Welcome to Ridgefield Academyand Landmark Preschool

2016 - 2017

Dear Parents,

I am delighted to welcome you to the Ridgeeld Academy and Landmark Preschool community. For over 40 years, we have maintained a stellar reputaon for academic excellence, coupled with our commitment to partnering with you to raise responsible and respecul children who recognize service to others as integral to the Ridgeeld Academy experience.

Our gOur growth as one of the leading independent day schools has been made possible in large part due to the generous volunteer and nancial support of parents. I trust you will nd numerous opportunies to get involved with our school, whether it is through RAPA (Ridgeeld Academy Parents Associaon), helping out at annual events such as Fall Family Day, aending aer-school games and acvies, or simply joining us for one of our recepons and/or coees for parents.

The informaon enclosed in this pamphlet was designed to help you navigate through a na new community and make sense out of the various protocols and culture of your new school. While the learning curve may appear steep inially, I am condent that in a very short me you will understand how our organizaon works, who to approach for various maers, and how to become involved within the life of our school.

I look forward to the upcoming year and am so pleased you have entrusted Ridgeeld Academy with the educaon of your child or children.

Yours,

James James P. HeusHead of School

Our Story

Founded in 1975 in Wilton, Conn., Ridgeield Academy (then Landmark Academy) was created from the idea that students should develop not only their intellect, but their chacharacter as well. The school expanded its program in 1995 to include two early learning centers located in Redding and Westport, and began teaching preschool-age children. The K-8 program relocated to the current campus in Ridgeield in 1999 and changed the schools name to Ridgeield Academy. The preschool programs went by the new name of Landmark Preschool, and were quickly known for a curriculum that exposed young, curious learners to early literacy skills, math concepts, and a variety of special subjects such as world language, music, art, and physical education. In 2005, Ridgeield Academy opened a thithird Landmark Preschool program at the Ridgeield Academy location, and in 2015 a fourth Landmark Preschool location was opened in Bedford, New York. With over forty years of experience in early childhood, elementary and middle school education, Landmark Preschool and Ridgeield Academy has grown to be one of the premier K-8 independent schools in Fairield and Westchester Counties. Today Landmark Preschool (ages 15) and Ridgeield Academy (KGrade 8) educate nearly 600 students from over 25 zip codes and offer students a continuous and well-sequenced preschool, elementary and middle school experience dedicated to academic innovation and inspiration, personal growth and development. Under the guidance of one Head of School, students are taught by experienced and passionate teachers through all stages of their schooling to take risks, grow in conidence, and develop the skills they will need for the demands of the high school years and beyond. Eighth grade students from Ridgeield AAcademy go on to attend some of the nations most accomplished independent day schools, boarding schools, and local public schools.

Contents School Resources..............1 Building Community..........6 Glossary of Terms............12 Tradions

Our school oers a variety of tradional acvies and events that are unique to our community, and that our students look forward to each year.

PPreschool students will enjoy a touch-a-truck event.

Lower School students enjoy our buddy program, an overnight campout and special leadership opportunies.

Middle School students engage in Blue-WhiBlue-White athlec compeons, parcipate in a Roman Banquet, and put on an Egypt Fair.

Upper School students enjoy a number of mul day, o-campus eld trips, partner with our younger students, and lead all-school assemblies and choschool assemblies and chore groups.

Leadership opportunies increase with each grade to help our students build condence and understand the importance of working in a group seng.

Visit www.ridgeeldacademy.org/RAjournRAjourney to learn more aboutthe acvies and tradions of each grade.

MissionThe mission of Ridgeield Academy is to educate and encourage students to become knowledgeable, independent thinkers who are passionate about learning and embrace new challenges with conidence and enthusiasm. We maintain high academic standards and emphasize the importance of responsibility, respect, and service to others in all aothers in all areas of school life. We strive to be an inclusive, diverse and close-knit community where our students are valued, supported and inspired to excel.

Philosophy and CultureRidgeield Academy is committed to academic excellence and the individual growth of each of our students. We offer a broad-based, challenging curriculum enhanced by a wide variety of extracurricular activities in athletics, the arts, and community service. While our curriculum is grounded in fundamentals, various teaching methods are used thused throughout the school to engage students in the learning process and stimulate critical thinking. Learning at all levels encompasses rigor and innovation, structure and creativity, individual effort and teamwork. Most important, our talented teachers touch the hearts and minds of their students, inspiring determined effort, sound judgment, and a joy of discovery that endures.

