Community Update: 11/1/24

Dear RCSD Community,

Generally, I don’t send out my community update on Fridays when we are off from school, but I had to make an exception this week as there is just so much good stuff going on in the District.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween and remembered not to send their kids to school today given that students had the day off for Diwali. This is the first year we were able to add Diwali to our school holidays. While we hope to continue to do so in the future, building the annual school calendar is a significant challenge. With federal and state mandated holidays, along with testing schedules and the Regents mandated last day of school, every year we grapple with how to best create a calendar that includes holidays of importance to as many in our community as possible while hitting all the required marks. Early in 2025, I will share a draft of the 2025-2026 school year calendar with the Board of Education for their consideration, and we’ll go from there. We generally complete the calendering process sometime in February. 

The Game

I am still basking in the warmth of the Garnet trouncing of the Huskies on Saturday. The 24-0 win was most satisfying. Not to mention the JV team beat their Harrison counterparts 29-6 that same day. Regrettably, RHS grad Jeff Provenzano wasn’t able to skydive in with the game ball given gusty winds on the day. We hope he’ll drop in for a future game (so punny, I know). A huge thank you and kudos to the RHS custodial team for all the hard work setting up before and breaking down after The Game, and to the security crew who did a great job handling what was a huge crowd. We couldn’t do it without them! 

RHS Varsity Teams in Playoffs

There is more great playoff action coming this weekend:

• Football: Friday at 7:00 p.m. at home vs. Brewster (Section One Class A Quarterfinals)
• Boys soccer: Sunday at 10:00 a.m. at Lakeland vs. Ardsley (Class A Sectionals)
• Girls soccer: Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in Arlington versus Somers (Class A Sectionals)
• Girls volleyball: Friday at 4:30 p.m. at home versus Edgemont

Go Garnets!

Softball Field Construction

The renovation of the softball field at RHS/RMS began work on Wednesday by surrounding the area with construction fencing and removing the field components that are being reinstalled.  Please note that any of the gates that are within the fence line will be secured and should not be used for the duration of the project for safety’s sake.  In addition, the path alongside the brook that students sometimes use as a shortcut from Pine Lane will be blocked with temporary fencing for everyone's safety. If you know a student who uses this path, please give them a heads-up. We promise it won’t be permanent!

Tuesday: Election Day/Superintendent’s Conference Day

As a reminder, there is no school for students on Tuesday, November 5: Election Day. Voting will be taking place at the RMS gym and District teachers, staff, and administrators will be attending Superintendent’s Conference Day at the High School and at all three elementary schools.  Most teachers will be spending the day designing authentic projects that reflect The Rye Commitment. The day will include time to design the project, curate resources, and participate in a peer feedback session.

RFE Cocktails Conversations on Wednesday, November 6

The Rye Fund for Education is excited to announce their Annual Appeal Campaign taking place during the month of November.  With your support, in fiscal 2024, RFE funded over $460,000 in grants that directly impacted RCSD students.  From November 1st through November 30th, the RFE is asking the community to come together again and help raise funds to strengthen our schools and support our students. Their goal for this campaign is community participation. Every donation counts!

Please stop by next Wednesday, November 6th, at Rye Grill and Bar, between 6:30 and 9:30 pm for Cocktails Conversations with RFE trustees and officers.  Enjoy an open bar and hors d’oeuvres while sharing your ideas, asking questions, and learning how the fund makes a difference, and how you can get involved.  All are welcome!

Next Weekend: The Little Mermaid

Get ready to swim on down to the Performing Arts Center next Friday and Saturday nights at 7:00 p.m. as RMS presents The Little Mermaid JR in two shows. Because, as the song goes, “We got no troubles, Life is the bubbles, Under the sea!” Click here to see the poster.

Don’t forget to “fall back” an hour on Sunday!

Sincerely,
Eric Byrne, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools