September 3, 2026 District Newsletter
Newsletter Quick Links
Click on any story below to jump directly to that section:
-
A Quick Guide To Essential FPS Apps — Check out our visual guide for staying connected this school year.
-
Free School Breakfast Available To All Students — Learn about universal free breakfast for the 2026–2027 school year.
-
MySchoolBucks Fee Clarification & No-fee Options — Important details on payment options and avoiding online fees.
-
Student Safety Reminder: E-Bikes And E-Scooters Prohibited On School Grounds — Guidelines prohibiting electronic transport on school property.
-
Supporting Safe And Balanced Tech At Home — Helpful tips, tools, and resources on Internet usage outside of the school day.
-
School Safety And Emergency Preparedness — Important information about our approach to school safety and emergency preparedness.
-
State Summative Test Results And Upcoming Assessments — Access your child's state test results and learn more about NWEA and Acadience.
-
Celebrating Excellence — Celebrating FPS Adaptive Physical Education Teacher.
Visit the FPS website’s news section to read Superintendent Testani's message to families for the upcoming school year: https://fpsct.net/6
A Quick Guide To Essential FPS Apps
We understand how busy family schedules are and how overwhelming keeping up with various communications can be. To help you easily navigate everything from district announcements and teacher messages to bus tracking and meal account management, we have put together a quick guide to our official district apps.
Please see below for a simple reference on which apps to use for your family's daily needs!
Thank you for your continued partnership in staying connected with our schools.
Click on the above guide to access information on each app.
School Safety And Emergency Preparedness
As always, the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain among our highest priorities. As we begin the new school year, we want to take a moment to share some important information about our approach to school safety and emergency preparedness.
Fairfield Public Schools, in partnership with the Fairfield Police Department, continues to use the Standard Response Protocol (SRP) to provide students and staff with clear, consistent actions to follow during a variety of situations that may occur at school. Click here to read more.
State Summative Test Results Now Available
Your child’s spring state assessment results will be available on Friday, September 4, in the Infinite Campus Backpack:
- Smarter Balanced (SBA): Reading and math (grades 3–8)
- NGSS Science: (grades 5, 8, and 11)
The reports show your child’s score, proficiency level (exceeds, meets, approaching, does not meet), and comparisons to school and district averages. They also include more detail about specific areas in reading, math, and science.
Please remember that these tests provide just one snapshot of your child’s learning and should be considered alongside other classroom and district assessments.
If you have questions about your child’s results, please reach out to your school administrator.
Fall NWEA Assessments
Our district assessment calendar and webpage are updated for the 2026-27 school year. NWEA-MAP testing begins September 8, 2026.
- Math (Grades K–8)
- Reading (Grades 3–8)
- Language Usage (Grades 4–5)
These are the same assessments students have taken in recent years. Students in grades 3-8 are assessed 2 times a year in reading and math. Students in grades K-2 are assessed 3 times a year in math.
To learn more about NWEA assessments, visit our Assessment Webpage and scroll to the NWEA section.
School administration will share the specific testing dates.
Grade K-3 Acadience Reading Assessments
For two weeks beginning September 14, all Grade K-3 students will be administered the Acadience Reading Assessment. This assessment will be administered three times a year in September, January, and May.
Acadience Reading is a universal screener that measures early literacy skills students must master to become proficient readers, beginning in kindergarten.
For more information on Acadience Reading, please visit the assessment page on the FPS website listed under Acadience Reading Assessment.
Celebrating Fairfield’s Young Artists & Poets!
Last spring, the Stratfield Village Association (SVA) invited students across the district to unleash their creativity in a town-wide Poetry and Art Contest. Congratulations to all of our incredible student winners from across Fairfield! From evocative poetry to stunning visual artwork, FPS students showcased breathtaking talent, originality, and heart.
Supporting Safe And Balanced Tech At Home
As students return to our classrooms, we're excited to begin another great year of learning and responsible technology use in our schools. Technology is a big part of how our students learn, both in school and at home, and we encourage families to stay involved and help children build healthy screen time habits throughout the year.
