Letter to Families & Staff; 02-10-2023

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

New Information =

Upcoming Strengthening Families Program
Upcoming Important Dates
RCS Celebrations & Stories

Reminders =

Summer 2023 - Apply Now to RCS Discovery Camp
New Facility Dog Joining RCS in February 2023
Junior Alivia Ortiz places 3rd at the first-ever NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling State Invitational
Section II Athletics to Offer “Digital Tickets” for Winter Sectional Only Events
NYSED Memo on Use of Native American Mascots Update
Direct Links

New Information

Upcoming Strengthening Families Program: The Albany County Cornell Cooperative Extension is offering a Strengthening Families Program. This program is an interactive three-week series. During each session, parents/caregivers and their youth will learn ways to build on existing strengths, improve communication skills, and have fun together. Advanced registration is required and dinner will be provided. Click here to learn more and register.

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

This/Next Week:

Monday, February 13: Middle School Q2 Honor Roll/Merit Roll Recognition Ceremony, 6:30 p.m. in High School Auditorium
Tuesday, February 14: AWB PTA Real-Time Smart Talk Program, 6:00 p.m. at AWB
Wednesday, February 15: Board of Education Meeting at High School, 6:00 p.m.

Later in the Month:

Monday, February 20: Presidents’ Day, District Closed & No School
Monday, February 20 - Friday, February 24: Winter Recess, No School
Tuesday, February 21: Pre-Kindergarten Registration for the 23-24 School Year Opens (online)
Monday, February 27: Classes Resume for All Students
Wednesday, March 1: Board of Education Meeting at High School, 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, March 1: SAT Exam for Juniors (in school)
Friday, March 3: End of Second Trimester (PK-5)
Friday, March 3: Summer 2023 Enrichment Program - Discovery Camp Applications Due
Saturday, March 4: *New Date* event postponed from 2/4 due to cold weather – The Class of 2025 Lights the Winter Night Walk Fundraiser
Thursday, March 9: 8th Grade Parent Night/Charting Your Course at HS, 6:00 p.m.
Friday, March 10: End of Q3 5-week Interim Period (MS/HS)
Friday, March 10 & Saturday, March 11: High School Drama Club Production, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 12: High School Drama Club Production, 2:00 p.m.

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

Reminders

Summer 2023 - Apply Now to RCS Discovery Camp: This is a free and exciting Summer Enrichment Program. This program is now being offered to all students entering grades 1 through 8 during the 23-24 school year who may want additional assistance to ensure that they maintain their academic skills during the summertime. More information can be found here and was sent home via backpack mail last week.

New Facility Dog Joining RCS in February 2023: In February, we have a new facility dog joining us here at RCS! A.W. Becker and Pieter B. Coeymans Elementary Schools will be welcoming Waffles who will be spending time in both buildings. We can’t wait for her arrival! Click here to learn more.

Junior Alivia Ortiz places 3rd at the first-ever NYSPHSAA Girls Wrestling State Invitational: Congratulations to Ms. Ortiz, who ranked 3rd in the state for her weight class at the first-ever New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Girls Wrestling State Invitational! She was also 2nd in total match points with 54 points out of 203 wrestlers. She tied for 1st for most single match points with 18 points and placed 30th overall as her own team out of 203 wrestlers with a total of 20 team points. Absolutely amazing job, Alivia!! Learn more about it here.

Section II Athletics to Offer “Digital Tickets” for Winter Sectional Only Events: For the 22-23 winter athletic contests, Section II Athletics announced that it will use GoFan digital ticketing for spectators to purchase tickets to ‘sectional only’ events. Click here to learn more and access the link to purchase tickets online, or click here to access the RCS Athletics Schedule on the Colonial Council Website.

NYSED Memo on Use of Native American Mascots Update: In January, we released an update about the New York State Education Department (NYSED) issued Memo regarding the Use of Native American Mascots, which includes information on how to make a public comment to the state regarding the new guidance and proposed amendment to the regulations. You can access that update here.

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.