6/14/19

Hello Doolittle Families

Our last week of school was filled with many activities and bittersweet
moments.

On Wednesday we held a wonderful promotion ceremony for our 6th
graders. We wish them well in middle school next year. On Thursday
we had our last town meeting of the year. It was a high-energy
meeting with lots of singing, art work, sharing our community service
experiences and having some laughs too.

I wish everyone a happy, safe and fun summer.

My summer advice to students is, "Do something everyday to make
yourself stronger and smarter!"

For Some Great Pictures - Check out Doolittle’s Twitter Page!
https://twitter.com/SchoolDoolittle

5/17/19

Hello Doolittle Families,

The wonderful Doolittle PTA has been hard at work this week.

We celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week this week due to Nature's Classroom being last week.

The PTA provided a lot of wonderful food and gifts for teachers.

The PTA Ice Cream Social last night was well attended.

This week was also the PTA Spring Book Fair which was a big hit with kids.

The teachers and I are very thankful for the work of our PTA and

all the Families who support the PTA by being members.

For Pictures - Check out Doolittle’s Twitter Page!
https://twitter.com/SchoolDoolittle

4/5/19

Hello Doolittle Families,

The Doolittle Kindness Campaign was featured on Fox 61 News!

elementary-school-students-in-cheshire-work-to-spread-kindness/

The April Doolittle PTA meeting is next Tuesday 4/9/19 at 7pm.

April 15-19 there is NO School for April Break.

When we return from April Break, Students in grades 3-6 will begin
the Smarter Balanced Assessment - SBA or SBAC test.

Grade 6 will begin on Wednesday April 24 and grades 3-5 will begin
on Wednesday May 1st.

For Pictures - Check out Doolittle’s Twitter Page! https://twitter.com/SchoolDoolittle

3/29/19

Hello Doolittle Families,

- Our Parent Conferences have gone well the past two weeks. Please
follow up with your child’s teacher or me if you have lingering questions
or concerns as we continue into the last term of the year.

- Families are asked to honor our Rule that NO Dogs are permitted on
School Property especially during dismiss and arrival.

- Placement for 2019-2020

A letter about Placement went home to all parents a few weeks ago.
Soon Doolittle School staff will begin making preliminary classroom
lists for next year.

If you have information that you would like taken into account when
assignments are made, please write me a letter by Monday,
April 1, 2019.

It is important that we get this information NOW so we can do our
best to take it into account when making preliminary lists.  Information
shared later or at the end of the year may not be taken into account.

Requests for specific teachers cannot be honored.

Our primary goals are to create classrooms that reflect the diversity
of students in our school, as well as place each child in an environment
where s/he will learn best.  We accomplish these goals by balancing
classes with regard to gender, academic performance, learning needs,
work habits, and social-emotional development. Teachers try to ensure
that a few classmates move together to new classes and that known
peer conflicts are separated.

For Pictures - Check out Doolittle’s Twitter Page!
https://twitter.com/SchoolDoolittle

3/22/19

Hello Doolittle Families,

Here are some important reminders:

On Monday, March 25 at 6:oo pm at Doolittle School, all parents
are invited to a Workshop for Parents focusing on supporting
children’s mental health and well- being, as well as recognizing
and addressing signs of trauma in children.

Tuesday, March 26th is an Early Dismissal day for parent conferences;
we dismiss at 12:40 pm.  The YMCA aftercare is open on planned
Early Dismissal days.

On Wednesday, March 27th, Grade 6 parents are invited to a
Nature's Classroom meeting at 7:00 pm in Rms 122/124.  All
the necessary forms will be passed out and much information
shared. Please attend if your student will be participating in the
Nature's Classroom trip.

For Pictures - Check out Doolittle’s Twitter Page!
https://twitter.com/SchoolDoolittle

3/15/19

Hello Doolittle Families.
The letter below was emailed to all families yesterday and a hard copy will be sent home on Monday 3/18.

We are happy to announce that we are using a new version of PowerSchool that allows families to access their child's Report Card on line. Hard Copies of Report Cards will not be sent home.

Please read below:

Dear Families,

As you will recall, in order to more efficiently and effectively communicate students’
progress, Cheshire Public Schools will be utilizing a new version of PowerSchool which
enables us to share progress reports digitally.  These progress reports/report cards will
emain permanently archived in PowerSchool throughout the student’s tenure with
Cheshire Public Schools.  

Using the digital version of the progress report will ensure that parents have immediate
access to their child’s end of marking term grades. A digital progress report will eliminate
a hard copy getting lost or forgotten at school.  It also provides instant access to parents
who share child custody and eliminates the need for a paper copy to be mailed to a
different address.

Progress Reports will be released to Power School on Monday, March 18th after
10:00 a.m. Below you will find instructions on how to access your child’s report card in
PowerSchool.

To access a report, please log in to your PowerSchool account and click on the
Report Cards icon in the left-hand menu.  If you need help creating/logging into
your parent portal account, please see our Cheshire Public Schools PowerSchool
Parent Guide. If you have an account already and need to connect one or more
children to it, please contact each child's school directly for the access
code/password letter.

As we make this transition, should you need help accessing your child’s second
term progress report, please do not hesitate to contact the school’s main office.  
For families without email or internet access, we will gladly send home a hard copy;
just contact your child’s school and let them know.

Thank you in advance for your support as we make this transition.

Sincerely,

Donald F. Wailonis

Interim Assistant Superintendent

Cheshire Public Schools

3/8/19

Hello Doolittle Families,

REMINDERS FOR UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday, March 11th, 6 - 7 pm - Nature’s Classroom meeting in
the All Purpose Room with 6th grade parents to discuss different
options for Nature’s Classroom and to hear all of your suggestions
and thoughts.

