Community Update

May 16, 2025

COMMUNITY UPDATE

Hello North Rockland Families,

As we approach the long Memorial Day weekend and look ahead to the final stretch of the 2024-25 school year, I want to take a moment to express pride in our great work as a school community. In recent weeks, our Red Raiders have been recognized at year-end celebrations and Principals’ Breakfasts, honoring both academic and extracurricular achievements. As for Red Raider athletics, it’s playoff season! Whether you’re learning in a classroom or excelling on the field, I encourage you to keep up the good work - the finish line is in sight.

Next Tuesday, voters in Haverstraw and Stony Point will head to the polls to consider North Rockland's proposed budget for the 2025-26 academic year. The $302 million spending plan ensures a 0% tax levy increase for a sixth consecutive year - well below New York State’s

allowable tax levy cap. In short, we’re doing more for our students without asking more from our taxpayers.

Included in the budget is additional funding for the continued growth of our successful Dual-Language, PreKindergarten, ICT, Student Work and Pathways programs. Mental health remains a top priority in the spending plan, with appropriate resources allocated for our unique Teletherapy Center and effective in-school support services. Our budget proposal also earmarks funding for diverse course offerings, enhanced summer programming and innovative extracurricular opportunities - with immersive, hands-on learning experiences.

This year’s budget proposal also includes funding for major upgrades at North Rockland High School, including temporary classrooms during auditorium renovations and new rooftop units, to ensure a safe, modern learning environment. District-wide improvements such as electrical upgrades, paving and masonry work and the installation of generators at several schools are also included, strengthening infrastructure and supporting long-term operational resilience.

Throughout the budget development process, the district remained steadfast in its commitment to balancing fiscal conservativeness with enhancing our award-winning educational programs, support services and extracurricular activities.

The May 20 ballot will also include a separate capital reserve proposition for additional high school upgrades and two open Board of Education seats. We encourage all eligible community members to vote and make their voice heard.

As a reminder, Wednesday, May 21 will be a half day for all students. Additionally, all North Rockland schools will be closed from Thursday, May 22 through Tuesday, May 27 as the district will observe three unused emergency/snow days as “give-back” days.

See you at the polls on Tuesday - and, thank you for your continued support of our extraordinary North Rockland schools.

Kris Felicello

Superintendent of Schools

#PointsofPride - NRHS Drama Society Receives Metro Award Nominations

NRHS’s Drama Society has received five nominations for the 2025 Metropolitan High School Theater Awards for their production of The Addams Family!

Outstanding Performance by a Student Orchestra – John Bjorkman, Conductor
Outstanding Performance by a Stage Crew – James Huppert, Designer
Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design – Julian Mrsich, NRHS Senior
Outstanding Comedic Performance by a Male-Identifying Performer – Joseph Call, NRHS Senior (Fester Addams)
Outstanding Performance by a Student Critic – Emersen Armida, NRHS Junior

These nominations place NRHS among 69 standout high schools in Rockland, Putnam and Westchester counties in NY and Bergen County, NJ. The awards ceremony takes place Monday, June 2. Good luck to our talented Red Raiders!

Around the District

Career Day at TES

Third-graders enjoyed Career Day with the Real Barber Shop, APEX Performance, Vilma's Bakery and the Rockland County Sheriff's Office Mounted Police Unit. View more pictures HERE!

NRHS AoEL Graduates

This week, we celebrated the #Classof2025 from the Academy of Education and Leadership (AoEL) at North Rockland High School. This program of study is designed for juniors and seniors interested in exploring careers in education and leadership. View more pictures HERE!

Kindergarten Visitation at SPES

This week, Stony Point Elementary welcomed the future Class of 2038 with open arms during two special visitation days! View more pictures HERE!

Budget Vote on Tuesday, May 20!

The NRCSD 2025-26 Budget Vote and Board of Education Election will take place on Tuesday, May 20. Voters will decide on the 2025-26 District Budget, Proposition 2 and Board of Education candidates.

May 20, 2025 | Polls Open 6:30 AM – 9:00 PM

Polling Locations

Polling District No. 1 – Haverstraw Elementary School, 16 Grant Street, Haverstraw, New York 10927

Polling District No. 2 – North Rockland High School Extension, 63 Chapel Street, Garnerville, New York 10923

Polling District No. 3 – Farley Elementary School, 140 Route 210, Stony Point, New York 10980

For more details about the proposed 2025–26 budget, including polling information and how to request an absentee ballot, please visit northrockland.org.

View the May 6, 2025 Final Budget Presentation HERE.

No Empty Chair

North Rockland students joined the “No Empty Chair” campaign to promote safe driving ahead of prom and graduation.

Brain Balancers

Throughout the month of May we have been spotlighting changemakers. Changemakers inspire people to make a positive impact on the world. It’s normal for Changemakers to sometimes feel defeated and use emotion regulation strategies like Bounce Back Statements, or positive self-talk to help the persevere in reaching their goals. We invite you to try the challenge in the video. When you start to feel defeated, which Bounce Back Statement will you choose to help you keep going?

