Education

Victoria O’Brien, an 11th-grade student at RCS High School, has been recognized as the Artist of the Month for February 2024. The program honors a student each month for their dedication, participation, and positive attitude in art projects. Victoria, also known as Tori, is taking Drawing and Photography classes.

The Catskill Central School District Transportation Department is requesting all 'Request for Non-Public Schools Transportation' forms for the 2024-2025 academic year. These forms should be submitted by April 1, 2024. They are available on the department's website or can be obtained by contacting Payge DiMasi at 518-943-0574 X 3451 or pdimasi@catskillcsd.org. The department highlights the need for prompt submission of these forms to facilitate transportation planning for the next school year.Visit here for more details.

Some of the most established universities in the country are switching to sustainable energy to power their campuses in an effort to meet climate goals.

On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, all students from pre-kindergarten to grade 12 will leave school early for a staff development day. Elementary school students will finish lunch before leaving, with buses leaving at 12:30 p.m. and parent pick-up beginning at 12:20 p.m. Afterschool childcare will run as usual.

An apparent joke at an Upstate New York school has led to disciplinary action against staff, and now, protests. The issue happened last month at Catskill High School during rehearsal for a play. Tape Over Mouth 'Joke' Causes Massive Issues At Catskill High School. It all started back in February,...

After more than two decades, Red Hook’s Little Feet Community independent preschool is closing its doors at the end of this summer. Owner Patty O’Connor, who is retiring, said it was a difficult decision but as a longtime proponent of Universal Pre-K (UPK), she is encouraged to see Red Hook and in the fall Rhinebeck offering at least some free full-day classes for four-year-olds. In addition, Panorama Early Childhood preschool is moving from Red Hook to the former Primrose Hill school site in Rhinebeck later this year, with a plan to expand.

The RCS Board of Education meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, and will be conducted in person in the High School Library. The meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. For those interested in attending, the doors to the library will be open starting at 5:45 p.m. A request for Hearings and Petitions may be made to our BOE Clerk, Sue Starr, at sstarr@rcscsd.org or by phone at 518-756-5200, ext. 6000.

Below please find registration reminders for Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year. Visit our Pre-Kindergarten Information page here to view information regarding applying to pre-kindergarten. The deadline for open pre-kindergarten registration is Friday, April 19. After that time, students will be registered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Fifth-grade students in Ms. Fiore's class at A.W. Becker recently presented biographies. They read about notable figures from the Who Was/Who Is book series, which includes over 250 titles. Each student chose a person of interest and researched their life story.

Catskill school’s spring musical postponed amid controversy. Catskill High School has delayed its spring musical amid the ongoing controversy over the suspension of its director and the school principal. The future of the production of “Cinderella” has been in doubt following the suspension of music teacher Michelle Storrs, who...

Catskill High School’s Class of 2027 is hosting a Nickel/Dollar Social and Raffle Saturday, March 9 from 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at CHS. Calling hour is 1:00 p.m. Choose from hundreds of items, many new, including crafts, decorations, handbags, household goods, small furniture, and new baby items. $1.00 gets you a sheet of 25 tickets. Food is also available for purchase. Proceeds benefit the Class of 2027.Visit here for more details.

Bard Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance Yebel Gallegos will spend the week of March 18– 22 in the MADarts Residency Program, which provides artists and their collaborators unlimited access to a dance studio and a quiet, comfortable living space at the Modern Accord Depot in Accord, New York. Gallegos will continue work on his long-term dance production project, MACHO Sensibilities, which critically examines the imposition of machismo on male-identifying dancers of Mexican and Mexican-American descent. During the residency, he will be developing a new section with his collaborators that is set to premiere at the Faculty Dance Concert, taking place in the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts’ LUMA Theater at Bard College in spring 2024.The section will be a trio comprising three Mexican and Mexican-American artists including Gallego, costume and stage designer David Arevalo, and composer/sound designer/percussionist Jonathan Rodriguez. This research project is anchored in autoethnographic writing, oral history research, and movement analysis. “I define machismo as an exaggerated performance of a ‘man’s role’ as it is encouraged by the confines of heteronormativity and patriarchy. Machismo overshadows the individuality of gender representation, preventing the inclusion of diverse interpretations of masculinity in society,” writes Gallego.

Bard College has commenced construction of a new state-of-the-art geothermal heating and cooling project that will replace the aging, fossil fuel–fired system currently in operation in the Charles P. Stevenson Jr. Library. “Bard College has been an early adopter of geothermal, with some systems on campus dating to the late 1980s. It is the default for all new construction projects, and nearly 38% of the campus building area utilizes the technology. However, converting the rest of the existing building stock is an entirely new set of challenges, especially when infrastructure is 50 to 100 or more years old,” said Bard Energy Manager and Special Projects Coordinator Dan Smith. “We are excited to partner with Brightcore and to tap its technical and financial expertise for this crucial step on Bard’s path to achieve carbon-neutrality.” Brightcore is serving as the turnkey provider of the project, delivering a full scope of services, from the feasibility and design, drilling and ground loop installation, mechanical connections, incentive procurement, and upon completion, ongoing system performance monitoring. The Stevenson Library’s new geothermal heating and cooling system further progresses Bard’s mission-driven focus on sustainability efforts. Through its Office of Sustainability, the College has pledged to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2035 and has made significant and measurable progress in meeting that commitment.

RCS High School Counselors welcome 8th-grade families and students to Charting Your Course, a transition event where you will learn about opportunities in the High School. Topics will include graduation requirements, academic offerings, CTE, opportunities to earn college credits, clubs & activities, academic & social-emotional supports, and more!. This event...

Congratulations to Catskill High School freshman Will Clanton for taking the competition to the mat at the Section 2 Class C wrestling championships on February 5 and clinching first place in his weight class! Will went on to take 5th in Section 2 overall. Cats can and Cats will!Visit here for more details.

An apparent joke at an Upstate New York school has led to disciplinary action against staff, and now, protests. The issue happened last month at Catskill High School during rehearsal for a play. Tape Over Mouth 'Joke' Causes Massive Issues At Catskill High School. It all started back in February,...

Sonia Snyder, a 12th-grade student at RCS High School, has been recognized as the Artist of the Month for January 2024. Sonia is known for her dedication and positive attitude in class. She is currently studying AP 2D Art & Design, and has taken courses in Studio Art, Graphic Design, and Drawing & Painting.

The Catskill Community was alerted about a glitch in the secondary campus's lockdown system. This glitch triggered a false alarm to the Catskill Police Department. However, the campus did not go into lockdown because the alarm did not ring there.

Fifth grade students in Ms. Fiore's class at A.W. Becker recently presented biography presentations with a unique twist. The students were assigned to read about an influential person from the Who Was/Who Is biography book series, which covers a wide range of people from the present and the past. With over 250 titles to choose from, each student was able to select a person of interest and read the corresponding novel.