Community Update

September 2, 2022

Hello North Rockland Families,

As the proud Superintendent of the North Rockland Central School District, it is my pleasure to welcome our students, staff and families to the 2022-23 academic year!

The first day of school kicks off this coming Tuesday, September 6. The start of the new year is always such a thrilling time in North Rockland and I am excited for all the extraordinary educational opportunities that await our students—at every grade level, in every building.

I have come to realize that how we start the year is a sign of the way the year will conclude. The NRCSD Board of Education, administration, faculty and staff are dedicated to excellence and this year is no exception. We look forward to a great, highly productive and fulfilling school year. Our buildings are ready, our classrooms are decorated, our teachers are motivated and our team is well prepared to make next week the beginning of the best year yet.

There are three key areas North Rockland worked on extensively in order to provide an #NRStrong start to the year through implementing cost effective strategies that keep us educationally sound while maintaining fiscal responsibility.

Programming: I am confident that our integration of quality programs with the latest teaching strategies will support and help our students develop the necessary skills to grow and develop not only educationally, but socially - becoming the next generation of learners and citizens, thriving and succeeding. School support animals, an NR Athletics gaming team, The North Rockland High School College and Career Center, Dual-Language Program and Integrated Co-Teach Model (ICT) - are just some of the new additions to curriculum offerings which can be found highlighted under Important information.

Security: Over the summer we have completed an extensive safety and security review for our district. There are many new things now in place to assist in both situational prevention and response to protect our schools and ensure our students and parents feel secure. You will see under the North Rockland Safety and Security section of this update that Campus Safety Officers and vehicles have now been added to our daily routine to safeguard our schools. We will be sharing more of NR's new safety and security upgrades as the school year progresses.

Capital Improvements: At the heart of North Rockland's towns and villages, our beautiful and historic buildings have always been a sense of great pride, not only for our staff, students and families, but for our community. The many new spaces and upgrades being worked on will ensure a safe, welcoming environment, optimize our facilities to enhance learning and provide a beautiful community-centered place for everyone from pop warner teams to residents to enjoy.

2022-23 will be the dawn of a positive new era for the district and our strong, supportive school community.

Part of what makes Red Raider culture so unique and powerful is the strong connections we all have to our school district, to each other and to our larger community. I look forward to all working collaboratively to accomplish our mission of once again making our schools the best that they can possibly be.

As I start my third year as Superintendent of North Rockland Schools, I challenge each of us – to do all that we can to make it our best ever. I have no doubt that our students and staff will accomplish amazing things in 2022-2023, and I look forward to us celebrating all of their triumphs with them.

The start of the school year can conjure up a lot of emotions. Whether your kids are heading back to school or you’re a teacher starting a fresh school year, please know NR is here to help you succeed. We are here to provide you with the tools needed to discover your passions and achieve your maximum potential.

I can’t wait to see, meet and greet all of our students and staff next week on their first day of school - a tradition of pride for North Rockland! Welcome back.

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 once 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.

First Day of School - Sept. 6

Meet the Teacher Nights - Flyer/Print out

Sept. 15 - 6:30PM - NRHS

Sept. 19 - 6PM - SPES, TES and WHES

Sept. 20 - 6PM - SPES, TES and WHES

Sept. 21 - 7PM - FES, HES and WGES

Sept. 22 - 7PM - FES and WGES

Sept. 28 - 7PM- FMS

Sept. 29 - 7PM - FMS

Ice Cream Socials

Sept. 12 - 6:45PM - HES Grade 4

Sept. 13 - 6:30PM - WGES Grade 4

Sept. 14 - 5:30PM - FES Grade 4

Sept. 16 - 6PM - SPES

Grades K-3: 9:05AM - 3:44PM

Stony Point Elementary

Thiells Elementary

West Haverstraw Elementary

Grades 4-6: 8:42AM - 3:21PM

Farley Elementary

Haverstraw Elementary

Willow Grove Elementary

Fieldstone Middle School: 8:07AM-2:46PM

Bell Schedule

North Rockland High School: 7:20AM-2:06AM

Bell Schedule

A digital version of the North Rockland 2022-23 Print Calendar you should receive in the mail can be found linked here.

All the official days linked here were formally approved by the Board of Education.

***Remember to charge your device before the first day of school!***

Chromebook Care

Getting a Parent Portal account

1. Parents can retrieve their child's schedule via the Parent Portal at Fieldstone and North Rockland High School.

2. Kindergarten students will receive their chromebook during the month of September.

As a reminder NR’s school bus passes have gone out.

Bus stop information can also be found linked here or on the home page of the district and all school sites.

More information can be found on the Registration and Transportation websites.

Our nurses are so excited to welcome students back next week!

As a reminder: If you have received notification that your child is missing a vaccination, please contact your child's Healthcare Provider as soon as possible to get them caught up.

If you need further assistance please contact North Rockland Central School District Health Services Facilitator Kathy Varieur, MST, BSN, RN, NCSN at (845) 942-3418.

Through NR's Elementary Report Card Committee the district has overhauled how report cards are structured.

Key shifts beginning in 2022-23:

• We are now reporting three times a year - trimesters.
• We are reporting on behaviors that support student learning.
• Simplified language for a better universal understanding.

Specific changes by level:

• Numeric Key for Kindergarten

The North Rockland Central School District is working in conjunction with the Haverstraw Police Department, Stony Point Police Department and Rockland County Sheriff's Office to maximize building safety. Our leadership team has been hard at work in collaboration with local officers to make our families, students, community and staff feel safe. Some steps the District is taking and activities we have participated in include:

• Live safety trainings.
• Table top and preparedness simulations.
• Securing an outdoor security firm that will ensure the parameters of our buildings are secure as well as review and adjust safety procedures and protocols.
• Working with the towns of Haverstraw and Stony Point to assign school officers to our schools (SRO positions).

Did you know NRCSD now offers a FREE App?

The North Rockland Central School District App is now available for download in the App Store or Google play! Just search North Rockland CSD and tap to download. Save time and find all the latest District information all in one convenient, easy use location.

Steps to download:

1. Visit iTunes App Store ® or Google Play ®
2. Search North Rockland CSD
3. Then select North Rockland CSD App for FREE download
4. Open the App enable push notifications and select the school(s) you want to subscribe to.

Stay connected!

• Get the latest district and school news
• Select the schools you want to follow
• Get push notifications about breaking news, closures, weather, events, and more
• Tap to see school locations, phone numbers, and staff information, fast

For a tutorial and navigation overview on the NRCSD App check out the YouTube video linked here.

The new North Rockland High School College and Career Counseling Center provides a supportive environment where students can take part in career exploration activities and receive individualized guidance throughout the college application process. Students are able to visit a variety of colleges, trade schools and training programs and attend information sessions and college fairs. They

also have opportunities to meet with representatives from a multitude of career pathways

to expand their knowledge about post-secondary options. Families receive support from

the center throughout the year by participating in workshops that address topics such

as planning for the future, financial aid and navigating applications. This assists North

Rockland High School students in developing the skills to find success in high school and

in life after graduation.

The new NR Dual Language Program enrichment provides our students grades K-6 the opportunity to learn academic content (Math, Science, Social Studies and English) while also learning to speak, read and write at a high academic level in Spanish. Students follow the same curriculum as their peers in the English instruction classroom with equal time spent learning both languages.

Learn more about the program:

English/Spanish Brochure linked here

Contact us:

Principal - Amaris Scalia - (845) - 942 -3180

Email: ascalia@northrockland.org

Integrated Co-Teach Model (ICT) also known as Inclusion is a special education model that combines the expertise of a general education and special education teacher for a portion of the student's day to maximize the learning experience for all. Co-teaching allows more opportunities for small groups and one-to-one learning, and stronger modeling during lessons. The co-planning process encourages two teachers to integrate their knowledge of interventions with each other in order to deliver the strongest, most effective lessons using specially designed instruction (SDI). Students with disabilities who receive Integrated Co-Teaching services are educated with age appropriate peers in the general education classroom. ICT provides access to the general education curriculum and specially designed instruction to meet students’ individual needs including specialized multisensory reading instruction. ICT will be available for K-6 for the 2022-2023 school year and will expand to the secondary grades for the 2023-2024 school years. Professional development for our ICT teams is already underway with our Special Education Specialist Kimberly Sullivan and our consultant Dr. Anne Beninghof. Dr. Beninghof will be visiting and consulting with the ICT teams in their classrooms in the fall as well.

