Dear Parents and Guardians, The first few weeks of school have gone remarkably well! We are all happy to be back in-person and our students have quickly adjusted to new COVID-19 related routines at school— temperature checks upon arrival, social distancing, frequent hand washing and sanitizing and wearing masks throughout the school day.
Take a look at this uplifting First Day of School photo montage our PTO put together featuring our student’s back to school smiles!
OPEN HOUSE
Save the Date: On October 15, 2020 we will be holding our evening Open House. This will be all virtual. Be on the lookout for a formal letter with all the information, times and links for our Open House night in the coming week!
SCHOOL PICTURES
Lifetouch School Pictures will be taken on October 22 (A Day Students) and October 23 (B Day Students). For our students on full remote, we are working with Lifetouch to develop alternative school picture taking options to ensure our remote students will be included in the yearbook.
EMERGENCY GO HOME DRILL
Our annual Emergency Go Home Drill will take place on November 9 and 10 this year. There will be a letter forthcoming with details regarding the drill. All students will be dismissed 15 minutes early on these days and are expected to go to the emergency location listed on the verification form, so plan accordingly. If you are unsure what location you have listed on your child’s form, please call Mrs. Chiacchia in the Main Office at (518) 207-2660.
DAILY COVID-19 SCREENING TOOL
I would like to thank all parents for your diligence in filling out the daily COVID Screening tool. This must be filled out online everyday, for each student. Our staff members also complete the screening each day before entering the building. Please complete the form prior to 8:30 a.m. each morning. Our office staff will be calling parents if the screening form has not been received each morning. The COVID-19 Screening Tool link is: https://entry.neric.org/egcsd
TECHNOLOGY: K, 1, 2 CHROME TABLETS
Our 2nd grade students will be receiving their district purchased chrome tablet device this week. This shipment for our 2nd graders has arrived first and students will receive them on Monday and Tuesday. We expect the 1st grade and Kindergarten devices to be arriving soon.
HALLOWEEN
While restrictions keep us from dressing up and holding our annual Halloween Costume Parade this year, we will still show our Halloween spirit at Red Mill by wearing orange and black at school on Thursday, October 29 (A day students) and Friday, October 30 (B Day students).
HEALTH
We are looking forward to continued health and wellness at school. As the fall is upon us and students inevitably get colds, etc., we are hopeful that our mask wearing and frequent hand washing and sanitizing will minimize our cold season. There have been many questions regarding what to do when your child is sick. I have attached the link to the district’s guidance, that was recently sent to all parents. https://egcsd.org/2020/10/02/new-york-state-updates-return-to-school-requirements/
If you have any questions regarding student illness or return to school procedures, please refer to this document or contact Mrs. Kate Ryan, R.N., Red Mill School Nurse at (518)207-2660.
Sincerely,
Helen Squillace
Principal
