Community Update

January 28, 2022

Hello North Rockland Families,

As we head into February, while reflecting on January in North Rockland, I believe we can all agree that we persevered as NR Strong! Despite the challenges the Omicron variant presented, thanks to our staff, students, and communities' extraordinary efforts, the first month of 2022 was full of hands-on learning, school activities, and events.

I want to thank the members of our learning community for their continued support and partnership. As we continue our second year of navigating the pandemic, we've strived to find ways to provide our students with all of the experiences that make schooling enjoyable, memorable, and lasting while also doing all we can to keep everyone healthy.

The Supreme Court judge in Nassau County’s ruling that New York's mask mandate couldn't be enforced brought much confusion and heightened emotions. A state appellate judge has issued a temporary order that keeps the state government’s mask mandate in place through Friday, January 28. Today, oral arguments on the issue were heard before the court, and a New York Appellate Judge granted a stay in the state's lawsuit over the COVID-19 face mask mandate, meaning it remains in place while the case is appealed -- and schools must enforce it. An Update from Commissioner Betty A. Rosa Regarding the Status of Mask Wearing in Schools can be found linked here.

The changes to rules and regulations have been frequent this year and can be frustrating. I ask for your continued patience as we navigate decisions that are often beyond our control together as a school community. While the mask mandate remains in effect in all NYS Schools, including NRCSD, we anticipate at some point the mask mandate will be reevaluated or could even be retracted and left up to local control. If the decision falls to the local level, we most likely will follow a similar model to what we did in the summer of 2021 - when masking was optional for North Rockland’s summer programs.

Regardless of challenges, we intend to provide our students with North Rockland's tradition of excellence in their education. We will continue to learn, adjust, and look for ways to improve.

We are ending January with our positive cases and quarantines across our school buildings dropping drastically, which is another reassuring sign that our methods and protocols are working. There is a light at the end of this, and we will get there NR Together!

Today marks the end of the second quarter in North Rockland and reports cards will be available starting Friday, February 4 via Infinite Campus.

Parent who need to activate their parent portal account should email ichelp@northrockland.org.

The District has successfully distributed over 4000 test kits to families. We continue to be afforded a supply of free Rapid Home Antigen test kits that the Rockland Department of Health (RCDOH), in cooperation with our partners at Rockland BOCES, has delivered to be distributed to all interested North Rockland families.

Requested test kits can be picked up at 65 Chapel Street, Garnerville on Monday 1/31/2022 between 7 am - 10 am or Wednesday, 2/2/2022, between 2pm - 5pm. You will see signs for COVID testing. Please pull up to that area and a security guard will assist you. Please bring a photo id.

Parents who would like to request test kits for the upcoming week should complete this form linked here. You will be provided details on test kit pick up shortly.

***Please note these tests cannot be used as clearance to return to school or work if an individual is symptomatic. A student or staff member who was symptomatic can only return to school or work with a written report from a rapid antigen test, PCR test, or a doctor's note with an alternative diagnosis.

NRCSD has partnered with Haverstraw Transit to ensure all buses have been updated and are fully equipped with the latest cameras systems complete with audio, video and GPS. This will help us to ensure student safety, supervision and offers the ability to pinpoint vehicle location at all times. Together the District and Haverstraw Transit are training administrators on the effective use of the system.

We are thankful, grateful and blessed to have such wonderful dedicated bus drivers in our District. They have gone above and beyond to assist us during the national shortage of drivers, putting us in a better position than districts across the nation. Thank you all for all you do!

Last week, Superintendent Dr. Kris Felicello gave a more updated and philosophical overview of the latest NRCSD budget information. You can view that Budget Presentation linked here.

For the Board of Education and Administration, developing a budget that is both educationally sound and fiscally responsible is an important and comprehensive process. The 2022-23 budget continues our mission of providing a safe, caring, and positive learning environment in which all students can achieve their maximum potential and acquire the skills, attitudes, and abilities needed to succeed in an ever-changing world. It is the District's goal to provide our students with an exemplary experience while controlling taxes for our community. We understand the fiscal challenges that living in Rockland County pose.

As always, our budget fully supports the curriculum, instruction, and professional development that addresses the needs of all learners. Our budget also includes the expanded use of certain “green technologies” and facility improvements to enhance our learning and working environments while achieving real cost savings.

