Under the direction of music teacher Gwenyth Epstein, students performed a medley of patriotic tunes, including "Yankee Doodle," "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," and "This Land is Your Land," eliciting enthusiastic applause and sing-alongs from the audience. The RHCSD cafeteria staff and Parent Teacher Association provided festive red, white, and blue snacks for everyone to enjoy while mingling with the veterans and their families. It was a chance to personally thank them for their service.

Led by third-grade teacher Connie Burud, the students and faculty decorated the school with projects, artwork, essays, and thank you cards honoring veterans. The handmade thank you cards reflected both creativity and patriotism from the budding young minds.

For the veterans, it was an incredibly touching gesture. "When I came back from Vietnam the first time, I was met with hate, not appreciation," said retired Major Allan Bard. "So, I went back for a second tour. This event at the school makes me feel loved and appreciated."

In a speech, Principal Dr. Brian Boyd spoke about RHCSD's Raider Profile initiative that highlights attributes like communication, collaboration, empathy, and civic engagement. "I don’t think there is a better model for all those attributes than the group of veterans before me today," remarked Dr. Boyd. "Serving our country has entailed all the things that we know are important for success. We cannot thank you enough for your patriotism, your service, and your sacrifices for us all."

The Red Hook VFW Post 7765 and the VFW 7765 Auxiliary attended the event and created a dance to thank Mill Road for the ceremony. Many joined in to dance along. RHCSD appreciates the support from Commander Brian Williams and the VFW Post 7765. These strong partnerships are so vital for our community.

Through the celebration, Mill Road Intermediate School found a meaningful way to show their support and gratitude for local veterans. It was a day filled with both honor and community. Many thanks to the Mill Road Intermediate students and staff!

Mill Road Intermediate kicked off Thanksgiving recess with its annual celebration on Nov. 21st. Dr. Boyd introduced the event ten years ago, and it has become a cherished tradition at Mill Road. Students and staff gathered outside to watch the Thanksgiving Parade, with Mill Road Primary students coming out to line the parade route. The parade, comprised of MRI fourth-graders, included large banners, creative costumes, and floats. Students in the marching band provided live music under the direction of Cara Silvernail.

Each class chose a theme in the parade based on our Raider Profile.

• Patricia Levine’s class chose "empathy", which integrates with current literature from classwork. Students carried signs and balloons illustrating “Wish” by Barbara O'Connor and “Tiger Rising” by Kate DiCamillo.
• Stephen Hart’s class theme was biodiversity, with a school of fish from the Hudson River swimming along. Students researched the fish after a field trip to the river and learned about our civic responsibility to protect our natural resources and environment. These fall in line with the Raider Profile to engage in local and global civics.
  
• Alison Jones’ class chose the theme of "think." Students created mythical creatures in a given habitat and created adaptations for their creatures to be able to survive in their environment, thinking critically and problem-solving in the process.
  
• Sybil Bell’s class theme was "embrace." Students carried country signs, shared their family heritage, and learned what it means to embrace diversity.

When the parade ended, fifth-graders faced off on the field for flag football with physical education teacher Travis Gilberti. Coach Gilberti was dressed as a turkey and officiated the games. It was Red vs. White as spectators joined in to cheer on the teams and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate from our cafeteria services and Mill Road PTA. Dr. Boyd and many teachers and staff were on the field, sometimes even catching the football! Third graders learned a halftime dance with the music teacher, Gwenyth Epstein. Students headed out to enjoy the holiday weekend in good spirits when the games concluded. Great job at Mill Road Intermediate!

RHCSD is among the first school districts in the Hudson Valley to achieve the 30% NYS Initiative, a legislative program to encourage school districts to include at least 30% eligible New York produced and processed products in their lunches.

Food Service Director Larry Anthony has spent years building relationships with local producers and creating new foods for the school lunch menus. Those investments resulted in students having access to meals featuring Hudson Valley Fresh milk from a cooperative of local dairy farms in Dutchess, Ulster and Columbia Counties; eggs from Feather Ridge Farm in Elizaville; Issa’s Pita Chips from Buffalo; beef products like burger patties or hot dogs from Smith Packing in Utica; and a wide variety of fresh produce from farms around the Hudson Valley.

While these items were regularly incorporated into the menu, last year a monthly “NY Thursday” lunch was offered that highlighted local producers and often featured new foods, like a roast beef sandwich with NYS roast beef from Slate Foods and bread from Our Daily Bread in Chatham, made with New York State flour.

