District Assesses "Off and Away" Smartphone Policy in Schools

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Written by Sharon Higgins

Category: Parenting

Published: 24 November 2024

Technology and in particular smartphones are not going away. However from the SHS/SMS joint presentation on November 20, “Phone Smart: How Can We Support our Youth in the Smartphone Era?” itis possible that future Scarsdale students will benefit from a policy that will have them putting their phones away from “bell to bell”.

The evening’s panel discussion, with an introduction made by Scarsdale Schools Superintendent Drew Patrick, highlighted the impact smartphones and social media have in our classrooms. Patrick talked about the challenges of smartphones and how “living” with technology and smartphone use would need to be a partnership between teachers, students and parents. He presented a short video taken at a conference this summer addressing this issue with Governor Hochul, various New York state teachers organizations representatives and students from across the state who gave soundbites on the harm smartphones have on students of all ages. Patrick noted that the surgeon general claims 95% of 13-17 year olds report using social media. And what that really means is that these kids are constantly getting beeped and buzzed throughout the day urging them to look and respond to a small screen that is attached to them at the hip.

Governor Hochel supports a “bell to bell” ban (8am-3pm) on all personal internet devices and feels it should be uniformity from class to class. Currently there is an Off and Away school policy in Scarsdale. For elementary school, children's phones and smart watches ideally should not be brought to school at all but if necessary, they should be turned off and put away in their backpacks. At Scarsdale Middle School, smart watches do not need to be put away but phones are left off and away in lockers. At the high school, students enter each class and place their phones in the phone caddy at the entrance of the class to be picked up at the end of class on their way out at the end of the period.

SHS English teacher Jennifer Rosensweig, helps to lead the district on the current school policies on smartphone use. At the meeting, she invited a panel of SMS and SHS students and faculty to discuss their opinions on smartphones and social media and their effects in the school setting. Rosensweig insists that both her experiences and observations as a teacher at SHS and the many studies she has researched over the years, technology has a negative impact on students.

She explained that in 2015 she started noticing a drop off in reading ability which led her to start looking at data on screentime of the adolescent mind. Since then it has been “a long journey of research”. She states that “the research is so strong, we can’t look away”. She refers to her personal experience with over 1,500 students where she has seen a difference in concentration, sleep habits and even an increase in anxiety. Students are now starting to ask for help with this issue. As a member of the SHS wellness committee that implemented the start of the phone caddy systems last year, she has received reports from teachers that the program has given them back their classrooms. Rosensweig says phone caddies “make a difference but not enough”. She adds that it is not realistic to eliminate smartphones altogether; however each student needs seven hours a day without pings and buzzes calling out to them.

As each of the student and teacher panelists were asked questions by Drew Patrick on their personal smartphone use, it was very clear from their answers that nobody thinks it’s a good idea to have smartphone access during the school day. One student commented that a “phone cleanse makes my day better. I can think better and just do more”. Another said that “without the phone it felt mentally refreshing. I can enjoy my classes, clear my mind during the day and have great conversations at lunch with my friends”. One student admitted that she “goes straight on it after class in the hallway and is on it the whole walk to my next class. I don’t even look up”. Rosensweig inserted that in her research she found that students “need down time between classes to absorb the information just taught and if they look at a screen that information is immediately lost”.

At one point a student exclaimed that smartphone use “is an addiction. I get a craving to be on it”. Having phones in the phone caddies this past year and a half, teachers have seen some real progress. In fact, one teacher commented that there has been “an enormous reduction in bathroom trips and they are far quicker”. Rosensweig also cautions us to be wary of “hyperbolic language for the threat of an emergency when students feel obliged to answer texts from parents.” She added that ipads and laptops also have social media messaging. A math teacher commented that in her class, she doesn’t really need technology except to submit scanned homework which takes all of 60 seconds. However, she does notice that when she returns tests at the end of class there is a mad student dash to retrieve their phones. She informs her students they don’t need to use their phones to calculate their grade percentages! There was definitely a chuckle or two from the audience here. But her story relates to Rosensweig’s comment that this is “not a children’s problem to solve”. Recognizing this, the district's Technology Department has been working very hard to figure out a balance between the technology smartphone use in the school and also how teachers use technology in the classroom.

