RPS Update

Susie

Susie Da Silva, Ed.D

P.S. As we come to the end of another school year, please be sure your contact information is up to date in PowerSchool.

Question: Who is the Inclusion Expo on April 30 for?

Answer: Everyone!!!!

Here, you’ll find a short and special invitation from Dr. Anthony Showah and Dr. Liz Hannaway from the RPS Special Services Department to what will inevitably be a special night of community connectedness. The goal of the Inclusion Expo is to celebrate the instructional practices that foster belonging and are the bedrock of RPS, where “all means all.” In this “expo” event, attendees will have the opportunity to listen to and engage with a variety of RPS staff who will showcase a small piece of their work with our students - work that fosters connectedness and meaningful engagement. Please come and show your support for our inclusive community.

NOTE: The Inclusion Expo will be at RHS this year!

Click here to RSVP to join us at the Expo!

RPS Director of Nursing, Health and Wellness, Andrée Fitzgerald, announced the launch of the newly redesigned Health Services Webpage this week! This updated resource provides easy access to critical information, including health forms, screenings, detailed information for managing communicable diseases, and more. Our students' health and wellness is a top priority, and the website is designed to be a valuable tool for families; please take a moment to visit the new Health Services Webpage.

Remember to check your school calendar for important dates and events.

The Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for Monday, May 5, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. at the Ridgefield Playhouse. At this meeting, residents will have the opportunity to vote on budget items under $100,000. The Budget Referendum, which includes all other budget items, will be held on Tuesday, May 13, 2025, from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Yanity Gym. As it gets closer, a sample ballot will be made public so that residents can familiarize themselves with the budget questions before voting day. The sample ballot will be available on the Town website and in the Town Clerk's Office.

Please help RPS go green by checking your students' e-Backpack weekly for important information. Organizations that meet the RPS policy may submit their request for inclusion to cmelagrano@ridgefieldps.net.

This week, RHS students and PTSA presidents awarded the PTSA Star Awards to four teachers nominated by students. Congratulations to Leakhena Un, Angela Klensch, Rebecca Wallin, and Julie Henderson, the RHS Teacher of the Year!

The National Association of Student Councils recognized the RHS Student Council as a 2025 National Gold Council of Excellence. "This prestigious award is a testament to the highest standards of quality, leadership, innovation, and community engagement. Congratulations to student government leaders Naomi Vakil and Camille Wyatt, who put together the presentation and application to prove RHS Student Council is pure gold!

Congratulations to our All-State Musicians Ava Murdock, Alyssa Bello, Olivia Tejada, and Gia Kim (missing from photo). Connecticut Music Educators Association (CMEA) selects All-State musicians through multi-level auditions and festivals. This prestigious achievement recognizes some of the most talented young musicians in the state.

On Tuesday, sophomore Oliver C. met with his English teacher, Matthew Goetz, for a writing conference about Oliver's research paper on the National Basketball League's use of Artificial Intelligence. Each year, every RHS student completes a research paper and has a minimum of two writing conferences with their English teacher.

Throughout this conference, Mr. Goetz provides Oliver with both general advice and line edits. "Be brilliant at the basics," Mr. Goetz reminds his student, encouraging Oliver to review his essay's heading and header to be sure that it aligns with paper formatting expectations. "You have a lot of uncited information here, so I'd like to encourage you to insert those citations as you go next time," reminds Goetz, referring the student to a helpful resource. "The Purdue Online Writing Lab can help you properly cite a Tweet, a comment on the internet, an email, anything."

Mr. Goetz also reminds Oliver of an idea from a book on writing by Verlyn Klinkenborg that students read early in the year: Writing is an unnatural act. It's hard, but it can be learned. He reminds Oliver of a line from a favorite professor at UChicago, where Mr. Goetz is pursuing advanced graduate work, “every paragraph needs to be a home run.” Mr. Goetz points out a strong paragraph in Oliver's paper: "Here's your home run! Try to make each paragraph work like this—follow the topic sentence."

