Twenty-four Tappan Zee High School freshmen, accompanied by Secondary Literacy Coach Mr. Mark Stanford and Secondary Math Coach Ms. Marisa Premus, visited South Orangetown Middle School eighth-grade classrooms yesterday to share their experiences with transitioning from middle school to high school.

In each classroom, discussions ranged from logistical questions about locker use and lunch to conversations about balancing workload and extracurriculars. Ninth-graders spoke candidly about what to expect and encouraged students to take advantage of the resources and supports available at the high school.

The visit was introduced this year as a new component of the SOMS-to-TZHS transition process, in addition to the 8th Grade Student/Parent Orientation, which includes department presentations, a school tour and the opportunity to speak with upperclassmen and faculty members.

“This year at TZHS, we’ve sought to enhance the transition experience for eighth-graders and their families coming into the high school. We have added new resources like the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ and the ‘Course Selection Guide for Freshmen’ that are posted on the website,” noted TZHS Principal Dr. Jennifer Amos. “But, from my perspective, the best addition of all was the opportunity for our current freshmen to talk with our incoming freshmen, offering eighth-graders a chance to hear first-hand what they have to look forward to at TZ. I am grateful to the teachers and students who worked together to make it happen!”

“Our goal was to provide a forum in which current eighth-graders could hear about high school life from students who just completed their first semester as TZHS freshmen,” Mr. Stanford explained. “By including time for the eighth-graders to ask follow-up questions, we hoped to alleviate any existing concerns and provide the necessary information to help students make informed decisions when they select courses for their freshman year at TZHS.”

Click to view more photos posted on the district Facebook feed.

“Next time, we should bring mats and the game setup to practice during the day.”
“The cube-shaped robots tended to be more efficient.”
“We learned a lot about troubleshooting programming.”
“We need a backup robot.”

Last week, members of South Orangetown Middle School’s FIRST LEGO League (FLL) robotics team debriefed on the previous weekend’s regional tournament in Chappaqua. Although they didn’t place at the event, team members felt that they had gained valuable knowledge that will help them be successful next season.

“Other teams were friendly–friendly competition–we’re going to work on that,” explained Jake P., a sixth-grader who plans to continue with robotics next year. “It’s a place where you can do what you’re skilled at, whether it’s building or programming.”

Learning how to collaborate has been a big part of the experience. “At first, we were arguing a lot, but then we fell into roles that fit with our strengths,” noted sixth-grader Nolan C.

Sixth-grader Shayan H., agreed. “One of the best things is that we became friends.”

Most SOMS FLL team members were introduced to robotics in William O. Schaefer Elementary School and Cottage Lane Elementary School. “I want to be an engineer and robotics is fun,” said sixth-grader Kobi S. “You do things with Lego that you never thought you could do.”

FIRST LEGO League engages students in real-world science, technology and engineering challenges. Teams build and program a LEGO EV3 robot to compete a series of challenges, as well as research and design a solution for an important problem. “Hydro Dynamics” was this year’s challenge and teams worked toward addressing issues with the human water cycle.

“I knew I could create a solution for this challenge, because water usage is something a person can control,” said team member Dowland A. The seventh-grader developed an iOS mobile app, Aqua: Water Usage Tracker–now available in the App Store–that allows users to calculate and monitor personal water consumption during daily activities, such as showering.

Looking ahead, the team is eager to recruit incoming sixth-graders, as well as tech-enthusiastic seventh- and eighth-graders for next year’s team.

“Robotics is all about team-building, rather than one person’s contribution…directing everyone’s energy toward a goal,” Dowland added. “And it’s an opportunity to socialize with people who share your interests.”

Technology teacher and team advisor Kerry Beckmann said that the regional competition was a growth experience for the young team. “I was very proud of how the students performed at their first competition and look forward to returning next year, after we incorporate all we learned,” she said. “New members are still welcome to join us this year; we’ve already had two students sign up after they heard that our team competed at Chappaqua.”

People have a lot of different opinions about social media. Social media can be an incredibly useful source of information and, conversely, can be a source of misinformation. In the latter sense, social media is like other forms of media in that it must be used with care and consideration. So…after that lengthy disclaimer, here’s my bottom line: Please follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SOCSD_Supt

My Twitter handle is @SOCSD_Supt and I try to post weekly highlights from around our district that can be searched using the following hashtag #SOCSD2018 (you can search for last year’s moments using the hashtag #SOCSD2017). Nobody can be everywhere at once, but I find that many of our staff have been keeping us all well-informed about all the great activities happening in and around our school district. Continue reading Dr. Pritchard’s “Moments at #SOCSD2018” post.