The last question directed to the members of the panel was, “If you could change something why and what would you do?” Overwhelmingly the panel asked for a “more unified effort to keep phones off and away”. Rosensweig’s last words were of gratitude to be at this event and though she would like to see more progress, she believes we have come a long way already. She is glad that the community is talking more honestly about this and reiterated that kids deserve a more communicative and cooperative learning experience.

Drew Patrick closed the evening discussion with information on the Bell to Bell without phones program implemented in the Bethlehem Central School District. In this school district phones brought to school go in Yondr pouches and are sealed up as they enter school. The pouches demagnetize the phones in the sealed pouch. As the students leave for the day they unlock the pouch at exit stations to retrieve their phones from the pouches.

The Yondr pouches caused a change in social student connectedness. Drew Patrick sees the smartphone policy as a partnership between the schools and parents. “We can’t do this alone” he stated. “There is not a big solution” at the moment but he is hopeful for “a discussion for future dialog.”

Last, he directed parents who would like help with conversations with their children about smartphone use to the Scarsdale Family Forum pages. The Scarsdale Family Forum was designed and supported by the district’s Technology Department to help parents, teachers and administrators to start discussions on challenging issues.

15 Great Books on the Gift List at Bronx River Books

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Written by Mark Fowler

Category: Arts and Entertainment

Published: 29 November 2024

A book is a holiday gift you can open again and again. Jessica Kaplan and Mark Fowler, owners of the local independent bookstore, Bronx River Books at 37 Spencer Place in Scarsdale Village, recommend these season’s readings:

Percival Everett is surely having his moment. Last year’s Academy-Award-nominated film American Fiction was based on Everett’s novel Erasure. And this year, James, his satirical and terrifying response to Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, will deservedly make many 10 Best lists. It’s eminently readable and worthy of discussion – the perfect book group choice.

Doris Kearns Goodwin’s An Unfinished Love Story revisits the memorable events in the Kennedy, Nixon, and LBJ years, as the much-admired historian recounts her husband’s and her own “we-were-there” stories. Those who avoid history because they fear it may be too dry should make a point of reading this vivid account of the 1960s.

Easily the buzziest novel of the year is All Fours by Miranda July, a droll, explicit, adulterous romp about midlife reinvention. The protagonist, a quirky “semi-famous” artist, plans a cross-country LA-to-NYC road trip, which abruptly ends in a nondescript motel room in a Southern California suburb just a few miles from her point of departure, where she pursues sexual and creative freedom. The prim and proper reader should beware.

Another funny, shocking novel is Rufi Thorpe’s Margo’s Got Money Troubles. Here, too, some readers may be put off by Margo’s occupation (a single mother supporting her baby as an OnlyFans performer), but it’s a book with a good heart and, interestingly, a strong moral compass. Highly praised by the authors Kevin Wilson and Nick Hornby.

The football team at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, a state-run school with only 168 high school students, had endured 51 losing seasons. But suddenly, with a new coach in 2021, it was having an undefeated season. The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory, by Thomas Fuller, dramatically explores “the mechanics and the mysteries of successful teamwork.” A GOAT nonfiction sports book.

Cornelia Funke, the terrific author of three middle school fantasies that began with Inkheart (2005), has finally written a fourth book, an addition to her trilogy, that is well worth the wait. The New York Times calls Inkworld The Color of Revenge “beguiling” and the Kirkus Review says its “a true feast for anyone who has ever been lost in a book.” Her earlier books, Thief Lord and The Dragon Rider series, are delicious as well.

Although Robert Munsch’s classic picture book, The Paper Bag Princess, for children ages four to seven, is not a new tale, its women’s liberationist message remains as important today as it was in 1980, when it was first published: Smart, strong, determined girls can rely on themselves and don’t need saving.

In Leaving, Roxana Robinson writes poignantly about college lovers who reunite decades after marriages to others, families, and careers. A mature, hauntingly memorable novel.

