Schools

Details: Written by: Melissa Hellman; Published: 04 November 2015; Created: 04 November 2015; Last Updated: 05 November 2015; Hits: 8271

dispatch The study session of the November 4 Board of Education meeting was devoted to entry plan updates from new district employees Bernard Josefsberg, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources, Stuart Mattey, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Facilities, and Ray Pappalardi, Director of Physical Education, Health & Athletics. Each described his approach for getting up to speed in his new position and in the case of Dr. Josefsberg, the search for a replacement as his appointment is for one year only.

Dr. Josefsberg began the study session with the topic of finding his successor. The search process is still in the early stages and is now concentrated on developing a position profile. He referred to the community surveys conducted in connection with the Superintendent search two years ago as a starting point to determine what type of experience, professional style and values would be most desired for this leadership position. He has also been conducting meetings with district employees to gather information about what employees feel are important for the human resources role. Responses were many and varied on what type of person would be ideal. The descriptors used by the Superintendent survey respondents ran the gamut with requests for visionaries, bold leaders, humble leaders, consensus builders, experienced administrators, no bureaucrats, backgrounds in education, quantitative experts, a record of consistency in implementing policy, flexibility, etc. Dr. Josefsberg talked about some of the issues that will need to be balanced in finding the right candidate such as the desire for previous experience versus raw talent that could be developed. He is sifting through the survey results and combining these with information gathered from his recent meetings to identify needs and common themes and will return to the Board of Education for fine-tuning of the position description before posting. The current timetable is to have the position posted by December and interviewing to begin in February/March.

Attention was then turned to Stuart Mattey who described the role of Assistant Superintendent for Business and Facilities as encompassing four areas (finance, facilities, transportation and food service) that are very broad and in some cases disparate. Each focus area of Mr. Mattey's job has a unique variety of systems, culture, people and intricacies in which he is becoming fully immersed. He described getting to know all aspects of his job by "taking the long way" which he feels will make him a more effective leader in the long term. He provided an example of this style by telling of a recent experience with Jim Lancaster, Assistant Director of Buildings and Grounds, who informed him of an issue with the middle school adventure course. Rather than have a brief discussion and ask Mr. Lancaster to address the concern, he decided to take the opportunity to visit the site with him. In exerting that time and effort he derived many benefits such as getting to spend time with one of his managers, conducting a site visit, seeing the adventure course in use by students, meeting the teachers who were there supervising students and ultimately providing guidance on the matter with a true familiarity of the whole picture.

In addition to managing the day-to-day responsibilities of his office, Mr. Mattey has regular bi-weekly meetings with his department heads as well as regular business office meetings. He has been involved in committee work with teachers, PTA members and community members deepening his understanding of the constituencies he serves and providing important context for the breadth of responsibilities within his purview.

Mr. Mattey shared that he has been surprised that although his previous position was in a comparable role in a Westchester school district only a short distance away, he still has had to face a steep learning curve getting to know the people, systems and culture of Scarsdale. He complemented what he described as an "level of extra care" district employees in all areas invest in their jobs and stated that the District should be proud of its culture.

In the final portion of the study session, Ray Pappalardi addressed his transition efforts in the newly created role of Director of Physical Education, Health & Athletics. Mr. Pappalardi used the term "wellness" to describe the common thread of his three areas of responsibility. He noted that wellness is concerned with physical health, social health and emotional health. He had just conducted a day of professional development with his staff on November 3 during which they all worked to build a common understanding of their departmental mission. He also discussed some operational improvements to come such as automating the process for team registration and athletic exemptions as well as applying consistency in methods of communication used across athletic teams. He is due to provide a more detailed update to the Board on December 14.

An item of interest for community members from the portfolio group review portion of the meeting is an announcement from Dr. Hagerman on behalf of the communications team of a new eNews letter called the 'Dale Dispatch which will cover a variety of district news and articles authored by Board of Education members. The first issue is scheduled to be released before Thanksgiving. Community members without children in the schools can get on the email list for the newsletter and other district news by signing up at the Scarsdale School's website (http://www.scarsdaleschools.org/EmailList).

