THE SOARING SCOOP

Dear Vogel-Wetmore Families,

Happy October, VW Families! 🍂 We are enjoying a wonderful start to the school year and are so proud of the learning, growth, and connections happening throughout our building each day. Our Eagles continue to SOAR, and we are grateful for the partnership, encouragement, and support you provide at home!

This month, we are excited to continue strengthening our Peaceful School Bus Initiative, which helps our students build positive relationships, practice respectful communication, and work together to make every bus ride a safe and enjoyable experience. By learning and practicing these important skills, our Eagles are helping create a bus environment where everyone feels safe, respected, and ready to start and end their school day on a positive note!

We are also continuing to reinforce our Eagle Code throughout the school. These shared expectations remind our students to be respectful, responsible, safe, and kind in all that they do. Whether in the classroom, cafeteria, hallway, playground, or on the bus, we encourage our Eagles to make choices that help everyone feel welcome, valued, and ready to learn. Thank you for reinforcing these important expectations at home, too. When school and families work together, amazing things happen!

Looking ahead, we are excited to welcome you to Parent-Teacher Conferences on November 18–20! More information will be coming your way! These conversations are a wonderful opportunity to celebrate your child's successes, share progress, and work together to support continued growth. We value your voice and look forward to partnering with you as we help every Eagle reach their full potential!

As the leaves change and fall settles in, we are reminded how much we grow when we support one another. Thank you for being such an important part of our Vogel-Wetmore community. We look forward to another amazing month of learning, laughter, kindness, and SOARING together!

With much appreciation and Eagle Pride, 💙💛

Your Vogel-Wetmore Administration Team,

Ms. Paye, Principal

Mrs. Morton, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Goodwin, Director of Student Services

Together, We SOAR! 🦅

VW Eagles are working very hard to be SAFE, RESPONSIBLE, & RESPECTFUL!

Congratulations to all of our students who earned an Eagle Card this month!

Our October Portrait of the Graduate Focus was being an Effective Collaborator which encompasses the skills of showing empathy, encouraging teamwork, and embracing diversity. Being an Effective Collaborator is one of the competencies of our Torrington Portrait of a Graduate. Click here to learn more, or visit our TPS Website.

We appreciate your partnership in promoting a positive learning environment for all students. Please be sure to celebrate your student when they earn a Soaring Eagle Card!

October Raffle Winners:

Alyza from Ms. Lamere's Class - Cookies and Connect 4 with Ms. Pruchnicki

Gianna from Ms. Pons' Class - Minecraft with Ms. Gajewski

Aiden from Ms. Pons' Class - Gardening with Ms. Quigley

Genevieve from Ms. Pruchnicki's Class - Fall Craft with Ms. Lopez

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING STUDENTS WHO HAVE NOT MISSED 1 DAY OF SCHOOL THIS PAST MONTH! We are so proud of their diligence and commitment to their learning!! Students, keep up your great efforts!! 47% OF OUR EAGLES HAVE NOT MISSED 1 DAY OF SCHOOL THIS PAST MONTH!! WE LOVE WHEN OUR EAGLES ARE WITH US!!

Yarita Arizaga Lema

Elias Coba Lopez

Maribella Fox

Saphira Lai

Miguel Lala Paguay

Julio Miranda Hipolito

Nicolas Shaw

Sterling Atlhea

Aidan Beringuel

Eva Guzman

Desmond Hendricks

Lyonna Lamson

Donavan Nokham

Liseth Torres Gonzabay

Maya Trahan

Emma Yashenko

Bailey Bergeron

Colbie Diaz

Randy Fawcett Jr.

Jacob Jurado

September Kovarovics

Jonathan Peguero

Jonathan Santana De Jesus

Aiden Ashby

Aria Bermundez

Nolan Bishop

Adriana Fawcett

Deborah Joseph

Justin Jurado

Eisley Logan Paul

Josiah Rascati

Mia Saltos

Christopher Briska

Nicholas Corsino

Rocket Coughlin

Helena Henrique Defarias

Leo Morocho

Jorge Vazquez Vega

Zooe Zhicay-Toalongo

Jahkoy Babcock

Ben Bochiccio

Alan Francisco

Addyson Gainley

Jason Heffernan

Isaac Munoz

Kairi Murray

Rhoslyn Penaranda

Hailee Penney

Camila Burgos

Braulio Chuquimarca

Dominick Garrison

Zayah Kobylarz-Dillard

Jamison Miller

Lily Palmer

Jaziel Pena Rosa

Our incredible Administrative Assistants run the show! Thanks so much for all you do Ms. Wadhams and Mrs. Picz!! We are truly grateful for every single, itty, bitty detail that you navigate each and every day to keep all of us smiling, soaring, and flying in the right direction!!