Immunization Notice for 2025-26

In compliance with New York State immunization laws, please see the attached 2025-26 Immunization Notice from NRCSD Health Services Facilitator Kathy Varieur. For additional information, visit our Health Services web page.

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Athletics

Acadia Scanlon

Acadia is a junior on the Varsity Girls Lacrosse team at North Rockland High School. In addition to playing a demanding position as a goalie, Acadia is also the president of the Morgan's Message Club. She recently organized a fundraiser alongside her coaches and Mr. Castaldo to raise awareness about the club’s mission during a game dedicated to the cause. Both New Rochelle and North Rockland wore custom shirts during warm-ups and all proceeds from t-shirt sales and donations went directly to the club. It’s inspiring to see Acadia’s leadership as she brings her passion for Morgan’s Message into the sport she loves! This season, she was also recognized for reaching 200 career saves!

Tommy Swick

Tommy is a seventh grader on the Modified Boys Lacrosse team at Fieldstone Middle School. Tommy has proven to be a natural leader on the team. He is known as someone who shows up every day with a positive attitude and does his best to lift up his teammates. There is never a job on the team that is too big or too small for Tommy to take on. He is always looking to improve and to help his team achieve more. Coach Fischer said, “His humility should not be misunderstood for weakness, though, as he is a firecracker once he steps onto the field. Tommy exemplifies what Raider Pride is all about.”

Girls Lacrosse Senior Day

On Saturday evening, the four seniors on the Varsity Girls Lacrosse team were recognized and celebrated before their game Tappan Zee on Casarella Field! They were surrounded by family, friends, teammates, former Red Raider lacrosse alumni and their coaches for a special ceremony with special mementos. We wish our seniors the best of luck in their future endeavors! View more pictures HERE!

Weekend Wins

Over the weekend, Varsity Baseball hit the field at NRHS for a matchup Clarkstown South! After falling behind, the Red Raiders stayed locked in and battled back for a thrilling comeback victory! Check out more photos HERE!

Smiling on Senior Day

Following a fun and heartfelt Senior Day ceremony, Varsity Girls Lacrosse took the field at Casarella for an AWESOME game against Tappan Zee and came out with the win! Final score 16-7. View more pictures HERE!

Views on the Water

This past Saturday, marked the first regatta of the season for Varsity Crew! The #RedRaiders traveled to Poughkeepsie to compete in the Novice HRRA Regatta and made some serious waves! See more about the stats HERE!

JV Boys Lax vs. Nyack

Flashback to some of our favorite moments from the JV Boys Lacrosse matchup against Nyack at the TOH Turf! The energy, hustle, and teamwork were on full display from start to finish! View more photos HERE!

Boys Lacrosse Senior Day

Congratulations to our two Varsity Boys Lacrosse seniors Tommy and James! They were celebrated in style with thoughtful gifts, heartfelt moments and beautiful decorations to honor their dedication and impact on the program. We’re wishing them the very best in all their future endeavors! View more photos HERE!

A Historic First!

Introducing the first-ever JV Girls Golf Team in the history of North Rockland Athletics! These incredible student-athletes are paving the way for future generations and their impact is already being felt. Read more about their first match HERE!

Game Face

Congratulations to seniors Olivia Castaldo and Anna Liquori on your recent AMAZING accolades achieved! Olivia achieved 300 career points AND Anna achieved 100 career points!! We’re super Raider Proud of them and can’t wait to see what they will continue to achieve collegiately as they both will continue playing lacrosse in college.

Snaps of JV Baseball

Check out some snapshots HERE of JV Baseball in action from this week’s game against Scarsdale at NRHS!

Jumping into Game Mode

Kicking things off with smiles and Raider Pride as JV Girls Lacrosse faced off against Tappan Zee this week at Casarella Field! Check out more photos HERE!

Softball Senior Day

Congratulations to the three incredible senior student-athletes on the Varsity Softball team who were honored during this week’s Senior Day ceremony! Not even the rain could dampen the celebration! We’re so proud of all you’ve accomplished and can’t wait to see what your future holds. View more photos HERE!

Unified Basketball Senior Day

A huge congratulations to our six amazing seniors on the Unified Basketball team who were celebrated in style before their matchup vs. Clarkstown at NRHS! From the cheers to the smiles, it was a game to remember for these standout student-athletes! We wish our seniors the best of luck in their future endeavors! View more photos HERE!

Girls Golf Senior Day

Congratulations to the five seniors on the Girls Varsity Golf Team who were celebrated and recognized at Patriot Hills this week! The girls were given personal gifts, ate good food, and received kind words from their coach. We wish our seniors the best of luck in their future endeavors! View more photos HERE!

ROCKLAND COUNTY CHAMPIONS

Congratulations to our Boys and Girls Track & Field teams on winning the Rockland County Championships this week! We are so Raider Proud of you! Next stop....Sections!