schooltalk...schooltalk eastchester school district dear eastchester families, the month of...
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SchoolTalkE A S T C H E S T E R S C H O O L D I S T R I C T
Dear Eastchester Families,
The month of September was highlighted by successful and well-attended open houses in our five schools. These open-ing weeks have flown by quickly and we find ourselves both literally and figuratively “off and running.” The fall newsletter is replete with interesting and exciting information that captures the richness of our K-12 programs across many learning and experiential dimensions.
In my report to the Board of Education and community on September 27, I noted that 2015-2016 was a banner academic year for the District. It was a year that saw a presti-gious high ranking of Eastchester High School by Newsweek Magazine; the designation of the High School by the State Education Department as a Reward School; and collective grades 3-8 state assessment scores placing Eastchester UFSD among the highest performing districts in this region. It was a year that included our first online learning suite of courses; our first high school sponsored college visitations; a signifi-cantly lowered high school student to counselor ratio; a new STEM Lab at Anne Hutchinson; the cultivation of Greenvale school spirit initiatives; and new coding and STEM activities infused in classrooms from kindergarten through 12th grade.
A new school year provides the occasion to build on these gains and continue our mission of increased rigor and achievement. To that end, I share with you some key goals for the 2016-2017 school year:
• Building leadership capacity among our new principals• Leading a comprehensive student health, safety and well ness initiative through a multi-faceted series of programs• Regularly informing the community of the status of the high school bond as it progresses from SED review to ground-breaking during the year• Fostering a spirit of creativity and innovation in our schools and showcasing these innovative practices at Board of Education meetings• Articulating the instructional possibilities and advances that our improved technology infrastructure will make possible in our schools• Improving communication in the management of district facilities and the delivery of maintenance services
We undertake this important work with a highly talented faculty and staff; with the enthusiasm and joy of the best students one could ever ask for; with the support and com-mitment of our Board of Education; and with the trust and confidence of our parents and community. Together we are part of an extraordinary team whose limits are only what we believe them to be. As we face these exciting challenges and opportunities, let us dare to be extraordinary!
Dr. Walter MoranSuperintendent of Schools
Fall 2016
w w w.eastchesterscho ols.org
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National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists Four EHS students were named among the 16,000 semifinalists in the 62nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Pictured, from left, are Daniel Mancusi, Andy Zhu, Hiroko Abe and Minna Y. Kimura-Thollander.
Of the 1.6 million juniors (now seniors) that entered the contest, less than one percent of the contestants qualified as semifinalists. The program literature states, “These aca-demically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million that will be offered next spring.”
EHS Appoints New Assistant PrincipalMr. Joe DiMaio has been appointed as Assistant Principal of Eastchester High School, replacing Mr. Chris Fiore who has taken a position as princi-pal in a high school on Long Island. Mr. DiMaio was born in Canada and was raised in Tuckahoe, where he lived for 36 years.
A graduate of Tuckahoe High School, Mr. DiMaio attended Bloomsburg University, majoring in Economics. He then went on to earn his Master’s Degree in Education from Iona College and an Educational Administrative Degree from the College of St. Rose. He started his career in education as a social studies teacher in New York City and then became Assistant Principal for Security. In 2008, he was appointed as Assistant Principal at Valley Central High School in Montgomery, NY, where he worked for eight years. He said that it has long been a dream to be able to work and give back to the community that was able to do so much for him, adding, “I consider Tuckahoe, Bronxville and Eastchester all one, but with their own uniqueness.”
Exciting New Middle School Course Parents and educators agree that improving children’s thinking skills is essential if they are going to succeed in competing in a global environment. To address this goal, Eastchester Middle School has introduced a new course for 8th grade students called Problem Solving. Teachers John Blaser and Mary Ann Bernarducci focus on develop-ing critical and creative thinking, research, inquiry and problem-solving skills. They use several programs to foster these skills, including the Future Problem Solving Program, the CoRT (Cognitive Research Trust) Thinking Skills Program, Brainology
Program and the Philosophy for Children Program. Students are provided with opportunities to develop a broader and more comprehensive view of situations – exploring and considering multiple factors, viewpoints and perspectives. They are encouraged learn to think more broadly and in a more balanced way. They also learn to improve decision making, idea generation skills, and organizational ability.