School Calendar - English

School Calendar - Spanish

Here is a reminder about our Attendance Policy:

📱 NEW THIS YEAR — Report Absences Right in ParentSquare!

You can now submit your Eagle’s absence directly through the ParentSquare app!
At the bottom of your ParentSquare app, next to Messages, you’ll see Attendance.

* Reporting NEW absences - Click the + sign at the top!!

From there, you can report your child’s absence AND upload documentation — including one of our handy absence notes or a doctor/provider note. It comes directly to the Main Office! 🙌

You can also let the Main Office know:
📧 vwoffice@torrington.org
📞 860-489-2570 — Option 1

📝 Reporting an Absence vs. Excusing an Absence

All absences count toward chronic absences. Chronic Absenteeism is defined as missing 10% of the school days that the student has been in attendance or 18 days for the school year.

Here’s the important part: letting us know your child will be absent and providing the documentation needed to excuse the absence are two different things.
You can demonstrate your commitment to your child's attendance by excusing allowable absences.

A phone call letting us know your child is home does not, by itself, change the absence to excused.

For those everyday sick days, a signed parent/guardian note in person OR ParentSquare Attendance Submission can provide the documentation needed for your child’s first nine absences. A doctor/provider note may also be used.
Starting with the 10th absence, a medical provider note WILL be required to excuse an absence.

And we’re making the note part EASY!

Attached are our handy Vogel-Wetmore Absence Notes! You can print a few at home, fill one out, and report your Eagle’s absence in one of two ways:

OPTION 1 — ParentSquare 📱
Upload the completed note directly through ParentSquare Attendance.
OPTION 2 — Send a Note to School 📝

Send the completed note in with your Eagle when they return to school. That’s it!
ParentSquare OR a paper note — whichever is easiest for your family. 💙💛

Quick way to remember it:
📱 ParentSquare Attendance = report the absence + upload documentation all in one place! ( HIT THE PLUS SIGN - At the top of your parent square home screen)
📞 Call/email/message = lets us know your Eagle is safe at home.
📝 Written documentation = allows us to properly document an excused absence.

We promise we’re not trying to make attendance complicated! 😂
We just want our families to understand what we need, why we need it, and make it as easy as possible to get everything to us.

And as always, if you’re ever unsure — give the office a call. We’re happy to help! 💙💛

Practice our VW Cheer: "When I say EAGLES, you say PRIDE!" EAGLES/PRIDE, EAGLES/PRIDE!!

• Notes from Nurses Amber & Allison:

• Please DO NOT send medicine to school with your child in his/her backpack.

• All students should have a change of clothes.

• Please DO NOT pre-medicate for a fever. A child with a temp of 100.4. should stay home.

• Please pick your child up promptly when called.

• Flu vaccinations for pre-kindergarten students are due by Dec 31, 2026. If not medically exempt, the student needs to be out of school the entire flu season.

Mr. Kevin Kinnahan, our ASO, helps to keep us safe each day! He also makes us laugh and we have so much fun with him! 🎉

VW has a breakfast participation rate of 70% and a lunch participation rate of 80%, one of the highest in the district! Our local produce grant will be extended through this year. This allows us to serve farm fresh vegetables such as carrots, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce and apples from nearby farms. The kids love this fresh food and it helps the area farmers as well:)

Thanks so much Eugene, Joanne, Stephanie, Andrew, Carissa, and Jennifer for fueling us to SOAR!

Our wonderful Lunch Monitors help our students with whatever they need during our four lunch waves! Thanks a ton to Shawna, Carrie, Rachael, and Anna for all that you do to help our lunch process run smoothly! We truly appreciate you!

