• July 24, 2024

    Dear Parents, Students, Faculty, Staff, and Community Members,

    We continue to have a busy summer here at school.  Here are a few things that are happening now that might be of interest to you:

    Interim Principal Begins at Duzine

    I would like to take a moment to welcome Michelle Knowlton to her new role as the interim Principal at Duzine.  Michele is a very experienced educator having spent over twenty years in the classroom teaching middle school social studies and guided reading for the Monticello Central School District.  Michelle states:

    “Throughout my career I was always placed in leadership roles and  had opportunities to excel in and out of the classroom.  My students were my primary goal and I loved being a teacher.  I strongly believe that things happen for a reason.  In 2013, I was asked to apply for the assistant principal of the Monticello Middle School and then shortly after in 2016 I was appointed principal of the Rutherford Elementary School in Monticello.  Rutherford was a K-5 building with approximately 550 students.  Working in an elementary school was very different from the middle school but I was blessed to have an amazing staff . We worked together to change the culture and improve the growth scores of the building.  We worked together to train teachers in valuable programs and to schedule and select reading and math programs that challenged our high students but also provided foundational skills for students who desperately needed the support.  

    In the spring of 2020, I moved back to middle school as principal.  It was a difficult time in education and again I had an amazing staff who helped navigate through COVID and return to some normalcy the last couple of years.

    I am excited to be working with the Duzine faculty and staff. My main goal will be to help you transition to a new principal this fall.  I'm here to support and listen.”  

    We are fortunate to have a person with Michelle’s experience overseeing the Duzine building and helping to get the new year off to a great start.  Most importantly perhaps, Michelle is committed to paving the way for a smooth transition when our new permanent Principal starts in September.

    We are currently accepting applications for the Duzine Principal role and we expect to appoint the successful candidate at our school board meeting on August 21st.  In the meantime, if you need to reach Ms. Knowlton, you can email her at mknowlton@newpaltz.k12.ny.us.

    Elementary Classroom Assignments and MS/HS Schedules

    A lot of work goes into planning for a new school year.  I am happy to say that we are making good progress.  I know that one thing elementary parents and students look forward to learning is their class assignment for the next school year.  I wanted to let you know that we anticipate sending you information about who your child’s elementary teacher will be on August 5th.

    Good progress is being made with the Middle School and High School schedules.  We anticipate that schedules will be available to parents and students on powerschool no later than August 21st.

    Demolition of the Former District Office

    The former district office stands at the corner of South Manheim Blvd and Main St.

    The building, which has been vacant for many years, will be torn down in the near future, making space for a small park area containing  a marquee with the school district’s name on it, some green space with trees, and some bench seating.

    Demolition of the building will begin within the next two weeks and will be completed by August 31st in time for the opening of school.

     

    Deadline Approaching for the Proposal of Continuing Education Offerings

    The district is working on the creation of an adult and student continuing education program at the NPCSD.  This program will run from September through November.  We are pleased that we already have 19 proposals for offerings and we expect several more.  Please realize that the deadline for submitting a proposal is July 29, 2024.  This will give us time to review all proposals and to prepare the continuing education catalog for distribution in mid-August.  If you would like to propose an offering, please click on this link.

    Too soon to start talking about open houses?

    If you feel it is too soon to start talking about the fall then please read no further.  However, if you like to plan ahead, here are the open house dates for September.  All open houses will run from 6 pm to 8 pm.

    High School -  9/17

    Middle School -  9/24

    Lenape -  9/19

    Duzine -  9/26

    We need Custodians, Cafeteria Workers, Aides, and Substitute Teachers

    We are very fortunate at the NPCSD that people want to work for our great school.  We are in very good shape with our summer hiring of teachers as we have almost all of our positions filled with outstanding certified teachers.  We have a few positions left that we hope to fill soon.

    Having said that, we do have some huge needs to address before school starts.  We need more custodians, aids, and cafeteria workers.  We need substitutes for all of these positions and we greatly need substitute teachers.  If you can help us out or know someone who might be looking for employment, please drop me an email or give me a call.  I would be happy to discuss possibilities with you.

     

    Thank you for reading.  Let me know if you have any questions.  Enjoy the rest of your day.

    Regards,

     

    Stephen Gratto - Superintendent