Letter to Families & Staff; 02-03-2023

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

New Information =

Summer 2023 - Apply Now to RCS Discovery Camp
New Facility Dog Joining RCS in February 2023
Junior Alivia Ortiz places 3rd at the first-ever NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling State Invitational
Upcoming Substitute Recruitment Day on Feb. 7
Upcoming Important Dates

Reminders =

Early Dismissal for Staff Development Day on Tues., Feb. 7
Section II Athletics to Offer “Digital Tickets” for Winter Sectional Only Events
RCS Celebrations & Stories
NYSED Memo on Use of Native American Mascots Update
Spring ‘23 Continuing Education Offerings Brochure
RCS COVID-19 Management Plan 22-23
Direct Links

New Information

Summer 2023 - Apply Now to RCS Discovery Camp: This is a free and exciting Summer Enrichment Program. This program is now being offered to all students entering grades 1 through 8 during the 23-24 school year who may want additional assistance to ensure that they maintain their academic skills during the summertime. More information can be found here and will be sent home via backpack mail in the coming days.

New Facility Dog Joining RCS in February 2023: In February, we will have a new facility dog joining us here at RCS! A.W. Becker Elementary School and Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary School will be welcoming Waffles who will be spending time in both buildings. We can’t wait for her arrival! Click here to learn more.

Junior Alivia Ortiz places 3rd at the first-ever NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling State Invitational: Congratulations to Ms. Ortiz, who ranked 3rd in the state for her weight class at the first-ever New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Girls Wrestling State Invitational last weekend! She was also 2nd in total match points with 54 points out of 203 wrestlers. She tied for 1st for most single match points with 18 points and placed 30th overall as her own team out of 203 wrestlers with a total of 20 team points. Absolutely amazing job, Alivia!! Learn more about it here.

Upcoming Substitute Recruitment Day on Feb. 7: Join us on Tuesday, February 7, for a Substitute Recruitment Day. The event will take place in the District Office, click here to learn more!

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

This/Next Week:

Tuesday, February 7: Staff Development Day (Early Dismissal PK-12, see above for details)
Tuesday, February 7: Substitute Recruitment Day, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Later in the Month:

Tuesday, February 14: AWB PTA Real-Time Smart Talk Program, 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 15: Board of Education Meeting at High School, 6:00 p.m.
Monday, February 20: Presidents’ Day, District Closed & No School
Monday, February 20 - Friday, February 24: Winter Recess, No School
Tuesday, February 21: Pre-Kindergarten Registration for the 23-24 School Year Opens (online)
Monday, February 27: Classes Resume for All Students
Wednesday, March 1: Board of Education Meeting at High School, 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 1: SAT Exam for Juniors (in school)
Friday, March 3: End of Second Trimester (PK-5)
Friday, March 3: Summer 2023 Enrichment Program - Discovery Camp Applications Due
Saturday, March 4: *New Date* event postponed from 2/4 due to cold weather – The Class of 2025 Lights the Winter Night Walk Fundraiser
Friday, March 10: End of Q3 5-week Interim Period (MS/HS)

Reminders

Early Dismissal for Staff Development Day on Tuesday, February 7:

Elementary Schools: Buses depart at 12:30 p.m. Please note the following for this date:
- PM Pre-K students will not be coming to school this day, and AM Pre-K students will be dismissed with all other students.
- Students will eat lunch prior to dismissal.
- Parent pick-up will begin at 12:20 p.m., and students who take the bus will be dismissed following parent pick-up.
- Afterschool childcare programs will be held.
- Parents/guardians should be prepared for their students to be home 3 hours earlier.
Middle and High Schools: Students will dismiss at 11:07 a.m. and will eat lunch prior to dismissal. There will be no PM CTE on this day. All student-athletes are expected to leave campus and return for their later scheduled events, they cannot remain at school.

Section II Athletics to Offer “Digital Tickets” for Winter Sectional Only Events: For the 22-23 winter athletic contests, Section II Athletics announced that it will use GoFan digital ticketing for spectators to purchase tickets to ‘sectional only’ events. Good luck to the Varsity Wrestling Team and the Varsity Bowling Teams at Sectionals this week! Click here to learn more and access the link to purchase tickets online, or click here to access the RCS Athletics Schedule on the Colonial Council Website.

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.

NYSED Memo on Use of Native American Mascots Update: In January, we released an update about the New York State Education Department (NYSED) issued Memo regarding the Use of Native American Mascots, which includes information on how to make a public comment to the state regarding the new guidance and proposed amendment to the regulations. You can access that update here.

Spring ‘23 Continuing Education Offerings Brochure: The RCS Central School District is proud to launch its Continuing Education Program's offerings brochure for the spring 2023 session! The district offers Continuing Education courses for our community in the fall and spring of each year. As a reminder, the brochures are no longer mailed home; printed copies can be picked up from locations around the district or printed off our website. Click here to learn more and view the offerings brochure.

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 Information Sheet to learn more.

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.