National Merit Semi-Finalists Announced
Congratulations Fairfield Ludlowe High School students Lucas Weaver, Caitlyn Yang and Fairfield Warde High School student Julia Zagar on being named National Merit Scholarship Corporation Semifinalists! These academically talented high school seniors will have an opportunity to continue on to the competition for National Merit Scholarships.
Over 1.3 million juniors in about 21,000 high schools entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program by taking the 2023 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
Fairfield Woods Middle School classes celebrated the start of Hispanic Heritage Month. Students across the district are honoring the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and contributions of Hispanic communities through literature, cooking and sharing of traditions.
Chromebook Insurance - October 1 Deadline
Fairfield Public Schools is pleased to offer you a protection plan for your Grade 3-12 child’s Chromebook or laptop. The annual fee is $30 for a Chromebook and $50 for a laptop, and will cover two incidents of damage, including loss. Damage to a Chromebook could be a cracked screen, a keyboard with missing keys, or other issues. Insurance enrollment will end October 1, 2024. For additional information click here.
FPS Board Chair Earns CABE Honor
Congratulations to FPS Board Chair Jennifer Jacobsen for earning the Connecticut Association of Boards of Education (CABE) Member designation!
Ms. Jacobsen was one of nine board of education members recognized for their achievement in participating in numerous hours of board-related professional development activities. Areas of study are designed to strengthen leadership skills and give members a firm foundation in the essential governance skills needed to carry out their responsibilities.
Burr School Kindergartners love to read their library books!
Get To Know Your SRO: Officer Jon Chlebowski
FPS is pleased to partner with the Fairfield Police Department to ensure a safe environment for all. Our SROs play an integral role in our school communities, including placing an emphasis on important topics such as peer pressure, bullying, internet safety and stress through the SHAPE Program. Click here to view 2024-2025 SROs.
I live in town and have children who attend school here. As my kids get older, I am experiencing the same things that other parents are going through. I understand their perspective and the importance of making connections with students.
- Officer Chlebowski
Number of years as a Police Officer: 10 years
Number of years serving as SRO in Fairfield: 8 years
Fairfield Schools: Officer Chlebowski serves as SRO at Jennings Elementary School, Holland Hill Elementary School and Fairfield Woods Middle School
What is your goal as an SRO: As a growing team, we try to be as present as possible in our school communities. We work very closely with school staff not only to provide useful information that can be used in an emergency, but to help build trust with students.
The brand new Walter Fitzgerald Campus (WFC) kitchen opened this week. Students are very excited to see this special project come to fruition! WFC is an alternative high school program.
The Fairfield Collaborative for Youth Mental Health in partnership with local agencies, will host a free program for middle school students to help manage cognitive overload, stress, and develop essential skills for success. Click on the flyer above to register your child for this free opportunity.
FPS is hosting a Family Literacy Resource Showcase with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH) on October 9 from 7:30-8pm. Join a live webinar to learn about many of the HMH resources K-5 students are using this year.
Sessions will be offered in English and Spanish and will feature the same information during both sessions. Note: this is a repeat of the sessions held this summer.
Click on the Zoom links below to join:
ATTENTION SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: SPLASH AT YALE THIS FALL!
Splash at Yale invites students to the Yale campus to take courses taught by undergraduates on anything and everything!
Who: Students, grades 7-12
When: Saturday, November 9, 2024 (Time TBD)
Cost: $20 - This price includes lunch. You can also purchase a $10 t-shirt. Financial aid available.
Where: New Haven, Connecticut on Yale’s campus! Check-in location and class locations will be announced after registration is completed.
Register: Click here
Join ADHD and Executive Function Coach Keith Senzer On September 26 to learn how to use the power of AI to improve executive functioning skills and motivation. Watch with your student to get a head start on the new school year with practical tools to increase independence! Suitable for kids Grade 8 and up. Includes time for Q&A.
Reporting Dismissal Changes & Absences
Parents and guardians of middle and elementary school students should use School Dismissal Manager to update the school regarding dismissal plans. The system can be accessed via a smartphone, tablet or PC. Contact your school with questions on how to sign-up and download the application.
Ms. Myers’ Grade 3 students at North Stratfield explore the topic of summer as they gear up to write a personal narrative in their first new module in literacy!
