RPS Update

Great start to the first week of school! On Monday, our students arrived and were ready to meet their new classmates and teachers- and we were ready for them. All members of our school community (including our mascots!) contribute to the culture of our schools. We love RPS!

On Monday evening, our Board of Education came together for their annual retreat, followed by a Board of Education meeting. We provided an update on our summer programs and facilities, and were thrilled to share how much has been accomplished. And still….so much to do.

Bus routes are beginning to settle, and soon we will be able to release our “Bus App”. We are hopeful that the app will allow families to track their child’s route home. This will be helpful in planning after-school bus stop pickups and after-school activities. We are fortunate to have a strong partnership with First Student Bus Co. and our drivers; we are thankful for their continued commitment to our students. A special thanks to Mr. Gramajo, our Transportation Manager. Mr. Gramajo is a department of “one” so it can get pretty busy in the first few weeks.

We have been visiting schools all week, and enjoyed chatting with children at recess, lunch, and in the classrooms. This is our opportunity to learn how the work of the District gets implemented and how we best serve our students. By the way, RHS students- try the Noodle Bar- delicious!

This morning, Dr. Elliot Landon, Superintendent of the Ridgefield Public Schools from 1977-1986 passed away in his home. Dr. Landon held the longest Superintendency in Ridgefield since this data began to be collected. Dr. Landon was a wonderful mentor to me in my work both in Westport and Darien, and even as I transitioned to Ridgefield. Dr. Landon often shared fond memories with me of his time as Ridgefield’s Superintendent. Many, many teachers and leaders have benefited from his long-standing service to children. Dr. Landon, you will be missed, and thank you.

On Monday, September 4, schools will be closed in recognition of Labor Day. We hope that this day is one of rest and relaxation for all. It looks like the weather will be just perfect.

Warmly,

Susie

Susie Da Silva, Ed.D

Instagram: rpssuper

SEE PHOTOS FROM ALL NINE SCHOOLS BELOW!

Early dismissal schedule is here.

The full district calendar can be found here.

Preschool starts next week!

The forecast for next week calls for temperatures in the high 80s. Please make sure to apply sunscreen before school and pack a water bottle.

Please help us in our effort to go green by checking students' e-Backpacks! This week, the e-Backpack has flyers about an upcoming basketball game, Ms. President US registration, and RPS Continuing Education offerings. Organizations that meet the RPS policy may submit their request for inclusion to cmelagrano@ridgefieldps.net. Thank you!

Assistant Superintendent Cory Gillette announced that RPS has established a partnership with The Southport CoLAB Organization, which provides the highest quality programs in training professionals, educators, and families in research and practices in structured literacy. Using a collaborative, partnership-based approach, Ben Powers (photo right), Executive Director of The Southport School and Founder & Executive Director of The Southport CoLAB, provided professional learning to all elementary teachers and administrators on August 23 and 24.

Mr. Powers’ session included the key five components of teaching reading: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. He spoke about why they are important and how they the are connected to the teaching and learning of reading.

RPS Update will share more information about this partnership and professional development throughout the year.

This week, RPS learned that the forty ChromeBooks the Technology Department refurbished this summer were en route to Druzhkivka, Ukraine. The laptops are part of an entire shipping container of supplies, heading to Ridgefield's Ukrainian sister city, Druzhkivka, located in the Eastern part of Ukraine. Annetta Hewko of Ridgefield Responds said, "People here have been so generous. The shipping container contained twenty generators, medical supplies, tools, a pallet of school supplies, the ChromeBooks, and other items the city had requested." Hewko said that any Ukrainian students remaining in the Eastern part of the country, need to learn remotely, so these laptops will be of immediate use.

Last spring, RHS sophomores met Ukrainian teenagers as part of the Hope in Humanity assembly. Read more about this powerful program in the May 26 issue of RPS Update. After the assembly, the RHS Interact Club donated over $500 to Ridgefield Responds. RPS also donated desks and other outdated furniture, which will be shipped to the western region of Ukraine later this year. To find out more about Ridgefield Responds and how you can help, please visit the Ridgefield Responds website.

At this year's Convocation, the RPS Communications Department finally snapped a photo of Veterans Park teacher Michelle Flynn (photo above right) with her sister Ridgebury Elementary second-grade teacher Liz Crabbe (left). The beloved sisters have taught in RPS for 18 and 20 years respectively.