While Mr. Goetz and Oliver work through other comments and peer edits Oliver had received and make a plan to meet again on Thursday to go over the final draft, other members of the English department—Jane Tulley, Dr. Emily Kilbourn, and Chair Patti Boutilier—also hold conferences with their students in the Writing Center, F202. Ms. Tulley reminds her student to elevate his language to avoid generalities. Dr. Kilbourn conferences with Krithika, a senior in her UConn English 1007 course. Krithika and Dr. Kilbourn discuss Krithika’s second-semester writing portfolio and the extent to which three pieces she collected and curated represent the course outcomes as defined by UConn.

When Ms. Bouitllier's conference ends, she talks with passion about the District's investment in writing conferences. "The conferences are so much more than just writing," Boutillier says. "The human connection makes this such a special part of why I love my job. A computer can't do it. We tailor the conference to what the student needs. The student I just met with, for example, loves philosophy—she's sophisticated, and it's challenging to write about these ideas. The one coming now is so smart and funny, but those qualities can get lost in the writing. Some students adopt a wholly different persona when they write, and we help them find their voice."

Mr. Goetz, who came to RHS from teaching in an independent school setting, points out the notable investment in writing conferences at RHS. "There is nothing like this. The students want it, teachers want it, and the value of these sessions is immense. One-on-one writing instruction makes Ridgefield a District of Choice.”

As the student Oliver packed up his backpack, he thanked Mr. Goetz, saying, "You helped me a lot."

Stay tuned to upcoming RPS Updates to learn more about RHS Writing Conferences, The College Essay, and the Life of a Writer After High School.

This week, the Mandarin classes at RHS explored the story of boba tea and learned how to make the chewy tapioca pearls. They also learned how to play Mahjong in class. Through cultural exploration, students enjoyed engaging with the culture while learning the language. Mandarin teacher Yu-Wei Hsu writes, "It was delightful to see them grasp the cultural aspects while having fun. They had a great time!"

RHS students in Olivia Dobson's International Relations class recently took a virtual trip to the United Nations! Students are pictured with their tour guide, Silmara Roman of Brazil. She took them through the headquarters and answered their questions about the operations and current impact of the UN. The International Relations class has studied various international organizations and participated in mock global summits, including NATO meetings and the G7 Summit. Next, they will act as the UN Security Council using their new tour information. International Relations is a half-year Social Studies elective open to all grades.

Last week in Jane Tulley's RHS Public Speaking class, students had a watch party with some chocolate and candy to celebrate their work. Students each wrote a speech of their choice for a "special occasion" and then worked in groups of 3 to shoot, direct, and edit using green screens and WeVideo. This was a labor that exercised our core values, particularly Innovation, Collaboration, Knowledge and Resilience. Big shout out to Ben Evans (Media Production) and Kim Davis (Library Media Specialist) for their assistance and patience as Ms. Tulley and her students all learned together how to use the available resources and technology at RHS!"

Please click the links to watch a few of the Final Productions! Group 1, Group 2, Group 4, Group 6, Group 7, Group 8

On Wednesday, Barlow Mountain Elementary showed its sparkle during an assembly with the Prospector Theater. Prospector employees shared their talents and the importance of meaningful employment for all people.

First step, Ridgefield. Next step is the World. The local nonprofit, Ms. President US, held elections last weekend. Seventh-grader Aashna Puri was elected Ms. President US Ridgefield. Aashna and her Vice President Charlotte Turco ran on a "Close the Dream Gap" platform. The Dream Gap is the study that shows girls as young as six begin to lose confidence in their ability to succeed in traditionally male-dominated fields like engineering, manufacturing, and other STEM sectors. Aashna and Charlotte aim to set up a program at the Ridgefield Boys and Girls Club and talk to local leaders to dream big! Ridgefield student Namya Chouhan, who was Ridgefield's president last year, paired up with her friend in Wilton to take the VP spot there. Local elected officials turned out to show their support.

On Sunday, Barlow Mountain families hosted a volunteer party to kick-off the spring gardening season. The weather foiled their original plans but they ultimately had almost 30 people attend. Parent Lauren Crossley reports that the kids had a blast planting pansies, sowing rainbow carrot seeds, mixing compost into the plots, and testing the pH levels of the soil. In between gardening activities, families enjoyed Levain Bakery cookies and lemonade. BMES volunteers were especially thrilled to unveil the Barlow garden’s Little Free Library donated by a generous Barlow family! They have filled the library with books celebrating nature, kindness, adventure, inclusivity, strength and resilience, gardening, science and poetry.