Above all else, Ridgeield Academy is a warm and supportive community deined community deined by close, caring relationships and a strong partnership between school and home. We believe each childs success is a shared responsibility and encourage the active involvement of parents. Working together, we share aspirations, values, enthusiasm, and pride. With the right balance of challenge, individual attention, and support, Ridgeield Academy students gain the knowledge and conidence to go forward and lead lives illed with promise.

Ridgeield Ridgeield Academy has been known for academic excellence and a strong commitment to character education. We are a child-centric school, blending an academic curriculum that covers the core branchesof knowledge with a broad and stimulating variety of enrichment activities, all in a close-knit, supportive learning environment.

School Resources

School Hours

Roles & Responsibilities

Who to Ask

Board of Trustees

Ridgeield Academy Parents Association Board Members

1

School Hours

Oce Hours: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Morning Drop-o: 8:15 am to 8:30 am

Before-Care is provided for students beginning at 7:30 am.

Students are to be dropped o at the main emain entrance of the Summit Building.

Landmark Preschool Hours:Twos Program: 9:00 am to 1:00 pmExtended Day: 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm

Threes Program: 8:45 am to 2:00 pmExtended Day: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Fours Program: 8:45 am to 2:00 pmEExtended Day: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm

Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School8:25 am to 3:30 pm

Dismissal: 3:30 pm to 3:45 pmExtended Day: 3:45 pm to 5:00 pm

To access our online school calendar, please visitridgeieldacademy.org/calendar

SCHOOL RESOURCES

2

3SCHOOL RESOURCES

Roles & Responsibilities Flow Chart

4Who to Ask Our faculty and staff are always happy to assist with questions that arise throughout the year. Below is a list of contacts for your reference. It is best to make an initial contact with faculty via e-mail (all school e-mail addresses follow the same formatting of irst initial, last name @ridgeieldacademy.org. For example John Smith = jsmith@ridgeieldacademy.org) or by leaving a message with the RA Front Ofice at 203-894-1800. FFaculty will respond to your message within 24 hours - assuming the least disruption to the students and the lessons of the day.

FOR QUESTIONS ABOUT: PLEASE CONTACT:Academic Program................................................. Alison OCallaghan, Head of PS/LS; Clinton Howarth, Head of MS/USAnnual Fund................................................................. Brooke Moore, Development Manager & Alumni Relaons Assemblies............................................................. Alison OCallaghan, Head of PS/LS; Clinton Howarth, Head of MS/USAthlecs/Game Schedules..................................... Beth MacInnes, Athlec Director AAendance Records...................................................... Donna Kauth, Administrave Assistant & Extended Care Program CoordinatorAucon.......................................................................... Brooke Moore, Development Manager & Alumni Relaons Billing............................................................................. Linda LaFonte, Sta AccountantBusing.................. Larry Curry, Transportaon CoordinatorCalendar........................................................................ Marcie Maguire, Administrave Assistant to Head of School CeCenter for Innovave Teaching & Learning................... Basil Kolani, Director of The Center for Innovave Teaching & LearningCommunicaons/RA Weekly........................................ Kara Morgan, Director of Advancement Emergency Care/Health Forms..................................... Donna Kauth, Administrave Assistant & Extended Care Program CoordinatorExtended Care Program/Enrichment Clubs.................. Donna Kauth, Administrave Assistant & Extended Care Program CoordinatorFinancial Aid.................................................................. David Suter, Associate Head of School & Director of EnrollmentFFood Services................................................................ Paul Desiano, Director of Food ServicesFundraising.................................................................... Brooke Moore, Development Manager & Alumni Relaons Homework............................................................................ Classroom TeachersMaintenance................................................................. Brian Hall, Director of Facilies Mentoring (new families).............................................. David Suter, Associate of Head of School & Director of EnrollmentRARAPA..................................................................................... Wendy Wo Beurket, President, RAPARental - School Spaces................................................... Briggs Tobin, Chief Financial OcerProgress Reports.................................................... Alison OCallaghan, Head of PS/LS; Clinton Howarth, Head of MS/USSecurity.......................................................................... Briggs Tobin, Chief Financial OcerService Learning............................................................ Kate Howell, MS/US World Language & Service Learning CoordinatorSchedules (class)....................................................Schedules (class).................................................... Alison OCallaghan, Head of PS/LS; Clinton Howarth, Head of MS/US Technology..................................................................... Charlie Galliher, Director of Informaon TechnologyTesng........................................................................... Clinton Howarth, Head of MS/USTranscripts/Records Request.................................. Alison OCallaghan, Head of PS/LS; Clinton Howarth, Head of MS/US Volunteer Opportunies................................................ Wendy Wo Beurket, President, RAPAWWebsite......................................................................... Rebecca Toon, Website Manager

