Letter to Families & Staff; 10-14-2022

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

New Information =

Winter Sports Registration
Homecoming Week
RCS Aquatics Center Reopens
Upcoming Important Dates
RCS Celebrations & Stories

Important Reminders =

Early Dismissal for Staff Development Day on Tues., Oct. 18
Don’t forget to turn in your Free & Reduced Price Meal Applications
RCS COVID-19 Management Plan 22-23
Resources - “Who to Contact and When” Guide

Reminders =

21-22 School Year Grade 3-8 NYS Testing Results
Direct Links

New Information

Winter Sports Registration: Today, Friday, October 14, Junior Varsity and Varsity sports registration opened for students in grades 9 through 12. Next Friday, October 21, modified sports registration opens for students in grades 7 and 8. To learn more about the registration process and sports offered in the winter, please click here.

Homecoming Week: Next week, October 17 through 21, is homecoming week! The week will wrap up with a district-wide spirit day on Friday, October 21, remember to wear your best green and gold! Click here for more information.

RCS Aquatics Center Reopens: The RCS High School Aquatics Center was closed for the month of September to renovate the pool mechanical room. We are pleased to announce that the renovations are complete, and the Aquatics Center has reopened. More information on the Aquatics Center schedule for the month of October will be shared shortly, please click here for more information.

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

This/Next Week:

Sunday, October 16: Fall Community Craft & Vendor Fair, 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. @ MS/HS Campus
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 below 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)
Saturday, October 22: High School Homecoming Dance, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. at HS

Later in the Month:

Thursday, November 3: AWB Fall Picture Make-Up Day
Tuesday, November 8: Staff Development Day, Staff Only, no students in attendance
Wednesday, November 9: Board of Education Meeting & AWB Student Recognition Awards at HS, 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, November 10: PBC Fall Picture Make-Up Day
Thursday, November 10: End of First Marking Period (MS/HS)
Thursday, November 10: End of First Trimester (PK-5)
Friday, November 11: Veterans Day - No School & District Closed
Saturday, November 12: HS Drama Club Cabaret, 6:00 p.m. at HS
Mon., Nov. 14 - Fri., Nov. 18: American Education Week
Thursday, November 17: Parent University - Special Education, 6:00 p.m.
Friday, November 18: MS Drama Production, 7:00 p.m. @ High School
Saturday, November 19: MS Drama Production, 7:00 p.m. @ High School
Sunday, November 20: MS Drama Production, 2:00 p.m. @ High School
Tuesday, November 22: Middle School 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

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.

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: 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 for more information.

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

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.