Aug. 13, 2020 Message

The following message was sent to DCS parents, guardians and staff on Aug. 13 via the district’s One Call Now email and messaging system.

Dear Duanesburg Central Schools Community:

I can’t tell you how excited I am to be able to welcome students back to school in September. It is our goal to provide a safe and enriching 20-21 school year and we are busily readying our schools for their arrival. The schools are looking great thanks to our amazing maintenance and custodial staff–I can’t wait for kids to see them!

Parent Forums
I was pleased to see so many of you at last night’s parent forum. The next opportunity to attend a forum will be at 6:30 on Friday, 8/14. The final forum will be on Wednesday, 8/19. Click here for the link to join. I will be presenting the same basic slide deck at all the forums, though I will take the questions live in the chat box.  We have also put many of the questions on a FAQ page.

Calendar Change
We have amended our school calendar to include a Superintendent’s Conference Day on September 8th. To offset that day, March 15 will now be a regular school day.
As we have already communicated, students in grades 9 and 10 will report to school in person on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with odd dates. They will also report in person on 10/16 and 12/4 to balance out their days. Students in grades 11 and 12 will report on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays with even dates, but not 10/16 or 12/4.

First Days of School
We will be staggering the first day of school for Elementary School students so that we can be sure to address any difficulties that may arise. We will begin with our oldest ES students first and we will be providing kindergarten and pre-kindergarten students and their parents with an opportunity to conference with their teachers and see their classrooms before they are fully immersed. The first days for all students will focus on classroom procedures, new safety protocols, and student wellness. Here are our first days:
September 9: Grades 5-10
September 10: Grades 3, 4, 11, and 12
September 11: Grades 1 and 2
September 14: UPK and Kindergarten
Messages from Schools

Please keep watch of your email for back-to-school messages from principals and supply lists. We also expect Jr./Sr. schedules to go live on eSchoolData on or about August 25th. Students opting for remote learning should also expect messages soon.

Remote Learning Students
Please inform the appropriate building principal of your desire to begin the year on remote instruction by August 21. Because we know that this is a difficult decision for some families, we will allow a 10-day grace period for families who begin remotely to change their minds and return to in-person instruction, though we will require up to 10 days to arrange busing if needed. After that, students will need to wait until the end of the marking period to return to school. Families may opt for remote learning at any time, though should provide as much notice as possible.

Emergency Closures
In the case that we need to return to remote instruction district-wide but occupancy in our buildings is still allowed, we would like to provide transportation, supervision of remote learning, and food service at school for students who need it. Please click here if you are interested in this service. We will use this information to create a plan for emergency closure staffing and transportation. 

Masks
We created the graphic on this page to help you with any mask purchasing you may be doing. Please also keep in mind that the school will be providing two cloth masks to all students and also has a significant supply of disposable masks on hand.

Track Available and Offices Open
Our track is now available for summertime walking, though the playground is still closed. Please make sure to socially distance when on school grounds. Our offices are open for business as well; please be sure to wear a mask when coming in. You may also need to complete a COVID-19 attestation depending on the length of your stay. 

Thank you for your continued support! 

Jim Niedermeier, Ed.D. DCS Superintendent