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!

6/8/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

Last week we had a wonderful Field Day. It was a great day of
games and activities. The Field Day at Doolittle School is unique.
Years ago, our PE Teacher, Mr. Daly, started the tradition that
6th grade students plan and run each of the Field Day events.
Mr. Daly works with the 6th graders to organize their activity and
gather the appropriate equipment. Running Field Day activities
is an outstanding leadership opportunity for the oldest students
at Doolittle School. They always rise to the occasion and provide
the younger students with fun and entertaining games.

This week and last week we had Kindergarteners from Darcey,
who will be coming to Doolittle in the Fall, come for a visit.  
Students met in the cafeteria and received a hearty welcome
from Ms. Kaitlyn Wall, our new school counselor and me. The
students then spent some time in a first grade class to read a
book or two. Then they had snack and recess with the grade
one students. After recess members of our Doolittle Student
Council took the kindergarteners on a tour of Doolittle School
and told them about all the specials classes and shared some
of their favorite memories from first grade.

The PTA Mother/Son event: Me and My Special Lady was a lot of
fun last night!

5/18/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

We had quite a storm on Tuesday! I hope everyone made it through
safely. Our thoughts go out to those who are still without power.

I am looking forward to our concerts next week.

Monday, May 21 at 7pm is our Chorus and Orchestra Concert.

Wednesday, May 23 at 7pm is our 6th Grade Band Concert.

Pictures of the week:

The Art Show a few weeks ago featured some amazing
Doolittle Artwork!

5/11/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

Happy Mother’s Day to all our Doolittle moms.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Next week we are celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week
at Doolittle School. We moved it back one week so our
teachers were back from Nature’s Classroom.

Lobby Guard is Coming!!

Over the next few weeks, we will be joining all Cheshire
Public Schools in implementing the use of the LobbyGuard
entry management system.  All visitors to Doolittle will
need to have photo ID. Visitors will use their Id to create a
visitor sticker to wear while in the building. This system will
provide another layer of security to help ensure the safety
of all members of the Doolittle community.

A few other notes:

When coming to visit Doolittle School, please do not allow
“tailgaters” to follow you in the building once access has
been granted. Please do not go to the classroom without a
prior appointment with the teacher.

Pictures of the week:

First Graders making Animal Habitats in Library

The Doolittle Courtyard in spring

5/4/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

Finally we have some warm spring weather.

Our SBAC testing schedule got off to a great start this week.
Our students in grades 3-5 will finish up next Wednesday

Next Week many of our 6th graders will attend Nature’s Classroom
for a full week! We consider Nature’s Classroom to be school
in an alternate location – It’s NOT a just field trip! Students are
outside and on-the-go all week. They participate in many activities
and learn from Nature’s Classroom Teachers who have expertise
in a variety of fields. The experience helps them deepen the
friendships they have created as well as build new relationships
with other classmates. Nature’s Classroom is a great way to
prepare our students for the additional responsibility that they
will take on at Dodd. It lets them see that they can take care
of themselves.

More information is available at their website:

http://www.naturesclassroom.org/

Doolittle School will celebrate Teacher Appreciation Week
from Monday 5/14 through 5/18 due to Nature’s Classroom.

Pictures of the week:

The 5th Grade Band Concert last night was great!

Spring at Doolittle!

4/27/18

4/27/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

Next Week we will begin SBAC testing at Doolittle School.

We would appreciate your efforts to have you child get a good night’s
sleep and arrive at school on time. While we know that Standardized
Testing is not the ultimate measure of a child or a school, we want our
students to “show what they know” on the test. We use this test data
to make decisions about support or challenge for students as well as
overall areas of focus for our school.

Below is the schedule:

We test for about 90 minutes each day.

Date	Grades	SBAC Test
Tuesday, May 1	Grade 3-6	CAT 1 ELA
Wednesday, May 2	Grade 3-6	CAT 2 ELA
Thursday, May 3	Grade 3-5 Grade 6	CAT 1 Math Make-ups
Friday, May 4	Grade 3-5 Grade 6	CAT 2 Math CAT 2 Make-ups
Tuesday, May 8	Grade 3-5	PT 1 Math
Wednesday, May 9	Grade 3-5	PT  2 Math
Thursday, May 10	Grades 3-5	Make-ups
Friday, May 11	Grades 3-5	Make-ups
Tuesday, May 15	Grade 6	CAT1 Math
Wednesday, May 16	Grade 6	CAT2 Math
Thursday, May 17	Grade 6 Grade 5	PT1 Math NGSS SCIENCE FIELD TEST
Friday , May 18	Grade 6	PT2 Math
Monday, May 21	Grade 6	Make-ups

Here is the 18-19 School Calendar

Last night the Elementary Parent and Community Parent Forum on
Mental Health was held at Doolittle School. The session was geared
to help parents and community members understand the many ways
we work to support students’ social and emotional growth as well as
answer questions.

There is another Elementary Parent and Community Forum focusing
on Navigating Social Media & Technology on Monday, May 14 at 7pm
at Highland Elementary School.

Here are the details:

Our district screening of the film Screenagers this fall was very successful.  The film
examines a parent’s exploration of the challenges of deciding when to purchase a
smartphone for her daughter.  In meeting with our Townwide PTA, representatives
informed us that there was an interest in building on the themes of that film with a
workshop for parents on navigating the challenges of social media and technology.  
Maybe you aren’t familiar with Snapchat or want to learn more about our Gaggle
platform? We will have high school students and technology staff on-hand to provide
a quick technology overview before giving you the opportunity to engage and ask
any specific questions you may have or even help you set up an account.

Elementary Parents (Gr. K-6) - Monday, May 14th - 7 pm,
Highland Elementary School Cafeteria

Picture from the Elementary Parent and Community Parent Forum
on Mental Health

4/13/18

Hello Doolittle Families,

Doolittle has been a very vibrant and busy place these last few weeks.

Last Friday was the Doolittle PTA’s “Me and My Guy” Dance. There
were many well dressed young ladies and gentlemen.

Last night and tonight the Doolittle PTA Drama Club presents “Annie Jr.”

Last night’s performance was AMAZING!

Thursday, Ryan Bell, a person with Treacher Collins syndrome - the
syndrome that affects Auggie Pullman in the book and movie “WONDER”
addressed the Doolittle Students with his excellent message of kindness
and acceptance. He also spoke about overcoming obstacles.

As I’m sure your know, Cheshire Public Schools have April Vacation
next week, 4/16-4/20.

When we return there are a few important dates:

There is a Parent forum for families who have a child that receives
Special Education on April 25th at 6pm in the CHS Commons. The
night will focus on reading and understanding IEP’s.

On April 26th at Doolittle School there will be a Parent Forum in the
gym about Social and Emotional learning.

Have a wonderful vacation next week!

Pictures of the week:  

Annie!

Ryan Bell at Doolittle School

Doolittle Teachers Participated in the Harlem Wizards Game on Tuesday

Our Town Meeting today was full of information about Doolittle School