The Farmingville Files

Dear Farmingville Families,

What a great few weeks we have had! Students are settling into the routines, making new friends, and learning new things. It has been a blast to visit classrooms, attend morning meetings, and play with students at recess.

Thank you to our phenomenal PTA for planning and executing a wonderful Back to School Picnic! It was a joy to see so many of you and your families! As mentioned, in each of the first few editions of the Farmingville Files, we will highlight new staff members. Please see below for some introductions, and stay tuned for more!

A few important reminders:

K-5 Handbook

The K-5 Handbook can be found here. Important district updates regarding electronic devices and visitors/siblings are highlighted below. Please take a moment to read them.

Parent/Guardian Pick Up

It has been brought to my attention that there have been difficulties during parent/guardian pick-up. It is imperative that we do not block Farmingville Road, as it is a major safety hazard when cars try to pass. If the car line goes beyond the parking lot, please line up on Saunders Lane. We are working with our SRO, Officer Giglio, to consider other traffic patterns. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Parking Lot

Last spring, our parking lot was relined to ensure that our buses could safely navigate drop-off and pick-up. This included shortening the first row of spaces as you pull into the lot. We ask that you take note of the new spaces, and please do not park outside of the assigned spots for the safety of our students, buses, and your vehicles.

Lost & Found

Our lost and found is already filling up! Please label sweaters, sweatshirts, and jackets so we can return them to their rightful owners when they are found.

Art Room Donations

The art room is in need of baby wipes. Please consider dropping a package off at open house. Thank you!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Warmly,

Nancy

Dear Farmingville Families,

I'm thrilled to officially begin my role as Assistant Principal on Monday, the 15th. FES has been my home for the past eight years, and it's been an incredible journey serving as the Literacy Coach. I've had the privilege of working with the community to boost literacy, and I'm looking forward to supporting the school's growth and success in this new role. Thank you for all of your kind wishes and welcomes at the Back to School Picnic!

Best,

Jackie

Ms. Girouard is thrilled to be the new speech-language pathologist at FES. She loves helping her students achieve their communication goals and to have fun doing it. Previously, Ms. Girouard worked as an SLP in a pediatric clinic, an elementary school, and a preschool. She recently moved to Ridgefield with her fiancé and has loved trying out all the great restaurants, cafes, and ice cream shops. Outside of school, Ms. Girouard loves playing with her dog Lucy, watching new shows, and swimming!

Mr. Ho formerly taught elementary band and orchestra in the Danbury Public Schools for 14 years, with the last 5 years also including middle school orchestra. He is proud to be a part of the Ridgefield Public Schools Music Department. Mr. Ho also enjoys performing with community ensembles, observing other music teachers, and attending music educator conferences. In his spare time, Mr. Ho enjoys traveling and studying Mandarin. He has also been to Japan several times and has plans to visit again. Mr. Ho can be reached at bho@ridgefieldps.net.

Ms.Lewis is delighted to be at Farmingville Elementary School. A Ridgefield resident since 2017, she's a proud mom of two kids-one a recent Ridgefield High School graduate and the other just beginning his freshmen year. Ms.Lewis has worked in both public and private schools in New York City, her hometown! She looks forward to contributing to our students' growth and creativity. During her free time Ms.Lewis loves to take long walks with her two dogs and is an avid seamstress and tailor. Ms.Lewis is thrilled to be joining the FES community.

Ms. Soyak a longtime Ridgefield resident of about 40 years. She has been working in Ridgefield elementary schools as a substitute for about 20 years on and off and more recently was a paraprofessional for 2yrs at Barlow Mountain Elementary School and Veteran's Park for 2yrs. Ms. Soyak has 3 grown children, Michael, Bobby and Geena. Mrs. Soyak is very excited to join the Farmingville community as a Paraprofessional this 2024-2025 school year! Working with students to meet their goals and have an enjoyable experience at school is very rewarding for her! She can't wait to get to know everyone and it's her goal and intention to be a valuable, helpful part of the Farmingville team!

Ms. Tobey joins RPS after student teaching and teaching 1st grade in Darien. She received her Masters in Elementary Education in the Spring of 2023. When she is not teaching, you'll find her skiing, coaching a freestyle mogul team, or competing in Mounted Games with her pony, Paris. She loves spending time outside and staying busy. She also enjoys curling up with a good book after a busy day. Ms. Tobey can be reached at ltobey@ridgefieldps.net.

Be sure to check out our new artwork in the conference room hallway!

Please find our district Weather Related Process and Expectations here.

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!

Please fill out the form below a day prior to visiting FES. Thank you!

If you are visiting FES, please help us to expedite the entry process by filling out this form a day prior to a planned visit (teacher meeting, PTA meeting, mystery reader, library or art volunteer, etc.) and your badge will be waiting for you when you arrive. If you have something to drop off for your child during the school day such as a forgotten lunch or instrument, there will be a table outside of the entrance to place the item.

When you arrive to enter the building, we ask that you press the video doorbell button and identify yourself. Once granted access, please do NOT hold the door open for a different guest entering the building. While this may be inconvenient and feel impolite, we are standardizing access to the buildings across the district so that everyone knows what to expect.

For visits to FES during the school day, I recommend that you arrive early as it takes some time to process your visitor badge. For a visit that is not arranged a day ahead of time, calling the main office at 203-894-5570 ahead of your visit is a helpful practice.

• Early Dismissal - Thursday, September 19
• Book Fair - Monday, September 23 - Wednesday, September 25
• School Picture Day - Thursday, September 26
• No School - Thursday, October 3rd
• K-12 Art Show - Wednesday, October 9th

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 parent makes the decision to permit their child to have a cell phone, smartwatch, or similar device at school the cell phone or smartwatch:

• must be turned off
• must remain in the child’s backpack at all times during the school day
• must remain in the child’s backpack for the duration of the bus ride to and from school

As you might imagine, a cell phone or similar device in any school setting has proven to be a disruption to learning and the social environment. We have also witnessed that Fitbit and other fitness trackers can be a distraction. If these fitness devices cause a distraction, a teacher will ask the student to remove the device, and likely the teacher will contact you about the concern.

E-readers, Nooks, and Kindles are only permitted to support reading in school or on the bus if a teacher determines it is helpful and has told a parent it is allowed.

If any of the above devices mentioned become a repeated concern, parents/guardians will be contacted to retrieve the device which will be held in the main office.

We appreciate your understanding for the safety and focus of our students, therefore, we kindly request that only parents or guardians attend events/volunteer opportunities in the presence of enrolled students within the elementary school building during the school day. For example, an infant or younger child with a parent may attend a PTA meeting that takes place at the school.

A sibling is not permitted to accompany a parent when they are:

• volunteering in a classroom
• attending daytime activities
• attending class parties
• volunteering in the library
• mystery reader
• attending a class performance
• or any other activities within the building when students are present

This practice helps ensure a secure and conducive learning environment for all children. Siblings are welcome to attend evening events unless otherwise specified.

Please check your students' e-Backpack for this important information and other programs across the district. Organizations that meet the RPS policy may submit their request for inclusion to cmelagrano@ridgefieldps.net.