SPOTLIGHT
on New Milford Schools
Hello, New Milford Public Schools Families, Faculty, and Staff,
The end of the calendar year provides us with opportunities to reflect upon where we have been, and where we are headed in the future. Our district's positive momentum continues to grow in each school, as we build strong learning experiences across classrooms, encourage safe, welcoming, and respectful environments, and work diligently with families and communities to make sure that students are staying on track with their progress. In May, our district budget passed at referendum, and we are grateful for the community's support as we invest those budget dollars in our students and our schools. Moving into 2025, we will reinforce through actions our district ideals of Focus, Heart, Collaboration, and Creativity; we will continue to insist upon positive school and district climates; and we will encourage a mindset of innovation in our daily work.
Our partnerships with families and our community are essential for our district to grow and thrive. Thank you for your continued support of our students and our schools as we enter a new year filled with possibilities!
Sincerely,
Janet P. Parlato, Ed.D.
- January 20th: Martin Luther King Day ~ Schools Closed
- January 23rd: Schaghticoke Incoming 6th Grade Open House ~ 6pm (snow date 1/30)
- January 31st: Hill and Plain PTO Family Fun Night Paint Along ~ 5:30-6:30 and 7-8pm (snow date 2/7)
- February 5th: HPS PTO Meeting ~ 6:30pm
- February 6th: Staff PD Day: Early Release for students
- February 7th: Town Wide PTO Spirit Day ~ Favorite Sports Team
- February 7th: NES PTO Bingo Night ~ 5:30pm
- June 14th: Graduation ~ 10:00am @ NMHS Joe Wiser Stadium
Jackson Olson of the Savannah Bananas Presents to Grade 6 Students
On Thursday, December 19th SMS alum Jackson Olson, of the Savannah Bananas, returned to SMS to share his story with our current 6th grade students. Jackson shared about how he went from eating lunch in the very cafeteria that we were in, to playing for one of the most famous baseball teams on the planet. Jackson highlighted the importance of following your dreams and never giving up, even when things don’t quite go as planned. Students even had the chance to get up and try one of Jackson’s famous dances.
Boosterthon Color Run
SMS Color Wars
On Friday, December 20th Color Wars returned to SMS. Each grade level gathered in the Gym for Minute to Win It style games that pitted students and staff from each of the three grade level teams against each other. Games include Face the Cookie, Dizzy Mummy, and Defying Gravity. It was a great way to have fun together on the last day before Winter Break!
News from Team 8 Blue
Recently students from Ms. Scheck’s 8 Blue Social Studies class joined with students from Mrs. Correia’s 6 Yellow Reading class for team building activities. In mixed grade groups, students used clues to investigate a mystery and then participated in Minute to Win It style games. Ms. Scheck and Mrs. Correia plan to continue to foster the cross grade level connection between these groups throughout the remainder of the year.
Music to our Ears !
Our music department was very busy this month with six concerts. Students did a beautiful job as they performed for their peers during the day and families at night, many for the very first time! Our bands under the direction of Teresa White and our choruses under the direction of Gloria Capone.
Celebrating the Season
At NES we CELEBRATED the season in so many ways! First, we celebrated CREATIVITY with a "CONTEST". Our Excel classes made Gingerbread houses out of big boxes. The students worked together to decorate them. This was a fun collaborative project. The whole school voted on their favorite house!
Acts of Kindness and COMPASSION
We also celebrated COMMUNITY with acts of kindness and COMPASSION. It takes a great deal of effort on behalf of all staff members to ensure children are receiving all they need from their school - from education, to nutrition, to counseling, and everything in between, our staff works hard to make the school day fun and safe for students. Mrs. Tarsa has once again put together her "Warmth from Head to Toe" initiative which is a tree in the office "decorated" with the hats, mittens, gloves and scarves she is collecting for Social Services.
District Holiday Card Winner Isabella !
And a big CONGRATULATIONS Kindergarten student, Isabella for her winning entry in the Holiday Card Contest for the District! She enjoyed a visit from Dr. Parlato and a phone call home to announce her win!
We wish our district colleagues and families a jubilant Holiday Season, and a very CHEERFUL New Year!
💙 HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Hill and Plain School!! 💙
December has been an exciting month here at Hill and Plain School!! We would like to thank the NMHS students from Mr. Bronn’s and Mr. DiFabbio’s Children’s Literature class who came and read their original children's books to our students! We appreciated Ms. Kelly’s help too. We treasure our connection to NMHS. The children loved listening to all the stories!
THE 12 DAYS OF BARKLEY!!
Staff had fun finding Barkley who was hidden in different locations over the 12 days before winter break. Special prizes were given to each staff whose name was picked each day leading up to a grand prize winner after entering their “selfie” with the hidden Barkley!! Staff also collected gifts for families in need to make their holiday extra special.
Annual Holiday Card Contest
Kindergarteners were asked to participate in our annual Holiday Card contest. One student from each class was chosen based on a piece of artwork and then asked to draw and paint a picture of what could become the cover of the district-wide Holiday Card. Our talented HPS winner is Ayla Khat!! Congratulations!
Compassion
Finally, to finish 2024, our student body came together to enjoy an assembly about COMPASSION. The second-grade teachers did a phenomenal job organizing and teaching, while the 2nd graders conveyed this message to their peers. We completed the day with a holiday sing-a-long led by Mrs. Haynes.
