COVID
Page Navigation
- 2021-2022 COVID-Related Communications in Chronological Order
- 2020-2021 COVID-Related Communications in Chronological Order
- RCSD COVID-19 Surveillance Testing Program
- Test-to-Stay Program
- Increased Mental Health
- Parent Focus Group Videos
- Reopening Survey Results
- Reopening Coffee Videos, Schedules & Information
RCSD Community Update: 5/20/22
Dear RCSD Community,
Please remember that there is no school next Friday, May 27, due to the snow/emergency giveback day. I will also not be sending a community update that Friday. I hope everyone enjoys the four-day long weekend.
Budget Vote/BOE Election
Thank you to the many of you who turned out to vote in the annual budget vote and Board of Education election on Tuesday. Voter turnout was significantly lower than in 2021: 1,059 votes were cast this year versus 2,023 last year. We understand that this was the case in other school districts in Westchester as well. Over 82% of those who voted supported the school District’s 2022-23 budget, for which we are very grateful.
Voters also approved the second resolution on the budget by a 90% margin. The resolution is tax-neutral and allows the District to upgrade HVAC in the High School cafeteria. Now that we have received approval, we can start this work almost immediately. It should be finished by September.
As opposed to many other districts, we had an uncontested Board of Trustees election this year, with two candidates running for two seats on the Board. The two incumbent candidates, Jane Anderson and Jennifer Boyle, were reelected. Congratulations to them, and we thank them in advance for their service.
Tenure Recipients
At Tuesday night’s Board of Education meeting, while waiting for voting results, we held a tenure reception for 14 teachers and one school administrator. Congratulations to:
Laura Cappiello, Assistant Principal, Osborn School
Brian Castelao, English as a Second Language, Osborn School (tenure awarded December 2021)
Kristen DiMatteo, Special Education, Rye High School
Clare Gilroy, Science, Rye High School
James Goldmann, English, Rye High School
Margo Hackett, Special Education, Rye Middle School
Danielle Kelly, Foreign Language, Rye Middle School
Steven Lennon, Physical Education, Milton and Osborn Schools
Francesca Martilotta, Elementary Education, Osborn School
Denise McCauley, Special Education, Rye High School
Tyler Schwirian, Music, Rye Middle School
Jaime Stabile, Special Education, Rye High School (tenure awarded September 2021)
Melissa Stone, Mathematics, Rye High School
Jennifer Tavolacci, Special Education, Osborn School
Jennifer Turoff, American Sign Language, Rye Middle School
Senior Internships/Prom/Graduation
This week, our seniors began their month-long senior internships. Some of those internships are online, while others are in-person. We hope the seniors find their internships interesting and rewarding. Plans for Prom and Graduation for the class of 2022 are full-steam ahead. Prom will take place on Friday, June 3, at the Mamaroneck Beach & Yacht Club. Graduation is planned for Friday, June 17, at 6:00 p.m. in Nugent Stadium. This is a “first” for Rye High School. Graduation has traditionally been held on a Saturday at 10 a.m., but the senior class overwhelmingly voted to move the ceremony to Friday evening. Celebrating on Friday will help avoid overheating on the field (it was 130 degrees on the turf at last year’s graduation!) and allows for a rain date of Saturday night (but we know this will not be needed - knock wood). We are so excited to celebrate our seniors and their accomplishments in the days and weeks to come.
End-of-Year Calendars
Just in case you missed the emails on Monday, the High School, Middle School, and Elementary School end-of-year calendars are all posted on the home page of the District website at the bottom in the “Community News” section. Back in my day, we called these “refrigerator calendars,” because that’s where they got posted, along with kid art of varying degrees of excellence!
COVID-19 Cases
We are no longer reporting case numbers on a weekly basis. Below, please find the New York State Dashboard where you may check school case numbers whenever you like -- we continue to report case counts to the state on a daily basis. The link is: https://schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov/#/searchResults
Have a terrific weekend.
Sincerely,
Eric Byrne, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
