Letter to Families & Staff; 03-31-2023

If you have any questions, please contact your student's building. There will be no letter for the next two weeks per the Spring Recess. This newsletter includes:

New Information =

Upcoming Spring Recess
Tentative End-of-Year Event Schedule
New! Public WiFi Access on All RCS Campuses
RCS Central School District Leadership Update
Upcoming Important Dates
RCS Celebrations & Stories
Resources - “Who to Contact and When” Guide

Reminders =

Albany City School District Autism Spectrum Fair
RCS Class of 2023 Graduation Information
Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Registration & Screening Dates
Direct Links

New Information

Upcoming Spring Recess: Our upcoming Spring Recess begins next Friday, April 7, running through Friday, April 14. Classes will resume for all students on Monday, April 17.

Tentative End-of-Year Event Schedule: Earlier this week, we shared with families a tentative schedule for end-of-year events. Visit the new End-of-Year Information webpage here to view the schedule or access a printable version of the schedule by clicking here. More information about all of the events will be shared in the coming weeks as it becomes available.

New! Public WiFi Access on All RCS Campuses: The RCS Central School District now has public WiFi access on all RCS campuses. This access will be turned on at the conclusion of each school day and on weekends. Content will be filtered just as it is for students during the day and registration is required. Click here for more information and detailed instructions on how to get on to the WiFi once you are on campus.

RCS Central School District Leadership Update: Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Mr. Engelhardt will be departing the District in mid-May. We wish him the best as he returns to the Albany City School District as the Director of Grants and Program Development. Please click here to learn more.

Upcoming Important Dates (Click here to access the RCS calendar):

This/Next Week:

Wednesday, April 5: Board of Education Meeting at HS, 6:00 p.m.
Friday, April 7 - Friday, April 14: Spring Recess, No School

Later in the Month:

Tuesday, April 18: Junior Class Ring Ceremony @ HS, 6:00 p.m.
April 19 - 21: Computer-Based Grade 3-8 ELA Testing (in school), click here for more info
Wednesday, April 19: Board of Education Meeting & Annual BOCES BOE Meeting at HS, 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 20: PBC Art Show, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Friday, April 21: End of Third Marking Period (MS/HS)
Friday, April 21: Pre-Kindergarten Registration Deadline to be included in the lottery
Tuesday, April 25: NYSSMA Choral Major Organization Festival at RCS HS (during the school day)
Thursday, April 27: RCS HS Natural Helpers/Student Volunteers Blood Drive @ HS, 7:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Thursday, April 27: College Info Night/Admissions Panel @ HS, 6:00 p.m.
May 2 - 4: Computer-Based Grade 3-8 Math Testing (in school), click here for more info
Wednesday, May 3: Board of Education Meeting & Budget Hearing @ HS, 6:00 p.m.
Friday, May 5: College Awareness Day

RCS Celebrations & Stories: There is a lot of exciting and interesting stuff happening at RCS! Check out what has been going on around the district here.

Resources - “Who to Contact and When” Guide: We have created a “Who to Contact and When” Guide for RCS families and community members, located on page two of our RCS Wall Calendar and on our website. This document was created to help ensure that questions and concerns from our community are addressed in the most efficient and effective manner possible. It outlines who you should contact first for information in a particular area, as well as the next step if your concern is not addressed. Staff contact information can be found on the second page.

Reminders

Upcoming Grade 3 through 8 NYS Testing: The 3-8 NYS Tests provide an opportunity for our students to demonstrate their knowledge and growth acquired over the past year or more. They also provide the district with valuable information that may influence programming decisions. These tests do not affect students' grades at RCS. You can access the complete schedule here.

Albany City School District Autism Spectrum Fair: The Albany City School District is offering an Autism Spectrum Fair on Tuesday, April 4, from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. The event is free for all Capital Region children and their families. It will have sensory stations for kids, agencies with information, and more. Click here for more information.

RCS Class of 2023 Graduation Information: Recently, we released information regarding the Class of 2023 Graduation on Friday, June 23, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center. Click here for more information! Stay tuned for updates and be sure to visit our Class of 2023 Webpage for more info!

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Registration & Screening Dates: Please spread the word to families and friends to register for pre-k or kindergarten for the 2023-2024 school year today!

Pre-Kindergarten: We are excited to announce that we are planning for four in-district, full-day pre-kindergarten classrooms for the 2023-2024 school year. Our partnerships with recently released grant funding will make this significant improvement possible. This change will replace our current program, which includes four half-day classes. The deadline for open pre-kindergarten registration is Friday, April 21. For more information about the pre-k program, how to register, and screening dates, please click here.
Kindergarten: There is no deadline for enrolling in kindergarten, but we encourage families to enroll their students by Friday, April 21, in order to participate in the kindergarten screening days. For more information on how to register for kindergarten and screening dates, please click here.

Direct Links:

If you have any questions about anything covered in the letter, please reach out to your student’s building for clarification. Thank you.