We aim for 100% participation and we have only inched up by a percent since last week to 52%! 

We still have a LONGway to go.

Becoming a member of the PTA doesn't mean that you have to volunteer, although it's always welcome and appreciated as we put on a multitude of events and programming for your children. 

Your membership alone makes a big difference. Please join us today.

Next Thursday, September 25, the Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the proposed 2026 - 2027 school calendar. We encourage everyone to review the proposal. If you agree with some of the concerns raised by other families in our community, you may wish to add your voice by emailing Dr. Toni Jones and the Board of Education this week ahead of the vote.

Note from Dr. Jones (from her Friday note):

As the Board of Education continues to discuss the calendar for the next school year, we want to share a few thoughts and factors we must consider: 

• The district is required to have 180 days of instruction, and 187 teacher work days by law. It is done differently at private schools, which can start after Labor Day and still finish before GPS in June. Our instructional calendar is more rigorous by state law. 
• GPS is one of the few districts that still offers a full Winter Recess in February; changing the first or last days of school could impact this break.
• Teachers start five days before the first day of school for new teacher orientation (two days), professional development and classroom setup (three days), and four days on most of the grades who are not involved with sixth or ninth grade transition.
• Sixth and ninth grades start the day before all students.
• Facilities staff need as much time as possible to get schools ready, while building committees do the majority of their work in the months when students are not present. Reducing a week in August for facilities has an enormous impact, especially next year for Central MS, Old Greenwich, Julian Curtiss, and Hamilton Avenue who will have major work occurring.
• Teachers who work summer school and the extended school year are impacted by shorter summers, returning the third week in August for teachers is extremely impacting. 

Typically, Spring Recess coincides with Good Friday, a day our schools are closed. However, for the 2026-2027 school year, Good Friday falls earlier on March 26, also making Spring Recess earlier. 

Please take the survey here. 

We would love your feedback on Spring Recess for the 2026-2027 school year.

Note from your ISD PTA: 

December evening parent-teacher conferences have been removed in this draft of the calendar. Many working families rely on those time slots to connect with teachers, and they would like them restored.

If you’d like to share feedback, please use the sample email and add your own voice to reach out to Dr. Jones and the Board of Education (BOE). 

Dr. Jones: toni_jones@greenwich.k12.ct.us

BOE Members:BoardofEdMembers@greenwich.k12.ct.us

Subject: Proposed 2026 - 2027 School Calendar Feedback

Dear Dr. Jones and Members of the Board,

I am an ISD parent writing about the proposed 2026 – 2027 calendar. We request you to please:

• Begin the school year on a Monday: Schedule orientations for Monday, August 31, with the first full day of classes on Tuesday, September 1.
• Restore December evening conferences: Reintroduce evening sessions to better accommodate working families.
• Keep April break in April: Schedule it in mid-April to provide cadence, rather than shifting it earlier to March 29 - April 2.

Thank you for considering these changes before next week’s vote.

Sincerely,

Your Name, ISD 

We need 4th and 5th grade parent volunteers to help students transition before each rehearsal. Duties during the 25-min transition include snack distribution and general supervision. It's an easy and quick way to volunteer. 

Rehearsal Days: 3.25pm - 3.50pm on Mon/Tue/Fri
Location: Ms. Mary O'Connor's classroom

Even one rehearsal makes a big difference! Thank you for supporting our students and this year’s production.

We are delighted to invite you to our upcoming "Bring-Your-Own Coffee" grade-level events starting next week. Please mark your calendars according to your child’s grade:

• Kindergarten – September 29

• 1st Grade – September 30

• 2nd Grade – October 3

• 3rd Grade – September 24

• 4th Grade – September 26

• 5th Grade – October 1

Start time: 9:00am (after drop-off), ISD Cafeteria

We are thrilled to welcome our 2025-26 Class Parents and are so grateful for your willingness to take on this important role within the ISD community!

As Class Parents, you play a key part in creating a strong connection between families, teachers, and the school. Your support helps foster a warm and inclusive environment where both students and parents feel informed, involved, and connected. Throughout the year, you’ll be helping to organize class events, coordinate parent volunteers, share updates, and serve as a friendly point of contact for other families. Your enthusiasm and leadership make a real difference - and help make the school year more engaging and enjoyable for everyone. 

Thank you again for stepping into this role. We’re excited to collaborate with you and look forward to a fantastic year ahead!

Fall Afters will start on October 6th. Let’s make this fall full of learning, laughter, and friendship. We can’t wait to see your child(ren) after school!

