This morning, the South Orangetown Central School District Music Department hosted a special introduction to musical instruments for William O. Schaefer Elementary School second-graders. “Every third-grader in our school district has the opportunity to take instrumental music instruction,” Music Teacher Charles Yassky explained to students. “You get to choose.”

Information was sent home this week about the third-grade instrumental music program. Students interested in taking lessons at Cottage Lane Elementary School next year are encouraged to return the form, noting their instrument(s) of choice, by Monday, June 11. (Click here to view the forms in PDF format: English | Español.) Nearly all current third-graders are enrolled in instrumental music lessons.

Mr. Yassky, along with Music Department teachers Jonathan Rossi, Matthew Rotjan, Bill Hughes, alumni Stefano Malinverno (‘17) and Jordan Rinchiera (‘13), and parent Tanya Witek, took turns playing individual woodwind, brass and string instruments and spoke about the special characteristics of each. A string quartet of Cottage Lane students performed, as well.

“When you play music, you get to create something really beautiful that other people can enjoy,” noted Mr. Hughes. “And you get to play with your friends.”

Providing young students with an opportunity to experience and appreciate the sound and character of each instrument can have a lasting benefit. “Without something like this, kids might not have the direction on what to do,” said Jordan, who graduated from the Berklee College of Music last year with a degree in music education and performance. Stefano is studying the saxophone at Manhattan College of Music.

“The bottom line is that all the instruments can play the same songs,” Dr. Rotjan advised, after playing a snippet of The Avengers theme on a string bass. “You just have to follow your heart to figure out what sound you want to make.”

Parents of second-graders: Please ask your children about today’s presentation and be sure to return the instrumental music selection form to their teachers by Monday, June 11.

View more photos on the district’s Facebook page.

A delegation of 20 Chinese school principals toured South Orangetown Middle School this morning to learn about middle school programs and design. As a National Schools-to-Watch exemplar, SOMS was asked to host the visit, which was coordinated through the Indianapolis-based Chinese Education Connection, a U.S. training base for the Department of Education of the Zhejiang Province, China, in cooperation with the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform.

The delegation was welcomed by Assistant Principal Dr. Chad Corey and Dean of Students Michael Ryan; SOMS students and faculty led the visiting educators on a building tour, and responded to questions.

“This is an opportunity for us not only to showcase our whole child approach, but also to reflect on the work that we do and how we can refine our students’ learning experience,” said Dr. Corey. “Being recognized as a National School-to-Watch allows us to network with other schools throughout the state and country on best practices for the middle-level learner. Welcoming educators from across the globe extends that network.”

SOMS recently celebrated its re-designation as a National Schools-to-Watch program and was the only school in the region visited by the delegation. Special thanks to the SOCSD parents, staff members, and Rockland Chinese School volunteers who served as Mandarin-speaking translators during this special visit.

Click here to view the FiOS1 Lower Hudson Valley News story! | For more photos, see the district’s Facebook post.

Congratulations to all the staff, Board of Education and PTA volunteers who were honored at the first-ever District-Wide Celebrations on June 7! Director of Human Resources Jeremy Barker emceed the special event, which incorporated newly-tenured staff, those reaching service milestones, retirees, newly-installed PTA leaders and PTA Volunteer Award, Together We Can and Founders Day Award winners.

A list of those recognized is posted here. Also honored (not listed on the program) were outgoing Board of Education member Ken Malpeli and outgoing Council PTA President Vicki Caramante.

Photos from the event are posted on the district’s Facebook page. Pictured below are members the SOCSD Facilities & Maintenance Department, which received the South Orangetown Council PTA Founders Day Award.

Families, administrators and Board of Education members gathered on June 6 for the Tappan Zee High School Academic Awards Ceremony, an annual event which recognizes freshmen, sophomores and juniors who placed in the top 20 percent of their class, based on weighted rankings for the first three quarters of the school year. Seniors who earned a weighted average of 90% or higher through the third quarter of the school year received recognition at Monday’s Senior Awards ceremony.

Assistant Principal Juliet Gevargis-Mizimakoski welcomed guests and led the ceremony, which featured a performance by the TZHS Chamber Orchestra. Math Department Team Leader Jeanne Corcoran delivered the keynote address.

Awards were presented to 11 juniors for their exceptional achievements:

• University of Rochester Bausch & Lomb Award for outstanding academic achievement and superior intellectual promise in the field of science: Jennifer Nguyen
• University of Rochester Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony Award for a junior who is outstanding in the fields of humanities and social science: Alyssa Bergstrom
• University of Rochester George Eastman Young Leadership Award for outstanding leadership and academic achievement: Kielty Fowler
• University of Rochester Xerox Award for Innovation and Information Technology for demonstrated keen interest and exemplary skills in information technology: Thomas Barrett
• George Washington University Engineering & Applied Science Award for outstanding achievement in mathematics and science: Kevin Huang
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Award for outstanding achievement in math and science: Palak Oza
• Rochester Institute of Technology Computing Medal and Scholarship Award for academic distinction, demonstrated leadership in school or community activities and excellence in the field of computing: Hannah Alexandre and Jude Valens Paulemon
• Rochester Institute of Technology Creativity and Innovation Award for juniors who have distinguished themselves academically, is an active and involved member of their school and community and demonstrated outstanding achievement in innovation, creativity or entrepreneurship: Joanna George and Philip Kennedy
• Edward Hopper House Award for a junior who demonstrates artistic curiosity through their individual self-expression, style and unique creativity: Paolo Tucci
• Adelphi University American Chemical Society Award for outstanding scholastic achievement in high school chemistry: Jennifer Nguyen

“While so many of our students work to the best of their ability every day, this ceremony honors those who achieved the highest degree of academic success across their entire course load this year,” said Principal Dr. Jennifer Amos. “We are so proud of the academic focus our students have given this year.”

