
RPS Update
September 29, 2023
Dear Families, Faculty, and Staff,
Yesterday morning, we joined Nia Simpon’s family, friends, and teachers at a dedication ceremony for the new butterfly courtyard at RHS in Nia’s honor. Yesterday was Nia’s 17th birthday. The strength, courage, and beautiful words from Nia’s parents and friends are a testament to Nia—we can honor Nia by living a life of purpose.
We are excited to announce our first annual K-12 Art Exhibition at the ERMS Art Gallery. The exhibition begins next week. We hope you can find the time to be a part of this new tradition. Check the October Calendar below for more details.
Two years ago, we introduced RPS Showcases to our Board of Education meetings. Ms. Gillette gleams with pride as she shares the talent of our students with the Board of Education and the community. We kicked off our 23-24 school year showcasing our faculty- this past week, Ms. Anderson, Branchville Elementary music teacher, accompanied by her husband, had us on our feet with musical pieces from The King and I and My Fair Lady. I hope you can take the time to listen to Ms. Anderson and the gift that she provides our students in the music classroom here, (2.05-minute mark).
Have a wonderful weekend,
Susie
Susie Da Silva, Ed.D
Instagram: rpssuper
Important District News and Reminders
Transportation Department News—Bus App Rollout
RPS plans to release the FirstView GPS App for busing beginning the second week of October. Because October 9 is a holiday, parents should have access beginning on October 10. The Transportation Office aims to send families instructions for accessing the App on Friday, October 6. Expect these instructions and the link for parents to sign up in next week's newsletter. We apologize for the delay in the release caused by multiple updates to the App. Thank you for your patience while we unroll this new technology.
Football Game...Dance and Cheer—RESCHEDULED
The varsity football game, in honor of Logan Preston Hale, has been moved to tomorrow, Saturday at 2 pm. Let's go, Tigers!!! Please visit the Ridgefield High School Athletic Department website for game schedules, student passes, and tickets.
Dedication: The Butterfly Courtyard Opens
Yesterday, Ridgefield High School opened The Butterfly Courtyard—a tribute to Nia Hailey Simpson, an RHS student who passed away last year. Nia's family has modeled courage, generosity, and grace since losing their daughter from a mysterious illness. Yesterday, Nia's 17th birthday, was no exception. Nia's cousin served delicious mini-pancakes and the family gave out green "Create a Life of Purpose" lanyards. RHS Principal Dr. Jacob Greenwood observed that the new courtyard took a "purposeless" place on the campus and gave it "purpose." The stunning student-made mural, kndness rocks, green adirondack chairs, a book nook, and native plant garden all transformed the outdoor space and will be visible from the Student Center all four-seasons, reminding the RHS community to make the most of each other and their lives. Hundreds of butterflies were released, some finding their way onto plants, coats, and fingers. Comfort dogs from ROAR were in the LLC to lick away tears and butter from the pancakes.
Hundreds of students, staff, and community volunteers came together to make this happen. Some of the many people involved in the Butterfly Courtyard include:
Safiya and David Simpson, Tauna Idone, Jennifer DeJulio, Jaclyn Aaron, Cassandra Fowler, Hannah Yu, Abby Seal, Eliza Forrest, Alex Irving, Charli McLemore, Chloe McKinstry, Lexi Berriola, Donnelly Rodgers
More about the Nia Hailey Simpson Foundation
The Create a Life of Purpose mural above was designed and installed (at night) by students Chloe McKinstry, Lexi Berriola, and Donnelly Rogers.
Please read RHS senior Casey O'Brien's wonderful report on Nia Simpson and the lives she touched in this special issue of The Ridgefielder.
Senior Charli McLemore created the image below from a classroom project Nia completed. The image was printed in a sticker that will go into The Butterfly Courtyard mini library.
Social and Emotional Learning Spotlight
Submitted by Caitlin DeMello, East Ridge Middle School Counselor
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) consists of skills training centered around Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness. As one of the RPS school counselors who has received training in DBT, I've been noticing how valuable the strategies can be for all different types of students to learn how to handle difficulties in life, regardless of whether they experience emotional difficulties. To make these strategies more accessible to our body of students, I created posters based on the tools provided through DBT. They include concepts like "Riding the Wave" that help students learn to feel an emotion all the way through until it leaves. DBT also teaches how to shift out of one mindset or emotion into another through acceptance of that mindset/emotion. In addition to this, I've created mini lessons to accompany the posters that we are trialing as a way to teach the skills to students in small groups. We feel that the more equipped students are to handle difficult situations and emotions, the more they can contribute as resilient, mindful citizens to our Ridgefield community.
Last week, RPS Update spotlighted anxiety and offered families and staff resources to help (Click here if you missed it). The editors look forward to sharing more from Ms. DeMello and other Counseling Departments in upcoming editions.
