Newsletter: The Middle Years, Working Together for School Success

District Announcements

BUDGET VOTE AND ELECTION DELAYED UNTIL AT LEAST JUNE 1

IMPORTANT ELECTION NOTICE:

Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order 202.13, issued on March 30, 2020, delays school district elections until a date in June, reserving for future action the adjourned election date and voting methodology. The Executive Order specifically states: “Any school board, library board, or village election scheduled to take place in April or May of 2020 is hereby postponed until at least June 1, 2020, and subject to further directive as to the timing, location or manner of voting for such elections.” The Executive Order does not specifically reference the budget vote, but it is our understanding that since the budget vote occurs on the same date as the election, that too is postponed. Also, the circulation, filing, and collection of nominating petitions has likewise been postponed.

AVISO IMPORTANTE DE ELECCIÓN:

La Orden Ejecutiva 202.13 del Gobernador Cuomo, emitida el 30 de marzo de 2020, retrasa las elecciones del distrito escolar hasta una fecha en junio, reservando para acciones futuras la fecha de la elección aplazada y la metodología de votación. La Orden Ejecutiva establece específicamente: “Cualquier elección de junta escolar, junta de biblioteca o aldea programada para abril o mayo de 2020 se aplaza al menos hasta el 1 de junio de 2020, y está sujeta a directivas adicionales en cuanto al horario, ubicación o manera de votar por tales elecciones ". La Orden Ejecutiva no hace referencia específica al voto del presupuesto, pero entendemos que dado que el voto del presupuesto ocurre en la misma fecha que la elección, eso también se pospone. Además, la circulación, la presentación y la recolección de peticiones de nominación también se ha pospuesto.

Lisdalia I. Saraiva

Clerk and Secretary to the Board of Education

City School District of New Rochelle
Free Meals Available for Students Affected by Coronavirus Closures

March 10, 2020

Dear Parents and Guardians,

The City School District of New Rochelle is pleased to announce that local community organizations have stepped up to help mitigate the food shortage that will be experienced by some students during the two-week closure of three schools in the state-designated Coronavirus (COVID-19) “containment area.”

We understand that some of our students are food-dependent on the district. As we await support from the state government to help provide these students with food support, we are very thankful to local organizations who have stepped up in this critical time.

Additionally, we will share information about the 2,822 students who are food dependent with Governor Cuomo’s office. We anticipate that the National Guard will help distribute food to these students in need.

As we have made clear, the choice to close specific schools came from the Governor's office in consultation with federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health professionals. The Governor chose to close schools within the containment area – within one mile of the impacted synagogue. The impacted schools are New Rochelle High School, Albert Leonard Middle School and William B. Ward Elementary School.

The impacted schools MUST close based on the latest guidance from the Governor. In addition, the CSDNR PREP Plan, which aligns with the plan provided by the NYS Department of Health and the NYS Education Department, contemplates closing schools when there is a confirmed case of COVID-19. We will continue to be guided by these documents.

At this time, there have been no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in our schools. We are closing the three schools from March 11 to March 25 in compliance with the Governor’s directive.

Sincerely,

Dr. Laura Feijóo

Superintendent

City School District of New Rochelle
City School District of New Rochelle
A Note on Coronavirus Precautions
The following letter was sent to New Rochelle families by Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijóo on February 27, 2020

Dear Families,

There have been a number of questions about the recent warning from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for schools to prepare to protect against the Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19).

Our administrative team and Medical Director are closely monitoring the local and global situation. While no confirmed cases of Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) have been confirmed in New York State, we have been notified by Mr. Latimer, Westchester County Executive, that there may be nine (9) suspected cases in Westchester. We must stay calm. We have a plan. Yesterday, we collaborated with principals to go over procedures in place in the school district to safeguard each other and our community from the spread of this and other diseases. The safety and security of our students is a top priority.

Collaborative planning has yielded the following plan in The City School District of New Rochelle to prevent the spread of disease:

Masks are available in health offices throughout the district to cover adults or students who have fever and are coughing when they come to the medical office. These masks will have to stay on until the individual has left the school.

Any student out for periods of time due to illness should contact the school to ensure access to ongoing curriculum and instruction.

Having handwashing facilities available throughout all of our buildings and ensuring that all soap dispensers are regularly refilled.

Providing a teaching segment on handwashing practices for students and staff in all buildings.

Increasing each school building’s disinfection program for cleaning student desks, horizontal surfaces and touch points such as doorknobs, drinking fountains, phone receivers and handrails.

