Dear Minisink Valley school community:

Today, as you know, we began Week 2 of our extended school closure. I want to again thank everyone in the Minisink Valley school community for their patience and understanding as we continue to navigate our way through this unprecedented time in our nation’s history.

Our faculty continues to do a magnificent job making sure our students have educational resources available to them. We have other staff who are also working hard behind-the-scenes to ensure continuity in district operations.

Our parents have been so supportive of their children’s teachers’ efforts and in reminding their children of the need to stay sharp in their studies.

And, we are thankful our students are doing what we need them to do: Review their instructional materials.

We will be back to school at some point, and we look forward to that happening.

I want to thank anyone who is considered an essential worker during this time. I know the entire Minisink Valley community offers its sincerest gratitude to those who have any role in caring for the sick  at a time when there are so many challenges.

I know our community also thanks others who play key roles in making sure essential services are available, including: law enforcement, fire and EMS,  and those who work in grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, transportation and other critical places.

Please support our local businesses, if you can, and remember all the small businesses who have supported district events in large and small ways during the school year.

As part of our ongoing commitment to keep you informed on our activities tied to this extended school closure, I wanted to remind you that our decisions are based on Gov. Cuomo’s orders regarding how long this extended school closure lasts.

Currently, the governor has ordered all schools in the state to be closed through Tuesday, March 31, with a planned reopening on Wednesday, April 1.  We do realize that due to the ongoing fluidity of the situation, this may change. But as of today, March 23, there are no further changes to this current return-to-school date.

However, the district continues to take a proactive approach to ensure planning is happening, should a closure extend beyond that date. Our staff continues to work tirelessly as part of our commitment to solid preparedness, constantly reviewing and modifying plans as information changes. Often times, the information we are given in the morning is modified by the end of the day.

Like us, our state officials are putting their very best efforts into making decisions that put public health and safety first and foremost.

This is unchartered territory. We know people want answers to many questions. But, we must first await updates from the state.

Please be aware of the following:

•   Third quarter Minisink Valley report cards are on hold until further notice.
•   We expect to finalize plans for an onsite childcare site, to be run by the Middletown YMCA, shortly. We received survey responses from many families, but we are not certain how many may opt to avail themselves of this program.

Take care of yourselves and your families. I will continue to stay in touch with you with any updates.

Sincerely,

Brian C. Monahan
Superintendent