RPS Update

Finally, a full week of school, and certainly a busy one. Fall is in full swing, and Halloween spirits can be seen all around town- many ghosts, goblins, and scarecrows on Main Street. Spirits are high at RHS in preparation for Homecoming Weekend! Today is Tiger Pride Day at RHS, and we have the Pep Rally this afternoon, the Football game tonight, and the Homecoming Dance tomorrow.

Earlier this week, I sent out this communication about school security and RPS. Our goal is to continue to provide the community with a greater understanding of the District’s robust model of school security and safety, which includes a multi-pronged, proactive approach. I am hopeful that you have found this communication brief helpful and have had the opportunity to review the FAQs. Should you have any thoughts to share, I encourage you to use the link at the bottom of the communication brief.

On Monday, the Board of Education will meet for their regularly scheduled meeting. The primary presentation for the evening will focus on a component of the Master Plan, more specifically, Capacity and Utilization, Five-Year Enrollment Projections. This is important for many reasons, including understanding how students' needs, programs, and innovations in education have changed the way we educate students and utilize our spaces.

Have a great weekend, and go get 'em,’ Tigers!

Warmly,

Susie

Susie Da Silva, Ed.D

“We rise by lifting others.” — Robert Ingersoll

Progress on the new Alternative High School and Ridgefield Transition Program site on Prospect Ridge continues. The photos below show how far we have come!

Beautiful foliage is in full swing, and you know what that means! It’s time for the fall sports update on Ridgefield Tiger Talk! Joining us on today’s podcast is a guest Tiger Talk listeners are familiar with, Dane Street, Director of Athletics for Ridgefield High School. We talk about the amazing fall season for swimming, football, soccer, field hockey, cheer/dance, golf, cross country, and unified sports! Highlighting some of our students and teams. Thanks for listening! Click here for the athletics website.

Read the latest RHS Athletics Newsletter to learn more about our investment in Student Athlete mental health, student honors, Fall playoff schedules, Winter Sports Kick-off dates, and more.

RPS Board of Education meetings are held at 90 East Ridge Road, open to the public, and streamed via the Board of Education Channel. Recordings of meetings, agendas, and minutes can be found on the BOE Webpage. Public comment (3 minutes/speaker) is available in person at the beginning and end of each meeting. Letters to the BOE can be sent to boardofed@ridgefieldps.net

Photo right: Sweet Barlow Mountain family during Trunk or Treat

NOTE: RPS holds parent-teacher conferences in November. Please check your school calendar for school-specific Early Dismissals and other events.

Calling all Braves, Snakes, Smarts and...of course, Puffs - You are invited to join RHS Theatre as they enter the wizarding world for the heartwarming, comedic adventure, PUFFS (Or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic) by Matt Cox.

PUFFS is essentially a parody on Harry Potter, told through the lens of the Hufflepuff house. We meet an all new cast of characters and follow these quirky and lovable underdogs from sorting to skirmish and sorcery. Don't miss this award-winning local theatre group. Their past two RHS fall productions The Play That Goes Wrong and Peter and the Starcatcher received awards for "Best Cast of an Ensemble Production", "Best Stage Management Team" and "Best Contemporary Play" at the Halo (Regional High School Theatre) Awards for the state of CT. Tickets available on the Theatre Booster website or following QR code on flyer below.

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.

The Scotts Ridge dream team of Library and Media Specialist Janine Johnson and paraeducator Emily Shiller travelled to St. Louis last week for the American Association of School Librarians Conference, where they picked up the prize for the Best School Library in the Country. Please read more about this prestigious prize in the May 23 issue of the RPS Update.. See the video the library team made for the SRMS Morning Show here or below, which has highlights of the trip, authors they met, interesting facts about St. Louis, and perhaps most illustratively shares the prize with the SRMS community. Congrats, SRMS!

On Tuesday, RHS senior Eva Figlar and junior Anahit Abernethy presented research at the International Forum on Research Excellence "IFoRE" International Competition. This is the first time RHS students have been accepted to this prestigious competition, which includes international high school students, as well as college and graduate students.

Eva and Anahit, who are neighbors, worked with Sarah Lawrence Professor Dr. Colin Abernethy over the summer to explore more efficient and accessible methods of determining the structure of molecules. Their research, A Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy Study of Five Di-imine Molecules, aims to test five different aniline compounds to determine if they can serve as sufficient models for procedures using benchtop NMR. They write, "NMR is one of the fastest-growing fields in chemistry. By determining an array of molecules suitable for NMR education, future generations will be able to utilize these molecules, which produce clear NMR proton and carbon spectra."

To be considered for the iFore Competition, the students had to submit a video introduction to their research, an abstract, and ten slides. The results of the competition will be released in November.

Patrick Hughes, RHS science teacher and Science Research Program co-head writes, “We could not be more excited that Eva and Anahit were of the 300 projects selected out of the thousands submitted. They’ve worked so hard, put in countless hours to prepare, and we’re so proud. Their passions for science, strong work ethics, and successes are an inspiration to our current and future students.”

