Community Update

Community Update - Year-End Issue

June 17, 2022

Hello North Rockland Families,

This is it! The moment we have been working so hard to reach successfully has finally arrived; the final week of school! I thank our entire school community for your constant support and for the many ways you came together to help our students reach the finish line.

While this year has brought challenges, as always, nothing could stop our Red Raiders from achieving their goals. It was such an amazing evening tonight celebrating at Class of 2022’s graduation all together, in-person at North Rockland High School. These last two weeks have been filled with memorable moments and meaningful milestones across all our grade levels as learners moved up. These ceremonies have been a highlight of my year as Superintendent of this great district!

I also want to thank each one of our students for their unrelenting resilience. Thank you for facing those hurdles set before you with determination. When you tap into your passion for learning, you are capable of producing work that impacts the world far beyond school. I have no doubt that you will achieve anything that you set your mind to. I wish you all the very best in the future, in your new grade, new schools, and college.

As a reminder all schools are close Monday June 19, 2022 in observance of the Juneteenth holiday. When we return we will close the final days of the school year NR Strong and NR Together!

The conclusion of a school year contains many opportunities for reflection and insight of the culmination of growth. Before we close out this school year, let’s take a look back on the journey that led us to graduation.

A Look Back on the 2021-22 School Year

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Pre Opening

As educators and children across the nation prepared to go back to school, we were once again faced with broad challenges due to the ongoing pandemic. The Delta variant surge has changed the trajectory of the pandemic and the safety protocols Districts and citizens were required to follow. Prior to kicking off the new school year, masks were once again mandated in schools. In spite of uncertainty the North Rockland Central School District provided students with an exemplary, high level educational experience that was as normal as possible and values our students' social emotional health while operating under required safety guidelines and protocols.

To help students feel the District launched a back to school campaign to help students get to know our new staff and their new schools virtually.

Virtual Orientations

SPE Kindergarten Video TES Kindergarten Video WHES Kindergarten Video

FES Video HES Video Willow Grove Video

New New Teachers Videos

2021-22 NRHS & FMS 2021-22 SPES TES FES HES WHES & WGES 2021-22 Remote Academy

Welcome Back Video

2021-22 Welcome Home Red Raiders

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Launch of the NRCSD Remote Academy

The North Rockland Central School District found a way to offer remote options for interested families during the 2021-2022 school year for students in grades K-12. While New York State did not require a remote option this year, North Rockland’s leadership team worked hard to provide remote options for families who wished to access school virtually. We’re so happy to report that the Remote Academy was such a success that it will be returning for the 2022-23 school year. It's been so fun navigating our virtual school's first year by growing, adapting, and excelling academically and emotionally NR Together!

Throughout the first semester the Academy's online classes helped to limit sensory overload for certain learners, let them re-watch lessons if needed, and provided opportunities for deep dives into their evolving interests -- all during regular school hours like their in person peers, which is when students are most productive. Many of them have discovered they can better focus on their education and extracurricular activities. We are so proud to be able to offer this remote option to the students and families of NRCSD!

Remote Academy Video

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North Rockland Reduces it’s Foot Print

The North Rockland Central School District is committed to reducing our environmental footprint. This 2021-22 school year we launched new green initiative's District wide. Greening our schools lessoned their environmental impact by reducing energy and water use, cutting back on fossil fuel, reducing waste headed to landfill through reducing, reusing and recycling, and most importantly -- protecting our natural habitats.

Some amazing new green programs we launched were refillable bottles and bottle stations at ever school, elementary green teams, additional student led community clean up days, recycling stations and reusable trays in our cafeterias and new recycling bins in every classroom. NR is certainly making a difference!

Green Initiatives Video

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North Rockland is a place for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

North Rockland made strides this year in our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs. The Voice Council, which is a group of diverse North Rockland high schoolers who wish to amplify the thoughts and ideas of the student body, raised awareness by educating the school community and community at large to embrace diversity and inclusion. Their initiative was to get everybody, everywhere to a point where they feel valued because of their uniqueness, which requires teaching people to look for commonalities.

This year the voice group educated staff members through a book distribution project where each teacher was able to choose one book from a researched selection provided by the group. During the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Book Tasting hosted in each school building, group members presented, spoke and showed an educational video to NRCSD staff members as part of their initiative. We are so proud of these student leaders for the impact their project had on uniting us all as one community.

Voice Group Book Project Video

We’ve also worked hard towards creating a world of support and acceptance. Best Buddies is a most important program, which was expanded from from the elementary level up to high school in NRCSD. The collaboration on activities with SPIRIT classes fostered social opportunities and cultivates friendship, inclusion and leadership for people with and without disabilities throughout their educational journey. At Stony Point Elementary, the program focused on promoting awareness and provides avenues for peers to learn, play and grow NR Together and NR Strong. We are all alike, we are all in this together, we are NR!

