Bruno M. Ponterio

Ridge Street School

Home of the Bluebirds

Weekly Highlights 9/15/25 - 9/19/25

Hispanic Heritage Month

We are excited to begin celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, which takes place from September 15th to October 15th. This special month is a time to recognize and honor the history, culture, traditions, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities across the United States and around the world.

Throughout the next few weeks, we will learn about inspiring leaders, listen to music, explore art and literature, and celebrate the languages and traditions that make our community so wonderfully diverse.

We invite all of our students, staff, and families to join in the celebration—whether it’s by reading a book by a Latino author, enjoying a new food, sharing family stories, or simply learning something new together.

Let’s use this month as an opportunity to learn, celebrate, and honor the many cultures that help make our school and community stronger.

¡Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana!

Lucky Diaz

Lucky Díaz is a Grammy Award–winning musician, songwriter, and children’s book author who brings joy to kids and families everywhere through his music and stories. Known as the “King of Kindie Rock,” Lucky mixes English and Spanish in his songs, celebrating Latino culture with rhythm, humor, and heart.

With his band, Lucky Díaz and the Family Jam Band, he has performed all over the world—from big festivals to classrooms—sharing music that makes kids want to sing, dance, and celebrate who they are. He is also the author of the picture book Paletero Man, which was inspired by his childhood memories of chasing down the ice cream cart on hot summer days in Los Angeles.

Lucky believes in the power of music and stories to bring people together, and he uses his creativity to honor his Mexican American heritage while inspiring young readers and listeners everywhere.

Celia Cruz

Celia Cruz, known as the "Queen of Salsa," was an amazing singer who made music that made people want to dance all over the world! She was born in Cuba, and her voice was so powerful and joyful that people from many different countries loved her songs. One fun fact is that Celia was famous for shouting "¡Azúcar!" (which means "sugar" in Spanish) during her performances. It became her signature phrase, and it made her fans cheer and smile every time she sang. She loved spreading happiness with her music!

Learn more about Celia Cruz with My Name is Celia / Me llamo Celia by Monica Brown

Ecuador

Did you know Ecuador is the only country named after the equator — and there's even a special place near the capital city (Quito) called La Mitad del Mundo, which means 'The Middle of the World' in Spanish. At this spot, you can stand with one foot in the Northern Hemisphere and one foot in the Southern Hemisphere at the same time!"

To learn more about Ecuador, you can view the video!

International Dot Day

🎉 Let’s Celebrate DOT DAY with Ms. Zatarga & Mrs. Murphy! 🎉

📅 September 15th – 18th, 2025

Get ready to make your mark and have some fun—because it’s time for International Dot Day!
This awesome celebration is inspired by the book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. The Dot is the story of a caring teacher who dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to “make her mark”. What begins with a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing, which has gone on to inspire countless children and adults around the globe. Check out some of the ways our bluebirds celebrated International Dot Day!!

Students in our Young Engineers classes were very creative. Our students designed structures with our pool ‘dots’ and some of our 3rd graders made Dot Day Gliders.

The Kindergarten and first grade students celebrated the book, The Dot this week by making a huge botanical Dot! They created a colorful “Rangoli” from 10 different flowers placing them in a design. Rangoli is a traditional Indian folk art form where colored sand, rice or even flowers are used to make a beautiful pattern. A Rangoli symbolizes good fortune and positivity!

They Keys of Keynote

Mrs. Gambino, our Instructional Support Specialist, introduced second grade students to an Apple program called Keynote. Students learned how to use special features in Keynote to create, animate, and solve addition and subtraction word problems. Students really enjoyed problem solving in creative ways using their iPads!

Fun Friday in the Courtyard

Storytime with Ms. Taylor

Blind Brook Destination Imagination Season is Beginning!

We were excited to host a Blind Brook Destination Imagination Parent Interest meeting this past week! Some of our parents and bluebirds participated in an Instant Challenge and heard about the Destination Imagination program highlights. We know that some parents coudl not attend and would like more information. Stay tuned for a ZOOM/GOOGLE MEETS info session later this month!

