May 2016 Vol. 64 No. 3

Published by the Board of Education, Pleasantville Union Free School District, Pleasantville NY

Ann Brown: Teacher of the YearAnn Brown, a third grade teacher at Bedfo rd Road School, was named the Pleasantville School District’s “Teacher of the Ye a r ” a t t h e April 19 meeting of the Board of Education. In her 28 years at BRS, she has taught second and third

grades, served on numerous school committees that benefited all students, mentored teachers and student teachers, and reached out to veterans (letters from her students) and seniors (Valentine’s Day visits to the Clinton Street Center). Superintendent Mary Fox-Alter described Mrs. Brown as “a caring, kind compassionate educator…who understands that…nurturing children is critical and… enables students to learn, to create, to grow.”

Mrs. Brown received a plaque from the Board of Education and proclamations from Pleasantville Mayor Peter Scherer, Westchester County Legislator Margaret Cunzio, and New York State Assemblyman Tom Abinanti, who were in attendance, and from Westchester County Supervisor Rob Astorino, New York State Senator Terence Murphy, Regent Judith Johnson, and Governor Andrew Cuomo. Mr. Astorino named April 19 as “Ann Brown Day,” while Mayor Scherer and Ms. Cunzio so designated April 20.

BRS principal Peggy Galotti concluded the accolades by reading a letter written by a fourth grader, a former student of Mrs. Brown, for a class assignment: to write a persuasive letter on a topic of their choice. Lena D’Alessandro, who wrote her letter to Mrs. Fox-Alter about naming Mrs. Brown Teacher of the Year, said: “…she finds something good in everyone and helps bring out the best in every one of her students. She makes everyone feel special…She doesn’t just care about her students, she cares about everyone else too.”

Mrs. Brown, by request, with her third grade class

2016-2017 School Calendar

First Day for StudentsSeptember 7, 2016

Last Day for StudentsJune 23, 2017

SCHOOL HOLIDAYSSchools are closed on these days.

October 3 & 4, 2016Rosh Hashanah

October 10, 2016Columbus Day

October 12, 2016Yom Kippur

November 8, 2016Superintendent’sConference Day

November 11, 2016Veterans Day

November 24 & 25, 2016Thanksgiving Recess

December 26, 2016–January 2, 2017Holiday Recess

January 16, 2017Martin Luther King Jr. Day

February 20–24, 2017Winter Recess

April 10–14, 2017Spring Recess

May 29, 2017Memorial Day

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School District Budget Notice

The annual budget vote for the fiscal year 2016–2017 by the qualified voters of the Pleasantville Union Free School District, Westchester County, New York, will be held at Pleasantville Middle School in said district on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 between the hours of 6:30 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., prevailing time in the Pleasantville Middle School, at which time the polls will be opened to vote by voting ballot or machine.

1 The basic school tax relief (STAR) exemption is authorized by section 425 of the Real Property Tax Law.

Under the Budget Proposed for the 2016-17 School Year

Estimated Basic STAR Exemption Savings1 $ 1,920

Budget Adopted Budget Proposed Contingency Budget for the 2015-16 for the 2016-17 for the 2016-17 School Year School Year School Year*

Total Budgeted Amount, Not Including Separate Propositions $ 48,926,573 $ 49,208,191 $ 48,638,641

Increase/Decrease for the 2016-17 School Year $ 281,618 $ -287,932

Percentage Increase / Decrease) in Proposed Budget 0.58% -0.59%

Change in the Consumer Price Index 0.12%

A. Proposed Levy to Support Total Budgeted Amount, Net of Reserve $ 35,080,784 $ 35,650,334

B. Levy to Support Library Debt, If Applicable 0 0

C. Levy for Non-Excludable Propositions, If Applicable 0 0

D. Total Tax Cap Reserve Amount Used to Reduce Current Year Levy 0 0

E. Total Proposed School Year Tax Levy (A + B + C - D) $ 35,080,784 $ 35,650,334 $ 35,080,784

F. Total Permissable Exclusions $ 1,677,231 $ 1,845,396

G. School Tax Levy Limit, Excluding Levy for Permissible Exclusions $ 33,419,939 $ 33,812,263

H. Total Proposed School Year Tax Levy, Excluding Levy to Support Library Debt and/or Permissible Exclusiions (E - B - F + D) $ 33,403,553 $ 33,804,938

