RPS Update
November 3, 2023
Dear Families, Faculty, and Staff,
Ridgefield is a special place. We love our students, staff, families, and community. When we lose a member of our community, we grieve together. On Monday, we lost RHS junior Tommy Bergeron. Together, we will remember him.
Our Ridgefield community is strong, compassionate, and generous with resources for families and students. Friends of Ridgefield are far and wide, and it’s clear that our community and the people in it are special. For that, we are grateful.
Attending the RHS play that opened this week, seeing photos of middle school French students
enjoying a field trip, RISE art lessons, and elementary children on the playground can lift us up with
the promise of a new day, a sunrise, a connection, or a smile.
On Tuesday, Nov 7, students are off school for Election Day. Thank you to all the candidates running for the Board of Education. We wish each of you the best of luck. To our outgoing Board of Education members, we look forward to recognizing your contributions on November 13. We will celebrate our Veterans with assemblies next week—some of the best community events in our school year. Thank you to all who serve to protect our freedoms. We also extend our gratitude to staff, students, PTAs, and families for the thought, care, and time they put into making these assemblies so special. On Friday, schools are closed for Veterans Day.
Warmly,
Susie
Susie Da Silva, Ed.D
Quote of the Week
“What we have once enjoyed deeply, we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.”
—Helen Keller
Daylight Savings Time Ends This Weekend
Don't forget to set your clocks back and replace batteries in your smoke alarms this Sunday.
Important District News and Reminders
NEW! RHS Spirit for All
Brand new accessible golf carts helped kids join in the pep rally at Tiger Hollow on Friday. Spirits were high and could have been the deciding factor in the Tiger's Homecoming victory. Huge success!
Parent Presentation on Math: MONDAY!
On November 6, Sarah Schaefer, the developer of the District's new K-5 math curriculum resource will give a presentation for parents on How Students Learn Mathematics. Ms. Schaefer has spent dozens of hours in RPS classrooms over the past two years, captivating teachers, students, and administrators with her expertise and energy. Please see this incredible educator for yourself! Information below.
Who: Sarah Schaefer and the District Math Team
When: November 6 @ 5:30 pm
Where: BOE Room, 90 East Ridge Road and Live Streamed on the Curriculum YouTube Channel
How: Click link to submit questions
The RPS Curriculum team updated their Website with a new page, EngagED Curriculum Presentations, to help families and community members find important information about supporting learning at home, in school, and beyond. Ridgefield Public Schools will offer ongoing webinars on specific curricular topics throughout the year. They will be recorded and housed on this site.
2023 - 2024 Curriculum Presentation Schedule
Elementary Mathematics - November 6 @ 5:30 pm
Mathematics Placement Process - January 25 @ 11:30 am
Artificial Intelligence - February 29 @ 11:00 am
Science of Reading - March 28 @ 10:00 am
Next Generation Science Standards - April 25 @ 11:00 am
Presentations that have taken place in the past are also located on this site.
On last week’s episode of Ridgefield Tiger Talk host Wes DeSantis welcomed back physics and robotics teacher Michael Murphy who was joined with two RHS students Harshiv Gorakhiya and Declan Kelly. They told listeners about the RHS robotics program and after school club. This Saturday, November 4, Ridgefield High School will be hosting a huge robotics competition that will have over 60 teams from different states. If you’re interested in going, click here for the flyer. Also, here is a link to the YouTube channel if you’d like to stream it on the day of the event.
Weather-Related Procedures Reminder
The temperature drop and first frost remind us that winter weather and possible weather-related closings are upon us. Please visit the website reminder of late start, early dismissal, and weather-closure information and procedures.
Families might want to check PowerSchool to confirm your Preferred Methods of Communications.
To do this go into the Parent Portal and scroll down on the left hand side menu to find the link to the "Demographic Change" page.
Under the Parent Info tab of this page, find data entry fields for Parent Information, and at the bottom of each parent box you'll find the "Preferred Method of Communication" which should set your primary number in our Blackboard system to be either your home phone or your cell phone. This change will occur overnight.
For weather events, texts will always go through regardless of the Primary Number setting, but phone calls should only go to whatever number is listed as the Preferred Method of Communication.
Thank you!
Check Your eBackpack
When you are checking the eBackpack this week, please note the new Cyber Security Tip sheets added. October is Cyber Security Month and the State of Connecticut has provided families important guides about Social Media Security. Please check your students' e-Backpack for this important information and other programs across the district. Organizations that meet the RPS policy may submit their request for inclusion to cmelagrano@ridgefieldps.net.
News from Food Services
My School Bucks Glitch Fixed
Food Services Director Eric Nickelson reports that there was an outage last week between Mosaic and My School Bucks that did not import parent deposits for a short period. All deposits are now accounted for and should be updated.
Autopay Available
To set up Autopay on My School Bucks, please log in through a browser. Note the balance must be above the threshold you set. For a full set of instructions, please visit the Food Services page.
In the Community
Witness Stones: An RPS and Historical Society Partnership
Eighth Grade Historians
Save the Date for the Second Annual Witness Stones Installation Ceremony
The second annual Witness Stones Installation Ceremony will be on November 15 from 9:30-11 a.m. This event will be live-streamed to the RPS community through the RPS Curriculum YouTube Channel since space is limited.
NEW! Juniors and Seniors Wanted for SafeRides
Reprinted from Hamlet Hub
The Safe Rides program is short about 75 students and will not be able to continue the program without participation. Applications are due by the end of the day today, November 3. High school juniors and seniors are encouraged to apply https://form.jotform.com/232615645804154
Each year, RHS Seniors and Juniors volunteer their time, gas and vehicles to keep impaired drivers off our community's roads. Safe Rides operates on Friday and Saturday evenings during the school year, staffed by student volunteers to provide a safe anonymous ride to get someone safely home.
