Letter to Families & Staff; 10-07-2022

Letter to Families & Staff; 10-07-2022

RCS Communications

October 7, 2022

If you have any questions, please reach out to your student's building. This letter includes: 

New Information =

  • Early Dismissal for Staff Development Day on Tues., Oct. 18
  • Upcoming Important Dates 

Important Reminders =

  • TODAY: District-wide Emergency Early Release Drill on Friday, October 7
  • RCS COVID-19 Management Plan 22-23
  • Student Information Update Form

Reminders = 

  • RCS Celebrations & Stories
  • Get to know the new High School Principal Ryan Funck
  • 21-22 School Year Grade 3-8 NYS Testing Results 
  • Direct Links

New Information

Early Dismissal for Staff Development Day on Tuesday, October 18:

  • 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 students will eat lunch prior to dismissal. There will be no PM CTE on this day. 

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

This/Next Week:

Later in the Month:

  • 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 (see above for details)
  • 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!
  • Friday, October 21: PBC Cross Country Run (New Date) 
  • Thursday, November 3: AWB Fall Picture Make-Up Day
  • Tuesday, November 8: Staff Development Day, Staff Only, no students in attendance

Important Reminders

TODAY: 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 today, Friday, October 7, 2022. Here are the plans for each building:

  • Middle & High School: Students will be released at 1:42 p.m. 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.

RCS COVID-19 Management Plan 22-23: Last 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. 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. 

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

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.

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. 

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. 

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.