Liberty Elementary School

  May 1, 2020

Dear Liberty Family,

I hope this letter finds you and your families safe and healthy. First and foremost, I would like to thank you for all you have done during this time. This has not been easy on you but you have managed to make it work. Your cooperation, understanding and patience has made this experience one that we are and will continue to be proud of. Faced with great obstacles, we have gotten through this together. While we are not done yet, we will continue to move forward together.

As with the beginning of every month, I always send out a letter discussing upcoming events and activities. This month in addition to online learning, we will begin working on class placements for the 2020-2021 school year. This is just a reminder that we do not entertain request for teachers. We will take into consideration a request not to have a teacher if an older sibling had a teacher and the experience was less than positive for your family. In that case and only in that case, please email me directly between now and June 1^st.

This coming week would have been Teacher Appreciation Week in our School. Like you, our teachers have done a tremendous job. The lessons your children receive are hand made from scratch. When many districts went with pre-packaged materials, know that our teachers bravely went the route of creating quality authentic lessons. This was done by making sure materials were available to students and families at all times of the day. In addition, you have seen they have also evolved towards more live student interaction. They always speak about how wonderful it has been to see the students. The amount of planning and time that goes into just one day of online instruction, takes hours and hours of time. If I could ask one thing of you it would be to maybe just email them a simple thank you. Our school has always done a remarkable job with teacher appreciation but in this time a simple email might make all the difference. I know so many of you have written that email! Thank you for it. 

We remain committed to assisting you through this time we are in. One resource I would like to continue bringing to your attention:

https://www.nyackschools.org/groups/74755/guidance__k12_school_counseling/elementary_school_counseling

Liberty is a family community so much more than a building.  We are Liberty Strong and as we continue supporting and communicating with each other, our children, our families and our staff will be fine!

Thank you again for your continued support. We are here for you and remain committed to helping you during this time. Your family remains in my thoughts and continue to wish you all health and happiness.  I look forward to seeing you in the future when we get back to our wonderful school. Stay well!

Sincerely,

Ellen M. Rechenberger