Perhaps 2024’s most discussed and most controversial book on public policy is The Anxious Generation by social psychologist Jonathan Haidt (the co-author of the equally controversial 2018 book The Coddling of the American Mind). Haidt explores the causes of the rising rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide among adolescents, focusing on the decline of play-based childhood and the rise of social media. A must read for parents.

For the reader who is all business, there is the Atlas of Finance, by Dariusz Wojcik, which explicates everything from the emergence of money to today’s high-frequency trading and cryptocurrency with scores of stunning graphics and maps.

House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng is a transporting novel set in colonial Malaysia and South Africa, an exotic tale of love, betrayal, revolution, and redemption. Read it together with the short story "Rain" by Somerset Maugham, who is a character in House of Doors.

At last Americans are discovering Katherine Rundell, the renowned British scholar and writer of children’s literature, that The Washington Post has called “this generation’s Tolkien.” Her new fantasy novel Impossible Creatures is great, but her earlier book for young readers, Rooftoppers may be even better. Rundell is astonishingly multi-talented, also writing adult non-fiction, such as the superb biography of the poet John Donne, Super-Infinite, and this year’s Vanishing Treasures a beautifully written homage to the world’s most extraordinary animals.

Do not read Liz Moore’s thriller God of the Woods while your kids are at summer camp. In Chapter 1, 13-year-old Barbara Van Laar goes missing, and she is not the first child in her family to vanish from her camp in upstate New York. This story will keep you on tenterhooks.

Finally, The Ministry of Time, by Kaliane Bradly, blends history, romance, and sci-fi. A time-travel story with a satisfying twist at the end. And it’s funny: shortlisted for the P.G. Wodehouse award for the year’s best work of comic fiction.

11 Candidates to Run for the 2025 SBNC Nominating Committee

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Category: Shout it Out

Published: 25 November 2024

The School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) election will take place on Wednesday, December 4th, 2024, from 7 – 10 a.m. and 2 – 9 p.m. in the Scarsdale Middle School (SMS) Auditorium Lobby at 134 Mamaroneck Road.

A mail-in ballot is available for those who choose not to vote in person. Mail-in ballots are available to the public in hard copy at Scarsdale Village Hall and the Scarsdale Public Library, and available in electronic form on https://scarsdalesbnc.org/ starting Monday, November 25th, 2024.

Any resident of the school district who is (i) 18 years of age or older; and (ii) a resident of the school district for 30 days prior to the election (November 4, 2024) may vote in the SBNC Election.

Completed mail-in ballots must be sent to: SBNC Administrative Chair, PO Box 172H, Scarsdale, NY 10583, and received in the SBNC P.O. Box no later than 4pm on Tuesday, December 3, 2024.

Residents who are unable to access a ballot by either of these methods may contact the SBNC Administrative Committee Election Chair by email at [email protected] for assistance. For more information about the SBNC, please visit https://scarsdalesbnc.com/.

The School Board Nominating Committee (SBNC) is a committee of residents elected from across the Village for the purpose of nominating candidates to fill vacancies on the Scarsdale Board of Education. Members are elected from each of the five elementary school districts to serve a term of three years on the Nominating Committee and two additional years on the Administrative Committee.

The Administrative Committee would like to encourage all Scarsdale residents to support the SBNC by voting in local elections, considering a candidacy, and making a contribution. The SBNC Administrative Committee runs the annual SBNC elections financed entirely by community support. Any contribution is greatly appreciated. Contributions may be made via Zelle and checks may be made payable to the “SBNC Administrative Committee” and mailed to P.O. BOX 172H, SCARSDALE, NY 10583. For more information please visit https://scarsdalesbnc.org/please-donate/

SBNC Continuing Members (Nominating Committee):

Terms Ending 2025
Edgewood – N/A
Fox Meadow – Kevin Chen, David Kirshenbaum, Susan Lee Greenacres – Arthur Rublin, Molly (Yue) Tu, Jocelyn Zoland Heathcote – Jacob Adlerstein
Quaker Ridge – June (Xun) Deng, Jennifer Simon Tabak

