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Published: 13 December 2012

Created: 13 December 2012

Last Updated: 13 December 2012

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At the December 11, 2012 meeting of the Village Board, Fire Chief Cain reviewed fire department operations related to Hurricane Sandy. His remarks in their entirety can be viewed here – however here are a few of the interesting facts he noted:

• Fire Department staffing was doubled for the first 36 hours of the storm
• When the storm began, 14 volunteer firefighters worked alongside career firefighters at considerable risk to themselves
• In the first 24 hours of the storm, the department responded to 211 calls while in a typical 24-hour period they respond to 3.6 calls on average. So they did 59 times the work they do in a usual day.
• During the 12-day state of emergency the department responded to 403 incidents. In a typical 12-day period they would respond to 43.3 calls – so activity was at 10 times the normal volume.
• In the days following the storm, both volunteer and career firefighters made welfare checks on residents and firefighters conducted generator safety checks on temporary generators and helped residents with their proper use.

Other items on the agenda:

Public hearings will be held on January 8, 2013 to review proposed changes to the Village code regarding setback and noise requirements to accommodate permanent emergency generators. (Recommendations for changes to the law from the Planning Board were reviewed and discussed at a meeting of the Trustees Law Committee on Wednesday night December 12.)

Chabad Lubavitch of Westchester County was given permission to place a menorah in Chase Park from December 6 to December 20th.

Trustees approved a resolution to authorize the Village Manager to issue an RFP for the planning, coordination and supervision of a farmer's market in the village of Scarsdale from April, through November 2013. The market will be held in the lower parking lot Village Hall or in the Freightway open parking lot.

Gifts of $9,000 and $5,000 were accepted from Fenway Golf Club for use by the Scarsdale police and fire departments. The police will purchase mobile in-car video units and the fire department will purchase enhanced equipment to locate and rescue trapped or injured firefighters.

The Board of Trustees resolved to collect a recreation fee of $37,500 for a subdivision fee for a 2-lot subdivision at 21 Vanderbilt Road.

Personnel: Dan Hochvert was appointed to replace Emily Sherwood who resigned from the Village Planning Board and Julie Weinstein was appointed to the Conservation Advisory Council to replace Lynne Clark who resigned. Gary S. Ellis was appointed to serve on the Town Board of Assessment Review to fill the vacancy due to Janet Bell's expired term.

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Published: 20 December 2012

Created: 20 December 2012

Last Updated: 20 December 2012

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To what extent should we secure our schools? That's the question this week in Scarsdale where parents, teachers and school administrators continue to debate school safety. Protocols in district buildings are under review and some are urging stricter enforcement of current measures and implementation of new procedures. As Scarsdale School Superintendent Dr. McGill said in an email to the community, "everyone involved has had to wrestle with the difficult balance between having a secure school and having a school that's an accessible part of its community."
This is not the first time school security has come into question, and undoubtedly will not bee the last.

In June 1999 the NY Times ran a piece about an anonymous threat that forced the closing of the high school. According to the piece, when school reopened, "All students had to file in and out of the same entrance as book bags and containers were inspected by local police officers. In addition, school officials closed the cafeteria's kitchen and canceled after-school and evening activities through next week, when school ends for the summer. Students were also forced to remain on campus throughout the school day rather than come and go freely during their lunch hour or free periods. And they were told not to bring pagers or cellular phones to school."

Several years later, after repeated bomb threats administrators installed metal detectors for a day at the high school, and the entire student body had to line up single file to be scanned before entering the building.

Now rather than bomb threats, school officials are dealing with fears of gunmen and pondering what can be done to fortify the schools and guard against intruders and marksmen. A recent letter to Dr. McGill suggests that teachers be armed with taser guns containing pepper spray and there are calls for other measures including:

• Checklists to account for the whereabouts of each student
• Silent alarm buttons in the school office to alert the Scarsdale Police, similar to buttons placed next to bank tellers. Pushing this button would be easier than getting to a phone and dialing 911.
• Key card access to allow students and teachers to enter doors that are normally kept locked during the school day.
• Retaining guards to man school entrances

Area nursery schools are also concerned. In an email to parents from Deborah Fine at the Little School she assured them that "we have reviewed our emergency procedures. ...We are confident we have your children's safety as our topmost priority."

It is indeed difficult to strike the right balance to secure the schools without turning the staff into security guards who spend valuable class time following cumbersome procuedures.

A few parents we spoke to were philosophical about the issue. Tatjana Dragic, a mother of three students in the district said, "After Hurricane Sandy we took down three large trees that were too close to our house and precariously rooted. We were heartbroken and are planting other, smaller trees to replace them. But the reality is that, due to climate change, there will be more strong winds coming our way and we cannot risk having trees fall on the house. The Newtown tragedy is a similar sign of our changing social climate, and that we need to be very serious about school security, all the while protecting the joys of childhood."

Author and mom of two Scarsdale students, Sharon Lippman added, "I'm not nervous. They have to go to school. Our schools do their best to protect our kids. Unfortunately, if someone has a gun and wants to do harm, there is, currently, not much a school can do to stop that individual. My holocaust survivor grandparents and my time in Israel taught me an invaluable lesson ... tragedies happen but life goes on and you have to live."

