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RPS Update

November 17, 2023

RPS Update November 17, 2023
the Superintendent and MS principals with Historical Society and Grade 8 Social studies teachers
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Dear Families, Faculty, and Staff,

The season of gratitude filled the room on Monday at our Board of Education meeting. My heart was filled with pride, and my face, tears. The night began emotionally with powerful messages to and from Board members that included bits of advice, expressions of gratitude, and recognition of years of service. We were reminded that some of our departing Board members led Ridgefield with grace and care through one of the greatest health crises of our lifetime. Once again, I would like to thank each of them.


On Tuesday, all three Town Boards came together to briefly discuss this year's budget, while also providing context and a look ahead to the upcoming budget season. It is our belief that we are a united community, and working together brings out the best in us.


On Wednesday, at the 2nd annual Witness Stones Installation Ceremony, the Ridgefield Historical Society, the First Selectperson, members of the Board of Education, administrators, community members, and parents had the opportunity to hear the stories of enslaved persons from Ridgefield, Peter and Dinah through the voices of our East Ridge and Scotts Ridge eighth graders. The installation of the stones at the Scott House sent a powerful message to our students and our community that we can be better, and we will not forget.


We are often heard saying that there is something special about Ridgefield, and while I wish we could be in every school, every classroom, every day…we can’t. And yet, we do know how much our teachers and staff do each day on behalf of our students. We are humbled each day, and grateful to be part of a community that cares so deeply for each and every student.


This will be my last communication until after Thanksgiving. May each of you experience health, family, friends, and gratitude for all of life's gifts. Happy Thanksgiving!


Warmly,


Susie

Susie Da Silva, Ed.D

Photo Captions (top): Eighth grade social studies teachers with members of the Ridgefield Historical Society, The Witness Stones Project, and RPS Administrators at the Scott House before the Witness Stones Induction Ceremony: (Below) Witness stones commemorating the lives of Dinah, Peter, Lidia, and Quash.

Important District News and Reminders

Hergenrother Leads X-C to First New England Championship!!!!

The RHS Boys Cross Country Team won New Englands for the first time on Saturday! Led by senior Steven Hergenrother who claimed first out of talented pool of runners from across New England, it was a true team victory. Way to go, Tigers!!!


1st - Steven Hergenrother (15:21.87)

10th - Charles Lovett (15:52)

18th - Magnus Manley (16:01)

31st - Trevor Fuller (16:12)

39th - Sullivan Dunn (16:16)

87th - Aiden Nelson (16:48)

125th - Alex Glenn (17:06)

Happy Thanksgiving!

RHS Graduation Date—Friday, June 14, 2024

The BOE approved Friday, June 14, as the RHS Class of 2024 graduation date. Graduation will be at RHS again this spring. More information about time and tickets to come.

Middle School Virtual Tutoring Begins November 27

Schedule and Link Sent to Families Today

RPS will once again be offering virtual DROP-IN tutoring sessions in the evening beginning on Monday, November 27, 2023! Math, English Language Arts, and General Academic support sessions will be offered throughout the week. This program does not replace the valuable help students already receive from their teachers before/after school or during the school day but is meant to offer extended academic support to students and families when questions arise at home in the evening. This virtual tutoring program is open to all 6-8 students. Tutors are certified teachers from both ERMS and SRMS.


The schedule with Google Meet links and Google Classroom access code has been sent directly to ERMS and SRMS families today! To stay up to date with announcements or schedule changes, please remind your child to join the tutoring Google Classroom using their RPS Google account.

Check Your eBackpack

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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.

Social and Emotional Learning Spotlight

Ridgebury Elementary's school psychologist, Kathryn Thamsen, and speech and language pathologist, Danielle Maruschak, provided their school's faculty with a presentation focused on learning about the "Three States of Mind" (a Dialectical Behavior Therapy concept), as well as provided an understanding of what's happening in our brains when we are emotionally dysregulated. They went on to discuss some examples of specific social and emotional challenges that students may experience in the classroom and provided strategies that faculty can utilize to help students navigate these challenging moments.