EXT.109-116128

109-116107-117106128128105123119141126106106106112115128

110112

100109-116109-116100121

109-116135116

109-116............160

SCHOOL RESOURCES

5Board of Trustees2016-2017

Eric Heaton Chair

Mark Baker Vice Chair

David Heaton Treasurer

Rachel Sondheimer Secretary

JenniJennifer AmadeoAl BartosicAlex Bellina

Tim Birch (Honorary Trustee) Jim Heus, ex-oficio (Head of School)

Kate RitterThomas MainLauLaura MasottiErin SchillerLewis SchwartzJoel SimonBrian TorchenHoward Turner

Wendy Wo Beurket, ex-oficio (RAPA President)

RAPA Board Members2016-2017

Wendy Wo Beurket President(917) 693-3905

Wendybeurket@icloud.com

Angelica Carey VP, Upper School(917) 691-5334 (917) 691-5334

acarey123@mac.com

Lynne Geaney VP, Middle School(914) 486-1287

lynne_geaney@me.com

Heather Cody VP, Lower School(646) 784-3213

heatheheatheracody@gmail.com

Carolyn Hoyos VP, Preschool(917) 282-5780

carolynhoyos@gmail.com

Jon Cooper Secretary(203) 917-8525

joncoopernewyork@gmail.com

CaCaroline Villela Weisblatt Treasurer(845) 558-4778

cvillela42@yahoo.com

SCHOOL RESOURCES

Building a Stronger Community:You Are an Essential Participant

Communication

Volunteer Opportunities: The Gift of Time & Talent

Expectations of Giving

Q&A: Gifts that Keep on Giving

6

7Communicaons

We work hard to keep parents current on school-related informaon through a variety of communicaon vehicles. Many of our communicaon eeorts are sent and received electronically. Visit the RA website for the most up-to-date informaon on school news, calendar dates, events, and athlecs.

RA Weekly NewsletterOur weekly e-newsletter is sent out each Thursday to all family e-mail addresses on ile. It is our main vehicle for communicating current school information, and all parents should read the e-nethe e-newsletter on a weekly basis.

VeracrossRA uses the Veracross database to track attendance/dismissal, progress reports, report cards, and many other aspects of school life. This program also allows parents to schedule parent-teacher conconferences, dismissal changes, etc. Veracross is accessible from the RA website. Under the Parent tab, click on Parent Resources tab then Veracross Portal Links. Any technical questions can be directed to Marcie Maguire, Administrative Assistant to Head of MS/US and MS/US and Veracross Facilitator, at mmaguire@ridgeieldacademy.org.

School MessengerIn times of inclement weather or school emergency, an automated text or phone system can be immediately implemented from RA/LP to keep parents informed.

USPSPeriodically throughout the year, important letters, forms and documents are sent by USPS. While we try to use e-mail and Veracross wherever possible, do look for important mailings from time time to time through snail mail.

Connections MagazineThe school magazine is produced by the Advancement Ofice and sent to all members of the Ridgeield Academy and Landmark Preschool community.

RAPA Classroom RepresentativesClassClassroom Parents (CR) are key ambassadors for the school, welcoming new families and keeping parents in their grade informed and engaged about special classroom happenings and school life. CR e-mails often contain timely information that you will want to act upon.act upon.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

8Our Families Make the Dierence

Ridgeeld Academy is more than a school; it is a community. We believe that a strong partnership between school and home is essenal to a good educaon. Through strong relaonships and and good communicaon with parents, we idenfy opportunies, address challenges, and develop appropriate goals for our students and our school. RAs website oers parents an excing and convenient way to parcipate in our school community on a daily basis. YYou can keep up on school news and events, and communicate with teachers and sta by e-mail. Increasingly our teachers will be posng class informaon within the private, secure area. If you do not have a username and password or if you are experiencing dicules logging in, please in, please contact Rebecca Toon (rtoon@ridgeeldacademy.org).

