Letter to Families & Staff; 12-02-2022

Letter to Families & Staff; 12-02-2022

RCS Communications

December 2, 2022

If you have any questions, please contact your student's building. This newsletter includes: 

New Information =

  • No Student Attendance on Thursday, December 8, for Parent Conference Day (Staff Only)
  • RCS Students Set to Perform at Empire State Plaza 
  • RCS Varsity Football Finishes a Successful Season 
  • Upcoming Important Dates 
  • RCS Celebrations & Stories

Reminders = 

  • Resources - “Who to Contact and When” Guide
  • RCS COVID-19 Management Plan 22-23
  • New York State Education Department Memo on Use of Native American Mascots
  • Emergency Closing, Delay, and Dismissal Information Reminders
  • Resources - Affordable Connectivity Program
  • Direct Links

New Information

No Student Attendance on Thursday, December 8, for Parent Conference Day (Staff Only): Next Thursday, December 8, will be a staff-only day for parent conferences. No students will be in attendance. Classes for all students will resume on Friday, December 9.

RCS Students Set to Perform at Empire State Plaza: The High School Band and Chorus will be performing at the Empire State Plaza on Friday, December 16, as part of the New York State Office of General Services “Holiday Potpourri.” The Band will perform at 12:00 p.m., and the Chorus will follow at about 12:30 p.m. Everyone is welcome to come, watch the performances, and get a sneak peek at the music to be performed at the HS Concert on Wednesday, December 21. 

RCS Varsity Football Finishes a Successful Season: Last weekend, our RCS Varsity Football team played in the Class B semi-finals against the Pleasantville Panthers at Middletown High School. Although it was not a win, they finished a successful season with an overall record of 10-3. Big congratulations to the team on all of their hard work, and a huge thank you to all of the families and community members for their support during Sectionals and all season long! Click here to view photos from the game.

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

This/Next Week:

  • Tuesday, December 6: 7th & 8th Grade Band and Chorus Winter Concert, HS @ 7 p.m.
  • Wednesday, December 7: AWB 5th Grade Band and Chorus Winter Concert, HS @ 7 p.m.
  • Thursday, December 8: PK-12 Parent Conference Day - Staff only, no students in attendance (see above for details)
  • Thursday: December 8: PBC 5th Grade Band and Chorus Winter Concert, HS @ 7 p.m.

Later in the Month:

  • Tuesday, December 13: PBC 2nd & 4th Grade Concert, HS @ 7 p.m.
  • Wednesday, December 14: Board of Education Meeting, 6:00 p.m. & PBC Student Recognition Awards at HS, 6:30 p.m.
  • Thursday, December 15: AWB 2nd & 4th Grade Concert, HS @ 7 p.m.
  • Friday, December 16: End of the Q2 five-week interim period (MS/HS)
  • Tuesday, December 20: 6th Grade Band and Chorus Winter Concert, HS @ 7 p.m.
  • Wednesday, December 21: HS Band and Chorus Winter Concert, HS @ 7 p.m.
  • Monday, December 26 - Monday, January 2: Holiday Recess (District Closed 12/26, 12/27, & 1/2/23)
  • Tuesday, January 3: Classes Resume for all students 

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.

Reminders

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.

RCS COVID-19 Management Plan 22-23: Families are urged to keep students home from school who are ill, regardless of whether their symptoms are COVID-19-related. Click here to view or download the RCS COVID-19 Protocols Quick Guide for determining when your student can return to school, or read the full COVID-19 management plan for the 22-23 school year here. If you are unsure if your student should come to school, please view our When to Keep Children Home Due to Illness Form for more information.

New York State Education Department Memo on Use of Native American Mascots: On Thursday, November 17, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) issued a memo to all school districts in the state of New York, reminding them that Native American team names, logos, and/or imagery are not appropriate in public schools. Our RCS community will be discussing the implications of this memo and how we proceed. We anticipate that NYSED will be distributing additional information concerning this matter.

Emergency Closing, Delay, and Dismissal Information Reminders: As the weather grows colder we are more likely to need to close for the day or open late for weather-related reasons. Students and staff will not be required to report to school/work virtually or otherwise when we close for a weather-related emergency, unless otherwise noted in their contract. We recently shared with families and staff reminders about our Emergency Closing, Delay, and Dismissal Processes, you can find those here. 

Resources - Affordable Connectivity Program: The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is a U.S. government program that helps many low-income households pay for broadband service and internet-connected devices. Learn more about this program or apply here. To learn more about additional community resources, visit the RCS Community Resource Guide on our website 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.