Community Check-In

On Tuesday, May 21 our community unanimously approved the District’s $284 million spending plan and Proposition 2. The budget and proposition passed with a 79% majority (2,877 ‘yes’ votes) letting us know that you recognize the good work we are doing on behalf of the children of NR. Your vote is not only a vote for our schools, but a vote for the future success of our students.

With the approval of the budget and Proposition 2, we will be able to fund important projects such as capital improvements and technological upgrades that will greatly benefit our schools and help us continue to provide a high-quality education for students. These investments will also aid in program expansion and ensure our students have access to the resources they need to thrive. A great example of the kind of projects the establishment of a “Capital Reserve Fund” and careful budget planning work together to support is our planetarium’s recent renovation and offerings expansion which you will find a video on further below.

It was the Board of Education and Central Administration’s priority to create a fiscally responsible 2024-25 budget that guaranteed our students not only the same level of service next school year, but more - without adding to the fiscal burden on residents. The plan is to expand the state-leading Dual-Language, School-to-Work and Pre-K Programs, increase services for special education students, expand and extend summer programming, develop new outdoor learning opportunities and increase supports such as tutoring, mentoring and career counseling to help students academically and with their future.

Keeping the tax levy at 0% while seeking alternative funding sources, such as grants, community partnerships and increases to state and federal aid have supplemented the District's budget growth saving local taxpayers a cumulative $52 million over the last five years. As shown in the “Behind the Budget Ballot” spotlights with the BOE, facility upgrade planning, combined with increases in maintenance staff, helps keep costs down by completing more portions of projects in-house. We are excited to share more renovations of our buildings with the community as we delve deeper into the District's 5-year Facilities Improvement Plan.

Today begins the NR Memorial Day Break, which was extended from Wednesday, May 22 (early dismissal day) - to Monday, May 27. Schools will reopen on Tuesday, May 28. Let us remember all our military heroes, especially those from our local community, who sacrificed for our country and freedoms NR Strong over the holiday weekend.

In closing, I’d like to congratulate our school board members who retained their seats. Richard Fernandez and Mary Romano were re-elected to the North Rockland Board of Education. The terms begin July 1, 2024 and run through June 30, 2027.

Your support is truly appreciated and we look forward to continuing to provide the best possible education for our children, together!

Kris Felicello

Superintendent of Schools

North Rockland's planetarium renovations are out of this world! The domed theatre is a special place for generations of children to gaze up at the night sky, visit distant galaxies and explore their love of astronomy. Upgrading the space, projection system and custom programming was an important part of the 2024 budget and capital improvement project planning formula. Utilizing the District Capital Reserve fund, which provides state aid returns of approximately 75-80%, this year we installed elevated planetarium seating and unveiled a range of new shows designed for kindergarteners through adults to expand and diversify the program's reach. The expanded show experiences catalog offers something new to discover for each age group as well as returning Red Raiders year after year.

We are looking forward to offering more educational trips to the stars for learners of all ages, community organizations and North Rockland residents #NRTogether!

Richard Fernandez was first elected to the North Rockland Board in 2013. In addition to serving on our Board of Education, Rich - a retired New York City Police Sergeant of 24 years - also serves on the BRIDGES of Rockland Board of Trustees and is a member of the Rockland County Hispanic Law Enforcement Organization, the Rockland Road Runners, the North Rockland Community Day Race Committee and other various charitable events committees. Congratulations and thank you for your service to our students!

Mary Romano was first elected to the North Rockland Board in 2009. In addition to serving on our Board of Education, she pursued her passion and care for her local community by joining the Stony Point Center’s team, where she worked for over 14 years. Mary has always been very involved in NR, serving on the St. Greg’s Cornerstone Committee and as a Cub Scout Leader for many years. She has resided in Stony Point for 36 years and all four of her children are graduates of the North Rockland Central School District. Before joining the BOE, she was active on the District’s PTA, serving as president and on the council for many years. She currently serves on numerous BOE committees such as audit and facilities. Congratulations and thank you for your service to our students!