As an RA parent, you are automacally a member of RAPA, Ridgeeld Academy Parents Associaon. RAPAs direcves are to build school spirit, nurture parent-to-parent and paparent-to-school communicaon, help with special classroom and administrave needs on a volunteer basis, and work with the schools development program to raise funds. RAPA oers many ways for all parents to parcipate in school, at home, andand/or through communicaons channels. We urge you to consider donang your me, talent, or treasures to us. Supporng just one acvity makes a major dierence. We look forward to working with you during the upcoming school year.

Primary Volunteer Opportunities

Every independent school needs an energetic community of volunteers in order to thrive, and Ridgeield Academy is no exception. RA has an outstanding partnership with parents, and your participation is key in keeping the Academy strong. Each and every RA student beneits from this partnership, including your child.

AActive Participation: You can take an active role in your childs education by being involved in the classroom, attending and helping with events, and volunteering to assist with projects. The easiest way to get involved is through participation in RAPA, the Ridgeield Academy Parents Association.

Financial Support: As an independent school, we rely on you to contribute to the Annual Fund to the extent that you are inancially able, and able, and to participate in periodic capital campaigns that support building needs, new facilities and equipment, and endowment funds. In addition, we welcome your participation with fundraising endeavors, such as the annual auction.

RAPARidgeield Academy Parents Association, RAPA, is an organization consisting of parents from our school community wwho help support the mission, events and fundraising activities of our school. RAPA extends a welcoming arm to all RA families by encouraging participation in a range of school-wide events, including our wonderful Fall Family Day, annual auction, community service activities, and many other events. RAPAvolunteers are an integral part of our school community and generously offer hundreds of volunteer hours to help support the cultuthe culture and programs of the Academy.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

Volunteer Opportunies: The Gi of Time & Talent

9Philanthropy to independent schools is historically an important part of a familys commitment to excellence in their child(ren)s education. As with any independent school or private college, tuition alone does not cover the true cost of educating of educating your child. At Ridgeield Academy, we raise money to make things better: to renovate and build new facilities, to provide your child with the best resources available, and to ensure that his/her experience is distinctive.

All independent schools rely upon the lloyalty and generosity of parents, past parents, grandparents, alumni and friends to advance the institution. Your inancial support to the Annual Fund and other fundraising initiatives helps to keep tuition as affordable as possible and ensures that our programs continue to enrich the lives of our students and of our students and faculty.

Key Dates: Current Parents

October 13: State of the School Address & Annual Fund Kick-off

December 31: Last day to give for 2016 tax beneit

April 22, 2017: Spring Gala

MMay 19, 2017: Run4RA Event

June 30, 2017: Last day to contribute to 2016-2017 Annual Fund

BUILDING COMMUNITY

The Importance of Independent School Giving

10

tax-deductible and allow each family to give at a meaningful level at which they are able.

Correspondingly, its up to you as a parent of today to help ensure the school continues to thrive for the children 10, 20 and 30 and 30 years from now. Financing the enhancements of tomorrow will build the schools long-term reputation, which will always beneit your child as an adult.

We rely on every familys participation in the Annual Fund and annual Auction to reach our operating budget goals and pprovide a high-quality education for every child.

There are many reasons to give, beyond the potential tax beneits. Giving to the Annual Fund is an investment in and commitment to your childs education here and now. The Annual Fund and AAuction revenue makes a difference in the everyday life of your child at school.

Q: How much should I give to the Annual Fund, and how much of a difference can my gift really make?

A: Ideally, current parents identify RA as one of their top philanthropic priorities and and recognize that their contributions make a signiicant impact. Annual Fund gifts range from $10 to $50,000. We encourage families to consider giving at the Patriots Society level or more, if they are able. Leadership gifts ensure that we raise the necessary additional funds for our students abour students above and beyond what tuition covers to support our program, faculty, and facilities.

Our small school has fewer supporters than larger independent schools or universities; therefore it is

even more critical to have a higher percentage of supporters. Your gift, when added to those of hundreds of other supporters, can have a large impact on our school. Your participation encourages others to ggive and sends a message to our community that RA does make a difference. Every gift counts!

Q: When should I make an Annual Fund gift or pledge?

A: The earlier we receive your gift, the earlier we can put it to work ffor all our students. We encourage all families to make their pledges by January 1, though payments are accepted until June 30.

