April 5, 2021

Table of Contents:

Porter News

School News

We are happy announce that we will host a virtual book fair to wrap up our month of reading activities, reading promotions, and reading incentives. Students have been reading so many books and the buzz about the fun of reading has been fabulous! Let’s continue the momentum and offer our students the newest titles and the series that they love. All purchases will be delivered to your door, and your purchases will directly support our Horace Porter Library. Look for information on our school website under the library link. Our Book Fair went live on March 26th and will continue until April 8th. Take a moment to watch this video with your student to get a preview of how the fair works.

https://video.link/w/r2Oec


Select HERE for link to our Virtual Book Fair


Would you like to organize a club for session 3 of our remote after school clubs on Zoom? If you are interested, please complete the following form by Monday April 5, 2021. Session 3 of after school clubs will run from May 3rd to June 3rd, 2021. Additional information can be found in the link below. Please feel free to contact Alexis Stolarun, after school clubs coordinator, with any questions. (astolarun@hwporter.org) Thank you!


After School Clubs at Porter (Remote): Session 3


https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdkoTk7au-mJIjKeANfKCY77SCF0S2xqRYljUgS4mnZZRRMGw/viewform?usp=sf_link


Horace W. Porter School is collecting registration for students entering Kindergarten for the upcoming 2021/2022 school year. Parents/guardians of children who will be 5 years old by December 31, 2021 are asked to register their child by completing the online Kindergarten Registration or visiting our website at hwporter.org for more information. Once your online registration is complete, you will receive information in your email regarding this year's virtual Kindergarten Orientation and screening. If you have any questions you can contact Tammy Nye at (860) 228-9493 ext. 161 for more information.

Do you shop at Stop & Shop?

Would you like to help donate funds to Porter? If so, please see the letter from Stop & Shop A+ Rewards Program. By linking your S&S card to Porter School, CASH will be paid to Porter on every purchase you make.

Thank you in advance for considering this easy option to help earn funds for Horace W. Porter School.


Do you use Shutterfly to preserve those special moments?

Are you interested in raising funds to support Porter Students?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, please visit

Porter’s Shutterfly Storefront!

Porter will earn 8% for all orders placed through Porter’s Shutterfly Storefront!


APRIL Lunch Menu

School breakfast and lunch are FREE for all children 18 years and younger.

This federally mandated benefit will be in effect until June 30, 2021, unless funds are exhausted sooner by the United States Department of Agriculture.

The meal distribution program will be closed on April 2nd in observance of Good Friday. The child nutrition department will be offering Grab n’ Go Meals on Thursday, April 1st, at the same time and location. Please contact Heather Plourde at hplourde@eastconn.org or 860-455-1552 if you have any questions.

Do you have a nursing degree?

Would you like to be a substitute nurse at your child's school?

Would you like extra cash? Hourly rate for substitute nurses at Porter is $30 per hour.

We are looking for people who would like to sign up to be a substitute nurse on an as-needed basis. If interested, please contact Fayne Sears at fsears@hwporter.org or call her at 860-228-9913. Thank you!

Substitutes needed in the area of classroom teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses and facility technicians (custodians).

If you are interested, please contact the main office for an application. Fingerprinting and a background check are required.

Daily rate for teachers and paraprofessionals is $90

Hourly rate for facility technicians is $17.59

Hourly rate for nurse is $30

PBIS News




As part of our Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports Program, students can earn a P.A.W.S. ticket for Practicing Respect, Acting Responsibly, Working Together & Safety Matters! On Fridays, teachers send PAWS tickets into the office for every student who earned one that week. Each week, one name is randomly picked from the class, and they are presented with a Certificate and a Porter Paw Pencil. CONGRATULATIONS to all our students who have earned a P.A.W.S. ticket and those who have been selected at the end of the week. Here are the names of students who were selected during the past two weeks:

