Spring Ecofest at the Weinberg Nature Center
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The Weinberg Nature Center is hosting their annual Spring Eco-Fest on Sunday, May 22 from 12PM - 4PM. Pony rides, Animal Embassy ambassadors, live birds of prey, flint knapping workshops, an experimental archaeology booth, arts and crafts and much more will be featured! Fee of $6 per adult and $5 per child.
Also at Weinberg, our Nature Lovers and Artists workshop led by local artist Mike Teator will be offered on Saturday, June 4 from 10AM-11:30AM. Learn the wonderful artform of watercolor painting! Mike Teator will lead you every step of the way while you paint your very own masterpiece! Fee of $30 per participant. Pre-registration required no later than May 21. Minimum of 3 participants to run. Maximum of 10 participants. Pre-register at www.reconline.scarsdale.com or at the Scarsdale Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation.
Also at Weinberg, a Yoga for Kids program is being offered for children ages 4-7 years old. Led by instructor Leslie Schneider, this program will get your young one in tune with his or her own body by mimicking the poses of different animals. This program is offered on Saturday, June 4 from 11AM-12PM and has a fee of $15 per participant. Pre-registration is required no later than May 28. Minimum of 4 participants to run. Maximum of 12 participants. Pre-register at www.reconline.scarsdale.com or at the Scarsdale Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation.
Weingberg Nature Center
455 Mamaroneck Road
Scarsdale, NY 10583
Greenville's Fifth Graders Visit Washington DC
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This month, Greenville's fifth graders will once again head for our nation's capitol on their annual May field trip. Under the supervision of the trip's director and 5th grade teacher, Paul Solomon, and 9 other chaperones, the fifth graders will set off for Washington DC on Tuesday, May 24th aboard two charter buses for a three-day action packed trip. The kids have been eagerly anticipating this trip since the first day of fifth grade in September. The trip is actually considered a rite of passage at Greenville since it was started in the 1980's by Mr. Solomon.
The trip features visits to the nation's Capitol Building, the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. They also visit Ford’s Theater where President Lincoln was shot and the home across the street where he was taken and eventually died. And no trip to DC is complete without a visit to Arlington Cemetery in Virginia where the group observes the honored changing of the guard ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. While at Arlington, they also see the graves of Presidents Kennedy and Taft as well as the memorials to the victims of the space shuttles Challenger and Columbia.
The students are traditionally greeted with a welcome to DC from Congresswoman Nita Lowey, who represents parts of Westchester and 
Rockland counties (New York's 18th District). For years, Congresswoman Lowey has made time in her busy schedule to speak to the 5th graders when they visit DC. Some years the grade has also visited and toured the White House. Another highlight of the trip is a visit to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum where the students view the history of flight from the original Wright Brothers airplanes as well as the first space shuttle orbiter, "the Enterprise."
One of the highlights of the trip is the traditional panoramic grade photo taken in front of the Capitol steps. All the students and chaperones wear their official Greenville/DC trip t-shirts and it is a treasured keepsake of the trip for everyone. The picture is used the following year as the yearbook foldout page when the kids graduate or "move-up" from Greenville to the Edgemont junior high school. A curious note about the panoramic picture is that Mr. Solomon appears twice in the picture at opposite ends of the top row of students and teachers! How he manages to do this is a Greenville secret only known to the fifth graders on the trip! He even appears at one end of the picture wearing sunglasses and a dark vest and at the other end without them!
Every year, the trip is slightly different but the one thing that remains the same is that everyone has a great time and the trip is remembered vividly for years to come. The students and chaperones come home extremely tired but with great memories of a trip that will never be forgotten. Ask any Edgemont High School senior that went on the trip about DC and they will immediately break into a grin and tell you a good story.
Caroline Tzelios is a "stay at home" mom of three kids who never stays at home. She has spent the past twelve years volunteering in the Edgemont Schools and recently completed her two year term as PTSA co-president of Edgemont High School and is the current co-chair of Edgemont's PISA Theater Committee.
NYT Times Columnist and Author Perri Klass Comes to Edgemont
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The Edgemont PTSA is excited to bring Dr. Perri Klass to their next Parent Forum on Thursday, May 5th in Edgemont High School's LGI room at 7:30 pm. Dr. Klass's talk entitled "Live with Perri Klass, MD: Prescriptions for Practical Parenting" will combine medicine and motherhood, two topics not often discussed together.
