OUR MISSION: St. Rita School inspires students in Pre-Kindergarten through grade eight to achieve academic excellence in a safe, nurturing and faith-filled Catholic environment. We prepare students to be morally responsible, innovative thinkers who, in today’s technology-guided global community, live and share the Love of Christ.

From the Desk of Mrs. Tiezzi Dear St. Rita Parents, Happy June!! After a rather long and winding road, we have now turned that last corner and are headed for the finish line for the COVID-19 marathon school year. Thank you, parents, students, grandparents, and teachers for your support during this unprecedented school year. School will close for students in grades 1-7 on Wednesday, June 16 with an outdoor Mass at our outdoor classroom to celebrate our accomplishments. We would like to invite our school families to join us at Mass, weather permitting. Mass will begin at 10:45 A.M. and will be followed by the installation of the ‘21-‘22 STUCO members and presentation of the ”Be the Light Awards” for May. If you will be attending, we ask that you bring your own lawn chair and sit behind the school students and teachers. Following Mass, you may take your child/ren home and begin summer vacation! On Monday, June 7, we will be taking a school-wide field trip (grades K-8) to Camp Mt. Laurel in Hamden. Unfortunately, the pool repairs will not be completed in time; thus the pool will not be open. Students will participate in many other activities such as archery, scavenger hunt, rock wall/challenge course, arts and crafts, field games, human foosball, gaga ball, and hiking. Please have your child dress appropriately for the weather with proper footwear, a hat, and sun glasses, if needed. Masks are required for school and the bus ride; however once at Camp Mt. Laurel we will follow the current mask regulations for camps. Sunscreen and bug spray should be applied before your child arrives at school. All students must bring their own lunch and drink.  Please label your child’s lunch, drink, and their personal items. The Y staff will conduct all the activities and the St. Rita teachers and staff members will serve as chaperones. Thank you to the following families: Misenti, Ciotta/Friot, Barko, Suarez, Becker, Karachristos, Rubino, Lefkimiatis, Evanich, Burns, Bigard/Jones, Annunziato/Schnepf, Wooodward, Delaney, Ponzio, DiAngelo, and Frioni who so generously sponsored the classroom pizza party we had last Friday. All the student and teachers enjoyed the pizza, rice krispies treats, and juice boxes. Thank you also to the families who will be sponsoring tomorrow’s school wide dress down day: Auth, Iuilano, Nunez, Federico/Manning, McPherson, Cammarota, Rusgrove, Giamo, Davis, Ponzio, Monaco, Jones, DiAngelo, Pompano, Sinisgalli/Marinaro, Hendry/Chioccioli, and Smith. We have a limited number of openings available in our upcoming summer fun camp for students entering grades kindergarten through grade 5. If you are interested in having your child attend, please register before school ends. Space is limited to 30 students per session. We are also offering an option for campers to attend the summer academic program during the month of July and also attend the summer camp program. The cost to attend both programs is $175. a week. Please submit both applications when your register. Our summer academic program is available for students entering grades 1 through 8 and will be held during the month of July. If you have chosen to have your child as a remote learner this past year, it is strongly recommended that your child attend at least two sessions of our summer academic program. As your child has been working remotely for almost 15 months and will return to in person learning after 18 months, the summer academic program will allow your child to readjust to the school setting in a relaxed atmosphere and allow our teachers to better assess their academic progress. The cost of this program is $100. a week, a bargain compared to hiring a private tutor. Dates to Remember Wednesday, June 2 - Auction School wide dress down day Thursday, June 3 - MS Field Day Friday, June 4 - Graduation Mass Friday, June 4 - PreK Field Day Monday, June 7 - K-8 to Camp Mountain Laurel and PreK Mad Science in-school program Tuesday, June 8 - 8th grade yearbook breakfast Wednesday, June 9 - 8th grade luncheon celebration Thursday, June 10 - K-2 Field Day Thursday, June 10 - Field Day - Grades k-2; Graduation 6:30 PM (attendance is restricted) Friday, June 11 - Grade 3-5 Field Day Monday, June 14-Wednesday, June16 - Early Dismissal Days (12:00) - No after care or lunch Monday, June 14 - PreK Celebration Monday, June 14 - Flag Day Tuesday, June 15 - Kindergarten Celebration; Early dismissal (12:00) no after care or lunch Wednesday, June 16 - Final day of school - Outdoor Mass and STUCO Installation of Officers -10:45; Report cards distributed; Remote learners return books, chromebooks, and other materials from 1:00 to 3:00 Sunday. June 20 - Father’s Day Monday, June 21 - Summer Camp Begins Thank you for entrusting your child/ren to our care. Have a glorious week. Be well and stay safe. God Bless, Mrs. Tiezzi Principal

