Dear Branchville Families, 

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year at Branchville Elementary School! We hope you all enjoyed a fun and restful summer. As we embark on this new school year, we are extremely excited about what the faculty, staff and PTA have in store for our BES community!

The start of this school year is particularly special to us because we are kicking off the year with a brand new playground! This playground project was a labor of love for the PTA, and we are especially proud of it because it is fully ADA accessible, so all children can enjoy the new equipment with their friends. We'd like to take a moment to thank the members of the playground committee and all of the families who donated funds, time and talent to make this vision a reality. We are also incredibly grateful to the RPS administration and the Ridgefield First Selectman's office for their logistical and financial support. The district, town, and PTA all collaborated on this project and gave new meaning to the sense of community we already felt here at Branchville. We can't wait to see the joy and excitement that this new addition brings to recess time! Come join us August 25th at 3:15 for the ribbon cutting ceremony and check out the new playground!

In addition to our new playground, the PTA helps support and run many different programs in partnership with the school. There are dozens of programs that we organize, fund, and facilitate each year for students and families. A sampling of our programs include Path to Zero, Come Play School, the Scholastic Book Fair, 5th Grade Musical, Beaver Boogie, Beaver Bucks, Field Day, After School Enrichment, Invention Convention, and DEIB. We also underwrite fees for guest authors and other assemblies and enrichment opportunities, coordinate the yearbook, maintain the garden on the school grounds, and so much more. 

We are always looking for volunteers in a variety of roles, now more than ever as we are back to a typical school year with events in full swing! There are plenty of opportunities to help out with programs that already exist, but we additionally welcome new ideas and will help support in any way we can. If you are interested, please let us know and we’d be happy to point you in the right direction. We can be reached at board@branchvillepta.org. 

Our BES PTA website at www.branchvillepta.org has all the important information pertaining to upcoming events and programs. For your convenience, links are provided to make purchases and sign up for activities at BES easier. You can find the lunch menu, school calendar and many other helpful links there. We hope this will be your go-to for everything PTA.  In addition, there is now a Membership Toolkit app! Membership Toolkit is our website platform, and the app will help notify you anytime we send a message. 

With all of this in mind, we highly encourage you to join the PTA; your membership provides you with a vote, access to the online Branchville Student Directory and PTA communications. The Directory is only available to members and is essential for communicating with other BES families! Our eBlasts, a weekly email, are the best way to stay in the know for all things BES; on our website, click the blue button that says “Register and Join the PTA'' and register to receive the eBlasts. Please take note, if you do not register for the PTA, you will not receive the weekly eBlast emails nor will you have access to the Directory. Plan on registering when you have received your child’s class assignment by going to branchvillepta.org.  When you register, you can list your child’s teacher, and you’ll be able to see other families in the same class as well. 

Finally, we want to stress that the PTA and the school administration are very open to hearing any concerns, suggestions, or questions you may have.  Before you take to social media to air your ideas or concerns, please let us know what’s on your mind by emailing us at board@branchvillepta.org! Mr. Margolus has asked us to emphasize that his door is always open as well. Just call or email Catherine in the main office (cbasso@ridgefieldps.net) to set up a time to talk to Mr. Margolus. We all want to work together to make sure that all students and families continue to have a positive experience at BES.  

Welcome (or Welcome Back) to BES! Let’s have a great year! 

Warmly,

Mary Salgado and Katherine Voellmicke

BES PTA Co-Presidents

board@branchvillepta.org