RPS Update
October 28, 2022
Dear Families, Faculty, and Staff:
The week began with a Board of Education meeting. The greatest highlight was our RHS art students, accompanied by their teacher Ms. Phelan, sharing their work and what their “art” classes at RHS has meant to them. You can view their presentation here.
We will end our week with the homecoming football game against our friends from Wilton. Our stands will be a sea of green with a “Green Out” in honor of Nia Simpson. I would also like to commend Wilton students, their Athletic Director and Superintendent in joining our students in honoring Nia by wearing green. A true testament to the character of the young adults from Wilton. Wishing both teams the best of luck, and let's have a good game! Hope to see you there. For our students headed to the RHS Homecoming dance on Saturday…have a BLAST.
Congratulations to the team that comes together each week to develop this update- and especially Alison Pratt- as our weekly update has won the CABE Bonnie B. Carney Award of Excellence for Educational Communications."
Wishing everyone a Happy Halloween! And while I love a good scare, please be sure to be safe!
Warmly,
Susie
Susie Da Silva, Ed.D.
Superintendent
Quote of the Week
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
—Maya Angelou (from The Nia Hailey Simpson Memorial Page)
Tune In: Upcoming Curriculum Presentations
The Curriculum Department will continue to provide information sessions about teaching and learning this year. Families can join these virtual sessions via the RPS Curriculum YouTube Channel. For convenience, the sessions will be recorded and posted on the same channel. Listed below are a few of the upcoming information sessions. Topics, dates, and times are also available on the Curriculum Website. The Curriculum Website also provides curriculum overviews for elementary, middle, and high school.
November 1, 11:00 am—What's New in Reading Instruction, Grades K-2 and 6-8
December 7, 9:30 am—Instructional Technology
January 25, 11:00 am—K-12 Math Pathways
February 8, 11:00 am—Math Placement
"The Millennial Parent Whisperer" Coming to Ridgefield
RPS is proud to partner with Project Resilience to sponsor a talk with Dr, Becky Kennedy on Sunday, November 13 at 4 pm at the Ridgefield Playhouse. Named "the millennial parent whisperer" by Time Magazine, Dr. Becky is also the author of the NYT bestseller, Good Inside—A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be. Learn simple strategies for anxiety, tantrums, lying, refusals, sibling rivalry, aggression, perfectionism, and more, suitable for parents with kids of all ages.
This Week's Podcast: RHS Candidate Forum and Election
Election season is upon us! Recently, Ridgefield High School held an event where local political candidates got to field questions from RHS students. Joining host Wes DeSantis for this week’s episode of Tiger Talk is Danny Martin’s Social Studies Department Head and two high school students Charlotte Norcross and Tor Petersen. They cover the history of the event, RHS’s mock election, and the topics concerning our students. Thanks for listening!
View an article about the program by Marilyn Carroll, League of Women Voters of Ridgefield, and more photos here.
"You Have to See This!": OT Programs to Watch
When you see what RPS occupational therapists add to our schools, you want to share the news. For example, Farmingville Elementary staff member and RPS parent, Amy Dennis, reached out to RPS Update about the opening of the FES Express, a weekly snack cart run by the RISE (Ridgefield Intensive Special Education) students, under the guidance of Dr. Danielle Helminger and supported by a grant from the FES PTA. Ms. Dennis gushes, “[Dr. Helminger’s] work on this program, from inception to execution, has been impressive and we’re so proud of her!”
Every Monday, Dr. Helminger’s students survey staff for their drink and snack orders. On Friday afternoons, the students deliver these snacks with a smile (the cart’s motto). The students gain valuable life skills by counting the drinks, tallying the snacks, interacting with customers, and counting money. “The program builds on student's strengths,” explains Dr. Helminger. “One of our students is very tech-savvy and loves being involved in every aspect. We are working on important life skills and towards independence.” The FES Express has an adorable punch card and raffles off a weekly winner, which calls attention to the program. “Teachers and students see these students acting as leaders and entrepreneurs,” Helminger says. “We are very grateful for our staff’s patience and support. The students and I look forward to it.” Helminger reports that she plans to bring the same concept to Scotts Ridge Middle School soon with “The Ridge Fridge.”
Helminger explains, “A lot of what OT does is not understood in terms of how it affects the population as a whole. We’re working on that.” She cites a recent program at Scotland Elementary as an example. Occupational therapist Jennifer Carney and physical therapist Gina Bradbury assembled “Brain Break Boxes” for every SES classroom during the recent PD day. “They did such a good job,” says Helminger. “Their sensory boxes will benefit all learners.”
She also notes Occupational Therapist Yasmin Hussain’s Sensory Pathways at Veterans Park and Branchville Elementary, which were installed in school hallways with PTA support. Ms. Hussain in a recent VPES newsletter, explains the pathways, "There is a plethora of research on the importance of movement in learning and child development. Motor movement facilitates bilateral coordination, muscle strength and tone, gross and fine motor skills, vestibular balance and posture, visual tracking and coordination, rhythm and timing, and dominance. Research also suggests that promoting movement and activity in young children can help increase memory, perception, language, attention, and emotion." The pathways are also really cute and cheerful!
These are just a few of the “you’ve got to see this” contributions that RPS occupational therapists have added to our schools with the support of PTAs.
East Ridge Climbs for PRIDE
East Ridge Counselor Caitlin DeMello wanted to harness the school’s existing Positive Behavior Intervention System to more fully engage students in PRIDE: Personal Responsibility, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Excellence. She and her advisory team, Katie Reed and Jessica Seewald came up with a school-wide competition for positive contribution. Each quarter, advisory groups compete for the PRIDE prize.
ERMS has had a long-standing PRIDE sticker and ticket program to reward students for PRIDE-worthy acts - things that demonstrate Personal Responsibility, Respect, Integrity, Determination, or Excellence. The Advisory team harnessed this by assigning points to these rewards, kind of like in Harry Potter: one point for a sticker, ten points for a ticket (worth ten stickers). To track the points, DeMello created a bulletin board outside of the counseling center with three mountains to represent the three grades and a mountain climber to represent the team of Advisory groups (eight groups per Mountain Climber). The Mountain Climbers move up the mountain each time the teachers report their group’s PRIDE points. The Mountain Climber with the most points earns a prize for the Advisory groups represented by that mountain climber. The next prize is set to be announced at the end of this quarter - after November 2!
DeMello explains that advisories are co-ed, grade-based groups of 10-12 students who meet regularly to foster connection with adults in the building and support amongst students. She says that she’s already seen more engagement with students stepping up to earn tickets and stickers. Ms. Jennifer Phostole, ERMS Principal, stated, “This friendly competition is another way we are working as a community to create and maintain a positive school culture. Students show ERMS spirit by working together to demonstrate the positive behaviors outlined in our PRIDE matrix. We are all winners when the values of PRIDE are part of our core cultural identity. I am proud of our work so far!”
Teachers Present at New England Math Conference
Last week, three Ridgefield math teachers presented alongside some of the biggest names in mathematics education at the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England annual conference in Killington, Vermont. Sara Dalton (East Ridge Middle) and MaryAnn Goldstein (RHS) earned the opportunity to discuss the benefits of using dot paper to construct a student's conceptual understanding of geometry concepts. Monica Housen (RHS) presented on how to use real data to construct mathematical models to recognize and find solutions to issues affecting Connecticut citizens. Both of these sessions pulled in a large audience and participants walked away recognizing the depth of expertise of Ridgefield teachers.
In the Classroom
Students Get Tips from a Journalist and Vice Versa
Fifth graders in Laura Matos Farmingville classroom welcomed Ridgefield Press editor, Sandra Fox, during a unit on journalism. Ms. Matos says, "It was a great visit and the students were so engaged to have a real-life journalist." Students have been writing on topics from the lunchroom to charging Chromebooks.
Ms. Fox writes, "I greatly enjoyed teaching journalism to these bright students. So many of them had such great story ideas and comments on existing stories. One of them gave me a story pitch that I am planning to pursue! I can't wait to come back!"
ERMS Cartographers
Question: What is the second highest mountain in Africa?
Answer: Mount Kenya. The first is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
East Ridge sixth graders in Andrea Donigian's social study class used Playdoh to create elevation maps of Africa. Students studied the countries and mountains of the African continent and then worked in groups to mold Playdoh into the contours of the continent. Some groups even included Madagascar.
RSO Musicians Visit RHS
The Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra partnered with Ridgefield Music Parents to provide a workshop for all instrumental students at Ridgefield High School. Last Tuesday and Wednesday professional RSO musicians came in and worked with students in sections on just their instrument, both learning technique and getting some pointers on the repertoire they are studying. Orchestra Director Michael McNamara writes: "Ridgefield is fortunate to have a professional orchestra that calls this town home, and even more fortunate that they are partnering with us to educate and inspire students to be the best musicians they can be. "
Essential Professional Development
Last Thursday's early dismissal provided an opportunity for important professional development across the district. Some of the "Essentials" (PE, Art, Music, and Library) PD are highlighted below.
Elementary PE Teachers Get Life-Saving Review
Veterans Park Elementary P.E. teacher Mike Fraioli organized the Elementary P.E. Department American Red Cross CPR First Aid & AED Review Course last Thursday. Mr. Fraioli had completed his instructor certification last March with the support of RPS and the Ridgefield Education Foundation. He writes, "The group did an outstanding job - very proud!" Please consider getting certified or recertified in these life-saving measures.
Photo: Mike Fraioli supervises FES PE teacher Steve Either in chest compressions during CPR recertification.
Orchestra Direction: "Conducting Is Like Sorcery"
Jonathan Yates, a Juilliard-trained conductor of the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra and the Norwalk Youth Symphony, visited RPS for a conducting workshop for orchestra directors Michael McNamara and Shane Peters during last Thursday afternoon's Professional Development session. The RHS Symphonic Orchestra rehearsed under their usual directors, but with a focus on conducting and how it affects the sound of the orchestra through non-verbal gestures.
"Conducting to me is like sorcery," said Mr. Mac. "It's amazing how conducting can change the sound of the orchestra without saying a word, and in real-time. I also think it was important for students to see that their teachers are still students and life-long learners." While students got a lot of rehearsal in, the lesson focused on how the director shapes the sound of an orchestra. "I was impressed with students' dedication, attention, and professionalism," Mr. Yates commented to the RPS directors at the end of the workshop.
Mr. Mac wrote, "Thank you to Jonathan Yates, Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, Norwalk Youth Symphony, and our students for an incredible day!" To learn more about the RHS music program and Ridgefield Music Parents, visit www.ridgefieldhsmusic.org and ridgefieldmusicparents.org.
Van Gogh Inspires Elementary Art
Elementary art teacher Jennifer Zeyer offered a lesson to her peers on “impasto” technique made famous by Vincent Van Gogh. Elementary Art teachers looked at the artist's “Wheat Field with Cypresses” and made their own Van Gogh-inspired work.
Beyond the Classroom
RHS Play Opens Next Weekend!
The RHS Theater Department presents the play "The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940" by John Bishop. Described as "an ingeniously and wildly comic romp, which enjoyed a long and critically hailed run, the play is full of delightful slapstick for audiences of all ages." Tickets and more info here.
Robotics Competition Coming to RHS
The Ridgefield Robotics Club will host the Vex Robotics Competition on Saturday, November 5 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the RHS gym. Bring your family and friends to watch RHS Robotics and other teams from across the state compete. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please email Mr. Murphy.
Teams Walk for Alzheimer's
On Sunday October 9, several RHS athletic teams participated in the Fairfield County Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Over 50 FCIAC teams participated in the fundraising and brought in over $54,000 in donations to help the cause. The RHS Cheer Team placed second overall of all FCIAC Teams raising $3,137. As a school, RHS raised $10,658 placing three teams in the Top seven. Girls Volleyball raised $2,795 and Boys Soccer raised $2,600. Other teams of note include Girls Soccer at $1,090 and Football at $976. This a great effort by our High School Athletes performing OFF the field giving back to the community. Way to go Tigers!!
Correction: The RHS Heritage Club
The October 14 issue of RPS Update inadvertently left out founding member Dante Paparella in its coverage of the new Heritage Club. The Heritage Club met for the first time on Tuesday. Leaders Mazie Pelusio, Natalia Feliciano, Juan Puente, and Dante, shown with Club Advisor Olga Anaya-Salazar introduced their goals, which include the celebration of diverse cultures and community outreach such as tutoring and teaching Latin youth in Danbury to swim. Members enjoyed scrumptious Colombian empanadas, flan, and pasteles de Guayaba prepared by Juan's relative. Missing from photo: Lily Archibald.
Sunflowers for Peace
Branchville Elementary PTA Gardening Committee reports the school has raised $700 for the charitable organization called Sunflowers of Peace, which helps Ukrainians affected by the Russian military invasion. Last spring, students had the opportunity to plant sunflowers, the national flower of Ukraine, on school grounds. Students made their contribution towards peace and beautified the BES school grounds at the same time. The sunflowers were at their height in August as shown in the photo above. See photos below for the new BES scarecrow and the crew battling invasive species. Thank you to all our PTAs for all you add to our community!
This Week In Photos
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