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Published: 06 December 2012

Created: 06 December 2012

Last Updated: 12 July 2017

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Attention parents of preschoolers: Now is the time to consider where your child will go to school in September, 2013. Programs are already filling up, and if you haven't done so already, consider your options, schedule a school visit or attend an open house at a pre-school soon. Here are four excellent local programs for your consideration:

Hoff-Barthelson Music School: The HB Preschool offers separate half-days for three and four year olds in a safe, nurturing environment which promotes the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development of young children. Experienced teachers meet each child's developmental needs and build toward readiness for kindergarten. Children are involved through play in a full curriculum, with a special emphasis on music and art, which introduces numbers and language arts, science and nature, and dramatic play, cooking, sand and water play, and outdoor play. Twice weekly music and movement classes in Dalcroze eurhythmics are a highlight of the program.

Hoff-Barthelson Music School is one of Westchester County's most cherished and active cultural resources and has achieved national recognition as a premier community music school for its unsurpassed leadership in education, performance and outreach.

Hoff-Barthelson Music School, 25 School Lane, Scarsdale, NY 914-723-1169 email [email protected] or visit www.hbms.org

The JCC Early Childhood Center provides a nurturing and safe environment based on the philosophy of purposeful play. Through play, children 17 months – 5 years learn to touch, hear, feel, taste, see, move and create a world of wonder and possibility. In this warm and supportive setting, children are encouraged to explore and socialize. In all programs, children learn to take turns, share and cooperate with others. Our exceptional staff of early childhood educators provides age- appropriate learning tools needed to foster independence as well as enhanced listening, language and academic readiness skills. Children of all ethnic and religious backgrounds are welcome. Jewish holidays and the values associated with them as well as secular celebrations are brought to life through stories, dramatic play and preparation of traditional foods. Each class also participates in weekly specials, including swim, gymnastics, physical education, creative movement and music.

JCC Early Childhood Center programs include Me 2, a two day, morning program for young twos. For two year olds, we offer 2, 3 or 5 day morning programs (9-11:15am), that may be supplemented by adding Lunch Bunch, a supervised time for lunch and play, 11:15am-12:15 pm. For three year olds, 3, 4 or 5 day morning (9-11:45am) or full day (9am-3pm) programs are available. For four year olds, 5 day morning (9-11:45am) or full day (9am-3pm) programs are available. For 4/5 year olds, our Connect 5's program provides a transitional year of pre-school for children who may benefit from an extra year before kindergarten. Three, four and five year olds may supplement their day with afternoon enrichment programs (11:45-3pm). Enrichments vary by age and something different is offered each day.

For more information and to set up a tour, contact Julie Dorfman, Director, JCC of Mid-Westchester Early Childhood Center, 999 Wilmot Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583, 914-472-3300, x412, visit us online at  www.jccmw.org or or email: [email protected]

The Early Childhood Program at Congregation Kol Ami is dedicated to providing a comprehensive and developmentally appropriate curriculum while teaching and modeling Jewish values. Our focus is centered on encouraging pride in oneself as an individual and as an important member of the Jewish people. We believe that children learn best through experiential play and provide for these rich experiences within warm, accepting, and nurturing surroundings. All of our Head Teachers hold Masters Degrees in Early Childhood or related educational fields. Our teacher-student ratios are 1:5.

We offer a wide range of programs for children and families. Starting with the very young, Mommy Talk, a drop-in playgroup for infants 2 to 9 month olds, and First Friends, a non-separated playgroup especially tailored for children 13 months to 21 months. Our 2's can choose from two to five day experiences, 3's programming choices include three, four, and five day morning opportunities with additional programming every afternoon until 2 pm. Our 4's can choose between morning programming and full day programming until 4 pm. Our A Step Ahead! program for specially designed for children turning 5 from September to December provides full-day pre-k learning until 2:30 with options to stay until 4 most afternoons. School day specialists include Gym, Music, Israeli Dance and Movement, Nature, Gardening, and Torah Alive!. Afternoon fun includes Soccer, Art, Yoga, Nature, Literacy, Math Magic, Cooking, Karate, and Ballet.
Schedule a visit and see for yourself. Come feel the warm sense of community that is the hallmark of the Early Childhood Program of Congregation Kol Ami. Call our Director, Nan Blank at 914-949-4717 x107, to schedule a mutually convenient time when you can come by. You will meet our staff and observe first hand the programs that will nurture your child and begin their journey into the world of school and community. Feel free to visit our website at nykolami.org

WRT Center for Early Childhood: The Early Childhood Center at Westchester Reform Temple (WRT/ECC) is a state licensed preschool offering programs for infants through pre-K. We offer a comprehensive, top-notch educational program in a warm and nurturing environment. We are dedicated to enriching young children'slives socially, emotionally, academically, spiritually and physically. We strive to be inclusive, welcoming every child regardless of cultural background or affiliation. The ECC is a family-centered community where parents are encouraged to become involved in both the classroom and other school activities. Parents are included in holiday parties, weekly Shabbat celebrations, regular newsletters and e-mails, social functions and teacher conferences. Families are also invited to many activities open to the greater temple community like Sharing Shabbat, children'sHigh Holy Day services, charitable activities, and holiday carnivals and festivities. The ECC seeks to create a stimulating environment for children and their families so that they may grow and explore the world together. We see the preschool experience as a critical first step in a child's journey of developing values, self-esteem and lifelong learning —planting the seeds from which a child will eventually grow into adulthood. Free, drop-in morning groups, including an Infant Class on Wednesdays and a Bagels and Babies Playgroup on Fridays, are offered throughout the year.

Contact Susan Tolchin, Director Westchester Reform Temple Early Childhood Center, 255 Mamaroneck Road, Scarsdale, New York 10583 by phone at 914-723-5493, ext. 8620 or email: [email protected].