A.W. Becker Buzz

Looking ahead, March is a busy month! Take a look at what we have upcoming...

2/27-3/3 PTA Book Fair

3/1 Pre-K Registration for 23-24 Opens (online)- Date Change*

3/1 Read for RMHC Begins

3/1 Board of Education Meeting at HS, 6:30 p.m.
3/3 End of Second Trimester (PK-5)

3/14 PTA Meeting, 6:45 pm

3/15 Parent Teacher Conference, Early Dismissal; 12:30 pm

3/16 Parent Teacher Conference, Early Dismissal; 12:30 pm

3/23 AWB and PBC 5th Grade Band and Chorus MIOSM Concert, 7:00 pm

3/29 Staff Development Day; Early Dismissal, 12:30 pm

A.W. Becker is celebrating reading throughout the month of March with a March Madness Tournament of Books competition and by participating in the Read for Ronald McDonald House Charities program.

Here’s how it works!

• 16 picture books will compete, tournament-style for two titles - Primary (Pre-K - 2nd Grade) and Intermediate (3rd - 5th Grade) Champions.

• Each class reads and votes on two picture books per round.

• Brackets will be updated each round to show AWB’s favorite books.

• The theme for March Reading Madness 2023 is Character Counts!

We are encouraging families to Read for Ronald McDonald House. Information will be sent home about how you can help!

Dates to remember (more information to come!):

March 21 Celebrate World Down’s Syndrome Day with #lotsofsocks

March 28 Family Literacy / Math Night

Check out the March Reading website for more!

https://sites.google.com/rcscsd.org/marchreading/home

RCS Discovery Camp is BACK! This is a free and exciting Summer Enrichment Program. This program is now being offered to all students entering grades 1 through 8 during the 23-24 school year who may want additional assistance to ensure that they maintain their academic skills during the summertime. The camp will run four days a week, starting July 10 to August 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Transportation will be provided.

A paper copy of the application and details about the program will be coming home via backpack mail in the following days or can be printed off of our website here.

We have a limited number of spots for what we anticipate to be a very popular program, and unfortunately, we cannot enroll every child. Applications are due by Friday, March 3, and there will be a lottery and waitlist drawing on March 8, 2023.

Join us for four weeks of fun and learning!

On Wednesday, February 15, the RCS Board of Education discussed four in-district, full-day Pre-Kindergarten programs for the 2023-2024 school year. This change will replace our current program, which includes four half-day classes. Due to this exciting update, changes are in the process of being made to the registration process.

Pre-Kindergarten registration will now open on Wednesday, March 1, to accommodate the changes to our program.

We appreciate your patience as we navigate this new opportunity for our youngest learners. We are excited to be able to continue to offer Pre-K to district residents, but now in a full-day setting!

The Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk Central School District will be participating in the New York State Education Department (NYSED) computer-based testing for Grades 3-8 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics within the regularly scheduled school day.

Students in grade 4 have, in years past, participated in the computer-based NYS Science assessments as well. This year New York State is not running the assessment for grade 4, as next year, it will begin being taken in grade 5, and they do not want students taking the test two years in a row.

Please find the AWB schedule for the tests below.

Participating in NYS assessments is important and encouraged as they are a key component of:

• Fostering students’ ability to “show what they know” in various ways
• Supplying teachers with additional information and insight into students’ learning and growth
• Providing the district with valuable information that may affect programming
• Allowing students to practice stamina and resilience for future independence

We understand that the past few years have continued to be unique for our students, staff, and community. We want to say “thank you” to our teachers and teaching staff for their ongoing efforts in supporting our students through this period of challenges, trials, and growth. If you have any questions regarding NYS assessments or your student’s learning, please feel free to reach out to your student’s teacher or principal.

We appreciate you supporting your child as they participate in this valuable assessment process.

ELA: April 19-20

Math: May 3-4

Yearbooks for AWB can be purchased through this link: https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1016107419381036.

OR, by visiting https://www.treering.com/, click on the "buy yearbook" button, and enter the following passcode: 1016107419381036.

Yearbooks cost $14.69 and the due date for orders is April 18, 2023.

For questions about the AWB 22-23 Yearbook, please contact Clare Esmond at cesmond@rcscsd.org.

Students will be dismissed early on March 15th and 16th for Parent Conferences. On March 29th, there is a Staff Development Day. On all three dates, the following schedule will be in place:

• Buses depart at 12:30 p.m.
• Parent pick-up will begin at 12:20 p.m.
• PM Pre-K students will not be coming to school this day, and AM Pre-K students will be dismissed with all other students.

• Students will eat lunch prior to dismissal.

• Afterschool childcare programs will be held.

• Parents/guardians should be prepared for their students to be home 3 hours earlier.

Now that winter seems to have arrived, we're sending another reminder about warm clothing and outdoor recess. We continue to go outside for recess in the wintertime unless the "Real Feel" temperature drops below 20 degrees or there is inclement weather. Thank you for sending your children to school with warm clothing. If they choose to play in the snow, they need snow pants AND snow boots.

In addition, many students have left belongings behind. Pictures are posted below and the display is in our front lobby for families to hopefully be reunited with lost articles. Take a look!

Please follow these guidelines if your child requires medication to be administered at school.

 All medication, including over the counter (OTC), requires a written order from the healthcare provider and signed consent by the parent to be given at school.

 The medication must be brought to school by an adult. If you need to make special arrangements to drop off medication, please call the school health office. Never send medication to school with your child.

 A provider order is required for both prescription and non-prescription medications.

Please Note: A pharmacy label is not an order and cannot be used in place of a written provider order. The pharmacy label should have the same information that is on the order.

 Over the counter (OTC) medications must be in the original manufacturer’s container/package with the student’s name written on the container/package. All OTC medications must have a provider order and written parent/guardian consent in order to be administered or taken at school.

 If your child’s healthcare provider decides your child can carry and use their diabetes, asthma, or epinephrine auto-injector medication independently they must put in writing (attest) that your child can do so safely. Your permission is also required. We can provide the attestation form upon request.

 Any medication remaining at the end of the school year must be picked up by an adult. It will not be sent home on the bus with your child.

 A provider order must be renewed every school year.

If you have any questions regarding this information, please contact our school nurse, Mrs. Sulik.