On this day, we thank and honor our veterans for their dedicated service to our country. It is important for young people to understand that our veterans risked their lives for the freedoms we enjoy today. Our schools commemorated Veterans Day with special activities recognizing the contributions of those who have served in the armed forces. I had the good fortune of attending a Veterans Day breakfast and ceremony at our preK-5 campus. Approximately 40 veterans and active duty military personnel were on hand and honored as special guests of the elementary community. Please enjoy a short video below highlighting today's events.

Seeing the veterans with our students reminded me of my own family's service to our country. Three generations of my family have served in three different branches of the military. I recognize them here with a few photos.

Warmly,

Ken

Kenneth G. Craw, Ed. D.

NFPS won a 2022-23 CABE Award of Excellence in Educational Communication for its Calendar and Guide. NFPS was the only sole winner in the calendar category. Director of Technology, Paul Gouveia, and Julie Gorman have taken the lead each summer to produce this publication, which includes important information regarding school policies, school schedules, as well as beautiful student artwork.

On November 10th, twelve juniors and seniors from the high school were inducted into the New Fairfield High School Chapter of the National Honor Society. This is a highly exclusive honor society that focuses on four pillars of excellence including scholarship, leadership, service to the community and character. Once inducted, students complete twenty five additional hours of community service and peer tutoring throughout the school year. They are upstanding members of the New Fairfield community. Congratulations on their accomplishments!

On Tuesday, teachers were engaged in professional learning on Election Day. K-5 teachers spent the day exploring numeracy strategies with the guidance of our instructional coaches and a Bridges math consultant. Teachers throughout the district spent time collaborating and designing student-centered activities that support student engagement.

Striving To Reach Individual & Diverse Educational Success

The 2022-2023 S.T.R.I.D.E.S. school year is off to a busy start! The young adults in the program have been active in the community building those work skills and resumes! Click here to learn more about the current work sites: STRIDES 2022-23 Work Sites Overview

In addition to the various daily work opportunities, young adults in the STRIDES program are also building their social and communication skills through exposure to various workshops with The Center of Danbury and New Heights Community Center as well as monthly Job Club sessions with the Bureau for Rehabilitation Services (BRS) .

The young adults and staff in S.T.R.I.D.E.S. program attended an Advocacy and Awareness presentation in October at Naugatuck Valley Community College as well.

Last but not least, the young adults in the program entered a local Scarecrow Decorating contest and came in 4th place! Everyone contributed to this fun project in various ways and felt proud to see it displayed on Main Street the entire month of October!

December Happenings:

We are excited to announce that the S.T.R.I.D.E.S. program will have a vendor table at the

Danbury Public Library Holiday Shopping Event on Saturday December 3rd from 10-2 P.M.

Click here to learn more about the artists and products for sale: STRIDES Holiday Fair Vendor Information

To learn more about the S.T.R.I.D.E.S. program click here All About STRIDES

New Fairfield High School AP Spanish Literature and Life Skills classes created an altar in honor of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), a Mexican celebration honoring deceased family and friends. Students created lessons and shared them in order to learn about the different elements that go on the altar, then created an altar in the world language hallway.

Students in the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Department at NFHS have been busy developing real-world skills. DECA and marketing students planned and orchestrated a successful pumpkin gram campaign. Woodworking 1 classes have been developing math and engineering skills by learning how to measure and cut dovetail joints to make a functioning stool. Just in time for Thanksgiving, the culinary arts students have been learning proper (and safe) cutting techniques. If your child is enrolled in a CTE course, ask them about the projects that they are working on.

Mrs. Kenny's Class - Grade 2. We took a field trip into town after studying Communities for Social Studies. A local baker showed us how he measures to bake.

Kindergarten students visited Company A Volunteer Fire Department to learn about fire safety.

The New Fairfield High School girls cross country team, coached by Jim Keller and Joel Pardalis, is in the midst of a banner season. After finishing the regular season with a 13-1 record and a Southwest Conference Patriot Division title, these young Rebel runners have taken off in the postseason. The ladies won the 2022 Class M State title with four All-State runners at Wickham Park in Manchester.

The group then went on to the State Open meet and took 3rd place overall to become the first team in school history to qualify for the New England Championships. The team features freshmen Katie McMorrow and Hannah Greco, sophomores Ripley and Rose Penney, junior Anya Gentry, and junior captains Kylie Pardalis and Abigail Greco. Congrats on a great season, and good luck at the New England competition.

Gabriella Prata, MS, LAT, ATC, HSS-SSE

Gabriella was born and raised in Danbury, CT where she attended, played sports, and graduated from Danbury High School. After graduating, she attended the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts where she played DIII Lacrosse while studying Biology. Through her experiences as a resident assistant in college, she discovered her love for student success and medicine, which ultimately pointed her in the direction of Sports Medicine. Gabriella moved on to obtain her Master's Degree in Athletic Training from Seton Hall University in 2018. Since then, she has enjoyed seeing students succeed both in the classroom and on the field. She is really excited to help provide medical care for the athletes at New Fairfield HS and looks forward to learning more about the community! In her spare time, she likes to hike, find the best local eats and on a rainy day, curl up with a nice book!

Our Boys' Soccer Team was recognized by the SWC as their 2022 Sportsmanship Award winner. The team was then awarded the Western Connecticut Soccer Officials Association Sportsmanship Award as well!

The district recently held a Sign and Sub event in an effort to increase our substitute pool for teachers and paraprofessionals. We were blown away by the response to the event. There were over 30 people, mostly New Fairfield residents, who signed up to substitute in the district. Kudos to Assistant Superintendent, Julie Luby, with assistance from Julie Gorman, for her leadership in addressing the substitute shortage issue.

BOE members pictured from left to right, Greg Flanagan; Dom Cipollone, Chair; Kim LaTourette, Secretary; Samantha Mannion ,Vice-Chair; Kathy Baker; and Ken Craw, Superintendent.

The next regular Board of Education Meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 17 at 7:00 PM via Zoom.

The district is excited to offer Chromebook insurance again for the 2022-23 school year. Insurance is available to any student K-12 who utilizes a district issued Chromebook. For $30, the device will be covered for the entire school year, with no deductible, in the event it is broken through accidental damage, including cracked screens ($85 without insurance) and a broken keyboard ($65 without insurance), or if it is stolen/damaged beyond repair ($300 without insurance) . Please see the flyer for more details, and navigate to the flyer and signup links below. Deadline to sign up is 11-28-22!