
RPS Update
September 8, 2023
Dear Families, Faculty, and Staff,
It appears that each school year begins with some weather excitement, and it looks like this year is no different. While our infrastructure is far from perfect, our buildings are cooled and we were able to hold full days of school. That said, these weather events remind me of the importance of sharing our weather protocols early in the year, just in case!
Last night, RHS held their Open House-we are incredibly grateful and fortunate to be able to both retain and hire exceptional faculty and staff. It didn't take long for me to hear positive feedback on our seasoned and new teachers. I am looking forward to meeting families during the upcoming back-to-school events- don’t hesitate to walk over and chat.
This coming Monday, September 11, the administration will share the recommended 2023-24 District Priorities with the Board of Education. It is clear that the district is positioned for the next play (RPS Levels Up!), and we are looking forward to the progressive work to come in the years ahead. As a reminder, you may attend the Board of Education meetings in public or watch from the comfort of your home. If you miss it, no worries, you can catch it recorded on our YouTube page.
Enjoy the weekend,
Susie
Susie Da Silva, Ed.D
Instagram: rpssuper
Quote of the Week
“If we learn nothing else from this tragedy, we learn that life is short and there is no time for hate.”
—Sandy Dahl, wife of Flight 93 pilot Jason Dahl, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in 2002
Photo above: Ridgefield High School students help parents at Thursday's Open House.
Important District News and Reminders
Health Update from the Director of Nursing, Health, and Wellness
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!
Football Season Kicks-Off—HOME OPENER TONIGHT
RHS Cheer and Dance
The Ridgefield High School football team will face off tonight at Tiger Hollow against Cheshire at 7 pm, which means the award-winning RHS Dance and Cheer teams are also suiting up to thrill. Please purchase tickets through the Go Fan app for quicker entry. The Athletic Department requests that parents attend with their children, especially those under 10-years-old. Please visit the RHS Athletics website for all RHS sports schedules, links to tickets, student passes, and more information.
Let's go, Tigers!!!!!!
The HeART of RPS
New Teacher Feature—Juliana Chetcuti, MS Strings
"I want to teach the whole musician..."
It’s early in the morning on Tuesday after Labor Day, and the new Scotts Ridge Middle School orchestra teacher, Juliana Chetcuti, already has her eighth-graders moving through a challenging piece of music measure by measure, realization by realization. Students are singing rhythms, listening to each other, pausing, plucking, bowing, and thinking. You can almost hear their synapses firing; it’s that electric.
“Aren’t they great?” Ms Chetcuti exclaims after the bell rings, and the students file out smiling. Ms. Chetcuti is fresh out of Western Connecticut State University but is not new to RPS. She completed her student teaching at East Ridge and Scotts Ridge last spring under the mentorship of Shane Peters. Now, Mr. Peters will be full-time at East Ridge. They will co-conduct the MS Symphonic and Chamber Orchestras.
“I first met Jules when she was a student in a Music Education course that I teach at WCSU. I remember being impressed by her musicianship, personality, and attention to detail,” Mr. Peters says. “A couple of years later, she became my student teacher as the district was preparing to hire a new string orchestra teacher as the program continued to grow. During an elaborate series of interviews and demo lessons, Ms. Chetcuti demonstrated to the hiring committee what I had seen throughout her student teaching placement: exceptional skills, mind-blowing student engagement, and the desire to get better every day.”
“Ridgefield is a district like no other for strings,” Chetcuti explains, citing district leadership, student engagement, and community appreciation of the arts, as some of the factors that make RPS extraordinary. “They introduced music lessons to sixth graders two years ago. These eighth graders are the first cohort who have had music lessons in all three years of middle school, and it shows.” The small group lessons are part of the reason she was drawn to the district. “I want to teach the whole musician, and that’s harder in a large group ensemble. Music is about responsibility, details, and the nitty gritty so that I’m not just teaching them to play one piece but how to manage parts of their lives with practice hacks, discipline, and fun.”
Ms. Chetcuti’s father is a middle school band teacher, but she didn’t start out thinking that she would follow in his footsteps. In fact, her dad advised against the profession:) She studied nursing at Henry Abbott Tech High School in Danbury and was “obnoxiously involved” at school as class president and leader. Music was her extracurricular activity—playing saxophone in jazz and marching bands and violin in local orchestras. During her junior year in high school, her stand partner said he was going to WCSU to study music education, and Chetcuti immediately realized that was what she wanted to do.
