The end of a school year is always a busy time. The sun is shining and the summer is fast approaching. Teachers are planning for the final month of curriculum implementation as the state standardized testing is finishing up. There have been several student awards events for outstanding achievement, leadership and service as you will note in this newsletter. We are also looking forward to our promotion ceremonies in June. Please mark these important dates:

• Class of 2023 Graduation: Friday, June 16 at 5:00 PM at Rebels Stadium,
• 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony: Thursday, June 15 at 5:00 PM in the high school gymnasium.
• 5th Grade Stepping-Up Ceremonies: Friday, June 9, at 9:30 AM & 10:30 AM in the MHHS gymnasium.

Budget Referendum - Saturday, May 20, 2023 - 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The Budget Referendum is scheduled for this Saturday, May 20th, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the New Fairfield Middle School Cafeteria.

Board of Education Meeting - May 18, 2023

At last night's BOE meeting, the high school administration, in collaboration with the New Fairfield Prevention Council, gave an informative presentation on the results of the high school Youth Survey that was administered earlier this year. Information from the survey will be used to inform school climate goal setting for next year and to initiate community conversation. For additional information please see the BOE meeting video.

Early Learning Center (ELC) Update

The Early Learning Center (ELC) has openings for the 2023-24 school year. Please contact Lorry Spencer, spencer.lorrainne@newfairfieldschools.org 203-312-5775, for more information.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Ken

Kenneth G. Craw, Ed. D.

Superintendent

Melissa Busnel, the district's Special Education Supervisor, has resigned from her position in order to spend more time with her family. We are pleased to announce that she has been hired to fill a special education teacher vacancy at NFHS, where she will bring her considerable knowledge and expertise to the classroom. Prior to joining NFPS as a Supervisor, Melissa spent many years as a special education teacher serving students with complex needs. We are fortunate that Melissa will continue to be part of the New Fairfield school community, and we thank her for her four years of service to the children of New Fairfield as a special education administrator.

A comprehensive search process will be undertaken to fill the Special Education Supervisor opening. Melissa will continue to serve as the Supervisor through June 30, 2023.

Steven Groccia, Cons/MHHS Assistant Principal, was recently appointed as a K-5 Assistant Principal at the Cos Cob School in Greenwich, CT. While Steven has only been in New Fairfield since July 2022, he will surely be missed for his dedication to our school system. We wish him all the best and remind him that once a Rebel, always a Rebel.

At the May 4, 2023, Board of Education meeting, the 27th Annual Connecticut Association of Boards of Education Student Leadership Awards were present to the following students:

• New Fairfield Middle School – Jacqueline Moody and Jack Mariani;
• New Fairfield High School - Kylie Pardalis and Nicholas Eklund.

Recipients of this award display leadership skills, including the willingness to take on challenges, the capability to make difficult decisions, the ability to show concern for others and to work with others, the willingness to commit to a project and honor a commitment, and the ability to understand issues clearly and to be diplomatic. Congratulations to New Fairfield’s CABE Student Leadership Award winners!

At a ceremony held in the Amber Room Colonnade on May 15th, the Western Connecticut Superintendents Association/Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents (WCSA/CAPSS) awards were presented to the following students:

• New Fairfield Middle School – Carina Barton and Catherine Tomaino;
• New Fairfield High School – Caitlyn Rea and Zachary Walker.

Recipients of this award display community service and service to others, academic prowess (relative to ability), and leadership service to the school community. Congratulations to New Fairfield’s WCSA/CAPSS Student Award winners!

At a ceremony held on April 26th in the Newtown Community Center, it was announced that MHHS 3rd grader Caiden Davidson was the regional HRRA Recycling Billboard contest grand prize winner. He was joined at the ceremony by his family, his teacher Melissa Schlosser, and first Selectman Pat Del Monaco. Caiden's artwork will be displayed for six weeks on 20 HART buses from May to June, 2023. Congratulations, Caiden, on a job well done!

Additional poster contest winners from New Fairfield include:

1st Place

Benjamin Davidson, 1st grade - Consolidated School,

Corina Knapp, 6th grade - New Fairfield Middle School.

2nd Place

Mila Caba, 2nd grade - Consolidated School,

Sara Braun, 10th grade - New Fairfield High School.

3rd Place

Amara Coster, 5th grade - Meeting House Hill School.

Congratulations to all our poster contest winners!

On Friday, April 28th, all of our preschoolers in ELC enjoyed a visit from Great Hollow thanks to our generous PTO. They learned about how different animals adapt to changing weather patterns. In addition to exploring some materials such as feathers, shells, shedded snake skins, and furs, the students also got to meet and touch a baby chick, snake, and turtle. It was a very exciting day for all!

Students celebrated teachers with the Kindness Cart at Consolidated School and Meeting House Hill School. The Kindness Club came around with treats for the teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week!

The fourth grade classes at MHHS had a great time on a field trip to Keeler Tavern in Ridgefield. The trip aligns with a literacy unit that students just finished up about the Revolutionary War. On the trip students had the opportunity to tour a revolutionary home and tavern, play field games from the revolutionary time period, learn about ice harvesting, cross stitch, and write with quill pens. Students and teachers had a great time!

Sixth grade students were given an interdisciplinary challenge: write a story using an integer. Sounds easy, right? But, the story was limited to 100 words.

Students were introduced to the challenge in their English language arts and math classes. This worked as closure to lessons on integers in math and narrative writing in ELA. All of the students on the Yellow and Green teams drafted stories and wrote rough drafts, but students were then given the opportunity to submit their stories for publication by the Young Writers Association.

Multiple students were recognized from each team for their outstanding stories and will be published in an upcoming edition of Young Writers, whose aim is “to inspire kids everywhere to become confident and passionate writers.” Integer - US Words is scheduled for publication on August 31, 2023.

Students in Sarah Devine's class had fun working together to draw nets by tracing actual three dimensional shapes. They will use these nets to find the surface areas of the various shapes.

Story time in Mrs. Twitchell's 6th grade classroom! But this isn't your typical Goldilocks and the Three Bears story. This one tells the tale about the formation of our solar system, and how the atoms in our bodies are remnants of the star dust.

Students in Mrs. Twitchell's science class used planetary data as evidence to evaluate which farmer's market fruit would best represent certain solar system objects. Students were engaged in sophisticated, data driven discussions, and learned some geometry terms in the process!

Mrs. Twitchell's 7th grade science class kicked off their Genetics unit by observing the vastly different traits a set of twins inherited from their parents. Students were tasked with modeling how genetic information can be passed down to offspring, and how this information can affect which traits each twin possesses.

Education consultant, John Antonetti, recently spent the day with first and second grade teachers exploring ways to grow thinking readers through task design. Teachers participated in a lesson study experience. Along with instructional coaches, they planned and modeled lessons, then collaborated around ways to intentionally shift an aspect of the lesson to allow students opportunities to deepen engagement to apply their reading skills. John also facilitated the K-5 elementary faculty meeting where he modeled instructional strategies that draw students into the learning using their schema to make meaning and connect to the learning.

Here is a sneak peak of artwork and sculpture that will be on display at the annual New Fairfield High School & Middle School Art Show on May 24th from 5-7 p.m. until May 25th at 7 p.m. Come and see what else our talented students have on display!

Click here for the latest edition of the Fine Arts Boosters Newsletter - Rebel Notes.