Welcoming Butterflies to the Bluebird Garden!

This week, a colorful Monarch caterpillar was discovered nibbling on the very Milkweed plants planted by last year’s second graders! It now has a safe home with plenty of fresh Milkweed to enjoy, and we expect it to form a chrysalis within the week.

Speaking of Monarch chrysalises, one was also found in our garden! Both the caterpillar and the chrysalis are being carefully cared for, and we can’t wait to watch them transform into butterflies.

All students are welcome to stop by the kindergarten hallway windows to catch a glimpse of our special guests. Thanks to all our Bluebirds, our garden is truly becoming a safe place for nature to do its work!

Hello from Ms. Zatarga - our Bluebird Librarian

BMPRSS Main Office - Contact Info

If you need to reach anyone in the BMPRSS Main Office, please make sure you use our Main Office email address and Main Office phone extension:

- - - Email - ridgestreetmainoffice@blindbrook.org
    - Phone - 914-937-3600 x2199

Reporting Absences

If your child will be absent please remember to email all three:

BMPRSS Nurse's Office - rssnurse@blindbrook.org
BMPRSS Attendance Office - rssattendance@blindbrook.org
Your child's teacher

Health Office - Contact Info

Our school nurses are responsible for all matters relating to individual student health issues, including verifying medical excuses, monitoring individual student health matters, emergency intervention, and special programs related to student health.

The BMPRSS Nurse is the main point of contact for:

Parents to inform the school of children's absences
Assessing and caring for infirm children during the school day
Contacting parents to report children's illnesses and injuries
Maintaining and dispensing children's medications
Ensuring that food brought into the classroom (i.e., for parties) is nut-free

We are very happy to have three nurses at our school - Nurse Frannie, Nurse Tara, and Nurse Erica. Please use our Health Office email to contact them about any medical questions! If you need to contact the BMPRSS Health Office PLEASE email rssnurse@blindbrook.org so that ALL of our BMPRSS receive important information.

If your child has severe allergies, or a newly diagnosed medical condition, and you have NOT notified the school at this time, please email rssnurse@blindbrook.org ASAP!

BMPRSS Health Office Email Address: rssnurse@blindbrook.org

BMPRSS Health Office Phone Number: 914-937-3600 x2217

September Lunch Menu

Please click here for the September Lunch Menu!

NutriKids/MySchoolBucks - NutriKids is the system that our cafeteria uses to manage student food purchases. Parents may view what their children purchase in the cafeteria as well as add money to their student's lunch account through My School Bucks. A quick reference guide containing directions on setting up your account can be found at this link. Please note that there is a service charge for putting money on a student's account electronically.

Don't forget! All payment for lunch is through your My School Bucks account. Please click here to set up your My School Bucks account for your child/children! Please see the IMPORTANT NOTE BELOW about our school lunch program.

Important Notes About our School Lunch Program

The Blind Brook-Rye School District utilizes an independent 3rd party, My School Bucks, to process charges and payments to individual student accounts. The parent/guardian sets up this account and decides which options they want to utilize including automatic payment and low balance notices. We do not have access to this information due to privacy concerns and to safeguard personal financial information. If you believe there is an issue with your My School Bucks account, we suggest you contact the company directly. We are unable to intervene on your behalf.

Once this account is set up, you can view your child’s purchases and balances. If you have specific questions concerning individual items purchased, please contact our food service company here. If you wish to restrict your child’s purchases to only meals or only one additional item per day, you can contact our food service management company and they will note that in your child’s account.

If a student’s balance becomes negative and exceeds $50, the student will no longer be allowed to charge supplemental meal items such as snacks, second servings of meal components, or additional drinks. However, the Blind Brook-Rye School District will still allow the purchase and charging of a lunch. Please log into your "My School Bucks" account and check if there is any balance remaining on the account.

