North Rockland Families:
When we return to school on Monday, it will be October – a time for spooky events, as well as a time for students to check-in on their progress. We’re shifting from “back to school” to the middle of the first marking period - a period of deep instruction and exploration that truly engages student interests.
Since we have so much going on in the coming weeks, it's important to organize, review and focus on the goals your child wants to accomplish. Some tips for working towards a successful first quarter include:
Reviewing your student’s progress together and asking them to identify the achievements they are most proud of or areas for improvement.
Encourage them to participate in class. Speaking up is a great way of showing that you’re engaged and that you want to deepen your own understanding. Show interest and seek clarity when confused.
Help students adopt a positive attitude towards their school work. It will lead them to attaining their academic goals and planning. There are many extra curricular events and college fairs in the coming weeks. Help your child mark their calendars.
It’s important to create a healthy daily routine that incorporates being organized, good nutrition, exercise, a good night’s sleep and study time to ensure not only a healthy brain but that students are sticking to their programs.
Set school as a priority. Set your goals for the first half of the year and then put your schoolwork first. This will help students stay focused.
Establishing student-led initiative in their education is key and can help your children take ownership, stay motivated and improve performance throughout the school year.
As this was a short week and there will be more weeks like this as we enter holiday season, the district will utilize Community Check-Ins in lieu of a traditional Update as a way to keep our families and residents informed. As a reminder the District is closed Wednesday, October 5 for Yom Kippur. For those in North Rockland observing Yom Kippur, G’mar chatima tova. The next Community Update will be released Friday, October 7.
Green and Clean Halloween Checklist
Green your Halloween
Candy
There are several ways to reduce environmental impact (and choose healthier alternatives) on the candy front:
Choose candy in less plastic packaging
Make treats yourself.
Opt for small package free gifts instead of candy.
Save bags and candy buckets to be reused in future years or give away for others to use.
Recycle what you can by checking packaging for recycling instructions.
Decorations and Costumes
By getting crafty you can reduce your environmental impact when it comes to spooky get-ups and decor.
- Decorations - Reuse instead of buying materials for decorations. Some ideas for reuse include: Turn old stockings with runs into spider-webbing, cardboard boxes into tombstones, leaves or branches collected from your yard can be used for decor just about anywhere.
- Make your own Costumes! - Old clothes can be used or repurposed as good pieces or parts of costumes, like worn t-shirts, black pants/shorts, etc. Check out thrift shops, consignment stores and yard sales, instead of buying new.
- Trick-or-Treat Bags - Use (and decorate) household items to collect candy in. A bucket, pillowcase or old even an old bag can be decorated inexpensively at home - and reused year after year.
- Pumpkins and Jack-O-Lanterns - Don't throw away all the goodies from inside your pumpkin. Toast the seeds for tasty treats. Make pumpkin pie or muffins with the fruit - or after using pumpkins as decor you can donate them to local farms or chicken coups for animals to eat. If they've gone bad they can be composted.
Clean Halloween
We encourage our students and staff to continue the practices that have helped mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our schools. Washing hands frequently and thoroughly and staying home when you are not feeling well will help us make this halloween season safe and healthy.
