Updates for Families and Staff - February 7, 2022

February 7, 2022

 

Dear LaFayette Central School District Families and Staff Members:

 

I hope that everyone enjoyed our first snow day of the school year, Friday February 4, 2022.  As I made my way through classrooms on Thursday, it was tough to tell if our students really wanted a snow day or not. Mrs. Silvestro’s class made their preference quite clear - click here. All kidding aside, the snow day was an easy call and I hope that our students enjoyed the day off.

 

Congratulations to Dave Amidon, National Board Certified Teacher

Congratulations to Mr. Dave Amidon, Science Teacher at LaFayette Jr/Sr High School on recently attaining National Board Certification. Dave is an accomplished science educator and we are fortunate to have him educating our students. You can read more about this prestigious accomplishment by clicking here. 

 

COVID Vaccine Clinic Scheduled for February 8, 2022 Postponed

We have decided to postpone our vaccine clinic originally scheduled for February 8, 2022. Given the news that the COVID vaccine might soon be available (anticipated FDA/CDC approval in the next few weeks), we have decided to hold off on hosting another vaccine clinic until students under the age of 5 are considered eligible for the vaccine.

 

COVID Case Counts 

We had a few days last week without any new COVID cases reported. It appears that case counts are on the decline, which is welcome news. You can view the latest case reports at https://schoolcovidreportcard.health.ny.gov/#/home. I wish everyone who has been diagnosed a speedy recovery.

 

COVID Surveillance Testing

Our amazing school nurses continue to conduct weekly surveillance testing every Tuesday. Last week, our nurses conducted 73 total COVID tests. Only three of these tests returned a positive result for COVID-19. You can sign your child up for weekly COVID testing by visiting - https://app.clarifi-covid-19.com/ or by contacting your child’s school nurse.

 

COVID Rapid Tests

New York State continues to send us a weekly shipment of COVID rapid test kits. Please feel free to contact your child’s principal if you would like to request test kits. Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced that every child in New York State will be sent home with a rapid test kit prior to the February break. We plan to send home one test kit with each student during the week of February 14-18, 2022. If you do not want your child to receive a test kit, please contact your child’s principal.

 

Update on the New York State Court Case Regarding Mask Requirements in Schools

An appellate court will review the mandate put in place for schools to require all individuals to wear masks inside of school buildings. While the appellate court reviews the case, the mask mandate remains in place. The New York State Education Department has also stated that schools must continue to follow the mask policy in the school’s reopening plan. While COVID cases appear to be on the decline, we all know that things can change rapidly with COVID case counts or the mitigation measures required by state and local officials. The New York State Council of School Superintendents has drafted an open letter to the Governor and the New York State Health Commissioner requesting that the state set benchmarks for when mitigation measures will be revisited. I will continue to keep you posted on any updates.

 

Community Budget Meeting - Wednesday February 9, 2022 5:00 PM Big Picture Commons

We are looking for participation from staff members, students, parents and community members to assist in creating our budget for the 2022-2023 school year for the LaFayette Central School District. If you are interested in participating on the budget committee on Wednesday, please contact Jeremy Belfield at 315-677-9728 or jbelfield@lafayetteschools.org

 

Zoo Run Run - April 23, 2022 

Rosamond Gifford Zoo asked us to inform families about an upcoming fun event for families called the Zoo Run Run. You can learn more by visiting - www.rosamondgiffordzoo.org. Here is the flyer for the event.

 

Have a great week and feel free to contact me with any questions - jbelfield@lafayetteschools.org or 315-529-9550.