We are asking anyone with fever and/or flu-like symptoms to stay home. Anyone who presents with fever and/or flu-like symptoms in our schools will be provided a mask, screened for a recent travel history and asked to go home. Students can only return to class after meeting with the school nurse upon their return to the building.

Reporting any at-risk patients and their clinical status to the Westchester County Department of Health.

The NYS Department of Health reports that while there is currently no vaccine to prevent the COVID-19 virus, these simple steps can help stop the spread of this and other respiratory viruses:

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Click here for a video on proper handwashing.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Stay home when you are sick.

Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.

Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

We ask, as always, that children, staff or visitors with fever and severe cold or flu-like symptoms remain home until they feel better and are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. Contact your medical provider if you have any questions.

For additional information about COVID-19, you may contact the NYSDOH Coronavirus Hotline at 1-800-364-3065, or visit https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/. If you have questions, please call the health office at your school or Dr. Brooke Balchan, District Medical Director, at 914-576-4264.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Dr. Laura Feijóo

Superintendent
City School District of New Rochelle
New Sports Calendar!

The District has moved its sports calendar to a new platform. View the Athletics Schedule here.

City School District of New Rochelle
Board of Education Hires New Assistant Superintendent for Business

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (July 29, 2019) – The City School District of New Rochelle has appointed Gregory W. Kern as the new Assistant Superintendent for Business. The Board of Education approved Kern’s appointment at its meeting tonight. He officially begins the position with the School District on or before October 1, 2019.

Kern currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Finance at the Newburgh Enlarged City School District, a position he has held since 2016. He has also served as Assistant Superintendent for Administration at the Enlarged City School District of Middletown; and as the Assistant Superintendent for Business at the Washingtonville Central School District. In addition, he has served in administrative positions with the Greater Southern Tier BOCES, Amherst (NY) Central School District, Newark (NY) Central School District and Medina (NY) Central School District.

He has overseen several major bond construction programs including one for $100 million for the Elmira City School District while he was at BOCES and a recently passed $257 million bond project in Newburgh.

“We are looking forward to Mr. Kern bringing his extensive administrative background, leading business offices within school districts for the past 16 years,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Magda Parvey. “This experience demonstrates that he is an excellent fit for New Rochelle as our next Assistant Superintendent for Business.”

In his latest position in Newburgh, Kern oversees a general fund budget of $282 million in a school district with a student population of 11,500.

“Mr. Kern has the experience of working in large school districts and will help continue the District’s efforts to maximize value for our taxpayers while also prioritizing education for our students,” Board of Education President Amy Moselhi said.

Kern is a member of the Newburgh school district superintendent’s cabinet, working closely with other assistant superintendents as well as curriculum, pupil services and human resources.

“I am excited to come to the City School District of New Rochelle and join this leadership team,” Kern said. “I am eager to get started and support the District’s efforts to remain fiscally sensitive while providing great educational value for our students.”

About the City School District of New Rochelle
With nearly 11,000 students in 10 schools, the City School District of New Rochelle, through an active partnership amongst community, parents, staff and students, provides a high-quality and challenging education for every child, in a safe, nurturing environment that embraces rich diversity and drives success.

City School District of New Rochelle
New Rochelle Schools Reach Tentative Agreement with FUSE Union

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (July 9, 2019) – The Board of Education of the City School District of New Rochelle and the New Rochelle Federation of United School Employees (FUSE), the union representing teachers, other pedagogic staff and school-related professionals, are pleased to announce that the parties have reached a tentative settlement for a successor agreement.

The agreement is subject to ratification by the Union membership and the Board, which the parties anticipate occurring in the early fall.

The District and FUSE are excited to have reached a settlement that benefits all and demonstrates the deep appreciation the District holds for its teachers, other pedagogic staff and school-related professionals. All are looking forward to a productive 2019-2020 school year.

City School District of New Rochelle
New Rochelle School Board Leadership Named

Moselhi Chosen as President, Warhit as Vice President

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (July 5, 2019) – New Rochelle Board of Education chose its leadership Tuesday, July 2, naming Amy Moselhi President and Paul Warhit Vice President. The selections came at the annual reorganizational meeting, at which new members William Iannuzzi and Valarie D. Williams were also sworn in.

Moselhi served the past year as Board Vice President with President Jeffrey Hastie, who did not run for re-election when his term was up this spring.

Moselhi and Warhit were both elected to the Board in 2017.

“It is a great honor to serve in the capacity of President of the Board of Education for the City School District of New Rochelle,” Moselhi said after taking the oath of office at the meeting in Central Administration. “It is a responsibility that I take very seriously and that I hope I will fulfill in a way that makes each and every member of the city confident that your voices have been heard and that your concerns are always a part of the fabric in the decisions that we make.”

