11/15/2025

Dear Rippowam families,

What an energizing week at Rippowam! A huge thank-you to our incredible PTO for hosting a two-week Fall Book Fair. Every student had the chance to visit during HEART and other classes, helping us continue to build a schoolwide love of reading.

Our Raptor PRIDE Council and other nominated students also had a special opportunity to hear from former New York Knicks player Allan Houston, who delivered an inspiring message centered on two of our core PRIDE values: Integrity and Determination.

Thank you as well to all the families who joined us for our rescheduled Pumpkin Painting Contest. The creativity on display was outstanding, and students loved voting for their favorites during lunch.

Finally, our Raptor PRIDE Council is teaming up with our School Beautification Committee to transform our building into a winter wonderland. We can’t wait for you to see the results!

With many exciting events ahead, please be sure to check our Rippowam school events calendar regularly.

Upcoming events:

• NOV 21st:  Q1 FINAL GRADES VISIBLE IN PARENT PORTAL

• NOV 24th:  PICTURE DAY

• NOV 27th-28th:  THANKSGIVING BREAK

• DEC 11th:  HOLIDAY FAMILY GAME NIGHT with PHOTO BOOTH

Boys Basketball Tryouts start this week!
Our winter sport is basketball. Girls’ tryouts took place last week, and boys’ tryouts begin this week:
• Monday, 11/17 – 7th & 8th grade
• Tuesday, 11/18 – 6th grade
• Callbacks – Thursday, 11/20

Presentations about the dangers of Vaping in 6th grade HEART
During the week of 11/17, our School Based Health Center and Liberation Programs will be doing presentations in 6th grade HEART classes about the dangers of vaping.

Rowan Center Presentations on Sexual Abuse Prevention and Awareness in HEART December 1st-12th
In June 2014, a law was passed that mandates sexual abuse prevention and awareness education in all schools, grades K-12, effective October 2016. With this in mind, your child’s school is committed to providing a comprehensive health education program that helps students acquire the necessary skills to develop healthy practices, make informed health-related decisions, and feel positive about their bodies. The Rowan Center, our local sexual assault resource agency, created a curriculum around these mandates to raise awareness and assist with the prevention of child sexual abuse and sexual violence. The program is facilitated by The Rowan Center’s certified crisis counselors and trained prevention educators and is a safety education and prevention program that focuses on empathy, respect, boundaries, and consent. Every lesson is age-appropriate. Studies show that lessons like these are most effective when reinforced in multiple areas of a child’s life. Please reach out to your child’s school or The Rowan Center with any questions you may have. You also have the option to opt your child out of this program using THIS FORM. Thank you for being a partner with us in this important area of your child’s education. If you have any questions regarding this program or any other services that we offer, please visit our website at therowancenter.org

Staffing updates:
Ms. Gibson, our Band, Strings, and Music teacher, will be on leave for an undetermined amount of time. We are working to secure a certified long-term music substitute. In the meantime, we are putting a plan in place to support music instruction and finalize a fair approach to Quarter 1 grades. We will share updates as soon as they are available.

iReady and MyPath for student growth in Math and Reading
All students completed an iReady reflection in HEART this week, setting personal goals. Please ask your child about it. Students also have access to MyPath through Clever, which supports their individual needs in Math and ELA. Our goal is 40 minutes per week in each subject, and this can be completed at home.

Parents may access their child’s iReady Report via Clever, which is a technology platform used by SPS to provide students and teachers with a single sign on (SSO) for all digital resources. To access Clever, you will need your child’s SPS gmail account login. Detailed instructions to access iReady Reports via Clever may be accessed here. 

Best,

Kristina Colmenares
Principal, Rippowam Middle School

If you didn’t see the Superintendent’s weekly message, please click HERE.