The Scotts Ridge PTA helped send all SRMS teachers and staff off to Professional Development Day and break with coffee, tea, and pastries provided by Bubbles & Brew, parked right in the school lot. The SRMS PTA is incredibly grateful for all the teachers and staff; they are hoping they felt that appreciation this morning while they sipped on their lattes and enjoyed the baked treats! And RPS is extremely grateful for the best PTAs around. Have a great break, everyone!

This week, the Symphonic Orchestra participated in a virtual workshop sponsored by the Ridgefield Arts Council and the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra. The guest clinician was Petko Dimitrov, a conductor from Bulgaria. Petko is a longtime friend of Michael McNamara (Mr. Mac), RHS Orchestra Director. He was formerly the assistant conductor of the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra and the Music Director of the Western Connecticut Youth Orchestra. Mr. Mac says, "I place Petko on a pedestal as one of my top five professional influences. When I was chairman of the board for WCYO, I would often attend their rehearsals before our monthly meetings began and watch him work with the orchestra. To this day, I try to emulate so much of what I learned by observing him and picking his brain."

Petko's presence was made possible through Our Artists, Our Schools, an initiative sponsored by the Ridgefield Arts Council in partnership with the Ridgefield Symphony Orchestra Outreach Program. From Bulgaria, he virtually attended and conducted the RHS Symphonic Orchestra for a full rehearsal, while simultaneously taking notes on Mr. Mac's conducting to use at their next lesson. Mr. Mac, a Ridgefield resident, is also a member of the town-appointed Ridgefield Arts Council and serves as a liaison to the schools for this program, given his role as Visual and Performing Arts Chairperson. Mr. Mac explains, "The charge of the Arts Council is to foster the arts in Ridgefield by engaging the various arts organizations and community, and providing opportunities to promote, collaborate, network, and work together to engage citizens of Ridgefield through the arts." The Our Artists, Our Schools initiative focuses on illuminating career pathways for students by bringing in professionals with careers in the arts, who oftentimes lead interactive workshops with the students.

Petko spoke to the orchestra at length about his path and how the movie Amadeus inspired him to become a conductor. He came to America and studied conducting at Peabody, then worked professionally in the U.S. for over a decade before returning to Bulgaria. The students got to hear his story and learn how he became both a teacher and a conductor. "What I love about the arts is everyone has to carve their own unique path. I don't know that students would have otherwise considered some of these careers in the arts without hearing stories from people like Petko."

Our Artists, Our Schools has also sponsored visits by graphic designers, painters, arts managers, magazine editors, conductors, and musicians—all of whom have their own stories to tell. "I'm grateful to the Arts Council, the RSO, and my dear friend Petko for sharing this experience with my students."

Despite the recent chilly weather, the RHS Spring 2025 Sports Season is in full swing. Please see the RHS Athletics website for more information and schedules. The Fall 2025 Sports Start Dates are below: NOTE: Fall sports kick-off prior to the start of the school year.

Over 300 RHS students participated in the 8th Annual RHS Business Symposium—a yearly opportunity for students in business classes. Thanks to the hard work of RHS faculty and students and the support of the greater RHS community, the Symposium just keeps getting bigger and better—engaging more students with opportunities for leadership, thoughtful collaboration, public speaking, graphic design, research, and so much more.

After the marketing proposals, students broke into smaller roundtable groups in the LLC to meet with local business leaders about topics, including Networking, Boss Moves, Wall Street 101, and more. Please see the full program of Breakout Sessions here and the schedule with symposium partners here. Thank you to all our community partners, speakers, and leaders for their support!

The RHS Business Department deserves a shoutout for putting this incredible day together for our students. The students did a phenomenal job and reflected tremendous preparation, poise, and confidence. Thank you to Jesse Peterkin (Chair), Tricia Andrews, Bob Keyes, and Kelly Predham!

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.