This meeting can be viewed in its entirety on the Board of Education Video on Demand site. The next scheduled Board of Education meeting will be on November 16 beginning at 6pm when the Board will meet with the Scarsdale Principals Association, followed by an update on World Languages from Lynne Shain at 7:00pm. The regular business meeting will begin at 8:00pm.

Maroon and White Dinner

Maroon and White will honor fall athletes and the Fall Sports Award Dinner on Monday November 9 at 6:30 pm at the Crowne Plaza in White Plains.

Athletes attend on a complimentary basis but must RSVP. Tickets for parents who belong to Maroon and White are $35 per person, with non-members at $50 per person. There is prepaid parking available for $4 and valet parking for $10.

For more information, visit www.maroonandwhite.org or email [email protected].

The Crowne Plaza is located at 66 Hale Avenue in White Plains.

Yes Fundraiser shopsmartdogood

Help Support the Youth Employment Services (Y.E.S) Office by Shopping! The Y.E.S office is selling tickets for the annual Lord and Taylor Shop Smart Do-Good Fundraising Event on Friday November 13th.

The tickets are $5 each and include two 25% bonus coupons and one 15% savings pass to be used through the day on almost everything, including cosmetics and fragrances. If you have a Lord and Taylor card you will receive your additional discount off your purchases. Limited exclusions apply.

You can purchase a ticket at the Y.E.S office located at Scarsdale High School everyday from 11:30 - 1:30. You can also purchase tickets directly from Lian Wang at [email protected]. Buy one for yourself and one for a friend or family member. Happy Shopping!

The Scarsdale Youth Employment Services, Inc (YES), located at Scarsdale High School, is a stand-alone non-profit organization staffed entirely by community volunteers. YES serves as a clearinghouse for teenagers and young adults, ages 14-25, who want jobs.

More information about YES can be found here.

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 28 October 2015; Created: 28 October 2015; Last Updated: 30 October 2015; Hits: 9031

freshman cafeteria Sections of Scarsdale High School are a hundred years old and showing their age. In fact, a recent tour of some of the schools behind the scenes spaces revealed tired facilities that would surprise visitors who thought that Scarsdale offers a world-class educational program. In December 2014, the community voted to bring the school into the modern age by passing a bond referendum for $18.12 million. This money is to be used for the purpose of renovating portions of the high school and updating several other district schools.

At this point, the timing for the onset of construction is up in the air. Assistant Superintendent Stuart Mattey, who replaced Linda Purvis, indicated that delays in approvals for the projects at the State Education Department could affect the timeline. In addition, preliminary cost estimates for the work are coming in over budget. This week Mattey said, "We have not gone out to bid yet on the vast majority of the projects that were included as part of the 2014 December vote as we are still awaiting approval from State Education Department. We are hopeful that we will receive approvals in the Spring as currently planned but there is a chance that these approvals will be delayed. Estimates as prepared by the district's architects and construction management firm are coming in higher than originally estimated for these remaining projects and the district and its consultants are currently reviewing these projects for potential efficiencies to reduce costs.The Board would be ultimately responsible for the approving the final bid plan and would rely on the construction committee for a recommendation."

The $18.12 million in funding from the bond referendum falls short of what is needed to construct a design lab and fitness center at the high school, so the newly formed Scarsdale Schools Education Foundation has pledged to raise an additional $2.6 million to supplement the construction budget.

The Foundation leadership is now seeking donations to meet that goal. On Monday night October 26 the Foundation's Executive Director Steve Seward and the Foundation President Ellen Miller-Wachtel along with SHS Principal Ken Bonamo, SHS Athletic Director Ray Pappalardi and teachers Maggie Favaretti and Lisa Yokana led a tour of SHS to highlight the planned renovations. Community members were invited to see areas that will be transformed if the necessary funds are raised.

Principal Bonamo explained that there has not been a major change to the school in twenty years, and since that time, needs have changed. Students need flexible spaces for collaborative learning and design thinking. The curriculum calls for integrating technology into learning and the current structure cannot accommodate items like 3-D printers and laser cutters needed for hands on learning.

