3/21/2026

Dear Rippowam Families,

Happy official start to spring! We also extend warm wishes to all of our families celebrating the end of Ramadan—Eid Mubarak.

Thank you to our PTO President for organizing and coordinating a wonderful Spring Fling dance for our students. We are also grateful to Ms. Lopez and Mr. Davis for serving as onsite staff and helping ensure a safe and enjoyable event. A special thank you to 8th grader Indigo Palacio Rojas, who volunteered his time and talent as our DJ—his contribution truly made the night special for our school community. We also appreciate all of the parents who volunteered to chaperone and support the event. Your partnership helps make these experiences possible for our students.

Upcoming events:

• MAR 23rd - 27th - SPRING BOOK FAIR

• MAR 25th - EARLY RELEASE DAY

• APR 3rd - 10th - NO SCHOOL SPRING BREAK

• APR 16th & 17th - SCIENCE NGSS ASSESSMENT (8th grade only)

• APR 21 - SBA ELA ASSESSMENT

• APR 22nd - EARLY RELEASE DAY/SPRING COMMUNITY DAY

• APR 29 & 30th - SBA MATH ASSESSMENT

Wednesday, March 25th is an early release day
Students will be released at 11:45 am for staff professional development.

Important Dates and Grading Updates for Q3
Please note the following upcoming dates related to grading and report cards due to the snow days:

• April 2: End of 3rd quarter

• April 24: 3rd quarter final grades available in Parent Portal

Last Day of School Update
The Board of Education voted to eliminate the 181st day of the 2025–26 school year. If there are no additional snow days, the last day of school will be Thursday, June 18, meeting the state requirement of 180 school days.  Fingers crossed for no more snow days!  More information about graduation/moving up ceremonies will come in early April.

Spring Book Fair is this week
Your child will have time this week to visit during their HEART class.  Parent Volunteers are needed March 23rd - 27th... please check out the SignUp Genius HERE

March Madness Attendance Challenge has begun
Our March Madness Attendance Challenge begins Monday. Congratulations to all of the winners and HEART classes that moved on to round 2!Each week we will celebrate students and Heart classes with strong attendance. Students from each grade who attend every day will be randomly chosen for VIP lunch, and the HEART class with the highest attendance will earn a VIP dismissal pass.  See HERE for the brackets. 

School Climate Survey for Families is open
We are 70 surveys away from our goal of 300!  Please complete your parent survey if you haven’t already - your voice matters to us!  The 2026 School Climate Survey for Families is available in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Ukrainian. The survey is hosted by Panorama Education and all responses are completely anonymous. The deadline to complete the survey is Friday, March 27.

Incoming 9th grade parent nights:

• 8th grade students attending Westhill:
  9th Grade Parent-Student Orientation at Westhill High School has been rescheduled to Wednesday, March 25, 2026 from 6:30 to 7:45 PM. 

• 8th grade students attending AITE:
  AITE will host parent night for incoming 9th graders on Thursday, April 30 from 6 to 7:30 pm

• 8th grade students attending Stamford High:
  Stamford High School will host parent night for incoming 9th graders in May on a date to be determined.

Best,

Kristina Colmenares
Principal, Rippowam Middle School

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