Q: Will I be asked to make additional gifts to RA?

A: While there are other giving opportunities at RA, each opportunities at RA, each beneiting the school in various ways, we expect current parents to make a contribution to the Annual Fund.

Q: Is RA eligible for Employer Matching Gifts?

A: A: Yes! Many companies offer amatching gift program, which is a wonderful way to double or even triple your gift amount to our school! Contact your company Human Resources Director to inquire as to whether your emplemployer offers a matching gift program.

Q: My family is already paying tuition.. What does my child get when we make inancial contributions to Landmark Preschool and Ridgeield Academy?

A: Your inancial contributions to the Annual the Annual Fund and Auction support the people and programs that make RA the great school it is: talented teachers, small classes, library and instructional resources, up-to-date technology, enriching arts and athletics programs. Your childs education is inanced inanced by both your tuition and Annual Fund gift as well as the Spring Auction Gala. Each year, about 20% of the operating budget comes from the Annual Fund gifts and Auction revenue and directly supports every aspect of school life. Charitable gifts are a necessary part of of every independent schools healthy inancial proile.

Q: If independent schools were run more like big business, couldnt they charge the full cost and avoid having to ask for gifts?

A: RA is a 501(c)(3) non-proit institution. Unliinstitution. Unlike a for-proit business, which aims to make money, RA aims to provide our students with the very best education. By nature, high-quality schools are labor-intensive and people-oriented. In order to provide the best programs and competitive compensation to our outstanding outstanding faculty and staff, we continually evaluate and assess tuition increases, auxiliary programs like camp, and effective fundraising initiatives. And unlike tuition, contributions to the Annual Fund and many other fundraising opportunities at school are fully

BUILDING COMMUNITY

Frequently UNasked Quesons

11

First, as a parent and ambassador for theschool, your positive endorsement of the program to the broader community helps attractand retain mission-appropriate families.

Second, get involved in school life!Volunteer and mark your calendars for schoolevents such as Fall Family Day, the the Auction, Bingo/Movie Night, Run4RA, and many more!

Third, make RA one of your top philanthropicpriorities. Give to your capacity and be proud ofyour contributions to the school.

Fourth, encourage others, such as grandparents,who want to support the School and its mission,to contribute to the Annual Fund.

Q: Should I give if I receive Financial Aid?

A: Even though many families make inancial sacriices to pay their tuition, it is still important for every member of our com-munity to participate in the Annual Fund at some level. No matter the size of the gift, involvment is the key!

Q: How do I give to the Annual Fund?

A: Your tax-deductable gift can be made with a check, stock, credit card (VISA, MasterCard, and AMEX) or online at www.ridgeieldacademy.org/support RA.

12

Grandparents and Special Friends Day: Every year, RA welcomes grandparents and special friends to its campus in Ridgeield. Visitors travel from as close by as Ridgeield and from as far away as PParis, France, and enjoy a student performance and participate in classroom activities.

Handbook & Directory: Our school website includes an electronic copy of our handbook, which hasimportant information about the school oschool organization, policies, and procedures. It is important for parents to familiarize themselves with the content. An online family directory is available through ourVeracross System.

Middle & Upper School Grade-Level AAdvisors: To assure continued advocacy and support of Middle and Upper School students intellectual, social and moral growth, Middle & Upper School teachers serve as grade-level advisors. There are several advisors for each grade. AAdvisors meet with students during arrival, lunch, study hall, dismissal, and otherwise as necessary. The advisors serve as the primary school contact for parents.

Spring Auction Gala: Is a fundraising event that brings together over 200 pa200 parents, administrators, faculty, staff, and friends to celebrate a wonderful evening of fun and fundraising in support of Ridgeield Academy and Landmark Preschools future stars our students!

RAPA (Ridgeield Academy Parents Association): The goal of the RAPA is to help support our schools mission, and organize and execute fundraising events thatprovide additional inancial support absupport above tuition and charitable gifts. RAPA extends a welcoming arm to all RA families by encouraging participation in a range of school-wide events. RAPA volunteers are an integral part of our school community and generously ofoffers hundreds of volunteer hours to help support the culture and programs of the Academy. We encourage you to join us for our RAPA meetings, which are held the second Tuesday of each month. Your involvement in the life of our school is important of our school is important to the success of our program. Please direct all questions to RAPA President Wendy Wo Beurket, (wendybeurket@icloud.com).

