Monday, 9/30 - B Day
- 4th Grade Early Morning Library - 8:00
- Town Hall Meetings- Grades 3-5
Tuesday, 10/1 - C Day - PTSA Photo Day
- 5th Grade Early Morning Library - 8:00
Wednesday, 10/2 - D Day
- 3rd Grade Early Morning Library - 8:00
Thursday, 10/3 - Rosh Hashanah - School Closed
Friday, 10/4 - Rosh Hashanah - School Closed
Dear FEB Families,
The Rye Neck School District is committed to providing a safe environment for all students, staff and visitors. In the event of an emergency or disaster while school is in session, our schools are fully prepared to respond effectively. The Rye Neck School District maintains detailed emergency response plans that our safety teams regularly meet and train on, in conjunction with our law enforcement partners, to ensure we are ready for any situation.
In addition, each school year, schools are required to conduct at least 12 emergency drills to help staff and students be prepared for possible emergencies. Parents will receive advance notice of each drill within one week prior to the drill. The notification procedures are outlined in the District Safety Plan, which is accessible on the district’s website.
Your cooperation is necessary in any incident. Here is how you can help.
Please do not call the school. In a crisis situation, school phones are needed to manage the situation and lines must remain open.
Please do not call or text your child. This could pose a tremendous safety risk for students and staff.
Parents/guardians should not respond to the school building during an emergency. Doing so can greatly interfere with the efforts of emergency responders to manage the incident.
The District will provide ongoing information regarding the event via email and text messages to communicate with parents/guardians including specific instructions for parent/student reunification if necessary. Parents and guardians are encouraged to monitor phones and email regularly.
In the event of a serious incident requiring dismissal, your child(ren) will only be released to the parent or legal guardian listed on the emergency contact form completed at the beginning of each school year. To expedite this process, please bring a government issued photo ID. Please ensure your child(ren)'s emergency contact information is up-to-date and accurate.
In the event the school needs to dismiss your child(ren) on the bus, review with your child(ren) any alternative arrangements you have made in case an emergency prevents you from being home or picking up your child(ren).
Impress upon your child(ren) the need for them to follow the directions of any school personnel in times of an emergency.
Here is how the Rye Neck School District responds to a wide range of emergencies
Emergencies may include facility failures such as a gas leak, accidents, medical emergencies, severe weather or an intruder in the school. The following protocols may be used individually or in conjunction with one another to respond to a wide range of critical incidents.
Shelter in Place: A Shelter-in-Place may be issued when it is necessary to remain inside the building due to exterior hazards such as severe weather or other types of hazard. Students are kept in a safe space inside the building until the situation has been resolved.
Hold in Place: A Hold-in-Place may be issued during a non-threatening event such as a medical emergency or maintenance issue. Hallways are cleared, students are kept in classrooms and instruction continues.
Evacuation: Evacuation takes place if it is determined that it is safer outside than inside the building (fire, explosion, intruder, hazardous material spill) and staff, students and visitors can safely reach the evacuation location without danger.
Secure Lockout: In response to a security concern outside of the school, a Lockout secures all campus occupants inside the building. Visitors will not be admitted to the building, and occupants are restricted from leaving. Normal operations will continue inside the buildings. Students will not be released during a lockout.
Lockdown: In response to an imminent threat in or around a school, Lockdown is used to quickly ensure all school staff, students and visitors are secured in rooms away from immediate danger. Entry or exit from the school is restricted until the building has been deemed safe by emergency responders.
Reunification: In the unlikely event it is necessary for students to be reunited directly with their parent or guardian, the District will provide information via email, phone call and text message regarding their child's specific location. Students will only be released to a parent/guardian or other adults listed as emergency contacts. Photo identification will be required. The individual picking up the student will be asked to complete a Student Release Form (available onsite). This procedure is designed for your student's protection. Please be aware that reunification can be time-consuming, and we appreciate your patience.
How parents can help after an emergency:
It is important to remain calm as children are greatly influenced by their family's sense of well-being.
Provide reassurance that your child is safe.
Families need to be compassionate listeners when their children speak of the crisis. Listen to and acknowledge your child’s concerns.
Please seek help from the school, District, or other mental health professionals if you/your child have any concerns.
We are grateful for your support and partnership in keeping our schools safe. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact us at the school directly.
