Branchville Bulletin

Dear Branchville Community,

We held the fiftieth day of school on Friday, and at this time of year, we reflect on student progress and look at each student's next steps. Conferences at the end of the month invite you into this process. During Open House, I spoke about resilience as defined in the Ridgefield Vision of the Graduate. "Graduates who are resilient are adaptable and persistent in their journey toward growth on rigorous and complex problems. They embrace failure and are intellectual risk-takers. They are self-motivated, thoughtful and independent decision-makers who value lifelong learning." Alongside academic growth, I encourage all to think about social-emotional growth and how we support children to become resilient.

If you want to know more about how we support student growth, on November 18th at 9:30, Keri and I will hold a special service coffee sponsored by the PTA. This conversation focuses on the intervention (MTSS) processes and procedures and the special education process and procedures. In this forum, we cannot talk about individual students. If your question is specific to the details of your child's support, a personal conversation or email to your child's teacher, case manager, Keri, or me is the best path. As we prepare for the coffee, we want your input to direct the conversation best. Here, you will find a form to provide input and to RSVP.

I also want to make sure you are aware that the Branchville PTA has a special service representative, Therese Marbury. She can be reached at ttmarbury@gmail.com. In her role, she meets with other PTA special service representatives and, on occasion, central office representatives.

Of course, Keri and I are always happy to give you a call if you have any questions or concerns,

In partnership,

Keith L Margolus

Principal

We have had an issue affecting our communication with you. Recently, we discovered that some cell phone carriers (such as ATT, Verizon, and T-Mobile) occasionally label our calls as spam. This can prevent our messages from reaching you and may result in missed call notifications not appearing. Our IT Department alongside our carrier believes the issue is resovled.

If you believe that you are still expierencing an issue recieving messages from school, please reach out to usl

We appreciate your partnership in staying connected.

In November, we will hold formal parent-teacher conferences.

Our parent-teacher conferences will occur on November 22, November 25, and November 26. The elementary schools have early dismissal on these dates to hold conferences. We also have an evening option for conferences on November 25. Fall conferences are scheduled for twenty-minute sessions.

Join us for the Ridgefield Public Schools District Music Festivals—a celebration of music featuring our talented 5th-grade chorus, band, and orchestra students!

🎶Festival Dates:

• Choral Festival - January 28th, 2025 - 7:00 PM at Ridgefield High School

• Orchestra Festival - February 3rd, 2025 - 7:00 PM at Ridgefield High School

• Band Festival - February 4th, 2025 - 7:00 PM at Ridgefield High School

🌟 What to Expect:
Your 5th grader has the opportunity to be part of a district-wide performance, where they’ll meet their future middle school music teachers and new classmates in the performing ensembles. They'll have the chance to:

• Rehearse and perform with other 5th graders from across the district.

• Hear inspiring performances by 8th-grade and high school-level groups.

• Take part in an exciting combined performance that brings together elementary, middle, and high school students for a grand musical finale

🎶 Why Attend?:
This festival is more than just a performance—it’s a special opportunity for our students and families to experience what’s ahead in their musical journey, build connections with teachers and peers, and be inspired by older students.

🎤 Who’s Invited:

• 5th Graders Chorus students who audition in late November/early December will be eligible to participate in the festival as space is limited.

• 5th Grade Band students who audition in January will be eligible to participate in the festival as space is limited.

• All 5th Grade orchestra students will participate in the Orchestra Festival.

• All students and families who are not participating in the festival are welcome to attend as audience members!

🎶 The Audition Process (Band & Chorus):
Students who want to participate in the Band & Choral Festivals will participate in an audition during the school day with your school’s music teacher. The audition process ensures that your child is prepared to perform at the festival. It also prepares your child for auditions at the middle school and high school level to perform in select groups such as chamber singers, wind ensemble, symphonic orchestra, and jazz band.

• Band Festival Auditions - mid-January

• Student performs a pre-selected song from the band method book

• Choral Festival Auditions - late November/early December

• Students sing a familiar song - Happy Birthday in Ab Major

• Students sing a small portion of the festival song on the appropriate assigned part (will vary by school

More information is to come soon. We look forward to seeing you there to celebrate the magic of music!

Musically Yours,

Elizabeth Anderson - BES General Music, Band Director, Choir Direction

Colleen McGuirk - BMES General Music, Band Director, Choir Direction

Ian Jackson - FES General Music, Band Director, Choir Direction

Ryan Loucks - RES General Music, Band Director, Choir Direction

Jim Tornatore - SES General Music, Band Director, Choir Direction

Ryan Dunne - VPES General Music, Band Director, Choir Direction

Brian Ho - Orchestra Director - BES, FES, VPES

Josh Sette - Orchestra Director - BMES, RES, SES

What makes us who we are? Current 4th and 5th graders are invited to share all about what makes them unique and share their family story with our BES community! Were you named after a favorite place? Do you have family who were trailblazers? What are your favorite family traditions or memorable events? Register here by November 24, 2024.

Check out the new page,engagED on the RPS Curriculum Site pictured and linked below.

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!

If you are looking for a comprehensive description of our school practices and procedures, please review the K-5 Student Handbook.

Visiting BES

If you are visiting BES, one way to expedite the entry process is to fill out this form or use the QR code in advance of your 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. You will then be granted access to the vestibule.

  • Once in the vestibule, please do NOT hold the door open for a different guest entering the building. We cannot open the second set of doors until you are inside the vestibule. 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 BES 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 ahead of your visit is a helpful practice.

November

11/11 No School (Veterans Day)

11/22 Early Release Day - 11:40 (Conferences)

11/25 Early Release Day - 11:40 (Conferences)

11/26 Early Release Day - 11:40 (Conferences)

11/27 Early Release Day - 11:40 (Thanksgiving Recess)

11/28 - 11/29 No School (Thanksgiving Recess)

For a comprehensive list of upcoming events, please see the calendars below.

RPS Events Calendar

Rotational Calendar

PTA Events Calendar

To withhold directory and media publications (including Instagram) please follow this path when you are logged in to PowerSchool.

• On the left-hand side please click on "Demographic Change."

• A number of tabs will appear. Click on "Directory & Media OptOut.

There you will find the option to withhold directory and media information. It is helpful if you notify us of the change. Please email, administrative assistant, Catherine Basso, at cbasso@ridgefieldps.net

Never hesitate to reach out to us about this publication or any other questions you may have. We are a phone call or an email away.

Keith L Margolus

Principal

kmargolus@ridgefieldps.net

Website: https://bes.ridgefield.org/Home
Location: 40 Florida Road, Ridgefield, CT, USA
Phone: 203.894.5850