RPS Update

Susie

Susie Da Silva, Ed.D

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

—Martin Luther King, Jr.

The transcript and video of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech are available here.

Photo on the right: the Scotts Ridge library's MLK Jr. Day suggested reading.

Photo above: Members of the RHS Wind Ensemble with Band Director George Beratis at the Board of Education RPS Showcase.

The Ridgefield Board of Education is seeking applicants to fill a current vacancy on the Board, term ending Nov 2027. To maintain the current party representation for this seat, the candidate must be a registered Republican and a resident of Ridgefield. Interested individuals are encouraged to submit a letter of interest and resume to the Board of Education Chair, Tina Malhotra, at tmalhotra@ridgefieldps.net by January 28, 2026, and/or notify the Ridgefield Republican Town Committee at info@ridgefieldrtc.org of their interest.

Earlier this week, RPS launched the 2026-2027 budget season with the presentation of the Superintendent’s Proposed Budget at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting. Because of the amazing work this leadership team has done over the past five years, Assistant Superintendent Cory Gillette joins Dr. DeSantis on the podcast today to discuss some new additions to the budget website that offer historical insight into some of our cost centers and provide context for the FY27 budget. Thanks for listening! Click Here for the Budget Website

Many congratulations to Scotland Elementary principal Jill Katkocin for earning her Doctor of Education in Leadership from Trident University International, a Member of the American InterContinental University System.

Harold (Hal) Healy, who was RHS Principal from 1960 to 1978, passed away this month at the age of 103, according to town historian Jack Sanders. Mr. Healy oversaw the move of RHS from East Ridge (Yanity) to the North Street campus in 1972.

Please read more about his life here.

Before the Holiday break, RPS Update hinted that a Ridgefield star would be partnering with RHS Dance Team members for the first annual Dancing With the Ridgefield Stars on January 24. This community event, co-sponsored with the Boys and Girls Club, will celebrate dance and raise funds for the Dance Team's competition season. Due to scheduling conflicts, Superintendent Susie Da Silva had to step down from the event. While schedules may shift, as they say in show business, the show must go on! Dr. Da Silva will be cheering from the sidelines, and Dr. Liz Hannaway (aka Dance Competition Queen) will take the stage — let the fun begin!

RPS Music Festivals are special evenings that give students in the fifth and eighth grades opportunities to sing and perform together and with RHS students. RPS music teachers and families are in for three special nights. First is the Choral Festival on January 27 at 7 pm. We are so excited!

Ridgefield PTAs are teaming up with the Ridgefield Playhouse to bring Dr. Becky to town on February 24. RPS Assistant Director of Special Services Dr. Anthony Showah will moderate. Every ticket includes a copy of her new children’s book, plus Q & A, and a book signing. Don’t miss the chance to mingle with other Ridgefield parents, meet Dr. Becky, and pick up practical parenting tips. Limited tickets available.

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. See new flyers from CT Pride in this week's eBackpack.

Music! A French Cafe! Robots! On Wednesday, RHS put on a Curriculum Night for rising ninth graders and their families. To start off the evening, East Ridge and Scotts Ridge eighth graders sat with their parents and enjoyed the pitch-perfect Madrigals. Principal Dr. Jake Greenwood welcomed the Class of 2030. Counseling Supervisor Joy Squitieri shared a timeline of events, starting now into the first few weeks of school, to help students make the transition to high school. She introduced district curriculum leaders and the department chairs of the four core subjects—English, Social Studies, Math, and Science. Each chair gave a short introduction about the courses available in the first year and the expanding pathways through their future RHS careers. Ms. Squitieri explained the support available—advisors, counselors, social workers, psychologists, and Teen Talk counselors—to students.

After the presentation, the fun continued. Future ninth graders visited the student center and LLC to explore the wide range of elective opportunities. The delectable smell of fried rice from culinary arts teacher Chef T and his students wafted through the air. A student rock band played. The World Language student ambassadors spoke about their love for French, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish. Art, theater, and family and consumer science had hands-on activities. One of RHS's best assets, the Business Department and its student devotees, answered questions about the variety of business clubs. "It's like a festival," one teacher said. "I wish my high schooler went here," said another. "There are just so many opportunities."

In the LLC, students learned about English, social studies, science, and math electives. There were even gems and a fetal hammerhead shark. They saw the acclaimed Reading Department's Sanctuary and quieter nooks for the less extroverted.

