The Onteora Central School district will welcome new and returning students, Wednesday September 7, after teachers have returned the day before, September 6, for a Superintendent’s conference day.
There are no longer transportation books located in schools or the Central office. Instead, parents can find their children’s bus schedules, through the district website by going to Onteroa.k12.ny.us and finding the Parent Portal. An alternative to going online is to call the school your child will be attending, or calling the district transportation office at 657-2573. School officials advise that in order to iron out new routes and schedules, it is important for the first few days to arrive at your child’s bus stop early and practice patience if the bus arrives earlier or later than expected. Any major delays should get reported to the district transportation office.
The first day of school may prove an extra headache as local road and bridge closures have temporarily changed routing.
District changes and renovations are making their mark, primarily with the final removal of the controversial Indian Mascot. The painted head of an Indian chief that could be seen at the track/football field press box has been painted over.
In the planning stages for years, Woodstock Primary School finally has new windows, and Phoenicia Primary School is at last getting a new energy efficient boiler.
The District welcomes Brandon Schiller, its new School Resource Officer at the Middle/High School. Schiller was Deputy Sheriff with the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office for eight years, and worked in the town of Shandaken, making him familiar with the school and students. Onteora has not had an SRO since 2009 due to budget constraints.
The incoming student population in pre-kindergarten-through-12 is approximately 1313. This number is likely to increase as school gets underway.