Raider Report 090123

A grant from the Ascienzo Family Foundation means breakfast will be free for Red Hook Central School District students in the 2023-24 school year. Food Service Director Larry Anthony said free breakfasts will begin on the first day of school, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. He and the food services team are prepared for the anticipated increase in participation. The Ascienzo Family Foundation partners and assists nonprofits engaged in social justice initiatives, community health, well-being, providing educational opportunities, alleviating poverty and providing services for the elderly. Over the summer, the foundation provided funding for the district's Summer Academy. Special thanks to the Ascienzo Foundation for providing this support to all of our students. We sincerely appreciate all they contribute to our district! It has lasting effects on our children.

U.S. News and World Report named Red Hook High School one of the best in the nation in its annual report released Tuesday, Aug. 29. The rankings, based on data from the U.S. Department of Education, state assessments, College Board (Advanced Placement) and International Baccalaureate, show Red Hook 1,494th of 17,680 ranked public school districts across the nation, 150th of 1,198 in New York and fourth in the Poughkeepsie, New York Metro Area. U.S. News and World Report works with RTI International to determine the rankings and provides a score based largely on test scores (see details), college curriculum breadth (percentage of seniors who took a wide variety of AP and IB courses across multiple subjects) and graduation rate. Red Hook High School’s overall score was 91.55 with a graduation rate of 92 percent and a 51.6 college readiness score. The data found 56 percent of RHHS students participated in AP classes. Principal Kyle Roddey said the school starts promoting opportunities for students to take honors and advanced courses when they are younger to help them get used to the rigor of AP and IB courses. “More than half of our students take at least one IB class,” he said, adding “on average, over the last five to six years, 10 percent of our graduating students receive a full IB diploma.” This means they took a full slate of IB classes as juniors and seniors along with electives, wrote an extensive essay and created a culminating project. “It is very rigorous,” he said. In 2023-24, RHHS is offering 25 IB classes in English, art, film, foreign language, math, physical education, math, science and social studies and nine AP classes in English, math, music and social studies. Superintendent Janet Warden said, "We have wonderful students who seek to challenge themselves. We have a wonderful community that supports the mission and vision of our district." Roddey wasn’t surprised the school did well. “As principal of Red Hook High School, I’m delighted, but not surprised to hear this great news. We have an incredibly talented faculty and staff who go above and beyond to support our students,” Roddey said about the designation. “Our student body is incredibly driven and talented and search out our most rigorous opportunities.”

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! I am looking forward to welcoming all our students back for another school year. As we embark on another academic year, I am somewhat astounded to share that this year marks my 30th year in education.I am truly honored to continue serving students in such an extraordinary community as Red Hook. I want to extend my gratitude to our summer workers, including custodians, directors, secretaries, principals, technology staff, business staff, and personnel staff, for their crucial role in ensuring our schools are ready to welcome back our students and provide them with a safe and conducive learning environment. I want to extend a special thanks to Scott Rajczi, our facilities & operations director, for expertly navigating all the capital work that has taken place over the summer.

We have begun capital projects this summer, which include installing the new roof at Linden Avenue Middle School, HVAC work, and the installation of solar panels on all the school buildings. These projects not only enhance the infrastructure but also have positive long-term impacts. The addition of solar panels is particularly noteworthy, as it aligns with the board's goal of adopting an environmentally conscious approach to facility decisions. By incorporating sustainable systems like solar panels, the school can reduce its reliance on traditional energy sources, which not only lowers utility costs but also helps reduce the carbon footprint and promote ecological sustainability. The collective efforts of everyone involved, including the Board of Education, custodians, staff, and administrators, in making these projects successful, are truly commendable.

This school year we will continue to ensure our instructional systems and practices are future-focused and meet the needs of all our students. Our Raider Profile outlines the knowledge, skills, and attributes we aim to instill in each and every student as they progress throughout our educational system. This will serve as a roadmap for their academic journey, assisting them with the tools to thrive in an ever-changing world. We believe that education should empower students to be engaged in local and global civics, to embrace diversity, to be critical and creative problem solvers, to tend to their physical and emotional health, be compassionate citizens, and collaborate and communicate effectively.

School safety and security are priorities. Our building and district safety team meet regularly with law enforcement and our School Resource Officer program continues to build positive relationships within our buildings and community. We encourage all families to discuss safety with their children and report any messages, content or conversations that are inappropriate, potentially harmful, or concerning. Let’s work together to foster a culture of safety and respect both online and offline.

We appreciate the continuous support from families and the community. Red Hook is truly a special place to grow up. Your partnership is what makes our district thrive. We are very grateful for your involvement. Together we are creating a school community that empowers our children to reach their fullest potential. We look forward to another successful school year filled with joy, and my door is always open for suggestions to build a better school community.

On behalf of the Red Hook Central School District Board of Education, we are excited to start a new school year and look forward to welcoming all our staff and students back after a nice summer break. Fall sports are already underway with practices and tryouts for many of our fall sports. In addition, our incoming kindergarteners came in on Aug. 22 and 24 for Stories by the Swings to help get them comfortable and excited about attending school. We also have several orientations for different grades coming up. So, while school does not begin until Sept. 6, many things for our students have already started. Over the summer, work began on our capital project which has included work at all three of our buildings. The goal is to have the $22 million project completed by the start of school in September 2024. In addition, installation of solar panels has begun. The project is expected to generate about 25 percent of the electricity the district uses.

We hope to make the 2023 / 2024 school year a great one for all our students!

By the time school begins, much of the construction work that began over the summer at all four schools will be complete with some work continuing throughout the school year. “We are moments away from having all the solar panels racked on building roofs,” Assistant Superintendent for Business Bruce Martin said Thursday, Aug. 31. Once activated in January or February, the panels installed on all buildings will cover about 25 percent of the district’s energy costs. During the fall, crews will be doing wiring work to ready the panels for connecting to the grid. At Linden Avenue Middle School, the roof over the gym is essentially complete along with the windows that were replaced. The installation of the HVAC digital controller is about two-thirds completed, Martin said, with the rest of the work being done after hours. Primary piping for the new ice storage units at Red Hook High School is essentially complete, having been run in the main hallway and installation of the units is now expected to happen in the fall, Martin said. Some HVAC work will continue during the second shift throughout the fall. At Mill Road, window installation to offices in the middle of the building is now expected to start over winter break and continue through spring pending arrival of materials. It will continue, as planned, next summer, he said.

Many thanks to Hannford in Red Hook and Staples in Kingston for their donations of food and school supplies for our students! We are very grateful.