Finally is the WGES Roof & HVAC with Trustee Debbie Gatti

Willow Grove’s roof life has been extended by utilizing a durable coating product that avoids replacing the structure. The upper elementary school is also in phase I of receiving outdoor chiller units outside the gym and rear end of the building as part of the HVAC upgrade while receiving state aid returns of approximately 75-80% on the project. Piping and foundation is being laid for summer installations.

“The durable ENERGY STAR-qualified Tremco white epoxy offers reflective low-temperature flexibility, greater resistance to weathering, requires little maintenance and has a 20-year warranty/roof life extension expectancy.” Gatti, who was first elected to the board in 2005 explained, “The application works with the existing roof to eliminate the costs of removal, landfilling and replacement.”

The latest capital projects shared by the NR BOE are all pivotal points in the District’s Five-year Plan. Over these last five years, we have made tremendous progress in bringing our buildings, facilities, technology and offerings into the 21st century while ensuring an improved learning environment. Full Story.

The North Rockland Central School District was awarded over $2.4 million in state funding to expand opportunities for local families to access free UPK programs. The competitive grant award - among the largest of 64 NYSED awards across the state - will allow North Rockland to convert 200 half-day UPK seats into full-day seats as well as add 150 full-day Universal Prekindergarten placements. Register Here.

Over the past month, NR has been raising funds with the help of our community through initiatives like "Purple Up For Military Kids" and coordinating activities to support military-connected students such as the NRCSD NJROTC Month of the Military Child SPIRIT days collaboration. The ultimate goals of the May campaign were to raise awareness and to send local veterans on a Memorial Day Honor Flight to Washington DC. #NRStrong!

#NRTogether we contributed to seats for 64 Hudson Valley Veterans flown to Washington D.C. to visit various memorials. For the send-off honors at Westchester County Airport, the North Rockland NJROTC Unit was in attendance along with handwritten letters of gratitude from students in all our schools, posters, pictures and flags -- all of which were taken on the flight to be distributed to Veterans in DC. The brave were met with applause, gratitude, salutes and handshake from cadets as they boarded.

It was an impactful day as we welcomed home and thanked these Veterans in a way they truly deserve. Please join us in remembering U.S. military personnel, their service and sacrifice over the holiday weekend. More photos.

To close out National Month Of The Military Child, the Red Raiders wore camouflage! This month-long campaign has been a great success in celebrating service and sacrifice. Shout out to the NJROTC and everyone else involved in making this campaign happen!

#NRTogether and #NRStrong!

More Photos.

After our High Schoolers expressed their interest in becoming American Red Cross Certified in CPR/First Aid to the Phys Ed Department, Coordinator of Physical Education and Health Mike Castaldo, Director of Secondary Education Curriculum Mike Gill and Principal Lauren DaPonte researched a way to implement the certification class into NR's PE elective program curriculum, where students could become certified during the school day at no cost (other than the American Red Cross fee).

“We met with the American Red Cross and Superintendent Dr. Kris Felicello and Deputy Superintendent Anthony Zollo, they fully supported connecting educators with training and receiving certification to teach the course.” Castaldo shared, “We are super excited to have our first group students currently getting certified.” Full Story/More Photos.

NRHS Best Buddies members along with Advisor Gina Tedesco were invited as exceptional student buddy pairs to be featured in Tuesday's episode. Representatives from our chapter rocked their Raider Red and made signs for the monumental morning.

“We had the honor and pleasure of meeting the founder of Best Buddies International - Anthony Kennedy Shriver, TTS Host Savannah Guthrie and the show co-hosts — what an incredible experience!” Tedesco shared of the trip's highlights. Kennedy Shriver also pulled Gina aside for a "Star of the Day" interview when he heard our group meets every day. Full Story/Video.

Willow Grove Elementary went all out for World Culture Day! The festivities spread throughout the whole school and there was cultural pride as far as the eye can see. Students have been working hard on different projects ranging from murals to recipes. The students even had the opportunity to learn some self-defense! Days like today are vital for fostering appreciation and understanding of global diversity and the diversity we have here in NR. Full Story/More Photos.

