Online Learning
The Pine Bush Central School District employs a variety of ways for teachers to share content with students online and to provide learning experiences through online platforms. Our school teams worked to plan for online opportunities, as well as how to ensure effective, efficient communication with families during our school closure. We are excited to be able to provide an educational opportunity that supports students’ 21st century skills and our district goal of supporting innovative, creative, and critical thinkers.
The information here will help families get started with an online learning experience. We encourage students to begin practicing these skills on Thursday, March 19, after 12 p.m.
Daily Expectations of Students and Families
Check the district’s Google Classrooms every day for lessons and activities. We encourage families to practice this today. Elementary students may need help from their parents or caregivers.
Develop a schedule
Utilize the next few days to develop a continuous learning schedule to establish consistency for your children.
Ensure your student has a device
Do your children have a computer and access to the internet? We want to make sure all students are ready to learn. Chromebooks and/or non-electronic packets will be available for pick-up at our two meal distribution sites at Circleville Middle School and Pine Bush High School. The tentative dates are: Wednesday, March 18 for elementary students, and Monday, March 23 for middle and high school students. These dates are tentative.
Chromebooks are available to borrow
For those families who do not have devices to access online work, the district is loaning Chromebooks, one per family. Click here for more information about the program and the process to get one.
Free Wi-Fi Available
Charter Communication is offering free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription. Installation fees will be waived for the new student households.
Charter also offers Spectrum Internet Assist, a high-speed broadband program, to eligible low-income households.
In addition, Charter is opening its Wi-Fi hotspots across the area for public use.
Call 1-844-488-8395 for more information or to sign up.
What support will I get from the school district?
Technical support is available for Pine Bush students and staff working remotely. If you are having issues with Google Classroom, connecting to Wi-Fi, or anything else related to our online learning, submit this Google form for assistance.
The district’s Google Classrooms will be updated regularly. We encourage you to check back often. Parent letters will be posted on our website on Thursday, March 19, with codes for joining these grade-level Google Classrooms. Students should log in daily to engage in the learning activities that our teachers are developing.
How does my student access their Gmail account?
Use any browser to access Google Classroom. You can go to Chrome and type in classroom.google.com.
Log in using the following information:
- The username/email address is “pb.studentfirstname.lastname@pinebushschools.org”
- Each student should use his/her student ID# for the password preceded by the letters pb. For example, pb123456.
***If your child has forgotten his/her student ID#, please email the teacher.
Google Classroom Access for Elementary Students
For instructions to access Google Classroom for elementary students, click here.
Meals
Many of our families are experiencing food shortages at this time and school meals may have been their children’s only meals of their day. The School Nutrition Department will continue to provide for all children in our community by ensuring that they continue to have access to balanced meals and the ability to maintain their health in the weeks coming.This is our mission and I want you to know that we can prevent food insecurity in our community during these difficult times.
Distribution Sites
There are three distribution sites:
- Circleville Middle School
- Pine Bush High School
- Family Church, 510 M&M Road, Middletown
Meals will be distributed in a drive-through style that will take place outside of the sites. Grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches pre-packed in bags will be quickly provided to families who drive through. There is no dine-in option and no need to exit your car.
Starting the week of March 30, meals will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Two days of meals will be provided per child on Tuesday and three days of meals will be given on Thursday.
Anyone under the age of 19 may receive meals. They are not required to be a Pine Bush student.
Children do not have to be with a parent for them to pick up meals.
Safety and Communication
Parents are responsible for allergies. Signage will be included at each site with the menu. If anyone in your family has allergies, please inform the staff at the distribution site.
There will be automated School Messenger calls for informational purposes. If you need more information about food distribution, call 845-744-2031, ext. 2809.
Food Pantries
For those in our district who may be suffering from food insecurity, here is a list of nearby food pantries and a soup kitchen.
Mental Health Resources
Tapping Into Resilience – Strategies to grow personal and community resilience in times of crises – video from Cornell Cooperative Extension
Childcare available for healthcare workers, first responders
The Pine Bush Central School District is partnering with the Middletown YMCA to make available childcare to those essential healthcare workers and first responders who qualify for it. Click here to learn more about the program, which begins Wednesday, March 25.
Click here for a list of all childcare agencies available to essential healthcare workers and first responders within the county.
Online Learning Resources
Making Masks for PB Staff and Volunteers
In order to maintain operations here in Pine Bush, we have a fair number of staff and volunteers helping to prepare and distribute meals, loan Chromebooks, duplicate and distribute instructional materials, and clean and sanitize those spaces used by all the other employees and volunteers. Altogether there are about 300 people engaged in these tasks, and none of them currently have masks.
The good news is that folks at home have been making masks for us, and we would welcome your help in this effort. Here is a link to a video from Joann Fabrics describing how these masks can be made, including a pattern. If you’re handy with a sewing machine and are able to secure the appropriate supplies – Joann Fabrics sells the supplies – we would welcome your help in our effort to produce masks for Pine Bush staff and volunteers.
As a precaution to prevent unintentional viral transmission, we ask that before you provide the masks to us that you wash your hands, then wash the masks and individually bag them so that we can safely distribute masks that are clean and fresh. Masks can be delivered to our district office at 156 Route 302 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. We thank you in advance for your generosity.
Archived messages and updates from the district regarding coronavirus
Click here for the communications sent by the district to parents and staff leading up to and throughout the coronavirus shutdown.
Information from The Centers for Disease Control
Please note: Pine Bush Central Schools is following the CDC protocol for schools that do not have coronavirus identified in their community.
- Frequently asked questions and answers about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- What you need to know about coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) English Spanish
- What to do if you are sick with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) English Spanish
- Stop the spread of germs English Spanish
Information from the State of New York
- March 3, 2020 – NYS Department of Health Report for NYS Schools PreK-12
- Information from the state regarding coronavirus
Local Resources from Cornell Cooperative Extension
Information from National Association of School Psychologists (NASP)