Our four wonderful custodians, Dominick, Ryan, George, and Zachary, work tirelessly to keep our school safe and looking absolutely amazing! There is aways a project happening, and we are so grateful for the pride they take in their work to help our school function at top-notch!

Our leaders Karin Wadhams (right) and Lauren Mrazik (left)!

Nurture

Engage

Support

Take Flight

We are an open perch of parents, guardians, and teachers who collaborate and discuss ideas about how to make our school the best it can be for our awesome students and families! WE CAN'T WAIT FOR OUR SECOND MEETING ON NOVEMBER 10th AT 5:30 IN THE LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER (we meet the second Tuesday of each month)!! COME ONE, COME ALL!! THE MORE EAGLE FAMILIES THE BETTER!!

Order VW swag at our School Spirit Wear Store! Please click HERE to check out our gear!

Pictured below: Melissa Stevenson (treasurer), Lauren Mrazik (vice president), Karin Wadhams (president), Carissa Andrews (secretary)

Missing even a few days of school can make it harder for students to keep up, but coming to school regularly helps them grow and do their best!

When students attend every day, they are more likely to succeed in school, graduate, and have more opportunities in the future.

Please be aware that excused and unexcused absences both count toward the number of days a student is absent when calculating chronic absences.

We are here to help! Please each out to Mrs. Morton or Ms. Garcia with any attendance concerns.

Brooker Memorial’s dental hygienist is visiting Vogel-Wetmore School again this year. Parents, please take advantage of this program! It makes life easier on you, and your child won’t miss as much school to get their teeth cleaned. Please make sure you have your child's forms in to get a dental check and cleaning. Online forms are available: https://brookermemorial.org/pediatric-dental/school-dental-programs/

Dental health is important for children's overall health and lack of adequate care can result in painful cavities, tooth decay, chronic infections, as well as trouble eating, sleeping, or even focusing in school.

The hygienist will be visiting two days a week. All children are eligible to receive dental cleanings, fluoride, oral health screenings and sealants in grades Pre-K through third grade, regardless of who their dentist is. Our hygienist communicates with each child’s dentist after a visit. You don't need to change your dentist.

Parents are asked to provide dental insurance information and give Brooker Memorial permission to bill the insurance to help offset the cost of this program. We accept HUSKY. If you do not have insurance, families will not be billed for services provided at school.

Brooker is grateful to several foundations for grants that help fund the program, including Delta Dental Foundation, Union Savings Foundation and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry; however, the grants do not cover all of the costs.

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We really appreciate your support of this important program for children's health!

We are so lucky to have an APRN visit our school every Wednesday afternoon!

Our hardworking Pre Kindergarteners had a visit from Officers Donahue and McIntyre and learned about community helpers! They went on a field trip to Bunnell Farm with a hayride through the pumpkin patch while learning about farm animals! They also celebrated with a bubble dance party for being so amazing, as well as SAFE, RESPECTFUL, & RESPONSIBLE!!!

The Vogel-Wetmore kindergarteners have been learning that stories have characters. We have been reading and comparing stories to answer the question, “How are characters different?” We understand that:

• Being helpful and hard-working are two important character traits.

• We can appreciate other people more when we understand their perspectives.

Be sure to ask your kindergartener about the characters in these stories. What traits did the characters have? Did the character change from the beginning of the story to the end? Did the character learn a lesson?

Vogel-Wetmore first graders have had a busy month! We had a visit from some important community helpers- Torrington firefighters- who visited our school to teach us about fire safety. In literacy, students have been learning about story characters. In math, we have been solving different types of story problems, and showing our thinking using pictures and equations!

Third grade had a fantastic time at Flanders Nature Center (pictures below)!! We saw many different animals and discussed their various adaptations. We especially enjoyed petting one of their rabbits. Do you know that carrots are not the most appetizing vegetable to them? We were surprised by this!

In addition, we have been working on finding the area of rectangles. Eventually will be finding the area of more complex shapes. The kids will be introduced to partitioning a shape into smaller rectangles to find the area of an irregular shape. Lastly, the kids are beginning to use more efficient strategies to compute. They can even decompose a factor in a multiplication expression and then use the distributive property to find the product.

