Community Update

November 19, 2021

Hello North Rockland Families,

The season of giving is upon us. It's hard to believe Thanksgiving is next week already. While we collectively pause this time of year to give thanks, as a reminder, all our students have a half day next Wednesday, and are off Thursday and Friday for the holiday.

Reflecting on the last year, we have much to be thankful for here in North Rockland. With their vast knowledge, beneficial policies that are always in the best interest of students, and never ending commitment to our children, we are grateful to be led by the most wonderful and selfless board of education. We are truly blessed with incredible parents and PTA members in our District who are working as our partners in education through their visibility and unwavering support of curriculum, instruction, extracurricular, and athletic programs, ensuring students have every opportunity. None of what we do would be possible without our educators, faculty, staff, and administrators who work tirelessly to build engaging, loving, and safe learning environments, uplift our students regularly and keep our buildings safe. Thank you all for all you do.

My visits to our schools over the last week have been humbling and inspiring. Students have taken on an attitude of gratitude by collecting donations for local charities, crafting cards and care packages for our troops, taking kindness pledges, sending appreciation notes, giving everything they have during athletic competitions and unleashing their creative talents on stage. It's plain to see that in North Rockland our students are thriving. It fills our hearts each day to see learners enjoying their time at school, and I could not be more grateful.

Above all we are most thankful for the North Rockland community. Your dedication to our students, spirit of cooperation, constant care and support for one another have allowed us to persevere in our shared educational mission. I wanted to send each of you a sincere word of thanks and my warmest wishes for a happy, safe and relaxing holiday celebration with friends and loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Next week on Wednesday, November 24 all North Rockland schools will be operating on a 1/2 day schedule. On Thursday, November 25 and Friday 26 all North Rockland Schools are closed. School resumes on Monday, November 29, 2021.

• North Rockland High School will be dismissed at 10:55am

• Fieldstone Middle School will be dismissed at 11:37am

• Farley, Haverstraw and Willow Grove Elementary School will be dismissed at 12:12pm

• Stony Point, Thiells and West Haverstraw Elementary School will be dismissed at 12:37pm

The Rambling Raider is hot off the press! In this edition, we debut some ravishing articles, including a review of the latest school play, 12 Angry Jurors, Thanksgiving foods ranked, and even a Pop Tarts lawsuit! We ask you to dig in and please share our paper with friends and family! Happy Thanksgiving! https://sites.google.com/northrockland.org/news/home

The plan is available for download in english and spanish through the link here.

Senior Lunch-In: November 23 at the Pearl River Hilton*** NEXT WEEK

Tickets are on sale now during school lunch periods.

Prom: June 21, 2022 at the Rockleigh Country Club

Graduation: June 17, 2022 at the NRHS Football Stadium

The Remote Academy closes out a wonderful spirit week full of super heroes, funky socks, crazy hats, wild hair, pajamas and of course NR RED AND WHITE! Academy learners are really having a blast this year. It's been so fun navigating our virtual school's first year by growing, adapting, and excelling academically and emotionally #NRTogether!

Throughout the first semester the Academy's online classes have helped to limit sensory overload for certain learners, let them re-watch lessons if needed, and provided opportunities for deep dives into their evolving interests -- all during regular school hours like their in person peers, which is when students are most productive. Many of them have discovered they can better focus on their education and extracurricular activities. We are so proud to be able to offer this remote option to the students and families of NRCSD!

The Academy's Upcoming Events

• Movie Night - December 10, 12 & 13
• K-3 Cookie Party - December 10

Enrollment Announcement

If you're interested in obtaining information about enrolling your child for the second semester please email Principal Jim Mulligan - jmulligan@northrockland.org. The District will be accepting new students who are interested in February 2022.

Congratulations to all the students who were inducted into the society last month. The NHS is a student organization comprised of chapters in the United States and around the world -- and is one of the Red Raider's favorite clubs. The society elevates school's commitment to the values of Scholarship, Service, Leadership, Character, and #Citizenship. Each inductee displays a high standard of excellence, demonstrates academic achievement and has contributed valuable community service to NR.

Membership provides many leadership opportunities which is great for both college and life experience. Thank you all involved in presenting, the NRHS band for their performance and special kudos to this year's honorary inductees Steven Lefkow and Kevin Bredberg. More photos.

#NRProud to share that 23 North Rockland High School students (not all pictured) have been accepted into the 2021 New York State School Music Association Area All-State (NYSSMA-AAS) band, orchestra & choir! Congratulations!