• The District has used two of our three allotted snow days.
• The District will utilize traditional snow days for significant storms until our three-day allotment is exhausted.
• The District will consider shifting to remote instruction during bad weather when our snow day allotment is exhausted.
• The District may call a remote instruction day following a snow day during a major storm if roads are still unsafe for a second day in a row.
• The District may utilize a two or three-hour delay schedule during morning weather events.
• The District will provide the community with snow emergency information as soon as a decision is made.

Please find the new Kindergarten Orientation dates linked here

The North Rockland NJROTC, who competed this past weekend in the NJROTC Area 4 Drill, Academic, Physical Fitness, and STEM Championships. Competition was keen, drawing on the best of 66 schools in Area 4 (the Northeastern United States and Europe) but North Rockland came out on top nonetheless.

#NRProud of our Unarmed Drill Team, led by Cadet Lieutenant Chris Trager they placed second overall. The NR STEM team led by Cadet Leroy Gomez competed in a drone competition and placed second as well #NRTogether.

Finally, at the end of the day hundreds of cadets went to the main drill floor for a final, mass competition of individual drill excellence where Rockland Commanding Officer, Cadet Lieutenant Commander Brandon Rivera placed second overall #NRStrong--an incredible accomplishment.

"I am very proud of the effort put forth by our Cadets in today's events." said Cadet Lieutenant Chris Trager, unarmed drill team commander.

Congratulations! We salute you all!

The Rambling Raider is hot off the press ready for the new year with fresh, exciting articles! Check it out to spread some holiday cheer linked here!

North Rockland came out on top at the Rockland County cross-country championship over the weekend. With this win the team now heads on to compete in sectionals, coming up in next 2 weeks. Congratulations Red Raiders!

At this time the Section is increasing athletic capacity. The amount of spectators that are allowed to attend our athletic contests will increase. Your child's coach will be providing you more specifics regarding your sport.

The NR Athletics Department wanted to offer everyone access to purchase our Athletics apparel and support our Red Raiders. The Athletics Department is proud to provide a unique online store that offers a variety of athletic apparel, with a portion of the proceeds of each sale going towards funding programs, equipment, and more for athletes. Even shipping is available, so please check it out. We appreciate you helping us get the store off the ground.

NR Athletics Online Store link - NOW OPEN!!!

• For more info on Athletics, visit the NR Athletics homepage linked here.

• Be sure to follow our Twitter @NRockathletics for all the latest sports action!

LocalLive

Want to watch remotely? No problem! The District has partnered with LocalLive, allowing most of our athletic contests to be live-streamed and recorded. Missed a game this week? Watch it on our LocalLive channel by clicking here.

Reduce waste and go green for the new quarter!

Tips:

1. Use the notebooks that you already have.

How many half-used notebooks do we all have lying around? Notebooks that we started using and never finished or forgot about just sit there, unused. Look through your closets, storage boxes, and desk and pull them out for a fresh start to the quarter.

2. Fill your bag with pens and pencils that you already have lying around.

We all have them. All of us have pens, pencils, and other writing utensils lying around, and yet each quarter we buy more—adding to the pile of unused utensils when school ends. Go green and use what you have!

3. Use paper folders rather than plastic ones.

Paper folders are cheaper and more eco-friendly. The greenest thing you can do is to check if you already have some that you can use—whether it’s individual folders or a file binder.

Be on the lookout for the 22-23 Universal Pre-K Program and the Full Day Pre-K program applications that will be posted on northrockland.org starting next week and will be accepted from January 31 - Mach 31. The program begins in September for children who will be four years old by December 1, 2022, and live in district. Children in UPK attend five (5) half days for 2½ hours each day; Children in Statewide Full-Day Prekindergarten attend five (5) days a week for 5 hours each day for 180 days per school year, at no cost to you. Parents have a choice of several center locations throughout the county. Please note that transportation is not provided. There are limited slots.

In recent weeks there have been several changes to the guidance, protocols, and mandates regarding the management of COVID. NR has implemented the following updated guidance for our schools.

Quarantine:

Quarantine is for individuals who have been exposed to the Covid-19 virus through close contact with someone who is infected, but has not tested positive for COVID-19 and does not have symptoms.

