Good Tidings at Village Hall
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Santa at the Light the 'Dale Celebration
Mayor's Comments
Mayor Dan Hochvert began the session with a nod to Scarsdale High School's "City 2.0" students. Working in teams, students meet with community officials and residents to develop relationships, identify local problems, and design solutions. "They are interesting young people who want to find ways to improve our town. They're very admirable and hard-working and I'm delighted to just listen to them."
The mayor also congratulated the volunteers who coordinated last week's "Light the 'Date" event, which was attended by over 500 people, as well as those who worked on a smaller, similar event in Davis Park that was equally successful.
Hochvert went on to discuss topics covered at the recent Scarsdale Neighborhood Associations meeting, including ongoing interest in a Scarsdale dog park and proposed tree code changes. All but one village neighborhood association is in full operation currently, which represents the most activity in a long time. The mayor encouraged residents to become involved in their local association, noting that they, along with other Scarsdale organizations such as the Scarsdale Support Council, help people practically, socially and emotionally. "If you engage socially in your neighborhood, you will help alleviate each other's angst. There's a social aspect to neighborhood associates that is very helpful."
He concluded his remarks by reporting that the village had great progress in keeping leaves out of the street throughout the fall season, and that there were no citations issued to residents for noncompliance with village code.
Manager's Comments
Free Parking: Village Manager Steve Pappalardo announced that the village will provide shoppers with two hours of free holiday parking in Scarsdale Village Center at specific, clearly-marked meter locations from December 18 through December 25. The public is asked to adhere to the two-hour limit so that others may enjoy this benefit.
Prepayment of Taxes: Pappalardo also addressed recent resident inquiries with regard to proposed federal changes to the tax code that will affect homeowners' ability to deduct real property taxes. Scarsdale Village staff are trying to find ways to assist residents in prepaying 2018 taxes in 2017 to offset possible negative affects of this change. However, because of New York State restrictions regarding prepayment of taxes, the only tax that may be paid early is Westchester County tax. Since the county budget has not yet been adopted, the village has not received the 2018 county tax levy/warrant. Should the village receive the warrant in time, staff will prepare and distribute tax bills to residents to allow for prepayment. For more information, read the recent Village of Scarsdale statement on the subject.
Appointments to the Committee for Historic Preservation
Trustee Ross introduced resolutions regarding appointments to the Scarsdale Committee for Historic Preservation. The entire committee resigned in November. New members will fulfill the unexpired terms of those members who recently resigned and/or relocated from Scarsdale. They include Lucas Meyer (Autenreith Road), who will serve as committee chair, Bana Choura (Church Lane), Adam Lindenbaum (Post Road), David Paul (Fountain Terrace), Robert Scheibe (Walworth Avenue), Bruce Wells (Chase Road), and Barry Meiselman (Post Road), who will serve as alternate member. The board approved all appointments.
Trustee Reports
Trustee Seth Ross reported on recent efforts of the Scarsdale Cable Commission to obtain the best possible terms in upcoming contract negotiations with Verizon and Altice (formerly Cablevision). Resident focus groups were held and yielded a number of interesting ideas to be considered, and the commission now is asking all residents to participate in the online "Cable TV Needs Survey" to gain feedback on current and future cable TV service. The survey may be accessed here.
Ross also noted that the Drake-Edgewood Neighborhood Association has once again become active and that residents in those areas are invited to join the group via email at drake.edgewood@gmail.com. He concluded his comments by mentioning that, after a request by the Friends of Scarsdale Parks, a "Heritage Tree" application was granted for the American beech tree located in Chase Park.
Deb Pekarek noted that the Scarsdale Police Department will be designated as a "Gold Standard Agency" by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. She thanked and congratulated the village's "highly professional chief, command staff and all officers on the force" and took the opportunity to mention the department's recent Holiday Crime Prevention Press Release that provides useful tips for residents.