The vast school does have unused spaces that have fallen into disrepair. In order to make space for a design lab, an autoshop2 obsolete auto shop at the school will be recreated as a 3,090 square foot maker space, wet lab and tool area. In this area, students can build prototypes and explore disciples such as industrial design, environmental science, robotics, and engineering. The total cost for the construction of the Design Lab is $2,480,000 and the Foundation seeks to raise $1,800,000 to supplement the $680,000 in the budget.

autoshop We toured the old auto shop and found that it was being used for storage. The space has not been active for at least a decade. The large garage doors that were used to bring cars inside and out will be converted to doors and windows making the space light and accessible to the outside.

Next stop on the tour was the old gym that has been converted into a food service area for freshmen. The gym is divided with a temporary wall and is not an inviting space. This area is due to be converted into a learning commons with supplemental cafeteria space.

Athletic Director Ray Pappalardi led the group weightroom to the fitness center, a crowded room that is clearly in disrepair. It's dark, smelly, unsafe and unappealing. There is poor ventilation and outdated equipment. Pappalardi said, "When I first saw this space I said it was unacceptable." Plans call for a new 6,200 square foot fitness center in the space underneath the new gym. The new fitness center will be safer, lighter and cleaner – and will be able to accommodate both girls and boys. There will be flexible learning areas and training space for athletes and non-athletes. The space occupied by the old fitness center will become part of the new learning commons.

We then went down below the gym to see the space which is also being used for storage. It was vast, had windows along one wall and will be large enough to accommodate two sections of physical education classes at a time. The total cost for the new fitness center is estimated at $1,600,000, of which the foundation pledged to raise half, or $800,000.

Seward indicated that the Foundation is now seeking gifts of four, five and six figures and will later reach out to the community to ask for smaller donations. Commenting on the campaign, Seward said, "Our goal is to raise $2.6 million to support the creation of a Design Lab and new Fitness Center at the high school. We are very encouraged by the amount of interest expressed by Scarsdale residents in these two projects because we will need everyone's support to reach what we know is an ambitious goal.I hope that people who want to learn more about the Campaign will go to our website -- scarsdaleschoolseducationfoundation.org."

Seward continued, "To help spread the word, the Education Foundation has been conducting tours of the sites at the High School that will be transformed into the D-Lab and a vastly expanded Fitness Center. We will let everyone know through 10583 when additional tours are scheduled in the coming weeks. Ultimately, once these projects are completed, they will help transform the educational experience of every Scarsdale High School student."

Details: Written by: Melissa Hellman; Published: 21 October 2015; Created: 21 October 2015; Last Updated: 24 October 2015; Hits: 6794

shs2 Despite objections to testing, Scarsdale students are doing well -- in fact very well -- according to Assistant Superintendent Lynne Shain, who reviewed student assessments and the results at a Board study session on Monday October 19, 2015. Scarsdale students scored among the highest in the state on reading and math tests given to third through eighth graders, outperforming the state average by almost 100%. The mean SAT scores of Scarsdale High School students exceeded those of neighboring districts such as Chappaqua, Bronxville and Edgemont, and 64% of Scarsdale students were accepted to the most selective colleges and universities. Commenting on student acceptances, Shain said, "We do not know of another comprehensive, non¬selective, public school district whose students achieve stronger results."

Shain provided a detailed presentation on the various types of assessments in Scarsdale and how each is used for different purposes. Also on hand for the presentation was Madhabi Chatterji, Ph.D., Professor of Measurement, Evaluation and Education, and Director, Assessment and Evaluation Research Initiative (AERI), from Teachers College, Columbia University.

The context for discussing assessments in Scarsdale, as in other high performing school districts, is influenced by the fact that virtually every graduate goes to college. The District's aim is to provide exceptional academic preparation for that step. Scarsdale believes it's important for its graduates to realize their potential in a full range of human endeavors, to become fulfilled, contributing human beings who learn throughout their lives. Fostering these skills and values is incorporated into many aspects of the curriculum and cannot be measured by many common forms of assessment. However, assessments are a part of the learning cycle and provide important information informing curriculum development and teaching.

Shain opened by providing a primer on assessments and important definitions for the audience. She described a variety of different assessment formats. For example, students are often assessed after instruction has ended with a unit test or a final exam. Sometimes an assessment is the learning activity, such as the fifth grade Capstone project. Also, assessments may be done for screening purposes to measure what the student already knows and does not know. Examples include the STAR Reading and Math Assessments used in Kindergarten through fifth grades to identify struggling learners.

In addition, teachers provide both formal and informal classroom assessments. Scarsdale teachers evaluate student progress by providing an array of qualitative and quantitative feedback. Informal assessments occur on a daily basis as teachers observe student responses, note classroom contributions and interactions, and identify gaps in knowledge. Formal assessments include teacher designed quizzes, exams, barrons papers, math problems, science labs, and art or performance pieces.

Scarsdale also administers standardized tests both as required by New York State mandate (third-eighth grade English Language Arts and math exams, NYS Regents exams) and tests students choose to take for college admission such as SAT and ACT exams.

Collectively, these various types of assessments should lead to measureable results and there are several ways that the district looks at its outcomes.

One important measure is how Scarsdale students fair in the college admissions process. College acceptance results have always been excellent and have grown even stronger over the last few years as shown in the chart at right:

Scarsdale's college entrance exam scores also show very strong results against comparable school districts in the region. Mean SAT Results from 2014-2015 are shown below.

sat scores

Other standardized tests, such as ACT and AP exams, show similar impressive results. Much more detail on the results from these types of standardized tests can be found in the appendix of Shain's presentation (available on the district website).

Scarsdale also seeks qualitative results by surveying its graduates. An alumni survey conducted in 2012 with the classes of 2007 and 2010 indicates that graduates are overwhelmingly positive about the quality of the academic preparation they received in Scarsdale. Graduates provided positive feedback about their readiness in non-academic areas as well. The vast majority of respondents felt that they were able to pursue their passions in extracurricular activities and that high school participation in such activities helped their development in the areas of time management, perseverance, resilience, and work ethic. Shain hopes to conduct another survey in the near future possibly by working with the Scarsdale Alumni Association.

Another measure of results is Scarsdale's performance on New York State standardized tests administered in third-eighth grades. Scarsdale's results were among the highest in the State and in the same range as those of comparable districts.

ELA

There is a dip in results in 2013 when the common core assessments were introduced. Chatterji explained that this dip is very "normal and predictable" and it normally takes a few years for scores to rise after a new curriculum/test is introduced. Further, Scarsdale's 2013 test results were consistent with results in other similar districts and throughout the state.

More details on ELA and math test results can be found in the report appendix including data comparing the five elementary schools (no significant difference), data covering more years and different ways of viewing it for comparison purposes.

Shain offered some concluding thoughts on student assessment. First, the most important student performance information is not in the results of any test, but gathered by teachers, every day, in the classroom. She also stressed that a district cannot achieve strong graduate outcomes, as Scarsdale has done, without a strong K-12 system. Every grade contributes to the success of the system as a whole. Equally important, the District believes that to succeed after graduation, students should possess certain skills and abilities not measured by standardized tests such as initiative, perseverance, resourcefulness, inventiveness, and an ability to work with others. To achieve these goals, what ultimately matters are the "deep, rich learning experiences that are the hallmark of a Scarsdale education".

The study session can be viewed in its entirety on the Board of Education Video on demand site and the presentation can be accessed on the Scarsdale schools website.

In other news from the Board of Education:

High School Tour:

There will be a tour of the high school on Monday October 26 from 7:15 – 8:15 to tour the future sites of the new fitness center and new design lab. The tour will be led by Principal Ken Bonamo, Athletic Director Ray Pappalardi and teachers Lisa Yokana and Maggie Favaretti. The tour will begin in the Brewster Road lobby near the auditorium and the community is invited to join the tour.

