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From the Desk of Mrs. Tiezzi
Dear St. Rita Parents/Guardians,
We are all so excited that the start of the 2022-2023 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. We hope that this upcoming year will bring about a new sense of normalcy following the last two COVID years. At this time, masks are not required and remote learning is not available.
Tomorrow, August 26, we will be sending out instructions to access our parent portal for you to view your child’s class assignment. The portal will open at 5 pm. 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 on Monday. 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 355 students which is an additional 18 students from last year. 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.
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We welcome Mrs. Kristen Geltman as our new PreK3 teacher and Mrs. Kaitlin Perrotti as our new 3rd grade ELA teacher.
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Mrs. Stephanie Dimesky is now the PreK4 teacher replacing Mrs. Kim Lewis and Ms. Kim Delvecchio is the new 4th grade ELA teacher replacing Mrs. Jen Testa.
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Mrs. Jenay Alvarez will be our 2nd Kindergarten teacher as enrollment in kindergarten warrants reopening the 2nd kindergarten classroom.
- Mrs. Shirley Modena will join Mrs. Nicole Truhart as the first grade instructional interventionist.
- Mrs. Maria Testa will be returning to St. Rita as the Spanish teacher for students is PreK4-Grade 2.
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Mr. Richard Lewis returns to our MS team joining Mrs. Rourke as the 2nd ELA teacher for the 6th and 7th grade students.
- Sr. Barbara Matazzaro will be returning to St. Rita School to work with our kindergarten students by introducing them to God through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program.
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 tomorrow. The $40 milk cost will be posted on your October Blackbaud tuition account. We are changing platforms for registering for our before and after school programs. Once the platform is up and running we will send it out to all our families. The before care program begins on the first day of school and the aftercare program will not begin until September 6.
I am so looking forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday, August 30 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. It is a short 20-30 minute visit, you do not need to stay the entire hour, 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 Wednesday, August 31 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. 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
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