The Science Leadership Team participated in Instructional Rounds (a practice of educators gathering evidence of student engagement and learning) to look at how students express their learning about science. These class visits stemmed from the recommendations of the Tri-State Consortium (a team of NY, NJ, and CT educators ) that evaluated our science and engineering program two years ago. The goal of the class visits was to get get a better sense of our science education continuum, grades K through 12, and to understand how our students think about what they are learning in the science classroom.

Teachers and administrators were in mixed groups and visited two schools that they don’t regularly work in. We talked with students about what they were learning and what connections the lessons, activities, and experiments had to the real world. We gathered non-judgmental evidence by focusing on the task the students were working on, what the students were doing to accomplish the task, and how they expressed their learning through conversations and writing… Continue reading the “What are Students Saying” post.

Called the “most important meal of the day,” breakfast has been shown to improve student academic achievement and behavior. Breakfast is served every full day of student attendance at each of our four schools. Menus and times served are posted on Google Calendars visible on each school’s home page and are also posted on the district site. Click below to view:

• SOCES Menu
• SOMS Menu
• TZHS Menu

Breakfast costs $1.25 for students; reduced-price breakfast is $0.25. The adult price is $1.86 plus tax.

It’s never too late to congratulate! South Orangetown Middle School eighth-grader Kristen B. was recognized by the Sons of Italy Rockland Lodge 2176 for her outstanding achievement and interest in the Italian language and culture and named November 2017 Student of the Month.​ Congratulations, Kristen!

The South Orangetown Middle School Science Olympiad team competed in building, experiment and study events at the Division B South Shore Seawolves Invitational at Islip Middle School last Saturday. Congratulations to seventh-grader Sean M., who placed 4th in the Potions and Poisons category.

“We have a very young team this year. Only six of the 18 students who participated had been at a competition before, so it was a great way for them to gain experience in preparation for our regional competition in March,” said Science Instructional Coach (K-8) Mrs. Samantha Levine, a team advisor.

Wishing good luck to the team and advisors Mrs. Levine, Ms. Sara Nybro, Ms. Kerry Beckmann and Mr. Lou Chugranis, at regionals!

On February 8, eight South Orangetown Middle School students were honored at the Annual Black Achievement Awards Ceremony held at Rockland Community College. This award is given to students in Grades 6 and 8 who have achieved an academic average of 92% or greater, plus outstanding participation and accomplishment in at least two of the following categories: community service, artistic expression, athletic ability and accomplishment, leadership, and personal triumph and success. Congratulations to eighth-grade award winner Marley W. and to our sixth-grade award winners Caleb A., Ethan C., Coryn E., Olivia L., Jahna N., Jayden P. and Ella S. Congratulations to all the award recipients (seven pictured below)!

Cottage Lane Elementary School students have the inside scoop on the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang​, thanks to its friend, Stacy Spletzer! Stacy manages athlete relations and communications for the World Anti-Doping Agency and has been sending daily video updates to CLE, including athlete responses to students’ questions.

Stay tuned to http://blogs.socsd.org/cle/greetings-from-the-winter-olympics/ for updates!

Over the course of her tenure as principal Tappan Zee Elementary School and William O. Schaefer Elementary School (1988-1994), Ms. Carolyn Spence reached out to eight student artists and their families for permission to frame and keep their artwork. Their drawings and paintings have traveled with Ms. Spence as she continued her career in education–and now, she hopes to return it to her former students.

“Children’s artwork captures their spirits, what’s in their hearts,” Ms. Spence explained. “I’ve had the joy of having this work with me for 24 years. I’d like to get it back to the artists so that they can reconnect with who they were then.”

The former artists, from TZE and WOS (1988-1994) are: Marina Colon, Kristina DiLuzio, Kerri Gannon, Jonathan Hernandez, Melissa Porcelli, Justin Silverstein, Kathleen Sullivan and Jenny Yang.

Ms. Spence delivered the artwork to our Central Office this week, each wrapped and containing a personal note to the artist. Artists or their family members are encouraged to contact Ms. Rose Ngai (rngai@socsd.org / 845.680.1137) to coordinate pickup.