Finally, we have been reading myths like King Midas. We have been charting the lessons learned in each of the stories we have read and then comparing and contrasting how the characters’ actions and thoughts affect the overall plot of a story.

We are looking forward to dressing up like our favorite book characters on October 30th. Be on the lookout for pictures on Facebook!

English Instructions for Lexia Log-in at Home:

TPS - Lexia Sign in At Home

Spanish Instructions for Lexia Log-in at Home:

Spanish -TPS - Lexia Sign in At Home

Scarborough’s Reading Rope is a literacy framework developed by Dr. Hollis Scarborough that explains how skilled reading develops through the interaction of word recognition and language comprehension. Widely used within the Science of Reading, the model helps educators understand how skills such as phonological awareness, decoding, vocabulary, syntax, background knowledge, and verbal reasoning work together to support fluent reading and comprehension.

The Reading Rope illustrates an important truth about literacy instruction: reading success depends on more than phonics alone. Students must learn to recognize words accurately and efficiently while also building the language knowledge needed to make meaning from text.

Scarborough’s Reading Rope aligns closely with the Science of Reading because it illustrates how reading proficiency develops through multiple interconnected skill areas rather than a single instructional approach. The framework emphasizes the importance of explicit instruction in foundational reading skills while also recognizing the critical role of language development, vocabulary, and comprehension.

This model reinforces a key takeaway from literacy research: students need both strong word recognition and strong language comprehension to become successful readers.

Everyday Ways to Practice Counting at Home!

Counting is one of the easiest and most effective ways to build your child's mathematical thinking! You don't need worksheets or long study sessions—just 5 minutes of playful counting during daily routines (like walking to the car, setting the table, or cleaning up) makes a huge difference.

Here are quick, fun ways to practice different types of counting together:

1. Counting One-by-One (1s)

• Touch & Count Real Objects: Count snacks (raisins, crackers), steps up the stairs, or Lego bricks. Encourage your child to touch each object as they say the number.

• Start Off-Base: Instead of starting at 1 every time, give a starting number and count forward (e.g., "Start at 14 and count up to 25!").

2. Skip Counting by 2s and 5s

• Count in Pairs (2s): Count shoes, socks, eyes, or wheels on toy cars by twos (2, 4, 6, 8, 10...).

• High-Fives & Coins (5s): Count fingers, nickels, or tally marks by fives (5, 10, 15, 20...).

3. Skip Counting by 10s (On & Off Decade)

• On the Decade (10, 20, 30...): Practice counting by tens starting at zero. Use dimes or bundles of 10 crayons/cereal pieces to show how fast groups of 10 build up.

• Off the Decade (4, 14, 24... or 23, 33, 43...): Pick a random single- or double-digit number and add 10s! For example, start at 3 (3, 13, 23, 33, 43...) or start at 26 (26, 36, 46, 56...). This "off-decade" practice is a super-strategy for building mental addition and subtraction skills!

Hi Families!

We have had a wonderful month with our students. We began with our groups and worked on Unit 2 of Benchmark which was all about studying characters and stories. We learned about how characters' actions influence a story's plot, what characters learn when facing problems, and similarities and differences between characters.

Parent-teacher conferences are coming up soon. Please sign up for a time to meet with your child's teacher and remember that there is an option to request a translator if needed. We look forward to seeing you all and meeting the families of our newest learners!

During the month of October, all classes have been learning about our MakerSpace and what it means to be a maker or engineer. Preschool through first grade students have been learning about how makers are people who make things, are creative thinkers, problem solvers, and continue to keep trying. They have been given different problems to solve with a partner in our MakerSpace. Second and third grade students have been learning that all engineers are problem solvers and there are different kinds of engineers to solve different kinds of problems. They have enjoyed rotating around seven different kinds of engineering centers learning about what these engineers do to solve real world problems.

• BOOK FAIR COMING TO THE LIBRARY IN NOVEMBER

During parent teacher conferences in November, there will be a holiday book fair available for families in the Library Learning Lab. The River Bend Bookshop will be selling all kinds of books available for preschool through third grade students and will also be selling educational games and toys, just in time for the holidays! This is a fund raising event for the library so please plan to check it out when you visit the library before or after your conference date and time. More information about this book fair will be coming soon!