New Teacher Feature—Allannah Greco

Photo Caption: Allannah Greco flanked by Jen Jasminski and Liz Van Duyne

Veteran Educator Chose RPS for Culture of Growth and Learning

The new East Ridge Middle School reading specialist Allannah Greco is not new to teaching. She has been an elementary classroom teacher for over 15 years and a reading interventionist, but she is new to a middle school environment. “I took the opportunity to come to RPS to get out of my comfort zone,” said Allannah, “growth and learning are part of the culture here. So many teachers are pursuing further education, different certifications, and value continued learning.”


RPS administrators often describe the District as a “learning organization,” and Greco echoes that sentiment. “They’re always methodical about what the students need and how to implement that,” she says, citing ERMS's recent i-Ready testing as an example. “Once we had the scores, we met to see where there were celebrations and opportunities for growth.”


RPS administrators also frequently talk about MTSS, which stands for Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. Most students Greco works with need MTSS Tier 2 or 3 literacy support. Greco says she and ERMS math specialist and MTSS Lead Liz Van Duyne as well as the behavioral expert, Jaime O'karma, work together to ask, “How can we support the high-level work students are expected to do? What is getting in their way?” She cites Literacy Paraeducator Jennifer Jasminksi as, “a valuable partner because of her knowledge of the curriculum, teachers, and students.”


In addition to working with students, Greco also coaches teachers on ways to support students’ literacy development across subjects and meets regularly with teams to assess what literacy supports are needed. “Sometimes, our students lack vocabulary knowledge,” explains Greco, “and that interferes with comprehension as well as written expression.” On a recent day, Greco had a slide prepared for a student looking at the Prefix “dia,” which means “through, “across,” or “thorough,” and words with that prefix.


“RPS works with the best experts in their fields,” she says, citing the District’s recent partnership with Ben Powers of the CoLAB for his excellence in literacy pedagogy. She explains how RPS Grade 6-12 Humanities Director Dr. Annie Tucci provided a list of well-respected professional development conferences and valuable PD. “The district stands out in its investment in learning and thoughtful approach, and it shows in terms of what students can do. I love stretching myself and am always looking for ways to grow as a person and as a part of a team of teachers. That’s why I’m here.”


Greco has two children—a junior at the University of California Los Angeles and a junior at Ridgefield High School. “We moved here for the schools,” Greco says. “That decision was validated at each stage of their education through Barlow, Ridgebury, Scotts Ridge, and RHS, and the exceptionality of the schools is all that much more evident from the inside perspective here.”

Curriculum Corner

Get EngagED!

In early November, Sarah Schaefer—founder of Mathology, the District's Elementary Math curriculum resource, offered an engaging presentation on teaching math and the skills students need as they move through RPS to life beyond—notably problem-solving, collaboration, and communication over computation. Highly recommended! Her presentation and more can be found on the curriculum team's new page, EngagED Curriculum Presentations. 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 (recorded)

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

Science Teachers Learn from Connecticut Science Center

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This past month, fifth-grade Integrated Studies teachers (who teach science and social studies) and middle school science teachers engaged in professional learning organized by the Connecticut Science Center. The Connecticut Science Center staff provided our RPS teachers with an in-district workshop entitled "Making Thinking Visible through Talk". This opportunity was a way to connect our elementary and middle school science teachers with common instructional strategies to help our students engage in productive science communication during lessons. Through the lens of Science and Engineering Practices, teachers took on the role of their students and went through a possible sample lesson to see how these strategies felt on the part of the learner. Teachers left the workshop with concrete ways to embed these instructional strategies in upcoming science lessons. RPS teachers will work again with the Connecticut Science Center at an upcoming Professional Development Day this school year.

PTA Spotlight: Parents Go to School at Branchville

At a recent Branchville Elementary School PTA meeting, Math Specialist Prajakta Oppel and Elementary Supervisor Keri Tighe lead parents through lessons so they could experience first hand how children are learning about mathematics.

In the Community

Dr. Annie Tucci
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The second annual Witness Stones Induction Ceremony on Wednesday brought eighth graders, their social studies teachers, and administrators together with the local community to honor the lives of enslaved Ridgefielders Dinah and Peter. For a full list of student speakers, musicians, singers, other participants, and more information please view this program. Please view the stream here.