Google Training for Teachers The successful Google Fellowship program for teachers is now in its sec-ond year. The Fellowship Program is a comprehensive and deep immer-sion into the Google Applications for Education. Teachers accepted into the program, taught by a Google-Certified instructor, agree to a multi-year commitment and create a “Google Classroom” with their students.
The program familiarizes teachers with various applications available through Google that can be integrated into the classroom. Fellows also agree to provide support to their colleagues during the school year.
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9/11 Commemoration Current high school freshman are the first generation of American students who were not alive when the attacks on the United States occurred on Sep-tember 11, 2001. Even older high school students were likely too young to comprehend or remember the events of the day.
In commemoration of the 15th anniversary, Eastchester High School invited Eileen Forbes-Watkins, a docent from the 9/11 Memorial Museum, to speak with students in conjunction with the museum’s outreach program, Anniversa-ry in the Schools. This program offers lessons about the events of 9/11, with a focus on the importance of remembering the attacks through personal objects and stories. The interactive lesson incorporated an artifact, as well as audio clips and images, from the museum’s collection of those actually involved in the 9/11 attacks. Students in the classes of Ms. Molinari, Mr. Borys, Ms. Chazen, Mr. Leddy, Ms. Vitale and Ms. Kelly participated in the presentation which was organized by Ms. Molinari.
High School Players Club Fall Comedy What would you do if you were writing a story and the characters in your head started appearing in the flesh? That is the hilarious premise of this year’s EHS Fall Comedy, “Out of Sight....Out of Murder” by Fred Carmichael.
The plot? Mystery writer Peter Knight has been sent on a deadline to a gloomy Victorian house to complete his latest thriller. After a large lightning strike, the char-acters in his book seem to start showing up in the flesh. Constant laughs follow as Peter tries to determine if he has gone insane, or if this is really happening.
On the same bill, the club is also presenting the Jim Gustafson’s ten minute come-dy, “Bank Withdrawal Symptoms,” in which a bank robbery is constantly interrupted by side conversations and helpful suggestions.
Almost 40 cast and crew are involved in the production. Rehearsals, led by Director John Gwardyak, started in September.
Performances are Friday, November 18th and Saturday, November 19th at 7:00pm. Tickets are $7.00 for students, $9.00 and are only available at the door.
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Elementary STEMWhile science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) may not, at first glance, see like elementary level subjects, STEM teaching and learning does indeed begin with our youngest learners. At all of the District’s elementary schools, students are engaged in STEM learning, beginning in kindergarten at the Waverly School.
STEM is integrated into the curriculum. For example, kindergarten teacher Joanne Casey utilized the beloved classic, The Three Little Pigs, to encour-age students to discuss and collaborate on how to build a structure strong enough to withstand the huffing and puffing of the “Big Bad Wolf.”
Using a teamwork approach, children worked with a box of materials to create a sturdy building within a set time limit. The students proceeded diligently, planning how to approach the project, with much trial and error before coming up with the final result.
In Greenvale, students in Cindy Tolomeo’s second grade class read the same story and also explored STEM, using the Makerspace concept to con-struct a fourth house that would withstand the huffing and puffing, with Mrs. Tolomeo’s “Big Bad Hairdryer” standing in as the wolf! Working at a more advanced level, the children chose their own materials (tape, candy DOTS, rubber bands, and yarn), and then reviewed which were most effective in creating a sturdy structure.
At Anne Hutchinson, teachers reserve time in the new STEM lab to work on student projects that are aligned to the Common Core standards. Teacher Donna Biondi used vehicle building sets to encourage students to create vari-ous means of transportation using materials supplied in the manipulative kits. Using real photographs as a guide, students applied design and engineer-ing skills to construct working vehicles. They raced their vehicles and made design modifications after the test run.
Senior Citizens - Save the Date! The annual Anne Hutchinson Breakfast and
Concert for the Town’s senior citizens will be held on Friday, December 9 at 9:00am.
The snow date is December 16.
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Peer Mentors Anne Hutchinson and Greenvale run a Social Skills Peer Mentor program every year. Now in its fifteenth year, the program links general education peer mentors with students (mentees) who may be having difficulty communicating with others. A mentor is trained to provide support and encouragement to a child who may struggle with fitting into the school social environment. Mentors become generous, helpful and patient friends to other students.