Scotts Ridge Principal Tim Salem (14 years at RPS and 30 years as a teacher) is not their brother, but they have known each other for decades. Mr. Salem writes, "We have been friends for most of our lives, along with Michelle's husband Mike Flynn—an Assistant Principal at Westside Middle School in Danbury. The story is... Mike Flynn, Deane Renda (Principal of Whisconier Middle School in Brookfield) and I decided to pursue our 6th-Year Degree in School Administration together at Southern CT State University. At the same time, Michelle and Liz both decided on a career switch and were pursuing their teaching certificate. So, wayyyy back, we frequently carpooled together to classes in the evening and had so much fun! Michelle and Liz eventually started their teaching careers in Ridgefield, and then I joined the club some years later...so three members of that illustrious crew all ended up in RPS!!"

We are so glad you ended up at RPS! Thank you for your combined 52 years.

RPS Update looks forward to sharing "New Teacher Features" throughout the year.

In honor of the 22nd anniversary of 9/11, and in partnership with the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and AMC Theatres, The Ridgefield Public Schools will be hosting a screening at the Danbury AMC theatre, on Friday, September 8 at 7:00 pm.

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?

• To request a seat at the screening, please click here

• Where: Danbury AMC Theater (61 Eagle Rd, Danbury, CT 06810

• When: Friday, 9/8/23

• Screening begins at 7:00 pm (please arrive between 6:30-6:45 for check-in)

PLEASE REQUEST BY Sunday, September 3.

• A maximum of 100 seats are available.

• Since space is limited, seats will be reserved in the order of request to attend.

• Confirmation of attendance will be sent on 9/6 to the email you supply.

• Waitlisted names will be notified in the order of date/time requested by 9/7, if seats become available.

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 responsibility for attendance is based on family discretion.

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

At the Board of Education meeting on Monday, Superintendent Dr. Da Silva asked families for their patience with the RPS Transportation Department who is working overtime to smooth bus and van routes and implement new technologies. If you have a transportation concern, please fill out the Transportation Inquiries form.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our students and drivers safe!

You can find lunch menus with prices on the Food Services page.This summer, RPS transitioned away from LunchTime software to MySchoolBucks for families to fund student lunches and rolled over any balances. Students can use cash at the register as they always have.. Payment and balances available on the PowerSchool Portal through MySchoolBucks. Information about Reduced Lunch for eligible students is also available here. In short, students eligible for reduced lunch will be provided free lunches in grades K-8 for the 2023-24 school year. Please contact the Business Office with questions about the Free School Meals for Children grant. Questions in regard to school MySchoolBucks can be directed to Eric Nickelson, RPS Food Service Director at 203-894-5550 x1127 or enickelson@ridgefieldps.net

If you haven't already, please consider joining your school's PTA. PTAs are the life-blood of our schools—bringing enrichment, building community, and making RPS great. For less than lunch at Chipotle or your favorite fast, fresh option, you can be a PTA member. Teachers and all families encouraged to join. Please find a link to the PTA Council, which links to each school's PTA here.

For an article in yesterday's Ridgefield Press about Branchville Elementary PTA-led playground collaboration with RPS and the town of Ridgefield, please click here.

Photo Caption: Scotland Elementary parents at kindergarten bus orientation.

Experience the collaborative spirit at Farmingville Elementary through the interactive challenge of "Can You Save Fred?" FES Library and Media Specialist Laura Kosky reports that fifth graders joined forces to save Fred, a gummy worm in a capsized boat without a life preserver, requiring students to work together to right the boat and secure Fred's safety.

The halls of Branchville Elementary are alive with the art of students! BES art teacher Jennifer Zeyer welcomed back students with cheerful displays of last year's artist-inspired flowers. Kindergarteners (who are now experienced first graders) made collages inspired by Picasso's iconic work "Hands with Flowers." This is a work about kindness, explains Ms. Zeyer. One person's hand is giving the flowers to another.

The theme of kindness also informs Ms. Zeyer's plan for an all-school mural, "Kindness Grows!" (photo below). The all-school project springs from a captivating book Kindness Grows! by Britta Teckentrup, which Ms. Zeyer learned about from a clerk at Books on the Common. Students, staff, and parents (during the back-to-school night) will contribute to cultivating kindness at BES.

Save the Date: RPS to perform at Carnegie Hall on Sunday, January 7, 2024! We look forward to sharing more information soon.

How wonderful to see RPS students! Laughter! Questions! Playground enthusiasm! Field hockey and Football! And yes, tears (it's going to be okay, parents:)). From the Preschool Meet and Greet —where staff literally donned superhero capes to warmly welcome our youngest students—to Ridgebury fourth graders patiently walking kindergarteners to their classrooms on the wet Wednesday to RHS Student Leaders sporting orange to stand out for freshmen navigating hallways to thoughtful professional development to the first BOE meeting of the 2023-24 school year, intentional kindness and planning ran through the district this week. We did it! Have a great long weekend!

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.