RCSD Community Update: 9/9/22

Dear RCSD Community,

I hope everyone had a wonderful first (half) week of school. It was terrific to see the hallways bustling with activity once again. Thank you to everyone who helped make the start of school so smooth this year. 

Rye Fund for Education Re-Launch

Some of you may be familiar with the Rye Fund for Education, a non-profit corporation dedicated to supporting the Rye City public schools. Founded in 2014, the Fund’s mission is to advance the quality of academics, arts, and athletics for the students of the RCSD by providing funding for initiatives and programming that go beyond what the District’s operating budget can support. The RFE is re-launching itself this fall with new leadership and a redesigned website. 

We are so grateful to the Fund for the many programs and projects they have and will continue to support to benefit the schools. Over the summer, the Fund provided the RCSD with a grant for $130,875 to provide 16 new Promethean ActivPanel interactive displays for use in classrooms across the five schools. This grant is part of the District’s overall technology plan to replace the current smartboards with new interactive displays over the next few years.

Many thanks to the Fund’s founding donors and former trustees who recognized the need to support important educational innovation and stepped up to fill that need.

Learn more about RFE at https://www.ryefundforeducation.org and please join their mailing list to keep up to date with how they are making a difference in your child’s learning and development.

Kudos to the POs & PTOs

I would like to take a minute to thank the leaders of and volunteers of the parent teacher organizations or PTOs (at the elementary schools) and parent organizations or POs (at RHS and RMS). We are supremely grateful for our parent organizations in Rye and for those who step up to lead them. 

The POs and PTOs partner with the Superintendent and the school Principals and organize an army of other parents to enhance the quality of every child’s educational experience in so many ways. 

The parent organizations raise funds and provide incredibly generous gifts to the District to support cultural enrichment, curriculum, and teacher training initiatives, technology resources, playground and athletic equipment, scholarships, awards, and much more. The POs regularly communicate with parents to keep everyone up-to-date. They organize events that bring our school community together and create incredible school spirit. They collaborate with school administrators, faculty and other staff, and the Board of Education in ways that make Rye stand out as a tightly-knit community that values education and supports our schools. Thank you POs and PTOs!                                                                     

 Back to School Night Schedules

The dates for Back to School nights are posted on the individual school calendars. 

The elementary schools' Back to School nights are in-person: Midland’s is Thursday, September 15, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Milton’s is Wednesday, September 14, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. for grades 3-5 and 7:00-8:00 p.m. for grades K-2. Osborn’s is Thursday, September 15, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. for grades K-2 and 7:00-8:00 p.m. for grades 3-5. Get those sitters booked!

Rye High School and Rye Middle School’s Back to School nights are virtual this year. Rye High School’s is Thursday, September 29, beginning at 6:00 p.m. and Rye Middle School’s is Thursday, September 22, also beginning at 6:00 p.m. Google Meet links to RHS and RMS Back to School nights will be distributed to parents/guardians directly from the schools.

The decision to hold the RMS and RHS back to school nights virtually was made based on parent feedback to the POs and to school and District administrators that indicated that the majority of parents far preferred the virtual format over the in-person format of years past. We do recognize that many parents would like a chance to see the inside of the High and Middle Schools and we will be making tours available for families soon. Watch this space!

Social Media Platforms

I will continue sending weekly community updates to keep everyone in the loop on District happenings, but there are many other ways to stay connected to the schools. Consider following the Rye City School District on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube to see photos, videos, and the ever-popular “Throwback Thursday” posts featuring school history jewels. The District’s Twitter handle is @RyeCitySchools, Instagram is ryecityschooldistrict, Facebook is Rye City School District and YouTube is Rye City School District. You can also follow me on Twitter at @EricByrneRCSD.

Have a terrific weekend!

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