Busing:

In the public comments section of the meeting, Quaker Ridge residents Marin Zemachson and Melissa Goldberg Mantzouris asked the board to amend their bus eligibility policy to offer busing to all Scarsdale children. They said that children are now required to cross busy streets without a crossing guard and that car congestion poses safety risks and difficulty for buses. There is no late bus service for children who take buses to and from school, and some parents are paying up to $1,200 per child for private transportation. They compared Scarsdale's busing policy to neighboring districts and said that others offered busing to children who live much closer to the school.

Open Meetings:

Bob Harrison was concerned about the district's meeting policy. He said that he was not aware where the 6 pm meetings were being held, and that there was no time for public comments at the Board's morning meetings. He said that it was "shameful" that the board does not hand out paper agendas at the meetings and added that it was very difficult to print out the board agenda that is available online. He also asked the Board to disclose the topics of the emails they receive from the public each week.

Greenacres Feasability Committee:

Greenacres resident Pau Hong was appointed to serve on the committee that will meet on 10/27, 11/5, 11/17 and 12/9. These meetings are not open to the public.

Architects' Fees:

In preparation for a bond referendum scheduled for May, 2017, the Board approved $10,500 for a district-wide field master plan proposal. Assistant Superintendent Mattey said that the fields have been neglected over the years. The study will be done to prioritize what needs to be done and get cost estimates for improvements to each field. Architects KG&D will work with a field consultant on the study.

The board approved $64,500 in fees for the architects to work with the district and the building level committees on pre-referendum planning.

Gift for the Scarsdale Middle School Library:

The Board accepted a gift of $11,600 from the SMS PTA to be used to purchase flexible furniture and a laminating machine.

PT Council Letter:

PT Council President Karen Ceske read the following letter at the meeting.

Governor Andrew Cuomo has designated October 26-30, 2015 as School Board Recognition Week in the State of New York. His proclamation states: "The men and women serving as members of school boards are dedicated to children, learning, and community and devote many hours of service to elementary and secondary public education as they continually strive for improvement, excellence, and progress in education.

In honor of School Board Recognition week, The PT Council would like to acknowledge the members of Scarsdale's Board of Education: President Lee Maude, Vice-President Bill Natbony, Pam Fuehrer, Chris Morin, Art Rublin, Suzanne Seiden, and Scott Silberfein. These seven volunteers give generously of their time and work tirelessly on behalf of our students, parents, teachers, administrators and community. The challenges and tasks before them are often great, yet consistently met with professionalism, thoughtfulness and transparency. We commend this year's board members for their responsiveness and commitment to balancing our district's educational, professional and facilities needs with fiscal responsibility. Their service is greatly appreciated.

We thank the members of our Board of Education for all that they do to help make our schools and community strong.

Details: Published: 14 October 2015; Created: 14 October 2015; Last Updated: 15 October 2015; Hits: 5452

letter This letter was written in response to a letter published in the October 9 Scarsdale Inquirer by Abraham Eviatar about the additional expense of expanding foreign language instruction in Scarsdale schools:

In the letter in the newspaper, Mr. Eviatar makes the assumption that there is a correlation between increases in property taxes due to the re-evaluation and the school district's consideration of expanding the foreign language curriculum. If the district decides to expand the curriculum, this expense will have nothing to do with the re-evaluation process and large increases in taxes which has led to the abundance of homes for sale in certain parts of Scarsdale. The re-evaluation was just an alternative way for the village to allocate each homeowner's share of the taxes.

I would like to point out to Mr. Eviatar that we have a fiscally responsible School Administration and Board of Trustees. They are very mindful of the tax cap and especially the tax burden on residents of our community. I am sure the Board will only consider changes to our world language curriculum that are fiscally responsible and will maintain the excellence in our schools. In fact, the school tax rate growth over the past few years has been moderate.