RAPA Classroom Rep: Attend monthly RAPA meetings, grade-level cofcoffees, and school events as requested. Organize and assist with classroom activities and parties.Responsible for managing class dues and providing inancial accounting to RAPA treasurer. Coordinate auction project. A Classroom Representative Handbook will be Handbook will be available with further information, and your RAPA Vice President is here to help you.

RA Weekly Newsletter: The schools weekly e-newsletter is e-mailed each Thursday to community members. Parents should get in the habit of of reading it every week.

Below are some terms, deinitions, and events to help you become more familiar with Ridgeield Academy.

After-School Enrichment Clubs: Ridgeield Academy offers clubs for students in Preschool through Grade 8, f8, from cooking, acting and creating comics to dance, science, chess, art and Rock Band.

Assemblies: An all-school assembly takes place every Monday at 8:30 am. Weekly events and announcements, weekly birthday announcements and special announcements and special programs are presented. Parents are encouraged to attend when their schedules permit.

Board of Trustees: Ridgeield Academy is governed by a Board of Trustees who employ the Head of School, identify and saSchool, identify and safeguard the schools mission, and assure iscal responsibility. The Board sets policy upon the recommendations of committees, some of which welcome parent participation.

Class Plays: Each grade (1-5) ppresents an annual play productionthat the entire Ridgeield Academy community is invited to attend.

Extended Day: Ridgeield Academy offers a Before and After-Care Program that provides adult supervision for children outside of school hours on a school hours on a regular or drop-in basis.

GLOSSARY

Glossary of Terms

difference between what is ordinary and what is distinctive about the RA experience.

The Bridge: Ridgeield Academys digital media arts center. Well appointed with iPads, iMacs and GGreen Room, as well as leading-edge software including Photoshop, Flash Animation, Drag-on (stop-motion animation) and Final Cut Pro (for ilm), The Bridge is enriching the curriculum at all levels and engaging students by incorporating stastate-of-the-art technology into traditional projects and presentations.

The Center For Innovative Teachingand Learning: The Center for Innovative Teaching andLearning (CITL) at Ridgeield Academy exists to enhance teaching and learningacacross all grade levels to better serve all students. By working with faculty on what we teach and howwe teach, the CITL ensures that Ridgeield Academy builds on forty yearsof the schools history and is ready for the demands of the next forty and bbeyond. Leadership in The Center provides ongoing recommendations tothe schools administrators and facultyregarding student needs, programenhancements, and teacher education.

Veracross: The password-protected database used to track attendance/dismissal, pdismissal, progress reports, report cards, and many other aspects of school life. This program also allows parents to schedule parent-teacher conferences, dismissal changes, etc.

Volunteer Opportunities: Get involved! Ridgeield Academy is so lucky lucky to have an invested group of volunteers who play an essential role in our success.

Food Service: Ridgeield Academy's farm-to-cafeteria food program is a point of distinction. Chef Paul Desiano and his staff are dedicated to providing nutritious, locally grown lunches (when possible) for our students, and wwork each day to source available foods for preparation on-site. In fact, over 90% of every meal is made from scratch at Ridgeield Academy, and that even includes the condiments, chocolate milk, and salad dressings we serve. The school partners with sseveral local farms for eggs, milk, meat, and vegetables to offer the freshest ingredients to our students, faculty and staff.

We believe learning how our food is grown and the way in which it nourishes our bodies is an important part of part of every child's education.

Our school mission states that we help educate our students to be "independent, knowledgeable thinkers" who "embrace new challenges." Trying new foods and embracing new tastes not only helps tto broaden a student's knowledge and appreciation of food, but also helps them become better prepared to make healthy choices in the future. Students have an opportunity to learn about growing, harvesting and composting on our own campus ththrough the organic garden where third grade students are our garden leaders. Students occasionally also attend ield trips to local farms with our cooking staff to better understand the growing/harvesting process. Meal ingredients are eexplained each day prior to serving, so our students have an understanding of where the food was sourced, how it is grown, and what nutritional beneit it offers.

13

Teacher Appreciation Week: Week in May when the RAPA and Classroom Reps organize an annual thank-you breakfast for teachers and administration.

