Letter to Families & Staff; 05-26-2022

Dear Families,

This letter contains important and new information for our district and has: 

New Information=

  • Elementary Early Dismissal on Thursday, June 9 for Placement Meetings
  • NYS U.S. History and Government Regents Exam Has Been Canceled
  • RCS End-of-the-Year Athletic Awards
  • Tentative End-of-Year Event Schedule Updates
  • June 2022 District Calendar
  • District Celebrations & Stories
  • Upcoming Important Dates

Reminders =

  • RCS Middle School Appoints Principal
  • Resources:  “Who to Contact and When” Guide
  • 2022-2023 School Year One Page Calendar
  • Last Days of Student Attendance
  • Contingent Recess Day on 5/27/2022
  • Adjusted Dismissal Time for Elementary Schools on Thur., 5/26
  • 2022 High School Regents & Local Exam Information and Schedule
  • Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten Updates - Lottery & Screenings
  • COVID-19 Testing through RCS
  • COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation Protocol
  • Direct Links

All the information in this letter, from past letters and more, can be found on our website

New Information

Elementary Early Dismissal on Thursday, June 9 for Placement Meetings: Buses depart at 12:30 PM. 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 12:05 PM. 
  • Students who take the bus will be dismissed starting at 12:15 PM.
  • Afterschool childcare programs will be held.
  • Parents/guardians should be prepared for their students to be home 3 hours earlier.

NYS U.S. History and Government Regents Exam Has Been Canceled: On Tuesday, May 24, the New York State Education Department announced that the Regents Examination in United States History and Government has been canceled. Students will now take a local exam in class. Please find more information here

RCS End-of-the-Year Athletic Awards: This week, we released information regarding the upcoming RCS End-of-the-Year Athletic Awards on Thursday, June 9, at Joraleman Park. Please click here for more information

Tentative End-of-Year Event Schedule Updates: Visit the End-of-Year Information webpage here to view the schedule, updates, and details for upcoming events, 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.

District Celebrations & Stories: We highlight different events, accomplishments, and programs that are happening around our school community on our website and Facebook page. You can view some of the recent stories and pictures we have shared in the RCS Weekly Celebrations Newsletter here. This week, it includes information about the AWB STEAM Day, High School National Honor Society Inductions, and more!  

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

  • Friday, May 27: Contingent Recess Day, No School
  • Monday, May 30: Memorial Day, District Closed

Next Week:

Later in the Month:

Reminders

RCS Middle School Appoints Principal: This past week, Ms. Denise Capece was appointed as the Middle School Principal by the Board of Education. The District is thrilled to be able to bring Ms. Capece on in this more permanent capacity which will allow for a smooth transition into the 22-23 school year. You can learn more about Ms. Capece by clicking here

Resources - “Who to Contact and When” Guide: This year, we launched 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.

2022-2023 School Year One Page Calendar: At the May 4 Board of Education Meeting, the one-page calendar for the 2022-2023 school year was approved. Please view a printable version of this calendar on our website here

Last Days of Student Attendance: We have released our schedule for the last days of school for the District, please access them on the website here. Families will be notified if there are any changes due to the use of additional snow/emergency days prior to June 24.

Contingent Recess Day on 5/27/2022: RCS has not used all of our snow/emergency closure days. Therefore, tomorrow, Friday, May 27, 2022, will be a contingent recess day. The District will be closed on Monday, May 30, in observation of Memorial Day. 

Adjusted Dismissal Time for Elementary Schools on Thur., 5/26: The AWB and PBC Elementary School dismissal time for today, Thursday, May 26, will follow the regular Friday dismissal schedule for all students, including PK, as this day is the day before a break. Parent pick-up will start at 2:35 p.m., and all other students will be dismissed at 3:00 p.m. After-school childcare programs will be held.

2022 High School Regents & Local Exam Information and Schedule: The High School has shared Regents and Local Exam information, as well as the schedule. Please view that information here

Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten Updates - Lottery & Screenings: The number of students registered for the pre-kindergarten program through the open enrollment period has NOT exceeded the cap of 36 students per building. There will NOT be a lottery for A.W. Becker or Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary Schools this year. There are still open spots in both buildings. If you have or know a child whose birth date falls between December 2, 2017, and December 1, 2018, they are eligible for our half-day Pre-K program; please spread the word! For more information on how to register and the updated screening dates, please click here

COVID-19 Testing through RCS: We currently offer take-home and lab testing. More information about all testing offered can be found here

COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation Protocol:  You can find the most up-to-date COVID protocols on our website here. Please remember that if a student or staff member is sick, they should not come to school/work that day.  

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.