I am supportive of the district expanding the world language offerings and in particular, starting a Mandarin program in the Middle School. This issue was brought to the attention of the Board of Ed last year and the Board has decided to evaluate it this year. It is essential for our students to become proficient in languages other than the romance languages that are currently offered in the Middle School. We all know the benefits of learning Mandarin in our global economy and it is a language that should be started at an earlier age to give our students the opportunities to master the language before they leave the high school and enter college. Many students in the district have an aptitude and interest in learning languages, often multiple ones, and currently the district is not expanding in this area or providing the necessary opportunities for our students, some of whom will study or work abroad in the future.

The Superintendent's Office has recently emailed a parent survey to determine parents' interest in the district offering additional world language options. It is important for the parents in our community to understand the importance of expanding the world language offerings and to complete the survey.

In the past, Scarsdale has never been opposed to change. During my children's time in the school district, we have seen changes to make our district more progressive, to foster and expand our student's interests in academics and to help them become stronger global citizens. I believe it is time for our community and Board of Ed to evaluate the world language opportunities in our schools. We should not assume the additional expense would have anything to do with the recent property tax re-evaluation.

Sincerely,
Ronny Hersch
32 Benedict Road
(914) 472-1659

Details: Written by: Joanne Wallenstein; Published: 02 October 2015; Created: 02 October 2015; Last Updated: 05 October 2015; Hits: 6521

This letter was written by the Greenacres Neighborhood Association to clarify their role in the decision-making process on the future of the Greenacres Elementary School:

Greenacres Neighborhood Association– A Voice for All

This letter is in response to the recent articles and Op Ed piece regarding the Greenacres Neighborhood Association and Greenacres Elementary School.

First, we would like to take a moment to remind everyone of the role of the Greenacres Neighborhood Association. We are an organization of civic-minded volunteers working to make Greenacres a community with a spirit of neighborliness and cooperation. To this end, we strive to host a variety of community events throughout the year and provide information to our membership that is from the Village, the School District and other community groups. We also provide Greenacres residents with a Town Hall meeting which allows them the opportunity to come and listen to Village and School District leaders and a forum to ask questions.

Over the decades, the GNA has enjoyed quiet gratitude from those in the neighborhood. Whether we are focusing on traffic safety, arranging for the installation of traffic signs or street lights, planting trees and beautifying traffic islands, or burying a time capsule, we see ourselves as a community encouraging neighbors to work together for the betterment of all the residents of Greenacres as a whole.

It is now being suggested that the GNA take on a new role that will involve resolution of differing opinions regarding Greenacres Elementary School. Unfortunately, this is a role that is beyond our scope and purpose and definitely one we are unable to fulfill. The residents of Greenacres whom we have heard from to date already have differing points of view on the topic. There are some who want the larger field saved at any cost, many whose decision will be driven solely by economics, others who believe that any position is premature and more data is needed and those who believe a new building on the field may ultimately be the optimal solution for future generations of Greenacres children, and these are just the opinions that we have heard so far!

We have been asked by the School District to appoint two people to the Greenacres Building Committee. A committee like this one was created for each of the previous school projects at Edgewood, Heathcote, the middle school and the high school and reports to the School District Administration. This committee will be reviewing the school and its needs. At this point, the GNA has appointed Lynne Clark and former Mayor Robert Steves. These two individuals are open-minded and ready to work collaboratively with all members of the Building Committee, but will not arrive with any preset agenda on what the final outcome should be regarding the school as that is a decision of the School Board. They will also provide the GNA with information about the progress of the committee and its collective thoughts on matters.

The Greenacres Neighborhood Association's role regarding the elementary school is to collect information from the School District and share it with the residents of Greenacres so that each person can be informed with complete and accurate information to make their own decision. We are also working with the School District and hope to host a special Town Hall style meeting where the School District can explain the current situation with the elementary school and Greenacres residents can present their thoughts and ask questions.

Our organization has been around for 104 years. We embrace the opportunity to hear from all Greenacres residents, help them stay informed on issues affecting our neighborhood and build a sense of community with our fun family events. Please contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions about the Greenacres Neighborhood Association.

Thank you for the opportunity to respond.
Sincerely,
Board of Directors
THE GREENACRES NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION