Ridgefield School District

April 23, 2021

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Dear Ridgefield Families, 

This week, students in K-6 returned to the classroom for full, in-person instruction.  It was wonderful seeing our hallways and classrooms filled with students once again. In case you missed it, we made a short video at Union Ridge Elementary on Monday morning to capture the moment, which you can watch on the District’s YouTube channel.

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Having more students back in our buildings is an important step toward a return to normal, and we are very excited for yet another milestone as we welcome back students in grades 7-12 for full in-person school next week.  As a reminder, Monday, April 26th is a non-school day, so the first day back for grades 7-12 is Tuesday, April 27th.  All in-person learning operates on a normal schedule of 5 days a week with regular start and end times and late starts on Wednesdays. 

For families who have opted to remain in Ridgefield Remote, please note that we will be moving to 5 days a week for grades 7-12 to coincide with in-person instruction.  Staff at View Ridge Middle School and Ridgefield High School teach students in both in-person and remote learning environments (many simultaneously), which requires that both models stay in-step.  This does not mean that there is an expectation for remote students to be on Zoom for 6 hours a day.  Rather, they will join their teachers for direct instruction and then be released for independent work time.

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Enrollment for the 2021-22 school year opened on Monday, April 19th, which includes registration for next year’s kindergartners (welcome to the Class of 2034!).  When you are ready to enroll your student(s) for next year, we invite you to visit the registration page on our website. \r\n

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Our Nutrition Services department noticed a significant decrease in the number of meals being served at our schools this week.  I’d like to take this opportunity to remind you that the USDA has extended its free meals program through the remainder of this school year.  We know that the past year has presented many challenges, and the free meals program is a great resource to help families save money where they can. 

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On Wednesday of this week, we hosted a pair of Family Information Night sessions about Ridgefield’s newest school, Wisdom Ridge Academy.  Enrollment for this flexible, family-partnered virtual learning program is open now, and we invite you to learn more on our website.  There, you’ll find answers to many questions in our FAQ section, information about Jessica Drake – the District’s new Director of Alternative Learning Experiences and Business Partnerships, links to a video recording of the Information Night, and more.

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\r\n Finally, I would like to invite you to share your thoughts on how we can best support students with additional learning opportunities this summer.  We have created a ThoughtExchange survey to help us answer the question, “What are some ideas (actions, services, and/or programs) that we should consider as a District to support learning loss for our students this summer?”  If you have ideas that you would like to share, please complete the survey at this link by 4:00 PM on Wednesday, April 28. \r\n \r\n \r\n

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Thank you, as always, for your continued support of our schools.  Stay well, and remain #RidgefieldResilient.  \r\n

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Sincerely,

Dr. Nathan McCann\r\n

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Superintendent\r\n