Community Check-In

It's been another full week of learning, engagement and of course, red and white competition!

I have been impressed by our students and athletes' positive energy and exemplary skills displayed. Some of the highlights include the Districts' Lower Elementary and FMS Spelling Bees and while taking home League Championship wins.

This month, although short, is going to be a very productive one. February is an important time of year in North Rockland filled with opportunities to grow and achieve. Over course of the next few weeks, Districtwide our students will be taking field trips to places like Dominican University in honor of Career and Technical Education Month—a time when school communities nationwide celebrate the programs that prepare their students for the workforce and help further their education, diving into lessons on Black History as we honor BHM and celebrating some major milestones.

We’ve got a lot planned for the 100th Day of School, Valentines Day, Presidents Day and National School Counselors week as well. As a District, this month also provides us with an opportunity to shine a spotlight on our amazing community. It takes a village. Our schools are fortunate to have active PTA's and supportive families working alongside us as partners, providing constant support and resources to our students.

None of what we do would be possible without the hard work and dedication of the NR Security Team. There are many layers from SRO’s to security vehicles and additional personnel monitoring our buildings perimeter to reinforce situational prevention and response to protect our schools and ensure our students and parents feel secure. In an effort to increase security NRHS is expanding security coverage to include evening hours. As always the safety and security of our students and staff remains our top priority.

We know that student experiences in school are some of the best times of their lives as they learn new things and work towards their goals. So please encourage them to take part in the many educational, social, athletic and academic opportunities ahead. These are the moments that will become invaluable memories in the future.

Thank you for staying connected and engaged in our district.

Your word is champion

The definition is a person who has defeated or surpassed all rivals in a competition. The place of origin is NR.

The North Rockland School Spelling Bees wrapped up last week, with a record number seven schools participating. The lower elementaries, upper elementaries and Fieldstone had a total of 381 students compete. There were seven students crowned school champion, but 58 students are moving on to compete in the North Rockland Districtwide Spelling Bee.

Districtwide Bee

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Time: 6:30 PM

Fieldstone Middle School

(Snow Date: March 14, 2023)

School Winners

Stony Point Elementary - Angelica Soto

West Haverstraw - Noslen Ruiz

Thiells - Katie Rodriguez

Haverstraw - Madisyn Belmore

Farley - Christian Carillo

Willow Grove - Dustin Morny

Fieldstone - David Fyffe

Finalists & District Bee Participants

Stony Point Elementary - Elizabeth Arroyo, Catalyan Rosario, Katherine Keahon, Christopher Corbett,Andrew Mejia, Naail Alam, Lloyd Rajcoomar

West Haverstraw - Aaron Bray, Avi Patel, Jessica O'Connor, Remaiya Thorne

Thiells - Zion Martinez, Luke Collins, Dylan Quezada, Michael Daniel, Jacob Hull, Olivia Bueno, Jake Robinson

Haverstraw - TBD

Farley - Aline Wolitzer, Alexis Daniel, Gabriella Daniel, Oumar Morgan, Ariel Kent, Kasen Riello Gomez Goty, Juliana Martinez, Gerald Nugent, Olivia Figueroa

Willow Grove - Benjamin Imperato

Fieldstone - David Douge, Aaliyah Ellis, Emmett Jaslow, Madison Kiley, Mahibah Waheedullah, Mason Bedrosian

See you on March 8th!

More photos

The North Rockland Central School District is seeking candidates for several Teaching Assistant positions for the 2022-2023 school year. These are full-time positions which include a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Valid NYS teaching or teaching assistant certification is required.

Apply now on https://www.olasjobs.org/

A group of seniors at the North Rockland High School Extension took a tour of Universal Technical Institute in Bloomfield, NJ over the weekend with NRHSE School Counselor Shanneell Skrine and School Psychologist Paul Vespo. This trade school campus trains students to become technicians in about a year or less using some of the latest equipment, best practices and top brands while gaining skills valued by the industry. These students have applied to this program and appreciate the academic and social-emotional support they've received at the NRHSE. Parents came along for the trip and were incredibly proud and excited at the opportunity for their children to be in an environment they’re passionate about. Some of these students will be the first in their family to attend post-high school education.

When you turn on your tap, where does the water come from?

To find out, the NR Academy of Engineering took a trip to Veolia Water Treatment Plant in Haworth, New Jersey. While Rockland’s primary water source is Lake Deforest in West Nyack, the Oradell Reservoir serves parts of Bergen County. The experts at Veolia took the students on a tour through the water treatment facility, educating them on each part of the process that filters the water from these natural resources and delivers them to our homes. The trip also included a presentation on all things water, from the area's watershed to different filtering systems. More photos.

