Sidewalk Sale and Spring Fling at the Golden Horseshoe
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Category: The Goods
There will be fun, food and great bargains at the Golden Horseshoe Shopping Center from Thursday though Sunday May 28-31. The Sidewalk Sale and Spring Fling will bring retailers outside to offer food and merchandise and there will be entertainment for the kids.
Kevin Allmashy of Chef's Table encourages you to stop by for carnival food – including popcorn, pretzels and fresh fruit smoothies. On Saturday he'll be grilling sausages and peppers on the sidewalk. Two new vendors will also be on site – Wallin and Wolf will be selling brand name shoes and handbags, and La Gravinese will be offering their line of jewelry. Kids can jump in the bouncy castle and enjoy ice cream, frozen yogurt and candy from All Good Things.
You'll find great food at the Golden Horseshoe this weekend and everyday. We stopped into a few of the restaurants and here is what we learned.
Business is hopping at All Good Things where warm weather has increased demand for ice cream. Owner Brian Levy told us that two new flavors are in the freezer: s'mores with graham cracker flavor, marshmallows and chocolate chips and cotton candy flavored ice cream. He also sells a full line of frozen yogurt and candy to please the most discerning customers. Colorful outdoor seating is now available – so stop by, pick your flavor and sit outside on the sidewalk to enjoy it. 914-472-1793
The sushi chef at Sakura is busy behind the bar creating custom special rolls that look and taste delicious. Among their specialties are the Fuji Roll with spicy tuna, crunch top and fresh tuna, the Mango Roll with shrimp, cucumber, avocado, carrot lettuce and of course mango and the Sakura Roll, filled with spicy yellowtail, salmon or tuna, and topped with salmon, avocado and tobiko. The food received raves from a family who was dining there this week. They said "the sushi is consistently the best, compares favorably to restaurants in Manhattan, the place is quiet and the staff is nice." 914-722-6522
Chef's Table is serving and delivering farm to table cuisine seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ingredients are organic and purchased from local farmers and fresh fish is purchased daily. All of the food is Certified Humane, non-GMO, and pesticide free. Some of the more popular entrees are seafood paella, black angus steak and NYS duck breast. For lunch there are chopped salads made to order with organic greens, Murray's chicken and seasonal vegetables. There's a full breakfast menu, a children's menu and fresh blended juices. In other words, there's something to please everyone, all at very reasonable prices. The restaurant is now celebrating its one-year anniversary and invites you to come by and sample the cuisine. www.ChefsTableNY.com. 914-725-1062
Italian Village has been a mainstay in Scarsdale for as long as we can remember. Their pizza, baked calzone, pastas and chicken parmesan are family favorites – along with a full range of salads, appetizers and soups. You can even take home a pint of their tomato or meat sauce and serve it with your own pasta for dinner. If you're serving a crowd, check out their catering menu. Trays of chicken, ziti, lasagna, pasta and salad are available in small, medium and large trays to feed large parties at home. They are open everyday from 10 am to 10 pm. 914-472-4400
Teaching Children the Value of Money
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- Written by Stacie M. Waldman
- Category: The Goods
Most parents don't want their kids to think that "money grows on trees," so to speak. So what and how do we teach our kids about money and at what age should we begin? How should we be teaching our children to use the money they earn, whether from the tooth fairy, as an allowance, or from generous grandparents?
Ron Lieber, an author and a NY Times columnist on the subject of money, recommends that parents offer their children three options:
Give your money to others less fortunate, (and as D.H. Lawrence wrote, "Money poisons you when you've got it and starves you when you haven't,")
Save your money for something they will want in the future unknown or even for college:
Spend it – and carefully choose how.
Lieber who is the author of "The Opposite of Spoiled," a guidebook for teaching your kids about money spoke at the Scarsdale Library on Monday May 11th, and enumerated on his advice to "give, save, or spend"
Lieber explained that he benefited from financial aid to pay for his college education and learned to 
work the system to his advantage. Upon graduating, he went to work for the Wall Street Journal where he wrote about "beating the system," and gave his readers money-saving tactics such as returning their wedding gifts for cash. He left a few years later for The New York Times and became a parent shortly thereafter. At the age of three, his daughter started asking questions about money, wondering why the family did not have a summer house and a basement full of toys. Parents began contacting him about his New York Times blog and invited him to their communities to speak to people with more and less money in order to work out their differences.
