A Few Bits...
Board of Education Budget News
The Town held its Annual Town Meeting on Saturday April 24. It was great to see and talk to everyone in person after all these months! During the meeting the Town voted to move the Board of Education’s fiscal 2021-2022 general operating budget as approved by the Board of Finance as well as the Town’s fiscal 2021-2022 general operating budget forward to referendum.
The Town Referendum will be on Tuesday, May 11, 2021, at the East Ridge Middle School between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. In addition, at the April 24 Annual Town Meeting, various capital projects under $100,000 for both Town and the Board of Education were voted on and approved. Capital projects over $100,000 will be voted on at referendum.
School Status
There is no change in school status for the coming week. All students are encouraged and welcomed back. We’ve missed you!
Athletics
The 2021 CAS-CIAC Virtual Scholar-Athlete Banquet will take place on Sunday, May 2 at 6:30 p.m.
RPS Liam Keppler and Rory McGrath will be among the 363 student-athletes honored at this banquet. You may view the show live on Fox 61 TV, Fox 61 Facebook page, CIAC YouTube Page, NFHS Network. Congrats Liam and Rory!!
Fall News from CSDE:
We have attached the CT State Dept of Education (CSDE) Interim Guidance for Remote Learning for the 2021-22 School Year. Here are a few summary points.
- The CSDE will not be mandating that districts offer an opt-in voluntary remote learning option after this school year.
- Local districts will have purview over the use of remote/virtual learning options for 2021-22.
- The CSDE does not believe districts should automatically revert back to providing education in the same exact way we did pre-pandemic.
- To this end, they encourage districts to consider employing virtual/remote learning judiciously as a dynamic learning option in order to support equity needs, innovation, and address emergency situations.
- A few (not exhaustive) examples in which the consideration of remote learning could be an option include: (1) pursuit of higher level or specialized classes not offered in-district, (2) virtual software or platforms to expand teaching and enhance in-person learning and, (3) emergency building-related issues such as classroom quarantines, facilities issues, or inclement weather issues.
- The CSDE has not commented on remote learning as an option for students with medical issues that preclude them from attending in person
RPS Summer Bridge Program
Registration for the PK-5 Summer Bridge Program is closing on Monday, May 3.
On Friday, April 23, we opened the first phase of registration and launched our website. At the PreK-5 level, the response was incredible. As of today, we have had over 850 students express interest across all sessions. We are closing registration for elementary only on Monday, May 3. Once we close registration on May 3, we will work with our teams to confirm staffing and space; then will be able to go through the requests and begin finalizing registration with families. We have already established a core staffing structure and facilities assignments but are aware that we may need to make revisions to student enrollment depending on the number of classroom/school space available for use. Expect to hear from us with registration confirmation by May 14 at the latest.
Health And Safety
As a reminder, fully vaccinated individuals should not come to school if they are experiencing any of the symptoms of COVID-19. If you are experiencing a symptom, please reach out to your school nurse for the return to school protocol. All staff, including fully vaccinated individuals must continue to wear masks at school at all times.
Vaccinations
- All CHC mass vaccination sites in Connecticut including the Danbury Mall site are now accepting walk-ins. No appointment is needed. Click this link for a list of vaccination sites in Connecticut accepting walk-ins.
- Pfizer has applied to the FDA for emergency use authorization for its COVID-19 vaccine in 12-15 year olds. We are now awaiting authorization from the FDA.
Food Service
Governor Lamont declares May 7, 2021, Connecticut School Nutrition Hero Day! Hurray and thank you to all our school nutrition professionals who strive to serve our students healthy nutritious meals. On Friday, May 7 we celebrate the hardworking professionals in our school cafeterias, our School Nutrition Heros! See Governor Lamont’s Declaration here. To watch a fun video about School Nutrition Hero Day visit this website, https://vimeo.com/510805585
In addition, a friendly reminder to all high school students- that deli / salads can be ordered ahead of time using the Nutrislice app. Please see our media alert for more information here.
Curriculum Updates
Math Placement Workshops: The elementary and secondary math placement parent presentations that took place this past week are available to view. Click here to view the presentations on the RPS YouTube Channel.
Copied below are titles of educational books featured in the New York Times by Michelle Lee on the topic of Asian bias (you can find the link here with photos of the books).
Children’s books:
- My Footprints by Bao Phi, illustrated by Basia Tran, age 4-7
- My Name is Bilal by Asma Mobin-Uddin, illustrated by Barbara Kiwak, age 6-9
- Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai, age 9-12
- Count Me In by Versha Bajaj, age 9-12
- Fred Korematsu Speaks Up by Laura Atkins and Stan Yogi, illustrated by Yutaka Houlette, age 9-12
Teenage nonfiction books:
- They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott, illustrated by Harmony Becker, age 12 and up
- From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin and the Trial That Galvanized the Asian-American Movement by Paula Yoo, age 13 and up
Teenage graphic novels:
- Displacement by Kiko Hughes, age 12 and up
- Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang, art by Gurihiru, age 12 and up
- Flamer by Mike Curato, age 14 and up
RPS Highlights
Enjoy RPS News here!
Ridgefield Tiger Talk: Recently students from Ridgefield High School (virtually) attended The United Nations International School Conference on the impact of COVID across different nations. On today's show we talk to sophomores Cora Fitzgerald and Jeremy Haber who both attended this conference and tell us about their experiences, how they contributed, and the ideas that they bring back to the Ridgefield community. Also joining us is Christopher Tait, our high school Science Department Chair and one of the organizers of this activity. Thanks for listening!
Check out SRMS staff at the RULER Conference, linked here.