The Annual Fund: A tax-deductible opportunity for parents, alumni, ggrandparents, past parents, and friends to support outstanding teaching and learning. Each year, we appeal to all members of the RA community to make an investment in the Academys current students with a gift to the Annual Fund. Revenue from the Annual Fund is genegenerally unrestricted and is used to fund current operations based on the areas of greatest need. Parents are expected to participate, and gifts of every size are celebrated. The Annual Fund serves as an important revenue stream in the operating budget and pbudget and provides the vital

SSAT Testing:The Secondary School The Secondary School Admission Test (SSAT), administered annually to RA students in grades four through eight, measures basic verbal, quantitative, and reading skills students develop over time. The SSAT is not an achievement testest. It is not designed to measure the extent of knowledge about a speciic curriculum that has been covered in class. Further, SSAT tests are not designed to measure other characteristics, such as motivation, persistence or creativity, that contribute to a student's success in school. However, SSAT tests do provide educators with useful information about student skill ddevelopment in certain key areas, as well as help prepare students for an admission test used by many area independent schools for 9th Grade.

GLOSSARY

14

RAs service learning program empowersstudents and faculty to become active community members. By integrating our traditional curriculum with community service, RA provides an authentic service learning experience. Community service is embedded in our Community service is embedded in our curriculum and enhances our high academic standards.

Students and teachers work collaboratively to understand the issues, and to become the necessary agents in this interdependent world.

RRun4RA: Throughout the year, the importance of physical itness is emphasized in our community. Our annual Run4RA event is a culmination of these efforts, with each Foundation through Grade 8 student being challenged to run and/or walk for an age-appropriate length of time. Our PE staff is length of time. Our PE staff is excited to help our students train for the run during the weeks leading up to it by incorporating running activities into PE class while highlighting stamina, pacing, and fun!

Students are encouraged to secure sponsors to support their efforts in Run4RA. Donations last year ranged from $1 up to $10 for each minute students pledged to run. Proceeds raised during this during this event will go directly to the Teacher Enrichment Fund and teacher professional development.

For a number of years, RAPA has funded the Teacher Enrichment Fund, which provides two teachers, selecselected from a pool of applications, the opportunity to go on amazing, educational trips that help them grow as individuals and teachers.

We do recognize that some children are not as eager to try new and different foods. That is why there is always a variety of choices available for a wide range of tastes, including a fresh salad bar with prepared salads, sansandwich bar, soup of the day, and a hot lunch serving.

Every Monday we participate in the nationwide "Meatless Monday" movement, and every Wednesday we serve international cuisine from around the world. Our monthly menu can be viecan be viewed on the website or accessed through our online newsletter, the RA Weekly.

Parents of Landmark Preschool students have the opportunity to go online each morning and order from a variety of food choices for their child's daichild's daily lunch. Lunches are then prepared and delivered to the classroom for a small fee. Please contact Chef Paul for more information.

If your child has a food allergy, we kindly ask that you contact Chef Paul Desiano Desiano to discuss his or her needs. It is our goal to educate students with allergies about safe food choices, but also provide similar alternatives that can be enjoyed. Our kitchen staff carefully labels food items on the salad and soup bar to help those with alleallergies better select their food choices during the day. Please note that our school is peanut and nut aware to help limit exposure to these foods.

Service Learning: Ridgeield Academyis proud of its dedication to inspiringchacharacter education as well as service to others.

GLOSSARY

On behalf of all of us at Ridgeield Academy and Landmark Preschool, thank you for choosing our school for this important step in your child's educational journey.

The preschool, elementary school, and middle school years are the most formative years in skill development, conidence-building, learning and discovery, and we look forward to sharing this journsharing this journey with you. Our central goal is to help students gain the knowledge, skills, strength of character, and conidence to go forward and lead lives illed with promise. We believe this is the essence of a good education, and it is what matters the most. From the earliest days of preschool to the inal days of eighth grade, our school community is deined by close, caring relationships, solid values, and a strong partnership between home and school. Beyond academic achievement, these are the qualities that make a Ridgeield AAcademy and Landmark Preschool education so valuable. Our students leave eighth grade with a better understanding of their own strengths and interests, and are empowered to take on the challenges and opportunities of the high school setting.

Again, welcome to the Ridgeield Academy and Landmark Preschool family. We lookforward to partnering with you in the year ahead!

223 West Mountain Road - Ridgeield, CT - 06877 T. (203) 894-1800 F. (203) 894-1810

www.landmarkpreschool.org www.ridgeieldacademy.org