RPS Update

It has been wonderful welcoming everyone to a new school year and to see our students as they walk into our schools— some with smiles missing front teeth, others almost a foot taller, many with new backpacks and sneakers. Expressions of apprehension on fresh faces blend with those of others who beam with newfound confidence.

Our faculty and staff have been busy preparing for our students beginning with the administrative retreat, new teacher orientation, convocation, and professional learning- all in anticipation of opening our doors for students. If you missed last week's RPS News, look at all the fun photos of the RPS team here.

As you know from my mid-summer letter, our theme this year is Better Together. This year's theme anchors us in how we are Better Together when our differences unite in support of our common values. For us, it must always be our students. During convocation, I shared some of the ways the Central Office leadership team chooses to be Better Together:

• We choose collaboration over competition.

• We choose respect even when we disagree.

• We choose to be honest and clear.

• We choose to listen before we react. Or at minimum, remind one another to listen before we react.

• We choose to create environments where people can take risks; and we choose to always keep students at our core.

We recognize that this is the time of the year when everyone is on information overload- a ton of communication being sent from the schools and District. Once the dust settles, we hope you take the time to get acquainted with our District website (linked here) filled with useful resources and quick updates. That information can also be found on:

• Instagram: @rpssuper and @ridgefieldps

• Facebook: Ridgefield Public Schools

• X (Twitter): @RidgefieldPS

Our goal is to communicate to our community in clear, transparent, and purposeful ways. We do this through many modalities- newsletters, websites, Board of Education meetings, parent sessions, a podcast, social media, etc. We are aware that there are other social media sites not sponsored by the District where information is shared, and we wish to remind you that communicating directly with your child's school is the best way to develop meaningful relationships and receive the most accurate information.

Schools will be closed on Monday, September 1, in recognition of Labor Day. Enjoy the long weekend! And who says you can’t wear white jeans after Labor Day!

Warmly,

Susie

Susie Da Silva, Ed.D

“We can start a revolution when we know what we stand against. To create change that lasts, we need to know what we stand for.”

—Together Is Better: A Little Book of Inspiration, by Simon Sinek, a beautiful book, shared by Jeff Lovelace, RPS Teacher of the Year.

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.

Please check your school's calendar for important dates! Check in here before planning family vacations and medical appointments or just to see what’s coming up. Take advantage of our interactive calendar features to receive alerts via email or messaged to your electronic devices.

RPS is excited to offer World Language to every grade, kindergarten to Grade 12, for the first time this year! The district hired Maddie Marek to join Jill Quattrocchi in Elementary Spanish instruction. The two will be at the same Elementary school on the same six-day rotation to provide unity, mentorship, and consistency. Ms. Quattrocchi will teach Kindergarten and Grades 3 and 5, and Ms. Marek will teach Grades 1, 2, and 4. Kindergarteners will learn about making friends, while Grades 1-2 will explore their school community, and Grades 3-5 will delve into Mexico—all in Spanish. Linda Johnson, Director of Elementary Education for the district, shares, "We are so excited to give our youngest learners this experience. Starting Spanish in kindergarten opens up a whole new world of culture, communication, and connection. And we have a wonderful team of educators making this exciting program a reality."

On Monday’s professional development day, Ms. Quattrocchi and Ms. Marek met briefly with Grade 6-12 World Language teachers to share what Grade 3-5 students district-wide had learned the previous year and preview this year's material. Ms. Quattrocchi discussed the vocabulary and subjects covered so that all teachers could see the exciting groundwork in World Language instruction begun at the Elementary level last year. World Language Lead Allyson Power writes, "By expanding our Spanish program, we’re sharing the joy of language learning with our youngest learners, fostering curiosity, connection, and a deeper understanding of the world around them."

Ms. Quattrocchi writes, “Ms. Marek and I are thrilled to begin Spanish in grades K-2 this year, bringing language learning to life with fun and engaging activities. We are looking forward to fostering early language development and cultural awareness in all elementary grades!”