The selected musicians have been practicing their repertoire (3-5 advanced pieces) individually and will travel to Newburgh Free Academy this weekend for the NYSSMA festival. After two days of rehearsals with students from 5 different counties, they will present concerts Saturday afternoon. The high standard of music-making at AAS elevates the high school musicians performance to the sound of a college/university ensemble.

Band: Marcello Troncoso

Orchestra: Jana Alexandrine Ausa, Tyler Celestin, Amelia Conjura, Rony Cruz, John DiSpaltro, William McGuire, Jade Pazmino, Jesseny Perez

Choir: Jordan Baez, Eddie Cigna, Armando Mendez, Lillian Barron, Noelle Belliot, Sophia Carlevaro, Kanyinsola Craig, Grace Forlenza, Mikaela Goldstein, Morgan LaValley, Oluwadamilola Modupe, Sophia Nardone, Naila Rosario, Heather Suchanyc

The NR Athletics Department wanted to offer a way for everyone to have access to purchase our Athletics apparel and support our Red Raiders. The Athletics Department is proud to offer a unique online store that offers a variety of athletic apparel with a portion of each sales proceeds going towards funding programs, equipment and more for athletes. Even shipping is available so please check it out. We appreciate you helping us get the store off the ground. After all who doesn't love sporting red and white for the holidays?!

NR Athletics Online Store link - NOW OPEN!!!

• For more info on Athletics visit the NR Athletics homepage linked here.

• Be sure to follow our Twitter @NRockathletics for all the latest sports action!

LocalLive

Want to watch remotely? No problem! The District has continued to partner with LocalLive, allowing most of our athletic contests to be live-streamed and recorded. Missed a game this week? Watch it on our LocalLive channel by clicking here.

2021-22 Winter Sports Start Dates

November 15, 2021: High School Winter Sports Began
November 29, 2021- Modified Teams Start

The Red Raiders encourage you to take these small steps to make your Thanksgiving celebration more environmentally friendly next week!

1. Break out the good dishes and cloth napkins. Disposable plates and plastic utensils create a ton of waste. Choose reusable!

2. Decorate with nature. Replace plastic and synthetic decorations for your table with natural and homemade festive alternatives. It's fall after all, step outside and gather pinecones, acorns and colorful leaves to use!

3. Plan your holiday meal. Before you go to the grocery store, plan and make a list to reduce the chance that you’ll buy more than you need. If you have guests who want to bring a dish, coordinate in advance on who is cooking which dish to avoid duplicates and waste.

4. Save the scraps! While you're preparing your feast save the scraps from the ingredients you use. Peelings and trimmings can be reserved for a plethora other culinary uses like homemade stock, which is a wonderful way to use vegetable peelings and poultry bones. It can be frozen for months so you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy it after the holiday

5. Bring containers! Ask guests to bring containers to pack leftovers food to bring home with them. Who doesn't love leftover mashed potatoes!

Farley Elementary School's K-Kids and Student Government want to thank the school community for all the generous and thoughtful food donations collected during the 2021 Thanksgiving Food Drive they sponsored. The donations will not only feed families in the North Rockland community, it ensures they will receive a Thanksgiving Day dinner before the holiday begins thanks to the support of our selfless students.

"We collected over 45 boxes of food to donate to our local Immaculate Conception Food Pantry in Stony Point!" shared FES Educator and drive organizer Kathleen Kennedy. Watch the thank you message linked here.

Mission - Let no hero be forgotten this holiday season!

Red Raiders packed joy in Cafeteria B! The Panther Team at Fieldstone Middle School filled boxes for our troops and veterans. The team partnered with the Marine Corps League Rockland County Detachment, to collect specific items to provide a group of Hudson Valley Veterans known as The Bob Hope Division, on their 10th annual Christmas Collection for the Troops.

All month long the entire team has been fundraising, gathering donations, and purchasing, both general and specifically requested items troops really need this time of year, #NRTogether. Students designed and created heartfelt holiday cards -- sprawled with messages of gratitude, stars, stripes, and well wishes, before sorting and boxing a wide variety of goods to be sent to an aviation unit as well as other veterans and soldiers. We’re so humbled to share that 35 boxes were filled to the brim!

“We worked together as a team to support the brave men and women who are currently serving as well as those who have already served our country” explained Panther Team teachers and operation organizers, Jaime Borman, Sarah Flanders, Andrew Layton, and Lauren Ramponi.