I. Difference: (G - H); (Negative Value Requires 60% Voter Approval) $ 16,386 $ 7,325

Administrative Component $ 4,155,230 $ 4,216,643 $ 4,186,643

Program component $ 36,193,311 $ 37,016,035 $ 36,517,485

Capital component $ 8,578,032 $ 7,975,513 $ 7,934,513

*Should the proposed 2016-17 budget be defeated pursuant to Section 2023 of the Education Law, a contingent budget would require a reduction of $569,550. All non-contingent items would be removed, such as certain equipment, and further reductions in staffing, supplies, staff development, co-curricular activities, athletics, and operation and maintenance would be required.

Overall Budget Proposal

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Meet the CandidateShane McGaffey, 85 Nan-nahagan Road, is running for his third term of office. He and his wife, Katya, have a son at Bedford Road School and a daugh-ter at Pleasantville High School. Mr. McGaffey (B.A., University of Roch-ester; M.F.A., The All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography) is station manager for Pleasantville Community Television, a

member of Pleasantville STRONG, and currently serves as president on the Board of Education.

His statement: The most important issue facing the school district is, has, and always will be, to find the appropriate balance between the academic excel-lence we have come to expect with tax stability and affordability. Finding this balance is what prompted me to run for a first term, and why I seek to continue my board service.

The biggest threats to our local mission are state and federal mandates, the cost shift to local property taxes that accompanies them and the loss of local control in decision making. Over the last six years, these mandates include:• Three successive new teacher evaluations tied to

test results New Yorkers do not trust;• Added staffing requirements for “English Lan-

guage Learners” that, in some cases, require a teacher per student;

• The elimination of local high school diplomas often forcing the learning disabled to stay in high school until the age of 21;

• The tax levy cap (this year almost 13% of NYS school districts had tax caps below zero). Despite these challenges, I am proud to report

that, in the last six years, the Pleasantville Union Free School District has created and implemented a long range master plan (Pleasantville Schools 2026) maintaining class sizes, preserving and adding to our academic program, and upgrading our facilities

Board Election & Voting Machineswhile averaging less than 1.5% annually in tax rate increases and reducing the use of fund balance/sav-ings to balance the budget by $1,800,000.

Moving forward, the Pleasantville Union Free School District must continue to prioritize advocacy efforts to educate our state and federal representatives regarding the unfunded regulations/mandates they pass on to us, detracting from our local mission. I hope you consider joining the fight to maintain local control and keep our schools strong.

Shane McGaffeyNew Voting MachinesAs required by the state, all school districts must use Optical Scanning Machines for all Annual Board Elections & Budget Votes beginning with those held on May 17, 2016. Many of you will recognize the machines, as Westchester County has been using them for general elections since 2010.

Procedure: Sign the Poll Roster Book at the table that corresponds to your last name. An Election Inspector will then give you a two-sided paper ballot and direct you to a privacy booth to mark your ballot.

Sample Ballot

Side 1: Proposition A (2016-2017 Budget)Shall the Board of Education of Pleasantville Union Free School District, Westchester County, New York be authorized to expend the sums set forth in the 2016-2017 Annual Budget in the total amount of $49,208,191.00 and to levy the neces-sary tax therefor?

YES O NO O

Side 2: Board of EducationOne Board seat is open for one three-year term, July 1, 2016–June 30, 2019. (Vote for One)

O Shane McGaffeyO Write-In

After marking your selections, proceed to any Optical Scanning Machine and insert your ballot following the prompt on the display screen. The Election Inspectors stationed at the machines are available to answer any questions you may have about the processing of your ballot.

School News

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High School Honor Societies Induct New MembersFive PHS chapters of national honor societies — art, social studies, French, Italian, and Spanish — held in-duction ceremonies in March and April and welcomed a total of 64 new members.

