|
From the Desk of Mrs. Tiezzi
Dear St. Rita Parents/Guardians,
We are all so excited that the start of the 2023-2024 school year is only days away. Over the past few days our teachers have been meeting in order get ready for the upcoming school year.
On Friday, August 25, we will be sending out instructions to access our parent portal for you to view your child’s class assignment. The portal will open. Our teachers have spent an inordinate amount of time on class lists in order to place your child with a teacher and classmates that will allow him/her to positively learn and grow. Please support the decision made by our dedicated and knowledgeable teachers as they have the best interest of your child in mind even though they may not have placed him or her with their “bestie”.
We ask that you spend some time over the weekend updating your emergency information on the family portal. Our family handbook will be sent out next week. Please read it and review it as a family before signing the acknowledgement page which needs to be returned to your child’s teacher.
Our enrollment this year currently stands at 352 students. In addition, we have a number of students still in the application process and expect that we will enroll additional students over the next few days. It is through our St. Rita parents sharing the great things happening at St. Rita School with their friends, family and neighbors that we continue to grow and prosper. Thank you!!
We have numerous staffing changes for the upcoming school year and have had to shift some of our returning staff members to cover the openings. As you are fully aware from the ongoing news reports, school systems around the country are experiencing a severe teacher shortage. St. Rita School has also struggled due to this teacher shortage, as well as the huge earning disparity between public and Catholic school teachers. We are grateful to our dedicated teachers for choosing the ministry of Catholic school educators. By hiring a number of new teachers and moving others, we are able to meet the needs of our students for the current school year.
- Mrs. Palowski will be taking over as the new PreK4 teacher replacing Mrs. McGrath who has retired from teaching but will be staying on as Director of the PreK program for the upcoming school year.
-
Both Mrs. Bonini and Ms. DelVecchio will be teaching grade 1. Mrs. Gertz will be the only 2nd grade teacher.
-
Mr. Tyler Ferrara has been hired as the second 4th grade teacher. He previously taught at St. Ann Academy in Bridgeport.
- Ms. Deborah Keyes will be serving as our new art teacher. She is also employed as the art teacher at St. Theresa School in Trumbull.
- Mrs. Eileen Riley who previously taught at St. Mary School in Waterbury will be our new kindergarten teacher replacing Mrs. McKeon who retired.
- Mr. Donald Fay will be joining our middle school team as our science teacher. Donald taught at various Catholic and public schools throughout his career. Mrs. Grossomanides (Mrs. G.) will be taking over as the new social studies, history, and geography teacher in the middle school replacing Mr. Banas who has taken a position in the New Canaan Public Schools.
- Mr. Halloran will now be the morning face and voice of the St. Rita School front office replacing Mrs. Barnett who left to pursue other endeavors.
- We welcome Ms. Laura McKay as our new afternoon administrative assistant and Before/After Care Director. Please introduceyourself to her when you see her.
- Mrs. Bathrick has left her position as Director of our Before and After care programs to devote her time to her growing family.
- And finally, we welcome Carmody LLC as our new cleaning service and Tyler Coffey as our new day porter.
Dennis Uniform reported that it has completed orders for over 70% of our school families, but they continue to experience delays in delivery due to production shortages. If your uniform delivery has been delayed, please stop by our uniform exchange to see if there is something you can use. Your child will not be penalized if he/she is not in proper uniform due to delays with delivery. However, it is expected that all students will have the proper haircuts, hair styles, hair colors and appropriate socks and footwear. Students out of compliance on the first day of school will be notified. Please review the uniform and grooming expectations with your child to avoid any misunderstandings.
The instructions for purchasing hot/cold lunch have been sent out to all school families. In order to have your child receive hot/cold lunches please see the instructions below - click here for the hot lunch website. If you would like your child to receive white or chocolate milk daily, parents are asked to sign up via this Google form. The deadline for the milk program is September 1. The $40 milk cost will be posted on your October Blackbaud tuition account. The before care program begins on the first day of school; the aftercare program will not begin until September 6. Please click here for the before/after care website.
I am so looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday, August 28 for our soft opening—remember uniforms are not required. The soft opening is day is a time for your student to bring his/her school supplies and meet his/her teacher. We ask that you try to adhere to your assigned time frame - last names A-M beginning at 8:30; last names M-Z beginning at 10:00. It is a short 20-30 minute visit, you do not need to stay the entire time, but it is important that your child locate his/her classroom and meet his/her teacher. The rest of the day is yours to make one last summer memory with your child/ren.
Doors will open at 8:00 A.M. on Tuesday, August 29 for the first full day of school. Please be sure your child is at his/her bus stop early but be aware that our bus runs are usually delayed the first few weeks of school. As soon as the bus runs are posted by First Student, we will notify you. Your patience is appreciated. I am once again looking forward to partnering with you during this school year. Thank you for entrusting your child/ren to our care. Enjoy the final days of summer vacation with your family.
God Bless,
Mrs. Tiezzi
Principal
| 