Best Buddies Program Video

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Another Step Towards Normal

In March the NYS school mask mandate ended and restrictions on gatherings or businesses were lifted, ever since it’s been a whirlwind of wonderful and safe trips, events, activities and celebrations while. Like our North Rockland Sports Day for Charity, which returned after a two year hiatus. Like so many of our events, it wasn't just a fun way to get outdoors for activities, it was a day of community building that brought everyone from local businesses, to police departments, to town leaders, students and families, together in one place for a great cause! It’s been such a highlight of the school year to be able to hold so many in-person traditions again!

Sports Day for Charity Video

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2022-23 Budget Passes with a Record 0% Increase and Funding

On May 17 our community approved the District’s $253 million spending plan and Proposition 2. Voter approval of the 2022-23 operating budget reflects that we’ve been successful in our efforts to balance quality programming with taxpayer sensitivity. For the Board of Education and administration, developing a plan both educationally sound and fiscally responsible was an important and comprehensive process. With the help of our local elected officials, we will receive an increase in state school funding over last year in North Rockland. The additional funding and hard work of our business office has resulted in a 0% increase in school property taxes for local homeowners—remaining well below New York State’s property tax cap of 2%. Keeping the tax levy at 0%, the District has saved local taxpayers a cumulative $23.7 million over the last three consecutive years.

The 2022-23 budget provides resources to sustain the District’s excellence and continues our mission of providing a safe, caring, and positive environment in which all students can grow, thrive and achieve their maximum potential. We will also be providing additional services and increasing efforts to support the social and emotional health of our students.

The approval of Proposition 2 allows NR to be proactive in our strategy for funding capital improvement projects as the District will now receive 80% building aid or approximately $11 million of the funds $14 million. It’s wonderful that our messaging about this plan was well-received and that we can now break ground on facility upgrades at - no additional costs to taxpayers.

Budget Video

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Graduation

All of these important milestones we achieved throughout the year brought us here to the final weeks of school, it's graduation time! Congratulations to our Class of 2022, and our students who are now moving up. You earned this!

NR Remote Academy K-6 students graduated and celebrated with their own field day. More Photos
6th Grade Moving up ceremonies at Farley, Willow Grove and Haverstraw Elementary Schools. More Photos
3rd Grade Moving Up Ceremonies at Stony Point and Thiells Elementary Schools. More Photos
Kindergarten Graduation at Stony Point, Thiells and West Haverstraw Elementary schools. More Photos
North Rockland Class of 2022 Graduation. More photos. Live stream link.

Juneteenth

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Please join us on Monday in honoring Juneteenth. We encourage everyone to use this day as a time to listen, and to educate yourself by engaging in meaningful conversations with family, friends, and colleagues.

Originating in Galveston Texas in 1865, Juneteenth, short for June nineteenth, commemorates the day when federal troops arrived to alert enslaved people they were finally free. This long-overdue declaration was made over two-and-a-half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. Juneteenth is celebrated because it is the anniversary of the official end of enslavement in the United States.

While we are faced with new challenges every day, our top priority is and will remain providing our students with the best education possible. As a district committed to equity, we take this opportunity to celebrate the freedom of all people and remind ourselves of the work that lies ahead.

The 2022-23 School Year

What to Expect this Summer

A Mid-Summer Update will out between the last week of July and first week of August so please be on the look out for that it will contain important information for the 2022-23 School Year.

The District's 2022-23 Calendar will be mailed at the end of August.

Summer mailing - Expect to see in your mailbox mid to late August .

First day of School - Sept 6, 2022

Open Houses - Wednesday, August 31 1- 3 p.m.

Check out the Mid-Summer Update or the District calendar as we finalize dates for:

When Parents will find their child's assigned teachers

Meet the Teacher Nights

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NRCSD has the 2022-23 School Year Supplies covered! 📚🖇✏️🖍📓📏 🐾

We understand the financial hardships many families are facing due to the ongoing pandemic. Therefore, our principals and teachers have determined the basic supplies students will need. The District will utilize COVID relief funds again to purchase those back-to-school supplies to take that burden off families. Individual teachers may require a few course-specific items once classes begin.

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NRCSD Summer Programs

Summer in North Rockland is going to be full of engagement and education. The District is currently finalizing our 2022-23 Summer Program offerings which will be introducing new innovative activities and curriculum.

Our programs and their offerings can be found linked here and a video exploring Stepping Stones Summer Enrichment can be found linked here. Please be on the lookout for more information as we get closer to summertime on how to sign up.

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2022-23 District Calendar

The 2022-2023 District Calendar linked here, was formally approved by the Board of Education.

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NR Remote Academy 2022-23

We are excited to share that thanks to our school communities overwhelming support, the Remote Academy will continue to be an option for families for the 22-23 school year. If you have not already completed the enrollment form and are interested in enrolling your child in the Remote Academy, please complete the form(s) below by Friday, May 27th.

Elementary Form (Grades 1-6)

Secondary Form (Grades 7-12)

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

2021-22 Regent Exams

Regents Exams will be administered from Wednesday, June 15 to Wednesday, June 22. Please click here for the Regents testing dates and transportation schedule.

Please note the following:

Students taking morning exams will be picked up at their regular bus stop and time.
Students taking afternoon exams should be at their regular bus stop by 10:10am.

Community Update