RPS Update

Welcome back! We hope everyone enjoyed their spring break and experienced a smooth transition back to the routine of school. We benefited from a few beautiful days this week; thankfully one of those days was Earth Day. I visited with the “Green Team'' at Branchville Elementary alongside our exceptional parent volunteers as they planted seeds in the school garden. As we worked and chatted, I was impressed by our parent volunteers and their dedication to the school and environment. Ask any one of them about composting at BES and you will feel their enthusiasm and commitment! While at BES with parent volunteers, I was reminded of the strength and value our students benefit from when we work together. The work that happens organically at the schools through our parents is powerful as it transcends the connection between home and school.

Thursday, I began my day at the annual RHS Business Symposium hosted by the RHS Business Department and student ambassadors-an incredible event! This year's keynote speaker was Arvind Krishna, CEO of IBM, who described the lessons of his professional journey. We were influenced by his message of the value of curiosity and grit. I encourage our younger families to keep an eye on all parts of our RPS Update newsletter- it is a wonderful way to discover the path that lies ahead for your family.

Next week, RPS will host its first-ever “Inclusion Expo." This wonderful event will be held at East Ridge Middle School on Wednesday, May 1. We hope you can join us- your personal invitation can be found here. Please be sure to RSVP so we can be ready for you. Come one, come all!

It looks like the warm weather will be here on Monday; don’t forget the sunscreen. Have a wonderful weekend.

Warmly,

Susie

Susie Da Silva, Ed.D

As we approach the month of May, Mental Health Awareness Month: “The compliment is one of these really powerful, small actions that brighten your day and brighten someone else’s day. And it costs nothing.” Xuan Zhao

Clear your calendar because next week is going to be full of must-see events.

Please check your school's calendar for important dates. There is a Board of Education meeting this Monday, April 29 at 7 pm. Please see agenda and links to stream live on the Board of Education Page.

May is one of the busiest months in the school year! Please read through the RPS Update to see all the wonderful community events happening and check your school's calendar for important dates.

Please don't miss the first annual RPS Inclusion Expo on May 1! RPS is for everyone and so is the Inclusion Expo. The Prospector Theater, Ridgefield’s own inclusive-employment movie theater, will offer a door prize of a free private theater rental. One ticket per family upon arrival at Inclusion Expo. RSVP here!

Come to the RHS Spring Art Show on Thursday, May 2 and stay for the Choir Concert.

On this week's podcast, we welcome back a Ridgefield Tiger Talk MVP. Dane Street, the Director of Athletics for Ridgefield High School. We discussed the many accolades that our amazing athletes received, winter sports recap, a current update on Spring sports, and a call to anyone in the community who’s interested in helping out in athletics. Thanks for listening!

Ridgefield High School Principal Dr. Jacob Greenwood announced this week that Steven Hergenrother is the RHS Class of 2024 Valedictorian. RPS Update sat down with Steven to find out how he balances being an elite runner—State and New England Champion among many other athletic distinctions—with being an elite student, member of the RHS student government, active community volunteer, and a social life.

Question: What does being Valedictorian mean to you?

It means a lot. There are a ton of smart people at RHS. A lot of my academic success has come from relationships I’ve forged with my peers through study sessions at the library or Starbucks. I feel indebted to all the people who have studied with me and challenged me. I will share this with my family too because they have been so integral in promoting curiosity and answering my incessant questions. It’s an individual achievement but it’s a shared achievement too.

What are some of the challenges you faced? Reasons for your success?

Managing running and school was the biggest challenge. Every day there was a priority call…do I put the extra effort into this assignment or do I focus on recovery for the next race? On top of that priority call is how to manage a social life. I've made great friends through study groups and, of course, my team. These have become great ways to enrich my academic, athletic, and social life. The majority of this achievement is because of enjoyment. I credit my teachers and peers with making it fun and interesting.

What was your favorite class?

I liked the STEM—AP Physics 1 + 2, BC Calc but AP Language and Literature tested the way I thought. I remember details from discussions we had and books we read even a year later. AP US History tested my time management and was super enjoyable the whole year. In ninth grade, I took electives like Photography and Baking, which were fun and not much pressure.

What are your post-grad plans?

I am going to Princeton to study physics and run Cross Country and Track. I hope to keep running, whether it’s semi-professionally or not, for as long as I can.

Will you be the next Robert Oppenheimer:)?

I loved the movie. The acting and the music are great but hopefully, I’ll have a different legacy than Oppenheimer.