Tuesday, March 12th, 6 - 7 pm - Informational Family Math Night
to help you understand Cheshire Elementary math curriculum, and
to share some of the specific strategies that we do in the different
grade levels. For planning purposes, please RSVP HERE.  We want
to make sure that we have enough materials prepared.

Friday, March 15th - NO SCHOOL for students.

Tuesday, March 19th - Early dismissal for parent conferences.

Thursday, March 21st - Early dismissal for parent conferences.

Friday, March 22nd - Picture day!

Tuesday, March 26th - Early dismissal for parent conferences.

Doolittle Events Calendar

For Pictures - Check out Doolittle’s Twitter Page!

• https://twitter.com/SchoolDoolittle

3/1/19

Hello Doolittle Families,

Today we celebrated what would have been Dr. Seuss’s 115th birthday.
Students read and listened to Dr. Seuss books.

You can see pictures on our Twitter Page!

https://twitter.com/SchoolDoolittle

Teachers are working hard to plan a Math Night for Doolittle and Darcey
parents and students. It will be held on March 12th at 6:00pm. Please
use the link below to sign up so we know how many Families are coming.

Doolittle Math Night

Right after Math Night we will hold our March PTA Meeting at 7pm.

2/22/19

Hello Doolittle Families,

We held our monthly Fire Drill this morning. Although we had 5
substitutes in the building due to some professional development,
students exited the building orderly and quickly. Once outside we
use walkie talkies to communicate the whereabouts of students
and classes and were able to account for every student at Doolittle
in a matter of minutes.

Anytime we conduct a safety drill such as a Fire Drill, Lockdown
or Secure School drill there are first responders on hand to observe
and give us feedback. The first responders that were present today
will send us a report with feedback and we will use their suggestions
to make our drills run even more efficiently.

This Saturday 2/23 is the Discovery Expo! Students from across
Cheshire will be presenting projects in the areas of Science,
Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math.

More information at the link below:

https://sites.google.com/cheshire.k12.ct.us/cpsdiscoveryexpo/home

For Pictures - Check out Doolittle’s Twitter Page!

• https://twitter.com/SchoolDoolittle

2/15/19

Hello Doolittle Families,

Reminder - Cheshire Public Schools are closed Monday 2/18 for
Presidents’ Day and Tuesday 2/19 for February Break.

Our Town Meeting today was great. Our Town Meeting theme
every February is Kindness. Our MC’s introduced each spotlight
and kept the meeting rolling. Members of the student council
shared about a leadership conference they attended. Students
of the Month were recognized. Students read poems about

kindness and and shared artwork.

For Pictures - Check out Doolittle’s Twitter Page!

• https://twitter.com/SchoolDoolittle

2/8/19

Hello Doolittle Families,

A few folks have expressed concern over the parent parking lot during
dismissal. If you pick up your children up after school please have
patience and obey traffic laws. Police have been informed of the
concerns and have followed up with the drivers of vehicles that have
parked on the grass or sidewalk. I am working with our facilities crew
to extend the fence or place barriers along the Oak Avenue entrance
to prevent cars from parking on the lawn or sidewalk.

I also strongly encourage parents who are picking up their students to
use the Parent Pick Up Procedure instead of signing their child out
as a walker. It is much more safe and secure.

Students following the parent pick up procedure walk in an orderly line
to the gym and wait there for parents to get them. Students who are
listed as walkers by their parents are allowed to leave the building on
their own to walk home.

If you are driving to school to get your child please use the parent pick
up procedure and meet your child in the gym. I ask that you not try to
meet your child in the parking lot.

If you have questions or concerns about our Dismissal procedures,
please call the office at 203-272-3549.

I greatly appreciate everyone’s efforts to ensure that our dismissal
runs smoothly and safely each day.

For Pictures of the week - Check out Doolittle’s Twitter Page!

• https://twitter.com/SchoolDoolittle

2/1/19

Hello Doolittle Families,

I hope the Groundhog will NOT see his shadow tomorrow and that
we will have an early spring!

Many students have been talking about the SuperBowl this weekend.
The Super Bowl offers a great opportunity to talk about good
sportsmanship. At school especially later in the year as we prepare
for Field Day, we encourage students to root for their team and not
root against the other team. We also encourage students to be
respectful of the other team whether they win or lose.

Using Math Strategies:

1/30/19

Vigil for Anjelita

Friends and family of Anjelita Estrada have organized a Vigil for Friday February 1st at 6pm on the Town Green. If weather is bad, the vigil will be moved to the church parish hall. 

1/11/19

Informational Forum for Doolittle Parents

Wednesday, January 16, 2019

7:00-9:00 pm, Doolittle School Gymnasium

Parents are invited to Doolittle School for a night of information and support as we
continue to cope with the tragic passing of Anjelita Estrada.

Administrators and Mental Health Staff will attend the forum, including:
- Christa Saraceni, School Psychologist
- Heather Pach, School Psychologist
- Michelle Piccerillo, Cheshire Human Services
- Jeff Solan, Superintendent
- Tracy Hussey, Director of Pupil Personnel Services
- Russ Hinckley, Principal Doolittle School

At the Forum we will:
- Review the steps that were put in place to support students, families and staff
- Provide an overview of Social and Emotional Learning at Doolittle School
- Explain the practices that are in place to address Bullying
- Share information and resources about suicide, including warning signs
- Provide contact information for District and School administrators and support staff for
parents to bring individual comments, concerns and questions
- Provide the opportunity to schedule individual meetings with local and school mental
health professionals to address any concerns for your child

We believe this night will be informative and helpful to Doolittle Families.

Many thanks for your continued support.