At the Anne Hutchinson School, the mentors attend a weekly working lunch meeting facilitated by Colette Donato and Diane Stroud (pic-tured) where they participate in a lesson that is tailored to give them tools to support successful interactions with their mentees. Student mentors are then paired with student mentees to play with at recess. Both mentees and mentors socialize, form friendships, build self-esteem and gain confidence. Everyone benefits from the program!
Facilities and Bond Update The first visible component of the High School Bond project was completed this summer with the installation of a new roof on the 1984 High School Gymnasium. Final architectural paperwork, drawings and specifications for the high school additions and renovations were submitted to the State Education Department (SED) on July 31, 2016. SED will conduct a meticulous review of these plans for sev-eral months. The favorable completion of that review will enable the district to bid the project, hopefully in the spring, and begin the major work after the bids are awarded. It is anticipated that the auditorium renovation will begin during the summer of 2017.
Another exciting development this summer was the installation of the outdoor bleachers and press box which now completes the High School/Middle School field facility. It was finished in time for a ribbon cut-ting ceremony on Homecoming weekend. This project was funded largely by money from many individual donors, a grant from the NFL Grasssroots Foundation, and major contributions from the Eastchester Youth Soccer Association and Mario Gabelli, founder of GAMCO Investors.
Eastchester Excellence
Finding the Right College Navigating the college search and application process can be a daunting challenge. To assist high school students, and their parents, in the search process, the High School Counseling Department runs several trips a year to visit colleges and universities in the northeast. In September, Counseling Department Chair Heather Reilly and Counselor Marcos Monteagudo took 28 students to visit the SUNY New Paltz campus and Marist College. Students were able to meet with EHS graduates on both campuses.
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Summer Reading Once Again a Big Success!Once again, our elementary school summer reading program was a tremendous success. Children in our three elementary schools read hundreds of thousands of pages this summer. Students who read the greatest number of pages on each grade level, in each school, joined Dr. Moran, Dr. Hattar, and the school principal for a pizza lunch celebration.
EHS Ranks Among Top US SchoolsNewsweek Magazine ranks Eastchester High School among the top 500 schools across the nation. EHS came in at No. 194. It had a 99.6 percent graduation rate, with 95.1 percent of its students college-bound. http://www.newsweek.com/high-schools/americas-top-high-schools-2016
School Board Recognition Week Eastchester joins all public school districts across the state to cel-ebrate School Board Recognition Week (October 24-28) to honor local board members for their commitment to the Eastchester School District and its children.
Pictured above, from left, are the School Board trustees for the 2016-2017 school year: (standing) Rob Summer, Willa Brody, Dave Carforo, Steven Projansky, Vito Catania and (sitting) Sally Veltidi, Mary Messner Martin, Michelle Kissel, Dr. Cheryl Smith.
Dr. Moran HonoredThe Giuseppe Garibaldi Lodge has named Superintendent Dr. Walter R. Moran III, Ed.D., as the 2016 Man of the Year. The 12th annual dinner in October celebrates Italian Culture and Heritage by honoring local individuals for their various accom-plishments in their chosen fields of endeavor and for their dedication to the commu-nity. This year’s Man of the Year is being honored for his leadership and commit-ment to the children of the Eastchester School District previously as Middle School Principal, and currently, as Superintendent of Schools.
School District NewsIf you are a community member without children in the schools or if your last child has graduated, you can still get district news! Stay aware of news, school closings and upcoming community events. Send an e-mail to [email protected] and you will be added to the resident e-mail list.
Board Student Representatives The 2016-2017 student representatives to the Board of Educa-tion are senior Tereza Shkurtaj, returning for a second year, and junior Adam Ginsburg who was recently appointed. The stu-dents will attend all board meetings and report to the board and the community on school events and activities.
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From the Alumni Association The EAA is looking for board members/volunteers to help us continue our growth. We have quarterly meetings and we run 1-2 events a year in addition to the bi-annual Hall of Fame Induction dinner. This person need not be alum of Eastchester, but someone who shares our passion for celebrating the district’s staff, students and contributions to the community to which its value is closely aligned. The Eastchester Alumni Association has almost 1,300 mem-bers on Facebook and a large email distribution list. We resurrected the Hall of Fame in 2015. We have started a yearly “Alumni Night” which is attended by Alumni as well as Eastchester Staff. We are also excited to report that we have just received our 501(c3) status with the IRS. This will allow us to solicit tax deductible donations. If you are interested in helping us out (in any capacity), please email us at [email protected] and let’s talk! Please Email us at [email protected] for more information. Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/eastchesteralumniAre you planning a reunion? Send the details to [email protected] and we will post in our Facebook group and our next Newsletter blast.