“Teaching is something I already liked,” she explains. “As a section leader, I loved the transfer of knowledge and found it rewarding—addictive. I knew a way to explain it in a way they could get it.”
What was her father’s reaction? “‘I’m so proud of you,’ he said.” Her father says that middle school students still have the spirit of children but the capabilities of a much higher level.
Chetcuti’s natural affinity for teaching is clear on Tuesday. “I make fun of myself to make them feel comfortable. The silliest person in the room is me.” There is joy in the classroom but also precision and thought. The students sound great, and it’s only the first week of September.
Photo Caption (above): Juliana Chetcuti and Shane Peters, MS Strings.
Photo Caption (above): Scotts Ridge eighth graders play together with joy and focus.
RPS Responds: Seeking Supplies for Ukraine
The Ridgefield Public Schools are partnering with Ridgefield Responds: Hope for Ukraine to send relief and essential school supplies to the children in Ridgefield’s sister city, Druzhkivka, Ukraine. Please help us support their remote learning environment!
Children are in need of school supplies at all ages.
To focus our efforts, we ask that each grade collect donations as assigned in the attached outline.
We will collect items at each school throughout the month of September.
TONIGHT!!!! 911 Remembrance; Community Opportunity
Anniversary in the Theater
This “Anniversary in the Theaters” program is centered around a screening of the 2023, 9/11 Anniversary Digital Learning Experience, a 30-minute film annually created by the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and featuring first-person accounts of the hope, resilience, and unity that defined September 11, 2001 and the days and weeks that followed. View a trailer of the film at: www.911memorial.org/DLE Interested in attending?
- Please sign up here
- Where: Danbury AMC Theater (61 Eagle Rd, Danbury, CT 06810
- Screening begins at 7:00 pm (please arrive between 6:30-6:45 for check-in
- If you have any questions, please contact Danny Martins, RHS Social Studies Department Chair (dmartins@ridgefieldps.net) or Annie Tucci, RPS 6-12 Humanities Supervisor (atucci@ridgefieldps.net).
Note: This is not a school field trip and is a community-based event. Permission slips are not required and parents should attend with their children. Responsibility for attendance is based on family discretion.
Hats and Hoods Off, Please
Over the last several years, RPS had no standard hat/hood procedure, likely related to Covid, when classroom windows were kept open for air circulation and there was the potential for it to be cold in classrooms.
With the typical school opening this 2023-24 school year, RPS will return to only permitting hats to be worn outside the school building. Students may choose to wear a hat, but will be reminded to remove it upon entering the school building. Students will be permitted to wear hats for outdoor recess.
On special occasions/spirit days, hats may be permitted and this will be communicated to students and families.
Odyssey of the Mind—HELP NEEDED
Are You Over 55 Years Old?—Your Opinion Wanted
The Ridgefield Commission on Aging asked RPS to help spread the news about a survey the town is conducting. If you are 55 years old or older, please make your voice heard by filling out their survey. The Ridgefield Board of Selectman has engaged a local marketing research firm, Mine Tech, to conduct a survey focused on the current and future needs of Ridgefield's 55+ population. This survey will be conducted during the fall of 2023 and will be available in both digital and paper formats.
Below is a link to the Commission on Aging website where you can learn more about this important survey and may register via Email.
https://www.ridgefieldct.gov/commission-aging/pages/2023-ridgefield-senior-survey-email-sign
Transportation Concerns Reminder
The RPS Transportation Department continues to work with families to find efficiencies in the bus and van routes and implement new technologies. If you have a transportation concern, please fill out the Transportation Inquiries form.
Thank you!
Join the PTA!
Across the district, parents and teachers are joining their schools' PTA. Please click here to support our schools!
Photo above: One of the many acts of kindness during back to school—a colorful array of presents for teachers.
In the Classroom
Ridgebury Students Make Their Mark in the LLC
Photos from the Week
Big Days for Little People
RPS preschoolers started this week. See some of the fun, learning, and friendships they enjoyed in the photos below. Learn more about the RPS preschool program here.
Thinking Math!
First graders work through math problems together.
What Would You Name the VPES Eagle?
Veterans Park Elementary held its first all-school meeting this week, raising school spirits and important topics. One of the most important topics raised was naming the school's mascot. Google suggests: "Feathers" but that might lack patriotic connotations appropriate for Veterans Park and our national animal. We already have two mascots named Bob. Any ideas, RPS?
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.