Hello Pine Bush families and staff,
I’m writing today with some important updates on a number of issues.
As I’m sure you know, bus transportation has been very challenging this fall. Birnie suffered from a driver shortage that has plagued school bus operations across the country. As a result, we slowly peeled runs away from Birnie in a series of emergency contracts. Last night the Board of Education (BOE) gave those separate 16 runs to Orange County Transit for the rest of this school year, and Birnie finally has a sufficient pool of driver trainees. So we will be returning our secondary academic schedule to normal beginning next Monday, November 29.
Also at last night’s meeting, the BOE agreed to hire some additional contract social workers to support our schools and assist with the many demands that COVID has brought to the social/emotional well-being of our students. That additional staff should all be in place in the next few weeks.
And speaking of social workers . . . Our regular social workers are collecting gift cards that they will be sharing with needy Pine Bush families for the holidays. If you know a family that may need extra support, or if you want to donate gift cards from the list below or on the attached flyer, please follow the directions on the flyer to contact the social worker listed for each school.
At the end of the first marking period, we have a much higher number of students with low grades, so we will soon be announcing an online chat-style tutoring service for students in grades 6-12 that will be available any day, at any time, for any subject. Watch for that notice.
I want everyone to know that we have also been able to respond to the county-wide shortage of substitute teachers by hiring 16 permanent subs for the rest of the year. Each elementary and middle school will have two and the high school will have four.
Finally, I want everyone to know that the state requirement for masks in schools that was approaching an expiration was just extended for another 90 days by the State Department of Health. So we can expect the mask requirement indoors at school at least through Presidents Day in February.
I have so much to be grateful for! I’m grateful that kids can be in school every day, I am grateful for our dedicated and hard-working staff, and I am grateful for my health and for the chance to serve in what I believe to be the best school district in the Hudson Valley.
I wish for all of you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving,
Tim O. Mains, Pine Bush Superintendent
Holiday gift card drive is underway for Pine Bush Families !
*ALL DONATIONS DUE Monday, Dec. 6!*
The Pine Bush Central School District community – this includes parents, grandparents, students and staff – has always been generous to our fellow residents in need during our food and toy drives. The holidays are quickly approaching, and for many of our families, the celebration of Thanksgiving and
Christmas will be made more difficult due to financial hardship. The number of our families facing this hardship is growing.
This year, we are asking for that same generosity and kindness as our holiday food and toy drives take on a different look. Because of the risks posed by collecting food and materials from many different households during the pandemic, this year’s drives will consist strictly of gift cards.
We are asking our Pine Bush family to donate gift cards of any amount from the following stores:
- ShopRite
- Hannaford
- Walmart
- Target
- Stewarts
- QuickChek
- Sam’s Club
- Aldi
After purchasing the cards you wish to donate, you may choose to send them to school with your child or you may mail them to Pine Bush Central School District, c/o Holiday Gift Card Drive, PO Box 700, Pine Bush NY 12566. You may also drop them in the mail slot located at the central office, right next to Pine Bush High School at 156 Route 302.
For those in need
For those who are experiencing tough financial times, if you wish to receive help this holiday season, contact: (845) 744-2031
- EJR/Crispell Sara Iannuzzi at ext. 7168 or sara.iannuzzi@pinebushschools.org
- CVMS Dawn Dorcas at ext. 5619 or dawn.dorcas@pinebushschools.org
- PBHS/PBE Katie Carson at ext. 3683 or
kathryn.carson-decker@pinebushschools.org - PAK Jordan Donley at ext. 6438 or jordan.donley@pinebushschools.org
- CES Kelly Wallace at ext. 6713 or kelly.wallace@pinebushschools.org
Contact should be made by Dec. 6 for Christmas. All information is kept strictly confidential. Gift cards will be sent to the receiving families by mail.
We are PB Strong
Thank you in advance to our Pine Bush community and local businesses for your generosity and kindness. This year has been anything but normal. Let’s come together to make it a better holiday season for our Pine Bush families in need.