Principal's Message
Dear Pomona Families and Students,
Welcome to the 2025–2026 school year! I am excited to extend a warm welcome to both our returning families and those joining us for the first time. As we begin this new academic year, we remain deeply committed to building a community grounded in academic excellence, critical thinking, and a culture of kindness.
As the proud Principal of Pomona Middle School for the past three years, I have had the privilege of witnessing the growth, strength, and resilience of our students and staff. This year, our schoolwide focus will be on strengthening critical thinking skills and fostering academic structure across all classrooms. Our goal is to empower students to become thoughtful learners, courageous advocates for change, and responsible members of our community.
To support this vision, we will continue to prioritize a safe, structured, and respectful learning environment. This year, Pomona will be implementing full enforcement of the New York State policy prohibiting personal electronic devices during school hours. All students will be assigned a designated locker and a combination lock, which must be used to secure all electronic devices and any other non-essential materials at the start of each day. Lockers and lock combinations must not be shared to ensure the safety of all belongings.
Additionally, every day will begin with our WIN period (What I Need), where students will engage in targeted literacy and math instruction using the i-Ready platform. This dedicated time is essential to building foundational skills and ensuring that all students receive personalized support for growth and success.
Our dedicated teachers, support staff, and administrative team are fully committed to ensuring a positive, productive, and engaging year for every student. We are excited about the opportunities ahead and look forward to partnering with families to help our students thrive both academically and personally.
Thank you for your continued support, and I look forward to a successful and inspiring school year together.
A few reminders:
Arrival
- Students will enter through the Main entrance of the school and assemble in the auditorium
- Breakfast is available in the cafeteria from 8:40 am-9:00 am
- Instruction begins promptly at 9:05am
- Our student attendance goal is 97% this year; therefore, students must attend school daily for continuous improvement. Students who attend school regularly have been shown to achieve at higher levels than students who do not have regular attendance.
Expectations
- Come to school with an expectation to learn each day and with the necessary tools and positive outlook for learning; visit our website to obtain the supply list
- Continue to use the chromebook, and each student is responsible for bringing their device charged daily
- Actively engage by completing all assignments/projects
- Turn off cell phones and hand-held electronic devices, including cords and “earbuds” and store them in your locker during the instructional day. Hand held electronic devices and cell phones in use or in plain sight during the instructional day will be confiscated until a parent / guardian arrives to pick it up, or at the end of the school year. The East Ramapo Central School District assumes no responsibility for lost or damaged cell phones or hand-held electronic devices.
- Abide by the District Code of Conduct
- Respect yourself, others and property
Dismissal
- At 3:40 pm students are dismissed to their bus/ pick up. All students must immediately report to their bus/ pick up/ or afterschool club at that time.
- Once buses pull off any students who miss their assigned bus at that time must be picked up by a parent or guardian.
- It is imperative that these procedures are followed for the safety of our students.
Parent Portal
Follow the directions below on how to set up your portal account.
You can view your student's schedule, school counselor, progress reports, and report cards on the portal. Instructions to create an account can be found on the district website. This includes videos and instructions printable in 3 languages. For help, please email ER-Data@ercsd.org. Once you have created an account, you can access your account here.
Thank you for your support. We appreciate you and your commitment to our children’s academic success.
Warm Regards,
Taren Washington-Peterson
Pomona Principal