National Art Honor Society — front, seated: Megha Patel, Mai Farina, Jaclyn Aloia, Grace Hammond, Sabrina Ipyam, Caitlin Anttila; middle, seated: Kamelle Ruano, Jessica Peterson, Gwen Whalen, Kiersten Coolen, Emma Kiely, Melissa Jacobs; standing: Samantha D’Angelo, Madeline Lupica, Riley Kennedy, Cullen Dirgins, Elizabeth Faulkner, Miles Johnson; not pictured: Andrea Martinez

Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society — seated: Gregory Hunter, Silpaa Gunabalan, Adriana Fuccillo, Violet Fearon, Maia Farina, Samantha D’Angelo; standing: Grace Jacobsen, Stephen Wolf, Emma Kiely, Husnaat Malik, Ana Malfa, Gwen Whelan; not pictured: Riley Kennedy, Eddie Tu

National French Honor Society — Marc Darmohraj, Sydney Shulman-Arno, Sophie Rapley, Khansaâ Houlbi, Mary Kate Crowe, Kamelle Cortez, Charles McPhee; not pictured: Olivia Wislocki

National Italian Honor Society — Joseph Trudo, Raquel Sammartano, Nolan McAndrew, Jillian Labruzzo, Vincent Ferraiuolo, Bianca Balducci

National Spanish Honor Society — front: Sonja Meberg, Margaux Procell, Silpaa Gunabalan, Seher Hussain, Ana Malfa, Bridget Bonanni, Emma Kiely, Samantha D’Angelo; back: Husnaat Malik, Eddie Tu, Tirdod Behbehani, Michael Bloom, Philip Rountry, Jeremy Stone, Michael Grom, Omeed Ansari

3rd Annual Eighth Grade Writing Contest: Author Joe Wallace, co-sponsor of the contest along with The Village Bookstore, posed with winners Emma Carty, Anu Subramanya, Owen Stone, Michael Promisel, and Alexandra Viceroy. Not pictured: Paige Sauther

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School News

National Merit NewsLaura Chapman and Sophie Dora Tulchin have each been awarded a National M e r i t $ 2 5 0 0 Scholarship. A total of 2,500 winners are named in every state, in numbers based on the state’s percentage of the nation’s graduating high school seniors. Another 4,900 Merit

Scholarships are awarded by colleges and corporations. Laura also has been selected as a semifinalist in the Presidential Scholars Program.

Laura Chapman

Sophie Dora Tulchin

Henry Cunniffe, Violet Fearon, Eddie Tu, Jacob Fischer

Henry Cunniffe, Violet Fearon, Jacob Fischer, and Eddie Tu are among the 50,000 juniors who achieved a Selection Index score of 209 or above on the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test given in October 2015. In September 2016, about 16,000 from this select group will be named National Merit Program Semifinalists, representing the top scorers in each state; approximately 34,000 will be designated Commended Students.

Winter Varsity AwardsBoys’ Basketball. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team. All League: Mi-chael Manley, Patrick McPhee. All Conference: Michael Manley.Girls’ Basketball. NYS Scholar/Athlete Team. All League: Aman-da Skopetos.Boys’ Indoor Track. All League: Will Blasdell (4x800), Drew Dorfl inger (3200m, 1600m, 4x800), Eric Hughes (55m, 300m,600m), JC Yahia (1000m, 4x800), Phil Yahia (4x800). State Qualifier: Drew Dorflinger, Eric Hughes. Wrestling. All Section: Len Balducci, Henry Cunniffe, Luis Quintanilla. All League: Omeed Ansari, Len Balducci, Doug Crocitto, Henry Cunniffe, Carlos DeJesus, Victor Perlleshi, Luke Pregia to , Luis Quintani l la , Sebastian Senande. State Qualifier: Luis Quintanilla.

Eleven Will Play College SportsEleven seniors will continue their athletic careers on college teams, the largest number since Athletic Director John Bauerlein began at PHS, if not ever. Some have signed Letters of Intent and will receive full or partial scholarships. All are excited to be playing at the college level.