Eastchester 5K RunThe annual Eastchester 5K run was a big success. The Eastchester 5K Committee will present the Eastchester Music Boosters with a check for $16,000. All funds received will be used to benefit the Eastchester School District music program.
Alumni NewsJared Gordon, EHS ’98, has two screenplays that are 2nd round selections (top 15%) at the Austin Film Festival. He received his bachelor’s degree from New York University and his master’s degree from Hollins University. He is currently working at DeSales University as an assistant professor of TV/Film.
Buddy Bench in Honor of Lily Love As many of you know, we lost one of our beloved Greenvale 2nd grade students, Lily Love, last April. In memory of Lily, the Eastchester community has donated funds to purchase Buddy Benches for the District’s three elementary schools to honor Lily’s spirit of inclusivity while having a positive impact on other children. A Buddy Bench is a specially marked bench in the playground recess area. If children are lonely, bored or uncertain about approaching other children at recess, they can sit on the bench, giving a sign to others that they are interested in being asked to participate or just sit and talk. This gift to the schools embodies Lily’s caring and loving nature, since she was quick to reach out to others and made sure that all children were included in an activity. The first bench will be dedicated with a ceremony at Greenvale this fall.
Eastchester Excellence
Faculty NewsEHS science and theater teacher Alex Fletcher participated in a summer institute funded by the National Endow-ment for the Humanities. He was one of 25 teachers chosen during a nationwide selection process to participate in Scholarship and Performance: A Combined Approach to Teaching Shakespeare’s Plays.
Mr. Fletcher is a long time theater educator and technician. He has been working in Eastchester since 2011, and in addition to teaching the Theater Arts elective at EHS, is the director of the Eastchester Middle School Players Club. Mr. Fletcher’s theatrical career extends beyond the academic sphere, and he regularly works as a stage manager with professional theater companies in NYC.
Science teacher Hilary Beirne, Chairman of the NYC St. Patrick’s Day Foundation, was the Guest of Honor at the Aisling Irish Community Center in Yonkers in September. The center is known for its work with the needy.
Date and TimeOct. 247:00pmNov. 287:00pmDec. 57:00pmJan. 127:00pmFeb. 277:00pmMar. 207:00pmApr. 247:00pmMay 17:00pm
Topic
Wellness Kickoff EventThe Rise and Fall of a Bas-ketball Star: Chris HerrenThe Adolescent Brain Under Stress: Dr. Michael Nerney
New Year, New You
A Parent’s Story of Tragedy and Loss: Salomone FamilyHidden in Plain Sight: Jermaine Galloway
Prom Safety
Smart Choices During the Summer Months and After High School: Dr. Michael Nerney
SchoolTalkE A S T C H E S T E R S C H O O L D I S T R I C T
Save These Dates!
The Eastchester School District is proud to present a comprehensive program of study that will provide students, members of our school community, and our community at-large, with important information in combatting substance abuse and promoting overall wellness. As a school district, we strive to be leaders in our community and region in promoting substance abuse awareness and prevention strategies.
We have designed a program that focuses on varied aspects of wellness and substance abuse, from multi-ple perspectives. We will offer a series of evening pre-sentations by nationally and internationally renowned speakers. We encourage ALL parents, district employ-ees and community members to attend. Please join us in our efforts and attend as many sessions as you are able. Some speakers will also address our secondary level students during school assemblies.
The keynote speaker for November is former NBA Boston Celtics player Chris Herren, the author of Basketball Junkie, his story of how alcohol, cocaine, painkillers and heroin derailed his personal and profes-sional life. We are excited to have Mr. Herren share his very emotional and inspiring story with our students and community.
Eastchester UFSD Promoting Wellness and Substance Abuse Prevention
Eastchester Boardof Education
Eastchester UnionFree School District 580 White Plains Rd
Eastchester, NY 10709914-793-6130
President Michelle Kissel Vice President Robert Summer Secretary David Carforo Trustee Willa Brody Trustee Vito Catania Trustee Mary Messner Martin Trustee Steven ProjanskyTrustee Dr. Cheryl SmithTrustee Sally Veltidi
Dr. Walter R. Moran IIISuperintendent of Schools
Non Profit OrgU.S. Postage
PaidPaterson, N.J.
Permit No. 1225