parents may decide whether their child is dismissed as a Bus Rider, Parent Pick-up, or Walker.  Be sure your child’s dismissal information is correct in PowerSchool. (see page 1) Walkers - Students assigned by their parents as walkers are allowed to leave the building on their own at dismissal time. There is NO supervision for them outside of the school building. Parent Pick-up - Students assigned by their parents as Parent Pick-up, walk to the gym at dismissal time and wait there for parents.  Parents picking up children are asked to please park in the Oak Avenue parking lot or at the end of the Cornwall Avenue driveway and then walk to the gym to sign out their children with the teacher on duty.  ID may be required. Bus Riders - Students assigned by their parents as Bus Riders wait in their classrooms at dismissal time until their bus is called.  Bus numbers are called as each bus arrives. Safety Patrol members, carrying signs with bus numbers, escort students out of the building and to their assigned bus in an orderly manner. Students attending YMCA aftercare are dismissed from classrooms with the walkers and go straight to the Doolittle Cafeteria.  Please contact the Cheshire YMCA for more information about before school or after school programs at Doolittle School. If your child’s dismissal plans change for the day, we must have the changes in writing with a signature.  A note will ensure that everyone - teachers, office staff, and dismissal staff - is aware of the change. Visitors are welcome at Doolittle School but must follow our procedures for their arrival, presence, and departure so that the learning, welfare, and safety of all students is maintained. All visitors to Doolittle need to have photo ID.  All visitors, including parents, are required to report to the school’s Main Office and use the LobbyGuard management system to sign in and out. Visitors will use their ID to create a visitor sticker to wear while in the building. Teacher meetings and classroom visits are available by appointment.  ALL classroom visits and meetings must be previously arranged with the teacher.  Please call the main office or email the teacher to schedule a specific time and date if you want to visit your child’s class or meet with the teacher. There is no school on Monday, Sept. 3rd for Labor Day Our Open House dates for Parents are scheduled for: Tuesday, *September 4th* at 7pm for Grs. 1-3 Please note this VERY early date Thursday, September 13th at 7pm for Grs. 4-6 We will begin these evenings at 7:00pm in the All Purpose Room. Formal parent conferences will be scheduled in October.  Conference days are early dismissal days; school ends at 12:40 on those days. Information about Doolittle’s curriculum can be found at www.cheshire.k12.ct.us.                               Deposits may be made to your child’s lunch account anytime at www.MySchoolBucks.com.  The program will still accept checks made payable to Doolittle School Lunch Program.  The district website has a link to our Lunch and Nutrition department. Breakfast is available for all students.  Students who choose to get breakfast at school should stop in the cafeteria to pick up breakfast when they arrive and then eat in their classrooms. Students pay for breakfast the same way they pay for lunch. Our Doolittle PTA meets each month.  Check the PowerSchool Bulletin or join the Doolittle PTA to receive emails/notices about dates and times of meetings, programs, and opportunities to volunteer.  We encourage all families to join our awesome PTA! If you have ANY concerns now or in the future, please don’t hesitate to call your child’s teacher, our school counselor, Mrs. Demas, School Secretary, Mrs. Brainard, or Mr. Hinckley at 203-272-3549.   Never feel your concerns are too small – we would rather deal with small issues before they grow! The 2018-2019 school year is going to be FANTASTIC!