Terms Ending 2026
Edgewood – Shivi Bansal, Mimi Robinson
Fox Meadow – Adam Hellegers
Greenacres – Amadally Hosseinbukus, Lisa Purcell, Kristen Zakierski Heathcote – N/A
Quaker Ridge – Alissa Baum

SBNC Administrative Committee Members (2024-2025): Zachary Altschuler (FM), Treasurer; Sarah E. Bell (TVCC), Resolution Co-Chair; Lauren Hammer Breslow (HE); Kimberly Miller Champlin (HE); Lara Chassin (SNAP); David Fenigstein (GA), Webmaster; Lisa Gans (QR), SBNC Chair; Jennifer Goldfarb (HE); Beth Goldoff (SNAP); Claudia Green (FM); Kerry Hayes (Member at Large); Stephanie Israel (QR); Jon Lemle (SNAP), Resolution Co-Chair; Alan Meizlik (EW); Roger Neustadt (SNAP); Valerie Phillips (EW), Resolution Co-Chair; Stacey Strauss (QR); Christine Weston (EW), Election Chair; Meng Zhang (EW), Election Vice Chair; Anne Bates (EW), SBNC Vice Co-Chair, and Jennifer Zola (FM), SBNC Vice Co-Chair.

For additional information, please contact Christine Weston or Meng Zhang, at [email protected]

Listed below are the candidates from each neighborhood with open seats* along with their biographies:

EDGEWOOD (3 candidates running for 4 positions)

JASON ANDRUS: 2 Taunton Road Length of Residency: 3 years Occupation: Digital Marketing Education: BS, Tulane University Child/Children’s ages: 7, 10
Civic Activities: Cub Scouts
BONING LIU: 45 Jefferson Road
Length of Residency: 6 years
Occupation: Civil Engineer
Education: (not provided)
Child/Children’s ages: 6, 12
Civic Activities: Board of Architectural Review (3 years), PTA Multicultural Committee, STEM Volunteer
NICOLE STERNBERG: 57 Carman Road Length of Residency: 15 years Occupation: Teacher
Education: BA, MA, St. John’s University Child/Children’s ages: 11, 16
Civic Activities: Class parent

HEATHCOTE (4 candidates running for 5 positions)

SIMON LIEBEL: 339 Heathcote Road
Length of Residency: 2.5 years
Occupation: Company Founder & CEO, Entourage Collection Education: BA, MA from Edinburgh University Child/Children’s ages: 8, 11
Civic Activities: Board Member, Think Global School

JOEL STEINHAUS: 53 Brookby Road
Length of Residency: 2.5 years
Occupation: Strategy Consultant
Education: BA, Harvard; MBA, Yale Child/Children’s ages: 10, 12, 14
Civic Activities: Appointed Elections Inspector

CINDY TRUE: 9 Seneca Road
Length of Residency: 3.5 years
Occupation: Real Estate Private Equity Investor
Education: BS, Civil Engineering, Columbia University
Child/Children’s ages: 1, 4, 6
Civic Activities: PULSES Volunteer (Parents United Learning the Special Education System)

CYNTHIA XIAOYUE LI: 8 Lebanon Road
Length of Residency: 2 years
Occupation: Attorney
Education: Georgetown University Law Center Child/Children’s ages: 4, 6
Civic Activities: Heathcote PTA Multicultural Committee FOX MEADOW (3 candidates running for 2 positions)

JEANNIE ADASHEK: 36 Tompkins Road Length of Residency: 5 years Occupation: Stay at home mom Education: St. John’s University Child/Children’s ages: 11, 14
Civic Activities: Fox Meadow PTA President, 2023-2024

DR. ELAINE WAN: 21 Olmsted Road Length of Residency: 2 years Occupation: Cardiologist Education: MIT, Columbia Child/Children’s ages: 5
Civic Activities: (not provided)

WENCHUN WU: 12 Parkfield Road Length of Residency: 5 years Occupation: Property Manager Education: Virginia Tech Child/Children’s ages: 7, 11
Civic Activities: Fox Meadow PTA Treasury Assistant

QUAKER RIDGE (1 candidate running for 3 positions)

JAYE WEISBROD: 3 White Birch Lane Length of Residency: 13.5 years Occupation: Stay at home mom Education: Masters’ Degree Child/Children’s ages: 13, 16
Civic Activities: PTA Scholarship Fund

*Greenacres Neighborhood does not have any open positions this year. Per the resolution, each neighborhood is to be represented by six committee members.