The Tappan Zee High School Science Olympiad team placed 9th overall out of 48 schools competing at the Lower Hudson Valley Division C Regionals on February 10 at Byram Hills High School. “We are very proud of the kids and looking forward to bettering our stats next year,” said team advisors Ms. Kaitlynn Connington and Mr. Brian Newburger. Congratulations to:

• Alex Gottlieb and Deev Patel, 1st Place – Towers (pictured below)
• Alex Gottlieb and Kevin Huang, 2nd Place – Helicopters
• Riya Gandhi and Kaylee Liang, 5th Place – Disease Detectives
• Nika Colley and Katrina Lupi, 6th Place – Rocks and Minerals
• Kevin Huang and Ruben Sriskanda, 6th Place – Fermi Questions
• Nika Colley and Katrina Lupi, 7th Place – Write It, Do It
• Kevin Huang and Ruben Sriskanda, 8th Place – Material Science
• Kezia Matthew and Mira Carumba, 10th Place – Optics

Raymond W. DeMeola Memorial VFW Post 1615 Commander-in-Chief John Antonucci surprised seventh-grader Anthony D. at South Orangetown Middle School Monday afternoon to personally congratulate him for placing second in the Patriot’s Pen Youth Essay Contest for VFW New York State District 2, which spans from Ulster County to Staten Island. Chief Antonucci presented Anthony with a certificate and plaque that reads “An exceptional spokesperson for patriotism.”

In his award-winning essay on this year’s contest theme, “America’s Gift to My Generation,” Anthony expressed appreciation and hope. “The gift of freedom given to my generation must not be squandered…but it is up to us to use those freedoms, along with education and hard work, to achieve our dreams” he wrote. “I am so excited to see what the future holds for me.”

Congratulations, Anthony!

This morning, William O. Schaefer Elementary School welcomed New York State Senator David Carlucci and members of the Raymond W. DeMeola Memorial VFW Post 161 for a special Valentine’s Day for Veterans celebration.

WOS is one of 26 elementary schools across Rockland and Westchester counties who participated in the annual event sponsored by Senator Carlucci’s office, which selects a school to host the celebration and coordinates the collection and distribution of thousands of student-made valentines to local veterans.

Students gave a warm welcome to the veterans, Senator Carlucci and district administrators–including Superintendent Dr. Robert Pritchard, who served in the U.S. Army for over 20 years–and performed three musical selections. A video (below) of students preparing the valentines and expressing their thanks was also screened for the special guests.

Senator Carlucci thanked students and staff for their efforts. “Thank you for honoring our true American heroes…showing them how grateful we are for their service and dedication to our community,” he said.

Happy Valentine’s Day to our veterans and to all!

Whether it’s a charity fundraiser, a soup kitchen, a community event, or a night of feeding the homeless in New York City, the TZHS Blauvelt Lions Leos are there to help. Leo Club members have logged close to 1,500 hours of community service in the first five months of the 2017-18 school year by volunteering at three soup kitchens, participating in numerous Midnight Runs to bring food and clothing to the Homeless in Manhattan, helping to bake over 100 pies for the Blauvelt Lions Applefest, and volunteering at over 10 community events including the Dominican Convent Fall Festival, the Blauvelt Lions Applefest and the Nyack Halloween Parade. The Leos also ran a Zumba for Charity event, raising nearly $800 for the Penguin Plunge. A Leo’s work is never done, and many Leos are already signed up to participate on a Breakfast Run on February 25.

On February 11, members of Tappan Zee High School’s Italian Honor Society, Italian Club, Spanish Honor Society and Spanish Club traveled to Cottage Lane Elementary School to introduce fourth-graders to world languages.

The six-session, student-led program was launched last year by the Italian Honor Society and Italian Club. Fourth-graders learned simple greetings, introductions, numbers, months and colors in Italian.

“The high school students and the fourth-graders all loved the program last year,” said TZHS Italian teacher Ms. Patricia Castelli, who also serves as co-advisor for the Italian Honor Society and Italian Club with fellow Italian teacher Maria Bruno. “We expanded it this year to include Spanish, so all fourth-graders will be taught three lessons in Italian and three lessons in Spanish. We hope to add French to the rotation next year.”

Nearly 200 community members, many in festive shades of red, filled the Tappan Zee High School cafeteria last Friday night for the annual Senior Citizens Valentine’s Day Dinner Dance, sponsored by the TZHS Interact Club. The event is free for guests, invited through local seniors organizations, who enjoy a delicious meal and entertainment provided by student musicians from TZHS and Cottage Lane Elementary School. Throughout the evening, the seniors expressed their appreciation to students and staff members.

“The Valentine’s Day Dinner Dance is our most special event because it is an example of how we define our club,” explains Interact Club President Kathryn Lacker. “This is us interacting with the community to make them happy. The joy and gratitude that the senior citizens show during and after the dance makes all of the hard work preparing for the event completely worth it.”