If any family is experiencing financial difficulties, please contact our guidance department. They will be able to provide resources and contact information. All personal information provided is strictly confidential.

Transportation Information

If your child is eligible for our bus service, you will receive information on the Parent Portal of your child's bus number and bus time pick-up and drop-off. If you have any questions about bus transportation, bus stops, or pick-up/drop-off times, please reach out to Mr. Juan Zhindon (Head of Transportation) via email: jzhindon@blindbrook.org

If you're found NOT to be eligible for the District's bus transportation you are considered a non-bus student (NBS) will receive an NBS tag to display on your vehicle's rearview mirror. By now, all NBS families should have received information in the mail. If not, please contact the BMPRSS Main Office for your NBS bus info.

Bluebird Fitness Fun Out of the Nest

Hello Active Bluebirds!!

We are so excited to see how you flew high and stayed active and fit this summer! Use the link below to send us pictures of how you moved and ruffled your feathers out of the nest this summer!

Click here for link

We can’t wait to see what you were up to! All picture submissions will be displayed on a bulletin board outside of the New Gym! We would like to have this put together before the kids arrive in September. See you soon!

All the best,

The BMPRSS PE Staff!

Mr. Forzaglia

Mrs. Quinlan

Mrs. Venuto

We are a "Nut Aware" School and Allergy Aware School!

Dear BMPRSS Families:

The Blind Brook School District has established a Health and Wellness Policy committed to providing a school environment that promotes and protects children's health, well-being, and the ability to learn by fostering healthy eating habits and physical activity.

As a school community, we are committed to the health and safety of our students. We are writing to alert you that some of our students have a type of food allergy that can be particularly serious and, in some cases, life threatening. If the child comes in contact with the offending food (whether airborne, ingested or physical contact) there may be an anaphylactic reaction resulting in the inability to breathe. For this reason, we have a “nut aware” environment at the Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street School. Our food service vendor does not sell peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or use peanut oil or any tree nut products in the preparation of the food sold in our cafeteria. Our faculty and staff are trained and take great measures to ensure the safety of our children.

In addition, there are things that you and your children can do to help keep these specific children safe. In particular, please do not send food to school that “contain peanuts or tree nuts”, “may contain nuts”, “are made in a factory that processes peanuts”, or “are made in a facility that makes or processes tree nuts”. If your child eats peanut butter or any product containing tree nuts for breakfast, please have your child wash his/her hands and mouth thoroughly and brush their teeth after eating. This will help avoid contact with any peanut or tree nut residue, which can cause a potentially fatal reaction for a child with a peanut/tree nut allergy. Children who happen to bring a food item to school for lunch, and this item contains or may contain peanuts/tree nuts, will sit at a specifically designated peanut/tree nut table during their lunch period, and they are allowed to ask one friend (who is not allergic to peanuts/tree nuts) to sit with them. Please pack a wipe packet and stress to your children that they must wash their hands after eating their food containing peanuts/tree nuts. (Please note that hand sanitizer is available to all children. We also have a handwashing station in our Cafetorium.)

We are asking you to scrutinize labels and if there is ANY sign of peanuts/tree nuts, please do not bring the food items to the classroom. Our classrooms remain peanut/tree nut free. Any food item that is brought in must contain a label. We recognize that some of our children may have allergies to foods other than peanuts/tree nuts. Our BMPRSS nurses will send out specific information to those classes and grade levels so that everyone is mindful of any allergens. As such, we do NOT condone the sharing of food during lunch time or in the classroom.

For your convenience, we have attached a list of healthy food guidelines and suggestions. If you are sending in a food item not listed in these guidelines, you MUST send in the label. We have taken these measures to protect all of our students. We understand that this may be an inconvenience for many of you, but exposure can be life threatening to some. If you have any questions, you may contact the BMPRSS Health Office at ANY time: 914-937-3600 x2217 or via email rssnurse@blindbrook.org

Thank you for helping keep our children safe!

