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Volume 12, Issue 47 • Nov. 18-24, 2020 • 50¢
DUTCHESS NEWS
& Creative Living
A division of The Southern Dutchess News ~ Entirely produced and printed in Dutchess County since 1959 ~ www.sdutchessnews.com
Planning, teamwork lead to hybrid success in Rhinebeck
Chancellor Livingston Elementary School fourth grader Reggie Forrester practices on his trumpet, which is equipped with a safety cover. Right, Bulkeley Middle School student Grace Dentico weighs objects in the Science 8 class of teacher Kristin Koegel. Photos by Curtis Schmidt
RCSD among first with in-person teaching by Rich Thomaselli It’s never far from their minds, of course. After two solid months of nothing but success as one of the few Hudson Valley school districts to introduce hybrid learning in early September without a delay, officials in Rhinebeck schools understand the irony. “There’s a surge in cases all over the country. We could go completely remote at a moment’s notice,” Superintendent of Schools Albert Cousins said. “But for now, we’re proud of how things have gone.” The safe instruction plan has gone so well that the district has not reported any positive cases of COVID 19 so far. Said Bulkeley Middle School principal John Kemnitzer: “We thought that was what was best for the children. But
INDEX Letters Community Calendar Creative Living Binox Crossword Puzzle Sudoku That’s Italian! Decoding Dutchess’ Past Obituaries Public Notices Classifieds
there was some uncertainty from the beginning on how long this was going to last – and there still is, even more so now than back in September.” Rhinebeck made a commitment to utilizing the hybrid approach to start school with in-person instruction in September when most districts in Dutchess County began with a completely remote option for the first month, if not two months. Wappingers and Millbrook, for instance, just began their hybrid plans earlier this month. But the success of Rhinebeck’s hybrid
So why, other than size of school district, was Rhinebeck able to pull it off? “We did pretty much what everyone else did, but we were just committed to getting it started,” Cousins said. “We felt the conditions were better then and we anticipated things getting worse when it got colder, which is what you’re seeing now. We also had a lot of support from the local health providers, from our teachers, our staff and our parents.” That’s not to say things have gone continued on page 3
COUNTY COVID-19 UPDATE
Small indoor gatherings driving community transmission by Kate Goldsmith
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plan was all in the planning, as well as a unique decision on the learning process. As with all districts that had to have a return-to-school plan in place to be approved by the governor’s office, Rhinebeck had its’ plan posted by the July 31 deadline. If you read all the plans closely, it’s evident all school districts and superintendents in Dutchess County worked together on the plan. While there are obvious differences between larger school districts and smaller districts like Rhinebeck, the verbiage in the plans were almost word-for-word among the districts.
Number of active cases, hospitalizations continue to rise While COVID-19 clusters at Marist and care facilities in the Beacon/Fishkill area have been getting widespread
attention, the reality is that the current incline in active cases is primarily due to small gatherings of families and friends. In less than a week, active cases in Dutchess County rose from 317 to 506 (about 38 percent), according to the latest data on the county’s COVID-19 Dashboard. In addition, hospitalizations have increased from 16 to 24 (about 30 percent) over the same period.
Statewide, New York’s infection rate stands at 2.7 percent. The Mid-Hudson region is at 3.6 percent, with Dutchess at 2.6 percent. Dr. Anil Vaidian, commissioner of the county’s Department of Behavioral and Community Health (DBCH), said an increase in cases had been expected when the colder weather resulted in more time spent indoors, but that the data suggests continued on page 3
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