Registration Now Open for the Scarsdale Young Writers' Workshop
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Adam Gidwitz, the award-winning author of A Tale Dark & Grimm and In a Glass Grimmly will give the keynote address at the 18th Annual Scarsdale Young Writers' Workshop. The event is for third to fifth graders and is scheduled for Saturday, March 16, from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon at Scarsdale Middle School.
Gidwitz's first novel, A Tale Dark and Grimm, is a New York Times Bestseller and was named one of the best children's books of the year by School Library Journal and Publishers Weekly. His second book, In a Glass Grimmly, was named a best book of the year by Publishers Weekly, the New York Public Library, the Chicago Public Library and School Library Journal, which wrote, "Gidwitz is back with a second book that, if possible, outshines A Tale Dark & Grimm." Mr. Gidwitz, a sought-after visiting author to schools, also will be conducting two interactive "Master Workshops" for students.
In addition, more than 40 top creative professionals from the New York area will be on hand to share their talents. This year, workshop leaders will include an Emmy Award-winning producer, a Grammy-nominated composer, a presidential speechwriter, a congressional advisor, and numerous Scarsdale journalists, authors, educators and entrepreneurs. These experts will help students develop skills in a wide range of media, from writing for radio and television, song composition and public speaking, to criticism, story and character development and the art of the interview.
The Young Writers' Workshop also welcomes cultural partners Writopia Lab (Hartsdale, NY) and Jacob Burns Film Center (Pleasantville, NY). Both will provide teaching artists to 
participate in the event.
As in past years, students will have the opportunity to give back to local communities by donating gently used books at the workshop. Our goal is to collect 2013 books, which will be donated to elementary school libraries in areas affected by Hurricane Sandy.
Registration is now open online at www.youngwritersworkshop.eventbrite.com through February 14. Those who register after February 14 will be charged a $10 late fee and are subject to workshop availability. (Registrations will not be accepted after February 26.)
Register for Scarsdale Little League Spring 2013 Season --Deadline Next Week
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This information was forwarded to us by the Board of Directors of the Scarsdale Little League: While the calendar may still say January, it's time to turn our thoughts to spring and the start of another Scarsdale Little League season. SLL is proud to be the largest independent sports organization in Scarsdale, with nearly 90 teams and 1,200 participants from K-8th grade.
To better coordinate pre-season preparations for preparing coaches, structuring teams, and ordering uniforms, SLL is holding registration and tryouts earlier than in years past, so please register today. Tryouts for 5th – 8th grades will be on Sundays January 27 and February 10 at The Underdome in Mount Vernon .
Registration is now open on www.scarsdalelittleleague.com for SLL's in-house grade-based leagues as well as a slate of selective travel teams for players in grades 5-8, with discounted early registration until January 22, 2013.
Important: Players interested in trying out for Atlantic League or Travel Teams MUST be registered by January 22 (this would apply to interested ball players in 5th – 8th grades).
In-House League
SLL offers in-house leagues available for all players from Kindergarten through 8th grade.
Players in grades Kindergarten through fourth grade will play in leagues exclusively within their own grades. K-2 teams will be organized by elementary school and 3-4 grade teams will include a mix of players from different schools.
Fifth and sixth grade players will play together, separated into two stratified leagues: the Atlantic League (upper league), which requires tryouts; and the Pacific League (lower league). All fifth and sixth grade travel players must play in the in-house league. If you would like to play in the Pacific League, you do not need to attend the tryout but you still need to register for baseball season on the website.
Seventh and eighth grade players will all play together in one non-stratified Junior League. Travel players have the option of playing in the in-house league or not.