The Interact Club expresses its special thanks to the following local businesses, whose generous donations helped to make this year’s Valentine’s Day Dinner Dance possible: Aunt Mia’s Sweets, Athelstane Lodge 839, Bailey’s Smokehouse, Books and Greetings, Calabria, Crecco’s Café, Del’Arte, EZ Buy, Giovanni’s, Hogan’s, Il Fresco, Le Gateau Suisse, Louie’s, Lulu’s Café, Matisse, Mia Cucina, Mountain House, Munno’s, New China House, Nonna Rosa, Northvale Diner, Paesano’s, Quick Stop Deli, Rockland Bakery, Roost Restaurant, Schweizer & Dykstra Beautiful Flowers, Stateline Diner, Station One Deli, Stella Luna, The Clover Leaf and The Greek Village.

For photos, see the post on the district Facebook page.

Dear South Orangetown Community,

We are appalled by yesterday’s devastating attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. This horrific event stands as yet another reminder that we must remain hypervigilant and redouble our efforts to keep our students and staff safe.

Sadly, preparing for violence has become a part of school life for students and staff here in South Orangetown, and across the nation. At SOCSD, we continually refine safety and security procedures, protocols and infrastructure and work closely with our local first responders.

Tragic events like this are difficult to process, especially for our children. The National Association of School Psychologists has created this tip sheet, Talking to Children About Violence, to help parents with these conversations. If you feel that your child would benefit from additional support, please do not hesitate to contact his or her school staff.

Sincerely,

Robert R. Pritchard, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools

William O. Schaefer Elementary School Help Card Contacts
Cottage Lane Elementary School Help Card Contacts
South Orangetown Middle School Help Card Contacts
Tappan Zee High School Help Card Contacts

Congratulations to Tappan Zee High School’s Tyler Lowe, who was honored by the Sons of Italy Rockland Lodge 2176 as December 2017 Student of the Month for his excellent work and dedication to the Italian language and culture. Tyler’s excitement for Italian has extended beyond the classroom. He has been an active member of both the TZHS Italian Club and Italian Honor Society throughout high school, participating in many school and community events. Tyler recently volunteered to co-manage the school-wide Italian Heritage Month culture contest and contributed an artistic confection he created to the annual Italian Heritage Month Potluck Dinner.

William O. Schaefer Elementary School’s Earth Kids are on a mission: To create a healthier environment for people and animals by promoting recycling.

The Earth Kids enrichment program was launched earlier this school year by Library Media Specialist Ms. Patty Eyer and special education teacher Ms. Heidi Hill to educate and engage students in caring for the world around them. “We’ve been re-teaching our building how to recycle,” explains Ms. Hill. “We realized that there was confusion about recycling, so we collected all the classroom bins and Earth Kids members made a how-to video that was shared school-wide. Bins were returned once classes viewed the video and signed a recycling pledge.”

WOS custodian John Zarcone has also gotten involved, working with the company that cleans the school after-hours to ensure that recycling is disposed of properly.

“We’re looking to ‘grow’ our recycling effort into the cafeteria,” says Ms. Eyer. “And I’d love to use our school garden to teach Earth Kids about composting.”

Earth Kids’ efforts extend beyond the school, as well. Their bottle collection bin in the school entryway has raised $40 for Hi Tor Animal Care Center and families helped out on February 13, converting recyclable plastic bags into “plarn” jump ropes for the school’s Jump Rope for Heart event, which benefits the American Heart Association. (“Plarn” is short for “plastic yarn,” which is made by cutting plastic grocery bags into strips, which are then strung together into a single, long strand.)

Earth Kids meets Tuesdays at 8:15am, and is open to all WOS students. If your child would like to get involved, please email Ms. Eyer (peyer@socsd.org) or Ms. Hill (hhill@socsd.org).

For more photos, view the district Facebook post.

Tappan Zee High School’s Youth United Way Club are teaming up with other local high schools for a countywide “Fight the Flu” Drive. Advisor Christopher Lorusso reports that the club is collecting tissues, Lysol and Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, hand soap, bleach, kitchen and bathroom cleaners, and sponges to help Rockland families in need keep their homes virus-free. Collection bins are located in the TZHS main entryway through March 7. All donations will be distributed to families through United Way of Rockland.

Read the lohud.com story about the Rockland Youth United Way “Fight the Flu” effort.

Pictured below, from left: TZ Youth United Way Club members Vinny Barikyan, Adam Cooperman, Katrina Lupi, Samantha Duffy, Stephen Barikyan and Noah Cooperman.