“Procuring New York items has generated a lot of excitement within our food service staff, which ripples out to our students. Our salad bars are seeing an increase in participation. The visual appeal has increased, and the freshness and shelf life of these items are incredible,” Mr. Anthony said.

Colloquially known as “the 30%”, this legislation incentivizes New York State school districts to include foods grown and harvested in New York State on their school lunch menus. When a school district achieves 30 percent, the following year they receive a reimbursement of $0.25 per lunch from New York State, up from $0.06 per lunch. The 2022-23 school year was the fifth year of the initiative, and over 60 school districts across the state have successfully met the requirements. In the 2022-23 school year, Red Hook joined fellow Hudson Valley school districts in Pawling, Livingston Manor, and Middletown in meeting the 30% NYS Initiative expectations.

Farm-to-school programs such as this support farms and producers in the Hudson Valley and New York State, and bring fresh, nutritious food to all students eating school meals. Mr. Anthony plans to expand the district’s farm-to-school work in the 2023-24 school year by continuing his local procurement efforts, working toward the 30% in the other districts he oversees - Rhinebeck and Pine Plains, and continuing to partner with the Harvest NY Regional Farm to School Coordinator through the Cornell Cooperative Extension.

“We are incredibly fortunate to be working with an extremely dedicated staff and having the support of our Administration. Our cooks and Food Service staff have been doing a phenomenal job at preparing and serving our local products to our students and staff. These are exciting times as we have been able to introduce and secure more local items for the upcoming school year. Collectively, we have a lot to be proud of,” Mr. Anthony said. Many thanks to Larry Anthony and his wonderful team of Food Service Workers!

The winter season, which kicked off Monday Nov. 13 with all JV and Varsity programs beginning practices and tryouts and modified teams starting Nov. 20, has ended with many notable accomplishments:

• The Varsity Volleyball Team captured the 2023 Class B Sectional Championship with a 3-0 victory over Highland High School. The Raiders fell to a talented Putnam Valley team in regional play to bring its season to a close.
• Two Cross Country runners headed to the State Championships Nov. 11 in Verona, NY. Vincent Smaldone and Ewan Celestine represented Red Hook this year. For Vincent, it was his second trip to the States, while Ewan competed in his first state championship.
• The Varsity Football Team earned a playoff berth in the Class B tournament but lost to Highland High School in the quarterfinals by a score of 28-14. Injuries to several key seniors over the last few weeks made the road to the playoffs all that more special as many younger players stepped up to fill big roles.
• Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team captured another division title this season and was granted the No. 2 seed in the Class A sectional tournament. The team hosted a semifinal but could not overcome a 1-0 loss to Beacon High School.
• Boys’ Varsity Soccer earned the No. 3 seed in the Class B sectional tournament. It hosted a quarterfinal game and brought home a 4-1 victory over Onteora High School, but fell to Rondout Valley High School 4-0 in the semifinals.
• Girls Swimming had a strong showing at Sectionals. Emma Wilson finished 7th in the 100 backstroke. The 200-medley relay of Emma Wilson, Darcy Cavanaugh, Marina Kregel and Elsa Hineman finished 10th with a new school record time posted. The 200 free relay team of Maddie Clements, Elsa Hineman, Marina Kregel, and Darcy Cavanaugh finished 11th. The girl’s beat their own school record. The 400 free relay team of Nina Kortbus, Violet McMillan, Emma Wilson and Elsa Hineman finished 12th dropping their time by 4 seconds over their preliminary race.
• Boys Golf qualified three athletes for the Sectional Tournament. Matt Simmons, Macklin Boyd and Matt Finch will represent Red Hook in May with an opportunity to go to the State tournament.
• Girls’ Tennis qualified one singles and one doubles team for the sectional tournament. Annabelle Dousharm participated in the singles round and Abigail Mercier and Aliyah Almada-Makebish were our doubles representatives.

Way to go RHCSD athletes!

The focus of RHCSD’s Nov. 7 Superintendent’s Conference Day was innovation and its alignment with the district’s mission and vision. Sessions were broken up by grade level, but all aspects of the day’s meetings focused on weaving the Raider Profile into systems and practices throughout the district.

Red Hook High School and Linden Avenue Middle School teachers and staff gathered at the Performing Arts Center to watch the thought-provoking documentary “Most Likely to Succeed”, a film that encourages schools to reimagine education. Following the viewing, attendees broke into departmental groups to share their reflections on the film and discuss what are the benefits of interdisciplinary instruction; how the approach shown in the documentary benefitted students; and what Red Hook teachers could implement now based on some of the practices/programs observed in this documentary.

