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 SRS Parents and Guardians,

This year our Back to School Night will be different than in the past with virtual events scheduled for next week. Teachers will meet with you via Google Meet to share all the great things that are happening within their classroom for both in-person and remote learners. Please be on the lookout for an email from your child’s teacher sending your Google Meet code and instructions on how to access their Back to School Night. You will need to sign into Google Meet with your child’s St. Rita School email address and password. The days and times for the Back to School Night are as follows:

Tuesday, September 29, 2020
6:30 -Grade 6 with MS team
7:00- Grade 7 with MS team
7:30- Grade 8 with MS team
 
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
6:30- Kindergarten with Mrs. Fortuna or Mrs. McKeon
7:00-Grade 1 with Mrs. Alvarez or Mrs. Truhart
7:30-Grade 2 with Mrs. Bonini or Mrs. Gertz
 
Thursday, October 1, 2020
6:30-Grade 3 with Miss Salsbury and Ms. Delvecchio
7:00 Grade 4 with Miss Artaiz and Ms. Gill
7:30 Grade 5 with Mrs. Grossomanides and Mrs. Soliwoda
 
There is no school this Friday, September 25 as our teachers will be attending a retreat with Msgr. Joe. Our retreat will be centered on the Alpha program - a series of sessions exploring our Catholic faith. Please keep the teachers in your prayers as they meet together for prayer, fellowship and faith formation.

On Thursday, October 1 we change over to winter uniforms. Please review the dress code posted below to ensure your child is in the proper uniform.

Individual school pictures will be taken on Monday, October 5. The photo information sheet was sent home with your child this week. To follow social distancing protocol, class pictures which were taken in the past will be different this year. Monday, October 5 from 3:00-4:30 is the time set aside for our remote learners to have their picture taken. This will be done in the church basement also called the DPC. Remote learners will receive a Google sign up form to schedule your picture time at the DPC.

Many of our students and parents are interested in when sports and extracurricular activities will be starting. Instrumental music lessons started today and we hope to have additional guidance from the AIAC (Archdiocesan Interscholastic Athletic Conference) on fall and winter sports. A few of our clubs and activities will begin during the month of October and as the year progresses and we continue to stay safe and healthy additional activities may be added. Thank you for your understanding about taking things slowly and with the upmost caution.

Thank you for entrusting your child/ren to our care. I look forward to seeing you all at our Back to School nights next week. Stay safe and be well.


God Bless,
Mrs. Tiezzi
Principal

UNIFORM POLICIES

All uniforms must be purchased at the Dennis Uniform Store.

Pre-K Uniform - Girls and Boys must wear the gym uniform. As an option, the girls may wear the green jersey jumper or the uniform shorts or pants with the green knit shirt with the St. Rita logo. Boys may also wear the uniform khaki shorts or pants with the green knit uniform shirt. Sneakers and socks are to be worn. Sneakers may not have wheels, light up or make noise.

Girls Grades K-3:
White turtleneck or white peter-pan collar long- or short-sleeve shirt
Green cardigan sweater (OPTIONAL)
Navy or green tights or navy, green knee-high socks or white crew or quarter socks
Khaki pants (optional in the winter) worn with belt

Girls Grades 4 and 5:
Uniform skort *
Uniform shirt with band bottom (navy)
Uniform green pullover or cardigan sweater (OPTIONAL)
Navy or green knee-high socks or white crew or quarter socks
Khaki pants (optional in the winter) worn with belt

Boys Grades K-5:
Khaki pants with brown belt
Green turtleneck with St. Rita logo
Green knit long- or short-sleeved shirt with St. Rita logo
Uniform green pullover or cardigan sweater (OPTIONAL)
Navy, green, or white crew or quarter socks

Boys Grades 6-8:
Khaki pants with brown belt
Green knit shirt with St. Rita logo (long- or short-sleeved)
Uniform green pullover or cardigan sweater (OPTIONAL)
Navy, green, or white crew or quarter socks

Girls Grades 6-8
Uniform skort
Uniform shirt with band bottom (white or navy)
Uniform green pullover or cardigan sweater (OPTIONAL)
Navy or green knee-high socks or white crew or quarter socks
Khaki pants (optional in the winter) worn with belt

St. Rita fleeces are acceptable for all grade levels.

The length for the girls’ jumper, skort, and all shorts must be no shorter than 2 inches above the  knee. Girls and boys wear a black, brown, or maroon penny loafer, tassel loafer, or oxford style shoe. Boots, sandals, chunk style, stack or platform shoes are not permitted. Heels may be no more than one inch. All shoes must have backs.

SUMMER UNIFORM
K-8 for everyone:
Khaki shorts
Green shirt with St. Rita logo
Crew or quarter white or khaki socks
Gym sneakers or school shoes – Sneakers may not have wheels, light up or make noise.
Brown belt
The summer uniform may be worn during the months of August, September, May, and June.