Jane Veron reported on Friday's successful public library fundraiser, "Black, White and Read All Over." "It was an extraordinary community building experience; 400 residents came together to support something that will benefit the entire community. " With regard to the library renovation, Veron said that work continues on cost estimates, site engineers are coordinating with the village planning committee and the library loft transition is on schedule.
In addition, Veron discussed recent activity in the village center, including the well-attended "Light The 'Dale" event, stating that "December has been a real show of community spirit." She mentioned that the farmer's market has moved indoors and will continue in the winter months, and urged residents to visit and provide feedback on services.
Gifts
The board authorized acceptance of a number of financial gifts, including a $729,599 gift for the library renovation project, $5,000 for the fire department and $10,000 for the police department.
Holiday Crime Prevention Awareness
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The Scarsdale Police Department, in partnership with the community, want you to help make the Village a safe place to live, work and visit. The Scarsdale Police Department makes the following recommendations to residents to assist in preventing larcenies from automobiles and home burglaries during the upcoming holiday season:
- Make your home appear occupied. Leave lights or televisions on timers when you are out.
- Use motion sensing exterior lighting and keep the perimeter of your home well lighted.
- Make your home more difficult to enter by increasing exterior security.
- Don't allow daily deliveries of mail, newspapers or flyers to build up while you are away. Arrange with the Post Office to hold your mail, or arrange for a friend or neighbor to collect them regularly.
- Always turn your alarm system on when you are away.
- Keep all exterior doors locked, using deadbolt locks. Keep your garage door
- closed and locked.
- Always lock your vehicle whether it is parked on the street or your driveway.
- Do not leave valuable possessions in view, especially electronic and GPS
- devices.
- Be an observant neighbor. Immediately notify the police of any suspicious activity in your neighborhood.
Complete the Traffic Survey Before Thursday at Midnight
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There's only a few days left to take the Scarsdale Forum's Municipal Services committee Traffic Survey, www.ScarsdaleTrafficSurvey.com. The Survey is closing at midnight on November 30. The objective is to bring everyone's concerns about conditions on our local roads, sidewalks, school drop off lanes and parking areas to the attention of the Village. We also need the input of our youth who are just beginning to drive with a permit, or who already have their license, or who experience problems as pedestrians or riding their bicycles.
The Survey analysis, to be done by residents who are knowledgeable working with survey data, will be an integral part of the Forum committee's continuing follow up to our 2015 traffic report recommendations.Some signals and signage have been improved since then, but more can and should be done. There should be zero tolerance for pedestrian knock downs, vehicles passing stopped school buses, and speeding. The Village-wide chaos on the roads the day before Thanksgiving and on ordinary days too – including impassible gridlock, excessive speeding, and illegal turns through red signaled crosswalks – is also unacceptable.
Participation in the survey by everyone in the community will ensure that the data helps us make progress towards safer streets. The Survey can be taken on a computer or smart phone at www.ScarsdaleTrafficSurvey.com.
Report Card on the Scarsdale Schools
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How are Scarsdale students doing? According to a report on student assessments by Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum Lynne Shain, students in the Scarsdale Schools are thriving. At the Board of Education meeting on November 27, Shain presented a review of the assessments that the district uses to monitor and measure student learning and the results which are impressive.
She explained that the district utilizes three kinds of assessments:
Assessment of Learning – a measure of what a student has learned after instruction has ended such as a unit test, mid-year exam or final exam
Assessment as Learning – A learning activity such as the fifth grade Capstone project is an activity or project designed to be a measure of learning
Assessment for Learning – A formative measure of what the student already knows and does not know to allow teachers to plan future instruction. These include a pretest on multiplying fractions and the STAR reading and math assessment.
Shain emphasized that tests are just one measure of student performance, as teachers make informal evaluations of students daily by observing their response to questions, noting class contributions, interactions with their peers and evaluating discourse and identifying gaps in knowledge or understanding.
She reviewed the standardized tests administered to students including the SAT's, NYS Regents and state tests for grades three through eight.
