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Philip R. Smith School

Dream. Achieve. Inspire.

Weekly Update October 2, 2026

Posted Date: 10/02/26 (04:30 PM)
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Philip R. Smith Elementary School-Weekly News

October 2, 2026

The U.S. Department of Education National Blue Ribbon School seal, featuring an eagle and stars.

After School Clubs

See the google forms below for more information.  Please complete the form if you are interested in your child being part of the lottery for the programs.  I will be creating the club rosters asap.  



Student Leadership Team Update

The Student Leadership Team has two Spirit Days coming up in October. The first is on Wednesday, October 7. Please have your child Wear Green for our Cerebral Palsy Spirit Day. Also, please consider a donation of $1 or more to United Cerebral Palsy. On Wednesday, October 21, we will wear orange for Unity Day. All money we collect will be donated to Pacer National Bullying Prevention Center. Thank you.

Family Guide to RULER

RULER is the Social Emotional Learning approach that SWPS adopted several years ago.  Here are a few slides with information about RULER!

Scholastic Book Fair

The Fall Scholastic Book Fair will be here Monday Oct 19th- Wednesday Oct 21st! 

Please use this link or QR code to shop online, or to create a cash-free way for your child to shop the fair, called an eWallet:

We love having volunteers help at the fair! Sign up here:  https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805054EA9AF2FA2FD0-66258089-fall#/


We will have both a morning and an evening event for parents and loved ones to shop with their kids at the book fair during this week:

Tues Oct 20 5:30-7 PM: Come shop at the book fair in the evening with your family.  You can find us in the gym.

Wed Oct 21st 8:15-8:55: Bring your child to school early and enjoy a treat with them while shopping at the book fair.  Please park on the front lawn for this event so teachers can use the parking lot, and stay with your child until 8:55.

Please reach out to Sera Marcous at Seramarcous410@gmail.com with any questions!

Trunk or Treat

Calling all Trunk or Treaters! 
Get ready for a fun-filled evening of costumes, candy, and creatively decorated cars! 
Please see the flyer for more information about this year’s Trunk or Treat.
Want to participate? Be sure to sign up through SignUpGenius
We can’t wait to see everyone there! 

Wolf Pack sponsored by PRS PTO

2026 PRS Night at the Hartford Wolf Pack!

Join us for our third annual PRS night at the Hartford Wolf Pack! This fun community event is open to all PRS families, friends, and staff. The first 40 PRS students to purchase tickets will have the opportunity to participate in a pre-game on-ice flag holding event! Don’t wait to buy! Tickets are on sale NOW! Use the link below to purchase, and see the attached flyer for more details. As always, thank you for supporting the PRS PTO!  

Arrival and Dismissal

Reminder that our arrival time in the morning is from 8:55 a.m.-9:15 a.m.  If you are driving your child to school, please plan to have them to school by 9:10 a.m. so they can get breakfast if they want and be in their classroom at 9:15 a.m. when teaching and learning begins.  

To ensure a smooth dismissal for our students and staff, please communicate all dismissal changes to the office by 1:30 p.m. We are working out the kinks and your communication is key to making sure students are where they need to be. Thank you so much!!

If you are emailing an absence or an early pick up, please email both Lisa llovett@southwindsorschools.org and Denise ddickstein@southwindsorschools.org so both are aware of the change.  

PRS Portrait of a Graduate

Click here to see the students who were celebrated at our Tiger Time for being Safe and Responsible! Individual students received a certificate and a PRS proud magnet! Classrooms recognized by specials teacher or Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Dixon have earned a special prize like extra recess or a fun project!

Congratulations to the students!

PRS Substitutes Needed

If you are looking for an opportunity to be a substitute in South Windsor Public Schools, PRS would love to build our substitute pool!  Here's a link to learn more!

CHET Big Dream Competition

This year, we will be awarding $350,000 in CHET 529 College Savings Plan account contributions to students in grades K-12 and technology prizes to schools. For the winning students, we will be awarding:
  • Three prizes of $20,000
  • 24 prizes of $5,000
  • 240 prizes of $500
With the help of a parent or guardian, students will submit an answer to a grade-appropriate question about their dreams or how they could help their community. They can answer by submitting a drawing or painting, essay, or video, and must be included with an entry form.
Submissions must be uploaded by 11:59 p.m. on November 6. There is no cost to enter. For program details, rules and the entry process, visit:
Downloadable entry forms and flyers are available on the website as well.
A school in your district could be a winner too! Each school that is represented by at least one student’s entry will be eligible for a random drawing for a technology prize worth $5,000 (a total of 10 schools will win a technology prize).
If you have any questions, please email asavio@mintz-hoke.com. And thank you for your support!
Amanda Savio
The CHET Dream Big! Competition Team

Important Dates

October
October 6 Walk to School Morning
October 12 No School  Indigenous Peoples’ Day
October 19-21 Scholastic Book Fair
October 20  Book Fair Family Night-evening
October 21  8:00 am  Book Fair Donuts with Grown ups 
October 16  Trunk or Treat-evening

November
November 3rd No School for Students:  Professional Development for Teachers
November 21 Wolf Packs Game
November 26th, 27th Thanksgiving Break

Helpful Links