Pre-K

Cole Gauthier

Oliver Rogers

Elijah Speck

Adelynn Trotter


Kindergarten

Linnea Comolli

Kaylin Ganoe

Brayden Hauschild

Roslyn Pratts


1st Grade

Emmett Bedini

Kenna Ford

Nikolai Gardiner

Juliet Taddonio


2nd Grade

Eyla Cordeira

Garrett Morrison

Jacob St. Louis

Blake Surrette

Maxwell Taylor

Wesley Tebo

Zachary Ulkus



3rd Grade

Max Belanger

Sahanna Bonafe

Olyvia Cormier

Conner Dann

Declan Drury

Aryjianna Fein

Abram Sullivan

Brianne Sutherland

Camden Trask




4th Grade

Sawyer Bedini

Paetyn Conant

Noah Mendez

Fynnleigh O'Connell

Analia O'Neil

Carlos Perez

Charley Pierro




5th Grade

Jacklyn Brown

Kolton Morrison

Benjamin Nguyen




6th Grade

Rohan Hamilton

Elena Kuronya

Gabe White



7th Grade

Adriana Gauthier



8th Grade

Gracelyn Pare


More News

  • Columbia Lions Club is hosting a BREAKFAST TO GO on Saturday, April 10th from 7:00-11:00am at the Beckish Center. See FLYER for more details.


  • UCONN is offering an exciting opportunity to students who will be in 3rd and 4th grades for the 2021-2022 school year and are having difficulty with reading. It will be held on the UCONN Campus and is free. See HERE for additional information.


  • Columbia Public Schools, in conjunction with Connecticut's Departments of the Bureau of Special Education and the Office of Early Childhood, is excited to announce a new partnership with Sparkler. Sparkler is an evidence-based mobile platform designed to promote healthy early childhood development for children ages 0-5. Sparkler is a FREE app available from the Apple Play & Google Play Stores. Select HERE for more information.


  • E. O. Smith High School held an Open House Webinar, on February 11, for any 8th graders considering attending there in the fall. If you missed the informational meeting, or would like to view the webinar, select HERE.



  • See flyer with details about assistance available for residents of Andover, Hebron, Columbia & Marlborough




  • Eastern Youth Soccer Camps will be running three one-week sessions throughout the month of July. See HERE for their brochure and HERE for their website.


  • The 2021 baseball/softball season is upon us! Registration open. Tee ball through juniors/seniors available. Details are on our website, www.columbialittleleague.org. Registration ends March 31, 2021. We look forward to seeing you on the field this spring! Email ColumbiaLLPresident@gmail.com with any questions.


  • Registration for CWSA Spring Soccer Season opens on March 5th, 2021. See links to CWSA Flyer, website or online registration form for more information. DEADLINE TO REGISTER IS MARCH 26TH, 2021! Late registrations will NOT be accepted.



Healthy Tips

Did you know?

Interesting health facts that might surprise you

1. The average moderately active person walks approximately 7,500 steps a day, which is the lifetime equivalent of walking around the Earth five times!

2. Drinking at least five glasses of water a day can reduce your chances of suffering from a heart attack by 40%.

3. Want to slow the aging process? Meditation is proven to help!

4. Indoor air pollution can be even worse than outside air pollution.

5. On average, there are more bacteria per square inch in a kitchen sink than the bathroom.

6. The eye muscles are the most active in the body, moving more than 100,000 times a day!

7. Repeatedly using plastic water bottles can release chemicals into your water.

8. Walking at a fast pace for three hours or more at least once a week, you can reduce your risk of heart disease by up to 65%.

9. Vitamin D is as important as calcium in determining bone health, and most people don’t get enough of it.

10. Tea can lower risks of heart attack, certain cancers, type 2 Diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. Just make sure your tea isn’t too sweet!


Make just one change to your health routine and stick to it. You will be amazed at the positive impact it will have on you both physically and emotionally. Try devoting the month of April to treating yourself well. Your body will thank you for it!


PTO

See the exciting and fun events that the Porter PTO has planned for you and your families this school year! Most require you to register through email. Select links for specifics on each event. Also, included below are links to great resources such as who and how to contact the correct staff at Porter as well as opportunities to help raise money for Porter and be part of the team!

AHM Youth & Family Services

Park & Rec Events

  • Columbia Parks & Recreation Department has several fun activities planned. Select links below for more details & registration information:

Saxton B. Little Free Library Events