Cereal box collection challenge to benefit Seymour Oxford Food Bank

 

Seymour Middle School to hold annual turkey drive Saturday

 

Seymour Middle School holding annual turkey drive Saturday

 

Vendors sought for shopping night at Chatfield-LoPresti School in Seymour

Please reach out to Tarra Andrews or Tara DeMarco on Facebook for a vendor application. Applications are due Oct. 19.

*Info shared from the Ansonia, CT Community Updates and Forum Facebook page.

Seymour student wins state's annual fire prevention poster contest

Samuel Rodrigue, center, with his parents Glen and Melissa./ Contributed photo 

SEYMOUR - Seymour 5th grader Samuel Rodrigue was recently recognized as one of two New Haven County students who won the state's annual fire prevention poster contest.

Samuel and his parents, Melissa and Glen Rodrigue, attended the 2017-18 awards banquet of the Connecticut Fire Prevention Poster Program, along with Seymour Fire Marshal Paul Wetowitz and Chatfield-LoPresti School Principal Dave Olechna. 

"It was a great event that involves 4th and 5th graders around the state to draw posters and send a fire prevention message," Wetowitz said. 

Samuel, a student at Chatfield-LoPresti School, won a $150 prize and a certificate. 

The awards program held at the Chowder Pot Restaurant in Hartford, featured lunch, a magic show, and the awards presentation. Samuel's poster will be in next year's calendar and hang in the State Capitol building during fire prevention week in October. 

Wetowitz said Samuel competed amongst thousands of other students in fifth grade in New Haven County, with his poster one of the two winning selections.

Information submitted by Seymour Fire Marshal Paul Wetowitz.

Congratulations go to Samuel on his artistic  accomplishment! 

Seymour 4th grader collects 107 coats for St. Vincent De Paul in Derby

Sharing info from Seymour Public Schools' Facebook page:

SEYMOUR- In December, Chatfield-LoPresti School fourth grader Jerren Farrison held a coat drive to benefit St. Vincent De Paul in Derby. 
Jerren collected 107 coats. 
Thank you, Jerren, for this very fine effort and thank you to the community in supporting this wonderful cause.

Shopping night slated at Chatfield-LoPresti School in Seymour

Seymour Rec to host chess club at Chatfield-LoPresti School

Sharing this information from the Office of First Selectman of Seymour's Facebook page.

Seymour slates kindergarten registration

SEYMOUR - Seymour Public Schools will hold kindergarten registration on the following dates:

• Jan. 17, 8 to 11 a.m., Bungay School, 35 Bungay Road
• Jan. 18, noon to 3 p.m., Bungay School, 35 Bungay Road
• Jan. 19, 8 to 11 a.m., Chatfield-LoPresti School, 51 Skokorat St.
• Jan. 20, noon to 3 p.m., Chatfield-LoPresti School, 51 Skokorat St.

Parents of children eligible for kindergarten in August 2017, as well as Grade One students who have been attending a private kindergarten program, are urged to register their children at the elementary schools in their districts on these dates and times. 

Children must be five years of age as of Dec. 31, 2017 to be eligible to attend kindergarten in August 2017.

Parents must bring a copy of their child's official birth certificate, immunization records and proof of residency. Proof of residency documentation includes driver's license, house deed or lease and two utility bills. 

Children should have the required immunization inoculations for the following: Polio, Measles, Mumps, Rubella, DPaT, Varicella, Hib (Hemophilius Influenza Type B), and Hep B (Hepatitis B), Pneumococcal and Hep A.

State law also requires that all schoolchildren have a health examination prior to entering kindergarten. 

School officials encourage parents to have their private physician perform a health exam for their children prior to Aug.15, 2017 so that their child may be admitted to school Aug. 28, 2017. Completed physical paperwork must be returned by Aug. 15 in order for students to start school.

More information, including other required health screenings, can be found at www.seymourschools.org, or call 203-888-4564.