On Wednesday, five East Ridge sixth graders unveiled a mural they made during an RPS Summer Bridge Program, which the facilities team hung in the ERMS hallway this week. The students shared how they collaborated to come up with the idea, create the composition, and paint the many details in just three days in July. Some students pointed to specific elements they added, others described the challenges they faced, and all posed proudly in front of the work. Principal Jennifer Phostole noted that every ERMS student will walk by the work on their way to gym class. Thank you to Hayden Brodsky, ED Leocadi, Allison Liberti, Skyler Reidhead, Olivia Spencer, and Summer Bridge instructor Kathleen Granger (not shown) for this colorful daily reminder: "The Beauty of the World Is in the Diversity of People." Gorgeous!!!

Last Friday, RHS students met Ridgefield’s finest at the Police Station. Officers Bloom and McKnight shared their time and expertise with the group. Students asked plenty of pertinent questions about the officers’ career choices, favorite parts of the work, and training.

The students had the opportunity to sit in the police car and hear the siren roar. Officer McKnight, an RHS graduate, introduced students to Odin, his three year-old K-9 police dog partner. The officer showed how Odin could retrieve keys, sniff out narcotics, and do tricks.

Thank you to Special Education teacher Mike Cerniglia, paraeducators, and RHS SRO Kate Williams for her help facilitating this enriching educational experience.

Caption below: Officer McKnight with K-9 partner Odin. Officer Bloom fist bumps RHS students after their tour. Chief of Police becomes "Chef of Police" when Chief Krietz is grilling, or a student cleverly observes the difference an "I" can make.

Caption below: RHS students loved meeting Officers Bloom and McKnight and police dog Odin. The students were attentive and enthusiastic guests. RPS Update editors loved seeing the "We Love RPS" sticker on the back of the Police vehicle.

RHS Italian teachers—Lucia Rossi, Cristina DiStasio, and Jennifer Marshall-Baranowski—celebrated Italian Heritage Month with their students last week. Italian classes celebrated 'la dolce vita' by listening to and singing an opera song, playing tombola, and enjoying some authentic Italian foods and dessert.

As reported in a previous Update, RHS seniors hosted a Candidates Assembly and Mock Election this month, with support from the League of Women Voters, the RHS PTSA, the Registrar of Voters, and the RHS Social Studies Department Chair, Danny Martins. Please read the League of Women Voters write-up here.

RHS seniors write:

“I am so grateful to have been involved in this educational opportunity— it was amazing to get a look into local politics through hosting the assembly, drafting questions, and meeting the candidates. I am very thankful to the Ridgefield High School social studies department and everyone who helped plan the event!" —Natalie Shartouni, event co-Emcee

"I just spoke to one of my friends who was in the audience today, and she said, 'I'm not at all a politics person, but I was really invested. Hearing how everyone had something different to say was interesting." —Arushi Tripathi, student questioner

Fifth graders at all six elementary schools will vote for the Kid Governor for CT as a part of their Social Studies curriculum. This week, the Candidate Exhibition came to Veterans Park Elementary, which piloted the program last year. Kid Governor is a nationwide program originated by The Connecticut Democracy Center at Connecticut’s Old State House. Learn more about the Kid Governor program on the website.

Extra! Extra! The October issue of the RHS student magazine, The Ridgefielder, is available now. Students cover a wide range of timely topics, from Artificial Intelligence, FLEX period highlights, and the timing of Freshman student government elections. Plus comics and cute photos from the ninth-grade dance. Read all about RHS here.

Barlow Mountain shares their hopes for the year!

There is nothing scary about the adorable animals Ridgebury third graders made in the style of Tim Burton. Read about how this unit taught proportions and exaggeration below.

Scotts Ridge Best Buddies made Halloween treat bags for teachers this week. Inclusion proves we are better together!

This week, a representative from UConn came to RHS to talk to prospective juniors and seniors. College rep visits are ongoing and a great way for students to connect with admission officers from universities.

Keeping up with all the amazing, enriching, thoughtful, creative, and collaborative ways our school PTAs contribute to RPS is virtually impossible. Here are some photos from the wonderful PTA-sponsored/supported programs we've recently seen. Thank you!!!

Even Barlow Mountain pets got to take part in the BMES PTAs Trunk or Treat this week. So much creativity, Bobcats!

Branchville Elementary came together last Friday for the annual Beaver Boogie fun run! BES families gathered on a gorgeous fall day to watch and cheer on the kids as they ran around the field. Students also enjoyed a fun sing-along in the school’s cafetorium, hosted by BES music teacher Ms. Betsy Anderson. Laughter, teamwork, and tons of smiles were seen all around the school. Thank you to the BES PTA and everyone who participated in and supported this wonderful, and much-loved, event! Such a fun day!

Between the Scotty Sprint and Pumpkin Blaze, Scotties (students, staff, and families) have been busy. See some of the creativity, speed, and stamina in the photos below.

Veterans Park raised funds and fun with its Spirit Run.

What fun Spirit Week at RHS, and now we know what Adam Sandler Day is! The addition of a school-wide Rock Paper Scissors game (during non-instructional hours, of course) had students competing in one-on-one battles to win bracelets and, hopefully, score points in the class competition. A collection of non-perishable foods for a local food bank meant everyone wins. Thank you to student body president Camille Wyatt, student government advisor Jenn DeJulio, and all the student government representatives for spearheading this flat-out fun week. This afternoon is the all-school Pep Rally. Tonight is the Homecoming Football game. Tomorrow is the Homecoming Dance! Have a great time, Tigers...and may the most spirited class win.

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