March 29, 2021

Dear Parents, Students and the Roxbury School Community,

 As we head into our Spring Break, I wanted to once again lay out the plan for this week and for our return from break.

 All PK-12 students will be in school today, Monday, March 29^th through Thursday, April 1^st.  Remember that this is Spirit Week – don’t forget to join in the fun and support RCS!  On Wednesday, March 31^st we will have an academic bus run in the morning, to collect and deliver school materials to & from fully remote students.

 Spring break will begin this Friday April 2^nd.  Please make sure you continue be safe and healthy, taking appropriate precautions during the break, but also enjoy your time with your family.

 Upon return from the break, if you have traveled, make sure you follow the latest New York Travel Guidelines.

 To continue to ensure the safety of all students and staff, we will have two remote learning days on Monday, April 12^th and Tuesday, April 13^th.  Wednesday April 14^th  through Friday the 16^th in-person instruction for students PK-12, with no Friday remote day.  Then the beginning the week of April 19^th will begin 5 days a week of in-person instruction.  Our goal will be to ensure that we not only provide academic support for our students but also support our students with social emotional learning activities.  

 On Wednesday April 14^th we will begin after-school conditioning activities for those students wishing to participate in our Spring Sports season.  The evening of the 14^th will be the last of the three school budget presentations.  The meeting begins at 7:00pm prior to the board meeting. 

 On Friday April 16^th, the entire school, students and staff, will participate in an Art Celebration.  We have purchased T-Shirt for all students.  All students and staff members will have the opportunity to paint a unique design on the shirt, which will be displayed around our school building.  Weather permitting, we will have this event outside on the fields…and of course ice cream is included.

Spring sports season officially begins on Monday April 19^th.  Students should pick up their packet and make sure their physical is updated in order to participate.

There will be no more academic and/or meal deliveries After March 31^st.  Meals and academic materials can be picked up at the cafeteria every Friday morning.

Thank you for your continued support in the success of our students.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Stay Safe and Healthy,

Jeffery J. Bennett

Superintendent

IMPORTANT DATES:

• MARCH 31^st – Last academic bus run
• APRIL 2^nd – Spring Break begins
• APRIL 12^th & 13^th – Return from break – All students remote PK-12
• APRIL 14^th -16^th  - All students in-person instruction PK – 12 – no remote Friday
• APRIL 14^th – After-school conditioning begins for spring athletes;    3^rd and final Budget Presentation – 7:00PM
• APRIL 16^th – Tie-dye t-shirt and ice cream day
• APRIL 19^th – All students in-person 5 days a week – no more remote days;   Spring sports begin

Dear Parents, Students and the Roxbury School Community,

Welcome back after a long period of remote instruction.  It will be so nice to see our kids in the building.

We will have only 9 in-person instructional days before the April break.  

Please make sure we keep everyone safe and the building open by ensuring that, if your child displays any symptoms, you alert the nurse and keep your child home. Common Symptoms: Fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, headache, muscle or body aches, loss of taste and/or smell, congestion, runny nose and/or sore throat. 

Our CROP after-school program and Homework Help program will begin on Monday, March 22, 2021. These after-school programs will run from 3:00-4:30pm.  Transportation will be provided for both after-school programs.

Our plans for the Spring Sports season are underway.  We plan on beginning athletic conditioning on Wednesday, April 14^th, with the regular season beginning Monday, April 19^th.  Students need to make sure they have a current physical on file and are in good standing academically.

We have made a small change to our school calendar.  The RCMT half-days that had been scheduled for March 26^th and May 21^st have been cancelled, and they will be full days of in-school instruction. 

We know that with the April break upon us and the warm weather coming, thoughts of a vacation and getting away are occurring in our community.  Just a reminder that should you plan on taking a trip, please make sure you are following the health department guidelines on travel outside of New York.  

After April break we will have remote instruction on Monday, April 12^th and Tuesday, April 13^th, with a return to in-school instruction for all students on Wednesday, April 14^th.  Our goal is that these would be the last days of remote instruction for the remainder of the school year.  We plan on moving to 5 days a week of in-school instruction for all students starting on April 19^th.

With each day that passes, we feel the increasing weight of the toll this ongoing pandemic has taken on our community, our families and our schools.  It’s clear that our remote learning models are no substitute for full in-person instruction.  We clearly understand the challenges you faced with ensuring your internet was up to speed, balancing your work with your child’s work, the collection and distributing of work, meals, etc. 

Since last March, when this new instructional model started, we have continually sought ways to meet the needs of all students in spite of the many challenges we faced. It has fallen short of addressing the increasing numbers of students who are struggling with mental health needs, true lack of socialization, and increased at-risk behaviors that have resulted from our remote-only models despite our relentless efforts.  It goes without saying that in-person schooling is critical to maintaining not only academic progress but in building social/emotional skills, mental health, and resiliency.

As previously mentioned, as of April 19^th, we will be returning to 5 days a week of in-person instruction.  Our goal will be to ensure that we not only provide academic support for our students, but also support our students with social emotional learning activities.  We will provide more information as we are continuing to develop these plans.

Thank you for your continued support as we strive to do our very best for our community’s children. They deserve it, and we simply cannot do this important work without you. 

We look forward to seeing you and your children soon.

Jeffrey J. Bennett

Superintendent