Dr. Klass is a professor of journalism and pediatrics at NYU, as well as author of several books including "Every Mother is a Daughter: the Neverending Quest for Success, Inner Peace, and a Really Clean Kitchen" and "The Mercy Rule." Additionally she writes the New York Times weekly column, "18 and Under." She is also President and Medical Director of "Reach Out and Read," a national literacy organization which works through doctors and nurses to promote parents reading aloud to young children. She attended Harvard Medical School and completed her residency in pediatrics at Children's Hospital, Boston, and her fellowship in pediatric infectious diseases at Boston City Hospital. She is also a mother of three children.
Dr. Klass gives wonderful practical advice to parents such as "acknowledge that parenthood is full of battles to lose" and "as children achieve autonomy they will carry our voice in their heads, then they will leave us behind." She urges parents to help children grow up to be strong and independent as they journey though their lives. Dr. Klass will discuss sources of stress in teenager's lives such as sleep deprivation and depression. The accomplished author lectures frequently and is a very warm, reassuring speaker and invites the audience to raise questions about raising children in today's complex world. As a pediatrician and a mother, Dr. Klass always looks at both sides of any adolescent concerns with refreshing candor.
The event is being organized by Laura Puhala, PTSA Vice President for Parent Forums. Laura heard about Dr. Klass from a fellow PTSA board member who had read Dr. Klass's recent New York Times column that discussed how to deal with your children’s questions about your own adolescence. Laura reached out to Dr. Klass and invited her to speak at Edgemont. She hopes that many parents from Edgemont and Scarsdale will attend this free event.
In the past the PTSA Parent Forums have hosted a wide array of speakers from Westchester DA, Janet DiFiore to Former Greenburgh Chief of Police Kapica to the author of "Get Out of My Life, But First Could You Drive Me & Cheryl to the Mall: A Parent's Guide to the New Teenager," Anthony E. Wolf, Ph.D. Recently, Laura organized a showing of the film, "Race to Nowhere," followed by a panel discussion of Edgemont guidance counselors, psychologists and the high school athletic director. That event drew over 250 parents, residents and teachers. The PTSA also hosts an annual fall parent forum for parents to meet new key personnel at the junior/senior high school and a spring parent forum on the school budget where administrators and BOE members discuss the proposed school budget.
At the end of the parent forum, Dr. Klass will sign copies of her books that will be available for sale that evening or can be pre-ordered by contacting Laura Puhala at puh4@aol.com .
Live with Perri Klass, MD: Prescriptions for Practical Parenting
Thursday, May 5, 2011
7:30 PM
Edgemont High School LGI Room
Your Life and the News: How to Talk to Your Kids About Osama bin Laden
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We went to sleep early Sunday night; the kids wore us out that day and we missed the news. At around 12:45 in the morning the baby cried waking my nearly 5-year-old daughter who crawled into bed with us. Out of habit, I checked my iPhone for messages. It’s from working in a newsroom all those years, I have a paranoia of sleeping through a big story. And for once I did. Not that it matters, I’m home now.
“Mike,” I whisper. “Mike.” My husband is out cold.
“What Mommy?” My daughter Kate wedged between us still awake asks me. I had to share the news with someone.
“The U.S. caught a bad guy, Kate. It’s really good news.”
“What did the bad guy look like, Mommy?”
“He was tall and had a long beard, baby, now go to sleep.”
Kate turns over and falls back asleep and I carry her back to her bed.
I, of course check Twitter before going back to sleep.
About 6 hours later, we’re both up. Mike is on his way to the office, I’m watching the Today show in bed. Kate walks in to my room just as Osama bin Laden’s face appears on TV.
“That’s the bad guy, right?” Her eyes are wide, a bit fearful but brave.
I suddenly have a vivid memory of being about 12 years old and seeing a picture of Ayatollah Khomeni’s corpse at his funeral. My eyes must have looked the same.
I know what’s coming next.
“What did he do?”
Just a few weeks back she was asking why all those people got hurt from the water in Japan. I’m sure in time she’ll ask another hard question about something else.
I answer her in what I call muted honesty.
“That man was jealous of all the freedom we have, and he hurt a lot of people here in America.”
“Is he in jail?”
