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Acceda a la barra de Traducción y ADA:

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Aksè ba Tradiksyon ak ADA:

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Welcome back to another exciting school year at Upper Nyack Elementary! I am thrilled to have the honor of serving as your principal for a second year. It is with great anticipation and enthusiasm that I extend my warmest greetings to both returning and new families as we embark on this journey together.

Last year was a remarkable experience, full of growth, learning, and memorable moments. As we enter this new academic year, my commitment to fostering a supportive, inclusive, enriching and equitable learning environment for your children remains unwavering. Our shared partnership is essential to the success of each student, and I am eager to continue building upon the strong foundation we've established.

Collaboration is key to our success, and I invite you to actively participate in your child's education. Whether it's volunteering in the PTA, attending school events, or engaging in parent-teacher conferences, your involvement greatly enriches the school community. Together, we can create an environment where each child feels seen, supported, and valued.

Throughout the year, you can expect open communication and transparency. My door is always open and, if there is a concern, I truly WANT to hear from you. We will continue to do our best to keep you informed about school activities, curriculum updates, and important events through newsletters, emails, and our school website. Should you ever have questions, concerns, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to reach out. Your feedback is invaluable to us as we continually strive for excellence.

As we embark on this new chapter, I am filled with a sense of optimism and excitement for what lies ahead. Together, we will create a year of growth, achievement, and wonderful memories. Our theme for this year is "ONE TEAM, ONE DREAM, WE GROW TOGETHER." Thank you for entrusting us with your child's education, and I look forward to a successful partnership that will undoubtedly leave a positive impact on the lives of our children.

Here's to a fantastic year at Upper Nyack Elementary!

Principal Craig Dreves

PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR UNES WELCOME BACK LETTER (ENGLISH)

POR FAVOR HAGA CLIC AQUÍ PARA OBTENER LA CARTA DE BIENVENIDA DE UNES (ESPAÑOL)

TANPRI KLIKE LA POU LÈT BENVENI UNES (KREYÒL AYISYEN)

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CONTENTS OF THE LETTERS LINKED ABOVE ARE THE SAME AS THE CONTENTS OF THIS NEWSLETTER. THEY ARE JUST OFFERED IN A DIFFERENT FORMAT FOR THOSE THAT WOULD PREFER PDF FORMAT.

KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION

Date: Tuesday, September 5, 2023

Time: 1:00 to 3:00 PM

Location: Upper Nyack Elementary Cafeteria

STUDENTS AND PARENTS SHOULD ATTEND THIS ORIENTATION.

CLICK HERE FOR ORIENTATION LETTER

(ENGLISH/SPANISH/HAITIAN CREOLE INCLUDED HERE)

Our first day of school for all students is Wednesday, September 6th.

As you prepare for what will be an amazing year, here are a few things to note in your calendars:

• The Parent Portal was opened on Thursday, August 17 at 2pm and lists your child's placement.

• Tuesday, September 5th will be a Kindergarten Parent Orientation that will take place in the all purpose room from 1-3pm.

• Wednesday, September 6th is the first day of school for all students. We ask that Kindergarten students be dropped off near the gymnasium door; there will be faculty there to assist.

• The PTA Back to School Bash is on Friday, September 8th from 5-7pm on the back playground.

• On Monday, September 25th, schools are closed in observance of Yom Kippur.

• Thursday September 28th is Back to School Night for Upper Nyack Elementary School.

Updated Contact Information: Please make sure that your information in the Infinite Campus student information Parent Portal is up to date. In case we need to reach you immediately, it is important that we have the correct contact information. Should information need to be updated or your parent portal password needs to be reset, please contact the district registrar at 845-353-7038 or email MaryEllen Lydecker at

mlydecker@nyackschools.org.

UNES is happy to welcome Ms. Mashal Malik to UNES to serve as our new school psychologist! Ms. Malik joined the Nyack schools last year and did a wonderful job supporting Liberty Elementary in her role as psychologist. She is excited to join us and we are already planning for the ways that she will support our students! CLICK HERE for an introductory letter.

UNES is also happy to welcome Mrs. Danielle Andersen who will be serving as our new math specialist. Danielle comes to us from Ardsley, NY where she was a fourth grade teacher. Prior to that, she was a math and reading specialist in Upper Saddle River, NJ. Danielle holds a BS in Business Administration and Psychology from the University of Richmond and a Masters in Childhood Education from Dominican University. CLICK HERE for an introductory letter.

