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November 15, 2023
Community Update
Dear Friends of the New Paltz Central School District,
In our continuing effort to keep you up to date on all things related to our school district, I thought I would tell you about a few items of interest:
First Quarter has ended
The first quarter of the 2023-2024 school year ended on November 10th. Parent teacher conferences are upon us. Please contact your school building to sign up for conferences. We wish your child great success in the second quarter.
Good News on Student Attendance
As many of you are aware, one of the district goals for 2023-2024 is to address chronic student absenteeism. Over the summer, the district approved Attendance Policy was updated to indicate that we define chronic absenteeism as missing more than 20 days per school year. Excused and unexcused absences count toward the 20 day limit. School related absences do not count toward the 20 day total. Long term illnesses or injuries are also taken into account.
As we are now at the end of the 1st quarter it seems like a good time to check on our progress toward improved attendance. The good news is that the results are positive. If we compare attendance at this point last year to our current attendance, we see the following data:
Duzine and Lenape
The number of students missing between 5 and 9 days of school has been reduced by 43 %
The number of students missing between 10 and 14 days of school has been reduced by 54 %
The number of students missing between 15 and 19 days of school has been reduced by 43 %
Middle School
The number of students missing between 5 and 9 days in a particular class has been reduced by 44 %
The number of students missing between 10 and 14 days in a particular class has been reduced by 68 %
The number of students missing between 15 and 19 days in a particular class has been reduced by 80 %
High School
The number of students missing between 5 and 9 days in a particular class has been reduced by 27 %
The number of students missing between 10 and 14 days in a particular class has been reduced by 24 %
The number of students missing between 15 and 19 days in a particular class has been reduced by 39 %
We realize that it is far too early to celebrate. We still have a lot of students who have more absences than they should. However, I believe in credit where credit is due. So, I want to thank all of the parents and students who have taken the attendance policy changes seriously and have done their best to attend school whenever possible. I want to thank the school employees who have improved communication with families, to let them know how much we want all students to attend school. Thank you also to those people who have gone out of their way to help students and families work through problems that might require absence from school or classes. Continuing to improve student attendance is very important. Communication between the school and families is the best way to do this.
Contest to Replace the Space Occupied by the Old District Office
The former district office on the corner of Rt 32 and 299 will be demolished over the summer. Before summer comes, we must have a plan in place for what to do with the 0.16 acres of land currently occupied by the old blue building.
Knowing that we have a lot of clever people in the school and the community, the school board is going to have a contest to find the best possible use for this space. Here is the official contest flier:
Issues with High School Bathrooms
Not all news is good news. We have had issues lately with inappropriate behavior in the high school bathrooms. We have had occurrences of vaping, fighting, and vandalism. Obviously, we are very concerned about the safety of all of our students and employees and it is especially concerning when students don’t feel comfortable using the facilities.
We want parents and students to know that we are addressing this issue. School administrators have had conversations with representatives from the teacher’s union and student government to brainstorm ideas of how best to address the situation. We are looking at all alternatives to improving the situation.
Support from parents at home must be part of any solution we come up with. We encourage all parents to speak with their children to gain a better understanding of the situation. Please talk with them about the importance of following school rules and treating our facilities with respect.
Only a full school cooperative effort will help us solve this problem.
Visit from the Lieutenant Governor
The Participation in Government, Literature and Economics for Today’s Students class (known as PIGLETS), was proud to host Lieutenant Governor Antonio Delgado at the high school last week. Delgado shared his journey from his upbringing in Schenectady, to his experiences as a student, career as a hip-hop artist, position in Washington D.C. as a United States congressman, and his current role as lieutenant governor of New York State.
Delgado spoke passionately about what it means to be a leader. “True leadership requires having an open mind and being forgiving.” He also emphasized the importance of active listening to help “find common ground.”
Clue
I hope that you had the opportunity to see the recent high school drama production of Clue. It was a great show and our drama students and advisors did a wonderful job. Congratulations to them on this significant accomplishment.
At the play, our outstanding director Nancy Owen announced that the spring musical will be Guys and Dolls, coming to the high school auditorium stage in March.
Stuff the Bus
The New Paltz Central School District Transportation Department is hosting “Stuff The Bus,” a winter clothing donation drive. They will be accepting new and gently used winter coats, boots, snowsuits, hats, gloves, and warm weather apparel in the Middle School parking lot on Saturday, November 18, from 10 AM - 3 PM. All donations will be delivered to Family of New Paltz
School-Related Professionals Day is November 21st
SRP Recognition Day is Nov. 21, 2023, in New York State. It is a well-deserved honor for the hard-working women and men who help educate, feed and transport students, monitor their health, administer school offices, and maintain school facilities — providing a safe and nurturing environment for student-centered learning.
I encourage all students and parents to celebrate and recognize the great work done by our clerical staff, nurses, maintenance workers, custodians, bus drivers/transportation, teacher aides, teaching assistants, and cafeteria workers. They are the unsung heroes of the New Paltz Central School DIstrict.
Thanksgiving Break
There will be no school for students from November 22-24 in observation of the Thanksgiving Holiday. Enjoy your time off.
That concludes my brief update. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. There are many things that are going on that I have not mentioned. To stay up on all things related to the New Paltz Central School District you can visit our webpage, find us on facebook, or follow us on instagram.
Best wishes,
Stephen Gratto - Superintendent
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