District Update

Dear East Ramapo Community,

It is hard to believe that the holiday season is already upon us! Thanksgiving is one of my favorite days of the year because it reminds us to give thanks and to count our blessings. This time is an opportunity to pause and reflect on what we are thankful for in our lives. I am genuinely thankful for the hardworking principals, teachers, staff and students who make serving the East Ramapo community a truly rewarding occupation.

I invite you to take a few minutes to read through this newsletter, which serves as a brief update of happenings across our 14 East Ramapo schools. We tell you about school visits, professional development, school resource officers, kitchen renovations workarounds, and so much more. Speaking of kitchen renovations, I am pleased to announce that after several months of kitchen improvements in six of our schools, we look forward to the return of daily hot meal preparation for our students in early December!

Mark your calendars for November 30, 2022, when we will be holding an in-person Town Hall Meeting from 6pm to 7:30pm at Spring Valley High School. We cordially invite the East Ramapo community attend, and if you are coming in person be sure to sign up for a seat. More information can be found at www.ercsd.org/townhallnov22

Happy Thanksgiving, East Ramapo!

Sincerely,

Dr. Clarence G. Ellis

Superintendent of Schools

Earlier this month, East Ramapo welcomed Ms. Carmen Diaz from New York State Education Department Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages, along with representatives from Hudson Valley Regional Bilingual Education Resource Network (R-BERN) to discuss strategies for working with English Language Learners. RBERN’s Assistant Director Rachael Wasilewski-Alcantara presented and facilitated a stimulating professional development session on literacy, along with R-BERN’s Executive Director Carlos Sanchez.

Click here to read more.

East Ramapo School Resource Officers (a.k.a. SROs) know our high schools inside and out. They know the students, the teachers, the staff and the buildings, through and through. They are uniformed police officers stationed inside our high schools with a direct connection to our local police departments. They are highly trained in school-based law enforcement, and are truly dedicated to making sure our high schools and students are safe.

On patrol at Ramapo High School is Officer Robert Navarro, and Spring Valley High School is protected by Officer Quacy Evelyn, and we are privileged to have them as part of the East Ramapo team. New York Senator Elijah Reichlin-Melnick recently honored both of our SROs for the extraordinary work they do in serving our community.

Click here to read more.

In 2020, the East Ramapo Central School District qualified for New York State’s Community Eligibility Provision, which allowed all ERCSD students to receive free breakfast and lunch each weekday. Each school offers a rotating menu of healthy options - fried foods are not included.

The kitchens in six ERCSD schools are undergoing major renovations, making them temporarily unable to store and heat food. Renovations are expected to be complete in early December. In the meantime, our food service crews are preparing meals for the impacted buildings in the district’s central kitchen, with deliveries timed for breakfast and lunch every day. Once a week, hot meals are delivered to the students in these schools.

Click here to read more.

Both Ramapo and Spring Valley High Schools hosted their Final Five commitment ceremony for the Class of 2023 over the past month. This joint promise between students, parents and mentors/teachers focuses on completing the final steps for graduation and post-secondary planning.

Click HERE to watch highlights from Ramapo High School's ceremony.

Click HERE to watch highlights from Spring Valley's ceremony.

The Spring Valley football team wrapped up their season on Friday, November 4, and was proudly escorted back on the school campus by our supportive community’s first responders, including Spring Valley Police Department, Spring Valley Hook and Ladder, and Spring Hill Community Ambulance Corps and greeted by their cheering loyal fans.

These student-athletes deserve all the glory and fanfare they received for a season well played!

Click here to watch the video.

As a unified community, the East Ramapo Central School District is committed to educating the whole child by providing a healthy, safe, supportive, engaging and challenging learning environment.

Website: www.ercsd.org
Location: 105 South Madison Avenue, Spring Valley, NY 10977
Phone: 845-577-6000