1/3/2026

Dear Rippowam Families,

Happy and healthy 2026 to you and your loved ones! I hope you had a wonderful winter break filled with time to rest, recharge, and connect with your children, family, and friends. As we begin the new year together, it has been a joy to welcome our students back and feel the energy and excitement that make Rippowam such a special community.

Our final day of school before the break was a true celebration of that spirit during our annual Winter Community Day. From the incredible performances in our talent show to the Holiday Hoops basketball game featuring players from our basketball team alongside our Unified Sports team, the day highlighted the best of Rippowam. Students cheered one another on, supported their peers, and celebrated the remarkable artistic and athletic talents within our school. It was a beautiful reminder of the inclusive, joyful community we continue to build together.

Be sure to check out our Rippowam PTO social media pages for photos and videos from both events—you won’t want to miss them!

We look forward to seeing our students on Monday, January 5th!

Upcoming events:

• JAN 5th - SCHOOL RESUMES AFTER WINTER BREAK/COIN WARS STARTS

• JAN 8th - MATH iREADY MID-YEAR ASSESSMENT

• JAN 12th - PRE-ORDERS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY CARNATION BEGINS

• JAN 13th - READING iREADY MID-YEAR ASSESSMENT

• JAN 20th- ROSCCO AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM RESUMES

• JAN 20th - JAN 23rd:  Q2 MATH EXAM

• JAN 23rd - END OF Q2

PTO Coin War Fundraiser for the month of January!
Get ready for Coin Wars, our January PTO fundraiser supporting grade-level field trips! We’re switching things up this year —all coins earn positive points for your team, while paper bills are the sabotage and count as negative points for other teams.

How it works:
• Put coins in your own team’s jar to earn points
• Put paper bills in other teams’ jars to subtract points

The team with the highest total of positive points will win raffle tickets for a chance to pie a staff member in the face on 2/12.

i-Ready Mid-Year Assessment
Students will be taking their i-Ready mid-year assessments during the school day in their classrooms. The Math assessment will take place on Thursday, January 8, and the ELA assessment will take place on Tuesday, January 13. Each assessment will be completed in class period using a one-day testing schedule. These assessments are important because they help us measure your child’s growth in reading and math skills and inform second-semester scheduling decisions, including the placement in or removal from intervention classes.\

Valentine’s Day Carnation Sales
Valentine’s Carnation Day is coming! The Rippowam PTO will be selling carnations for $2 each, including a card to write a message. Pre-orders run from January 12 through January 28, with delivery on February 10. Students may purchase carnations with cash in the main office or from PTO volunteers during lunch waves. Don’t miss out on spreading some Valentine’s Day cheer!

School Closings, Delays, and Early Dismissals
Winter weather brings school delays, early dismissals, and closures due to inclement weather. Families will be notified via school messenger phone calls and emails using the contact information in PowerSchool. Staff will be notified via phone calls and emails. Early dismissals also will be announced in-building. More information about inclement weather protocols can be found here.

Middle School Debate Team Recruiting Members
AITE is proud to sponsor a Middle School Debate Team that is open to ALL Stamford Public Schools students in grades 6 through 8. Debate builds students’ critical thinking, communication, and research skills and is linked to strong academic outcomes. All three of our high schools offer debate teams, and Rippowam students often go on to compete—and succeed—at the regional and state levels.

This FREE after school enrichment activity will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 to 5:30 pm in the AITE cafeteria beginning Tuesday, January 6. Click here to register your child for this activity.  Please direct any questions about the Middle School Debate Team to Simon Walker at swalker1@stamfordpublicschools.org.

Best,

Kristina Colmenares
Principal, Rippowam Middle School

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