From the Desk of Mrs. Tiezzi

Dear St. Rita Parents and Guardians,

By tradition the Catholic Church dedicates the month of October to the Rosary, one of the best known of all Catholic devotions. October 7 is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and was established by Pope Saint Pius V in 1571 to commemorate the victory of the Holy League over the Ottoman Empire. One of the best ways to celebrate this month, of course, is to pray the Rosary daily with your family. You can also learn more about the rosary, get involved in a rosary ministry, make a rosary or rosary bracelet, or create a rosary garden. This will help you and your children to deepen your faith and bring your family closer to the Blessed Mother and her son, Jesus. There are many great Catholic resources such as Dynamic Catholic, Hallow, and Formed to assist you with understanding.

Just a reminder that next Wednesday, October 9 , St. Rita School will be closed so our teachers can attend the Archdiocesan Teaching and Learning Conference. Thursday and Friday, October 10 & 11, are early dismissal days for parent-teacher conferences. Teachers have sent out a link for you to sign up on-line. Aftercare will only be open until 3:30 P.M on conference days.

Monday, October 7 marks the midpoint of the first trimester of school and I’d like to offer a few gentle reminders for both parents and students.

• Progress Reports - Parents who have students in grades 4-8 will receive an email progress report before conferences next week. Please be on the look-out for it.
• Uniforms - all students must be in proper winter uniform including footwear. SRS green fleece jackets can NOT be worn in the classrooms as it is considered outdoor wear. SRS gym sweatshirts can only be worn with the gym uniforms.
• Appointments during the school day - If your child will be arriving late or leaving early for an appointment, kindly notify the school office, as well as the classroom teacher. The office email address is office.stritaschool@gmail.com.
• Absentee - If your child is absent from school please notify the school office before 9:00 to avoid receiving a phone call.
• Lunches-Please be reminded that in order for your child to receive hot lunch you must not only order it in advance, but also pay for it when you order. Should you forget to do so, your child will call home. What is starting to become problematic is parents ordering door dash or grub hub for their child’s lunch. It is clearly stated in our family handbook that outside food is not allowed. Should your child receive an outside food delivery he/she will consume it in the office to avoid having outside food delivery become a trend.
• Morning Drop-Off - Parents are asked not to stop their vehicle in the crosswalk during morning drop-off. To help ensure the safety of all our students and staff the crosswalk needs to remain clear. Please remind your child to only cross at the crosswalk.
• Manners - I have noticed that many children seem reluctant to acknowledge adults within our school community when a staff member says good morning or hello. Please encourage your child to respond to our staff members when spoken to. Also, encourage them to say please and thank you when a staff member assists them. This will go a long way in making someone feel appreciated and one of the ways your child can help share the love of Christ within our school community.

Technology usage outside of school continues to be of concern to me. During school hours we are strategically utilizing technology and monitoring student usage on school devices. However, that may not be the case at home and we are noticing that inappropriate language and content used on student home devices spills over into their interactions with their peers in school. Students do not understand that some of the many “friends” they have on-line may actually be adults preying on innocent children. Students are staying up until all hours of the night texting classmates or friends. Please be sure you are monitoring your child’s on-line activities on their cell phone, on their gaming devices, on I-Pads, tablets or laptops/desk top computers.

Thank you for entrusting your child/ren to our care. I am looking forward to seeing you and your family on Saturday at the HSA Color Run. If you have not yet registered, there is still time to do so. Have a great week.

God Bless,

Mrs. Tiezzi

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. St. Rita School has joined forces with Paint Hamden Pink to spread education about breast cancer.

Week 1 - September 30 to October 4

• Early detection is important - it saves lives!
• Turning 40 years-old? Time to get your first mammogram!
• Call your doctor.
• Yale - 203-688-1010/6 Devine Street, North Haven.
• Hartford Health Care at Cheshire Imaging - 203-694-6721/280 South Main Street, Cheshire
• Cornell-Scott Health - 203-688-1010.

With the season changing, we have noticed many more children riding their bicycles to school. In an effort to encourage this, one of our parents would like to offer free bicycle tune-ups to help get our kids to school safely.

Richard Kirby is a professional bicycle mechanic currently working at Amity Bikes in Woodbridge. On October 16th he will be setting up a “pop-up” work-stand during after school pick-up. He will be offering quick safety checks and minor tune-ups on any bicycle brought his way. 

He will have limited replacement parts on hand. Feel free to bring any bicycle, big or small, kid or adult.

After Care Workers Needed

The ideal candidate must enjoy working with school-aged children, must be 18 or older, must complete a background check, fingerprinting, and Virtus training. Hours are 2:45 to 5:30 Tuesday - Friday when school is in session. $20 per hour.

Please contact Ms. McKay at lmckay.stritaschool@gmail.com or at 203-248-3114.

HSA

(Home-School Association)

The first class with 100% participation in the fun

run will receive Tie-Dye T-Shirts!

Nurse's Corner

COVID and respiratory virus policy change:

In conjunction with the health department, Hamden Public Schools and Saint Rita School will be adopting the new COVID policy.

If your child tests positive for COVID, they should stay home for 24 hours.

If they do not present with a fever , they can return to school after 24 hours. Wearing a mask for 5 days is advised as there is still a high transmission rate. 

If they develop a fever, they should stay home until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicine. They can then return to school and it is advised that they wear a mask for 5 days. 



If during the 5 day mask period they develop a fever, the clock resets. They should remain home until they are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicine. Returning to school with a mask for 5 days is advised. 

Medication in school:

If your child requires medication in school, the medication must be brought in by a parent along with a Medication Administration in School   

completed by the pediatrician. 

Cough drops brought into school must stay in the nurse's office. 

Any OTC medication should not be sent into school with your child (Advil, Tylenol, midol, allergy medicine, etc...) If your child requires any OTC medicine while at school they can go to the nurses office and a parent will be called to bring the medicine into school and administer it to their child. 

PreSchool Flu Shots:

All Pre school students are required to get a flu vaccine before we leave for Christmas break. Please send in a note from the doctor after your child receives their flu shot.

7th Grade Physicals:

All students entering 7th grade must have a physical dated after May 31st of the 5th grade year. They are also required to have a tetanus booster and meningitis vaccine. If your child is in the 6th grade now, physicals for 7th grade can be sent into the health office at any time during this school year. Any physical dated after May 31, 2024 will be accepted.  

Nut allergies in the classroom:

If your child is in a classroom with a student with a severe nut allergy, your child's teacher will have informed you that any foods containing nuts should only be eaten in the cafeteria. Please do not send in a snack with nut ingredients. Thank you for helping us to keep all of our students safe.

Please reach out to me at any time during the school year with any health questions or concerns.

Xavier Open House 2024 

Sunday, October 20, from 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Register here.

Mercy Open House 2024 

Sunday, October 27, from 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Register here.

Please pray for Janet Sparapani (grandmother of Addilyn Saracco), and all the deceased members of our

St. Rita Community.