Dear Catskill CSD Community,
First and foremost, I would like to thank our entire school community for your commitment, patience, work ethic and resilience during this evolving situation. Yesterday was an amazing day in Catskill. A caravan of 140 cars traveled through the communities where our students reside. Tears rolled down my eyes when I saw our students, families and community members wearing blue, orange, and displaying signs of appreciation. It was an amazing sight to see.
Special thanks to the Catskill PD and the State and County Police Departments! Extra special thanks to Ms. Erceg, Ms. Ashley, Mr. Brian Smith, Mr. Luvera and Ms. Osswald! You organized a spectacular event. Thank you very much to our staff who participated in the event and those who were there in spirit! Your presence was felt. It felt great to regain a moment of normalcy.
Cancellation of Spring Recess
Yesterday, we also received guidance from the Governor’s office regarding Spring Recess. Based on the Governor’s Executive Order, Spring Recess is cancelled. All school districts in New York State are mandated to continue extended learning from home, provide child care for essential workers and meals without interruption through April 15, 2020. Failure to comply with this Executive Order disqualifies Catskill Central School District from receiving a waiver for completing the required 180 days of instruction. Therefore, we must fully comply with the Executive Order. We risk the loss of state aid for not adhering to this mandate. The loss of state aid would have a tremendous impact on our current programs and staffing.
Report Cards and the Beginning of the Fourth Quarter
As per the District’s calendar, the fourth quarter begins on Monday, April 6, 2020. Third quarter report cards will be mailed home next week. Next week, the administration and results teams are scheduled to discuss 4th quarter grading guidelines and instruction, if the school closure extends beyond April 15, 2020. Additional information is forthcoming.
Parent Pick-Up of Student Work- Friday, April 3, 2020,
As a result of the extended school closure, there is a need to provide your child with additional learning materials and resources. The additional materials will be uploaded on to the District’s website on Thursday, April 2, 2020. The hard copy learning materials will be available on Friday, April 3, 2020 for pick up. Please contact the main office staff in your child’s school to schedule an appointment to pick up the extended learning materials. A staff member will be available from 8:00am-2:00pm, to assist you.
Parent pick-up hours for Friday, April 3, 2020 by school are listed below:
When you arrive to pick up your child’s work on Friday, we ask that you drive up to the front entrance of the school, remain in your vehicle, roll down your window and wait for a “white gloved” staff member to assist you. We do not want people leaving their vehicles and walking up to the school. We are following the CDC’s protocol of social distancing. Thank you in advance for your support!
All students are expected to complete the assignments as they will be recorded and graded. A “white gloved” staff member will also assist you if you drop off completed assignments that cannot be submitted to our teachers online.
Chromebook Distribution- New Location- One Site Only
Our Technology Team will be distributing chromebooks to parents on Friday, April 3, 2020, between the hours of 8:00AM-2:00PM. The distribution site will be located on the side of Catskill High School, near the Gymnasium Entrance. Due to the limited number of chromebooks, one chromebook will be provided per family. Again, we ask that you drive up to the tented area, remain in your vehicle, roll down your window and wait for a “white gloved” staff member to assist you.
Parents will need to complete a chromebook loaner form. The loaner form is provided in the link below. Please bring the printed loaner form with you on Friday.
The District is also working with our local cable company for “hot spot” access. If you do not have internet access at home, then you will need to bring your child’s Google username and password with you when you pick up the chromebook. Please contact the main office in each school prior to Friday, April 3, 2020, if you need a chromebook.
Food Program
Updated information regarding the food program can be found in the link below.
Regents Examinations, Etc.
We are still awaiting guidance from SED regarding the pandemic’s impact on Regents Exams, teacher tenure and APPR. We recently learned that our annual budget and board elections cannot occur prior to June 1, 2020. Additional information is forthcoming.
Child Care
Child Care Connections is a Child Care Resource and Referral Agency serving Columbia, Greene, and Ulster Counties. They provide child care referrals for families, as well as trains child care providers, sponsors the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and registers and inspects family day care and school age child care programs in all three counties.
Contact information:
http://www.familyofwoodstockinc.org/ccc/
Program Director for Columbia/Greene office: Suzanne Holdridge – (518) 822-1944 ext. 105
Team Leader for tri-county region (Ulster, Columbia and Greene): Kerry Wolfeil – (845) 331-7080 ext 134
Child Care Connections Program Director: Penny L. Dombrowski – 845-331-7080 ext. 132 845-331-0526 (fax)
pdombrowski@familyofwoodstockinc.org
The Family’s Child Care Council was established in 1984 to provide child care resource and referral services in Ulster County under contract to Work/Family Directions. Prior to that, Family of Woodstock Inc. ran a family day care training project for the Ulster County Department of Social Services, as well as sponsoring a licensed child care center and after-school program. The Child Care Council participated as a subcontractor in the first family day care training project awarded to the New York State Child Care Coordinating Council by New York State Department of Social Services. In 1988, the Child Care Council expanded services to Columbia and Greene Counties and became the publicly funded child care resource and referral service for the tri-county area.
In closing, I am extremely proud of our entire staff for exceeding expectations during this unfortunate situation. Your hard work and dedication to our students, staff and community is commendable. We will overcome this pandemic together. Please stay safe and healthy! Cats Can, Cats Will!
Regards,
Dr. Ronel Cook
Superintendent of Schools
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