September 2024
The school year is off to a great start!
Our Onteora Eagles enjoyed a beautiful, sunny first day of school on September 4. The Board of Education would like to welcome everyone to another year of learning and growing. We are always inspired to see so many smiles, as students and staff return to the buildings.
We’re pleased to learn that students have quickly settled into the District’s newly-structured grade configurations, with Woodstock Elementary now serving Kindergarten through Grade 4; Bennett Elementary becoming a Kindergarten through Grade 5 building; and the Middle School beginning its new Grades 6-8 model.
Family involvement is important!
September has been chock full of activities for our school community. We appreciate the families who get involved in their student’s educational experience and attend school activities. Study after study finds that when parents and guardians are involved, students achieve more. We especially appreciate the enthusiasm and energy brought to this year’s Open Houses and especially hope that those families who are in a new building this year feel welcomed and connected. We encourage you to reach out to your student’s teacher to establish a relationship.
Thank you to our Athletic Booster Club.
On Saturday, September 21, Onteora High School alumni will be coming back to their old stomping grounds for an Alumni Tailgate party at 12 PM at the stadium field. The Class of 1974 will also celebrate their 50-year reunion with a separate Tailgate pizza party. The festivities are being sponsored by the Onteora Booster Club, and we are so appreciative of their volunteerism and generosity. After the party, the Onteora High School football team will kick-off their first football game against Pawling at 1 PM. We hope our community comes out to enjoy the game and support our team.
Don’t miss the Homecoming weekend festivities!
On September 28, beginning at 12 PM, Onteora will host another one of its legendary Homecoming celebrations, complete with games, concessions (which will open at approximately 10 AM), a tailgate party, the annual Parade of Athletes, and Senior Athlete recognitions. The crowning of the Homecoming Royalty and their Court will happen during half-time of the Football game against Ticonderoga, which begins at 2 PM.
Several members of the Onteora Board of Education will also be on hand throughout the festivities for questions and conversation with the community about future restructuring of the District or other topics of interest.
In addition to our football game, several of our other student athletes will be competing during homecoming weekend. Stop by to show your support to our Onteora Eagles.
On Friday, our Boy’s Golf is competing at 3 PM at the Woodstock Golf Course, and then at 4:15 PM, the Field Hockey, Girls Tennis, Girls Soccer, and Volleyball teams will all compete. Then, on Saturday morning, our Cross Country team will be up bright and early, competing at 9:30 AM, and the Boys Soccer team will take the field at 10 AM for their homecoming game.
High School and Middle School adopt a new procedure for cell phone and personal electronic devices.
After much consideration of recent research regarding the potential harmful effects of teenage cell phone/personal electronic device usage during the school day, the District has recently revised its procedure for student cell phones and personal electronic devices at both the Onteora Middle and Onteora High School. This decision is fully supported by the Board of Education.
Under the new procedure, Middle School students must store devices in lockers during the school day, while High School students must keep them out of sight and off their person, unless explicitly permitted by building administration. Parents who need to contact their children during school hours can still do so by contacting the main office. The expectations are outlined on pages 37-38 of the 2024-25 Student/Parent Handbook and are available on both schools’ websites. The elementary schools do not permit cell phones in school, so no changes were needed to their procedures.
The Board appreciates the administration's work towards these changes and believes they are essential for promoting student well-being and academic success. It is our belief that the procedure will foster a more focused, productive academic environment, free from distractions that can hinder learning and social development.
As the school year progresses, the District will monitor the effectiveness of the changes, and any related state legislation, to ensure they continue to benefit the school community.
Remaining Committed to “Optimizing Onteora”
The Board remains steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that our District has the structure and resources needed to maintain excellence. There is still much work to do before we can create one central campus by 2028 (the 2024-2028 Roadmap to Central Campus can be found here). This work will continue this year with an acknowledgment and understanding that success will require multiple steps, and be guided by ongoing collaboration with the Onteora community. We will be providing opportunities to connect with the Board of Education to share thoughts and ideas along the way.
Stay tuned for information regarding capital project planning (including determining the design and scope of work that will be proposed to support a central campus), budget planning, and status of necessary environmental reviews.
Learn more about the Optimizing Onteora plan here.
Board Briefs is a monthly email update on the important work being done by the Board of Education and the District. It is distributed to our faculty, staff, families, and those
community members who have signed up to receive these updates. If you know community members who are interested in being more informed about issues facing Onteora, please consider forwarding this email to them. They can sign up to receive Board Briefs at www.onteora.k12.ny.us/mailinglist.