NFPS Newsletter

Spring is near! We just moved the clocks ahead into daylight savings mode and spring sports/activities will be starting up shortly. March is also a good time for parents to connect with their child’s teachers regarding student progress. Conferences have been held for the high school and are scheduled for the week of March 25 for grades K-8. Our teachers continually examine student data and are working hard to guide students in meeting grade-level expectations. Please do not hesitate to speak with your child’s teacher if you have any questions.

Warm regards,

Ken

Kenneth G. Craw, Ed. D.

Superintendent of Schools

NFMS Sixth Grader, Lino Stoja, welcomes our new Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Woleck, as she joins New Fairfield's staff and interviews Dr. Craw about New Fairfield's Strategic Planning.

Andre "Andy"Sarkany, holocaust survivor, age 88, spoke for 90 captivating minutes to freshmen and sophomore classes at the high school on the morning of February 27th in the new high school auditorium. Students were fascinated and highly engaged with Mr. Sarkany's delivery, messages, stories and pictures of his life. "Andy" , his preferred term of address, detailed his childhood in Hungary during wartime regime, the Soviet take over, and his eventual immigration to the United States. He focused on the power of words, the importance of hard work and believing in oneself as one walks through the world. Andre's presence, instruction and public speaking gifts helped bring curriculum work to life in both the English and SS departments; freshman students are reading the text Night by Elie Wiesel in English class and sophomores are studying World War II in social studies class.

ELC was treated by our generous PTO to have Mr. Al Decant come in to sing and dance with us! Our students enjoyed this special visit, and he even gave each class a CD of his music so that we can continue to dance when he’s not here.

Kindergarten kiddos in Jen Rohwedder's Kindergarten class had a blast celebrating their 100th day of school on Monday, February 12th with a whirlwind of learning and fun with their friends. From the 100 Physical Challenge to Rolling to 100 and building towers with 100 plastic cups, every moment was filled with laughter and discovery. We are on the road to more days of adventure and learning ahead!

Consolidated and Meeting House Hill students participated in the annual Kids Heart Challenge from January 22nd to February 15th. During these three weeks, students participated in movement based lessons dedicated to learning about teamwork, leadership, saying no to tobacco and vaping, the importance of exercise, healthy food choices and how to manage stress.

Thanks to all the efforts of our students, Consolidated School and Meeting House Hill School raised over $27,000 for the American Heart Association! We also were able to get over 50% of our students to register for the Kids Heart Challenge and were given a $500 gift card toward new recess equipment from the American Heart Association!

Congratulations to Ms. MacDonald’s, Ms. Pascento’s, Mrs. Brown's, and Mrs. Rohwedder's classes for having the most students registered for the Kids Heart Challenge. These classrooms each received a $25 gift card to Amazon from the American Heart Association.

Spanish III students have been active in the world language lab to continue to improve their fluency in Spanish. Language labs play an important role in high schools because they provide a supportive environment for language learning, offer individualized practice, integrate technology, and contribute to the overall development of students' language skills.

On Saturday, Feb. 24, the NFHS Academic Decathlon team hosted and won the CT State Championship and earned their place at the national competition in Pittsburgh, PA in April.

Academic Decathlon is designed to include students from grades 9-12 at all achievement levels. Teams are divided into three divisions based on a custom-calculated grade point average. Each team member competes in ten events against other students in his or her division in the areas of math, economics, science, social science, literature, art, and music. Additional performance tasks, essay, speech, and interview, are also included in the overall individual and team scores. The New Fairfield Academic Decathlon Team was represented by the 14 students pictured here and their coach, Christine Haddad. Congratulations and good luck!

The High School Chamber Singers came the the Middle School to sing with the 8th Grade Chorus this week to give them a taste of what chorus is like in high school. The students got to mingle, meet new friends, and ask questions!

Mrs. Busnel’s Life Skills room at the High School has become a meeting place for students of all abilities to socialize, play a game or create a craft during the Rebel Block. “Rebel Connections” is a group of students who come together during the Rebel block to build relationships and increase language and social skills. The students are building friendships and wave to each other in the hall, say hello, and sit together at lunch.

On March 6th, the National Honor Society hosted the Red Cross Blood Drive. Eighty students and staff were signed up, and we were able to collect fifty one units of blood, each of which can save up to three lives! Thank you to all who donated.

The New Fairfield High School Environmental Club welcomed Friends of Ball Pond President, Dr. Mark Spellmann. He educated club members on the importance of protecting Ball Pond. Dr. Spellmann shared about challenges from rain runoff and fertilizers, as well as algae blooms. He also suggested ways that students and community members can make a difference in New Fairfield. This was a valuable opportunity for students to connect their passion and learning about the environment to our community here in New Fairfield.

Yearbook students at New Fairfield High School were recently awarded the coveted Scholastic Press Award for the special Alumni edition 2023 yearbook! Advisor Karyn Randlett, Walsworth representative Risa Nitkin, Principal James D'Amico and yearbook students are pictured showing off the second place certificate. This is a great feat as the yearbook was chosen among thousands of yearbooks entered into the contest. Great job!

We are excited to announce that Unified Recreational Track and Field for New Fairfield Middle and High School begins on Monday, April 22, 2024 from 3:00 to 4:00! Unified Sports® is a registered program of Special Olympics that combines athletes with and without intellectual disability or other developmental delays on sports teams for training and competition. As Unified® teammates train and compete together, they foster ties that develop into friendships both on and off the athletic field. This program will be led by Coach Schwarz and Special Education Teacher, Jude Rieger. The dates for practices will be: 4/22/24, 4/29/24, 5/6/24, 5/13/24, 5/20/24, 6/3/24 from 3:00 - 4:00 with a Track Meet at the end of the season (Date/Time/Location is TBD). Please register by scanning the QR code below.

Math and ELA teachers, guided by instructional coaches, Lilyana Auster and Jen Powers, collaborated to address the vocabulary challenges associated with taking the new Digital SAT assessment. The coaches provided high school teachers with strategies on how to assist students with the new digital SAT. Currently, our juniors are receiving SAT support through a plan developed and coordinated by our coaches.

It’s hard to believe March is already here! The Fine Arts Boosters can see the finish line to the 2024 school year...only 3 more months! Thankfully there are so many more things to still look forward to! We have a jam-packed FAB CALENDAR to share, and it’s updated often! Members and non-members are always welcome to check out all events and volunteer in some way as well! This newsletter is full of important information on upcoming events and how to become a part of what's happening. If you have any questions, please reach out to our email: nfhsfab@gmail.com. To get involved or for more information, check out the most recent edition of Rebel Notes, their quarterly newsletter. Thank you!

The NFHS DECA Chapter will be hosting a food drive to benefit the New Fairfield Food Pantry. It will run from March 11 to 18. Students and staff at the high school will be able to donate non-perishable items while competing for a prize. There will be one winner from each grade and staff, and winners will receive a gift card from a local business, so DECA is supporting local business as well as the community as a whole. Each item donated will result in a raffle ticket given to students to determine our winners. The flier used to advertise the food drive was created by one of our DECA students