What's in Store for the 2024 Holidays in Scarsdale

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Written by Joanne Wallenstein

Category: The Goods

Published: 26 November 2024

Gold diamond huggies from EF Collection are the ultimate go-to accessory.With just a few weeks until Hannukah and Christmas, now’s the time to shop local for gifts for family, teachers, friends, co-workers and all the people who surround you. This year, before you go online, take a look at what’s in store for you in Scarsdale. Beautiful apparel, jewelry, scents, home décor, books, flowers and food are all steps from home.

We reached out to local business owners for their gift recommendations and here is what they shared. Happy hunting and happy holidays from Scarsdale10583.com.

Holsten Jewelers invites you this holiday season to experience over 100 years of family tradition and craftsmanship. We specialize in engagement rings, custom designs, jewelry repair, watch restoration, Facet Barcelona makes beautiful diamond tennis necklaces and bracelets. See them at Holsten.and more! Finding you the perfect piece, whether a sparkling surprise or a cherished keepsake, is our passion. From our family to yours, we can't wait to make this season unforgettable with jewelry that tells your story.

Holsten Jewelers, 5 Harwood Court, Scarsdale, (914) 472-4554
Tue - Sat 10 AM - 5 PM
Instagram: @holstenjewelers

For a unique shopping experience, shop ROCKS Jewelry Gifts Home in the Golden Horseshoe. Not only do we offer a full service fine and fashion jewelry store including repairs and custom work, we also offer over 50 home and accessories brands. From furniture, art, wallpaper, and lighting, we have it all! And there is no better place to shop for hostess gifts. We have a huge selection of gifts items starting as low as $25.

Rocks jewelry collection at affordable prices. 14K gold starting at $250.Need to accessorize your home and have no idea where to begin? We will come to your home and accessorize, and if you're looking for full-service interior design, we do that too! Enjoy our ROCKS concierge services. Call, email, or go online... and get it delivered right to your door.

Open Monday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm and Sundays 12-4 in December, 1096 ROCKS, Wilmot The Porcelain Diffuser - $100Road, Scarsdale , 914-219-5808

Discover the perfect gifts at I Am More Scarsdale! From cozy texting gloves, stylish scarves, and warm winter hats to faux fur totes, metallic woven clutches, everyday jewelry, candles, and diffusers, we have all of your holiday gifting needs covered!

I Am More’s mission is to empower women to make them feel confident, to support women-owned businesses and designers, and to give back to local and women’s philanthropic organizations. I Am More operates as a philanthropic business, with ownership forgoing a salary in order to donate profits to the organizations that it supports.

I Am More Scarsdale, 6 Spencer Place, Scarsdale, 914-723-6673 (MORE) @iammore.scarsdale

Pamela Robbins is the iconic store is where luxury and lifestyle come together for women of all ages seeking anything from tee-shirts and jeans to an outfit for a special event. Loyal customers and newcomers alike are drawn to Pamela Robbins for Pam’s incredible sense of style and her team of stylists.

Find these and more sweaters, bags, and great looks from heritage brands and contemporary designers at Pamela Robbins, 5 Boniface Circle, Scarsdale. (914) 472-4033.

Nili Lotan Blaise Parker made from an Italian nylon blend with removable faux fur collar at Pamela Robbins.
Victoria Beckham classic chain bag collection.In store for the holidays: The Nili Lotan coat, Victoria Beckham classic chain bag collection. The Elder Statesman alpaca stripe giant scarf.

The Elder Statesman alpaca stripe giant scarf.

Take your holiday decor to the next level with home scent from Scentfluence. Gorgeous seasonal diffusible scent oils and elegant ambient diffusers help scent the season in style. Explore our scent library to discover a scent for every mood, style, and gift, including top brand name authentic hotel scents, candles, reed diffusers, and more (only available at ScentFluence). Enjoy 15% off our winter holiday scent collection and diffusers *in-store only.