To support you, we've put together some helpful tips, tools, and resources on our Internet Usage at Home page. It's a great place to find ideas for setting limits, staying safe online, and making the most of tech time as the new school year gets underway.
Additionally, click here to view an article about a data-driven approach to screentime from the perspective of the neighboring town of Westport.
Thank you for partnering with us to support safe and balanced technology use both in school and while at home.
MySchoolBucks Fee Clarification & No-fee Options
As you know, Fairfield Public Schools recently transitioned to MySchoolBucks for student meal account management. We have received some concerns regarding the online processing fee for credit card and ACH payments.
Below is clarification regarding online fees, and how to avoid them altogether.
-
How to pay $0 in fees: Cash and checks are accepted at all school cafeteria registers with zero processing fees and no transaction limits. Please make checks payable to Fairfield School Lunch.
-
How to minimize fees online: If you prefer the convenience of online payments, combine payments for multiple children into a single transaction (e.g., $450 total across three students)—the online processing fee is applied only once per checkout, not per student.
-
No fee per individual meal: The online processing fee is never charged when your child purchases a meal at school. It applies strictly as a one-time charge per online funding transaction.
-
Free account monitoring: You can use MySchoolBucks for free to track daily purchases, monitor balances, and set low-balance alerts, even if you choose to pay exclusively by cash or check.
For additional information and an FAQ visit the FPS Food Services webpage.
Thank you for your patience and feedback as we navigate this transition together.
Welcome back FPS! We are ready for a great school year.
Free School Breakfast Available To All Students
Thanks to the new state budget signed by Governor Lamont, free school breakfast will be available for all FPS students throughout the 2026-2027 school year. Starting the day with a healthy meal makes a tremendous difference in classroom engagement and overall well-being. For additional information click here.
Student Safety Reminder: E-Bikes And E-Scooters Prohibited On School Grounds
At Fairfield Public Schools, the safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priorities. Over the past months, our community and many others across the country have seen a rise in serious accidents involving electronic transport, such as e-bikes and e-scooters.
To protect our students, effective immediately, motorized vehicles/devices including but not limited to e-bikes, e-scooters, pedal-assist units, mopeds, and motorcycles are completely prohibited on school grounds at any time for anyone under the age of 16 who does not possess a valid Connecticut driver’s license.
Please click here to view the complete message from FPS Superintendent Michael J. Testani which was sent out to all families via ParentSquare.
Celebrating Excellence: Kenya McVey Named 2026 Adapted PE Teacher of the Year!
We are thrilled to share that our very own FPS Adaptive Physical Education Teacher, Kenya McVey, has been named the 2026 Adapted Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CTAHPERD), the state affiliate of SHAPE America. Ms. McVey supports students across Fairfield Ludlowe High School, Fairfield Warde High School, Community Partnership Program, and aquatics.
I view advocacy as central to my role as an Adapted Physical Education teacher. I believe that it is my responsibility to ensure that students with disabilities have equitable access to physical education, recreation, and other school-based physical activity opportunities. - Kenya McVey
This prestigious recognition honors educators who go above and beyond to ensure every student, regardless of ability, has full and meaningful access to physical education.
Burr educators Miss Sherwood, Mrs. Forbes, and Mrs. Birtwell were excited to meet their students this year!
Join Fairfield Foundation For Education At Panera On Thursday, September 10
Mark your calendars for next Thursday, September 10! The Fairfield Foundation for Education is partnering with Panera for a special fundraising event. Whether you're dining in, picking up your morning coffee, or grabbing dinner for the family, a portion of your purchase will go directly toward supporting innovative educational programs and grants for our local public schools.
Event Details (click here for the flyer):
-
Date: Thursday, September 10
-
Location: Panera
-
How to Help: Mention the Fairfield Foundation for Education at the register or use the digital promo code when ordering online.
Treat yourself to your Panera favorites while making a real impact on our students' learning experience. We hope to see you there!