This year, RPS announced the expansion of the Social Emotional Learning Dean position to make a full-time dean at East Ridge Middle School and a full-time dean at Scotts Ridge Middle School. Kelly Hall (in photo above left between Principal Tim Salem and Assistant Principal Lisa Frese) will head up the SRMS Social and Emotional Department. Jaime O'Karma (as the Tiger with ERMS Principal Jenn Phostole and unmasked right) will be the lead ERMS. We look forward to highlighting their work in future newsletters. Please read more about this position in this letter sent to ERMS parents this week.

During Monday's Professional Development Day, Dr. Liz Radday from EdAdvance led a series of interactive sessions designed to empower Ridgefield High School teachers in leveraging AI tools, such as Google Gemini, which students will have access to this year. In teams based around subject matter, the faculty explored strategies for integrating AI as a collaborative partner to enhance classroom practices for both educators and students, including effective prompting techniques and best practices. The session covered practical ways to utilize AI for creating engaging lessons, group projects, differentiation, thought partnering, resource creation, and more. Teachers reviewed the risks of AI, as well as tools such as Guided Learning, Notebook LM, and GoGuardian, to harness the best of AI while also restricting its potential drawbacks. Please refer to the RHS Welcome Letter for more information about changes to personal device and Chromebook use at RHS, as well as PowerSchool, grading, and many other topics!

On September 22, all RPS fourth graders will go to the Ridgefield Playhouse for an Interactive Choir Experience, led by the Ridgefield Chorale. This one-hour program will introduce fourth graders to the collaborative nature of music with the whole theater singing together. The Ridgefield Chorale will be joined by RPS music teachers and RHS music students for this interactive, musical celebration!

Photo Caption: The Branchville Singers, led by music teacher Betsy Anderson, at Convocation 2025

The RHS Athletic Department website offers a litany of useful information. Of course, you can find game and practice schedules and rosters, but you can also find advice for parents on talking to coaches and subjects that are and are not appropriate, and what to expect each season. Families are a key piece to athletes' success, and we are all in this together for the best of our student-athletes. Let's go, Tigers!!!!

Nine schools, ten awesome first days. Although every school does the first day a little differently, all work to create a climate of inclusion, warmth, joy, and excellence. Thank you to our teachers, students, families, PTAs, drivers, and all staff for all you do to make us better together!

The news of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's engagement delights this student (captured by her teacher and fellow Swiftie).

The Branchville Green Team students sold water bottles, stickers, and t-shirts at Monday's Meet the Teacher to encourage zero-waste lunches.

A student shares tips for self-care with Superintendent Dr. Da Silva during the bus ride to the first day of school.

The Farmingville essentials—Art, PE, Library and Media Studies, Music—teachers know how to have fun and get in the spirit. Here they are during a Professional Development exercise. Teamwork makes the dreamwork, and this is a team to bet on.

Scotts Ridge resident therapy dog, Emmie, is not the only one excited to welcome students back to school.

On Tuesday, only RHS ninth graders and student leaders come to school to ensure a smooth entry. Staff and student government address the ninth graders before they start finding their advisory and classrooms. RHS Principal Dr. Jake Greenwood offered them some simple advice: "Do Your Homework." Thank you to the Student Leaders who did a great job welcoming the RHS Class of 2029.

On Wednesday, RHS Grades 10-12 had their first day of school. Seniors enjoyed one of the first of many fun traditions, the Senior Tailgate, which offered the Class of 2026 the opportunity to wear their class t-shirts and take advantage of some photo opportunities and quality time together before the start of the school day.

He rocked the first day of Kindergarten.

They rocked the first week of school—Superintendent Dr. Da Silva with Assistant Superintendents Cory Gillette and Dr. Hannaway.

Today's Tropical Tourist Day at RHS reminded us that it's still summer! Ninth-grade students learned all about FLEX during advisory.

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.