Tracy Taylor, Principal
Dr. Teresa Letizia, Assistant Principal
BMPRSS Health Office - rssnurse@blindbrook.org

BMPRSS Bluebird Parent Chat

Our Bluebird Chats will be throughout the year to bring our families together for various events.

Our first one will be held on Thursday, September 25, 2025 in the B.M.P.R.S.S. Cafetorium as we welcome everyone back for the 2025-2026 school year! Please join us for coffee and treats! (This date was originally on September 18th, but was changed so parents can attend the Blind Brook PTA Meeting on September 18th!)

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm - BMPRSS New Families Bluebird Chat
- If you are new to our school, we'd like to welcome you and share a few things that make our school and community so special! This is a great opportunity to meet other new families!
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm - BMPRSS Family Bluebird Chat
- Join Ms. Taylor and Dr. Letizia to hear a little bit about the upcoming school year and get a chance to meet some new families! Our new families may stay during this session, too!

Visitor Information

In our effort to maintain a safe and secure environment, all school visitors must enter through the school’s main entrance, provide a valid photo ID, sign in at the security desk, and wear an ORANGE VISITOR LANYARD while they are in the building. If you have a meeting with a teacher, staff member, or administrator, please enter through the Main Entrance as the security monitor will have a list of scheduled meetings.

Visitors will not be allowed in the building without a valid Photo ID and a scheduled meeting.

Disruptive Devices and Items

(This includes reference to the NYS Distraction-Free School Law)

At BMPRSS, we strive to create a learning environment where all of our bluebirds can engage fully with the world around them—learning, connecting, and growing together each day. To support a distraction-free environment, we are reminding families of our long-standing expectations around personal devices and disruptive items.

In alignment with New York State’s Distraction-Free Schools Law (NY Education Law § 2803), "Students cannot use devices like smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches (or any device accessing the internet) on school grounds from the start of the school day until the end, including all instructional and non-instructional time." This applies even if the internet or WiFi is turned off. These items must remain off and out of sight during school hours.

As outlined in our BMPRSS Family Guidebook, the following items have always been considered disruptive and should not be brought to school or on school grounds unless authorized by a member of the school staff or administration:

Smartwatches (including those that send/receive messages or connect to the internet)
Phones, tablets, iPods/iPads, hand-held video games
Toys or collectibles, such as Pokémon cards, trading cards, Silly Banz, etc.
Any item that resembles a weapon of any kind
Clickers or noise-making devices

Please note: This list is not exhaustive. Any item that disrupts the learning environment or poses a safety concern will not be allowed in school.

We appreciate your support in helping us maintain a focused and safe learning environment for all our bluebirds!

School Safety Drills

BMPRSS will begin to conduct all of our required fire drills and lockdown drills starting in September for the 2025-2026 school year. Families are required to receive notification of drills prior to the scheduled drills. If you have any questions about these drills, please contact Dr. Letizia - tletizia@blindbrook.org

Mental Health Resources in the Bluebird Nest

Click HERE to go to our BMPRSS Mental Health Resources page.

Updating Emergency Contact Information

As part of our ongoing commitment to student safety, we are strongly encouraging all families to review and update their emergency contact information in eSchoolData. In the event of an emergency where we are unable to reach a parent or guardian, having accurate and comprehensive contact details is essential.

We kindly ask that you include anyone you trust who might serve as an emergency contact, such as a babysitter, family friend, or relative. Updating this information now ensures that we are prepared in case unforeseen circumstances require us to reach out to someone other than parents.

For your convenience, here is the information we have been sharing in the Weekly Highlights:

Log onto the eSchoolData Parent Portal and click on the name of your BMPRSS child.
Click the “Contact Verification” button below your child’s photo.
In the Guardian Information section:
- Ensure that each guardian is assigned a contact priority number. Priority numbers must begin at 1 and cannot be used more than once.
- Ensure that all listed phone numbers are accurate.
- Ensure that guardian email addresses are correct.
In the Emergency Contact Information section:
- Ensure the name and contact information for any adult (over the age of 18) who will be permitted to sign your child out in the case of an emergency.