Additionally, we have hired a new elementary band teacher to serve the three elementary schools. We welcome Mr. Matthew Allen to our school community and he will be replacing Kristen Johnsen at the three elementary schools. Mr. Allen most recently served as the Band/Orchestra teacher at Pomona Middle School. He has a Master's Degree in Music from Boston University and a BA in Music Performance and Education from Ithaca College. He also performs with the Brooklyn Wind Symphony as a trumpet player in his free time.

Classes begin promptly at 8:50am and end at 3:10pm.

This year, we will be relaunching the morning program where all students will gather in the gymnasium as a school community from 8:30-8:50am. We would love to have the vast majority of our students present for this important community building period of time so striving for a drop off between 8:30-8:40am would be ideal if/when possible.

If you need to bring your child earlier than 8:30am, please see the early morning breakfast section below to sign up for the early program. Students who arrive after 8:50am must stop at the office for a late pass. Please make every effort to make sure your child arrives on time.

Morning Breakfast Program

• The district offers a morning breakfast program at the elementary level for kids starting at 8:00am. It is important that parents do not drop child(ren) off prior to 8:00 am as there will be no adult supervision prior to 8:00 am (no exceptions).

• Our morning breakfast program is for any and all students. There is no cost for this program except the cost of breakfast, but we ask that you register if you think you will take advantage of this service (even if you don’t intend to use it every day) because we need to have adequate supervision.

CLICK HERE for Registration Form

Breakfast will be available for students each morning; the cost will be $1.10 this year. Those students should report to the cafeteria and breakfast will be provided. Lunch is available each day for students and the cost will be $2.45; students have an option of a hot meal or a cold meal. Meal accounts can be prepaid weekly or monthly for your convenience through MyPaymentsPlus.com (online payment plan).

As both breakfast/lunch is NO LONGER FREE, it is important for you to return your completed FREE AND REDUCED LUNCH applications to the main office for processing if you qualify. Free & Reduced Meal Application Forms are now available in FILLABLE PDF format. Simply click on the form, fill it out electronically, download to your device and attach it to an email addressed to phickey@nyackschools.org.

Free and Reduced Meal Application SY 2023-24 Opens in a new browser tab

Solicitud de Familia para las Comidas Escolares y Leche Gratis o Precios Reducidos SY 2023-24Opens in a new browser tab

Aplikasyon Pou Mangi Ak Let Gratis Ou Pri Redwl Nan Lekol Yo SY 2023-24Opens in a new browser tab

The District still accepts hard copies as an option. Please call 845-353-7036 with questions or if you need assistance.

Please call Linda Dellolio, the attendance secretary, at 845-353-7261 (PRIOR to 9:15AM) to notify us of your child's absence or tardiness. Kindly leave your child's full name, grade and teacher and the reason for their absence or tardiness. If you do not have time to call, you could email the main office secretaries at ldellolio@nyackschools.org or acontreras@nyackschools.org.

Please note there is no need to leave an absence message with Nurse Laura Weigel; however, should you need to speak with Nurse Laura about your child's absence or illness, please inform the attendance secretary and she will notify Nurse Laura to return your call.

We are requesting all early dismissal and end of school day dismissal changes be telephoned into the main office (845-353-7261/7260; PRIOR TO 1:00 PM) or sent to the main office secretaries via email at ldellolio@nyackschools.org or acontreras@nyackschools.org.

Having this information PRIOR to dismissal time will help us ensure that all parties involved are aware of the dismissal change. Leave your child's full name, class and reason for the early dismissal or change in dismissal.

It is also very important that you let us know if someone other than who is noted on your child's household contact form is authorized to pick up your child or if they will be dismissed in a different manner (ie: car pick up or walker). For the safety of our students, NO students will be dismissed to someone other than who is noted on their household contact form without prior notice and we reserve the right to check identification before dismissing a child to an adult.

Please refer to the attached map (CLICK HERE FOR MAP) for a visual explanation. Take special note of the following:

• To help make the dismissal process more efficient, on the first day of school, we will be sending home 2 bright yellow STUDENT PICK UP cards that are specific to your child. Please place these on the dashboard of your car, or carry them with you if you are a walker, and this will assist us in releasing your child more quickly. Also, if someone other than the parent is picking up, these cards will expedite that process, but you will still need to call the school to notify us. If they get lost, please call us for new ones.