How does the district measure success? Here are a few measures:
College Acceptances: In terms of college acceptances, 98% of 2017 high school graduates are attending college and 59% were accepted at the most competitive colleges and universities in the U.S. in 2017.
Level of Preparedness: The last survey of Scarsdale High School graduates was done in 2012 and surveyed students from the classes of 2007 and 2010. That survey found that 98.9% reported that they either felt better prepared (76%) or as prepared (22.8%) as other students at that college.
SAT's: Scarsdale mean combined SAT Score Results were the highest among comparable districts in our region.
AP Tests: The percentage of students receiving scores of 3,4 and 5 on AP exams is 97%.
Shain then reviewed some of the test results. The full report is available online here:
She showed data comparing third, fourth and fifth grade students performance on the ELA to the results in peer districts including Bronxville, Edgemont, Great Neck, Chappaqua, Rye City, Blind Brook, Ardsley, Mamaroneck and Byram Hills, and here are the numbers for 2017:
The math results were also excellent:
Moving onto middle school results, she explained these scores were a function of the district's philosophies on teaching to the test. Shain said, "Different districts place different levels of importance on the tests – what gets the scores up is the alignment with the testing material with what is taught in class. If the teachers here wanted to prep for the test, I have no doubt that the scores would go up. We don't know what the dynamic is in other districts."
She also provided graphs of how elementary school students perform in the five elementary schools, saying that differences in performance between the schools was not statistically significant. She added that results are also affected by the placement of inclusion or special education classes within district schools.
About SAT results, she said, "The mean combined scores of Scarsdale students are the highest among selective schools in our region. They are historically at the top 1% of the top 1% nationally.
Take a look at the complete report here or watch her presentation online here. You'll be impressed.
Two Scarsdale Kids to Perform in "Miracle on 34th Street"
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Two young actors from Scarsdale will be on stage in the Yorktown Stage production of Miracle on 34th Street. Alyssa Emily Marvin, Greenacres 4th grader, who has appeared in off-Broadway shows and toured Asia last year with the international tour of Annie, is playing the role of Susan and Greenacres 4th grader Caleb Paul is in the production as well.
Here's the story: Kris Kringle takes on the cynics in this musical adaptation of the beloved holiday classic. Single mother, Doris Walker, doesn't want her six-year old daughter Susan's head filled with romantic notions. Their neighbor Fred Gailey tries to woo Doris by charming Susan and taking her to see Santa Claus at Macy's, where Doris works. Doris is not impressed -but when it turns out Macy's Santa may in fact be the real Kris Kringle, a wave of love spreads across New York City that melts even the most cynical hearts. Filled with humor, spectacle, and such beloved songs as "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas"," this joyous, heart- warming musical is pure family entertainment. The perfect holiday treat!
Miracle on 34th Street will entertain audiences and families during the holiday season. The show will have weekend matinee and evening performances starting with the week before Thanksgiving.
Newcomer Alyssa Emily Marvin (Scarsdale) plays Susan, the little girl that tugs at your heart in her support of Kringle. Under the dynamic direction of the Yorktown Stage Artistic Director, August Abatecola), the cast of 24 includes a stellar lineup of professional and local actors familiar to Hudson Valley audiences.
Miracle on 34th Street is produced by Barry Liebman, president and producing director of Yorktown Stage and Jenna's Dream. The Musical Director is Ricky Romano. The Choreographer is Carrie Silvernail. And the Production Stage manager is Casey Brehm. Lighting design is by Andrew Gmoser. Sound design is by Scott Tunkel.
Caleb Paul
Ticket Prices: Children (11 and under) $19; Seniors (62 and over) and Students (under 22) $21; Adults $26.. Group discounts available. Tickets may be purchased yorktownstage.org or by calling the box office (914) 962-0606.
Yorktown Stage is part of the Yorktown Community Cultural Center, 1974 Commerce Street (theater entrance around corner on Veterans Road), Yorktown Heights, NY 10598. Ample free parking is available and a wide choice of affordable dining is conveniently within walking distance.