Thank you for taking the time to keep this critical information up to date. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Thanks,

BMPRSS Administration, Faculty, and Staff

Blind Brook PTA Membership Drive

The strength of our schools starts with the parent community and our PTA Membership Drive is open!

The strength of our schools starts with the parent community and our PTA Membership Drive is open! We are aiming for 100% participation this year from families & staff, and have migrated to an eCommerce platform to make it easier than ever.

Membership is annual, and every year counts. You can purchase your family standard membership HERE

Annual dues are $30 per family and $25 for Blind Brook teachers & staff.

You can also purchase a printed Dial-A-Friend directory HERE

All members get exclusive access to the online student directory via SchoolBee. As a reminder, after class placements are announced, SchoolBee is unavailable as we update the backend. We appreciate your patience.

Your membership funds school & community-wide events, improvements in buildings, teacher appreciation, SchoolBee, ASA / half-day programs, spirit wear, fun activities & much more!

Thank you for joining us - it truly does make a difference for our kids!

Questions? Reach out to your Membership Co-Chairs, Lindsay Noymer & Rachel Boyman, at BBPTAmembers@gmail.com.

Rye Brook Recreation After School Program

Registration for the 2025-26 RYE BROOK AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM is now open!

We offer many different options. Below are our monthly fees:

2 days per week: $295

3 days per week: $400

4 days per week: $495

5 days per week: $575

Have a fun & safe rest of the summer. We look forward to providing your child/children with After School care for the upcoming school year.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Rocky Furano at rfurano@ryebrookny.gov or 914-438-2087.

Rye Brook Recreation Staff

P.S. If you are thinking about sending your child in September, please see click here for the Health and Registration Form that will need to be submitted, along with your child's immunization report, before the start of the program. Email forms to Rocky Furano at rfurano@ryebrookny.gov.

Community Activities and Programs - Voluntary

FROM RYE BROOK RECREATION

The Village of Rye Brook is offering some new pickleball programs for the Fall. We are offering pickleball for kids and adults from 8 years old to 99, on Saturday mornings at Rye Hills Park. We also have lowered our prices for the programs so it's very affordable to learn or brush up on your pickleball skills. Some of our programs will be at our new 3-court pickleball courts at Garibaldi Park.

See you on the courts!

Rye Brook Recreation

Click here for the Rye Brook Parks and Recreation Department Brochure

Blind Brook District Technology Resources for Families and Students

Please check out this link below for any tech resources that you need!

https://sites.google.com/blindbrook.org/technologyresourcesforparents/home

Also, please do not hesitate to contact our Technology Department if you need any assistance at ANY time:

Mr. Charles Von Hollen - cvonhollen@blindbrook.org

Mrs. Katie Gambino - kgambino@blindbrook.org

Mrs. Jen Vazquez - jvazquez@blindbrook.org

UPCOMING EVENTS

September 23 & 24

SCHOOL CLOSED FOR ROSH HASHANAH

September 25

BMPRSS Bluebird Parent Chat

Location - BMPRSS Cafetorium

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm - BMPRSS New Families Bluebird Chat

- If you are new to our school, we'd like to welcome you and share a few things that make our school and community so special! This is a great opportunity to meet other new families!

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm - BMPRSS Family Bluebird Chat

- Join Ms. Taylor and Dr. Letizia to hear a little bit about the upcoming school year and get a chance to meet some new families! Our new families may stay during this session, too!

October 1

Kindergarten "On-Site" Field Trip - Making Apple Cider

This is an "on-site" field trip for Kindergarten classes ONLY!

October 2

SCHOOL CLOSED FOR YOM KIPPUR

October 8

Blind Brook Board of Education Meeting

7:30 pm

Blind Brook MS/HS Library

October 13

SCHOOL CLOSED FOR COLUMBUS DAY

October 15 & October 16

School Picture Days

Schedule will be sent soon!

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