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From the Desk of Mrs. Tiezzi
Dear St. Rita Parents/Guardians,
I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving holiday with your family. After a day of feasting, many of us spent the weekend getting ready for Christmas by online shopping, decorating, and more online shopping. Somewhere between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we may have overlooked that this past weekend we also celebrated the Feast of Christ the King, the end of the church liturgical year.
This coming weekend the liturgical season of Advent will begin which is considered the beginning of the church year. Advent is a time of "waiting" and preparing for the coming of Jesus. We often miss Advent's power because these weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are full of secular Christmas events and preparations for Christmas. In previous years, the busyness of this season served to distract us from having an Advent season that truly prepares us for the celebration of Christmas, with all its meaning. Let us take the extra time we have over the next four weeks to truly prepare our homes and our hearts for the coming of the Christ Child, the Savior of our world.
Thank you for your generosity with our Advent Giving Tree Project. In the past our families have been so generous in helping to brighten the Christmas of those in our school and parish community who are in need. Our Giving Tree project runs through Monday, December 4.
The first trimester has ended and the grade portal is currently closed. Report cards for students in kindergarten through grade 8 will be sent home with your child on Tuesday, December 5. Please notice the number of absences or tardies recorded on your child’s report card. School starts at 8:15 for students in kindergarten through grade 8, and 8:30 for PreK students. Please be sure your child arrives to school on time.
On Friday, December 15, our new Coadjutor Archbishop of Hartford, Christopher J. Coyne, will celebrate 9:00 A.M. Mass for our students and staff. The Mass will be offered in remembrance of his mother, Rita Coyne. How fitting it is that he would celebrate it with the students, faculty and families of St. Rita School at St. Rita Church. Following Mass, Archbishop Coyne and our superintendent, Mrs. Val Mara, will tour the school, learn from our wonderful students, and meet our dedicated faculty. Parents and grandparents are encouraged to join us at Mass when we welcome Archbishop Coyne to Hamden and our school family at St. Rita.
Over the next few months St. Rita School will be transitioning into a new Student Information System (SIS) in order to consolidate our many platforms into one - FACTS. At this time, I would like to request that you review the information that is on your EduConnect parent portal account and update it as necessary for addresses, employment, phone numbers, email preferences, emergency contact numbers, transportation authorization, and inclusion in the school directory. Your access codes to the parent portal were sent to you a few weeks back. Please update your information by December 1.
Throughout the transition period we will periodically request your assistance to update your information as we merge your lunch, before/after care, tuition, SIS, and grade portal into one inclusive platform with one log in code!!! Our goal is to make this transition as seamless as possible so that our new FACTS platform is fully functional for July 2024.
If your child is absent, please notify the office, as well as the teacher with the reason for the absence. Truancy is defined as a student who has 4 unexcused absences from the school in one month or 10 unexcused absences in one school year. For absences one through nine, the student’s absences from school are considered excused when a student’s parent/guardian approves such absence and notifies the main office. For the tenth absence and all thereafter, a student’s absences from school are considered excused for the following reasons only:
1. Student illness as verified by a medical professional
2. Student observance of a religion holiday
3. Death in the student’s family or other emergency beyond the
control of the student’s family
4. Mandated court appearance (documentation required)
5. Lack of transportation that is normally provided by the district
6. Extraordinary educational opportunities pre-approved by the
administration
With the winter season quickly approaching, our thoughts turn to snow days. We have 5 inclement weather days built into our school calendar so we will be taking snow days this winter. Snow days are a childhood tradition and are meant to be a day children can sleep in and then go outside to play in the snow. School cancellations will be announced
Thank you for entrusting your child/ren to our care. May this season of Advent remind you of the Hope, Joy, Love and Peace found in Christ. Be well and stay safe.
God Bless,
Mrs. Tiezzi
Principal
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