Congratulations to our students pictured below who turned in their summer learning assignments. Each of them earned a certificate and a $10 gift certificate for our next book fair.

Our first school family assembly of the year was a huge success. Students learned about our Cardinal Rules of Being Safe, Respectful, and Responsible. Our very own Chaffee Cardinal came by to visit to help us sing our Chaffee Cardinal Song.

Students will be administered a variety of assessments this month. Students are assessed three times annually on foundational skills.These assessment results help us plan for your child while also giving us information about their progress. Students will take these assessments in reading, math, and writing. They are done in a variety of formats including one to one, group, paper and pencil, and oral. While some take minutes to administer, others might take longer. Results from these assessments are shared with families at various points throughout the year. 

This week, Ruth L. Chaffee held our first fire drill of the school year, and our students did an outstanding job! Everyone exited the building quickly, quietly, and safely, showing responsibility and care for one another. Safety is always our top priority, and we are proud of how well our Cardinals followed directions and practiced this important routine.

Chaffee families—three exciting art contests are happening in our greater Newington community this fall and winter! These optional contests give students a chance to show off their creativity outside of school.

Mrs. Frazao is happy to help students who need supplies or who want to submit artwork for the Holiday Card and Fire Prevention Poster contests. The Chalk Walk requires families to submit applications directly to the Chamber of Commerce.

Please click this link for more detailed information.

There are a number of ways to get involved in our school community. Linked here is a brief survey to gauge interest. We have some openings on school based committees, so if you are passionate about school safety and security, school climate or equity in education, please let us know. Our committees will begin meeting later in the month and we’d love to have at least one parent representative on each. These committees require a bigger commitment as they will meet regularly throughout the year, but there are plenty of other volunteer opportunities as well. You can always contact me at jmarciano@npsct.org if you need more information or would like to discuss these opportunities. 

At Ruth L. Chaffee, we believe regular school attendance is an important part of a student's success. We ask you to review our attendance policy. Additionally, we believe that a strong learning communtiy is achieved when students and staff adhere to a set of what we call Cardinal Rules Safety, Respect, and Responsibility. In our behavior matrix, you will find a set of expectations for all areas of the school. We ask that you review these with your child. This language is what is taught and reinforced at school.

To that end, please open this Google form review the linked documents and sign off that you understand what is expected. Please contact me if you have any questions or even suggestions. This is our first year using this behavior matrix and we would love your feedback.

Early Release Tuesdays: Our first early release Tuesday is coming up on Tuesday, September 16th. Students are dismissed at 1:40. It is important to have a discussion with your child about the plan for these days especially if the plan is different than usual. Park and Rec will be running an afterschool program on these dates. If you have questions about the program or are interested in getting your student signed up please call: (860) 665-8666.

Downloading the school year calendar and noting the days in yellow will help you plan for these as they do occur about every two weeks.

Please be sure to review our Student Handbook. The handbook is your go to guide for expectations, annual notifications, legal requirements, policies and procedures. It is always available on our website. Please note that there have been significant changes to school climate policy. There are several legislative mandates that are being implemented this year. I strongly encourage every family to read this Notice Concerning School Climate and contact me with any questions.