The Farmingville Files

Dear Farmingville Families,

It’s amazing how quickly time flies, and here we are in November! By the time you receive our next newsletter, parent-teacher conferences will be in full swing. Our dedicated teachers are excited to showcase the remarkable achievements and progress our students have made this trimester. They look forward to sharing the fantastic work that highlights the hard work and enthusiasm of our learners.

While you are at the conferences, take a look at the beautiful artwork around the school. It shows how talented our students are. Be sure to check the bulletin boards outside the classrooms as well. They showcase a variety of fun items that highlight what students are learning and their achievements.

Lastly, please be sure to stop by the lost and found. It is overflowing, and the student government has spent considerable time organizing and displaying the items. After the holiday break, all remaining items will be donated.

We hope you enjoy the long weekend, and we look forward to welcoming our students on Tuesday, November 12th.

Warmly,

Nancy & Jackie

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.

Mrs. Santos is thrilled to join the Ridgefield Public School Community! Mrs. Santos has been in education for the past ten years. She has loved her time teaching Kindergarten, First Grade, and Third Grade. From a young age, Mrs. Santos had a love for reading. In 2018 Mrs. Santos continued to grow her passion for literacy by earning a Masters Degree in Remedial Reading and Language Arts. In her free time, Mrs.Santos enjoys spending time with her friends and family. Especially her spoiled golden retriever, Rusty, who was adopted this summer! When possible, Mrs. Santos and her husband love to travel and explore new places.

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!

If you have any questions, please contact your school's band, orchestra and/or choir directors.

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

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.

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.

• No School - Monday, November 11th
• Early Dismissal/Conferences - Friday, November 22nd
• Early Dismissal/Conferences - Monday, November 25th
• Early Dismissal/Conferences - Tuesday, November 26th
• Early Dismissal - Wednesday, November 27th
• No School/Thanksgiving Break - Thursday, November 28th - Friday, November 29th

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.