RAS Reporter
Summer 2020
What's happening at RAS?
Graduation 2020
Looking Forward
Principal Page
New RAS Staff
Ms. Ireley
Sarah Ireley joins the RAS Community as the Science teacher for the high school.
Q. From where are you coming to us?
A. I am coming from TST BOCES P-TECH, where I was the science teacher.
Q. Why do you think you will like working at RAS?
A. I am looking forward to being part of the wonderful established community of teachers, staff, and students at RAS.
Q. What hobbies and activities do you enjoy?
A. I enjoy riding my bicycle, running, swimming, kayaking, hanging out with my two kids and my three cats.
Q. What is something you want students and families to know about you?
A. I enjoy living in Ithaca, I have a daughter going into 5th grade and a son who will be in 1st grade, both at Northeast Elementary in ICSD.
Mr. Vickory
Stephen Vickory joins the RAS Community as the Math teacher for the high school.
Q. From where are you coming to us?
A. This is my first year teaching in New York. I previously taught at Poquoson High School in southeastern Virginia
Q. Why do you think you will like working at RAS?
A. I am excited to work in a relatively small, close-knit community of students, families, and colleagues. The folks I have met at RAS so far have been amazing, and I can't wait to get started working with students and their families
Q. What hobbies and activities do you enjoy?
A. I enjoy hiking, biking, and playing strategy-based games like chess and poker. I also like watching sports, especially soccer and college football. I listen to all kinds of different podcasts and am no stranger to garbage television.
Ms. Leonardo
Mary Leonardo joins the RAS Community as the Social Worker for the high school and TASC.
Q. From where are you coming to us?
A. I was the social worker with Springboard before moving to RAS this year. I will miss seeing my Springboard students, but grateful I will be on campus to stay connected. Before Springboard, I worked in area schools including Ithaca, Trumansburg, Lansing, and Candor. I also grew up in Ithaca so chances are we have at least one person in common.
Q. Why do you think you will like working at RAS?
A. I am excited to begin my journey with RAS! I know a few of the students already either from a sister, brother, or another school setting. I find it less stressful to start someplace new when there is a familiar face. I am also looking forward to working with the amazing RAS team. I have had opportunities to meet with them over the past couple of months, virtually of course, and they make me feel right at home. I love their vibe!
One of the things I will like most about working at RAS is the close-knit community it provides for staff and students. It is clear how much they care about one another on all levels. Positive relationships are building blocks to healthy growth and learning which sums up RAS philosophy for me
Q. What hobbies and activities do you enjoy?
A. I love being outdoors! I think we are fortunate to live in an area where we have a beautiful lake in our backyard. Hiking, running, swimming, and biking are a few of my very favorite activities. However, my first grandbaby arrived on August 4th-- soooo pretty sure he will be my newest hobby.
Q. What is something you want students and families to know about you?
A. Having been a social worker in Ithaca for many years I have a lot of information regarding resources for students and families. If there is anything anyone might need, including a friendly ear, I would like to extend an invitation to reach out to me.
Getting to know Mr. Ormsby
Q. From where are you coming to us?
A. The Southern-Cayuga Schools
Q. Why do you think you will like working at RAS?
A. I keep hearing that RAS has a great community atmosphere! Everyone I have met has been warm and welcoming.
Q. What hobbies and activities do you enjoy?
A. In the summer I enjoy spending time on my jet ski, fishing, and cycling. In the winter I downhill ski. I also enjoy spending time with my Chesapeake Bay Retriever.
Q. What is something you want students and families to know about you?
A. I am committed to helping every student succeed! I am excited and looking forward to working with TST BOCES students and families.
Rachel Drake accepts her accolades at BOCES drive-thru graduation
Graduation Celebration
GRADUATION 2020
RAS graduation is typically a festive affair held at Lower Treman. Families gather with armloads of flowers and balloons to celebrate the achievements of their children. Students sit in the sweltering heat under caps and gowns that make them feel as though they’re wrapped in plastic, while staff members speak glowingly about their time at RAS. There are hugs and tears and too many sweets. The tradition has been a satisfying closing to the school year for as long as I can remember.