What has changed in regards to quarantines?

• The quarantine period has been reduced from ten days to five days.
• Students who we can not confirm had direct contact will not be required to quarantine; however, they will be notified that they may have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID.
• Students who are fully vaccinated will not be required to quarantine unless they experience symptoms.
• Students who are not fully vaccinated will be required to quarantine for five days from their point of exposure if they do not experience symptoms. They should be sure to wear a well fitted mask in public spaces for five additional days from their quarantine.

This adjustment will primarily affect school transportation and unstructured locations such as lunch rooms. Under the previous requirements, any student who was suspected of being a direct contact were mandated to quarantine, causing many students to miss time at school even though they may not have been exposed.

North Rockland will notify parents if an individual on their child’s bus has tested positive. Those students will not be required to miss school if they remain symptom free. In these situations, we will ask parents to closely monitor their symptoms and avoid coming in contact with high risk folks.

Isolation:

Isolation is for individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19, even if they don't have symptoms.

How long must my child remain out of school if they are required to Isolate?

• Isolation ends after 5 full days if you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and your other symptoms have improved (Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation​).

• After leaving your isolation, you must continue to wear a mask around others for five additional days.

• Students may return to physical education and/or athletics after their isolation period ends with a doctor’s note. Students unable to obtain a doctor's note may return 10 days after isolation as long as they have not been treated with prescribed medication for COVID-19 or were admitted to the hospital.

It is North Rockland's philosophy to adjust our plan after information provided has been vetted. In the weeks to come, our COVID management strategy may change based on the information that is provided and what makes sense for our school community.

Pasos para traducir esta actualización

On November 2, 2021, following the Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization (EUA) on October 29, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) endorsed the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice’s (ACIP’s) recommendation for children ages 5-11 to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The Pfizer vaccine is the first authorized vaccine permitted in this age group. All children ages 5 to 11 are now eligible to receive a two-dose primary series of the pediatric formulation Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, effective immediately. Parents or guardians with questions about the vaccine are encouraged to talk to their child’s pediatrician or another trusted healthcare provider.

NYSDOH Pediatric Vaccine Guidance is linked here.

Upcoming Rockland County Department of Health COVID-19 vaccination clinics that will offer Pfizer-BioNTech pediatric doses for 5- to 11-year-olds.

To make an appointment at an RCDOH clinic, visit http://rcklnd.us/covid19. Appointments are strongly encouraged. You may walk into any clinic without an appointment, but you may need to wait. See the attached for more details.

To schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment at the RCDOH Clinic, click here.

The Rockland County Department of Health (RCDOH) is participating in New York State’s #VaxToSchool campaign! Starting October 19th, youth ages 12 to 17 will get a gift card with a first and/or second COVID-19 vaccine at a RCDOH COVID-19 vaccination clinic.

Sun River has informed us that they are providing immunizations, COVID-19 vaccinations, physicals, and child health insurance assistance. All of these services are available for #NRCSD students and school community members. To make an appointment, please call (845) 659-2436 or visit https://www.sunriver.org/.

Project Hope

Free emotional-support service offered by NYS

Flyer

**Visit the New York State Am I Eligible webpage or Vaccines.gov to find a vaccine near you. For questions, more information, or if you need assistance scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, call 845-238-1956 from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday – Friday.

NR Weekly Positive Case Report

***NRCSD continues to work tirelessly to ensure that all health and safety protocols are working effectively. It is incumbent upon each and every one of us to make sure all safety protocols are followed at all times—in and out of school— so we can mitigate the spread of COVID-19. We must work together in partnership—schools, families, and students—and be mindful of the great responsibility we all have to protect ourselves and those around us. This virus can be present without any symptoms. That fact alone can lead to the unintentional infection of others.

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Red Raider Reminder

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 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.

The North Rockland (Haverstraw-Stony Point) Central School District is seeking candidates for Food Service Helper positions at various school buildings for the 2021-2022 school year. The starting rate of pay is $14.00/hour. Apply here

The North Rockland Central School District is also seeking candidates for Monitor positions at the elementary level for the 2021-2022 school year. These positions are 5.5 hours per day. The starting rate of pay is $14.00/hour. Interested candidates should 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 $109 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.