Happy November, Stratfield! 

Hopefully everyone enjoyed the extra hour of sleep after the time change (LOL) and you’ve all recovered from Halloween.

What a wonderful day of Halloween festivities our kiddos had on Friday! From the morning's parade to the classroom crafts to the return of Trunk or Treat, so many people helped make each part of the day a success. On behalf of the entire community, thank you to each and every one of you (teachers included!) for your contribution to the day's fun and joy.  

Some fun stats that add up to an awesome Trunk-or-Treat: 29 decorated cars, 45 volunteers, over $400 in candy donations (in addition to the $625 purchased with budgeted PTA funds), and the most astounding one of all...over 12,000 pieces of candy handed out in one hour!

Here’s what’s coming up over the next two weeks:

Remember, no school tomorrow, Tuesday, November 3rd for election day. Don’t forget to vote!

Stratfield’s next Operation Hope Meal Delivery is November 13th and is open to all grades for donations! More details can be found below and via the sign-up link. If you have any questions, please reach out to Noemie Lafaurie-Debany and Jennifer Heckelman here. 

Ready to get rid of your pumpkins? The SES Green Team will happily take them off your hands in the quest to retain our title of Pumpkin Dumpster Champs! See below for details. Collection runs from today through Dec 4th. 

Don’t forget to renew (or join for the first time!) Your PTA Membership: You can join or renew on our website here.

Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions. 

Warmly, 

Kristyn + Christine

Kristyn Miller, President 

Christine Marks, Vice President

'26-'27 Stratfield Elementary School PTA

Instead of putting your pumpkins in the trash, toss them into our pumpkin composting dumpster! Your pumpkins will be composted, i.e., turned into nutrient-rich soil. 

Please do NOT use the dumpster for trash. If depositing mums, do not include the plastic pots. See the flyer for what is acceptable/unacceptable. Email your Green Team with any questions: stratfieldgreenteam@gmail.com. Thank you!

Parent Lindsey Loren for boldly leading the resurrection of Stratfield's Trunk-or-Treat! Thank you for your incredible thoughtfulness and care in creating an inclusive, safe, and fun event for our community. 

The Entire Trunk-or-Treat Event Team who made Friday's event a success. It takes many hands to pull off an event like this! 

Event Coordination: Jacqui Sylvester (Donation solicitation, set up, parking coordination, and Candy procurement, Candy distribution), 
Marisa Petretti  (Backpack Mail, Donation solicitation, parking coordination, Candy Distribution), Michael Sperling (DJ, Emcee, Bathroom bouncer, Candy Distribution), Lissa Johnson (Bathroom Bouncer, Friend & Neighbor Guilter), Beth Guthrie (Parking lot and resource reservations)

Trunk Decorators: Ola Kowal, Stefania Hinojosa, Mary Sinishtaj, Setta Mushegian, Kate Stojkovic, Amy Stahl, Jessica Gullo, Lucy Shamberg, Alexandra Thompson, Rachel Davidson, Melissa Cirillo, Heather Villanova, Kelly Downey, Mary Kennedy, Jumana Murphy, Courtney Carbone, Nicole Spivey, Tess and Paul Newnes, Jon and Andrea Fatigate, Merry Mao, Sari Sperling, Sam Patrignelli, Jeff and Noemi Lafaurie-Debany, Melissa Fairhurst, Jackie Horne, Jackie Dipietro, Molly Caneo, Clair Bachman, Nicole Rende, Rachel Ransdell, John Loren

Bathroom Chaperones: Liz Siegel, Reagan Ward-Solomon, Robyn Drucker, Lissa Johnson

Stratfield's Incredible Custodial Staff: Jay Rodrigues and Jason Kusha, for your tireless care of our school and for supporting on Friday night!

Burns Construction and John Rodrigues: thank you for donating the tower light and the diesel to power it, and for handling setup and breakdown.

Candy Donation: Parent Arelis Cintron Dias, Shop Rite, Wegmans, Stop and Shop, Big Y, Trader Joe's, BJ's, and the Stratfield School PTA.

Sonny Meza and Lux Poppin for the incredible balloon arch donation to Friday's Halloween Parade Festivities. Many classes were able to take pictures at the arch during the day - a sweet treat on an already sweet day!

SES Neighborhood Sponsor Sound Coffee for joining us to caffeinate the legions of grownups who survived dressing kids in costumes and cheered the students on during the Parade!

Calling all Bookworms (this time we mean it!) Library volunteer slots will be open this week for sign-up. This is a low lift/commitment that takes place at SES, and you can sign up for just one slot for the year, or come back for a recurring schedule that works for you. Keep an eye out for an announcement on this soon.

The BOE met on Tuesday, October 27, and most items were first reads ahead of votes on November 10. Two items touch Stratfield. The district's enrollment consultant projects Stratfield's K-5 enrollment will hold fairly steady over the next decade, and the plans for a renovated Jennings Elementary with a new preschool wing assume that the preschool classrooms now at Stratfield and Holland Hill will eventually move to new early childhood centers at Dwight and Jennings.

Superintendent Testani said that is the goal, though growing demand for full-day preschool may mean the district still needs the Stratfield space by the time Jennings opens, which is several years away. 

Stratfield's new security vestibule has also finished its design phase. Board members debated an assumption in the Jennings plan that about 50 students from future apartments in nearby school zones would be assigned to Jennings. Some members said that amounts to redistricting, while Facilities Committee members said it moves no current families and is needed to show the state why the space is needed. 

The board also saw the draft 2027-28 calendar, which starts Tuesday, August 31, and ends Wednesday, June 7, and several members asked for a longer February break. Proposed changes to the board's bylaws would give public commenters who sign in by roll call up to 3 minutes, and those who don't sign in up to 2 minutes. 

The board will vote on the Jennings plans, the calendar, the bylaws, and new middle school science and high school math curricula at its next meeting on Tuesday, November 10 at 7:00 PM in the FPS Central Office Board Room. All are welcome, and public comment is at the start of the meeting. If you would like to reach out to the BOE directly, you can email them at boemembers@fairfieldschools.org.

The next PTAC General Session meeting is November 18th at 7:00 p.m.

Stratfield Elementary PTA - Fairfield Public Schools, CT

1407 Melville Ave.

Fairfield CT 06825