
NFPS Update
June 22, 2023
Dear New Fairfield Community,
Have a Great Summer!
The sun has now set on the 2022-23 school year, but not before over 150 students capped off their academic careers in New Fairfield with an outdoor graduation. We were determined to give the Class of 2023 a special send off even though afternoon rains threatened our plans. Once the rain subsided in the late afternoon, our maintenance and custodial crew raced into action to ensure everyone's comfort and safety. It turned out to be a great evening. We wish our graduates good luck as they enter the next phase of their lives.
The month of June was marked by a number of other special events and celebrations. Our fifth graders and eighth graders were honored at our annual promotion ceremonies, and it was great to see so many family members take part in the festivities. The end of the year was also busy with awards assemblies, concerts and championship athletic contests. We've shared some highlights of these events in this last newsletter of the year.
Next Budget Referendum
As a reminder, the next budget referendum will be held on Saturday, June 24 from 10:00 AM until 8:00 PM at the New Fairfield Senior Center.
A Final Note
As we wish everyone a wonderful summer, our year round staff will be preparing for the opening of school after Labor Day as students report back on Tuesday, September 5. The middle and high school upper campus is now closed for the summer for the next phase of the construction project, leading up to the opening of our new state-of-the art high school. Traffic to the track and playground has returned to TWO-WAY traffic at the entrance; please stay in your appropriate lane.
We looking forward to seeing everyone soon, rested and ready for a new school year.
Warm Regards,
Ken
Kenneth G. Craw, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Juneteenth
From the Desk of Dr. Julie Luby, Assistant Superintendent
During the last days of school, New Fairfield students participated in activities to learn about Juneteenth, a federally recognized holiday. The purpose of the activities was to foster understanding, empathy, and appreciation of African American history and culture. This supports the NFPS Vision for our graduates by making students more knowledgeable and engaged global citizens.
"Juneteenth celebrates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, on June 19, 1865. Prior to this date, many enslavers withheld notice of freedom from those they enslaved. Two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect in the Confederacy (on paper), federal troops arrived in Galveston and Major General Gordon Granger finally issued the order to free the slaves. While not all African Americans in Texas were freed on this date due to refusal of their enslavers or attacks against them that lead to extreme harm or death, Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, Emancipation Day, Liberation Day, or Jubilee Day, is the most widely celebrated days of emancipation in the United States" (Moore, 2023).
At Consolidated/MHHS schools, classrooms "buddied up" and shared a book about Juneteenth and then participated in a variety of activities. The activities varied and included learning about the flag and the significance of its design, creating a tile replica of the flag, and learning vocabulary terms associated with the holiday. At NFMS, students participated in a community conversation about the big ideas of freedom and justice in the context of Juneteenth and the holiday was also described and acknowledged on the morning announcements. At NFHS, morning announcements provided background information about Juneteenth and its origin and educational resources were provided to students in order to explore the holiday further.
Moore, T. (2023, June 7). 20 inspiring activities to celebrate Juneteenth. We Are Teachers.
Special Education Update
We are pleased to announce that starting with the new year, we will have Special Education Supervisors at both the secondary and elementary levels.
Ms. Monika Krepsztul, formerly the high school psychologist and Department Head, is the new Supervisor at the secondary level, and brings a wealth of experience to her new role. Monika obtained her first Master of Arts degree in Clinical Psychology in Poland, where she worked before moving to Connecticut. She then studied at Fairfield University and earned her second Master of Arts degree, as well as a Certificate of Advanced Study, in School Psychology, and has been working as a school psychologist in CT for 23 years. For the past 17 of those years, she has been a highly valued member of NFPS, working closely with students, staff, and families in support of students' success. Most recently, she has been serving as the Head of the PPS Department, and we are very happy to have her transition into an expanded leadership role as a Special Education Supervisor.
Ms. Alex Lambert, formerly a Cons/MHHS special education teacher, is the new Supervisor at the elementary level. Alex holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, a Master of Professional Studies in Literacy and Special education, Birth to Grade 6, and a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Educational Leadership. Alex has been working in special education for 13 years, with significant training and experience in the area of literacy instruction for students with reading disabilities. Alex has also spent several years in leadership positions supporting special education and related service providers in developing high quality instruction. This past year, Alex has been serving as a special education teacher at Cons/MHHS, and we are looking forward to her support for the department in her new role as a Special Education Supervisor.
