RSD K12 School Newsletter - November/December 2024

K-12 School News

November/December 2024

Greetings from Westervelt Hall!

Hello Westervelt Wildcats!

As you’ll see in this newsletter, we had a very active fall. Your support, kindness, and dedication make our school a special place to learn and grow.

Looking forward to December, I can’t wait to see our elementary students on the stage for their Nutcracker performance.

I hope you all had a restful Fall Recess, and in three short weeks, Winter Recess will be upon us!

Let’s glow into the end of 2024 RSD strong!

Regards,

Tony

Antony A.L. McLetchie

Superintendent and CEO

Acting 1-12 Principal

NOTE: This newsletter is long. You may need to click to manually load more at the end of the screen. You may also see this newsletter and previous issues HERE.

Spanish Version | Arabic Version

Announcements

Giving Tuesday is December 3

Please consider a gift this Giving Tuesday to support student activities, enrichment, and travel. NYS limits how we spend state money. Private donations fund the "extras" that make all the difference to our students. No gift is too small. It's your participation matters.

Give directly to RSD

Give through United Way's ROC the Day

RSD Parent-Staff Association Fundraiser

The RSD PSA will host a fundraiser on December 4, from 4-8 PM at the Chipotle located on Mt. Hope Ave. Funds raised help support family programming and student camp scholarships.

Details and Flyers

I-90 Classic at RSD on December 19

Come on out to support the Wildcat basketball teams!

Middle School | 2pm

Varsity Girls | 3:30pm

Varsity Boys | 5pm

RSD Parent-Staff Association

The next RSD PSA is Thursday, December 5 from 7-8pm. Families and Staff are welcome and encouraged to attend the meetings either in person or via Zoom. Check your email for the link sent by the school.

Follow the PSA on Facebook.

Food Pantry Open on Tuesdays & Sundays

The Rochester Deaf Kitchen food pantry is OPEN and RSD families and staff are welcome! They are located at RSD in Galloway Hall (use entrance/lot A) and are open on Tuesdays from 9-11am and Sundays from 1-3pm. Please help us spread the word in the ROC Deaf community!

To follow and/or support the pantry, check them out on Facebook & Instagram.

Using AI to Advance Child Development and Learning

There is interesting research happening in our backyard at the University of Rochester about artificial-intelligence-powered tools to help parents of Dead and hard-of-hearing children learn American sign language. Learn more

Save the date for a discussion of this project on WXXI's Connections on January 24 from 12-1pm with guest host Sarah Abbamonte, the project manager for WXXI’s Move to Include initiative. Karen Fisher-Malley, RSD's Director of Early Childhood and Kindergarten Programs will join the UR researchers for a discussion.

News & Notes

RSD GIRLS WIN ESDAA VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT

Thirteen teams converged at Finger Lakes Community College in Canandaigua in late October for a great tournament hosted by RSD. Our team was laser-focused throughout and brought home the win! Congratulations coaches and players!

We also want to recognize our All-Stars and MVP! So much talent!

Evangeline Fisher-Palmer, MVP

Ashley Stuhlberg

Kalena Sickler

Aizah Rahman

A big thank you to the fans, families, administration, and volunteers for your support. We also extend our gratitude to Sorenson and Gallaudet University for their sponsorship, which helped make this tournament a great success!

RSD PLACES SECOND AT ESDAA SOCCER TOURNAMENT IN DELAWARE

In a hard-fought battle, after a fabulous season (including being undefeated in our Homecoming Tournament), RSD fell in the ESDAA championship game to Rhode Island School for the Deaf. But what a ride! Congratulations to our student-athletes, coaches, and fans for giving it your all.

In the words of Coach Lipitz, "We learn from these games, and we improve. We go back to school and grind. We work hard in school and on the court. We put in the extra time, we get our sleep, we eat well, and we repeat. You don't need a trophy to be a champion in life. You work hard, you contribute positively to society, and enjoy what you do through the good, bad, and ugly times, you're going to win at this thing we call life."

RSD CELEBRATES LATINE HERITAGE

Our incredible staff at RSD, who identify as Latine, hosted a Latine Heritage Celebration in early November with engaging activities to educate and share their cultures with our students. Students who identified as Latine also shared their experiences as they participated. This educational and inspirational event allowed students to come together to learn and lead.

RED RIBBON WEEK FOSTERS CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SUBSTANCE ABUSE PREVENTION

RSD proudly celebrated Red Ribbon Week, engaging our students, staff, and families in crucial conversations about drugs, alcohol, and addiction. Special guest Laura Peters shared her powerful journey through trauma, addiction, and building a life of resilience and hope. Laura’s story left a lasting impact, inspiring everyone in attendance.

Jr. NAD members took the lead in interviewing Laura at our HS/MS assembly, followed by creative activities where students expressed the Red Ribbon Week themes through door decorations, movies, and even a chant! Our elementary students engaged in age-appropriate conversations and took pledges to stay drug-free.

In addition, families and dorm staff were invited to participate in a "Hidden in Plain Sight" (HIPS) drug and alcohol awareness activity provided by Uplift Irondequoit. This interactive experience allowed parents and caregivers to explore a mock teen's bedroom to uncover trends, signs, and symptoms of substance use—empowering them to better understand and support their children.

A big thank you to the RSD Parent-Staff Association and RIT/NTID's Substance and Addiction Intervention Services for the Deaf - SAISD for collaborating to make this meaningful week possible!

LAUREN RIDLOFF DELIVERS A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR ADVENTURES IN EDUCATION

Our students, staff, and community members cherished the time spent with Lauren Ridloff on November 13 for Adventures in Education. She shared insights into her remarkable journey and explored how Deaf stories can be portrayed more authentically in theater, film, and television.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who joined us for the public presentation and the generous donors and organizations that made Adventures possible. Let's give a special shoutout to our leadership donors who contributed $1,000 or more. Their support makes Adventures a reality and enhances the leadership, cultural, academic, and athletic opportunities available to our students.

HALLOWEEN FUN WITH THE CUTEST DALMATIANS

We love our ECC Halloween Parade tradition at RSD. Our Early Childhood Center students, their families, and staff surprise us each year with a new costume and theme! How cute were these Dalmatians? Thank you for the creativity and warm greetings of our students and staff in the big school and administration! 🎃🎃🎃

ELECTORAL PROCESS STUDIED AT RSD WITH HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES DESIGNED TO SUPPORT LEARNING AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Our middle and high school students, staff, and parents gathered for a mock election. Students "registered" voters and presented information on the candidates, issues, and electoral process. They did an outstanding job outlining the differences in platforms and helping us all appreciate our important responsibilities as voters.

A group of middle school students also created this video to teach election ASL signs and share information on the electoral process.

Elementary students did various class projects to understand how to make decisions, vote, and accept the majority rule. Our first graders voted on how to spend 20 minutes of extra free time. "Outside Play" won!

BATTLE OF THE BOOKS COMPETITION UNDERWAY; ONE TEAM ADVANCES

Our two three-student teams participated in the first round of Gallaudet's Battle of the Books. One of the teams advanced to the next round. We are proud of all of the students who competed. The next round will happen in December!

Students love the big book reveal and receiving their books at the start of the competition!

4TH GRADERS STUDY AND SHARE ALL THEY LEARN ABOUT THERAPY AND SERVICE DOGS

Our 4th graders had a visit from the sweetest pups, Letty, Jesse, and Joshua from RocDog. They had been learning about therapy and service dogs.

They then visited other classrooms with their teacher Melissa Stillman's certified therapy dog Jameson to share all they had learned. Puppy smooches for the win!