Community Update

August 5, 2022

Hello North Rockland Families,

I hope everyone has been enjoying and making the most of the summer! While it’s still prime time for soaking in fun in the sun and not yet time to start focusing on returning to school, with the start of August this week - it’s a good time to check in.

As the warmer weather continues, I hope you have the opportunity to slow down and appreciate quality time and making memories with loved ones. The next month of summer has a habit of coming and going fast. So let this Midsummer Update both serve as a reminder to enjoy each and every moment and help put your mind at ease as to what you need to know to get your child ready for school.

If you have not already, I encourage our students and families to check out the many events and opportunities our community has to offer. Town and village summer concerts, recreation programs, local parks and playgrounds and outdoor community festivals are just a few of the local highlights to look forward to this time of year.

This summer has been a very busy time for our district. Over the last several weeks NRCSD’s Summer Enrichment Programs across our buildings have been pushing the limits in the areas of Athletics, Arts, Technology, Social and Emotional Support, Mindfulness and Science while forging lasting connections.

Our staff has also been very active. The Facilities and Buildings and Grounds teams have been doing an incredible job working on and overseeing all of our Capital Improvement Projects to North Rockland High School's athletics fields, phys. ed spaces and building, including heating, cooling, ventilation and rooftop units funded by voter approved Proposition 2: Referendum accessing the capital reserve fund which allows NR to utilize more than $14 million to start capital improvement projects - at no additional cost to taxpayers.

All the funds spent to complete the projects (which can be found under - Important Information below) generate building aid. NR's building aid ratio is about 80%, so we estimate building aid of approximately $11 million that will be paid over a period of time.

Our instructional staff have been diligently preparing and planning for the upcoming school year. Spending the summer attending a number of Integrative Mental Health, Social Emotional, Technology and Professional Development Workshops, participating in team planning and strategically reshaping curriculum has led to the creation of programs that are all structured to be learner-active, technology-infused and provide students with access to an exceptionally optimized, high level academic experience.

Above all, we want these Community Updates to continue to be as transparent as possible going into the 2022-23 school year to ensure parents stay in the know. The strong partnership between our school community and our district is essential to the success of our students. We've proved in NR over these last few years of unique and challenging circumstances, that this bond has only strengthened.

When September comes we will all be ready to greet your children and provide them with a seamless transition into new grades, together - as a team. We are NR!

We understand the financial hardships many families are facing due to the ongoing pandemic. Therefore, our principals and teachers have determined the basic supplies students will need. The District will utilize COVID relief funds once again to purchase those back-to-school supplies to take that burden off families. Individual teachers may require a few course-specific items once classes begin.

• The District's 2022-23 Calendar will be mailed mid Aug.

• Summer Mailing - Expect to see in your mailbox mid Aug.

• First Day of School - Sept. 6

• Open Houses - Aug. 31/ 1- 3PM

• Parents will be given their child's assigned teachers/schedules late Aug.

• Meet the Teacher Nights - Flyer/Print out

Sept. 15 - 6:30PM - NRHS

Sept. 19 - 6PM - SPES, TES and WHES

Sept. 20 - 6PM - SPES, TES and WHES

Sept. 21 - 7PM - FES, HES and WGES

Sept. 22 - 7PM - FES and WGES

Sept. 28 - 7PM- FMS

Sept. 29 - 7PM - FMS

• Ice cream Socials

Sept. 12 - 6:45PM - HES Grade 4

Sept. 13 - 6:30PM - WGES Grade 4

Sept. 14 - 5:30PM - FES Grade 4

Sept. 16 - 6PM - SPES

• Staff Development - Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 - NR staff getting classrooms prepared to greet our students!

• Superintendents Conference Day - Sept. 2

• School Opening Update - Sept. 2

The 2022-2023 District Calendar linked here, was formally approved by the Board of Education.

We are excited to share that thanks to our school communities overwhelming support, the Remote Academy will continue to be an option for families for the 22-23 school year. If you have not already completed the enrollment form and are interested in enrolling your child in the Remote Academy, please complete the form(s) below.