• THIRD GRADE VOGEL NEWS CREW WEBSITE

The Third Grade News Crew began planning and recording the school news in our news room. All interested third graders will have a chance to be a part of the news program by the end of the year. Students first learn by observing, then they choose to be either a newscaster, director, screen support or camera operator. By the end of their time with the news club, they are demonstrating to the next group how to record the news. Each week, they also meet as a group in the library during lunch to discuss what they would like to add to our news shows. To access the Third Grade News Crew YouTube playlist videos for the 2026-2027 school year, please click HERE.

• VOGEL LIBRARY LEARNING LAB WEBSITE

Please click on the link above to access our Vogel Library Learning Lab website. On the website you will find information and pictures about what our students are learning in our library. There is a link to our library catalog and links to kid-friendly websites along with parenting websites and articles. The Third Grade News Crew website can also be found on the website. Please take a moment to check it out!

Did you know that all students complete a physical fitness test in fourth grade? During Physical Education classes students from Pre K – 3rd Grade practice these fitness test items by completing push-ups, sit ups, leg stretches, and running laps prior to starting each lesson. All of our games and activities focus on getting the kids moving for as much of the 40 minute period as possible. Our goal is to always have smiling faces and sweaty foreheads when the kids exit the gym. It is always a good habit to send your child to school on PE days with sneakers. PE Days for the 2026 - 2027 school year can be found HERE.

Exercise and activities can also be emphasized at home to keep kids moving and being active. A family walk, visiting a local playground, a game of throw and catch outside, a game of throw and catch inside with something soft, or any other creative way you can think of to keep your kids and your family moving. The Torrington Parks and Recreation website is a great place to see what events and programs are being offered in the city to keep kids healthy and active. We are looking forward to another fun year in the gymnasium!

~Mr. Egan & Mrs. Tartaglino (pictured below)

THRIVE Tools: Skills We Can All Use

The THRIVE program supports students as they develop social-emotional and behavioral skills that help them succeed at school, at home, and in the community. Students learn how to recognize and communicate their feelings, regulate their bodies, solve problems, build positive relationships, and make safe choices.

One tool we use in THRIVE is the Zones of Regulation. The Zones give students a common language for describing their emotions and energy levels:

🔵 The Blue Zone may include feeling tired, sad, sick, or bored.

🟢 The Green Zone may include feeling calm, focused, comfortable, or ready to learn.

🟡 The Yellow Zone may include feeling worried, frustrated, excited, or wiggly.

🔴 The Red Zone may include feeling furious, panicked, overwhelmed, or out of control.

An important message we teach is that all Zones are okay. Everyone experiences every Zone! The goal is not to remain in the Green Zone all day. Instead, students learn to notice how they are feeling and choose a safe, helpful tool when they need one.

Families can practice this language at home by asking:

1. “What Zone are you in right now?”

2. “Would you like to talk about it?”

3. “What tool might help your body?”

4. 
   

Try using this family check-in visual at home—and remember that adults can share their Zones too!

• Be on the lookout for information about a Food Drive in December! More information to come!!

• The FRC (Family Resource Center) is located at the end of the hallway across from the Nurse's office in room 106E. Our classroom is room 106. We are a resource and referral so please reach out to us if you need any resources for families.

• Debbie offers free weekly playgroup classes for families with children birth to age 5. These are for Vogel families as well as the community.

• Regina will be starting weekly lunch groups for Kindergarten through Grade 3. Her daughter Alison will be interning with us this school year. Happy to have her joining the team!

• Adult-Ed classes are held here at Vogel in the evenings with childcare available.

• The School Buddies Mentoring Program will be starting soon.If you know of anyone in the community or if you would like to mentor please contact us!

• We are on the Torrington website under Vogel-Wetmore. Go to Menu and click on the Family Resource Center (FRC)

• Contact Ext. 2715 office or 2707 for classroom

• dbristol@torrington.org or rbenson02@torrington.org

• We'd love to connect with you!!

We continue to be excited for the year ahead and all that we will accomplish together! We are truly grateful for our partnership with YOU to help every Eagle learn, grow, and SOAR. Here’s to learning, laughter, joy, connection, and countless reasons to celebrate! 🦅💙💛