Please note that the governor's elimination of the mask mandate in Connecticut does not apply to schools or school property. Students, teachers, parents, grandparents, and visitors are required to wear a mask while on school property. Thank you for helping to keep our SRS community safe.

Upcoming Dates to Remember Wednesday, June 2 - Auction School wide dress down day Thursday, June 3 - MS Field Day Friday, June 4 - Graduation Mass Friday, June 4 - PreK Field Day Monday, June 7 - K-8 to Camp Mountain Laurel and PreK Mad Science in-school program Tuesday, June 8 - 8th grade yearbook breakfast Wednesday, June 9 - 8th grade luncheon celebration Thursday, June 10 - K-2 Field Day Thursday, June 10 - Field Day - Grades k-2; Graduation 6:30 PM (attendance is restricted) Friday, June 11 - Grade 3-5 Field Day Monday, June 14-Wednesday, June16 - Early Dismissal Days (12:00) - No after care or lunch Monday, June 14 - PreK Celebration Monday, June 14 - Flag Day Tuesday, June 15 - Kindergarten Celebration; Early dismissal (12:00) no after care or lunch Wednesday, June 16 - Final day of school - Outdoor Mass and STUCO Installation of Officers -10:45; Report cards distributed; Remote learners return books, chromebooks, and other materials from 1:00 to 3:00 Sunday. June 20 - Father’s Day Monday, June 21 - Summer Camp Begins

Alpha: A Spiritual Initiative for the New Hamden Parish As the Catholics of Hamden begin to come together in one parish community, you are invited to join in a shared spiritual experience called Alpha. Alpha is a series of sessions conducted on Zoom which explores life and the Christian faith. The talks are designed to meet you where you are on your faith journey, to engage and inspire conversation related to faith, to unpack the basics of Christianity, and to address questions such as Who is Jesus? and How can we have faith? Alpha is an important opportunity - even a gift - amid the changes brought by parish consolidation. The process calls us to deepen our relationship with Christ and find fellowship through Him as we become one Catholic parish. The ten-week program will begin June 24; sessions meet every Thursday from 6:30 pm to 8 pm through September 2. Please consider this a warm invitation to join us from the comfort of your home. To register, go to www.divinemercyhamden.com and look for the Alpha announcement, or call 203-248-5513.

Financial Aid Information On May 1, 2021, the portal for financial aid will be open for applications for the 2021-2022 academic year. The portal will remain open until July 15, 2021. In order to apply for financial aid, you must be current in tuition for 2020-2021 and registered with a deposit for 2021-2022. Please remember there is a limited amount of financial aid available so applications will be reviewed on a first come first served basis. To access the portal, go to: www.smartaidforparents.com If you already have an account, the same login id and password will work from last year. If you are a new user, you may create a new account by following the prompts. The application fee is $35.00 and is paid online. If paying the fee would preclude you from applying for financial aid, please contact the Business Office at (203) 248-5513 for further information. You will need access to your 2020 tax return and all applicable tax documents to complete the application. If you have any questions while completing the application, you may contact SMART at (800) 360-8027 or support@smartaidforparents.com. Families that receive awards will be notified by email in mid July and will be asked to contact the Business Office at (203) 248-5513 to accept their award and indicate how to spread the award over their payment plan. If you do not receive an award, you will also be notified. A waiting list will also be maintained as financial aid does occasionally become available during the academic year. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Mrs. Paula Nugent, Business Manager, at (203) 248-5513.