Elementary school students in Seymour learn emergency preparedness

Bungay School fourth grade teacher Cindy Botti pictured with her students and CERT Bob Wilson./ Photo by Rich Kearns

Chatfield-LoPresti School fourth grade teachers Kyle Mullaney and Jara Ciocca pose with Police Officer Jack Harkins and students./ Photo by Rich Kearns

SEYMOUR - On Aug. 31 a proclamation was issued by President Barack Obama declaring September as “National Preparedness Month.” 

Last week all Seymour Public Schools fourth grade students participated in the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s “Students Tools for Emergency Planning” program, also known as STEP.  
This is the 10th year Seymour students have participated in the STEP Program, which was piloted in Seymour in 2008.  

Seymour Public Schools Director of Security Rich Kearns received national recognition when FEMA modeled the program nationally after the Seymour program.  The STEP Program is sponsored by FEMA and the Connecticut Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security.  
Kearns has been presenting the program for the last 10 years to all fourth grade students at Bungay Elementary School and Chatfield-LoPresti Elementary School.  
Seymour Police Department Community-School Resource Officer John Harkins and Seymour Citizens Emergency Response Team President Robert Wilson assisted Kearns this year showing students the steps on how to prepare student's families in the event an emergency or disaster was to strike. 
Each student was given a backpack to take home that contained items to help start building their own family emergency kit along with information to share with their families to better prepare them in the event of an emergency.  
The goal of STEP Program is to provide some resources to families in the community to better prepare them for emergencies as it is found that if people are better prepared to deal with a crisis the outcomes and recovery process will be that much easier for them.  
Throughout September Kearns, Seymour Fire Marshal Tim Willis, Seymour Emergency Management Director Tom Eighmie, Seymour Police Department Community-School Resource Officer Jack Harkins, as well as other first responders conducted emergency response drills district-wide with all students K-12.  

All Star Transportation Safety Supervisor Brenda Bass and school bus safety team members also joined Kearns in conducting school bus evacuation drills for students in the district who ride the bus to school.  
All of these programs and drills are part of a continuous effort by Seymour Public Schools and Seymour Emergency Services Personnel working together to better prepare our schools and families in the event an emergency were to occur and to help make our schools a safer place.   

This is a press release from Rich Kearns, Director of Security, Seymour Public Schools.

Reading + hockey = fun for Seymour students

Bridgeport Sound Tigers' defensemen Aaron Ness, left, and Ryan Pulock play floor hockey Tuesday with Chatfield-LoPresti School students in Seymour.

SEYMOUR - Excitement was in the air Tuesday at Chatfield-LoPresti School when two members of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers' hockey team stopped by to read to students. 

The school held a three-month winter reading challenge and read more than 6,000 books, surpassing the goal of reading 5,500 books. The challenge ends Friday, Principal Dave Olechna said.

The top two readers in each classroom got a chance to play floor hockey with the pros.

Please click here for the story and more photos in the Valley Independent Sentinel.

Bridgeport Sound Tigers' defenseman Ryan Pulock reads "Z is for Zamboni" Tuesday to Chatfield-LoPresti School first graders.

Hockey players are a hit at Chatfield-LoPresti School in Seymour

Chatfield-LoPresti School Principal Dave Olechna poses in his office Tuesday with Bridgeport Sound Tigers defensemen Ryan Pulock, left, and Aaron Ness, team captain. The athletes visited the Seymour school to mark the end of a successful reading challenge. 


Please stay tuned for a story in the Valley Independent Sentinel.

Author inspires Seymour students to read, write

Children's author Joe Shandrowski uses audience participation to create an illustration.

SEYMOUR - Children's author and illustrator Joe Shandrowski of Fairfield visited Chatfield-LoPresti School Tuesday with his Reading Rocks pep rally. 

The fourth and fifth graders in the audience enjoyed Shandrowski's lively presentation that focused on the importance of reading and using one's imagination to become successful writers.

Please check out my story today in the Valley Independent Sentinel.