HCS Update: Closing thru 4/29 and JUNE REGENTS Dear Honeoye Central School District Community, Welcome back for another remote week of learning at HCS. I hope you are enjoying the beautiful blue skies and sun! HCS COVID-19 Related School Closing Extended Through 4/29 During a press release on Monday, 4/6, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that all of our state would continue to operate under a PAUSE of function for an additional two weeks. This directive means that schools and nonessential businesses must remain closed for an additional two weeks through April 29th. The Governor will re-evaluate after this additional two-week period. It is important to note that Executive Order 202.11 stipulates that Districts must continue to provide instructional materials (see below) for students, meals for students, and child care for essential workers (see below) through April 29, 2020. We still hope to welcome HCS students back to school at the end of April, though this decision hinges upon NYS and / or Federal Executive Order. In the event that HCS must be closed beyond April 29, due to State or Federal Executive Order, Honeoye Central School District will communicate with the HCS community via email, ConnectEd robocall, and on the website. As a district, we have shifted our COVID related emergency response from Phase II Response (Implementation of plans for continuity of meals, instruction, and operations) to Phase III Response (Monitoring, adapting, and enhancing district plans for continuity of meals, instruction and operations). Additionally, we have ensured compliance with the governor's executive order 202.11, which stipulates that all districts in NYS provide continuity of instruction, meals and access to child care through April 29, even if districts were scheduled to have a break during that period of time. At the time of this writing, spiral review / skill building development instructional materials will have been distributed to all PreK-12 students to ensure continuity of instruction through 4/14. Devices have been distributed for students in Grades 3 - 5 and for families with students in Grades PreK-2 (who did not have access to a device). HCS is positioned to launch "first instruction" via Google Classroom to all students on 4/15. We have solid articulation documents which clearly and concisely outline our plan for remote, digital first instruction. HCS facilities staff have deep cleaned and disinfected, and recleaned and disinfected as necessary, the HCS campus. HCS continues to see an increase in participation rates for our continuity of meals plan. We have virtually doubled our volume this week! Additional Updates for Your Consideration New York State Education Updates: JUNE 2020 REGENTS On Monday, 4/6, the NYS Board of Regents adopted emergency regulations in effort “to ease the burdens and provide important flexibility for educators, students, professionals and others to address interruptions in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.” Today, NYSED shared the following, specific to administration of JUNE REGENTS exams and impact on graduation requirements: Students who, during the June 2020 examination period would have taken one or more Regents examinations, will be exempted from passing the assessments in order to be issued a diploma. To qualify for the exemption, students must meet one of the following eligibility requirements: The student is currently enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents examination and will have earned credit in such course of study by the end of the 2019-20 school year; or The student is in grade 7, is enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents examination and will have passed such course of study by the end of the 2019-20 school year; or The student is currently enrolled in a course of study culminating in a Regents examination and has failed to earn credit by the end of the school year. Such student returns for summer instruction to make up the failed course and earn the course credit and is subsequently granted diploma credit in August 2020; or The student was previously enrolled in the course of study leading to an applicable Regents examination, has achieved course credit, and has not yet passed the associated Regents examination but intended to take the test in June 2020 to achieve a passing score. Please refer to the comprehensive State Education Department (SED) released commonly asked question and answer document for more information: Regents Examination and Graduation Requirements Questions Related to COVID-19 Closure. Note: SED has not made a determination about the August 2020 administration of Regents Examinations. More information to follow as it becomes available. It is relevant to note that any student who enrolls in summer school to make up failed course credit in a course leading to a Regents Examination and is subsequently granted such credit, shall be exempt from the culminating Regents Examination. HCS will provide more information to our families in the upcoming weeks surrounding what constitutes earning credit in such a course of study by the end of the 2019-20 school year (grading) and will work with individual students and families to ensure on track progress towards meeting graduation requirements. Welcome, Kate VanLare, New HS Counselor Please join me in welcoming Kate VanLare to the HCS community! Kate was appointed to the position of High School Counselor during the Virtual BOE meeting on March 25, and we are very excited to have her launch her professional journey with Honeoye CSD next week. Kate and her husband are residents of the Honeoye community; and she has expressed excitement about planting her roots in the HCS school community as well! Kate joins us from the Rochester City School District, where she served as a 9th Grade Academy counselor at East High School for the past three years. Secondary Principal Vacancy: Process and Timeline When it comes to school related factors influencing academic achievement, research suggests that the role of the principal is exceeded only by the quality of teachers working directly with students. As you are aware, our very own Mrs. Addie Klaehn, has graciously served in the role of Interim Secondary Principal for the 2019-20 school year, following the departure of Wayne Ackles. At this juncture, HCS is positioned to engage in the coordination and implementation of a search process to fill this vacancy and to appoint a probationary secondary principal with an anticipated July 1 appointment date. To help guide our hiring process, we will be putting together a leadership profile for our next Secondary Principal. If you have a free minute between now and April 10, I am hoping that you might consider taking this brief survey (https://forms.gle/tKaabBmFzmSvzABo9) to share the qualities you believe are most crucial for this position. In addition, I will be assembling various stakeholder committee groups to participate in the hiring process. My hope is that students and parents will be represented as stakeholder groups and would be delighted if 6 - 8 students and 6 – 8 parents express interest and willingness to serve in such a capacity. Should you opt to participate in this process, your commitment will include virtual attendance during a question-writing Google Meet session the week of April 13-17 and virtual / live attendance during interviews with candidates the week of April 27 - May 1. (More detailed information will be provided once the committees have been identified.) Please send me a quick email ([email protected]) before April 10 if you are interested and available to serve on a hiring committee. HCS Secondary Principal Search Anticipated Timeline: March 24 - April 20: Honeoye High School Principal Application Period April 3 - April 10: Internal and External Individuals Identified for Stakeholder Group Interview Committees April 3 - April 10: Development of Honeoye High School Principal Leadership Profile April 13 - April 17: Creation of Stakeholder Interview Questions and Performance Tasks (Virtual meeting) April 21 - April 24: Vetting and Screening of Applicants April 27 - May 1: Stakeholder Interviews of SemiFinalists (Virtual or live) Note: Candidates will have the opportunity to meet and interview with stakeholder committee groups. Note: Stakeholder committee groups will provide feedback and confidence ratings to the superintendent. May 4 - May 8: Finalist Interviews with the Superintendent May 20: Board of Education Appointment of HCS Secondary Principal July 1: HCS Secondary Principal Start Date Census 2020 On behalf of Honeoye Central School District, we encourage you to complete the 2020 Census. Every ten years the federal government administers a national census in effort to secure a count which encompasses every individual who lives in the United States and its territories. The Census data is used in decision making and federal funding relative to schools, hospitals, roads, public works and other vital programs. Census day was April 1, 2020, but it may be completed anytime between March 2020-July 2020. Prom 2020 PROM 2020 has been rescheduled for 6/13/2020. The Senior Class advisors have secured all the same contracts for Saturday, June 13th. The Prom will be held at Wingate Barn and food will be catered by Partyman. Updates and Communication The COVID -19 situation remains fluid and rapidly evolving. As new information impacting HCS becomes available, updates will be communicated via email, ConnectEd calls, social media and on the webpage. We know this has been a challenging time for so many people, and we want to remind you that we are here for you, we care about you, and we want to support you however we may. Staff continue to be available via email and phone and we are happy to hear from you! We miss you, Honeoye! Look forward to seeing you soon! Warmest Regards, Bridget Ashton Elizabeth Bridget Ashton Superintendent, Honeoye Central School District 8528 Main Street Honeoye, New York 14471 [email protected] On Twitter: @EBridgetAshton