Head RHS Football Coach Kevin Callahan has announced his retirement from teaching and coaching at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. Coach Callahan has been coaching high school football for 32 years, first at Bullard Havens Tech in 1991, followed by seven years at the helm of the program at his Alma Mater, Notre Dame-Fairfield, from 1992-1998 before coming to Ridgefield in 1999. During his tenure with the Tigers the varsity team established itself as a perennially strong team both within the FCIAC and at the state level, winning the CIAC Class L State Championship in 2002 and finishing as CIAC Class LL State Runners-up in 2016.

Kevin has been inducted into the Notre Dame-Fairfield Hall of Fame, was recognized by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association as the Football Coach of the Year in 2019 and will be inducted into the FCIAC Hall of Honor as a member of the class of 2024. Said RHS Athletics Director Dane Street, "It's been a pleasure working with Kevin over the past eight years. Few people recognize how much work and effort goes on behind the scenes all year long within the football program, and I cannot thank Kevin enough for all he has done for the Tiger football program and the student-athletes of RHS." While we look forward to celebrating Coach Callahan's career over the final few months of his tenure at RHS, we hope the community will join us in congratulating Kevin on a wonderful career as a teacher and coach at Ridgefield High!

RPS is in the final weeks of Middle School Virtual Drop in Tutoring sessions. Here is a link to the array of virtual options available to Middle School families.

RPS kindergarten registration numbers are significantly down this year, and the district wants to be able to plan for the best possible experience for students and staff. Registration required to attend mini-kindergarten! Please help us spread the word about this exciting rite of passage and register today.

RPS can help clarify the State of Connecticut's new kindergarten cut-off, how and when to consider applying for a waiver, and more. All the information about registration and mini-kindergarten orientation dates are available here.

This week, members of the K-12 District Science team presented on how Students Learn Science in RPS. Their informative and comprehensive presentation is available on the Curriculum YouTube Channel along with other past presentations.

The Forever Summer Bridge Program provides out of the box learning experiences beyond the traditional classroom settings taught by our own talented teachers! Please register on the Summer Bridge site to ensure your student's spot. Volunteer opportunities available!

Last year, over 50 students participated in the program to get a head start on their college to do list which alleviated stress during the first months of senior year. With feedback from students, we are making some adjustments to make the program even better. We are going beyond the Common Application and incorporating more information to help all students get a head start on their college application to do list. We are offering two one-day workshop opportunities to allow students and families have more flexibility in planning their summers.

Save the date! Students can choose between Thursday, August 1 or Wednesday, August 7. The tentative times are 9a.m - 1:30 p.m. More details and how to register will be emailed to the current junior class in the near future.

Please check your students' e-Backpack for this important information and other programs across the district. Organizations that meet the RPS policy may submit their request for inclusion to cmelagrano@ridgefieldps.net There is a special notice from the Boy and Girls Club of Ridgefield looking for teachers and other educators to help lead their summer programs.

Yesterday's seventh annual RHS Business Symposium was RPS at its best. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna kicked off the event with a keynote address that set a high bar for the day. From there, business students presented their marketing plans for the Ridgefield Bicycle Company (RBC), The Sunrise Cafe (opening in Ridgebury in Mid-May), and Lesser Evil. Teams shared ideas for logos, slogans, animations, a website, a podcast, ads, flyers, packaging, social media, promotional calendars, and more. To say that the presentations were creative, well-thought out, and well-presented is an understatement. At times, the students' plans were ingenious. One local executive said, "RBC, Sunrise Cafe, and Lesser Evil should just do everything the students suggest. I wouldn't change a thing." Between presentations, students would hurl free t-shirts into the crowd to keep everyone alert.

After the presentations, the classes moved into the LLC for three breakout sessions with local leaders from Google, Private Equity firms, universities, nonprofits, and more. Please see the incredible list of participants here. Then, students hit the runway dressed in sustainable finds from the Ridgefield Thrift Shop for the annual fashion show..

The lessons learned to prepare and execute this day are myriad—design, collaboration, technology, marketing, engineering, applied mathematics, marketing, critical thinking, sustainability, inclusion, focus, empathy, altruism, and leadership are just some of the takeaways. RHS Business Lead Jesse Peterkin and his amazing team Tricia Andrews, Robert (Bob) Keyes, and Kelly Predham deserve a commendation. Katie Blake's Tiger TV was on hand all morning to capture this truly educational experience. Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) leaders Sofia Ganal and Kaleigh Olsen were instrumental in pulling off the event, including moderating the discussion with the keynote speaker.

Invest in RHS!!!

This week, RHS students in Dr. Monica Housen and Matthew Bearse's Honors Geometry classes enjoyed the spring weather to test their mathematics skills outdoors. Students first estimated the height of various objects around the school, then used their self-constructed clinometers to measure the angle of elevation to the tops of these objects. Using trigonometry, they calculated the actual heights, assessed the accuracy of their estimates, and recorded possible sources of error in their measurements.

