Dear Ridgefield Park School Community,

I am excited to introduce our new, digital newsletter! As your Superintendent of Schools, I believe it is essential to keep our school community informed of district happenings and exciting developments. While we know that each day brings its unique challenges, there are countless moments of growth, achievement, and collaboration that deserve to be celebrated. Through this newsletter, I look forward to sharing these stories with you and keeping our lines of communication open. We hope you find this as a great way to stay connected with our district family.

Best,

Dr. Joseph P. Vespignani

Superintendent of Schools

We understand that members of our school community may not be able to attend Board of Education meetings. To help keep stakeholders informed, the Take Five Briefing has been developed to touch upon five key topics discussed and approved at the most recent public Board meeting.

1. Apptegy Website and App: As part of the district rebranding initiative, we will be partnering with Apptegy to develop a new communication platform that will include a redesigned website and an app. The goal is to create a more user-friendly platform to engage our school community with an anticipated launch for the 25-26 school year.
   
   

2. 2023-2024 Audit: The district's auditor, Lerch, Vinci & Bliss, presented the 2023-2024 audit report. There were some recommendations shared and a plan approved to address specific areas noted in the report.
   
   

3. Lightpath Contract: The Board approved a 3-year contract, beginning July 1, 2025, with Lightpath to provide the district's internet circuit and network connections. These services were contracted via the E-Rate bidding process. As a result, this will save an approximate $49,000 annually for each year of the contract.
   
   

4. FAFSA Filing Agreement: An agreement with the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) was approved to provide the district with access to limited student FAFSA Filing Status Information through the New Jersey Financial Aid Management System. This will help monitor the status of high school seniors who have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is now a graduation requirement in New Jersey.
   
   

5. Title Grant Programs: The district has launched two, additional Title programs to support our students and families. The New Jersey Graduation Proficiency Assessment (NJGPA) pull-out program provides current, qualifying juniors with additional support in Mathematics during the school day. Also, the Adult ESL program will begin in March for families who have children enrolled in the district ESL program. Parents/Guardians may enroll by emailing our Supervisor of Multilingual Learners and World Languages, Ms. Rodriguez, at srodriguez@rpschools.net.

The three elementary schools collaborated with the Women's Club of Ridgefield Park to host a Spelling Bee for fourth and fifth graders on the evening of February 6th at Lincoln School. Among 33 participants competing through several rounds, Olivia Morales, Ezekiel Espaillat, and Jason Zarif placed first, second, and third, respectively. The three elementary principals, Mr. Cata, Dr. Ferraro, and Mrs. Hernandez, attended and expressed pride in all participants. Public spelling competitions require courage from young contestants. The event successfully brought together staff, community members, parents, and students, with hopes of growing its popularity in future years. For those interested in practicing spelling skills, the New York Times offers an engaging spelling game (https://www.nytimes.com/puzzles/spelling-bee).

On Friday, January 17th, Lincoln Elementary School students experienced a unique educational opportunity through the Starlab Portable Planetarium System. This innovative assembly allowed students to observe the night sky and explore astronomy in an immersive environment. The inflatable planetarium sparked curiosity as students learned about celestial bodies and planetary systems. We extend our sincere appreciation to the PTA for funding this valuable learning experience provided by What's Out There, LLC. Additional information about this educational program is available at starstogo.net.

Lincoln Elementary School has undergone strategic renovations to better serve our special education community. We have established two, new specialized classrooms for students with autism, representing a significant enhancement to our special education capabilities. The facility improvements include a sensory wall and a sensory flex room where students can de-escalate when needed, which were generously donated by the All School Special Needs organization.

Following consultation with our special education administration, we selected appropriate furnishings including a tent, large bean bag, color-changing block, substantial pillows, a small table, and various sensory items. We are pleased with the outcome of this multipurpose space, which now serves effectively for professional meetings, counseling sessions, or as a calming environment where students can regain focus and emotional equilibrium when needed.

Thanks to the Ridgefield Park Clean Communities, students in Pre-K through 4th grade participated in an educational water assembly presented by the Grand Falloons. During this program, students learned important water concepts including the water cycle, atomic structure of water, evaporation, cloud formation, and pollution. This assembly complemented the Great Kindness Challenge taking place this week perfectly. Let's demonstrate kindness to our environment by reducing, reusing, and recycling to maintain clean, unpolluted water systems.

Halfway through the school year, our kindergarten class has enjoyed many fun activities! Students had a great time in the alphabet parade, creating posters, wearing costumes, and speaking into the microphone. February was short but packed with events. Children brought toys to play with friends on Global Play Day and dressed up as 100-year-olds to celebrate our 100th day of school, a day we have counted toward since September. The month included a Valentine's Day celebration in class. Everyone is looking forward to more learning and growing in the months ahead.

Kindergarten through sixth grade students successfully completed our computer programming unit, writing thousands of lines of code. They learned programming fundamentals while creating algorithms to control characters, fix program errors, design artwork, and develop personalized interactive games.

Upper grade students explored video game development processes and learned about related career paths including concept artists, digital artists, programmers, quality assurance testers, and marketing specialists. Students in grades one through six applied their coding skills to robot programming projects! Using block-based coding, they programmed robots to navigate specific courses. Students collaborated effectively in small groups, showing enthusiasm while troubleshooting programming issues to accomplish their assigned objectives.

Next, students will explore Digital Citizenship concepts, including password security, effective search techniques, proper citation of online resources, and safe internet practices.

Our Multilingual Learners continue to demonstrate impressive progress and dedication to their studies. Students arrive to class with enthusiasm and a genuine desire to expand their knowledge. Their daily motivation and consistent improvement are truly commendable.

All Multilingual Learners are required by state mandate to complete the ACCESS assessment, which evaluates speaking, listening, reading, and writing proficiency in English. Testing began on February 18th. In preparation, students engaged in daily sight word and vocabulary practice to strengthen language development, reading fluency, and comprehension skills. They also focused on enhancing oral communication abilities and reading comprehension strategies. To familiarize students with the assessment format, they completed practice tests that introduced various question types and testing conditions, helping them understand expectations and reduce test anxiety.

ACCESS test results will be distributed to families over the summer months. We recommend ensuring your child gets adequate rest and a nutritious breakfast on testing days to support optimal performance.

As part of their Building Study WOW Experience, preschool students at the Ridgefield Park Co-op received a special visit from Mrs. Furnari, an architect! She shared fascinating blueprints and demonstrated the professional tools she uses daily to design homes. This hands-on presentation provided an excellent way for our youngest learners to connect their classroom building activities with real-world architecture.

If you were unable to attend the Ridgefield Park Preschool Program Information Session, you can view the presentation in English and Spanish on our website: Latest News

Congratulations to 12 RPHS Artists, who collectively received 18 acknowledgements from Scholastic Arts for excellence in Art (North Jersey Region). Scholastic Arts is a national organization, which recognizes the excellence in art and writing of high school students. You can learn more at artandwriting.org.

Daniela Crespo (senior) and Jenny Lin (sophomore) each received a Gold Key Award for their works, along with Jordan Lynn (junior), who received a Silver Key Award. Gold Key artworks will be judged for National Recognition in New York City on March 26th. Last June, Daniela Crespo was awarded the Silver National Medal for her entry.

Displayed below are the students' work, with the recognitions their works received.

The Ridgefield Park Public Library offers a variety of programs for all ages, from children's storytime to educational workshops.

We have highlighted a few exciting March events below, but be sure to check out the full calendar for even more activities and programs!

March 12th - Early Dismissal for Students/Staff PD

March 19th - Board of Education Meeting Public Session 7:00 p.m.


2024-2025 District Calendar