Monday Message
from Susan M. Hasenauer, Superintendent
Monday, April 12, 2021
Good Morning,
As you may have heard on the news, the New York State Department of Health has issued a new version of school guidance that permits students to be as little as three feet apart from each other, however, there are certain exceptions.
First and foremost, in the event we decided we wanted to change our plan and decrease the social distancing guideline that we currently have in place, our school board would have to solicit public comment "prior to making any change to reduce physical distancing to less than six feet between students during academic instruction," the guidance states. The process "must include opportunities for feedback from parents, community members, teachers, staff and local departments of health.
Consistent with prior guidance, face masks that meet guidelines are required for all people in school "at all times, except for meals," with exceptions for individuals with medical or mental health reasons for not wearing a mask. On school buses, individuals "must wear an acceptable mask at all times" including entering, exiting and while being seated.
What is very exciting in this guidance is that our music department can now utilize the 6ft. social distancing guidelines!!! The guidance states: "There must be six feet of distance between the performers and the audience during performances and concerts." This truly allows for our musicians and the teachers to operate differently in the last ten weeks of school as the 12ft. social distancing has been difficult. I do want to commend the music department for doing an amazing job and thinking outside of the box as this year unfolded. Your tenacity and perseverance prevails!
As we increase our in-person population for learning on April 19th at the middle and high schools, we are in great shape and currently meet all of the guidelines. Our students will remain 6ft. apart and we will continue with the current guidance regarding face masks. I think we have an amazing opportunity in this last quarter to bring our kids together and provide a safe, welcoming learning environment as we combine our hybrid learners.
As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to me at (315) 332-3205 or susan.hasenauer@newarkcsd.org.
Happy Monday ~ Have a great week!
Sincerely,
Sue Hasenauer
ParentSquare Coming in the Near Future
ParentSquare is a platform that will allow our school district, buildings, and teachers to communicate with families and students via email, text, phone call, and app notifications. The platform automatically generates an account for each parent, using their preferred email address and phone number. ParentSquare will support our schools to engage all families, ensuring equitable communication.
Watch a quick video about ParentSquare: https://vimeo.com/362598038
Please share any feedback you have about using ParentSquare by visiting this https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=dmmgpewwNk-_NT-kBnGJcC4lQuOANz9Ksj6f5liI8A9UM0M5ODlRNTFVWFhROTRQWlJCRVdSVVZIUyQlQCN0PWcu .
Congratulations to the Newark Music Department!!
Autism Awareness Month
April is autism awareness month. During this month, autism friendly events and educational activities take place, aiming to increase understanding and acceptance of people with autism, foster worldwide support and inspire a kinder, more inclusive world.
Children diagnosed with autism face social communication challenges and often exhibit restricted, repetitive behaviors. In 2020, the CDC reported that approximately 1 in 54 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Boys are four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls.
With this in mind, blue is the color associated with autism. The “Light it Up Blue” campaign calls for people to wear blue to promote autism awareness throughout this month. Let's show our support by wearing blue!