Above: Jack Drillock (Lacrosse, Siena), Eric Hughes (Track, SUNY Binghamton), Nicole DiFabio (Lacrosse, Catholic University), Samantha Sicignano (Softball, NYU), Aidan McDermott (Golf, Lafayette College), Drew Marino (Baseball, Polk Jr. College), Dillon Hickey (Cycling, Savannah College of Art & Design), Ben Marshak (Football, Oberlin), Hayden McBride (Lacrosse, Walsh University). Right: Drew Dorflinger (Cross Country, Bucknell), Remi Manna (Soccer, Bryant)

Author! Author!Junior Violet Fearon added to her 2016 Scholastic Art and Wri t ing Awards , receiving a Gold Key (Regional award) and Gold Medal (National award) in

the novel writing category. This brings her total awards in the Scholastic competition to 3 Gold Keys, 2 Silver Keys, 2 Honorable Mentions, an American Voices medal (short story), and a Gold Medal (novel).

Violet also is the 2016 New York State Level 3 (grades 9-12) win-ner in the Letters About Literature competition with her letter to Anne Frank, which now has advanced to the national competition. Violet will be among those honored at the New York State Writers Hall of Fame Induction Gala on June 7 in New York City.

Violet Fearon

A Sampling of Events from February—April

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Over 100 students were involved in the 5th & 6th grade musical, My Son Pinocchio, directed by BRS music teacher Katherine Hughes with the assistance of MS teachers Hillary Johnson and Dorian Nuccio and the many MS PTA volunteers.

Second graders utilized math concepts during Math Mania, a morning of hands-on activities offered by the BRS PTA. This activity involved liquid measurements.

About 50 Pace athletes were guest readers at BRS’s Read Across America Day, a national celebration of Dr. Seuss’s birthday.

“Can you hear me now?” Students displayed their projects at the annual Fourth Grade Science Fair.

First graders engaged in activities involving cardinal directions (above), geometry, and pitch during Explorations, a BRS PTA program.Left: Wellness Day at BRS — a special 1/2 day program for 3rd & 4th graders on healthy habits — included this fun fitness activity.Below: Carousel was PHS’s musical production, which involved the time, efforts, and talents of a multitude of students, staff, and volunteers. (Photo: Photo Works)

All Middle School students took part in Holistic Energy Day sessions that explored Mindfulness (Tibetan Sound Bowl, above), Cardio, Yoga, Energy, Kindness, and Gratitude.

Remember…May 27 — Schools Closed

(Unused Snow Day)

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Board & District News

Tenure GrantedThe following faculty members were granted tenure at the May 3 Board meeting: special educa-tion teachers Rosemary Brown (PHS), Shannon Cunnane (BRS), and Donna Gavagan (MS); school counselor Susan Leyden (MS); and school administrator Donald Marra (MS Assistant Principal).

BOE Withdraws from NYSSBAAt its April 5 meeting, the Board of Education approved a resolution to withdraw its membership from the New York State School Boards Asso-ciation (NYSSBA). Based on its ex-perience with NYSSBA, the Board believes that NYSSBA “does not represent the interests of all school districts in New York State,” “does not advocate for fair and equitable distribution of educational state aid,” and “refuses to be transparent regard-ing its funding streams with its dues paying members and often seems to support legislative ideas contrary to local school boards’ interests.”

Board members have been un-happy for a while with NYSSBA’s responses to issues such as state funding disbursements, teacher evaluations, and Common Core. Although Pleasantville received an increase in state aid this year, it was primarily due to additional building aid and the end of the Gap Elimination Adjustment; there was no increase in Foundation Aid, which is supposed to be distributed to all public school districts based on a formula. NYSSBA’s response was that the total amount of aid had increased and it wasn’t concerned about how it was being distributed.

In discussing the withdrawal from NYSSBA with the Journal News, Board president Shane Mc-Gaffey said the Board would put its NYSSBA membership fee — about $9,000 annually — toward other efforts in the Westchester-Putnam counties region. “If we’re going to spend it, why don’t we spend it in a

way that we have more control and so we can be more effective with the message…we’re charged with getting the best bang for our buck for our community and we haven’t been getting any bang.”

Women’s History Month

The Westchester County Board of Legislators honored Superin-tendent Mary Fox-Alter and two other women during its Women’s History Month celebration on March 7, 2016.

Legislator Margaret Cunzio presented the award to Mrs. Fox-Alter in recognition of her accom-plishments as an educator and for her community service. She also proclaimed March 8, 2016, as “Mary Fox-Alter Day” throughout Westchester County.

