Bruno M. Ponterio

Ridge Street School

Home of the Bluebirds

Weekly Highlights 9/28-10/2

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH - September 15-October 15

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 through October 15. During this month, we celebrate the cultures, traditions, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities. Throughout the month, we’ll be sharing special book and song recommendations for you to enjoy. We will even share some recipes as food is all about community and happens to also be muy deliciosa!

Vamonos a Paraguay!

Paraguay, a country in South America, has two official languages: Spanish and Guaraní. Guaraní is an Indigenous language spoken by many people across the country, and you can even hear it in everyday conversations! Paraguay is one of the few countries in the Americas where an Indigenous language is spoken by most of the population.

Sounds of Flamenco!

Did you know that flamenco dancers can make music with their feet? Their fast footwork, called “zapateado,” creates exciting rhythms that go along with the guitar, singing, and clapping!

And when you see an amazing flamenco dancer, you might hear people cheer “¡Olé!” It’s a Spanish expression used to show excitement and appreciation, kind of like saying “Bravo!” or “Amazing!”

On Friday, our bluebirds will get to experience the excitement of flamenco during our special assembly-so get ready to watch, listen, and maybe even cheer… ¡Olé!

Flamenco Assembly - Hispanic Heritage Month

Today, our Bluebirds enjoyed a wonderful Flamenco Assembly in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, generously funded by the BBPTA! Rebecca Tomas, our Grade 3 Flamenco Dance instructor, returned with two talented artists—a dancer and guitarist—to introduce our students to the history and culture of Flamenco. Students learned where Flamenco began, explored some of the basic steps, learned about the castanets, and even had the chance to join in and try some moves themselves!

A BIG thank you to the BBPTA for their generosity in funding these wonderful cultural assemblies and giving our Bluebirds opportunities to learn about and celebrate different cultures through the arts!

Celebrating Culture in our Classroom

Mrs. Krouskoff's second grade class was visited by Niam's mom to help us celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. She read two wonderful books to the children and led them in a variety of fun and meaningful activities. Each child also had the opportunity to take home a special pencil case generously donated by Niam’s grandparents, who live in Peru. We are so grateful to Niam’s family for sharing their culture and helping make this celebration so special for our class!

5th Grade Town Hall

Our 5th graders came together for a special Town Hall focused on what it means to be a leader in our school community. Through real-life scenarios, small-group conversations, and lots of thoughtful discussion, students talked about responsibility, respect, self-control, resilience, and making good choices—even when no one is watching. We loved hearing their ideas and seeing them take ownership of what it means to be a 5th grade leader.

Second Grade Scientists

Our second grade scientists in Mrs. Pirrazzi and Ms. Deegan's class designed hats to protect them from a hot, sunny day! Then, they explored our school grounds to observe different types of leaves and their unique properties. Science is all around us!

Ms. Taylor visits classes for Read alouds!

Principal Taylor loved getting into classrooms this week to read with our Bluebirds! We read The Bakery Dragon by Devin Elle Kurtz and had some great conversations about being ourselves, finding what makes us special, and noticing the little things that bring us joy.

BLUEBIRD FITNESS 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.

All the best,

The BMPRSS PE Staff - Mr. Forzaglia, Mrs. Quinlan, and 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 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

Transportation Information

If your child is eligible for our bus service, you will receive information in August 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

NBS (Non-Bus Eligible) Information: If you're found NOT to be eligible for the District's bus transportation you are considered a non-bus student (NBS) will will receive an NBS tag to display on your vehicle's rearview mirror. Please contact Mr. Juan Zhindon (Head of Transportation) via email: jzhindon@blindbrook.org if you have any information about being non-bus eligible.

NBS tags have been sent by mail and NBS families should have received NBS tags in the mail. Please contact the Main Office - ridgestreetmainoffice@blindbrook.org - if you do not receive your NBS tags!

Traffic Safety Letter

Please make sure that you have read our Traffic Safety Letter which was sent via email a few weeks ago. This email correspondence also includes the Arrival and Dismissal maps.

Please be mindful of the following changes, especially the NEW changes:

NEW FOR THE 2026-2027 School Year:

During dismissal, traffic can become congested in both directions on Ridge Street. Our goal is to keep traffic moving as efficiently as possible while ensuring the safety of our students, families, staff, pedestrians, and drivers, as well as maintaining a clear path for emergency vehicles to pass by and/or access our campus. To help improve traffic flow and safety, the following procedures will be in effect during dismissal from 2:00–3:30 p.m.:

Right turns only when entering campus from Ridge Street between 2:00–3:30 p.m.
No left turns from Ridge Street onto campus or into any campus parking lot between 2:00–3:30 p.m.
No left turns from campus onto Ridge Street between 2:00–3:30 p.m.; vehicles must turn right when exiting campus.

Blind Brook PTA News

Fall Family Mini Sessions

Registration is open for Suzanne Claire Studios minis at Crawford Park on Thursday, Oct 22 (afternoon) and Saturday, Oct 24. $250 for a 15 minute session with 5 edited digital photos, and every booking gives back to the Blind Brook PTA!

Save the Date: Giveback night

Eat good, do good, support our schools! Join us for a delicious night out that gives back.

Chipotle Taco Tuesday

Tuesday, October 27, 2026, 5:00-9:00pm

Chipotle, 100 S Ridge St, Rye Brook, NY 10573

Dine in or order online. Mention Blind Brook at checkout! For online orders, use code 7R6MNRV in the promo code section before completing your order. 25% of sales donated to Blind Brook Schools.

Save the Date: Fall Fest

Saturday, October 17 at Ridge Street School, 1-4pm

Blind Brook's biggest community celebration of the year, with games, food, and fun for the whole family.

Save the Date: Rye Brook Trunk or Treat

Wednesday, October 28, 2026, 6:00-7:00pm at Pine Ridge Park, Grades K-12

A community event sponsored by Rye Brook Village. Come visit the Blind Brook PTA trunk for candy, decorated trunks, and Halloween fun for the whole community!

Fuel Your School

Check out these easy ways to fuel your school, at no extra cost to you!

RaiseRight

Buy gift cards you'd already be buying for everyday spending, and a percentage comes back to Blind Brook. raiseright.com/enroll/RR-NRRNYTNXFF

DeCicco & Sons is OPEN IN GREENWICH

Link your DeCicco's shopper account to “Blind Brook PTA” and a portion of your grocery purchases supports our schools. pta.deciccos.com

Registration for this Parent Workshop is open on Givebacks - blindbrook.givebacks.com

Want to PARP with us?

Blind Brook PTA Fundraiser

Sharing is Scaring!

Blind Brook PTA Afterschool Program - YAS (Your After School) Program Registration

Registration is open as of Wednesday, August 26 at 7pm

YAS offers elementary Bluebirds a fun, safe way to spend their after-school hours — with a rotating lineup of clubs, sports, arts, and enrichment activities led by experienced instructors.

👉 View the class schedule and register here: Your After School - Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street

Rye Brook Recreation After School Program Registration

Registration for the 2026-27 RYE BROOK AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM is 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.

Visitors - Photo ID Required

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 a VISITOR sticker 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 unless there is a scheduled meeting.

Support Our Schools

Looking for an easy way to support our schools?

Box Tops. Download the Box Tops app, create an account and scan your receipts. For all items associated with Box Tops, we receive a $0.10 donation. And if you find any Box Tops on products, you can still clip and submit them.

Thank you for supporting our schools!

For questions or more information on Box Tops, please contact the Blind Brook PTA - bbptapresidents@gmail.com