New Fairfield High School/Middle School Campus Closed for the Summer
The High School is progressing beautifully! Please note that the High School and Middle School campus is CLOSED for the summer in order to maintain our construction schedule. There will be NO vehicles or parking allowed beyond the student lower parking lot. However, there will be access to the track and playground.
*Traffic to the track and playground will return to TWO WAY traffic at the entrance; please stay in your appropriate lane.*
New Fairfield Teacher of the Year
The District Teacher of the Year was recently awarded to Casey Aiezza at our annual Celebration of Excellence. Casey is a physical education / health teacher at Meeting House Hill School. The Teacher of the Year Committee felt that she was the embodiment of the award. She goes well above the call of duty for students and her colleagues. Congratulations to Casey who will address the faculty at the annual Convocation.
Animals Visit Kindergarten Classes
On May 11th, the PTO sponsored an animal program called Two By Two Animal Haven. It was an exciting day for the kindergartners. Each class had 30 minutes to learn and interact with many interesting animals such as a chinchilla, tortoise, snake, ferret, bearded dragon, rabbit, chicks and even a kangaroo. It was so much fun!
Third Graders Visit the Institute of American Indian Studies.
The 3rd Grade at MHHS went to The Institute of American Indian Studies in Washington on a field trip in May.
Senior Partners at Consolidated School and Meeting House Hill School
Consolidated and MHHS have been lucky to be able to partner up with the New Fairfield Senior Center this year.(This is a reboot of a program lost during COVID. This partnership was previously spearheaded by Roseann Petruso.) Thanks to the efforts of the Director of the NFSC, Kathy Hull, 19 teachers, their students, and 23 seniors are once again reaping the benefits of this partnership. Since January, students and seniors have spent many hours reading together, working to solve math problems, and engaging in conversations. Students love having some one-on-one attention. It is a joy to watch them make connections with an older person from our community. The smiles on their senior partners’ faces say it all! The students and seniors are truly thankful for this time well spent. It is a win-win for everyone. We hope to continue this collaboration in the future. The teachers and students of Consolidated and MHHS would like to send a BIG thank you to all our Senior Partners! See you next year!
MHHS/Consolidated “Story Garden”
Written By Lily Kaptein, Abigail Dossena & Morgan Birdsall
Exciting things are happening on the brick patio at Consolidated-Meeting House Hill School!! We are opening up a Community Garden for all to enjoy. There are many interesting things growing in the garden right now, such as vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Best of all, there are garden beds devoted to pollinator plants that are native to Connecticut!
This community garden is dedicated to Mrs. Allyson Story, which is where the garden got its name, “The Story Garden.” There will also be a memorial bench in honor of Mrs. Sarah Gelish. The Garden is located on the Consolidated-MHHS brick patio outside the cafeteria. The garden will be open all summer long and for the fall season! The fruits and vegetables that will be growing there are tomatoes, strawberries, eggplants, pumpkins, watermelons, potatoes, beans, peas, radishes, cauliflower, and herbs. The flowers that we will be growing there are morning glories, sunflowers and pollinators that are native to Connecticut.
Ms. Strashun, the teacher who had the idea of having the garden, wanted to create this club because she felt that the school needed something to bring us together and to teach kids how to plant and garden! We asked Ms. Strashun, “How did you get your materials?” She replied with, “We received many different donations from Quarters for Causes, the Consolidated and MHHS PTOs, the high school woodshop, families, and Dom’s Garden Center.” The names of the staff and students who helped out with the creation of this garden are: Ms. Strashun, Hera Doceti, Eileen Theiss, Consolidated and MHHS PTOs, Mr. Cullen, Phil Ross and NFPS Building and Grounds, and last but not least, the MHHS 5th grade Garden Club.
It has been a dream of Ms. Strashun’s for a long time to create a community garden and an outdoor learning space. The Garden Club started before COVID, but needed to stop and was restarted again this year with the encouragement of Mrs. Story.
Ms. Strashun is super grateful to have support from Mrs. Story and the PTO to make this happen. The garden will give students ownership and ability to grow and nurture things in our garden. Students will also learn about our environment and plant life cycles.
Lastly, we asked Ms. Strashun, “How do you think the garden is working out so far?” She responded “I think the garden is going amazingly well. I love to see the collaboration, growing, and learning that is taking place. We are creating an amazing outdoor learning space for our school community. I can’t wait to see how the garden grows!”
Fifth grade students, Abby, Lily, and Morgan have been writing for the Consolidated-MHHS Times for this entire year. They are talented writers and have taken on leadership roles such as newspaper editing, conferencing, and layout. These three exceptional students will be heading to New Fairfield Middle School in the fall.
