RPS Update

December is here- and we felt the abrupt change in the weather this week. After all my lectures to children about winter coats, dressing warmly, etc… I couldn’t help but laugh at myself when I walked into Scotland Elementary School Thursday afternoon wearing my SES shirt but no jacket, coat, hat, or gloves. Thankfully, the kids had left for the day and couldn’t judge me!

This past week, I attended the Board of Selectpersons meeting, where they discussed potential plans for the proposed new building for our Alternative High School and Transition program. We recognize the value of these programs for our students and our community as a whole and also understand the complexity of finding the “right” space and location. The community can expect ongoing updates as we move forward in collaboration with our Town partners. In the meantime, as with any topic, please do not hesitate to reach out to us directly with questions.

We have a Board of Education meeting scheduled for Monday, December 9, the last one of the year. We look forward to 2025-26 budget discussions beginning in January. In the meantime, the weeks ahead are a great opportunity to catch up on past Board of Education and committee meetings. Please remember that this Thursday is an early dismissal day for students, which allows our faculty to engage in professional development.

Have a wonderful weekend, and don’t forget to remind your children to dress warmly!

Warmly,

Susie

Susie Da Silva, Ed.D.

Trust is like the air we breathe. When it’s present, nobody really notices; when it’s absent, everybody notices.” — Warren Buffett

Superintendent Dr. Da Silva helped conduct the RHS Symphonic Orchestra during a performance for Barlow Mountain and Scotland elementary students in anticipation of the RHS Winter Concert on Wednesday. Thank you to the RHS students and Orchestra Director Michael McNamara for making time to bring their talents to our young musicians.

At the Board of Education meeting on November 25, RHS Athletic Director Dane Street and Principal Dr. Jake Greenwood shared a powerful video message from the Class of 2025 to their classmates.

The video was student-generated and was shown at halftime at the Mental Health Awareness football game in November and during Advisory sessions. Student Body President Naomi Vakil wrote the script. Sophomore Preston Penn filmed and edited it. Students Lucas Clausen, Mia Colabella, Bryan Fitzpatrick, and Max Keppler, also helped the RHS administration organize the video.

Naomi Vakil writes, "We hoped the video would show students that everyone faces challenges, but RPS offers so many great resources, and we're here to support each other. We were also so glad to see how enthusiastic our senior class was to participate and raise awareness."

The Sandy Hook Promise’s Anonymous Reporting System allows students and community members to report any concerns, whether it’s about bullying, threats, self-harm, or any other unsafe situation. The system is completely anonymous, and no one will be required to reveal their identity when submitting a report. These reports are monitored by trained professionals who will assess the situation and take appropriate action to ensure the safety of our school.

Sandy Hook Promise Say Something hotline.

Please review our Weather-Related Closure Protocols and discuss your family’s plan for an early dismissal with your children.

The Board of Education meets at 7 pm with opportunities for Public Comment at the beginning and end of each meeting. Please see the agenda and live/recorded stream on the BOE webpage.

Check your school calendar for early dismissals, concert schedules, and more.

NOTE: Early Dismissal this Thursday for Professional Development.

It's almost time for families to register for the Kindergarten 2025-26 School Year. On Monday, families can sign up and learn all about our Kindergarten Enrollment Process. Read more about the Kindergarten Waiver Process.

January is the official kick-off of Budget Season.

The BOE approved Friday, June 13, as the RHS Class of 2025 Graduation date. This date will not change with weather-related closures or other calendar changes. The graduation will be on Tiger Hollow if the weather permits and inside if the weather doesn't cooperate. More information for senior families to come.

The Board of Education meeting before the holiday weekend was substantive and productive. First, the Board re-elected officers—Tina Malhotra (Chair), Amy Casey (Vice Chair), and John Paradiso (Secretary). A full video of the meeting, agenda, and supporting materials are available on the Board of Education website.

Thank you to the students from the RHS American Sign Language Club, who talked about the significance of their club and introduced the new proposed RHS course offerings, including American Sign Language.

Superintendent Dr. Da Silva shared the Town's progress in finding a location for the Alternative High School and Ridgefield Transition Program. She referred the public to the Board of Selectpersons meeting, which answered some questions surrounding the decision not to move forward with 66 Grove Street or Venus Building. Capital projects, Mental Health for RHS athletes, the Elementary World Language Program, policies around cell phone use, and more were part of this substantive meeting.

RPS regularly posts presentations for families on its Curriculum Channel, RPS EngagED. Please tune in for a recent discussion about the new Elementary World Language program the Board of Education.

Thanks for tuning in and getting EngagED, RPS.