Lieber concluded that out that parents in the top 1% and the remaining 99% all have this in common: No one wants to raise a spoiled child. But what's the opposite of spoiled? he asked himself.
Mr. Lieber threw out a list of the attributes that most parents seek to instill in their children: modesty, curiosity, generosity, perseverance, prudence, grit, thrift, and patience.
Rather than avoid the conversation about money, he said, "What if we embraced the questions and used the answers to steer our kids on how to save and spend that lead to those attributes? Mr. Lieber thinks parents should promise their children to do a better job conversing about money than their parents did with them
"The business of the family, revenues and expenses, are part of the family dynamic," Mr. Lieber argued. "Instead of telling kids that questions about money are none of their business, why not honor their curiosity and ask why they want to know?" He suggested that kids may be confused or anxious about money and that parents should help them understand the important role that money plays in our lives.
According to Lieber, the basic foundation for being a fiscally responsible adult is giving, saving and spending. When thinking about the values that parents want to instill in their children, spending incorporates modesty, prudence, and thrift; saving helps one learn patience; giving helps one to learn gratitude, generosity, and graciousness. "Kids have the ability to understand this, even at the young age of 5 or 6," Mr. Lieber suggested. "Try to tell a personal story that your kids can relate to --like giving to a charity, financial aid you received at college, or buying your first car with the money you saved from babysitting."
He encouraged parents to give kids an allowance by the ages of five through seven, "...maybe a buck for every year they are." He suggested dividing it between three jars labeled "give, save, spend." He cautioned parents NOT to connect allowance to chores as chores are important for and should be expected of all kids, "...for their own benefit, believe it or not."
Mr. Lieber recommended that parents use the "want-need continuum" to keep their kids (and themselves!) in check. He used the example of rain boots. "On one end of the continuum you might have Hunter boots for $120 (an expensive luxury), and on the other end you could have Payless boots for $19.99 (perhaps not well-made, but practical). In the middle there are sturdy Land's End rain boots for around $60." Recognizing that teens want the brand named Hunter boots he asked the audience whether they would buy these for their teens. "On the one hand," he said, "you need rain boots to keep feet dry in the rain. On the other hand," he continued, "do you really need $120 rain boots, or would $60 quality rain boots suffice?" Mr. Lieber said that to teach your kids the value of money, you could give them the $60 you would probably spend on a pair of rain boots, and tell them to come up with the difference if they want to buy the Hunter boots.
Mr. Lieber said this will help kids understand why you'll spend money on one thing and not on another. Instead of fighting over the value of something, you can decide the reasonable amount to spend and let the child determine how much they feel something is worth. "Explain to them and define for them a want versus a need," Mr. Lieber added."
Lieber said that it is important to teach children the value of giving. He taught his own daughter about giving using beans – and placing different numbers of beans (representing X dollars) on pieces of paper that contained the names of the charities or organizations to which they gave. He asked his daughter if there was anything missing, and she thought that kids should have the opportunity to go to sleep away camp even if it wasn't affordable for their families. "So that first year we gave her 5 beans towards a camp scholarship fund," he said. "The next year she got 7, and so on. In this way, she contributed to giving as a family."
Mr. Lieber added that one of the best things parents can do for kids is to send them to sleep away camp. "It gets them away from technology and the stresses of the school year, both social and academic." He talked about a camp on an island in Maine that has no electricity or showers. The kids bathe in the lake. "But let's also make clear that this camp," added Mr. Lieber, "has quite a few kids from New Canaan, CT." They leave their comfortable houses and go summer after summer to this camp. "The fun they have is the fun they create, so they all need each other to create the fun," he said. "STUFF doesn't create fun. Companionship, teamwork, and things like that DO," he argued.