Travel Leagues
SLL will have travel opportunities for 5-8 grades. Each travel team will be lead by a professional coach and play teams primarily from Southern Westchester. While the teams' age requirements generally have players of the same grade playing together, the rosters will be filled by merit within the age limitations rather than strict grade adherence. SLL plans to field age-based teams for 11U (11 and under, as of April 30), 12U and 13U. Due to Village of Scarsdale policy, no players under 5th grade are permitted to play in the travel leagues. 5th and 6th grade travel players must also play in the in-house league, while 7th-8th grade travel players may opt-in or opt-out of the in-house Junior League.
Tryouts
SLL will hold two rounds of tryouts to give the players adequate time and opportunities with the professional, unaffiliated evaluators. Tryouts for both the in-house
leagues and travel teams will be held on January 27 and February 10 at the Underdome facility in Mount Vernon. Players interested in playing in the 5-6th grade Atlantic League or joining a travel team are required to attend both tryout sessions. 5-6th graders with last names between A-L will have tryouts between 5:00-6:45; 5-6th graders with last names M-Z will have tryouts from 6:45-8:30, and 7-8th grade tryouts will be from 8:30-10:00.
Sponsorship/Donations
SLL is offering businesses and individuals the opportunity to sponsor teams and/or the League, with proceeds used principally to improve the conditions of the playing fields and other avenues to enhance the program and facilities. Team Sponsorship offers the sponsor his company name on the back of team uniforms, a signed team photo at the end of the season, and an advertisement link on the SLL website. Team Sponsorship costs $250 for K-2nd grade team (Minor League) and $400 for 3-8th grade team (Major League), with a discount for multiple team sponsorship: 2 Minor League teams and 2 Major League teams for $1,200. Additionally, SLL is offering banner-advertising opportunities on our newly-redesigned website, the primary source for scheduling, team communications, and other information throughout the regular season and playoffs. Please visit our website www.scarsdalelittleleague.com and click on the "Sponsor SLL" tab on the left for more information on sponsorship or to simply make a donation to the league. The League thanks you for your generosity.
Registration For Players And Coaches By January 22
The SLL Board of Directors is very proud to offer the Scarsdale community another year of Little League baseball, and the opportunity to have local businesses align themselves with SLL. As always, we remain greatly appreciative to all the parents who volunteer to coach and manage the in-hose leagues, developing the skills and knowledge of the players for a lifetime of enjoying our national pastime. Parents interested in managing, coaching, or simply volunteering to help out their player's team can register with the league while registering their player on the website.
SLL also thanks all the families whose participation in SLL continues to support the success of the largest and most inclusive independent sports offering in Scarsdale. Registration for the 2012 season for all grades is now open on the SLL website through January 22. Late registration after January 22 involves an additional fee, so don't wait to sign up your ballplayers!
We look forward to another successful year of SLL.
The Scarsdale Little League Board of Directors
Social Media and Our Kids
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The Scarsdale PT Council is pleased to announce a timely and informative panel for parents of school-age kids. "Social Media and Our Kids' Online Lives" will take place on January 16th at 7:30pm in the Scarsdale Middle School auditorium.
Experts from the Scarsdale schools will present practical advice to help parents navigate the fast-changing world of social media and the internet. The panel will include Jerry Crisci, Director of Technology at Scarsdale Public Schools, who will offer insights into the technical side; and Deena Paradiso, House Counselor at Scarsdale Middle School, who will address the social and emotional effects of all this online activity on kids.
While studies have shown that there are tangible benefits for kids who use social media—including increased communication and ease of access to information—there can be some real downsides as well. "Social media services, like Facebook, Twitter, and Edmodo, offer students wonderful opportunities to connect and collaborate with others, but parents and students need to understand how to appropriately use these powerful tools," says Crisci. "We look forward to sharing our expertise and experiences with Scarsdale parents in this highly interactive session."
A brief PT Council business meeting will precede the presentation at 7:30pm.
Cyber Bullying: Ask.fm
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ask.fm is a popular social networking website that allows users to anonymously ask questions to other users – and this power starts a conflict. The anonymity seems to inspire the worst in people, leading to posts that are provocative, and obscene. In the past, some posts caused victims of this type of cyber-bullying to commit suicide, including 16-year-old Jessica Laney. Despite this danger of harassment, the website is still frequently used by high school and middle school students.
Ben, a student at Scarsdale Middle School, claims that about 85% of his friends have an account. "ask.fm does have some fun features that let people find out users' interests or funny stories. But, I have seen the site cause problems because of rude comments which is why I avoid the website," he said. ask.fm allows rumors to be quickly spread through the Internet, as well as through schools or towns. "People would say embarrassing things about others that weren't true and would make the person look bad," said Sarah Abbe, another Scarsdale Middle School student who recently deleted her account, "I think the website should be banned because it just isn't safe."
Scarsdale High School students are active on the site as well, often linking their ask.fm accounts to Facebook or Twitter, which allow even more people to view and ask sometimes vulgar questions. "Although the site can fuel bullying, it also promotes honesty," said Lawrence Rosenstadt a Scarsdale High School student, "the bullying part can be prevented if there were no option to ask anonymous questions on the website; I think that should be changed."
The anonymity of the site creates a perfect environment for users to express how they really feel, without the fear of getting caught. "When there is a computer screen between people, exchanging cruel messages is easier because of emotional disconnection," said Jennifer Walker the Co-President of Rockland County Psychological Society and a high school psychologist. Walker advises parents to be aware of their children's activities on the Internet, as some website accounts can lead to harassment. She suggests the best way for parents to be involved is by demanding a password for a child's social networking account. "Cyber bullying is happening a lot... It is a community as well as a parenting issue," she said.
Examples of questions I've come across on different ask.fm accounts:
I'm gonna f*** you with barbed wire and rusty nails
I have one class you and you're so nice and pretty and we should talk!
Would you hook up with Johnny, Michael, or Joe?
Who is the hottest girl in 7th grade?
Can I ask a boy out or does he have to ask me out?
You seem nice and have great style... I want to get to know you better but I'm too scared to talk to you in person.
Are you gay?
Why are you friends with John? He's a loser.
If you were stuck on a deserted island with one person, who would you want it to be?
Stop being so conceited and you're so f******* annoying
Are you a virgin?
I wanna put you in a ocean naked and see crabs bite you
Your girlfriend is disgusting
Would you kiss, f***, or marry Jane, Danielle, or Caroline
Don't listen to the haters!
This article was contributed by Scarsdale High School sophomore Isabel Klein
How to Talk to Your Children About Sexuality
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On Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 7:30 pm, the community is invited for a lecture by The Reverend Debra W. Haffner, author of, From Diapers to Dating: How to Talk to your Children from Birth to Adolescence about Sexuality Issues. Rev. Haffner will touch on Values Exercises to help you identify and communicate your beliefs to your children, Special Issues to advise you on discussing difficult topics, and Teachable Moments to help you recognize opportunities or entry points into a discussion of important issues.
The Reverend Debra W. Haffner is Co-founder and President of Religious Institute, Inc. An ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, she is also the endorsed community minister with the Unitarian Church in Westport, CT. Rev. Haffner was the chief executive officer of SIECUS, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States, from 1988 through May 2000. During her tenure at SIECUS, she created the Religious Declaration on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing; the National Coalition to Support Sexuality Education; the Commission on Adolescent Sexual Health; and the Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education, Kindergarten - Grade Twelve.
Rev. Haffner is the author of several guides for congregations on sexuality as well as two award-winning books for parents: From Diapers to Dating: A Parent's Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Children and Beyond the Big Talk: Every Parent's Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Teens. Her most recent book is What Every 21st Century Parent Needs to Know: Facing Today's Challenges with Wisdom and Heart.
This event is free and open to the public at Westchester Reform Temple, 255 Mamaroneck Road, in Scarsdale, N.Y. For more information: call the temple at 914-723-7727 or visit www.wrtemple.org.