RPS Is Hiring—Van Drivers Needed
RPS has four vans and is looking for drivers to transport students in or out of the District.
Igniting Change
RPS leaders, East Ridge Principal Jennifer Phostole, RHS Assistant Principals Christine Hopkinson and Jarret Pepe, and Barlow Mountain Principal Becky Laus flank author and presenter Cornelius Minor at Igniting Change by the RESC Alliance.
Save the Date—Staying Sane on the Journey to College
Lunch Payment Reminder
RPS switched to My School Bucks (MSB) for lunch payments this year. MSB is a highly-rated lunch software program that many school districts across the country use. Please use the links on the Food Services website to learn how to set up an account and more information.
Families can also pay for lunch with cash or by check made out to Ridgefield School Lunch.
Please Check the eBackpack
Please help us in our effort to go green by checking students' e-Backpacks! Organizations that meet the RPS policy may submit their request for inclusion to cmelagrano@ridgefieldps.net. Thank you!
In the Classroom
Worms and Wonder: Veterans Park Grows
In the past couple of weeks, all Veterans Park Elementary classes got their hands dirty in the school's garden. The VPES PTA brought in educators from Kaleidoscope Garden Design to lead enriching outdoor activities, including scavenger hunts, harvesting, and fall planting. Students were delighted by towering sunflowers, warm soil, and worms! School gardens are just one of the gazillion ways PTAs serve our students.
It's not too late to join your school's PTA. Our partnership is invaluable. Click here to join!
Mission Possible: Math, Robotics, + Civics in SRMS LLC
Scotts Ridge sixth graders were on a mission…actually, they were on four missions. They needed to get food to Hawaii wildfire victims, school supplies to Ukrainians, first aid to earthquake survivors in Morocco, and water to children in Syria. Their humanitarian relief tasks were all part of a math lesson in the LLC that combined problem-solving, robotics, civics, and math.
“Students first learned to plot coordinate grids with their math teacher, Dr. Christina Piazza,” explains assistant librarian Emily Shiller. Piazza introduced the unit by showing students videos of drones dropping emergency blood supplies to local hospitals as well as a Coast Guard rescue. In class, students started to make connections between sharing their location with their parents via their phone and how that translates to sharing their coordinates through a map.
Ms. Shiller continues, “Then, they learned how to program Spheros here in the LLC.” Spheros are round robots controlled with an iPad either manually or with coding, giving students an introduction to basic programming. Students had to figure out how to deliver “aid” where vehicle convoys couldn’t go. They plotted the airlift coordinates on a map and “airdropped” the items by creating code to move between the coordinates, successfully delivering their humanitarian aid. If only humanitarian relief were that easy.
In addition to teaching coordinates, this lesson taught students about current events, geography, and applied math. SRMS School Security Officer Matt Seibert explained to students how the Ridgefield Police uses coordinates for 911 calls and lost individuals, which further reinforced the real-life application.
Student Oliver Homan comments, "It’s fun, even when you fail the positioning a bunch of times and then you get it right!"
McKenzie Willis adds, "It’s easier to learn math for kids when you are doing something fun! We used a toy to make things easier."
Hispanic Heritage at East Ridge
The HeART of RPS
Musician of the Month—Frankie Belden
by Julia Salamone, Reprinted from Hamlet Hub
The RHS music department is excited to announce that Francesca (Frankie) Belden is September’s music student of the month. Her kindness towards her peers and love of her instrument have been displayed throughout all four years of participating in the Ridgefield music community.
Frankie was inspired to start playing the violin at the age of six, after one of her friends started to play. Through hard work and dedication throughout the years, Frankie was able to acquire the role of assistant concertmaster during her freshman year, and has had a positive
influence on the music community since then.
Orchestra Conductor, Micheal McNamara states, "Frankie has been an amazing asset to our program throughout her music career at RHS."
Read the full article, written by RHS student Julia Salamone at Hamlet Hub.
Grade K-12 Art Show
Race to End Duchenne
This Sunday, October 1, RPS will race to end Duchenne at Barlow Mountain Elementary. This is a family-friendly event with an art station for kids along with the run/walk. RPS art teachers Megan Kounnas and Alison Anderson will be assisting with the art project. Find more information about Team Teddy, the event, and registration here.
Photos from the Week
Elementary Essentials
Happy Campers: Camp College App 2.0
New RHS School Counselor Robert Schumann works alongside Katlyn Foran and Lori Bran with Camp Common App campers.
RHS Senior Riley Clavi is a rock star at her mock interview with Lori Bran at Camp Common App
Elsa...and Hope!
ROAR comfort dogs were so happy to be at RHS yesterday.
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.