Special thanks to everyone involved from the start to finish of this happy mail! More photos

The wonderful James A Farley Elementary PTA joined forces with the District this year to provide as many socks to as many people in our community as possible. Our learners and their families really did an amazing job! The generous donations and outpouring of support for the cause resulted in the total number of socks collected almost doubling from last year.

On behalf of the PTA, President Danielle Sowa, visited and awarded Jake Bender with a special certificate and two $25 gift cards for collecting a staggering 357 pairs of socks during their holiday drive.

As our local shelters prepare for winter (the toughest season for homeless Americans), we were so grateful to be able to wheel out a full cart of brand new socks for those in need. When we filled up the delivery vehicle from Helping Hands of Rockland, we saw first hand that even a small act of love, such as donating a pair of socks, can make the biggest difference in the lives of our neighbors.

Want to follow in the the Red Raiders lead? Hand warmers and gloves are other essential items you can donate to local shelters to help make a difference this winter #NRTogether!

Pasos para traducir esta actualización

On November 2, 2021, following the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization (EUA) on October 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice’s (ACIP’s) recommendation for children ages 5-11 to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. This is the first authorized vaccine to be permitted for use in this age group. All children ages 5 to 11 are now eligible to receive a two-dose primary series of the pediatric formulation Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, effective immediately. Parents or guardians with questions about the vaccine are encouraged to talk to their child’s pediatrician or another trusted healthcare provider.

NYSDOH Pediatric Vaccine Guidance linked here.

Upcoming Rockland County Department of Health COVID-19 vaccination clinics that will offer Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric doses for 5- to 11-year-olds are:

• Thursday, November 18, from 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm (ages 5-11 only)

Robert L. Yeager Health Center, Building A (50 Sanatorium Road, Pomona 10970)

• Monday, November 22, from 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm (ages 5+)

Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose Center (110 Bethune Blvd, Spring Valley 10977)

To make an appointment at an RCDOH clinic, visit http://rcklnd.us/covid19. Appointments are strongly encouraged. You may walk into any clinic without an appointment, but you may need to wait. See the attached for more details.

To schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment at the RCDOH Clinic, click here.

The Rockland County Department of Health (RCDOH) is participating in New York State’s #VaxToSchool campaign! Starting October 19th, youth ages 12 to 17 will get a gift card with a first and/or second COVID-19 vaccine at a RCDOH COVID-19 vaccination clinic.

Sun River has informed us that they are providing immunizations, COVID-19 vaccinations, physicals, and child health insurance assistance. All of these services are available for #NRCSD students and school community members. To make an appointment, please call (845) 659-2436 or visit https://www.sunriver.org/.

Project Hope

Free emotional-support service offered by NYS

Flyer

**Visit the New York State Am I Eligible webpage or Vaccines.gov to find a vaccine near you. For questions, more information, or if you need assistance scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, call 845-238-1956 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday.

NR Weekly Positive Case Report

***NRCSD continues to work tirelessly to ensure that all health and safety protocols are working effectively. It is incumbent upon each and every one of us to make sure all safety protocols are followed at all times—in and out of school— so we can mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We must work together in partnership—schools, families, and students—and be mindful of the great responsibility we all have to protect ourselves and those around us. This virus can be present without any symptoms. That fact alone can lead to the unintentional infection of others.

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Red Raider Reminder

NR students who enroll in the free/reduced breakfast & lunch program qualify for college application fee waivers, free ACT and SAT exams and reduced AP exam registration fees! To qualify please complete the Free or Reduced Price Meal Application Form linked here as soon as possible.

The District is looking for more great employees to work with our students. If you are looking for a rewarding position, please consider applying with NRCSD further below in today’s update. Please click on the job image to apply through the District Form.

The North Rockland (Haverstraw-Stony Point) Central School District is seeking candidates for Food Service Helper positions at various school buildings for the 2021-2022 school year. The starting rate of pay is $14.00/hour. Apply here

The North Rockland Central School District is also seeking candidates for Monitor positions at the elementary level for the 2021-2022 school year. These positions are 5.5 hours per day. The starting rate of pay is $14.00/hour. Interested candidates should apply here.

The North Rockland (Haverstraw-Stony Point) Central School District is seeking candidates for School Nurse substitutes for the 2021-2022 school year. All candidates must be licensed as a Registered Professional Nurse. The starting rate of pay is $109 per day. Candidates can apply here.

Haverstraw Transit has informed us that they are currently seeking and accepting applications for: DRIVERS AND MONITORS. Apply here.