From the Desk of Mrs. Tiezzi

Dear St. Rita Parents and Guardians,

Your assistance is needed before morning drop off to keep the left traffic lane clear until 7:50 A.M. Many of our teachers are unable to access the school parking lot from 7:40-7:50 A.M. because both drop off lanes are blocked. Also, please do not let your child out of the car until you are almost to the drop-off zone. Daily, I notice many children get out of the car and walk up the middle lane while cars are moving on both sides of them. For the safety of all our students your assistance is needed.

We continue to ask parents to closely monitor their child’s technology usage. After the recent uptick in school threats throughout the nation it is imperative that we all remain vigilant. It is equally important that parents have courageous conversations with their children regarding social media posts and what is appropriate and what is not appropriate to post. It has become increasingly more evident that young people today have difficulty distinguishing between right and wrong and almost always say they are “just kidding” or “just joking” when caught doing something wrong or posting something unacceptable.

Middle school parents are also asked to speak to their child about the proper care of their leased Chromebook. Over the past few days we have had a number of “accidents” which resulted in broken screens and lost keys. Most of these “accidents” occur when a student does not secure their Chromebook properly or follow the rules outlined in their signed Chromebook user agreement. Our hope is that your child’s leased device will last for 6 years, not just their 3 years of middle school.

Please be on the lookout over the next few days for an email from your child’s teacher regarding the upcoming parent-teacher conferences scheduled for October 10 from 3:00-6:00 pm and October 11 from 1:00-3:15 pm. Both these days are early dismissal days and aftercare will be available until 3:30 only on those days. Parents must register for conferences using the link provided by the teachers. All parents are strongly advised to sign-up for a conference to review your child’s NWEA MAP assessments, learn more about your child as a learner, and have any of your questions or concerns addressed midway through the first marking period.

On Wednesday, October 9, St. Rita School will be closed for a district-wide teaching and learning conference. Teachers from throughout the Archdiocese will be together in Hamden for a day of learning.

On Tuesday, October 1, we will switch over to the winter uniform. Parents are asked to please review the dress code with their child/ren as shorts and sneakers are no longer allowed with the winter uniform. Teachers will be sending home dress code violation forms to those students who continually are not in compliance. We ask parents to please check the uniform swap located on the stage in the gym for additional uniform pieces. If on occasion your child is not in proper uniform, please send a note to the teacher informing her/him of the reason. Should the weather during the first part of October continue to be warm the students may continue to wear the gym shorts on gym days only.

 Thank you for entrusting your child/ren to our care. Be sure to get outside and enjoy the beautiful fall-like weather.

God Bless,

Mrs. Tiezzi

Title I Survey

Parents - if you have not filled out the Title I survey that your child brought home, please do so by Friday, September 27.

If you are unable to locate the survey, please click the link below to download a new copy, and send it in before Friday, September 27. Thank you for your help.

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.