“We are proud that our schools already have amazing things taking place in classrooms each day, but looking at other pockets of innovation is always a great way to brainstorm future growth,” explained RHHS Principal Kyle Roddey. “Our faculty was incredibly productive and focused as they debriefed the film and discussed ways that interdisciplinary education and project-based learning can continue to enhance our students' learning experience.” Mr. Roddey said.

At Mill Road Intermediate School, teachers held grade-level team meetings. Third-grade teachers reviewed Wilson Learning’s multi-sensory phonics program, Fundations, and strategized how to move at an appropriate pace for each student. The group also discussed integrating academic content vocabulary into student word lists. Fourth-grade teachers focused on Science Investigations, a hands-on tasks aligned with the NYS Science Learning Standards that provide a way for students to think like scientists. On the fifth-grade team, teachers reviewed multiple aspects of instruction, including literature, Science Investigations and also touched on computer-based testing.

"I'm very pleased with the productive training sessions our teachers engaged in,” said MRIS Principal Brian Boyd. “Our teachers collaborated with a clear focus on meeting students where they are and fostering both skills and knowledge. I'm confident the students will benefit greatly from our staff's shared commitment to engaging, standards-aligned instruction that equips every child for success."

Mill Road Primary School K-2 teachers focused on training with Fundations. Second-grade teacher Ellen Rocco facilitated the morning’s workshop by overviewing the resources available in the Fundations kit to engage students in literacy instruction. The resources included syllable cards and sound cards used to teach word structure and drill sounds, which provide a visual and tactile component to reading. Fundations literacy instruction helps students develop confidence in their reading ability and prepares them to succeed in the classroom.

As we welcome the month of December with the promise of winter, we encourage you to review our website for valuable insights into the intricacies of snow-related closures. Additionally, kindly review your emergency contact information to ensure it is current. While I hold optimistic aspirations for a temperate winter, the unpredictable nature of the season remains ever-present.

The preceding month of November included many noteworthy events within our school community. An achievement worthy of mention was the induction of 34 commendable students into the National Honor Society. The High School Drama Club, Hardscrabble Players, performed a captivating weekend production titled “Noises Off,” which left a lasting impression on the audience. We anticipate another spectacular performance with the upcoming spring production of “Chicago.” On the athletic front, our district had many triumphs across multiple sports, detailed in the athletic section. These accomplishments are a testament to the dedication of our student-athletes.

The Superintendent's Conference Day in November served as a platform for district-wide educational enhancement. Educators engaged in refining their methodologies to elevate the quality of instruction. At the Mill Road Primary School, there was a focus on implementing the phonics program, Fundations. At the Mill Road Intermediate School, educators focused on enhancing scientific investigations, further enriching the academic program. Secondary educators watched the thought-provoking documentary film, “Most Likely to Succeed.” This film delves into contemporary educational methodologies, prompting a reflection on how we envision the capabilities of both our students and educators in this era of innovation.

We are committed to being forward-thinking, with our continuous efforts to embody the attributes of the Raider Profile within the framework of our educational systems and structures. As we enter the year's final month, may it be filled with all the wonder and joy the season of December invariably brings.

Recently, the National Honor Society inducted 34 new members. Congratulations to all of the Class of 2023 members: Zariyat Ahmed, Kathryn Boyd, Madison Boyd, Jocelyn Castellanos, Liv Christensen, Leah Clark, Carter Donahue, Anna Faraldi, Yianna Giannoulis, Brady Giorgio, Lily Gorczynski, Gabriella Grant, Peyton Grant, Martin Heidebrecht, Wade Hoen, Laura Holtman, Sarah Holtman, Winter Hubbell, Brandon Juran, Adam Jurkowski, Devin Lee, Quinton Lloyd, Marissa Losee, Abigail Mercier, Mia Merino, Madison Pappalardi, Luke Pozniak, Maia Rossi, Ani Safaryan, Ella Schultheis, Vincent Smaldone, Maya Very, Ryan Very and Edmund Wilson.

We are so proud of all of you!

The Board of Education approved a change to the 23-24 School Year Calendar by making April 22nd the first scheduled giveback day, in the event we do not use all of our snow days. Please make note of this change.

Student musicians at all our schools will perform in concerts throughout the month of December. The community is invited to join us for one or all of the evening performances. The dates are:

Dec. 12
Red Hook High School Winter Concert

7:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center

Dec. 14
Mill Road Intermediate School Band and Chorus Winter Concert

7:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center

Dec. 20
Linden Avenue Middle School Winter Concert

7:00 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center