Third graders at Stony Point Elementary, took a trip to the newly installed school meadow to release butterflies. The lower elementary schoolers have been raising caterpillars inside specially designed habitats all month. After weeks of caring for the tiny critters while sheltering them safely, feeding, nurturing and recording their transformation cycle as they grew, the time has finally come to let the now fully grown Monarch butterflies spread their wings and FLY! Full Story/More photos.

Soon-to-be freshman took a trip from Fieldstone to NRHS today for orientation on the next stop on their NR academic journey. They received a Red Raider welcome, with student ambassadors waiting for each class to escort them into the auditorium. On the way, the marching band, color guard and cheer team rallied behind them with fight songs. After a short introduction from Principal DaPonte and some encouraging words from Seniors, the students broke out into different groups where they got to tour the school and everything it has to offer. Inside the cafeteria were dozens of student-led clubs and activities where the incoming students got to explore the many different options the high school holds. It is safe to say the Class of 2028 will be ready for high school! More photos.

Students and staff at Farley huddled up l to participate in a spirit week in honor of National Mental Health Awareness which is celebrated each May. Students wore tie-dye to celebrate emotions being a range of colors, donned their favorite musician/band shirts to highlight music being a positive coping strategy and show gratitude towards the armed forces as gratitude is another positive coping skill!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a good reminder to focus on the importance of mental health and its impact on our well-being. Here are some tips to use over the long weekend to help reset!

1. Take some time to journal. Writing can help us deal with stressors and process our life experiences as we put them to pen and paper. Journaling can be anything you want it to be. Writing down a daily lyric or poem verse leads to a completed piece at the end of the month.
2. Find a creative outlet. Pick an activity you enjoy and let your inner creativity out to make or accomplish something just for you. Whether is painting, photography or playing chess, making time for things you enjoy is important.
3. Start your day centered. Having a cup of coffee, meditating or taking deep breaths, identify those habits that help you start your day off in the right direction.
4. Take time to appreciate the small things in your day. Consider a short walk during your work breaks to enjoy nature's beauty.
5. Look at the bigger picture. Sometimes small problems can derail our mood or thoughts. Try to examine if what's bothering you is really worth the time spent fixating on it. Let it go and free yourself.

Important reminder for the 2024/2025 school year. It is never too early to think ahead about what your child will need for the following school year, including immunizations.

The North Rockland Central School District maintains strict compliance with New York State Immunization laws. New York State Public Health Law, Section 2164 requires that schools will not permit a child to attend school unless the parent provides the school with a certificate of immunization or proof from a physician, nurse practitioner or physician's assistant that the child is in the process of receiving the required immunizations. More information can be found linked here.

Olivia Castaldo is our LADY RAIDER OF THE WEEK!!! Liv is a junior captain on the North Rockland High School varsity girls lacrosse team. She has either received Player of the Game or has been a finalist for the award for the past 5 games. In that timeframe, she has accumulated over 30 goals including her 200th career point. She was named All-League, All-County, and All-Section. Olivia has already committed to play lacrosse at Monmouth University in the Fall of 2025. Her coach said, “She has been extremely influential in her team winning 10 games in a row.” Let’s make some #REDANDWHITENOISE for Liv!!

Ryan Maltbie is our RED RAIDER OF THE WEEK!!! Ryan is a junior on the North Rockland varsity baseball team. As a first year varsity player, Maltbie definitely impressed us this season. He pitched a two hit shutout in the Section One Quarterfinals vs. New Rochelle contributing to their win. He then pitched four scoreless innings against the number one seed team RCK. Ryan finished the season 8-2 with a 2.1 ERA(earned run average) and 4 complete games. He was also named All-League and All-Section Honorable Mention. His coach said, “Ryan has been our big game pitcher all year. He always wants the ball and pitches a toughness that coaches always look for." Let’s make some #REDANDWHITENOISE for Ryan!!

This week NRHS had their ninth grade orientation for our eighth grade students at Fieldstone middle school to preview athletics at the high school level. It was great for our future Red Raider student-athletes to see how many sports we provide here as well as our exciting athletic facilities they will be able to utilize during their years here. Interested? Check out the video below.

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.