COVID-19 CDC website

As Darien School COVID-19 Cases Ramp Up, Officials Plead to Parents: Keep Kids With Symptoms at Home

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Faced with a flood of new COVID-19 cases, Darien school district officials are sending general messages to entire classrooms of students when they may have been exposed to someone with COVID, the district’s nursing director and superintendent said in an announcement to parents and others in the school system. The nursing director, Alicia Casucci, and Superintendent Alan Adley pleaded with parents to keep their children home if they show signs of COVID-19:

We cannot emphasize enough the importance of keeping any individual who is exhibiting symptoms of COVID AT HOME. These symptoms may be very mild and  include a sore throat, headache, cough, congestion, mild runny nose, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.  Anyone experiencing symptoms, regardless of vaccination status, should seek the advice of their primary care provider and testing as soon as possible. (Boldface and italics in original announcement.)

The state Department of Education and other state authorities are reviewing the state’s contact tracing procedures. If the procedures are then changed, Casucci and Adley said, employees and families of those in the school system will be told.

COVID-19 Coronavirus

Continued Steady Pace in New COVID Cases in Darien Schools Through Thanksgiving Break

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During Thanksgiving break, the number of new COVID-19 cases reported among students, teachers and others in Darien schools remained steady, according to reports from school district officials to parents and staff. A total of 21 people tested positive for COVID-19 In the five days from Wednesday (when students were released early, just before Thanksgiving) through early Sunday evening. Although that number is higher than in previous updates to parents and staff, it represents a total of five days instead of the single-day reports that had been given out in each of the five days before Thanksgiving break. A comparison with those numbers shows no increase in the rate of new reported cases: 21 in each five-day period. There was a jump in the number of people told to self-quarantine (21 in the earlier five-day period, 33 in the latest report) but far fewer told to get tested for COVID and be careful (“Screen & Stay” in the reports: 43 in the earlier period, 23 in the later period).

Computer Keyboard 8-2-16

‘Parenting in the Digital Age’ — School District Offers Workshop in November

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The Darien school district is providing parents with workshops next month about children’s use of social media. Each workshop is for a different children’s age group, takes place at the district headquarters at 35 Leroy Ave. and starts at 10 a.m. on a weekday. Schools Superintendent Alan Addley announced the workshops in a message to parents on Friday. Here’s what he said about the workshops:

“We share in the challenge of navigating the increasing role that social media and technology play in the lives of students and ourselves.

Commended Students National Merit Scholarship Program 2021 fall

25 DHS Seniors Named ‘Commended Students’ by National Merit Scholarship Program

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The National Merit Scholarship Program has named a total of 25 Darien High School seniors “commended students” for 2022, the high school announced Friday. These students were named:
Emma de Graaff, Luke Dehmel, Andres Devens, Brooke Dolan, Alexander Domittner, Kiran Ebrahimi, Patrick Finnegan (missing from photo), Piper Fitzgerald, Julia Fullington, John Gorman (missing from photo), Elizabeth Haidinger (missing from photo), Ryan Jones, James Leone, Reed Levinson, Lachlan McLaren, Stella Meier, Sebastian Mengwall (missing from photo), Ellis Murphy, Clara O’Connor (missing from photo), Shruthi Palaniappan, Andrew Siever, Ella Whitticom, Katherine Wolters, Charlotte Zaino and Saskia Zimmerman. Assistant Principal Katherine Dimoulas and Director of Guidance Meghan Emanuelson presented each of the scholastically talented seniors with a letter of commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise.

Letter to the Editor Newspapers Periodicals

Selectman Sarah Neuman Is an Organizer With Long Experience Leading Groups in Town

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To the editor:

Sarah Neuman is a skilled organizer, effective communicator, and selfless advocate for others. Her candidacy for the Board of Selectmen meets the needs of our town. We met Sarah almost 20 years ago and have been continually impressed with her caring and dedication towards others that has extended to the town of Darien. Our families bonded through our children and have remained very close over the prior two decades. Through her volunteer work, Sarah delivers a positive experience for the people and businesses of Darien.

Letter to the Editor Swords WWII

Stacey Tie and Julie Best: Tireless Leadership, a Firm Grasp of Education Issues

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To the Editor:
As we have seen over the past 18 months, public service in support of our schools can be a challenging and thankless endeavor. That’s why I am so thankful that Stacey Tie and Julie Best are willing to step forward and serve our students as members of the Darien Board of Education at such a pivotal time. Our students would be so fortunate to have Stacey and Julie as advocates at the table on their behalf. For years, Stacey has been my “go-to” when navigating school issues — particularly as my son’s special education journey began. She has an uncanny way of getting to the heart of any matter with reasoned logic and an impressive level of patience for details.

Letter to the Editor Thomas Jefferson

Candidates Julie Best and Stacey Tie Have Dedicated Their Time to Darien Schools for Years

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To the editor:

It is with great enthusiasm that I write a letter of support for Julie Best and Stacey Tie for Darien’s Board of Education in 2021. Julie Best and Stacey Tie have each spent years working in a wide range of capacities within the Darien PTO organizations as well as town government to improve our schools and our community. As a current parent of students in the Darien district, I am grateful for their ever-present support, experience and dedication, helping our students, parents and schools navigate a year and a half of unforeseen challenges. In addition to their work on our various school TPO organizations, Stacey Tie has served on the RTM and its Finance and Budget committee since 2016 and offers experience in all aspects and challenges of our district’s budgets while Julie Best has served in numerous PTO organizations in Darien, with her most recent leadership role as the co-chair of the Council of Darien School Parents, the umbrella organization for all Darien PTOs. I feel their dedication, energy and creative thinking will offer our community the passion, leadership and partnership we are looking for at this time.