Elementary Form (Grades 1-6)

Did you know NRCSD now offers a FREE App?

The North Rockland Central School District App is now available for download in the App Store or Google play! Just search North Rockland CSD and tap to download. Save time and find all the latest District information all in one convenient, easy use location.

Steps to download:

1. Visit iTunes App Store ® or Google Play ®
2. Search North Rockland CSD
3. Then select North Rockland CSD App for FREE download
4. Open the App enable push notifications and select the school(s) you want to subscribe to.

Stay connected!

• Get the latest district and school news
• Select the schools you want to follow
• Get push notifications about breaking news, closures, weather, events, and more
• Tap to see school locations, phone numbers, and staff information, fast

For a tutorial and navigation overview on the NRCSD App check out the YouTube video linked here.

Summer Chromebook Care

Getting a Parent Portal account

• Parents can retrieve their child's schedule via the Parent Portal at Fieldstone and North Rockland High School.

• Schedules will go live in late August.

On July 1, Jean Dunmire was appointed to Coordinator of School Bus Transportation II for the North Rockland Central School District. Jean came to NR in 2021 with a background of over 15 years in Hotel Management and 10 years in transportation. She is a graduate of the Clarkstown Central School School District, was the former president of the PTA there and worked for the district's transportation department before joining our team. Welcome Jean!

"While I happily retired in Sept 2020, I happily returned in Feb 2021!" said Sandra Katt, NR's longtime Coordinator of School Bus Transportation II.

While the nation faced a bus driver shortage amid the ongoing pandemic, North Rockland relied on Katt and her expertise to help navigate us through it. We thank her for her hard work and dedication to our district, students and families. Sandy will be leaving us in the coming months to enjoy her retirement but wanted to share with the community that her department is busy preparing routes for the 2022-23 school year.

"We’ve been working hard through the summer on routing all our students, as well as many new students coming into the district. We look forward to the return of all our students in September." explained Katt. "Enjoy the rest of your summer."

Transportation information and Registration information will be forthcoming. You can stay up to date by visiting the Registration and Transportation websites.

This summer the North Rockland Central School District have been working in conjunction with the Haverstraw Police Department, Stony Point Police Department and Rockland County Sheriff's Office to maximize building safety. Our leadership team has been hard at work in collaboration with our local officers to make our families, students, community and staff feel safe. Some steps the District will be taking and activities we have participated in include:

• Live safety trainings.
• Table top and preparedness simulations.
• Securing an outdoor security firm that will ensure the parameters of our buildings are secure as well as review and adjust safety procedures and protocols.
• Working with the towns of Haverstraw and Stony Point to assign school officers to our schools (SRO positions).

In the 2022-23 School Year Opening Update we will share more details about the upgraded security precautions we are implementing and added safeguards structured into the NRCSD Safety Plan.

In addition to introducing something new in curriculum that deviates from the standard practice, North Rockland has been hard at work to upgrade our school’s heating and cooling, technology, security and infrastructure. The state of the art capital improvement projects were overwhelmingly approved by the voters in May of 2022. Our team has worked tirelessly to get our facilities fully renovated and ready to serve. Fortunately, a lot of great work has gone into providing new innovative outdoor learning pavilions that we are excited to utilize this school year.

Project Updates and timeline

Current projects under construction:

1. Back area of NRHS - Construction of new basketball courts, field entrances, playground area, outdoor learning pavilion are underway. Estimated completion: Late summer - early fall.
2. HES A/C installation underway. Estimated completion: Late summer - early fall.
3. Outdoor learning pavilion construction is underway at TES, SPE and WHES. Estimated completion: Early fall.
4. Roof top units installation at NRHS construction is underway. Estimated completion: Fall.
5. NRHS Annex updated heating/cooling completed and fully installed.
6. Tomkins Cove Solar Field construction is underway. Estimated completion: Early fall.

