"What greater work is there than training the mind and
forming the habits of the young?”
-St. John Chrysostom
Greetings from Mr. G
August 28, 2020
All of the planning and hard work we did over the summer has borne fruit. Dr. Cheeseman toured the school this week and gave us a thumbs up for being compliant with all state and diocesan safety measures. The faculty has been meeting every day, carefully and joyfully planning for your children's return to campus. Cleaning crews are scouring all nooks and crannies. We are ready to open the doors to a safe, strong and sustaining school year.
Dear St. Rose School Families,
Thank you to all who attended the Zoom Q & A session last night. I realize this is a unique year and as such it is natural to have questions. I hope you are feeling reassured after the meeting. As I said last night, we want to be completely transparent with you regarding all of the measures in place for the school year. Given the uncertain nature of Covid, things can be ever changing. We vow to keep you informed about all the details pertaining to your children's daily routine and all new school protocols. It is extremely important that we partner in this process. Every member of the school family -- parents, children, teachers, administrators -- has a critical role to play in keeping our community safe. We are all in this together.
Please be sure to read or re-read the SRS Re-Opening Plan and discuss what the school day will look like with your children. I also encourage you to practice mask wearing over periods of time to prepare them for the school day. Our school counselor, Mrs. Verdi, has worked with our faculty on breathing techniques and she will do the same thing with students when they begin school next week. As you know, we are also building mask breaks into the school day. All of the critical information you need to know, including the SRS Student Handbook with addendum, the Covid Disclaimer form, the FAQ document provided by the Diocese and Dr. Cheeseman's recent video message, can be found in the Important Documents box below. Please read, sign and return the Covid Disclaimer form prior to your child's first day of school. The Distance Learning forms are due by September 2nd.
A warm welcome to all of our new St. Rose School families. We had hoped to hold our gathering this morning but Mother Nature interfered so we are looking forward to seeing you on Monday. We are all here to help you make a smooth transition so never hesitate to reach out with questions or concerns. The St. Rose School family is truly a blessing and we are thrilled that you have become part of it.
My sincere thanks to Monsignor Bob, the School Advisory Board, the HSA and our dedicated faculty for your enthusiasm, faith and ongoing commitment to St. Rose School. A special shout out to the Knights of Columbus for giving their time and talent to the construction of wider doorways in the portable classrooms. This is just one of the many ways the Knights support our school; they are truly a gift to us and we are grateful.
This week I learned that our Spanish Teacher, Senora Salcedo will be leaving the St. Rose halls. Mrs. Salcedo has been a valued faculty member for several years who has made a lasting impact on her students and colleagues. We ask God to bless her and her family as she begins a new chapter. We are actively interviewing for a Spanish teacher. I am happy to introduce our new Athletic Director, Mrs. Monica Ortega, who brings wonderful energy, enthusiasm and experience to the role. We also welcome Ms. Brooke Vitetta as the Fourth Grade Teaching Assistant. She is an asset to our school team.
In 5 days we will open our doors, a thought that fills our hearts with joy. A school is at it's brightest when filled with the laughter and banter of children. We believe that on site learning is optimal and as long as we can provide this safely we are committed to maximizing every Preschool-8th grader's learning experience in the classroom this year. For those opting to learn remotely, we promise that your children will receive a high caliber education and be well connected with their class. A form is attached below if you are opting for distance learning. Please return it to the main office by September 2nd.
Thank you for trusting us with your precious children. Their safety, education and faith formation remain our top priorities.
Enjoy the last weekend of summer and get ready for a fantastic year!
God Bless,
Mr. Bardhyl Gjoka
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
August 31st -- Kindergarten orientation for parents only
August 31st -- New Family Welcome gathering
September 1st -- Preschool orientation for parents
September 4th -- Preschool Meet the Teacher gathering
This is it!! The last summer Friday newsletter; by next week’s edition, we will be back inside our
school! Hooray!! How we have waited for this day to arrive. We know that emotions are all over the place; but, with faith we know that we are ready to keep our children safe and learning
inside our building as long as possible! As you prepare for those first days, please do not plan on sending everything on the supply list in one day. For the first day, be sure your child has basics as your teacher listed in their welcome letters.
Mrs. Locke has requested family summer photos, it's great to see your smiling faces. There's still time to join the gallergy; please send photos to art@srles.com by August 30th.
Thank you to the many parents who joined us for the Q&A session hosted by the HSA last night. We hope that you were able to get clarity on many things! We are grateful to Mr. G and Mrs. B for providing updates on so many aspects of how St. Rose will operate in the weeks ahead. If you still have questions, please reach out to Mr. G and/or Mrs. B so that they can be resolved, keeping in mind that they are both working around the clock to prepare for the opening of school. For those of you who were unable to join us, here is a link to the meeting recording: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rr42vNPBMir7_QpiZrWVxgQmq2OSTx6-/view?usp=sharing
We are excited to report that 65 people are registered for our Golf Outing on September 21st. We hope to recruit another 30 golfers to fill our event and maximize fundraising, so please help us spread the word and make this event a success! Please visit SaintRoseGolfClassic.com for more info and to register.
As the year begins, please reach out to the HSA for support - you can reach us at hsa@srles.com. We will be working on plans for the year which will be different from the norm, but we still hope to bring our community together in special ways for both "friendraising" and fundraising. Stay tuned for more on that in the weeks to come, and don't forget about the HSA Meeting & Back to School Night on Thursday, September 10th.
Your HSA Board
FACULTY ANNOUNCEMENTS
We are blessed with a dedicated, experienced faculty who are eager to guide your children on meaningful learning journeys. We welcome those who have joined us this year.
WELCOME!
MRS. MONICA ORTEGA
Athletic Director
Mrs. Ortega brings a great amount of experience to the role of Athletic Director. She began her teaching career as a Middle School Math teacher at St. Rose School in 2012 and also spent a year as Athletic Director in 2014. She has a strong background in sports having coached both youth and high school sports including Newtown travel basketball and softball as well as Varsity softball and volleyball at Immaculate High School.
As the mother of 4 with 1 on the way, Mrs. Ortega is uniquely suited to running a program that meets the needs of student athletes, parents and faculty She is an active parishioner at St. Rose Church and a core member of the United youth group. Her strong faith will be an asset to the program for in sports, as with all things about St. Rose School, Christ is at center court.
"I am excited to support the spirit and enthusiasm at St. Rose School through sports as well as other fun and creative family events this year."
WELCOME!
MS. BROOKE VITETTA
Fourth Grade Teaching Assistant
Ms. Vitetta has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Western Connecticut State University and a Masters in Education from University of Bridgeport. She spent the past 2 years teaching at St. Peters in Danbury and St. Joseph Academy. In her role as Fourth Grade Teaching Assistant Ms. VItetta will work directly with students on all aspects of the curriculum.
"I want to foster a love of learning in students, keeping in mind the whole person and teaching them to be kind, responsible future citizens of our community."
In her free time Ms. Vitetta enjoys working with her Dad on their VW bus and creating artwork to display at shows.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM NURSE BONNIE
St. Rose School is blessed to have a full time nurse on site five days a week. Nurse Bonnie has a lot of wisdom and important information to share. Please peruse and complete the attached forms. You can reach Nurse Bonnie via email, nurse@srles.com or phone, 203-426-5102 ext. 104.
Please join us for the Preschool Orientation on September 1st. We can't to open our doors on September 8th! Click here for details.
This year we are starting a Peek-A-Boo 2's Class for parents who would like to start acclimating their little ones to school in a safe, nurturing, Preschool environment. If you know anyone who might be interested in this program, please share the flyer and refer them to admissions@srles.com.