"Spending money on experiences is the best way to achieve happiness," Mr. Lieber suggested, "not on stuff." He used, as an example, a hard-working couple that took their kids to Four Seasons resorts all over the world. Although it was enjoyable for them, they also felt like they were limiting their children's experience to a very cloistered world. "If you're lucky enough to do that type of vacation," he said, "you should consider mixing it up with a different type of vacation. Or if you go super-luxe for your vacations, try doing it the local way for a bit. Take the bus, talk to the people who live there, and show your kids the reality of the way the rest of the world works."
Lastly, Mr. Lieber spoke about saving and how it is related to the ever-increasing cost of college. At age 17, it's very difficult for a child to understand the cost of tuition, and hard to calculate the pros and cons of going to a $100,000 state school versus a $250,000 private school. No studies have been done to show that attending the higher price-tag school will benefit a student more than the state school, but the debt and/or cost will be more than double for the private school.
Mr. Lieber wrapped up his talk by speaking of the "fun ratio," reminding parents that kids need to make mistakes with money because it's the best way to learn not to do it again. "We'd rather kids do it under our roof than in the real world. Remind them of things they spent money on before that didn't end up being a good value." A tangible lesson is the best lesson. Older children can actually take the dollars spent and divide it by the number of hours they spent playing with or using something to determine the so-called "fun ratio" and be reminded of it for their next financial decision.
Pick up a copy of "The Opposite of Spoiled" to learn more --and to feel good about the core values you are instilling in your kids.
Community Reacts to Regents' Visit to Scarsdale
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Category: The Goods
Chancellor Merryl Tisch of the NYS Regents along with newly-appointed Regent Judith Johnson came to Scarsdale last week to discuss state testing and the new teacher evaluation system on a panel with State Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Scarsdale Schools Superintendent Thomas Hagerman. The auditorium at SHS was filled with concerned parents, teachers and administrators. Here are comments from the Scarsdale community on the event:
Diane Greenwald, who is a Co-Chair of the PTC Legislative Committee expressed her gratitude to the Scarsdale Forum for providing a platform for this expert panel to engage on educational issues with our community.
Greenwald said, "Judith Johnson focused on values that I treasure; the equitable, rich and developmentally appropriate education for all our children; the transparent creation of flexible State policies that include input by educational experts and offer space for local control; and her commitment to the professional development of teachers as valued partners.
Regent Johnson inspired me with hope that there will be a voice of reason participating in the educational leadership of New York State. She is brave, articulate and knowledgeable about the complex issues that are impacting the education of New York's children. Right now, she is asking the right questions about how the government can best and first serve our students."
"I was pleasantly surprised that Chancellor Tisch came to our community and listened to the wisdom of this panel. I hope she heard the consistent concerns expressed about the over-use of unproven and poorly conceived high stakes tests. Her comments to the press in support of the current testing regime lead me to fear that she does not hear the thousands of voices across New York frustrated by this approach. I hope she listened to the cries for local control and the dismay around the damaging effects of the teacher evaluation system that defy logic and undermine quality education."
Nan Berke is a Scarsdale parent and co-chair of the 
Suburban Consortium for Public Education, which is a group of parents and administrators representing 39 school districts in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam Counties, (including 3/4 of the school districts in Westchester). She said, "I have the highest respect for our new regent Judith Johnson, and I am confident she will help bring sanity to education policy in NYS. She is an incredibly experienced listener, collaborator and doer. She wants what is best for our kids. What a breath of fresh air!
I was disappointed that Meryl Tisch did not speak at last week's panel, but hope she was listening.
One parent at last week's panel said we should focus on the kids and not on teacher evaluation models. This seems so misguided. Scarsdale spends millions each year on those state tests and their sole purpose is to evaluate teachers. As John Oliver pointed out on his show last Sunday, they are a lousy way to measure teachers' effectiveness. NYS needs to devise sound, evidence-based models for teacher evaluation. That's why the most urgent thing for our state's education policy is to extend the state's June 30th deadline to amend the teacher evaluation system. It will take time and input from experts to devise something that actually works.