Clear your calendar and pay your bills this weekend because next week is going to be full of art, song, and celebration! The RHS Art Show, Choir and Orchestra concerts, and elementary plays and art shows are all in full swing. Don't miss any of it. This week, the RHS Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, and Jazz Band brought down the house. Find the concert program here and photos from the evening below. Information about this week's RHS concert and art show is above.

Congratulations to the RHS World Language students who participated in the CT COLT Poetry Recitation Contest. There were over 400 students from 43 schools that participated this year. A big thank you to their teachers for working hard to practice with these students and prepare them for the competition.

RHS sent 17 students and 9 earned medals. The department celebrated them before the break.

French: Nicole Herde, Makenzie Klugman, Charlotte Overs- 2nd place, Rebecca Avelar- 1st place

Mandarin: Preston Penn- 1st place, Eva Figlar- 3rd place, Ian Feung Whitehurst, Dean Trevisani

Latin: Maria Flor Mascarenhas, Nicole Herde-3rd place

Spanish Savannah Libhart-2nd place, Ace Carpenter

Italian: Rinesa Bajraktari- 3rd place, Abigail Freeman-3rd place, Luciano Tumminello

Portuguese Heritage: Maria flor Mascarenas

German Level 3: Ashley Libhart- 1st place

The National Honor Society sponsored its second annual Senior Senior Prom last month. RHS seniors served dessert, performed music, and danced with seniors from Ridgefield Station in this fun community-building event.

The Town of Ridgefield Recycling Coordinator and RPS partner Tiffany Carlson reports, "The Regional Awards ceremony was last night for the annual HRRA Recycling Billboard Contest. The artists from Ridgefield represented!!! Students Luisa Carcich of East Ridge Middle School and Skyler Reidhead of Branchville Elementary were the Grand Prize winners for 6th - 8th grade and 3rd - 5th grade respectively. Each student received a $500 check. East Ridge and Branchville will each receive $250. Additionally, the student's artwork will be displayed across 20 HARTransit buses starting in May. Ridgefield had six regional finalists, with four of them taking first place at their respective grade level. The most first-place finishers of any Town in HRRA." That's a lot of green:)

On Earth Day, Superintendent Dr. Da Silva joined the Branchville Elementary Green Team to plant native seeds. Please read more about the BES accomplishments to Go Green below! Way to Grow:)

Branchville Elementary School Principal, Keith Margolus, and the PTA are proud to mark the one-year anniversary of the BES Path to Zero Waste initiative. Since committing to compost food waste from the cafeteria on Earth Day last year, BES has recovered more than 24,000 lbs of waste, contributing to efforts to combat the staggering amount of food waste in the State of CT. Food waste makes up 22% of the 3.5 million tons of trash in CT. Currently, 800,000 tons of waste is trucked out of the State, due to the fact that all four waste energy plants reached capacity at 2.7 million tons.

Read the full press release here.

Each of the nine schools chooses a Teacher of the Year through the following process. Parents, students, and staff nominate exemplary educators, and a committee at each school reviews these nominations and chooses the one to represent their school for the year. From those nine, a selection committee chooses the RPS Teacher of the Year. In next week's RPS Update, we'll hear from outgoing Teacher of the Year RHS English Teacher and Dean Andy Maccabe. Some of the schools announced their TOYs before the break and some haven't announced yet. Here are some photos of school celebrations. More next week! Congratulations to all the nominees!

Barlow Mountain Elementary TOY Lisa Whelan is a great educator but don't take our word for it..Click here to watch what her kindergarteners say about her.

Farmingville Elementary's Teacher of the Year is Katelyn Root! Congratulations to this warm, hard-working, and devoted educator.

The celebration of Scotland Elementary's TOY Cheryl Osher started with a quote from William James, "Let everything you do be done as if it makes a difference." Ms. Osher's colleagues say that this quote was written for her. They write, "Your dedication in and out of school does not go unnoticed."

A new queen was coronated at Veterans Park Elementary—complete with crown, sash, and eagle Long live, this special educator, Kelly Feeney!

Before Spring Break, RHS celebrated its newly anointed TOY, Kelly Predham with a cake that read "Teaching Like It's Nobody's Business." Her dedication to her students and their reciprocated adoration of her were on display at the RHS Business Symposium this week. Read more about this amazing educational experience above!

PTAs, parents, and RPS celebrated bus drivers this week. Please remind your students to continue to treat our drivers with respect, kindness, and consideration. Thank you, bus drivers, for all you do to keep our students safe.

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.