Ruffing Family Association

Welcome to the Ruffing Family Association information page!

Many parents and families have expressed the desire for greater involvement and more opportunities for connection with Ruffing and one another. The RFA will take the lead in planning school events and community-building activities, allowing our dedicated staff to focus more fully on their essential educational and administrative work. The hope is for the RFA to offer all families the chance to come together, share ideas, and play an active role in shaping the experience of our children and our school community. Our goal is to build a vibrant, inclusive, and collaborative community where everyone has an opportunity to contribute in meaningful ways.

This page will be your one-stop shop for all things RFA – calendar of events, sign-up links, and eventually spiritwear purchasing.

Get Involved with the RFA!

The RFA is looking for parents who would like to be involved throughout the school year! This general volunteer list will be used to recruit help for both well-loved Ruffing traditions as well as exciting new events and ideas. Whether you’d like to take the lead on an event, help with planning, or simply lend a hand when needed, we’d love to have you involved! We’ll reach out throughout the year as volunteer opportunities arise and match volunteers with the events and initiatives that interest them. As always, please feel free to reach out via email with any new ideas or feedback at rfa@ruffingmontessori.org.  Click here to sign up!

See below for chairperson opportunities.

RFA Event Initiative Heads 2026-2027

Fall Fest – Sam Murphy

Stock the Teacher’s Lounge – Kate Tullio

Material Making – Garvin Seto

Book Fair – Tish Paxton

Auction – Annette Falvo Katona, Dani Jones

Hot Lunch Program – Amanda Steinacker

Teacher Appreciation Lunches – Sarah Filipic and Terra Caputo

Black & White Photo Day – Jacqueline Terrell, Terra Caputo, Alexis & Pete Grapentien, Steph Fontana

Roller Skating Party – chair needed!

End-of-Year Golf Outing – chair needed!

RFA Classroom Representatives

We’re excited to offer parents the opportunity to serve as an RFA Classroom Representative this year! Classroom representatives will serve as a point person between their classroom and the RFA and help coordinate a few classroom-specific initiatives throughout the year.

Core responsibilities include:

-Organizing your classroom’s auction basket for the annual RFA fundraising gala

-Coordinating your classroom’s assigned month of contributions for Stock the Teacher’s Lounge

There are also several optional ways to get involved, depending on what works for your classroom:

-Organizing a casual classroom family meet-up once each semester, such as a playground gathering, ice cream date, etc.

-Coordinating a Teacher Appreciation Week effort on behalf of the class.

-We encourage you to develop this role however you’d like as long as ideas or events are inclusive to all students and families and do not disrupt classroom education hours. See the Parent-Student Handbook for more information.

Because of the nature of Montessori, each classroom and teacher may have different needs throughout the year. We encourage representatives to reach out to their teacher early in the school year to establish how they can best support the classroom.

We know there is a lot of excitement about getting involved, but there isn’t necessarily a need more than two representatives per classroom. Sign-ups will be first come, first served, so please sign up early if you’d like to serve in this role.

And if the spots for your classroom fill up, don’t worry! There will be plenty of other opportunities to get involved with the RFA throughout the year. We’re grateful for everyone who wants to contribute and look forward to finding a place for everyone who would like to participate.

Click here to sign up as your class’s RFA representative!

Spiritwear for Purchase

We are still working on creating a storefront to view Ruffing spiritwear and merchandise. In the meantime, visit the RFA Venmo page to view current inventory and purchase from there. The Venmo page can be accessed through this link, or by searching @RuffingRFA under Charities.

Ruffing Family Business Directory 

Have a family-owned or family-operated business? We’d love to include it!

The Ruffing Family Association is creating a directory to help our school community discover and support businesses owned or operated by Ruffing families and friends.

Please complete this form to submit your business. Access the directory here!

Calendar of Events for 2026-2027

Here’s the fun we have planned for the year. Check back throughout the year for updates!

Stock the Teacher’s Lounge 

One of our favorite initiatives, Stock the Teacher’s Lounge is a great way to express gratitude to our wonderful Ruffing teachers and staff. Each month, a classroom is assigned with fulfilling the “wish list” and collecting snack and drink items for the staff’s enjoyment. See below for your class’s assigned month and stay tuned for more info from your RFA classroom representatives.

• October – Molly and Chris’s Class
• November – Lauren’s Class
• December – Libby’s Class
• January – Chelsea’s Class
• February – Sarah’s Class
• March – Kelly’s Class
• April – Amy’s Class and Therese’s Class
• May – Donna’s Class and Monika’s Class