Upcoming projects:

1. New NR Stadium At NRHS breaks ground winter/spring 2023. Estimated completion: Fall 2023.
2. New NRHS weight room - Estimated completion: Fall 2024.
3. FMS Auditorium - Estimated completion: Spring 2024.
4. FES and WGES - Replacement of roofing doors and Air Conditioning. Estimated completion: Summer 2025

**We hope to continue adding A/C to all schools, expanding outdoor learning spaces, facilities for the arts, sports and more.

In North Rockland we put emphasis on STEM and Technology Education. Our programs provide students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math the opportunity to grow problem solving skills that they will need in their future fields. Across the district our programs have one main goal: to develop technologically literate students. Exposing learners to all the latest technologies, developing skills and piquing their interests in these fields, creates problem solvers that seek out the answer rather than surrendering to uncertainty.

The District offers after school programs across all grade levels that further develop these skills. The programs give every student the tools needed to instill creativity, innovation and a passion for STEM from an early age. Recently we launched an innovative new Robotics Program in our Upper Elementary Schools, a Drone Program at the Middle School level and at the High School we have our Robotics Team that competes with other schools across the state. There’s something for everyone. While some may be interested in coding others may love building or just want to be part of a team doing something new, fun and challenging.

Every STEM component brings a valuable contribution to a well-rounded education and gives learners an in-depth understanding of the world around us. Our dedicated team of educators are ensuring the students of North Rockland receive the highest level of engaging experiences hands on.

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

The summer physical schedule can be found linked here.

At North Rockland Central School District we take internet safety very seriously. It is important that we all have access to information on how to keep our students safe. Here are a few web resources:

1. Common Sense Media - click here

2. Connect Safely - click here

3. Internet Safety Tips - click here

The NRCSD has partnered with Peachjar. This new platform will enable us to send important school and community flyers to parents/guardians digitally, saving our schools time, money, and paper. School-approved digital flyers will be sent to your email inbox. Please click here for more information.

📢Attention NR Community🎗

Join the North Rockland Central School District and show your support for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this September.

Jelien is a 6 year old Childhood Cancer Survivor, North Rockland resident and a student at West Haverstraw Elementary that fought and beat childhood cancer. She rang the bell in March 2021 and ended all of her treatments in April 2021, bravely beating childhood cancer! This shirt was created to show support for Jelien and all of the childhood cancer survivors, and all those fighting today.

The NR community will be wearing gold in September 2022 to commemorate this cause, get your limited edition shirt today! $10.00 from every purchase of this shirt will be donated to Friends of Karen, an amazing organization that helps families with children that have been diagnosed with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses in our local area.

Adult and child sizes available! Get yours & let’s GO GOLD this September🎗

Shop - https://1791nation.com/products/north-rockland-childhood-cancer-awareness-fundraiser-t-shirt

Shop - https://1791nation.com/collections/kids/products/north-rockland-childhood-cancer-awareness-fundraiser-t-shirt-youth

SCHOOL MENUS

Elementary Lunch Menu

Upper Elementary Lunch Menu

Fieldstone Middle School Lunch Menu

North Rockland High School Lunch Menu

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.

North Rockland is currently seeking candidates for full-time and part-time Security Aide positions for the 2022-2023 school year. School Security Aides are committed to ensuring students are learning in a safe and supportive environment.

Full-time positions include - A regionally competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Part-time positions are - 4.5 hours per day and starting pay is $19.83/hour.

**Candidates with prior law enforcement, security or military experience are preferred.**

Applications can be submitted on OLAS at olasjobs.org. Resumes can be submitted through our Facebook job posting linked here, sent to Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Community Relations Mr. Eric Baird, North Rockland CSD, 65 Chapel St., Garnerville, NY 10923 or emailed to ebaird@northrockland.org.

The North Rockland (Haverstraw-Stony Point) Central School District is seeking candidates for Food Service Helper positions at various school buildings for the 2022-2023 school year. The starting rate of pay is $14.28/hour. 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 $150 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.