Photo Caption: Elementary Spanish teacher Jill Quattrocchi, Elementary Director Linda Johnson, and World Language Chair Allyson Power at the Board of Education meeting

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

Resources for LGBTQ+ families and youth, including a monthly game night and virtual caregiver support group, are available in the eBackpack and on ridgefieldctpride.com.

Please see the November 22 RPS Update for a profile on John Wilson, RPS's wonderful van driver, to learn more about this rewarding position.

Recently, 30 teams of students and staff competed in the first annual RHS PickleBrawl Tournament, organized by RHS Sports Marketing classes, to support the Logan Project. Students dinked, donked, and dominated staff to claim the top prize in this fun pickleball tournament. Business department lead Jesse Peterkin reports that students Alex Salley and Dylan Vlahos chose the Logan Project, a national nonprofit inspired by Logan Hale, an RPS student who passed away after a battle with cancer and supported by NFL great Christian McCaffrey. The Logan Project provides gaming consoles to hospitals so kids undergoing treatment can keep in touch with friends and family. Students designed the tournament logo and flyer, made a promotional video, and organized the fun event.

RHS students in Matthew Goetz's English classes celebrated poetry this week by memorizing and reciting a poem of their choice--and writing some as well! For the second consecutive year, students shared their work in a classroom-turned-coffeehouse while sipping on warm beverages and eating cinnamon rolls and fresh bread with jam (to a vibe of background jazz and indirect lighting), all led by a student emcee. RPS Update looks forward to sharing some student poetry in upcoming editions.

Can you land a “turkey” that is dropped off the roof?

Pardon?

Can your team help flightless "turkeys" stick a landing off the roof?

That was the engineering task Scotts Ridge seventh graders gobbled up on the day before the Thanksgiving break. Students created a "turkey" using a small water bottle. They designed “landing gear" using classroom supplies to create a turkey that could land upright. Points were awarded for engineering and creativity.

Water was poured into the bottle right before the turkey was dropped from the roof, and turkeys were released without a cap.
SCORING:
2 points if the turkey lands in target with the bottle upright (bottle didn’t fall over)
1 point if the turkey didn't land in target, but the bottle is upright
1 point to each of the top 4 turkey designs
Once turkeys have landed, all the water from that homeroom will be poured into a measuring cup.
4 points to the most, 3 points for second, 2 points 3rd, and 1 point last place

Team Tucana teachers: Chris Peterson/Charlsie Vanderrest on the roof. Shane Luery, Amanda Johnson & Hannah Favreau

No animals were harmed or calories consumed in this challenge.

To celebrate National French Week, Scotts Ridge sixth-grade French classes worked in teams to build the iconic French landmark, the Eiffel Tower. Students could choose to make the tower out of any materials they wanted; this year, some were made with uncooked pasta, graham crackers, marshmallows, and cardboard.

The SRMS staff voted for the winning Eiffel Towers - one per section of French. Congratulations to Mia Rankowtiz, Paige Ruppenstein, Alex Williams, and Layla Stone; and Henry Hoyle and Ian Klimowicz.

Over the past year and a half, Barlow Mountain Elementary’s Green Team has been working hard to reclaim the school's garden as a community hub and resource for environmental education.

BMES parent Lauren Crossley shared that she and a few other parents got the gardening bug after seeing the transformative power of a class on pumpkins and the life cycle of plants. “I'll never forget the kids’ ecstatic expressions,” Crossley said, reflecting on her son’s kindergarten class in fall 2022. “And hearing them share that the garden was their favorite part of the day.”

In the summer of 2023, the BMES team rescued the garden after it had become completely overgrown with head-high weeds when other active parent-gardener students had moved on. “With the PTA’s support, we resurrected the garden into a beautiful flourishing educational outdoor space,” she said, “where students have found their green thumbs while learning about growing food from seed, pollination, the vital importance of native gardening to promote a healthy local ecosystem, and how we can all do more to protect and take care of our environment, both at home and at school.” As the Barlow Community Garden looks ahead to the spring planting season, it seeks to partner with other parents and schools in the district who may be interested in embarking on a similar journey, transforming an overgrown garden into a thriving outdoor classroom, or sustaining a vital program.

“The kids have loved coming back to feel the joy of gardening and connecting with nature,” said Crossley. “They discover the empowering work of nurturing tiny wild things and reaping the delicious rewards of teamwork. Throughout the last few years, we’ve hosted many classes with grades K-5, a first-grade Girl Scout troop, and enjoyed many wonderful weekend volunteer days with families and students—who keep us inspired to offer this kind of free enrichment program for the Barlow community.”