The program has broad community support and has been in existence for more than 25 years in Ridgefield.
The Safe Rides program is a key component of a community-based comprehensive impaired driving prevention effort. Combined with highly visible law enforcement, the Safe Rides program gives teens the information they need to make informed choices and seek alternatives to driving while impaired. Many believe the program is only around to provide teens that have illegally consumed alcohol or another substance a ride home, however, Safe Rides has many more purposes. For example, we can provide transportation for teens that have been babysitting and at the end of the night find their original driver to be intoxicated. Furthermore, we provide rides to individuals whose original ride has abandoned them. Most importantly, confidentiality is a benchmark of our program.
Social and Emotional Learning Corner
The Ridgefield Prevention Council Presents Movie & Panel
Workshop: Staying Sane on the Journey to College
NEW! Parent Workshop on Grief and Loss
Curriculum Spotlight
Grade 8 Independent Reading Projects
Eighth-grade ELA teacher Kathryn Scheer brings her students into the hall to showcase the development of students' independent reading projects. This mid-point check-in created an opportunity for students to visualize and share their progress and identify the next steps with peer and teacher feedback. “It was a joy to witness students share their process and receive actionable and individualized feedback," said Grade 6-12 Humanities Supervisor Dr. Annie Tucci. “This total participation sets high expectations for engagement with their independent reading selections and choice on how they progress through their project elements.” The project ultimately highlights their understanding of the impact of setting on character development and analysis of the text through artistic and linguistic representations. Ms. Scheer said, “I love this activity as it inspires students to stretch themselves as engaged readers by learning from peers, discussing strengths and growth areas, and celebrating each reading experience.”
In the Classroom
A Concert and Crêpe for SRMS French Students
RHS Learns From and Sings With Princeton A Cappella Group
The HeART of RPS
Printmaking and Painting in RISE Art
"Let's get you some of your favorite colors," says Scotland Elementary art teacher Megan Kounnas to one of her students as she hands him the red and yellow paints. It's RISE art day, and a class of students receiving Ridgefield Intensive Special Education services are enjoying a print-making lesson. Students swirl watercolor paint in shaving cream with paint brushes and then press paper onto the cream, which picks up the paint.
"This couldn’t be more perfect for him," observes paraeducator Renee Janso, admiring the lesson that is tailor-made for students with disabilities. “It isn't about the product,” says Kounnas, “It’s about the process.” In this case, the product, the swirled print revealed after the student scrapes the shaving cream away, is beautiful, and the student can see it because it has colors—red and yellow—and contrast that he can see despite severe visual impairment. Before coming to RPS, Kounnas worked in a therapy center for children with special needs, and her ability with and thought for RPS students receiving services is abundantly clear. “It’s so rewarding,” she says “You can see that they truly enjoy it and are happy to be here.”
“Some of our students receiving RISE services have art with their General Education classrooms and with RISE,” explains Scotts Ridge Middle School Assistant Principal, Lisa Frese, who praises SRMS art teacher Christen Riegel for her superlative RISE Art program, “But we realize that some aren’t able to access that for a variety of reasons. Some of our students are nonverbal or they can’t tolerate a general education classroom."
Riegel teaches RISE art every day to a smaller group. Last Thursday, students were making spooky Halloween scenes with steaming cauldrons, bats, and trees. She echoes Kounnas's assertion that art is not about the product. “Sometimes, it is about putting paint on paper,” Riegel says, “And seeing it move around. They can be more independent to express themselves and feel good. That’s what this is about.”
Both Kounnas and Riegel cite the relationship of the Scotland and Scotts Ridge paras with their students as being foundational for success. Riegel writes, “The program would not run the way it does without them. “Those paras deserve so much praise,” agrees Kounnas, “They are amazing!”.
“I’m a scientist,” says one of the Scotland students, digging his hands into the shaving cream, “I love RISE art.”
Assistant Director of Special Education Dr. Anthony Showah explains, “Currently, there are RISE programs serving students in PreK (Barlow Mountain), Branchville (new starting this year!), Farmingville, Ridgebury, Scotland, Scotts Ridge, and Ridgefield High School. East Ridge will restart their program in 2024-25.” The recent All-RPS Art Show showcased RISE Art.
This spring, Ridgefield High School will offer a new course, Unified Art, which will be for both general education and special education students. Over the summer RHS art teacher Jane Grassi and Riegel collaborated to write the curriculum for this new Unified Arts program, which will ensure cohesion and a smooth transition from middle school to high school.
Beyond the Classroom
State Champion Donates $1000 Gatorade Grant to Kicks for Kids
More Photos from the Week
Kens, Romans, and M+Ms!
How great are all these teams of teachers and staff? Theme-work!
Cowabunga, Farmingville!
Very Happy Halloween!
Parades, parties, all-school sing-a-longs, a pumpkin blaze, and Trunk or Treat are just some of the special recent Halloween happenings. Barlow Mountain preschool PTA Reps hosted a sensory-friendly Mini-Monster Mash event before the BMES Trunk or Treat that was very popular. As always, thank you to the PTAs for going above and beyond to make things so fun and celebratory.
Circle of Support
Varsity Field Hockey took Staples High School (Westport) to Double Overtime in FCIAC Semi-Final before the game decided in Wrecker's shootout win. Before the game, the team assembled their turf shoes in a circle of support for Tommy Bergeron and the community.
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