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Story Behind the Story

East Ridge strings teacher Shane Peters spoke about the music by the black composer Sawney Freeman that Mr. Peters arranged for the ceremony.

"Connecting the dots of Mr. Freeman's life is a bit like putting together a puzzle without having all the pieces. We know he was enslaved and emancipated in Lyme, CT. After being emancipated he moved to East Haddam and eventually settled in Saybrook which is now Essex, CT. Sawney Freeman became a published composer who sold some of his work to Isac Beers and Co., a bookstore in New Haven. Sawney, his wife Clarissa, and son, James, are buried in Riverview Cemetery in Essex. The first piece, "The New Death March", uses specific chord structures and melodies to produce a solemn sound and is written as a waltz. The second piece "Washington Farewell" has harmonies and melodies reminiscent of music written around the time of the Civil War. We hope you enjoy them both as you reflect on the gravity of today's ceremony."

Last Call - Ridgefield Senior Survey

If You Are 55 Years Old or More Please Take Town Survey

RPS is working with the Town of Ridgefield to distribute the 2023 Ridgefield Senior Survey to all age 55+ Town residents. Your responses will help the Town and nonprofits serving seniors identify the needs of Ridgefield's older residents.

The survey closes on Friday, December 1. It is not too late to have your voice heard! The Town's hope is to reach 100% of our seniors and soon-to-be-senior population. The survey is anonymous and there is a group of committed volunteers available to assist you if needed.

Please use this link to take the survey online, https://bit.ly/ridgefieldsurveyemail stop in for a paper copy or call 203-894-7434 and leave a voicemail. A paper copy can be delivered to you and picked up when you have completed it and a volunteer can assist you in completing it.

In the Classroom

Puzzle Power at the Ridgebury Library

Submitted by RES Library and Media Specialist Ellen Paradiso

Ridgebury Elementary students just solved a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle together and didn't lose a single piece! Many students (and even some parents!) collaborated in the RES Library this fall to slowly sort pieces by color, assemble the perimeter, and persist through the ambiguous patches to complete the Lego themed puzzle. Students were invited to pitch in if they had a little time after checking out books or wanted a quiet minute at the puzzle board. Short puzzle breaks are known to improve concentration, memory, and visual-spatial reasoning, as well as to reduce stress and boost productivity Much like finishing a great book, we are a little glum this puzzle's over but itching to unbox a new one next month!

No Tricks or Icks! Just Fun With Words!

Who could forget trick words after writing them in shaving cream? Not these Scotland first graders! #fundations

What's the Angle? Grade 8 Goes Outside to Find Out

Scotts Ridge Middle eighth graders in both Sean Geary and Myra Gercak's classes went outside to strengthen their understanding of angle relationships in Math 8. Way to stretch your thinking, SRMS!

Beyond the Classroom

The HeART of RPS

VPES Puts on the Wizard of Oz

What's better than an elementary school play,? Six elementary school plays. Veterans Park Elementary kicked off the elementary performing arts season this week with its production of The Wizard of Oz. VPES's new spotlights lit up Dorothy, the Munchkins, and the rest of this classic production! Thank you to the PTA for your collaboration and to all the students on and back stage.

Debate Team Takes Top Prize at CDA Tournament

James Cox Donovan and Gabriel Uceda Sosa
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Is College Overvalued?

RHS Debate Advisor Adam Horvath reports that last Saturday, RHS students spent eight hours at the Connecticut Debate Association (CDA) Tournament at Bethel High School. During this tournament, students representing RHS competed in four (40-minute) rounds of debate with teams from other Connecticut schools as they argued whether or not college is overvalued


In the end, RHS won twelve rounds of debate and earned 1st place in the varsity division team rankings (out of 44 teams), and 1st place among varsity speakers (out of 88 speakers) after competing in a final championship varsity round against Wilton High School.


Each win was earned by these students as a result of their efforts to enhance their critical thinking skills and master the art of public speaking.