GYM UNIFORM
Gym uniforms with the St. Rita Crusader logo on them are purchased through Dennis Uniforms. Sneakers are to be worn at all times with socks. Sneakers may not have wheels, light up or make noise. A Middle School optional warm-up suit is also offered at Dennis Uniforms. This is the only attire allowed for gym. Failure to wear the appropriate gym uniform will keep the student from participating in Physical Education class that day. This may affect the student’s grade.

OTHER PERSONAL ATTIRE AND APPEARANCE 
         
All students are to be well-groomed during the school day. Uniforms are to be clean and neat and free of tears and holes. 

Girls and boys must wear hair styles that are moderate and sensible and adhere to the school guidelines. Hair color should be appropriate for the school environment. Girls may wear scrunchies, hair clips, headbands, bows, etc. in the hair (not the wrist) and should be simple, without excessive ornamentation, and should be appropriate for school. Boy’s hair should be above the shirt collar, trimmed around the ears, and may not have defined lines (e.g. long on top and shaved on the sides.)

Jewelry, when worn, must be simple and not distracting. Post-type, non-dangling earrings are the only ones permitted, one per ear, worn in the lobe. No choker-style necklaces are permitted. Boys are not to wear any type of earring in school. No other body piercing is allowed. No tattoos are allowed. Make-up is not to be worn in school.
               
On days when uniforms are not required, students will be given general guidelines for appropriate dress. Generally dress is to be modest at all times and neat in appearance. No inappropriate slogans or logos are permitted. If a student’s apparel is deemed inappropriate, a parent/guardian may be called to bring a replacement for the inappropriate apparel. Please note that there should be distinction between a dress-up day and a free dress day.
HSA
Hello from the HSA!
 
We are so happy to be back in the swing of things! We have been busy planning a fun-filled Fall, and we wanted to share our list of events for the first semester of the school year. Specific dates are still in the works, so please keep an eye on the newsletter for details. 

As we won’t have the chance to meet you all at SRS’s Back to School Nights, we are putting out a CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS now. We would love to involve as many parents and friends as are interested in helping. If you would like to support SRS by volunteering your time and talents, please let us know! We most immediately need help with our RaiseCraze event; we anticipate the time commitment will be minimal, and all the work will be virtual. Please email us at [email protected] for more information and to volunteer.

September 21-September 24: HSA MUMS SALE
Large, gorgeous mums from a local Hamden farm will be available for $10 each. Please click here for more details and to order.

October: RAISE CRAZE
This Fall, our SRS students will be filling our community with kindness! Raise Craze is an online platform that enables students to set up secure, custom websites where they request donations via email. During the fundraiser, students pay it forward by completing self-selected acts of kindness for others. Keep an eye out for more details soon! And please let us know if you are interested in helping:  [email protected]

October: FAMILY SCAVENGER HUNT AT LAKE WINTERGREEN
Details to be announced soon!

November: SHRED DAY

November: SQUARE 1 ART FUNDRAISER
Square 1 Art will replicate your child’s artwork on keepsake items. A great way to start your Christmas shopping!

November/December: ONLINE AUCTION & TUITION RAFFLE

December: NUT (No Uniform Today) COUPONS

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!

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!
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.


Link your ShopRite Price Plus card to St. Rita School, and help us earn school     supplies! Click here and use School ID: 50073, or email your PricePlus card number to Alice Kuether, [email protected].
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!
LUNCH
Dear SRS families,
Just a reminder that if you’re ordering hot lunch, the deadline is 9 PM the night before.

If your child is absent and you need a lunch credit, you must contact Ms. Erin by email by 9 AM that morning. Due to the COVID situation, lunches are pre-prepared and prepackaged. Credits will not be given unless Ms. Erin is notified before 9 AM. All lunches must be prepared and packaged to ensure the safety of our children.

If your child needs lunch, but you did not sign up, you may email Ms. Erin before 9 AM. After 9 AM you must bring a lunch for your child
to the school.

After 9 AM, lunches cannot be provided to
children who don’t bring lunch.

Thanks,
Erin Carmody
Dismissal Times

2:35 - Pre-K Students and their siblings

2:40 -- Last Names A - C

2:45 -- Last Names D - G

2:50 -- Last Names H - M

2:55 -- Last Names N - R

3:00 -- Last Names S - Z

Prayer Corner
Please remember the
Tran, Fortuna, Nastri, Kitson, and Giamo Families in your prayers
Click HERE to access the Weekly Health Screening Questionnaire
Click HERE to download the REVISED 2020-2021 School Calendar
St. Rita School
1601 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, CT 06517
Phone: (203) 248.3114
Fax: (203) 248.1016
www.stritaschool.org