A civil engineer by trade, Moselhi is Chief Executive of United Structure Solution, a Brooklyn firm that designs and installs high-end ornamental metal work and glass. Warhit is a past president of Devonshire Discount Tire & Auto Centers.

Williams is a teacher and K-12 reading specialist in the Greenburgh Central School District. Iannuzzi serves as Director of Programs for the Boys & Girls Clubs of New Rochelle.

The Board’s nine members serve five-year terms.

About the City School District of New Rochelle
With nearly 11,000 students in 10 schools, the City School District of New Rochelle, through an active partnership amongst community, parents, staff and students, provides a high-quality and challenging education for every child, in a safe, nurturing environment that embraces rich diversity and drives success.

City School District of New Rochelle
New Rochelle High School Senior Awards
Members of the Class of 2019 were awarded hundreds of scholarships, trophies, certificates and other prizes in the New Rochelle High School Senior Awards Assembly and Senior Awards Ceremony. Both ceremonies were held in the Whitney M. Young Jr. Auditorium. Find the honorees here:

The following link opens a list of the students who received awards in the Senior Awards Assembly held Friday, June 14 at 9:30 a.m.

Senior Awards Assembly honorees Opens a New Window.

The following link opens a list of the students who received awards in the Senior Awards Ceremony held Monday, June 17 at 7 p.m.

Senior Awards Ceremony honorees Opens a New Window.

Two faculty members received the Donald J. Conetta Service Award. They were:

Joel Fridovich, who is retiring as Director of the Alternative Campus High School

Deborah Minchin, New Rochelle High School social studies teacher
City School District of New Rochelle
Forensic Students Learn from Wrongfully Convicted Man

New Rochelle High School forensic science students had just learned about DNA evidence. Yesterday, they and some schoolmates gained perspective on the topic they could never get from science studies alone, when they heard the harrowing first-hand account of man wrongfully imprisoned for 16 years before DNA evidence proved that someone else committed the crime.

"I was a sophomore," Jeffrey Deskovic said of his wrongful conviction in 1990. "I was younger than most of you."

Despite the original DNA evidence in the case, Deskovic was convicted of murder on the strength of a confession he says was coerced. It wasn't until 2006 that Westchester County's then-District Attorney Janet DiFiore ordered another DNA test, which led to Deskovic's exoneration and release.

He spoke Thursday in the Whitney M. Young Jr. Auditorium to an audience of mostly juniors and seniors from two forensic science classes, the AP Government class, the Law in Government Class and others. He told them about starting the Deskovic Foundation to further his work on behalf of others who are in prison for crimes they did not commit.

"I wanted to take my work to the next level," he said. "I wanted to reach back into the prisons and free people - innocent people - who were in the same position I had been in."

He told them of the challenges of returning to society after 16 years - unfamiliar technology, lost friends and family members, the difficulty in finding a job. He received a master's degree from John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is set to graduate with a law degree from Pace University in May.

Speaking with the experience of a former inmate, he urged the students to appreciate what they have, enjoy sunlight and the freedom to travel and to understand that they can overcome difficulties. For those entering law enforcement, science or the legal professions, he implored them to dedicate themselves to doing the job well.

"Take your job very, very seriously, and go that extra mile," he said.

It was a message received by students such as senior Kimberly Sanchez, who plans to become a police officer.

"It helps me to see how I should be as a cop," she said.
City School District of New Rochelle
Forrest, Manns Sign with Holy Cross, UMaine

Huguenot running back Jordan Forrest had already announced that he would attend College of the Holy Cross next year, but teammate Khairi Manns kept followers in suspense until the signing ceremony.

On Wednesday - National Signing Day - Manns, the football team's defensive end, revealed that he will attend the University of Maine. They held a ceremonial signing in the New Rochelle High School library, applauded by family, friends, teammates and supporters. Several reporters captured the event.

Forrest, Manns and the entire team have spent much of the year in the spotlight, mainly when they fought their way to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association state championship in the Carrier Dome in Syracuse in November. Ultimately, Aquinas Institute - a private school in Rochester - won the game, but the Huguenots' performance captured the hearts of New Rochelle.

Last month, Forrest was named Player of the Year for Class AA by the New York State Sportswriters Association. Last week, he was named one of the "Golden Dozen" by the Westchester Chapter of the National Football Foundation for his excellence on the field and in the classroom.
City School District of New Rochelle

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