Registration closes NEXT WEEK on Sunday, September 28th.

We need your support to keep the ISD Traffic Circle running safely and smoothly each morning. This is a fun and easy way to start the day - and a great way to greet our students! 

ALL families are expected to SIGN UP for at least one traffic circle slot per child per classroom. Teachers and class parents will follow up to ensure all spots are covered.

Due to overwhelming demand…we’re back!

We’re opening orders through September 28th for you to order your 25th Anniversary T-shirt!

And don’t forget - our limited-edition 25th Anniversary Magnets are also available! Quantities are limited, so be sure to get yours before they’re gone.

Stay tuned for details - you won’t want to miss it!

Looking for more Spiritwear? Visit our local vendor - Logos Greenwich - to browse the entire collection available. 

Get ready to dress up in your spookiest, silliest, or sparkliest Halloween costumes and join us for a frightfully fun time at ISD! 

We’ll have loads of candy, doughnuts, and apple cider perfect for savoring the magic of Autumn and keep the ghoul vibes going.

Help us light up the night! Please donate carved pumpkins to decorate the event.

• When: During morning drop-off on Friday, October 24 by 2:30pm at the latest

• What: Any carved pumpkin - friendly, funny, or fabulously spooky!

More details coming soon - stay tuned!

Thanks for adding your magic to our Halloween Hoot!

Book your babysitters and join your fellow ISD parents for a night of style, stakes, and sparkle at this year's Gatsby Glam and Casino night. Join us for games, cocktails, and dinner, and a very special auction. 

Date:Saturday, November 15th

Location: Milbrook Club, Greenwich

More details will follow on how you can help volunteer for the event, donate your time and procure auction items.

Keep an eye out for ticket sales coming soon.

It's sure to be a night to remember!

One of our favorite traditions is back for the Parent Social -- the Wine Toss! For $20, you can try your luck and toss three rings to win a bottle of liquor or three. To keep this tradition alive, need your help! 

Please donate bottle(s) of wine or spirts through Friday, November 14th.

You can drop them off to:

• 9 Deluca Drive, Cos Cob
• 36 Forest Avenue, Old Greenwich
• 239 Palmer Hill Rd, Old Greenwich

Look for a bin/container where you can place these bottles into by the front door of these locations. 

This week, ISD welcomed families to its annual Open House! The evening was a wonderful opportunity for parents to step inside their child’s world, meet teachers, and get a glimpse of what the school year has in store.

Classrooms were filled with student work and learning displays, giving families a sense of the projects and activities that make each grade so engaging. Teachers shared curriculum highlights, classroom expectations, and ways families can support learning at home.

During lunch this past Thursday, the Green Team, chaired by ISD parent, Samantha Kumar, gave presentations on lunchroom habits to set students up for a successful year of sorting and recycling.

Holding a Lunchroom Recycling Refresher consists of showing each lunch group the GPS Zero Waste video and spending time in the cafeteria to help students sort and answer any questions.  

Additionally, students were shown the sorting game Ready, Set Sort!  to reinforce how to properly determine what is recyclable and what is waste.  

The Green Team also held its first monthly Playground Cleanup Event. 

This will occur the third Thursday of each month (weather-permitting) with the goal of keeping our playground clean and safe for all who use it. 

A special thanks to ISD students Bao Minh Nguyen, Kian Zohir, and Linus Kumar who collected several bags of trash! 

Our Green Team is looking for a donation of a gently-used sharing fridge (in good working condition). Unfortunately, our old fridge has quit on us. A tabletop or stand-alone fridge would be perfect. If it's a table-top fridge, it needs to fit on a table that's 17" x 24". 

The sharing fridge is an important part of our lunch program - it lets kids place untouched, packaged food (like yoghurt, fruit, individually-packed cheese, muffins etc) inside so that others can take it, helping reduce waste. 

Send us an email if you have a fridge to donate!

Click here for an update on everything ISD, including new GPS Report Cards, SBA Score Reports and Pajama Day!

Our community partners at the Greenwich Audubon Center are holding their annual Hawk Watch Festival, a celebration of the importance of birds of prey and their incredible migratory journeys, on Saturday, September 27. This all-ages event will feature hawk & bird related activities for the whole family to promote the importance of raptor conservation. Enjoy meeting hawks and owls up close, with plenty of other kid friendly activities. When purchasing tickets online, GPS families receive a substantial discount with promo code: GreenwichSchools.