Curriculum Night, reimagined by Ms. Squitieri and her counseling team this year, was friendly, energetic, organized, and impressive.

Do try this at home...Last week, RHS Level 2 World Language classes learned about culinary traditions and cooked traditional dishes. How do you say, "Is it lunchtime yet?"

In Spanish 2, students tried their hands at making tortillas the old-fashioned way. It's harder than it looks! They mixed the dough, formed tortillas by hand, and cooked them on the griddle. The eating was easier and enjoyed by all with the addition of refried beans, cheese, and salsas ranging from mild to picantísima. Some of our most adventurous students even made some of the traditional foods we learned about at home and brought them in for their friends to try.

French students channeled their inner chefs to prepare la crêpe traditionnelle, following an authentic recipe written entirely in French. Working in competing brigades, they had to decode culinary instructions (metric system and all) and master the "art of the flip" in real-time. The activity culminated in a lively critique where the crêpes were judged to crown the Maître Crêpier. It was a delicious blend of cultural immersion and teamwork that brought French vocabulary to life. Bon Appétit!

In Mandarin, students prepared a traditional homemade dish called “番茄炒蛋 (fān qié chǎo dàn)”—tomato and scrambled eggs by following a recipe written in Mandarin. They were divided into two groups and had to read and interpret the recipe in the target language they learned, also follow the steps to cook the dish, and then critique which group’s dish turned out better. The activity was engaging and well executed. Well done!

Scotts Ridge Middle School is excited to announce two seventh-grade students took top awards

in the annual VFW Patriot’s Pen Essay Contest. Each year more than 138,000 students in grades 6-8 enter the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen youth essay contest for a chance to win their share of more than $900,000 in state and national awards.

Each first place state winner receives a minimum of $500 at the national level, and the national first place winner wins $5,000 and an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. This year’s theme was “How Are You Showing Patriotism And Support For Our Country?”

SRMS student Timothy Jackson was the VFW’s District winner and moved onto the Connecticut State competition, which was held last Sunday, at the Aquaturf Club in Plantsville. He competed with five other students from throughout the state and finished with an honorable mention award and a check for $150.00. Timothy, who also received a certificate from Senator Richard Blumenthal (in photo below), said, "It was a fun experience, and I would recommend it to all students to participate next year. I know I will.".

Danbury Post 149’s top winner was Lucy Pizzarello (in photo above with Timothy and Christian Petersen), who took home a certificate of achievement and a cash prize. Lucy and Timothy were two of 28 students whose essays were chosen to be submitted to the VFW Post. All will be recognized at a later date by Post 149 at SRMS.

We love the joy these Barlow Mountain Elementary students brought to their winter concert last week.

Please listen to this incredible rendition by the RHS Combined Ensembles of "One Voice" by Ruth Moody from last year's Winter Concert. Thank you to Ridgefield Music Parents for capturing the performance on video.

From 8 am until 5 pm last Saturday, the RHS Debate Team competed in its first tournament of the year, held at Fairfield Prep. The team offered a strong performance, headed by the novice pairings of Nikita Sinha and Sofia Figueira, Raina Choi and Nora Firkus, and Alexander Silliman & Ari Torchia; and the varsity pairing of Nidhi Bharadwaj & Alina Mitev. Special recognition goes to Nidhi Bharadwaj, who competed in the varsity category as a novice debater, and to Alexander Silliman, who placed third at the tournament in the novice category. Congratulations to everyone on the debate team!

Read the most recent RHS Athletics Newsletter to see Winter team records, a nutrition note about the new food pyramid, and a new Track record for Kieran Boyle (photo below). Kieran broke the RHS 55m record at the North Shore HS Invitational with a time of 6.45. Just this past weekend Kieran broke the school record again at the Yale HS Classic and is currently the top-ranked Class LL athlete in two events, the 55m and 300m.

The RHS varsity dance team placed first in their division and also earned the highest overall score in the “Dancin’ in the Woods” competition at Woodlands Regional High School in Beacon Falls this weekend. Photo above by Simon Mendez

Barlow Mountain fourth graders in Ms. Walsh's class chose one little word for the new year. They wrote about why they chose their word, and then they made word bracelets. The photos make us think of two words, "Better Together."

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