The NR Dual Language Program provides students the opportunity to learn academic content (math, science, social, and social studies) while also learning to speak, read, and write at a high academic level in Spanish & English. Students enter the dual language program in Kindergarten and commit to remain in the program through sixth grade. Students follow the same curriculum as their peers in English instruction classrooms with the expectation that they meet the same state standards. The program follows a 50/50 model in which students learn their subjects 50% of the time in English and 50% of the time in Spanish. The NR K-6 Dual Language Program is an enrichment program available by lottery to all families of incoming kindergarten students. For more information about the program, please see the attached flier. The 2023-2024 Application Window is February 1-17, 2023. If there are more applicants than slots, we will hold a lottery February 28, 2023, 11AM at the Central Administration Building.

Brochure Link

NRCSD's 23-24 Universal Pre-K (UPK) Program and the Full Day Pre-K program is now open for registration!

**Applications will be accepted now - March 1

The program begins in September for children who will be four years old by December 1, 2022, and live in district. Children in UPK attend five (5) half days for 2½ hours each day; Children in Statewide Full-Day Prekindergarten attend five (5) days a week for 5 hours each day for 180 days per school year, at no cost to you. Parents have a choice of several center locations throughout the county. Please note that transportation is not provided and there are limited slots. Application Link

The North Rockland Central School District is happy to report that it was awarded a 2022-2023 Universal Prekindergarten Expansion grant for new full-day and half-day to full-day placements for four-year-old students. This allows the district to convert 60 current half-day UPK students to full-day at no cost to parents starting on February 1, 2023! The grant also allows us to add an additional ten full-day students who can start on February 1st, 2023.

We know that this will make a substantial difference for our families. We contacted UPK service providers to see how many had the space and required staffing to convert half-day to full-day students. The Jan & Niles Davies Learning Center, Benim Academy of Haverstraw, and St. Gregory Barbarigo can accommodate additional students. The district is reaching out to parents of half-day students in these centers to see if they are interested in being added to a lottery that will be pulled on the morning of January 27, 2023.

The district is currently applying for additional grants that increase the number of UPK students served by our UPK service providers. We look forward to the day when ALL of our students have the opportunity to attend UPK!

***Each child is entitled to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch meal per day in NR. No sign up is required.

For the past two years, every student has been eligible for free school meals, regardless of how much their parents made in Rockland County. That program expired at the end of the summer and has created confusion. In North Rockland we are proud to share that all our schools qualify for free breakfast and lunch. Our dedicated Food Service Department has worked to get all our schools eligible for the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for the next four years.

- For additional meals students are encouraged to use My School Bucks.

School Meal Sign Up! 🍽️

NRHS Seniors 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.

Congratulate them here.

Senior captains Robert DePolito, Tyce Vandergoot and Elijah Bonet all won with bonus points to help clinch the league title with a 37-30 win over Clarkstown North. To put a cherry on top, it was also Senior Night where the wrestlers and their families were celebrated before the match.

Division matches are tomorrow (Saturday) at Clarkstown South.

The NR JV Wrestling Team are 2023 Section I champions, which is the highest achievement at the JV level!! More photos.

Athletics Update - Spring Sports

1. NRHS Spring sports will start March 13, 2023
2. Fieldstone Spring Sports will start March 20, 2023

NR Athletic Online Registration for Spring sports will open on February 13, 2023.

Our unique online store offers athletic apparel totally dedicated to NR athletics with a share of the sale proceeds going to our dept.

Thank you all again for support of NR Athletics!

https://north-rockland-athletics-powered-by-fleet-fundraising.myshopify.com/

ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT NEWS

Please check the NR Athletics website for schedules, information and updates.

Follow us on Twitter @NRockathletics

Be sure to check NR Athletics Website for Schedules and information.

Click here for starting dates for: Winter Sports 2022-23, and Spring Sports 2023.

North Rockland has partner with Hi-Tor Animal Shelter to feature one dog and one cat to help them find a loving home each week. Check out the Shelter Wish List linked here. Red Raiders to the Rescue!!!

"Blueboy came to us as a stray. He is a blue nosed pit who is a sweet boy. His face is expressive

and his eyes are soulful. His coat is smooth velvety gray with a white stripe down his nose. He

is a typical silly pittie who would just love to have a home of his own.. If you are interested in adopting him please fill out an application on our website Hitor.org."

"Lemur is one of the many young adult cats currently residing at Hitor Animal Care Center.

Lemur had a rough start to his shelter life, having been found dumped under a staff members car in the driveway. He was found wearing a leather collar with no collar tags on it, and despite

being posted online, no one came forward to reclaim him. Despite being faced with such

unfortunate circumstances, Lemur is a sweetheart who has so much love to give. He loves to

get kisses on his head, take naps on his back, and looks for human companionship whenever

he can. Send in a cat application so that you can meet Lemur and take him to his forever home. If you are interested in adopting please fill out an application on our website Hitor.org."