Obviously that could not happen this year. Instead students had the opportunity to be fêted individually, including speeches and lawn signs. Some seniors combined their RAS graduation with their CTE Completer Ceremony. Other seniors chose to have RAS staff deliver the graduation ceremony to their home or home town. A caravan of well over a dozen cars traveled to the South Seneca district to deliver four diplomas. While it was a very different series of graduation ceremonies, it was no less meaningful and heartwarming than the traditional event. Students seemed to relish the individual spotlight with their families and school staff.
Contributed by Suzanne Massa
Graduation on the road
Mr. Ormsby says the silver lining to quarantine is all the extra time he gets to spend with his dog.
Looking Forward
SOCIAL JUSTICE UNIT
Mr. LeViere and Suzanne Massa, the US History and English teachers, have been working to write interdisciplinary units during the two years that Mr. LeViere has been at RAS. Both teachers believe that a dual perspective helps students to deepen their understanding of the topic. The teachers have been working this summer to write a unit focusing on social justice called the 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge. This workshop-style unit features articles, videos, and music from a wide range of sources, and requires students to analyze the various forms of art. Their final project will be a reflective expression of how this immersion has affected the way they understand social justice. LeViere and Massa are looking forward to launching this challenge at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year.
Contributed by Suzanne Massa
Principal Page
By the time this newsletter reaches you, it will have been almost six months since school was open for in-person instruction. That is really hard to believe. All summer, we have been busily preparing for the return of teachers and students to return to campus in September. At the same time, we are building our capacity to offer a virtual education to those families that request it. Whether students return to campus or attend virtually, there will be many different procedures to learn and school will look and feel different. What has changed?
The staff. As you can see above, we have added 4 new staff members to RAS. We are so excited to have them join us! They are all great additions to our already fantastic staff.
The schedule. To decrease movement and maintain social distancing, the RAS high school now has 5 periods instead of 9. In addition, not all work will be completed during class time. Students will meet with each of their teachers twice a week and be required to complete additional work outside of class (but still during the school day) with assistance from staff (kind of like our AIS periods). Each class period is now an hour or more. Each class period will have scheduled “mask breaks” to allow students to remove masks while maintaining appropriate social distancing.
The class size. While our classes have always been small, many will now be smaller. No class will exceed 8 students so that students/staff can maintain 6 feet of distance between one another.
The food. Well, not the actual menu, but where it is served. Breakfast and lunch will be served in the RAS cafeteria and students will each breakfast and lunch in their first and third period classes.
The safety procedures. Each student will be required to complete an online health questionnaire each morning before being permitted to enter our building. We are installing body temperature readers at all of our entrances. Masks will be required except while eating.
The attendance policy. Whether students attend virtually or in person, it is expected that their class schedule is followed and that virtual students attend classes via Google Meet “alongside” their peers who are attending in person. Unlike in the spring when teachers were meeting with students in the evenings and on weekends, we are returning to a predictable school schedule.
What hasn’t changed?
Our commitment. We are still a nurturing and safe place where students make a fresh start. We still support the academic and personal growth of young people.
Our relationships. We value the connections we make with students and families. When these are strong, our students are more successful. Whether in-person or virtual, relationships are at the core of all we do.
Our community. We work with students, families and one another for the best possible outcomes. We enjoy being with one another and strive to create and maintain a welcoming and kind atmosphere.
Our academics. We continue to offer a high quality academic program that provides all of the credits necessary to earn a local or Regents high school diploma.
CTE: Students enrolled in CTE classes still have the opportunity to participate in those, either in person or virtually.
TASC: We are still offering AM and PM sessions of the TASC preparation program for those students who are working toward their high school equivalency diploma (GED).
We are all looking forward to connecting with our students and families in September. The information about schools and their re-openings is changing daily, so please, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to call me at (607)257-1555, ext 2510 or email me at mnolan@tstboces.org