Legislator Cunzio & Mrs. Fox-Alter

New Staff MemberE m i l y We i s s (B.S. in Visual Arts and B.S. in Visual Arts E d u c a t i o n , S U N Y N e w Paltz) joined the Middle School

faculty on February 29. She replaced art teacher Grace Lee, who moved with her family to California.

Grace Lee & Emily Weiss

Losing for a CauseBRS teacher Patty Metzing organized a TAP (Teachers’ As-sociation of Pleas-antville) Biggest Loser contest that would encourage healthier eating hab-

its and raise money for the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. The contest was a big success: 27 par-ticipants lost a total of 388 pounds and raised over $2000. The money was donated to the hospital in memory of Mrs. Metzing’s niece Elizabeth Perrotti, PHS Class of 2011. Elizabeth spent much of her 20 years at Maria Fareri due to a congenital heart problem.

Elizabeth Perrotti

The Board of EducationPresidentShane McGaffey (409-3487)pleasantboard6@gmail.comVice PresidentAngela Vella (769-5729)pleasantboardav@gmail.comMembersLarry Boes (773-1882)pleasantboardlb@gmail.comLouis Conte (773-1532)pleasantboard7@gmail.comEmily Rubin Persons (747-0136)pleasantboardep@gmail.comSuperintendent of Schools Mary Fox-AlterDistrict Websitewww.pleasantvilleschools.comBoard Meetings and School Closings: 741-1460Editor / PhotographerJulie Schwartz

Board of EducationPleasantville Union Free School District60 Romer AvenuePleasantville, New York 10570

NONPROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDWHITE PLAINS, NYPERMIT NO. 7046

MS Science Olympiad Team: 1st in Lower Hudson, 7th in NYS

In four short years, the Middle School Science Olym-piad team has gone from”Best New Team” to first place at the regional competiton and from 15th to 7th in the state.

Twenty-nine teams (15 students max/team) from 19 middle schools participated in 20 challenges at the Lower Hudson Regional competition in February.

Pleasantville fielded two teams that finished 1st and 18th in the rankings, received a total of 19 medals, and earned a spot in the New York State finals in Syracuse.

The state-level competition consists of 36 teams (only one per school) and 25 different challenges drawn from biology, physics, earth science, and engineering. This year, Pleasantville’s team members participated in all 25 challenges, placing among the top 9 in eleven and medaling in these seven: Air Trajectory, 2nd place, Leif Martens-Wallace and Grant Becker; Reach for the Stars, 3rd place, Riik Acharya and Ava Portmore; Crave the Wave, 5th place, Riik Acharya and Ella Furniss; Crime-Busters, 6th place, Katerina Gusarova and Ian Cotter; Elastic Launch Glider, 6th place, Katerina Gu-sarova and Lucas Lee; Optics, 6th place, Ella Furniss and Abhaya Ravikumar; Wind Power, 6th place, Ella Furniss and Abhaya Ravikumar.

The program is an activity overseen by Extended Learning/Curriculum Coordinator Melissa Brown and by volunteers Drs. Martha and Chuck Matteo, who sparked its creation. Volunteers from the community serve as coaches in their areas of expertise. They were joined this year by three High School freshmen who participated in the program as middle schoolers. The program also receives support from the Middle School PTA and the Pleasantville Friends of STEM.

Row 1: Wes Coleman, Ben Hahn, Ian Cotter, Georgia Peters, Anushka Sundar, Abigail Lee, Ava Portmore, Aiden Matano;Row 2: Dr. Martha Matteo, Nicholas Vines, Peter Pueyo, Ethan Spanierman, Michael Gordon, Coby Nunberg, Jordan Rosen, Grant Becker; Row 3: Kyle Largey, Nevan Lewis, Riik Acharya, Ella Furniss, Katerina Gusarova, Maya Sauthoff, Abhaya Ravikumar; Row 4: Coaches Helen Meurer & Libby Brennesholtz, Anu Subramanya, Aidan Lynch, Lucas Lee, Leif Martens-Wallace; Row 5: Coaches Allen Wallace, James Coleman, Dr. C. Matteo, Bob Hughes, Julia Goodman (PHS); Not Pictured: James Blasdell and 12 more coaches.