Sincerely,
Mike Scarantino
Principal
F.E. Bellows Elementary School
The next early dismissal date for Professional Learning is Wednesday, October 23rd. Third graders will be dismissed at 1:30, and fourth and fifth graders will be dismissed at 1:35. All grades will have their regular lunch period.
Please be sure to add these dates to your calendar:
- Wednesday, October 23rd
- Wednesday, December 18th
- Wednesday, February 26th
- Wednesday, March 26th
At this week's 4th Grade Principal's Conversation we shared that after years of hosting a 4th Grade Circus in the fall that it was time we identified a new Enrichment opportunity for students that would better align with our Strategic Plan goals and that would enhance the fourth grade experience for all students.
We have been evaluating the Circus Arts program for several years now and it has become evident that what is being offered by these outside vendors has increased in cost, but not in the quality of the learning and engagement we have come to expect at Rye Neck.
With the assistance of the PTSA who has sponsored and paid for the circus experience, we researched other offerings and found that the "Beyond Broadway" residency from Dance Cavise Studios would be something new and exciting to offer our fourth graders this year.
This four to six week program will be scheduled sometime after the Winter Holiday Recess and will take place during some of our Enrichment (FLT) and Physical Education periods. Each class selects a tune from a popular Broadway musical and learns a dance number associated to that show. For those who may not be interested in performing, we are coming up with some additional roles for them to be able to participate without being forced to in front of an audience.
As we finalize the details, we will share them with families, but for now, you can take a look at a short video of some of the past school performances that Dance Cavise has produced.
The 2023 NYS ELA and Math Parent Reports have been made available by the state. A copy of your child’s ELA and/or Math results were mailed out yesterday. For a guide on how to read your child’s report, visit the New York State Education Department (nysed.gov) site. Sample score reports are available at 2024 Grades 3-8 Sample Report.
Fifth graders from last year also receive an ELS (Elementary Level Science) exam report which is included in this mailing.
If your child did not take the exams, you will not receive reports for them. If they took the exams in a different school/district, you will have to reach out to them for the reports.
If you have any additional questions, please contact me directly.
The Rye Neck Safe Routes to School is a community group comprised of parents in the Rye Neck school district, who coordinate with school administrators, PTA representatives, elected officials, municipal employees, police officers, Mamaroneck SRTS, and other community members to improve pedestrian, bicycle, and traffic safety. Initiatives can include coordinating Education programs, advocating for Engineering initiatives by the municipalities, and/or requesting the assistance of local law Enforcement. Please see their new website for more information.
https://www.ryeneck.org/community-partners/safe-routes-to-school
Fifth graders who would like to decorate their friends' lockers for their birthdays can do so, as long as it is planned in advance with the main office. We ask that parents and students read and follow the Locker Decorating procedure and rules.
The schedule for qualifying for Math Olympiad this year has been finalized and we are excited to share it with our fourth and fifth grade families. For third graders, the program is called CML (Continental Math League) and that information will be shared closer to October as that team and its contests begin later in the year.
- Classroom Teachers will facilitate two (2) qualifying contests by October 11. We do not inform parents of when the contests will be, but students are given a heads up in class a day or so before each one is administered. Each contest is timed and students who have additional time accommodations will receive them if they are interested in participating.
- Ms. Speros will score all of the qualifying contests by Monday, October 21.
- Criteria for qualifying for the Math Olympiad Team with Ms. Speros will include other performance indicators. There will be a maximum of thirteen (13) points you can earn based on the following criteria:
- Ten points total on the two (2) Math Olympiad contests (10 points)
- Scoring in the top 24 students on the grade on the Fall Math i-Ready (1 point)
- Prior experience on the CML or Math Olympiad "A" Team (1point)
- Scoring a Level 4 on the 2022-23 NYS Math exam
- The top twenty (20) students in both grades 4 and 5 will be notified on Monday, October 21 that they have qualified for the Math Olympiad Team with Ms. Speros
- Fourth (4th) Grade Math Olympiad will begin on Tuesday, October 29
- Fifth (5th) Grade Math Olympiad will begin on Wednesday, October 30
As we did last year, there will be a Math Olympiad "B" Team that meets during the school day with Ms. Rutto for those students who did not qualify for the program with Ms. Speros, but have an interest in additional Math Enrichment opportunities.