The Barlow Green Team started a Facebook page as a way to increase engagement and share updates and volunteer opportunities with the school community, and it now has about 70 families in the Facebook group (anyone can join from Barlow). Since March 2023, the Green Team has done numerous hikes, trash cleanups at school and in local parks, and weekend field trips to places like Woodcock Nature Center and Topstone Lake.

Thank you to Lauren, the parents at Barlow Mountain, and other RPS gardens for all you do to help our students and communities grow!

If you want to learn more about the Barlow Community Garden program and would like to help kickstart or support the garden at your child’s school, reach out to barlowgreenteam@gmail.com.

This week, the RHS Wind Ensemble met Steve Danyew, who composed the piece "A Message of Light," which the ensemble will be playing at the Winter Concert on December 11. Mr. Danyew listened to the students perform, worked with them on the piece, and then talked about his life as a composer/musician and answered students' questions.

Band teacher and Wind Ensemble Director George Beratis explains that the piece is very special for the department because it was brought to him by RHS Choral Director Lauren Verney-Fink. "When I was looking for repertoire to play this year," Mr. Beratis writes, "she had mentioned this piece to me. The lyrics were written collaboratively by students at the two high schools in Fairfield to celebrate the creation of the "Bel Canto Singers"- a treble voice choir. They then sent the lyrics to the composer, who commissioned "A Message of Light" for the aforementioned ensemble to perform. The piece had such great success that Mr. Danyew wanted to adapt the composition for a Wind Ensemble. To this day, RHS Wind Ensemble will be the first group to perform it in CT, and only a few have performed it ever."

The experience of performing for Steven Danyew was a thrilling one. The students were filled with excitement and nervousness as they were preparing to meet him. They were able to work through the nervous energy and play beautifully for him while getting a lot out of the session.

The partnership among music teachers in RPS is a point of pride for the district and a great benefit to our students and community.

The RHS No Place for Hate (NPFH) assembly is a perennial highlight. RHS student speakers this week were outstanding, and the feedback from the sophomores focused on how impactful their speeches were.

This is the first year the Anti-Defamation League program will be in all RPS grades K-12. Please read more about the Elementary NPFH program and see photos of fifth-grade leaders in the November 22 RPS Update. Our students are our best ambassadors and critical to the success of making RPS No Place for Hate.

On Tuesday, the RHS Chapter of the National Honors Society hosted its annual Blood Drive. Students and staff rolled up their sleeves to donate to the American Red Cross. Seniors Addie DeBrino and Aleah Petroccio chaired the drive with publicity support from Mackenzie Block, who did an excellent job getting the word out. Approximately 49 people—37 first-time donors—contributed 37 pints of life-saving blood. When asked what made them contribute, one student exclaimed, "I wanted to do good!" NHS faculty advisors Molly Helmes and Mitch Peterson were on hand to ensure donors refueled with water and snacks. Thank you to all who contributed their time to this important cause. Read more about NHS at RHS on the Student Life page.

The recent RHS Athletics Department Newsletter listed the fall season League and State honors and many other engaging news about sports at RHS. Please read their newsletter and check the website for helpful information about Winter Sports scheduling, recruiting, and more. The FCIAC and All-State honors are below. Congratulations, Tigers!

The Girls Volleyball program received a thank you note from Ann's Place, a local nonprofit helping families facing a cancer diagnosis. The team raised over $2800 for the charity during its Dig Pink Fundraiser. The charity writes, "Thank you!...through your donation, you are saying, 'I don't want anyone to have cancer alone.'"

Every year, Veterans Park Elementary comes together on the day before Thanksgiving to complete philanthropic tasks and give thanks. Family members and staff join students in grade-level activities to support local nonprofits and people in need.

The Family History Fair at Branchville provides an opportunity for fourth and fifth graders to research their families and then share what they have learned. This voluntary PTA program promotes inclusion, diversity, and inquiry. Thank you to our students for sharing their families' stories and heritages with us.

RPS has been celebrating Inclusive Schools Week with read-alouds and activities, and by dressing in orange. As Scotland Elementary principal Jill Katkocin writes, "Inclusive Schools Week allows us all to take a moment to applaud the progress we’ve made toward building more inclusive school communities while pledging to continue our work toward becoming a more inclusive society." Principal Katkocin shared a read-along video. All in means everyone.

Please check your PTA newsletter to see what you can do to join RPS and the PTA Special Services Committee to encourage inclusivity and belonging. The theme this year is every voice matters. Please see the Committee's Fall and Winter Issue of Special Services Spotlight: A Resource Guide for Parents of Students With Special Needs.

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.