North Rockland Families:
Over the course of the month of January we have been celebrating our students.
Sharing learners accolades and accomplishments is something that I am so proud to do. Truly nothing makes me happier as Superintendent of Schools than watching students get excited about something, try, work hard and succeed.
In North Rockland we are striving to: Always encourage a positive outlook and focus on the good our students are doing. Acknowledge and support their feelings by incorporating student interests/experiences into lessons. And above all, provide learners with a multitude of opportunities for small successes – then honor those achievements.
Whether it's earning a certificate, making the grade, having the courage to sing on stage at the District Coffeehouse, taking home the trophy at the Ping Pong Finals, or simply staying after school to try to better themselves – recognizing our wonderful students and staff members for their efforts is so important. And we have a lot of great things to share happening in our schools every day!
We are also here for all our families looking for ways to support student learning beyond the walls of the classroom. The District has begun hosting our 2023 Parent/Family Workshops, like the recent Mental Health Information Session organized by our Guidance and Social Work Departments. One key take away from these interactive sessions is that spending a few minutes a day to support your child with schoolwork or speaking with them about their goals or interests can make a big impact.
It's also very important for students to stay connected to their communities. In an effort to allow grades K-12 to branch out in new ways, we have been providing avenues for them to explore the resources in their hometowns. Trips to local historic, scientific or engineered sites are underway as well as participating in cleanups or drives (like our cereal drive - see below) for community organizations are instilling values that promote respect for all people, develops critical thinkers and nurtures a life long love for learning.
Another part of this initiative to inspire and celebrate students has involved inviting back alumni as speakers. It’s been a full house at each one of these events thus far where our former graduates share their tales of entrepreneurship and epic journeys to the top. They’ve been able to dig deeper by cultivating meaningful relationships that reveal to students that there are so many ways to make their dreams a reality.
UPK Expansion Grant
The North Rockland Central School District is happy to report that it was awarded a 2022-2023 Universal Prekindergarten Expansion grant for new full-day and half-day to full-day placements for four-year-old students. This allows the district to convert 60 current half-day UPK students to full-day at no cost to parents starting on February 1, 2023! The grant also allows us to add an additional ten full-day students who can start on February 1st, 2023.
We know that this will make a substantial difference for our families. We contacted UPK service providers to see how many had the space and required staffing to convert half-day to full-day students. The Jan & Niles Davies Learning Center, Benim Academy of Haverstraw, and St. Gregory Barbarigo can accommodate additional students. The district is reaching out to parents of half-day students in these centers to see if they are interested in being added to a lottery that will be pulled on the morning of January 27, 2023.
The district is currently applying for additional grants that increase the number of UPK students served by our UPK service providers. We look forward to the day when ALL of our students have the opportunity to attend UPK!
Red Raider to Red Raider - The secret to success is…
The voices of our alumni are powerful for our current students.
Who better to speak about the journey, the work, the possibilities and the avenues to becoming what you want to be in this world beyond high school, than those who once sat in your very same seats? North Rockland has been inviting back our successful alumn to hold workshops for our students as part of a Districtwide initiative to inspire and remind every learner that - they can do anything. No dream is too big.
Recently NRHS Class of 2021 graduate, Aiden Hoey and his talented acapella group at Binghamton University performed in the auditorium for choir classes. During four class periods Fieldstone Middle School 8th graders as well as North Rockland High Schoolers grades 9-12 enjoyed a four song performance, an Introduction/Q & A session and a singing workshop with the group.
Aiden and his team held specialized acapella trainings with our students who wanted to learn the singing technique. They also explained that getting involved in college with what sparks your passion makes the experience that much sweeter. The day was a perfect way engage with and reach students on their level. It showed secondary students that college or trade school is a place where they can learn to be more independent and discover opportunities that match their interests.
We have more NR graduates who are making it happen scheduled to come back to the home of the Red Raiders, so stay tuned! More photos.
