1. Principal's Message
2. VP Two Weeks in Review
3. Upcoming Events
4. Curriculum Updates
5. Important Information

Dear VP Families,

I hope this newsletter finds you rested and joyful following the winter break. It feels nice to be back in the swing of things here at VP. At our last all-school meeting of 2024, we launched our No Place For Hate initiative, led by our 5th grade Student Council members. We're using the fresh start to the new year to further what we learned with discussions of our class charters, classroom routines, opportunities for growth, learning, and togetherness. We will continue to build on these ideas throughout the remainder of the school year.

Before break we also celebrated a fun filled Spirit Week and had our fourth and fifth grade band, orchestra and chorus concerts. We want to thank Mr. Ryan Dunne and Mr. Brian Ho for their leadership and musical talents.

Finally, this month we will conduct universal screening benchmark assessments. We conducted our first assessment in the fall and will have another later this spring. During assessment time we examine each student's progress and develop next steps for grade levels, classes, and individual students. These include Aimsweb literacy and math assessments, the NWEA MAP math assessment, and other curriculum-based measures.

I am looking forward to seeing our accomplishments in the year ahead!

Kind regards,

Sheri Prendergast, Ed.D.

This month, our Student Council led a powerful initiative to promote inclusivity and kindness by guiding students through the No Place for Hate (NPFH) Promise. Together, we took a stand to foster a safe and respectful environment for all, reinforcing our commitment to treating everyone with dignity.

To further celebrate individuality, students created and shared their Identity Bags, each a unique expression of who they are. These bags, filled with meaningful symbols, personal items, and stories, served as a beautiful reminder of the diverse identities that make our community stronger. The event sparked heartfelt conversations and helped deepen the connections between classmates.

We’re proud to see our school continue to grow as a place where acceptance and respect are the foundation of everything we do!

https://forms.gle/E6yVi2MYnuuqcvEDA

Please be sure to send in the proper attire to keep students warm during recess.

If you have not already, I encourage you to visit the RPS engageED website as it is a helpful resources for families to support learning at home. On the Parent Portal, PDF score reports for Aimsweb and NWEA are available. Please see the attachment below for how to access these reports. Additionally, on the engagED Page there is a loom explaining how to understand the reports.

It is now time to register for Kindergarten! Please see this link for how to register your child!

https://www.ridgefield.org/registration-and-immunizations

The State Board of Education has defined two levels of criteria for an absence to be considered an excused absence.

“Level 1” includes the first nine absences and these days are considered excused absences for any reason that the student’s parent or guardian approves. The parent or guardian must submit either written or oral documentation within ten school days of the student’s return to school.

Excused “Level 2” absences are the days beginning at the tenth absence and meet one or more of the State’s acceptable reasons. For more information regarding the acceptable reasons, please visit the Connecticut State Department of Education Guidelines for Absences.

If your child reaches the thresholds below, you will receive a notification. The notifications will lag the actual absences. For example, your child may reach their 6th absence on a Wednesday and you may not be notified until the following Monday.

Typical attendance notification thresholds.

• At 6 absences a notification is emailed.

• At 9 absences a notification is emailed.

• At 9 absences and 6 unexcused, a notification is emailed.

• At 9 excused absences and 10 unexcused absences, a truancy notification is emailed.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zjhwShPh-LvU2FS3RY_iVvRSNnOs2b0dPtGp2bhJ1ZI/edit#heading=h.t407xxhvh3jg

• If you are coming to VP for a meeting or a classroom visit, the staff member organizing the visit/meeting will have you added to our VP Visitor’s Log.

• If you wish to enter the school building for other reasons, you need to complete the Google Form via the VP Visitor Google Form in advance or scan a QR code when you arrive at the building.

• Please be sure to have your driver’s license to be scanned once you are admitted to the building.

• All visitors should enter through the main doors - never enter in from another aspect of the school.

• We will have a table available at the main entrance for you to drop off any items for your child. We will provide post it notes and markers so that you can label the item with your child's name and teacher so that they will receive the item.

• Each K to 5 class will have a 45 minute essential per day (Art, Library, Music, or P.E.)
• Preschool will participate in a modified essential period
• We will continue to follow the six day A-F day schedule
• Please find the essentials rotation below

Students with cell phones at the elementary level are not permitted to use them during the school day. If a parent makes the decision to permit their child to have a cell phone, smartwatch, or similar device at school, it is expected that the cell phone or smartwatch be turned off and in the child’s backpack at all times. This includes the duration of the bus ride.

Please note, we treat smartwatches (e.g. the Apple Watch, the Gizmo Watch, the Android Smart Watch) or other similar devices that provide a student with the ability to text, take photos, or make calls in the same way we treat a cell phone and they are subject to the same practice.

If a staff member sees a student with any of the above mentioned devices, the student will be asked to remove the device and store it in their backpack and their teacher will likely contact you about the concern.

We will continue to use School Dismissal Manager this year at Veterans Park. Please click below for information regarding this system. This system will be available to families in late August. If you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to us!

School lunch will be available from the first day of school. Aramark is the District-wide food service provider. The school lunch menu is available online on the RPS website; click Departments and click on Food Service. For all students, utilize MySchoolBucks for families to fund student lunches.

MySchoolBucks is available via the PowerSchool Parent Portal, and communication was sent to families in early August regarding adding funds for lunch. Any balances have been rolled over from LunchTime to MySchoolBucks. Additionally, the district sent a communication in early August regarding Reduced Lunch for eligible students.

Snacks for Purchase in the Cafeteria:

Students in grades 2-5 are permitted to purchase snacks during lunch (last 10 minutes). Please be sure you have set up MySchoolBucks if you would like your student to be able to purchase a snack.

• In short, students eligible for reduced lunch will be provided free lunches in grades K-8 for the 2024-25 school year.
• Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the Free School Meals for Children grant, please do not hesitate to contact us or the District Business Office.
• Questions in regard to school MySchoolBucks can be directed to Andrea McCurry, RPS Food Service Director at 203-894-5550 x2143 or amccurry@ridgefieldps.net

Website to set up an account.

MySchoolBucks

Some Support Links for Troubleshooting:

Updating Your Payment Method | MySchoolBucks

Setting up Automatic Payments | MySchoolBucks

Adding a New Student | MySchoolBucks

Setting Up Low Balance Alerts | MySchoolBucks

Reset Your Password Using Your Mobile Phone Number

Reset Your Password Using Your Email Address/Username

Playdates and Riding the Bus:

We know how fun it is for our students to get together after school and enjoy time together! Due to safety and limited space on the buses, we are asking that students have no more than 2 guest riders with them at a time. Anytime there is a need for more than 2 additional students to ride, families will need to make arrangements for parent pick up that day. Thank you for understanding!

Hats & Hoodies:

Over the last several years there was no standard hat/hood procedure in the elementary schools, 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.

As we have started the 24-25 school year with a typical school opening, we 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. Teachers have discussed this with students and I will remind our school community during the morning announcements on Tuesday.

On special occasions/spirit days, hats may be permitted and this will be communicated to students and families.

RPS distribution flyers for outside groups via a Digital Backpack.

Organizations that meet the RPS policy may submit their request for inclusion in the digital backpack. Please help us in our effort to go green by checking students' Digital Backpacks Organizations that meet the RPS policy may submit their request for inclusion to cmelagrano@ridgefieldps.net. Thank you!

For more information, please use the following information.

Email: sprendergast@ridgefieldps.net
Website: https://vpes.ridgefield.org/Home
Location: Veterans Park Elementary School
Phone: 203-894-5525
Facebook: facebook.com/TBD