Letter to Families & Staff; 09-30-2022

Letter to Families & Staff; 09-30-2022

RCS Communications

September 30, 2022

Dear Families, Students & Staff,    

Fall is in the air as we head into the month of October! Thank you for your support as we complete our first month of school. 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 from our district. This letter includes: 

New Information =

  • Bring your Family to P.E. Week Returns, Oct. 3-7
  • Get to know the new High School Principal Ryan Funck
  • Upcoming Important Dates 
  • RCS Celebrations & Stories

Important Reminders =

  • District-wide Emergency Early Release Drill on Friday, October 7 
  • Don’t forget to turn in your Free & Reduced Price Meal Applications
  • RCS COVID-19 Management Plan 22-23
  • Student Information Update Form

Reminders = 

  • Board of Education Information Brochure
  • 21-22 School Year Grade 3-8 NYS Testing Results 
  • Clubs & Activities 
  • Direct Links

New Information

Bring your Family to P.E. Week Returns, Oct. 3-7: The RCS Physical Education Department is thrilled to bring back Bring your Family to P.E. Week next week, Monday, October 3 through Friday, October 7. Each building will be finding unique ways to promote physical activities for students and their families. Information on how to participate was shared directly by your student’s physical education teacher. If you have any questions, please contact your student’s main office.

Get to know the new High School Principal Ryan Funck: The new High School Principal, Mr. Ryan Funck, will begin at RCS High School on Monday, October 24. Read more about him and his excitement about joining RCS.

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

This/Next Week:

Later in the Month:

  • Monday, October 10: Columbus Day & Indigenous Peoples Day - No School & District Closed
  • Wednesday, October 12: PSAT for Juniors
  • Friday, October 14: PBC Fall Picture Day
  • Friday, October 14: PBC Cross Country Run 
  • Mon., Oct. 17 - Fri., Oct. 21: Homecoming Week, School Bus Safety Week, and School Board Recognition Week 
  • Tuesday, October 18: Staff Development Day, Early Dismissal PK-12
  • Wednesday, October 19: Board of Education Meeting & High School Recognition Awards at HS, 6:00 p.m.
  • Thursday, October 20: High School Band & Chorus Fall Concert and Tri-M Music Honor Society Induction; 7:00 p.m.
  • Friday, October 21: RCS Spirit Day! Wear your best green and gold!
  • Thursday, November 3: AWB Fall Picture Make-Up Day

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.

Important Reminders

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. HS athletes who have practice or a game will report to the HS athletic field bleachers and MS athletes who have practice or a game will report to outside of the MS gym. 
  • 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.

Don’t forget to turn in your Free & Reduced Price Meal Applications: Breakfast and lunch were free for all students last year due to The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and New York State (NYS) provided the entire state with the funds necessary to allow for that to happen. The USDA and NYS have chosen not to provide the funds again for the 22-23 school year. At this time, RCS does not currently qualify for free breakfast and lunch for all students based on our district's demographics. Although not free for the entire district, based on family size and income, your family may qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Turn in your free and reduced-price meal applications today to see if you qualify. Please click here to read more about free and reduced-price meal applications. 

RCS COVID-19 Management Plan 22-23: Earlier in the month, we shared with families specific 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.

Student Information Update Form: During the week of September 12, student information update forms were sent home with each student. 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 as soon as possible. If you have any questions or have lost your student’s form, please contact your student’s main office. 

Reminders

Board of Education Information Brochure: We have created a Board of Education Information Brochure that is available to be printed off our website here or at a Board of Education Meeting. The brochure covers the responsibilities of the Board, as well as how meetings are run and how to participate. Click here to view the brochure. 

21-22 School Year Grade 3-8 NYS Testing Results: The Northeastern Regional Information Center (NERIC) will be mailing home results from the 21-22 New York State Grade 3 through 8 tests over the next month. These results will not be coming from RCS. If you have any questions regarding the results once you have received them, please reach out to your student’s teacher. If you do not receive them by November 1, please contact your student's school building. 

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:

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.