Fifth-Grade Families: If you are looking for some sample examples of Math Olympiad problems, the fifth-grade team will be sending home a practice exam on the last page of their math challenge packets beginning next week.
Fourth Grade Families: Below is a link to a sample qualifying contest if you want to try out some of the problems with your child in anticipation of the contests taking place in classrooms in the next week or so.
Sample Math Olympiad Contest for 4th Graders
For more information about Math Olympiad, you can visit their website at moems.org
We understand the need to communicate with your children as they travel to and from school with friends or on their own, but the distraction that personal devices create in classrooms during instruction or throughout the day have increased over the years.
We are not banning students from bringing them to school, but we are not permitting them into classrooms. If your child will be wearing a smartwatch of any kind or carrying a cellphone, we will be requiring them to place them in their lockers.
For fifth graders this year we are also requiring that they have a lock on their locker. This is a new addition to their experience but will also be an important "soft skill" they have in their toolbox for Middle School!
Here is a link to the lock I recommend fifth grade families purchase: Master Lock Black Dial Combination Padlock
Please DO NOT purchase a lock with a key as those will be clipped off if the key is lost and you will have to replace it. A combination lock is recommended. Teachers will make a list of all student combinations for the students in their class.
Third and Fourth grade students DO NOT have to purchase a lock, but if it make a family feel more secure to have one, please let the teacher know you are doing so.
Students will NOT be allowed to keep any personal electronic devices on their person during the school day.
Students are always welcome to call their families throughout the school day as needed from the Main Office.
Please note that there is a sign on the front door and on the sign-in kiosk ➡️
- All visitors must sign in with ID at the Raptor kiosk at the front entrance. If you have forgotten your ID, you can type your information in. Once you are signed in, please ring the doorbell to gain entry. Your visitor sticker will print inside the building.
- If you are dropping off a student, just ring the doorbell and we will let the student in.
- If you are only dropping off lunch, homework, etc, just ring the doorbell and we meet you at the door.
If you have a change in your child's pickup after 12:00 pm, please call the main office at 914-777-4600 or email the office at febattendance@ryeneck.org. This will ensure that the message is relayed to your child in time for dismissal.
If your child is going to be absent or late for any reason, please email the main office at FEBattendance@ryeneck.org or call 914-777-4600. All absences need to be reported by 9:00 AM.
Please remember to report upcoming absences for holiday travel.
If your child is reported absent by his/her classroom teacher, and you have not called the office, you will be notified at 10:30 AM via the automated system to verify the absence.
In case of severe, contagious disease, pediculosis (head lice), or prolonged illnesses, please notify the school nurse, Samantha Krench, MSN RN. It is our procedure that the nurse notifies parents of children in the class regarding exposure to a contagious disease.
If your child becomes ill in school and needs to be sent home, the nurse will notify you at the emergency phone number provided. For this reason, it is important for the school to have parents’ work numbers/cell numbers, as well as an additional one or two emergency numbers of neighbors or close relatives.
It is important that children arrive at school in time for the opening bell at 8:35 a.m. Arriving late (8:45 a.m.) after morning routines and instruction have started is disconcerting to a child and disruptive to the class. Plan to give your child a smooth beginning to his/her day by scheduling ample time for early morning procedures.
If you need to remove your child from school for any reason during the school day, please email or call the main office first.
With the rise in illnesses during this time of the school year, I felt it important to remind you of the illness guidelines at Bellows.
According to the New York Statewide School Health Services website, parents should follow these guidelines when determining when their children should not be in school:
Persistent fever greater than 100° degrees orally, including a fever that requires administration of medication such as Tylenol or Motrin
Vomiting or diarrhea
Significant cough that makes a child feel uncomfortable or disrupts class
Sore throat that is severe, accompanied by fever or feeling ill
Red, teary, itchy eyes that distract child from learning
Discolored nasal discharge, accompanied by facial pain or headache
Ear pain or drainage from the ear
Headache, especially with fever
Any condition you think may be serious or contagious to others
Children should be fever-free (without the use of fever reducing medicine), symptom-free and feeling well for at least 24 hours before returning to school after illness.
To report an absence related to illness, please email febattendance@ryeneck.org or call the main office at 914-777-4600.The nurse will be briefed on all illness-related absences and parents will be contacted regarding current health guidelines. A doctor’s note will be requested for any student who has been absent for 5 consecutive days, upon return to school.
