Bronxville Superintendent: Despite Schedule Change, Rapid Return to Normal Operations Expected

Dear Parent:

This letter welcomes you to the new school year and alerts you to the circumstances changed by Tropical Storm Irene. On August 28, the School’s first floor was flooded by three or four feet of water, affecting 109,000 square feet of instructional space.  We must now adjust to this temporary loss of facilities through creative scheduling that makes full use of all the rooms on the second floor or above. My hope is that a positive sense of anticipation will trump the loss of school materials and temporary dislocation caused by flooding. Remember, two‐thirds of our facilities are fully functional. The presentation about our recovery plan is available on the school website, as are daily reports about our progress.  

To adapt to these daunting conditions, the Board of Education has approved changes to the school calendar. The revised yearly calendar can be found here. 

• Tuesday, September 6 will be a Conference Day, allowing teachers more time to plan for the opening of school. (November 10 will now be a student day.)

• Wednesday, September 7 (DAY 2 on our six‐day cycle) will be the first day of school for all students in grades 1‐12, with all classes beginning at 10 AM. Kindergarten will not be in session.

• On September 8 and 9, Students in grades 1‐12 will attend classes as scheduled. Because of reduced access to facilities, many room reassignments will apply through the week. Kindergarten will not be in session.

• We expect to be able to occupy the bottom floor of the old building on September 12, although with reduced supplies and materials. Kindergarten will not be in session.

• On Monday, September 19 Kindergarten students will begin school, and the full K‐12 population will be in session. Our main gym will not be in service, and it will take some time to replace some key items of equipment and materials.

• The kitchen will not be in service until equipment is replaced. A health inspection will be required before we resume use.  We will be in “brown bag” mode temporarily.

• We will provide safe pick up and drop off access at the Elementary School entrance for those who need it. We encourage walking to school where that is safe and practical.

• In order to protect the health and safety of all occupants we are (1)conducting airtesting at various intervals, (2) containing the ground floor with air locks during the brief construction period, (3) developing emergency egress plans, and (4)separating construction from instructional areas. We will continue vigilantly to monitor health and safety conditions.

We are optimistic about a rapid return to normal operations, and we look forward to a positive school year for everyone. Thank you, as always for your flexibility and support.

Best Regards,

David Quattrone

Superintendent of School