Letter to Families & Staff; 09-16-2022

Letter to Families & Staff; 09-16-2022

RCS Communications

September 16, 2022

Dear Families, Students & Staff,    

This Friday concludes our first full week of school for the 22-23 school year here at RCS. We appreciate the support as we work through the beginning of the year hiccups. If you have any questions as we settle into the 22-23 school year, please reach out to your student's building. 

We like to send letters to families, students, and staff that contain important and new information for our district. This letter includes: 

New Information=

  • School Building Open Houses 
  • Upcoming Important Dates 
  • RCS District Fundraiser Page
  • RCS Celebrations & Stories 
  • RCS Welcomes Interim School Business Official, Tammy Sutherland

Important Reminders =

  • RCS COVID-19 Management Plan 22-23
  • District-wide Emergency Early Release Drill on Friday, October 7 
  • Student Information Update Form
  • Resources - “Who to Contact and When” Guide

Reminders =

  • Clubs & Activities 
  • 22-23 District Calendar
  • Fall 2022 Continuing Education Offerings Brochure
  • Direct Links

New Information

School Building Open Houses: This year we will be returning to in-person open houses for all schools. Please find more information below:

  • A.W. Becker: It was on Thursday, September 15 at 6:00 p.m. for grades 1, 2, and 2/3 and 6:45 p.m. for grades 3 through 5. Click here for more information 
  • Pieter B. Coeymans: Wednesday, September 21 at 6:30 p.m. for grades 1 and 2 and Thursday, September 22 at 6:30 p.m. for grades 3 through 5. - Click here for more information
  • Middle School: Tuesday, September 20 at 6:30 p.m. Click here for more information 
  • High School: Thursday, September 29 at 6:00 p.m. (updated time) - more information to be shared soon

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

Next Week:

Later in the Month:

RCS District Fundraiser Page: Last year, we launched our District Fundraising page on our website, you can access it here. This is a central location for our school community to view current fundraisers and details about each. There is also a google form for organizations to submit their pre-approved fundraisers to be listed on the webpage. Click here to see a list of the current fundraisers!

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

RCS Welcomes Interim School Business Official, Tammy Sutherland: Read more about our Interim Business Official, Ms. Sutherland, here. 

Important Reminders

RCS COVID-19 Management Plan 22-23: Earlier today, we shared with families information regarding our COVID-19 Management Plan for the 22-23 school year. As always, families are urged to keep students home from school who are ill, regardless of whether their symptoms are COVID-19-related. Families can view or download the RCS COVID-19 Protocols Quick Guide for determining when their child can return to school (click here). Read the full COVID-19 guidance for the 22-23 school year here.

District-wide Emergency Early Release Drill on Friday, October 7: All schools in New York State must complete an emergency early release drill, once per year, that requires us to evacuate our students and staff at least 15-minutes before their regular dismissal time. This drill helps prepare us in the case of an emergency that would require us to transport our entire district home or to another location prior to the end of the school day. 

Our drill is set for Friday, October 7, 2022. Here are the plans for each building:

  • Middle & High School: Students will be released at 1:42 p.m. BOCES CTE is closed this day, please click here for more information regarding the options for CTE students. 
  • AWB & PBC Elementary Schools: Students who get picked up will be released at 2:35 p.m., and students who take the bus will be dismissed at 2:45 p.m. Please remember that students will be getting home early. For students in Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, someone does need to be home to greet them when they get off the bus. The after-school programs at each elementary will be held.

Student Information Update Form: Starting on Monday, September 12, student information update forms were sent home with each student. Please see the photo below to see a sample of what the form will look like. Please review all of the information, and note any changes directly on the printed sheet. Additionally, please answer the questions listed on the back. We are requesting that the forms are returned to the school by Monday, September 19. If you have any questions or have lost your student’s form, please contact your student’s main office. 

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

Clubs & Activities: The fall is the perfect time for students to get involved in the clubs and activities at their school buildings. Here are the different options for each building: 

22-23 School Year Calendar: The digital RCS Calendar for the 22-23 school year is now available on our website. Please click here to learn more. 

Fall 22 Continuing Education Offerings Brochure: The RCS Central School District is proud to launch its Continuing Education Program's offerings brochure for the fall 2022 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.

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.