K-12 School News

February 2023

Greetings from Westervelt Hall!

Dear RSD Families,

I hope that you have a good break!

I wanted to let you know about a couple of family events coming up soon:

On Wednesday, March 1, RSD families, students, and staff are invited to Snowtubing at Greystone! Please see more information below. I hope to see you there!

The Deaf Day of Play at The Strong will take place on Sunday, March 5. Stop by the RSD table between 10 am and 2:30 pm to say hello! RSD will have ASL Storytime at 11 am, which you won’t want to miss! The Strong has invited a few RSD students and chaperones, ages 8 and up, to attend a special Lego workshop that morning. There is additional information below, but it will be a wonderful opportunity for you to attend the museum and workshop at no charge, so please enter the lottery if you want to participate.

Happy Break Week! I hope you are able to enjoy some quality time with your families and friends, and then can join us at the RSD family events in March.

With kind regards,

Susan

Susan Q. Ogden, Principal

Artist at Play Workshop: LEGO Kits with RLUG (8+)

Sunday, March 5, 9:30-11am

TICKETS AVAILABLE - NO CHARGE

On Deaf Day of Play, The Strong has invited a few RSD students to attend the lego workshop with a chaperone at no charge. An interpreter will be provided, and museum admission is included. RSD will hold a lottery on Monday, February 27, to award the tickets. In most cases, the tickets will be awarded in pairs (RSD student and adult chaperone). If you have more than one child attending RSD who would want to attend, please make a note of that in the comments.

ABOUT THE WORKSHOP

MORE ABOUT DEAF DAY OF PLAY

LEGO WORKSHOP LOTTERY - ENTER HERE

Middle School teacher Catherine Kipp is teaching a new career development course this semester. Here she is with students on the first day of the class, working on a cooperative activity where they categorize jobs to think about how they are related.

RSD teacher Carolyn Cronauer is offering a new elective this semester, open to juniors and seniors... Introduction to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We popped into a class when they were focusing on empathy. Students wrote about something that happened to them, shared it with a partner, and then presented and learned from the stories of others.

Have you missed the snow this winter?

Our friends at Greystone have been making snow and the conditions look like they will be great for our snow tubing event on March 1. Register TODAY for some much-needed winter play!

Announcements

Parent Survey REMINDER

Many thanks to parents who have completed the Parent Survey. We appreciate the information you have provided. If you have not already responded, please note that we have extended the deadline to Monday, February 27.

Parent Survey in ENGLISH

Encuesta para Padres en Español

Parent-Staff Association Meetings

The RSD Parent-Staff Association (PSA) will meet on the following Mondays from 7:30 to 8:30 pm in the Learning Resource Center (LRC): March 20, April 10, May 15, and June 12. Meetings may also be attended by Zoom; the link is shared via email with families. An interpreter will be provided.

NEXT MEETING: MONDAY, MARCH 20

Official Facebook Page for RSD Athletics

You can now follow RSD Athletics on Facebook. You can watch live streams there! Let's go, Wildcats!

Winter Pep Rally

News & Notes

On the Road... ESDAA Div. 2 Basketball Championships

The girls headed to St. Mary's School for the Deaf in Buffalo for a great weekend of championship play. They won their first games against New Jersey (40 - 21) and (Delaware 32 - 24) and then battled it out with Rhode Island School for the Deaf for the championship, losing 16-38. We are proud of their 2nd-place finish!

Congratulations to Nayenge for winning the managers' competition and Ashley, Evangeline, and Liandria for making the all-star team!

The boys made their way to New Jersey for some tough competition. They won their first game against Delaware (46 - 25), but then fell to St. Mary's (38 - 25), placing them in the consolation round where they defeated Rhode Island (42 - 30), earning 3rd-place in the Championship. Great job, boys!

Congratulations to Cody and Jordan for being selected for the all-star team!

RSD Goes to Albany to Advocate for 4201 Schools

This year's 4201 Advocacy Day was held in person in Albany for the first time since 2020. Our students did a great job representing RSD and the 4201 Schools Association. They met with more than a dozen legislators and their aides. Cody, Jack, Isolde, and Nayenge explained that students attending RSD and the other 4201 schools deserve adequate resources, funding, and support from the state. Photo with Assembly Member Harry B. Bronson.

Statement from the 4201 Schools Association Following the Governor’s Proposed Cut in Funding for Students Who Are Blind, Deaf, and Severely Physically Disabled

CODA at RIT and a meet and greet with Daniel N. Durant

RSD seniors, their advisors Sadie Kulhanek and Jeff Pratt, and Superintendent Antony McLetchie had the opportunity to meet Daniel N. Durant at RIT/NTID! We're all a little star-struck! Our dorm students were there too, for a screening of CODA and Q&A with Daniel. Thank you, RIT/NTID, for including RSD in the festivities!

Middle Schoolers Shine at NTID Math Tournament

Four middle schoolers and their coaches headed east to Rhode Island School for the Deaf in early February for the Middle School Math Competition sponsored by NTID Youth Programs. Competing with teams across from the northeast, RSD placed an impressive 4th and qualified for Nationals at the end of March!

In the individual competition, Jacob earned 1st place and Sam placed 3rd! Woohoo! Many thanks to coaches Joey Ausanio and Melissa Pancione for all your support and enthusiasm.

Check out the NTID Youth Programs' post on Facebook