FPS Family Access To Move This World
To support our students’ social emotional needs, FPS uses video-based social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum from Move This World. Social emotional learning in school allows students and teachers to communicate with a common language for deeper connections.
To help inspire important conversations outside of school, families can access helpful curriculum at home. Visit the Move This World website and log in with the following username and password:
Username: Fairfield.Family
Password: movethisworld
Fairfield Ludlowe High School Mandarin students in Mrs. Lin's class celebrated a Mid-Autumn Festival on Tuesday. To honor this important holiday observed in many countries in Asia, students made jade rabbit lanterns representing family reunion and wishes.
2025-26 Kindergarten Admission Update
Is your child going to turn five between September 2, 2025, and December 31, 2025? If so, they will only be eligible to enter kindergarten during the 2026-27 school year or if you apply for an early admissions waiver. Information on an early admissions waiver can be found here under Kindergarten 2025-2026.
Parents will need to follow this process to request an early admissions waiver:
- Complete this form in its entirety, which includes a parent observational checklist, selection of a preferred assessment date, submission of a parent letter acknowledging that your child is developmentally appropriate to attend kindergarten early, and acknowledgment of individual testing and results.
Upon submission of the above form, a member of Fairfield Public Schools will be in contact with you to confirm testing dates and times. Each child will be assessed by FPS certified staff, at a designated elementary school, using an individually administered assessment and observation protocol. Only one assessment per child will be administered and the decision on early admissions made by the Fairfield Public Schools is final.
Children who will be five on or by September 1, 2025, will have typical enrollment. The typical registration and enrollment process will begin in January 2025.
If you have any questions, please contact James Zavodjancik, Chief Academic Officer, at JZavodjancik@fairfieldschools.org or 203-255-8390
Osborn Hill Grade 4 Student Juliette Dunne recently became a published author! "Emma 2.0" is a fantasy story written for young readers by a young reader. It tells the tale of a girl and her mother trying to escape from an evil robot. Juliette's book is available on Amazon.
Welcome Sara Paine: Fairfield Health Department Assistant Director
Ms. Sara Paine has joined the Fairfield Health Department as Assistant Director of Health for Public Health Nursing. Ms. Paine steps into this role following the retirement of Jill Mitchell this past summer.
We are pleased to work collaboratively with Ms. Paine and the Town Health Department to support school nurses and the health of our students.
Ms. Paine is based at the Public Health Nursing Office located at 100 Mona Terrace.
At Roger Sherman Elementary School, Mrs. Walters’ math class kicked off their multiplicative thinking unit by investigating factors of a number.
Grades K-3 Reading Assessments & Lexile Reading Measures
Beginning this week, all Grades K-3 students will be administered the Acadience Reading Assessment.
The universal screening assessment in grades K-3 (Acadience Reading) and in grades 4-5 (NWEA MAP Reading) are administered in the fall, winter, and spring to tell us important information about your child’s reading skills.
These assessments provide data that include a student’s Lexile reading measure. The Lexile measure replaces the guided reading level that FPS educators and families will use to match students to books, help predict future reading success, and monitor student growth. Click here to access a webinar to help families learn more about the Lexile Framework and how we can work together to promote student success. Additional resources can be found here.
For more information on Acadience Reading, please visit the assessment page on the FPS website listed under Acadience Reading Assessment.
Stay In The Know: ParentSquare
All district, school and classroom messages are sent to your computer or phone through email, and/or text via ParentSquare. This includes emergency messages and alerts.
Families should have received a link to log in to their ParentSquare account from their principal. If you have not received a link, please reach out to your school directly. Note: families who previously signed up for ParentSquare will not need to do so again.
To ensure that you receive messages via ParentSquare, please double check your contact information in Infinite Campus. If you would like to receive text messages, make sure that your cell phone is listed and NOT a landline.
Infinite Campus will continue to be used for a variety of purposes including report cards, grades and assignments, lunch payments, fees/school store and real-time attendance information.
The Fairfield Health Department will be hosting a walk-in flu clinic on Wednesday, October 16 from 3pm – 8pm at the Bigelow Center for Senior Activities.
In addition, every Tuesday from October 1 through December 3 from 3pm – 6pm flu vaccines will be available by appointment only at 100 Mona Terrace in the white portable BEHIND the senior center. Families can make appointments for Tuesday evening clinics online or call 203-256-3150.