Meet our grades 7-12 educators at Fieldstone and North Rockland High School by clicking on the video below!

Next we welcome NRCSD's grades K-6 teachers and team members starting at The Remote Academy, Stony Point, Farley, Haverstraw, West Haverstraw, Thiells, and Willow Grove Elementary Schools next week!

Opening Day for North Rockland was an experience filled with enthusiasm, excitement, laughter, celebration and anticipation for the extraordinary school year ahead. While Opening Day is a tradition for the North Rockland Central School District every September to help welcome our educators to the new academic year, this year the day was really something to remember.

Superintendent Dr. Kris Felicello dug a little deeper as he addressed our returning teachers and 52 new members of our team.“Nothing great comes without hard work and determination.” said Dr. Felicello as he addressed the entire room, center stage of the high school’s auditorium. “And that’s something we not only want to challenge ourselves to do, but it’s something we want to instill in our students.”

Keynote speaker Kerri Louise Cotter, a local comedian and North Rockland parent, brought down the house, while taking cracks at everything from school supplies to administrators, to the District’s 5AM snow day robocalls while inspiring our staff to dream big.

The theme or lesson of the day was that while our great District achieves excellence year after year - working NR Together we can continuously grow stronger, get better and have a larger impact. After all, education is the key to success and our dedicated educators have the power to make a world of difference in the lives of our students. When we return to school next week, we all only get to spend 10 months with our new learners, so it’s imperative that we make every second count. We are NR!

Click here for starting dates for: Fall Sports 2022, Winter Sports 2022-23, and Spring Sports 2023.

Fieldstone Middle School

**Registration is open!**

2022-23 Fall Sports Start Dates:

September 7, 2022: Football, Boys and Girls Soccer

September 8, 2022: Volleyball, Boys and Girls Cross Country, Swimming (dry land at FMS)

NOTE: Please pay attention to the Fieldstone Loud speaker announcements for more information on meetings and dates.

2022-23 Winter Sports Start Dates

November 14, 2022: High School Winter Sports Start

November 28, 2022: Modified Teams Start

2023 Spring Sports Start Dates

March 13, 2023: High School Spring Sports Start

March 20, 2023: Modified Teams Start

Use the link below to check out the latest sports apparel just in time for the fall season and support our student-athletes at the same time. The shops are only available for a limited time so be sure to grab all your favorites now!

NR Girls Volleyball 2022 - Team Apparel Store

At North Rockland Central School District we take internet safety very seriously. It is important that we all have access to information on how to keep our students safe. Here are a few web resources:

1. Common Sense Media - click here

2. Connect Safely - click here

3. Internet Safety Tips - click here

The NRCSD has partnered with Peachjar. This new platform will enable us to send important school and community flyers to parents/guardians digitally, saving our schools time, money, and paper. School-approved digital flyers will be sent to your email inbox. Please click here for more information.

📢Attention NR Community🎗

Join the North Rockland Central School District and show your support for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month this September.

Jelien is a 6 year old Childhood Cancer Survivor, North Rockland resident and a student at West Haverstraw Elementary that fought and beat childhood cancer. She rang the bell in March 2021 and ended all of her treatments in April 2021, bravely beating childhood cancer! This shirt was created to show support for Jelien and all of the childhood cancer survivors, and all those fighting today.

The NR community will be wearing gold in September 2022 to commemorate this cause, get your limited edition shirt today! $10.00 from every purchase of this shirt will be donated to Friends of Karen, an amazing organization that helps families with children that have been diagnosed with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses in our local area.