“No,” I pause. “He’s dead. You don’t have to worry that that bad guy will ever hurt anyone again.”
“He’s scary. Can we watch Curious George now?”
So we change the station, but I can’t stop thinking about what’s she’s feeling now. Did I screw up?
Figuring others may be having similar conversations at home, I spoke to Brenda Stern, a Certified Social Worker. She runs a program with Westchester Reform Temple’s Early Childhood Program as well as a private practice.
“No matter the age of your child, it’s our job as parents to protect them. That may mean in some cases turning the TV off if it becomes too much.”
Stern explains that with young children, keep answers to questions childlike and simple. You can equate bin Laden to the big bad wolf and just say that he hurt people. Sometimes kids this age aren’t asking so much and just need a simple answer.
“With school-age children, ask them if they want to talk about it or not at first. Sometimes they aren’t ready to talk about it. You can take a situation like this to talk about what our values are as a society. Ask them what they think. Also be aware of what they are asking.” Stern says. She adds that in a highly educated community such as ours, we tend to overshare, overtalk and assume our kids are ready for that, and quite often they are not.
With teens, she says, get their perspective and get them talking first.
“We get into monologues on these issues and it’s nice to have a dialogue. Even with the older ones we don’t want it to be too much gore. Kids reduce things to black and white; talking can get them to think more about the grey areas.
She concludes; “You always want to gauge the information verses the anxiety it causes your child. Cut off the content if you sense they are worrying too much. Always reassure them they are safe, of course that may not always be true, but you need to provide comfort and reassurance to your child.”
Someday my kids will learn about the tragedy of September 11th; that they have a grandfather who lost friends that day too numerous to count. That their father saw bodies fall from the buildings and ran as fast as he could when the towers fell. Someday, a long time from now, they will know these horrible things and the evil that was Osama bin Laden. For now, at least, my older one knows we caught a bad guy on Sunday and it’s a good thing.
Jen is a freelance journalist who has covered the economy and markets for over a decade at a major financial news outlet. She lives in Scarsdale with her husband and 2 children. Jen has yet to bake a successful batch of cookies.
Job Interview Tips for Teens
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As the summer approaches and teens start looking for summer jobs and internships, they’ll be faced with a new challenge: how do you prepare for your first job interview so you’ll make a good first impression with your prospective boss.
Carole Jabbawy, Ed.D. is the founder of Internship Connection, a school-to-career program for high school and college students. Dr. Jabbawy has established summer internships for students from the Westchester area for many years and offers the following tips:
- Learn about the company or professional office where you will be interviewing, through an internet search and/or the company website. Jot down a few questions to ask during the interview.
- Role play with a parent or friend using the following questions that are often asked in interviews: Tell me about yourself. How would your teachers describe you? Why do you want to work here? What would you say are your greatest strengths and weaknesses? Can you give me an example of a time you were a team player? Tell me about a time you had a problem and how you solved it. Do you have any questions?
- Do a dry run going to the office a few days before the interview, using the same type of transportation that you will use for your appointment. This way, you will be comfortable and able to judge your timing.
- Dress professionally in “business casual.” For boys: pants (not jeans), a button down shirt and shoes. For girls: slacks or a skirt or dress of modest length.
- Bring along the following information: company name, address, phone number, name of person interviewing you, and traveling directions. Do not try to memorize.
- Plan to arrive 10-15 minutes early and then enter the building a few minutes before the interview time.
- Follow proper etiquette. Make sure your cell phone is turned off. Never answer a call during an interview. Do not eat, smoke or chew gum. Make sure your hair isn’t falling in your face.
- Greet your interviewer with a smile, eye contact and a firm handshake. Answer questions directly. Do not ramble on. Show interest and enthusiasm.
- Refer to one or two things you found interesting on the company’s website. Talk about your interests and how they relate to this company. Be prepared to ask a few questions about the company.
- At the end of the interview, ask for their business card. This is important contact information for the future.
- After the interview, send a thank you email or even better, a handwritten note.
Preparing for an interview will give you confidence as you walk through the door whether you are in high school, college, or beyond.
Dr. Carole Jabbawy is the Founder and Director of Internship Connection www.internshipconnection.com. A former teacher and Professor of Education, she has been establishing internships in Boston and New York City for High School, College and Gap Year students for the last eight years.