Varsity Division

Varsity Teams

James Cox-Donovan & Gabriel Uceda-Sosa (5 Wins) - 1st Place Varsity Team Trophy (in Photo)

Julia Knispel & Natalie Shartouni (3 Wins)

Sophie Shen & Catherine Thompson (2 Wins)


Varsity Speakers

Gabriel Uceda-Sosa - 1st Place Varsity Speaker Trophy


Novice Division

Novice Teams

Ayan Bhowmik & Connor Graves (2 Wins)

Girls Swim to Second Place in States

Lily Archibald
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This fall has been another outstanding season for Ridgefield Girls Swim and Dive. They captured second in FCIAC and were runners up at the State Championship last weekend. These photos show many of the individual and relay team successes.

Lily Archibald, Bridget Kelly, Kiera Giles, Ava Ward (400 freestyle relay, first place)

Ava Ward (200 freestyle, first place)

Maddie Muncy, Ava Ward, Bridget Kelly, Kiera Giles (200 freestyle relay, 2nd place)

Riley Mcgerald, Dalia Katra, Lily Archibald, Maddie Muncy (200 medley relay, 2nd place)

Lily Archibald (50 freestyle and 100 fly, 2nd place)

Riley McGerald (100 breastroke, 3rd place)

Dalia Katra (100 breastroke, 6th place)

Mairead Luhman (100 backstroke, 6th place)

Thank you to Lily Archibald for help pulling these together!

Barlow Mountain on the Beat

Bobcat Bulletin Encourages Budding Journalists

When Barlow Mountain fifth-grade teacher Ashlie Miller thought of starting a school newspaper, she imagined five or so students participating. Fifteen students showed up at the first meeting, and the staff keeps growing, hitting eighteen this week, with five third graders and thirteen fifth graders joining this ambitious endeavor.


The first volume of the Bobcat Bulletin arrived in inboxes last week, showcasing the impressive talents and hard work of this team. Fifth-grader Aria profiled Math Specialist Valerie Nezvesky, who said, “I am so impressed. I taught Aria in kindergarten, and she’s grown so much from a shy student to a journalist sitting across from me, asking questions. It was really special. I took a screenshot of the article and sent it to my whole family.” One of the nice features of the article was a sidebar, "Math About Mrs. Nezvesky" put together by fifth-grader Lila.


At a recent before-school editorial meeting, students, guided by Ms. Miller, are at work on the second edition. Students sign up for different roles—editor, sports reporter, Bobcat happenings, etc. Ms. Miller asks students to think about what might be important to the BMES community—the upcoming book fair, for example. Students brainstorm questions for a staff spotlight. “We are planning on profiling Miss Ashley,” says fifth-grader Ella, “she’s worked in the school kitchen for a long time and everyone loves her.”


Ella says she joined the newspaper staff because she likes to write and likes sending what she thinks “to the entire school, not just to her teacher.” Ella wrote a couple of stories for the first edition, including co-writing a cover story about the Wizards basketball game with Alexandra and a student profile to help welcome new Barlow students. Ella says she does her interviews in person because “I want to see their facial expressions.”


Across the room, a group sketches ideas for a cartoon about a brave snowman. Third-grader Brian works alone on a Spiderkids comic. “I like my job,” he says. In another corner, a sports reporter strategizes about scoring an interview with Olympic medal-winning swimmer and RHS graduate Kieran Smith.


We can’t wait to see the next issue, Bobcats!!!


Photos from the Week

LGBTQ+ Oral History Project and RHS

A historian, Susan Ferentinos, Ph.D, offered a workshop at RHS on Thursday for students interested in assisting with the Ridgefield LGBTQ Oral History Project. RPS Update will be reporting more on this partnership with the Ridgefield Historical Society in upcoming issues.

Excitement and Joy at East Ridge

The smile says it all. On Tuesday, East Ridge Middle School welcomed some fifth-grade Farmingville students receiving RISE services to begin to prepare for their move to middle school next year. The excitement and joy from students and staff was infectious.

Ridgebury Extends World Kindness Day to Spirit Week

Ridgebury Elementary celebrated World Kindness Day on Monday, with a student council-led Kindness assembly and pep rally. The spirit committee took it from there, launching a week of spirit—including wacky hair and pajama day.

We would love to hear from you! Families and staff can submit stories, comments, or corrections to RPS Communications. Please follow us on Social Media with links below.

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Ridgefield CT 06877