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The Clarkstown Connection
December 2023
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A Message from the Superintendent
Dear Clarkstown Central School District Families and Staff,
It's hard to believe that we’re halfway through the 2023-24 academic year. Our classrooms, auditoriums and learning spaces are alive with meaningful lessons, accolades and exciting opportunities for our students.
As we prepare for the development of our school district’s 2024-25 academic year budget, we remain profoundly appreciative of our state legislators for fully funding Foundation Aid in 2023. The resulting state aid increases have proven immensely beneficial for our students, particularly in light of the cessation of the post-pandemic federal allocations. Following the pandemic, CCSD has steadily expanded supports and services for our students and families.
Unfortunately, Governor Kathy Hochul unveiled a New York State budget last week that would result in decreasing the amount of Foundation Aid that was originally promised to our schools. Foundation Aid is used to support general operating costs, salaries for district employees, academic programs for students and athletics and extracurricular activities — all of which are mission-critical for CCSD.
Governor Hochul’s budget proposal simply does not recognize the needs of our schools and the escalating unfunded mandates from New York State. We will continue to work closely with our Albany delegation to fight for the full recovery of Foundation Aid, as the Clarkstown community deserves nothing less. In the upcoming weeks, I may call upon you to join in the advocacy and amplify our voice.
Back here in our classrooms, January has been filled with learning and growth. Let’s take a look at some of the memorable moments and accomplishments from the past few weeks.
Sincerely,
Marc P. Baiocco, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
Clarkstown Central School District
January Highlights
Students programmed Ozobots to follow color codes during an Enrichment class at Birchwood School. Fifth graders developed
21st-century learning skills, such as critical thinking and innovative problem-solving, that are vital to success in school and beyond.
We heard stellar rehearsal performances from Felix Festa Middle School's orchestra and band ahead of grade 6-8 concerts on January 23 and 24. Bravo to all of our student-musicians! The CCSD winter concert series continues next week with a performance at New City Elementary School on Tuesday, January 30.
Thanks to the power of Zoom, students at Little Tor Elementary School recently "met" fellow learners from an Irish primary school. Fifth graders spoke with their pen pals and built global connections that extend beyond the classroom — a key aspect of being more future ready.
The topics of Link Elementary School’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Program (PYP) Exhibition covered a wide range of subjects like water pollution, artificial intelligence and sports safety, to name a few. The PYP Exhibition allows students to explore, document and share their understanding of a topic of global significance and personal interest.
A Look Ahead
Names, Not Numbers©
This endeavor will start off as a Clarkstown High School South and Felix Festa Middle School-led effort, in alignment with the New York State Education Department's (NYSED) Holocaust instruction requirement. Additionally, there will be opportunities for related programming at the Holocaust Museum & Center for Tolerance and Education at Rockland Community College. We look forward to our partnership with Names, Not Numbers© and for students to have the opportunity to learn about the Holocaust outside of the traditional classroom setting.