Birthday Celebrations  Miss Erin, our food service coordinator, has a variety of NUT FREE snacks (chips, homemade cookies or ice pops) available for purchase as a way to celebrate your child's birthday with his/her classmates Each item is $1.00 (cash only).  If interested, please notify Miss Erin via email 24 to 48 hours in advance with the date and homeroom teacher and the the snack item you would like to purchase. Please have your student bring in the cash for Miss Erin on the celebration day. Feel free to email her for any additional information.  Email : ecarmody.stritaschool@gmail.com

Summer Camp/Enrichment Program Information Click HERE to download the Summer Camp Flyer Click HERE to download the Summer Camp Registration Packet Click HERE to download the Summer Academic Program Flyer Click HERE to download the Summer Academic Program Registration Packet

We have a handful of Open Enrollment lawn signs available. Email Mrs. Bruno (jbruno.stritaschool@gmail.com) if you would like one, or stop by the Admissions office to grab yours before they're gone. Thank you for helping us spread the word!

Nurse's Corner

COVID update and End of the year reminders from the health office: As I am sure you have heard, the governor has lifted some of the mask requirements. Children and adults in schools are still required to wear masks for the remainder of this school year.  If your child has received the COVID vaccination please send in the documentation so that It can be recorded in their health record. This will impact future exposure and quarantine. As always, if your child is exhibiting any signs or symptoms of COVID, please keep them home and contact your child's pediatrician for instruction. Medication Pick up: If your child has medication in the health office, please make arrangements to pick it up on the last day of school. Medication can not go home with the child. Any medication not picked up on the last day will be discarded.  Required physicals: Children entering grades PreK, K and 7th grade are required to have a physical dated within the year. A copy of that physical and immunization record must be in the health office before the start of school in the fall. These can be mailed into school over the summer. Please mark the envelope: Attention School Nurse I wish everyone a safe, healthy and relaxing summer.

Home/School Association

Coming up with the HSA   Wednesday, June 2nd:  School-Wide Dress Down Day! Again, thanks to our auction winners for treating the school to this day without uniforms!

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!   Do you enjoy event planning? Want to be more involved in your school community? Please join us on the HSA Board! If you’re interested in learning more, email us at hsasrs.stritaschool@gmail.com.

HELP US EARN CASH AND SUPPLIES THROUGH FREE REWARDS PROGRAMS! Each year, St. Rita participates in several rewards programs. Local grocery stores (and Amazon!) allow you (the shopper) to identify St. Rita as the school you’d like to support; every time you shop, we get a percentage of the sale in the form of points (that can be used for school supplies) or cash. Last year we earned over $1600 through Stop&Shop’s program and over 150,000 points through ShopRite! We have big goals this year, and we need your help to achieve them. Please click on the links below to register your store cards, and ask your local family and friends to do the same!

Planning to order Christmas cards or photo gifts this holiday season? Shop through our Shutterfly Storefront, and SRS will earn an 8% commission! It     may not sound like much, but there’s no extra fee for you, and every $1 makes a difference for our school.              Click here to shop Shutterfly via our StoreFront.

Visit amazonsmile.com, and anytime you purchase an eligible item, Amazon will        donate a portion of the profit to our school! Select “Divine Mercy Parish       Corporation” as your charity, and St. Rita School will benefit every time you shop.

Link your Stop & Shop Card to St. Rita School, and we’ll earn CASH when you      buy groceries! Click here and use School ID: 06434.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

Prayer Corner

Remember all those who are suffering or have lost a loved-one during this pandemic.

Please pray for the Uy and DiAngelo Families, and all of the deceased members of our St. Rita School community.

Click HERE to access the Weekly Health Screening Questionnaire

St. Rita School 1601 Whitney Avenue Hamden, CT 06517 Phone: (203) 248.3114 Fax: (203) 248.1016 www.stritaschool.org ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