Dear Minisink Valley parents/guardians:

The colder weather continues to make its presence known, which means we’ll all be talking about snow soon.

For this school year, the district will look at, on a case-by-case basis, how traditional snow/weather-related days are used.  If need be, we know we are fully prepared to pivot to remote instruction for everyone.

Going forward, please know that it’s possible on some school days where snow/inclement weather is an issue, academic instruction will continue remotely, because the district is fully prepared for remote instruction.

Additionally, the district may determine that based on weather forecasts and other factors, i.e.: possible connectivity, power or safety-related issues, a snow/inclement weather closure day may be called.

We are doing this to minimize the loss of valuable instruction days and believe this decision is in the best interests of our students’ academic needs. This means it’s critically important that you give special attention to all weather-related communication we send to you.

Utilizing this option also provides calendar flexibility during these uncertain times. In recognition of our expectation that we will be utilizing less snow/weather-related closure days than in past years, the Board of Education approved modifications the current 2020-21 school calendar at its Nov. 5 meeting.

They are:

• Wednesday, Nov. 25: Previously a full day of school; now school will be closed.
• Wednesday, Dec. 23: Previously a full day of school; now school will be closed

Additionally, the district will now recognize:

• Friday, June 18: Previously a full day of school, now school will be closed in recognition of Juneteenth, the new New York State holiday

This now offers our Minisink Valley school community two extra days off  plus the new state holiday for the 2020-21 school year. Thank you for your attention to these calendar updates.

2020 21 Revised Student Calendar

Sincerely,

Brian Monahan
Superintendent