• Kindergarten students ONLY are released promptly at 3:00pm from the main entrance. Parents should arrive by 3pm to receive their children.

• Walkers: Walkers are dismissed beginning at 3:10pm. In grades 1-2, walker dismissal is from the main entrance and an adult must be present for students to be released. In grades 3-5, walker dismissal is from the exit near the gymnasium and students listed as a walker will be released without an adult to receive them. In the first weeks, please have your STUDENT PICKUP TAG when you pick up your child to expedite dismissal.

• Bus Riders: Bus riders will gather in the gymnasium and students board buses as they arrive. An adult must be at the bus stop to meet K-1 students; if an adult is not there, the student will be sent back to school PRIOR to 4:00 PM and AFTER 4:00 PM, they will be sent to the district office at 13A Dickinson Avenue, Nyack. Families of students on buses that leave more than 15 minutes after their normal release time will be notified of a late departure.

• Car Riders:

• Students whose parents will be picking them up by car will wait in the main hallway to be dismissed from the central door at UNES.

• All traffic for student pickup must come from the Birchwood Ave direction ONLY. Please do not approach the school from the direction of Castle Heights Ave (Village Hall/Fire Station) as there are no U-Turns or 3 point turns in driveways allowed near the school on Broadway for safety reasons.

• Drivers will begin to line up at the bottom of Birchwood and also along Broadway for student pickup. PLEASE DO NOT LINE UP EARLIER THAN 3PM, except for Kindergarten parents who should arrive around 2:50pm.

• Drivers MUST remain in their vehicles while children are escorted to them in the car pickup zone. All loading of students must occur on the passenger side of the vehicle so no students are walking in the street.

• We ask that parents DO NOT exit their vehicle and NEVER leave the car parked in the pick up line.

• Please be cognizant of the NO PARKING signs on North Broadway in the section of road near our gymnasium and in front of the fire station and town hall.

• As stated before, we will distribute “Student Pickup Tags” in the first days of school. Please display these tags on your dashboard so that we can have your child meet you at your car as soon as possible. These tags can also be lent to grandparents, babysitters, or others who may be picking up your child to expedite their process.

Please go to https://un.nyackschools.org/ under the announcements to locate your child's grade and supply list information.

• If you need afterschool care, there are some options available in the community. The PTA has created this list of options to use as a starting point - CLICK HERE. This list is not exhaustive and some organizations may be operating on a waiting list.

Dear Nyack families,

We hope you and your family had a fun and relaxing summer vacation! We are very excited to start this new school year! As you know, each elementary school has a full time school counselor.

Our role as elementary school counselors is to provide each child with social emotional skills that will not only be beneficial for their education but throughout their life journey. Social emotional lessons are crucial in order for all students to thrive in relationships, academics, and personally.

All Nyack elementary students will receive SEL lessons twice a month in their classrooms. Your child will learn a variety of skills and topics through our SEL curriculum called SECOND STEP such as;

Kindness and Acceptance

Bullying

Problem Solving

Empathy/Compassion

Conflict Resolution

Respecting Personal Space

Confidence & Self Esteem

Respecting Differences & Celebrating Cultures

Calming Strategies and Emotion Management

We will also be using mindfulness to teach students emotional awareness and to set the tone for a calming and peaceful learning environment. We want all students to feel empowered and to know everyone is an important member of this great Nyack community.

More information can be found on our Elementary School Counseling Website

Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns regarding your child. We look forward to developing a positive relationship with you and your child.

Sincerely,

Jon Hogg-Valley Cottage Elementary School Counselor -Jhogg2@nyackschools.org (845) 353-7289

Marina Gomez-Liberty Elementary School Counselor - Mgomez@nyackschools.org (845) 353-7259

Andrea Perez-Upper Nyack Elementary School Counselor - Aperez@nyackschools.org (845) 353-7279

If you're looking to buy Nyack Gear, you can check out these online stores run by our Athletics teams:

Red and Black Store: https://nyackhsrb2023.itemorder.com/

Cross Country Store: https://promofect.printavo.com/merch/nyackmerch