Consolidated School and Meeting House Hill School Field Day Fun!
Consolidated School and Meeting House Hill School students celebrated their Fun Day Field Day on Tuesday, June 13th. The theme was “A Day at the Beach” and students enjoyed eleven beach themed stations!
Get Outside and Play for Children's Mental Health Day
Governor Ned Lamont has declared May 26th of each year to be Get Outside and Play for Children’s Mental Health Day, and 2023 as the inaugural year. The goal of this day is to promote and educate children and families on the benefits of outdoor activities on children’s mental health and wellness. NFMS recognized this day by planning events that provided students with the opportunity to decompress, relax, socialize, and move.
Students had the opportunity to sign up for various events including pickleball (taught by our very own Ms. Kidd), yoga, mindfulness, coloring, Lego building, Awe Walks, Walk and Talk around the track, and making glitter jars.
We are so grateful to have had some fantastic guest facilitators! Mrs. Brown visited from Consolidated to lead our students in Mindful Moments. Alicia Gibson led students and staff through yoga, and former Rebel Reagan Tenaglia spoke to students about her journey learning about and managing mental health.
We would like to thank all those who helped with the planning and organization of this event, our guest facilitators, and of course, our students who helped make it a VERY successful day!
Singamajig
Over three hundred singers performed together in Singamajig, a district-wide chorus concert.
Middle School Art Show and Concert
Music in the Parks
On Friday, May 26, New Fairfield High School chorus and band students participated at the “Music in the Parks” festival hosted at Six Flags New England. The morning consisted of both ensembles performing for adjudicators who assigned scores and ratings, and then we spent the rest of the day enjoying the park! At the award ceremony in the evening, we got our results and are proud to announce that both the band and chorus earned the top rating of “superior” for their performances!
Halo Awards
New Fairfield theater students participated Halo Awards, organized by 7 Angels Theater and hosted at the Palace Theater in Waterbury, on Thursday, June 1. This year, 85 schools from across Connecticut participated in the awards. Halos judges attended our performances this year of the fall play “The Hope and Heartache Diner" and our spring musical “Urinetown”, and our students earned a total of 13 nominations for both productions! At the awards presentation on June 1, NFHS senior Grace Kersting earned recognition for her work as student director for “The Hope and Heartache Diner,” and our production of “Urinetown” won Best Pit Orchestra! Congratulations to these dedicated, enthusiastic, and talented students!
Spring Athletic Accomplishments
The New Fairfield High School Athletic Department had an exceptional spring that saw many Rebel teams and individuals achieve a great deal of success! The Rebel Baseball team won the SWC Patriot Division title and made a run to the Class M CIAC State Semi-Finals. Kyle Garbowski was named the SWC Most Outstanding Player and earned All-State recognition for the second year in a row.
The Softball team earned berths in both the SWC tournament and CIAC Class M State tournament for the first time in several years. The Boys' Lacrosse team had a strong year going 14-2 during the regular season. The Rebels lost to Weston HS in the CIAC Class S Semi-Finals, Weston would go on to win the state championship.
In Girls' Lacrosse, the Rebels had an outstanding win over Weston in the SWC Semi-Finals before losing to Newtown HS in the SWC Championship Game. The Rebels made it to the CIAC State Championship where they were competing for an unprecedented 6th consecutive state title against Weston HS. The record was not meant to be this year, but they will look to bounce back next year and start a new streak all over again!
In outdoor track and field, we saw several participants set personal records and qualify for the SWC and State Championships. Rose Penney took home the SWC Championship in the 3200 Meter event! In the Class M Championship, Rose Penney came in 2nd Place in the 3200M while Ripley Penney and Katie McMorrow came in 2nd and 3rd respectively in the 1600M. Ripley also came in 2nd place in the 800M event!
Not to be forgotten are the accomplishments that were celebrated off the field. Madelyn Breitbeil and Justin McCormack were named our SWC Leadership Award Winners for the 2022-2023 school year. Justin and Madelyn were both two-sport captains and demonstrated leadership as members of our Class Act Council. Evelyn Butorac and Alex Marshall were celebrated at the Aqua Turf as our CIAC Scholar-Athlete Award Winners. Both of these students participated in multiple sports during high school while also producing tremendous grades in the classroom as well!
We also celebrated three more college signings in the spring with Chris Kakos (Union College) and Doug Traynor (University of New Haven) committing to play football and Mackenzie Morus (William Smith College) will compete in swimming and diving.