Updates for the Community May 29, 2020

May 29, 2020

 

Dear LaFayette School Community:

 

I continue to be impressed and amazed at the work of our students, families, educators, and school staff members during this challenging time. Each of our schools have found creative and innovative ways to stay connected, continue learning despite school closures, meet the nutritional needs of our students, and find ways to have fun together. Certainly, there have been challenges on many fronts; however, our school community has adapted and adjusted along the way. As we look forward to our final month of the 2019-2020 school year, I want to share some important updates:

 

End of Academic School Year- Change to School Calendar

At the May 28th Board of Education Meeting, our school calendar was adjusted, and our academic year will now officially end on June 18th for students and June 19th for staff. If you recall, students and staff were required to continue learning during our previously scheduled Spring break. As of June 19th, we will have met state and local requirements for the length of the school year. Teachers will not assign any new tasks with a due date after June 12th. This will allow teachers time during the last week to finalize grades and wrap up any end of the year responsibilities. For students, the last week of school will be reserved for end of year celebrations, final exams for the few high school courses which require exams, and the return of any school property. In the coming weeks, principals will be communicating important details for the return of Chromebooks, iPads, district owned hotspots, textbooks, and other school materials during the week of June 15th. Also, all children under the age of 18 will continue to be eligible to receive a meal at no cost during the month of June and we are planning to continue meal service to students during the summer months.

 

End of Year Celebrations

We have been busy planning creative ways to celebrate important milestones for our students which include:

?      Onondaga Nation School 8th Grade Graduation- June 12th

?      Grimshaw Sixth Grade Graduation- June 15th

?      Grimshaw Kindergarten Graduation- June 16th

?      LaFayette Big Picture School Graduation- June 17th

?      LaFayette High School Graduation- June 18th

 

Our school principals will be communicating directly with students and families regarding the times and relevant details of these events. We have been working diligently throughout the month of May to make sure that our celebrations honor the hard work of our students while also adhering to any state or local requirements such as: social distancing, limits on the size of any in person gatherings, and the use of facemasks to prevent the spread of infection. Thank you for your assistance in helping us to provide safe, memorable, and special celebrations to commemorate these important milestones. Many of these ceremonies will include recorded videos that will be shared with our entire school community to honor our students. Be sure to check our school website and Facebook page as these dates approach.

 

 

Reopen LaFayette CSD Committee

Governor Cuomo has announced that public schools will have to prepare reopening plans for the next academic school year. The Centers for Disease Control published reopening guidance documents for schools (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/schools.html) and New York State will be publishing guidance in the coming weeks.

 

LaFayette CSD is forming a local task force which will meet virtually via Google Meet on Wednesday June 3, 2020 at 3:30 PM. The Reopen LaFayette Central School District committee will work with staff members, parents, community members, and students to review guidance and define how we can best meet the needs of our school community when we reopen in the fall. We want to consider important safety factors and increase dialogue around school transportation services, meal programs, in-person learning experiences, and digital learning experiences for students. If you are interested in participating on this task force, please RSVP to me directly: jbelfield@lafayetteschools.org or contact me at 315-529-9550 (cell phone). Even if you cannot serve on this task force, we would still like to hear from you. Feel free to respond to the following survey questions via this survey link (or send responses to me via email or mail) - https://forms.gle/TZWP4fTARP4Qby4w7

Our survey asks two simple questions:

?      What is your greatest concern that needs to be addressed before LaFayette CSD can be reopened?

?      What are your thoughts on how to safely reopen LaFayette CSD?

 

We will be following up with additional surveys after our first meeting to help include the voice of as many stakeholders as possible.

 

Budget Vote

Per recent executive orders from Governor Cuomo, our budget vote and board election will take place via absentee ballot. Absentee ballots were mailed earlier this week and should be arriving in homes soon. Absentee ballots should be returned to the district office no later than 5:00 PM on June 9, 2020. Please feel free to contact Paula Hibbert, District Clerk, at 315-677-9728 or phibbert@lafayetteschools.org to request an absentee ballot if you did not receive one or to request additional absentee ballots for registered voters in your home. Additional information regarding our proposed spending plan can be found on our school website, www.lafayetteschools.org, click on “School Budget Information” under Quick Links.

 

Due to a clerical error that was not noticed prior to the printing of the ballot, Proposition #4 for the establishment of a Capital Reserve for Vehicles will be withdrawn from the ballot. I apologize for this error. All other information on the official ballot is complete and correct. Thank you to the community member who brought this to our attention.

 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding our proposed budget, budget vote, propositions, board election, or other matters, feel free to contact me. Stay safe, wash your hands, and have a great weekend.

 

Sincerely,

Jeremy Belfield

Superintendent of Schools

LaFayette Central School District