Joe Vaughn, who teaches Physics at SHS and coaches the speech and debate team said, "I thought that Regent Johnson was fair minded in her responses and clearly on the side of kids. I was heartened by how she seemed willing to ask important questions about the role and nature of the Pearson tests. I was also heartened by her statement that she does not approve of tying teacher ratings to student test scores, especially when the quality and applicability of those tests are in question. I have hope that her voice will be a moderating one among the Regents when they meet. During the forum, she noted a place on the NYSED website where she invited feedback. I hope that the entire community takes her up on this opportunity. I was disappointed that Chancellor Tisch was unwilling to be on the panel, but since we were able to hear the thoughtful insights of Regent Johnson, I was not too upset at her unwillingness to dialogue with the Scarsdale public."
Jerry Crisci, The district's Director of Technology said, "I thought that all three 
panelists did a terrific job. I'm grateful that the Scarsdale Forum was able to bring the issues surrounding the APPR to the public, and I know that the remarks shared at the meetings will foster rich dialogue about this critical issue that affects all children in NYS. I was impressed with Regent Johnson, and I hope that she is able to use her influence to implement the ideas that she shared with the audience."
Superintendent Thomas Hagerman was on the panel and commented, "I felt privileged to be co-panelists with both Assemblywoman Amy Paulin and Regent Judith Johnson. Amy has been a true champion of local efforts to bring about meaningful changes rather than those that are being driven by political forces. And, I was heartened by Judith's comments as well, both in terms of her reasoned beliefs around the use of standards and the purpose of assessment, but more importantly about her strong commitment to equity, public education, and local control. I am confident that Judith has the experience and knowledge to be an advocate of region and to be a part of major change efforts within the Board of Regents. In terms of Meryl Tisch, I was appreciative of her attendance, and I hope that many of the perspectives the panel and community shared will resonate with her in terms of the careful balance between accountability and the implementation of public education within the contexts of real communities, many of which, like Scarsdale, is getting a lot right."
Residents Draft Petition to Save Greenacres School
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Category: The Goods
When neighbors learned that Greenacres School could be torn down and replaced with a larger building on Greenacres Field they were alarmed for many reasons.
Why? Greenacres is the oldest school in Scarsdale and some residents want to preserve a piece of history. The field is the only remaining play space in Greenacres, after George Field was converted into a retention pond to alleviate flooding, and people who live around the field value the open expanse of green.
A group of concerned residents joined together to draft a petition and it now has 270 signatures. Here is a comment from Greenacres resident Meredith Gantcher --and find the text of the petition below:
From Meredith Gantcher:
"Seven years ago our family moved from the Upper West Side to Scarsdale. We specifically limited our search to Greenacres because I fell in love with the tree-lined streets with classic Tudors and brick center hall Colonials, the intimacy of the neighborhood, and the idyllic public school. Most of all, I loved Greenacres field and playground because it was filled with families weekends and weekdays and had the vitality of a city park, but the beauty and open space of the suburbs.
On April 20th I attended the Board of Ed meeting in order to hear KD&G's report on their feasibility study for Greenacres School because I had heard rumors that one of the plans was to demolish the existing school and build a new one on the field. After hearing the presentation by KD&G and learning that the Board was seriously considering "Option C," to tear down Greenacres school and build a huge school complex with a "High School size gym to serve the entire Scarsdale community", I met with a group of 6 other neighbors who were equally shocked that the Board could actually propose destroying Greenacres Field – the heart and soul of our neighborhood. We quickly drafted a petition and began circulating the petition last Thursday and to date we have 270 signatures representing 200 distinct households in Greenacres, or approximately 20% of GA households.
Our goal is to send a loud message to the Board of Ed that while we are willing partners in enhancing our school and ensuring that our children receive the best education a public school can offer, we must be equally committed to preserving the unique character of our community."