Adult and child sizes available! Get yours & let’s GO GOLD this September🎗

Shop - https://1791nation.com/products/north-rockland-childhood-cancer-awareness-fundraiser-t-shirt

Shop - https://1791nation.com/collections/kids/products/north-rockland-childhood-cancer-awareness-fundraiser-t-shirt-youth

The Penguin Rep Theatre is set to premiere on Friday a new comedy with music titled "The Virtuous Life of Joseph Andrews." As CBS2's Dave Carlin reported Wednesday, the world premiere inspired by the classic novel by Henry Fielding."Eighteenth century English countryside, a farce, a romp," actor and musical director Jonathan Randell Silver said, describing the show. Read more on the CBS feature linked here.

SCHOOL MENUS

Elementary Lunch Menu

Upper Elementary Lunch Menu

Fieldstone Middle School Lunch Menu

North Rockland High School Lunch Menu

NR students who enroll in the free/reduced breakfast & lunch program qualify for college application fee waivers, free ACT and SAT exams and reduced AP exam registration fees! To qualify please complete the Free or Reduced Price Meal Application Form linked here as soon as possible.

The State Department of Health has released Updated Guidance for K-12 Schools this week linked here.

For the 2022-2023 School Year

Quarantine

• The CDC no longer recommends quarantine except in high-risk congregate settings.
• The CDC recommends that all people with a known or suspected COVID-19 exposure regardless of vaccination status or history of prior COVID-19 infection follow current CDC exposure recommendations which include wearing a mask or respirator for a full 10-day period and getting tested at least 5 days after close contact or sooner if symptoms develop.

Staying Home When Sick or Symptomatic

• The CDC continues to recommend that people stay home when sick. Any student or staff member who has symptoms of respiratory or gastrointestinal infections, such as cough, fever, sore throat, vomiting, or diarrhea, should stay home.
• Testing is recommended for people with symptoms of COVID-19 as soon as possible after symptoms begin. Those who are at risk for getting very sick with COVID-19 who test positive should consult with a healthcare provider right away for possible treatment, even if their symptoms are mild.
• If an individual tests positive for COVID-19 and do not have a regular health care provider, you can be evaluated for treatment by either calling 1-888-TREAT-NY or visiting the New York State COVID-19 ExpressCare Therapeutics Access Website.

• People who are symptomatic and awaiting COVID-19 test results or have tested positive for COVID-19 should follow CDC's Isolation Guidance.

Isolation

• People who have tested positive or are awaiting COVID-19 test results should remain home and follow the CDC's Isolation Guidance. Isolation may end based on how serious someone's COVID-19 symptoms were.

-If someone had no symptoms, isolation may end after day five.

-If someone had symptoms, isolation may end after day five if they are fever-free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication) and symptoms are improving.

-People should wear a mask through day 10 after ending isolation when they are feeling better (no fever without use of fever-reducing medication and symptoms improving).

-Antigen testing is not required to end isolation; however, some schools may allow use of the "test-based strategy" to potentially shorten the length of time for post-isolation mask use.

The District is looking for more great employees to work with our students. If you are looking for a rewarding position, please consider applying with NRCSD further below in today’s update. Please click on the job image to apply through the District Form.

North Rockland is currently seeking candidates for full-time and part-time Security Aide positions for the 2022-2023 school year. School Security Aides are committed to ensuring students are learning in a safe and supportive environment.

Full-time positions include - A regionally competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Part-time positions are - 4.5 hours per day and starting pay is $19.83/hour.

**Candidates with prior law enforcement, security or military experience are preferred.**

Applications can be submitted on OLAS at olasjobs.org. Resumes can be submitted through our Facebook job posting linked here, sent to Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources and Community Relations Mr. Eric Baird, North Rockland CSD, 65 Chapel St., Garnerville, NY 10923 or emailed to ebaird@northrockland.org.

The North Rockland (Haverstraw-Stony Point) Central School District is seeking candidates for Food Service Helper positions at various school buildings for the 2022-2023 school year. The starting rate of pay is $14.28/hour. Apply here

The North Rockland (Haverstraw-Stony Point) Central School District is seeking candidates for School Nurse substitutes for the 2021-2022 school year. All candidates must be licensed as a Registered Professional Nurse. The starting rate of pay is $150 per day. Candidates can apply here.

Haverstraw Transit has informed us that they are currently seeking and accepting applications for: DRIVERS AND MONITORS. Apply here.