Private in-studio scent events are a unique gift for small gatherings of friends or holiday company events. Contact [email protected] 914-338-5070

ScentFluence 22 Harwood Court, Scarsdale | Monday to Friday, 12-5.

Find your Season’s Readings at Bronx River Books, your defiantly independent neighborhood bookshop with 17,000 titles in stock. Hundreds of thousands available within three days by special order. Plus, jigsaw puzzles, mobiles, puppets, greeting cards, stocking stuffers, cultural curiosities, and gift certificates. In-store and online shopping. Bronx River Books, 37 Spencer Place, Scarsdale, 914-420-6396.

Eye Gallery of Scarsdale invites you to check out the latest sunglasses and eyewear for this holiday season! With new styles from Chanel, Celine, Chrome Hearts, Thierry Lasry, Jacques Marie Mage, Barton Perriera and AHLEM eyewear you will never run out of options for holiday gifts this year! And while you’re in town make sure to make an appointment for your annual eye check-up.

Visit their new, elegant location on Boniface Circle in Scarsdale. Renowned for its impeccable service and exclusive collection of premium eyewear, the gallery is dedicated to redefining your optical experience.

Eye Gallery of Scarsdale, 15 Boniface Circle, Scarsdale, (914) 472-2020.

This holiday season, let Eastchester Fish Gourmet cater your holiday celebrations. Their holiday menu includes many of the favorites from our restaurant and more... shrimp cocktail platters, poached salmon platters, specialty platters (pictured), seafood paella, parmesan encrusted cod, lobster, mini crab cakes, baked clams, paella, clam sauce and more. See the holiday menu here. Looking for the perfect gift? Click here to order a Gift Card online -they never expire!

Eastchester Fish Gourmet, 837 White Plains Road, Scarsdale, (914) 725-3450 Eastchester Fish Gourmet:

And for you? The Hair Saloon and Café on Scarsdale Avenue offers hair styling and beauty treatments to help you look your best for the holidays, along with cocktails and coffee to enhance your experience. Danielle Settembre, with over 10 years of experience at Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door and the daughter of restauranteurs, combined her passions to create this unique experience for salon goers.

Enjoy 10% off a service and a complimentary cappuccino/latte or specialty cocktail for your first appointment with us. Make an appointment for haircuts and styling, extensions, color, full body waxing, makeup, and eyebrow/lash specialties with our master stylists and estheticians. The full liquor bar, salon, and spa concept is a one stop shop for all of your beauty needs located on Scarsdale Avenue. Also consider giving gift cards, and the recipients will also get 10% off a service and a free beverage.

Hair Saloon and Café, 862 Scarsdale Avenue, Scarsdale, (914) 881-1233

This year, dress up your home and table with holiday bouquets, centerpieces, Christmas wreaths and custom made topiary trees from the Scarsdale Flower Boutique.

Choose from orchids, star of Bethlehem, stock, ranunculus and colorful flowers for yourself or as gifts for friends. Bring a poinsettia, an orchid or an amaryllis to your holiday gathering.

Click here to see holiday arrangements, starting at $50 for pick up in store, or $75 for same day delivery.

Bouquets start at $50.00 with or with same day delivery ($75). Order soon for Christmas. Call 914-723-0852, order online here or stop by the shop at 7 Harwood Court in the heart of Scarsdale Village.

Not sure what to buy? Then give them a ‘Dale Dollars eGift Card, a community-based digital gift card that makes it fun and easy to keep spending local. Purchase a ‘Dale Dollars eGift Card here to use at any of the participating shops in the neighborhood. With this card, you can write a personal message and send it to family, friends and colleagues via email, text, or physical copy. Recipients can choose to spend it at one of many participating merchants in Scarsdale —or mix it up and spend flexibly at multiple locations.

All-digital and always available on your phone, the ‘Dale Dollars eGift Card is great for the holidays, birthdays, teacher appreciation, coach gifts, or just to show your appreciation to a friend. Now you can give back to the community while you celebrate the holidays and special occasions!

To add your holiday gift suggestions to this guide, email us at [email protected].