Here is a copy of the petition:
Keep The Green In Greenacres
To: Scarsdale Board of Education and Greenacres Building Committee
I have reviewed the proposed plans for the Greenacres School presented by KG&D at the April 20, 2015 Scarsdale School Board Meeting. As a resident of Greenacres, I URGE the Board and Building Committee to eliminate "Option C," which involves demolishing the existing historic Greenacres School and destroying the Greenacres Field - the heart and soul of our community.
The Greenacres Field, which defines our neighborhood, functions as a village green in the most traditional sense; the field is our "town center," a beautiful, open green space that is filled with residents of our neighborhood weekdays and weekends; a place where toddlers, teens, parents and caregivers all meet and congregate.
I strongly object to pursuing "Option C" because this plan would:
• Eliminate the only large contiguous green space in Greenacres, making our neighborhood the ONLY neighborhood in Scarsdale without a large open field;
• Significantly reduce the overall green space in our already densely built neighborhood;
• Eliminate the black top (built with funds donated by Greenacres residents) that serves as a gathering point for the entire neighborhood, where children learn to ride their bicycles and teens play basketball;
• Significantly reduce the playground space for our youngest students and children. "Option C" would eliminate a separate playground and blacktop like the one currently used by K and 1st grade classes behind the existing school;
• Negatively impact community celebrations (such as the Annual Fourth of July celebration, Back to School Picnic and Greenacres Carnival);
• Ruin the aesthetic of our neighborhood by creating a High School- sized gym and two large parking lots.
Beyond altering the very character of our neighborhood via the destruction of the Greenacres Field, such a plan would also fail to solve the "Huntington Avenue problem," as children would still need to cross the street to reach a playing field. Moreover, the inclusion of a large High School-sized gym to serve "the entire Scarsdale community" would massively increase the traffic flow in our otherwise quiet streets.
As a member of this neighborhood, I am dedicated to improving our school and community. However, I am convinced that the demolition of the Greenacres School and resulting destruction of the Field is not the best solution. I forcefully urge the Board and Committee to focus on alternatives based on renovating, updating, and/or expanding the existing school. These approaches will be far less disruptive and damaging to the neighborhood and allow Greenacres to remain a vibrant community for the next 100 years.
If you wish to sign the petition, click here to access it.
Library Accepts Gift and Hosts Reception for Story Project
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- Written by Joanne Wallenstein
- Category: The Goods
Former Trustee Stacey Brodsky and her husband David Brodsky have made a gift of $10,000 to the Village toward funding for a Master Plan for renovations and additions to the Scarsdale Library. Acceptance of the gift was announced by Trustee Marc Samwick at the April 28th meeting of the Village Board. He explained that the Brodsky's recently moved to Manhattan after living in Scarsdale for over 20 years. During that time they were avid volunteers in the Village where Stacey was a PTA President, served on the Board of Architectural Review, the School Board Nominating Committee, the Board of Scarsdale Library and ultimately four years as Village Trustee. David Brodsky headed the Procedure Committee, the School Board Nominating Committee and chaired the Scarsdale Bowl. Samwick said, "we should be humbled by their generosity," and encouraged others to follow their lead and "give generously" and "volunteer for the village and local organizations."
The gift will be used for a master plan for the library which is headed for a major transformation. The space will be expanded, new meeting spaces will be built, there will be improved technological features and it will serve as "a multi-purpose community asset for generations." The project is expected to cost $12 million, which will be generated through fund-raising and monies from the Village.
On Thursday night April 30th, the library will hold a reception for the grand opening of the Scarsdale Library Story Project exhibit, which tells the personal experiences of residents at the library. The public is invited from 6:30-7:30 p.m. to view the exhibit in the library's Scott Room.
The framed presentations include a description of the individual experiences of current and former residents as well as a photo of each writer. The Scarsdale Library Story Project explored the role the Scarsdale Library plays in the life of residents. The interviews were held at the end of last year.
"This exciting program was inspired by the national oral history project StoryCorps," said Michelle Lichtenberg, Library Board President. "We had a wonderful response to the project and the participants provided both enlightening and emotional recollections showing the important and many faceted roles the library plays in the life of our community. Now, those who read the brief stories can share the experiences. We hope it will provide an incentive for others to participate next year."