View the Academic Awards program.

Congratulations to William O. Schaefer First Grade Teacher Carol Kuhn, who was awarded an Orange & Rockland STEM Classroom Grant at a reception Wednesday night! “I am eager to provide some additional STEM moments in my classroom,” says Ms. Kuhn. “I want the children to have opportunities to engineer, create, think, plan, collaborate, communicate, and make mistakes that they are able to learn from. I want them to challenge themselves and struggle because those are key ingredients for success.”

Ms. Kuhn received a grant for a “Building a Better Maze” project she has planned for next year. Working in groups, students will build a maze structure and observe how the marbles flow through it. Their challenge will be to build a maze that keep the marble in it longest and groups will compete. Students will time the marble as they flow through each maze, record the times with a timer, and then graph and record the data from each time trial. “They will be problem solving, using their imaginations, exploring mathematical and scientific concepts and communicating ideas,” Ms. Kuhn reports.

More than a dozen vessels of varying colors, shapes and sizes entered the South Orangetown Middle School pool for the 3rd Annual Cardboard Boat Race on June 6. Intrepid Cottage Lane Elementary School and SOMS students clipped on their life vests and boarded their constructions to compete for the fastest race time in boats that they’d built from cardboard and duct tape.

“It’s all about working with your friends and making real life stuff that you can use and race with,” said eighth-grader Aidan O. When asked what approach had worked best, he quickly replied, “Team work. Collaboration.”

CLE Technology Teacher Kim Guzas was impressed by students’ commitment and enthusiasm. “They started eight weeks ago and were very passionate about working during recess every day,” she said. “TMI: Think, make, improve. That’s the overarching theme for the three years we have them at Cottage Lane. It makes the engineering process attainable.”

SOMS entrants worked in Challenge Lab and Technology classes to design, construct and troubleshoot their boats. “A lot of the SOMS designs went the pontoon route for buoyancy this year,” noted Enrichment and Technology Teacher Andrew McIntosh. “The boat designs have advanced in the past couple of years and this year the fastest time was 11 seconds traveling the width of the pool.”

Congratulations to all the marine engineers and sailors who competed in this year’s race! View photos on the district’s Facebook feed.

This morning, the South Orangetown Middle School Library was transformed into the Civil War Living Museum for seventh-grade social studies classes. Students listened to an engaging, interactive lecture about Civil War history and had an opportunity to explore authentic artifacts. “We’re starting to learn about the Civil War, so this is an introduction,” said Luke H.

In fact, seventh-graders learn about the Civil War after their final exam, noted Social Studies Teacher James Amandola. “This is a great experience for students,” he said. “It’s hands-on history.”

As we near the end of the school year, following is information regarding modified schedules for William O. Schaefer Elementary School, Cottage Lane Elementary School and South Orangetown Middle School:

Friday, June 15
WOS: Regular schedule
CLE : Regular schedule
SOMS: First day of early student dismissal at 11:15am

Monday, June 18 – Thursday, June 21
WOS: First day of early student dismissal at 12:15pm; pickups begin at 12:00pm
CLE: First day of early student dismissal at 12:15pm; pickups same time as dismissal
SOMS: Student early dismissal at 11:15am (On June 21, Grades 6 & 7 follow modified schedule; Grade 8 Moving Up Ceremony is 9:30am at TZHS)

Friday, June 22
WOS: Dismissal at 11:15am; pickups begin at 11:00am
CLE: Dismissal at 11:15am; pickups same time as dismissal
SOMS: Dismissal at 10:15am

Tappan Zee High School finals information can be found here.

Cottage Lane Elementary School’s Fifth Grade Chorus joined roughly 7,000 students as part of the American Young Voices Concert on June 8 at Newark’s Prudential Center. The concert featured more than 300 choirs from the tri-state area who united to perform a medley of songs that they had rehearsed independently with their music teachers. CLE Music Teacher and Chorus Director Lisa Kahn began preparing the Fifth Grade Chorus in January.

On the afternoon of the show, the choirs met to rehearse the concert repertoire, which included “Tongo,” “Name That Toon,” “Why We Sing,” “La Sopa de Isabel” “Pop Medley 2018,” “You’re in the Band,” “The Power of One,” “Birdhouse in Your Soul,” and “Disco Fever.”

The student chorus was conducted by Franciso Nunez, the Artistic Director/Founder of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City and an acclaimed choral music composer, and accompanied by professional musicians who have performed with rock musicians and in Broadway orchestras. The CLE fifth-graders had an amazing experience!

On May 22, the South Orangetown Middle School PTA celebrated the winners of this year’s PTA Reflections contest! Congratulations to:

Dance
First Place*: Sarah Kate R., Grade 6

Literature
First Place*: “Time” by Monica R., Grade 8
Second Place*: “The Dance, My Story” by Grace K., Grade 8
Third Place: “Crash Course” by Kate S., Grade 7
Honorable Mention: “Thoughts in My Head” by Diana K., Grade 8

Music
First Place*: Kobi S., Grade 6

Photography
Second Place*: “At My Fingertips” by Grace K., Grade 8
Honorable Mention: “The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow” by Ella L., Grade 6

Thank you to SOMS PTA for providing this opportunity for our student-artists.

*Advanced to regional judging

William O. Schaefer Elementary School and Cottage Lane Elementary School joined forces on June 11 for the SOCES K-5 Summer Literacy Extravaganza! Families flocked to WOS for an action-packed session of reading and writing fun, from multi-sensory word play games to literacy-related crafts to a special reading by local children’s author Eileen Malora.

“The purpose of this event is to promote literacy during the summer and build on the positive energy our instructional staff has created during ELA workshop this year,” explained Instructional Literacy (K-5) Coach Joe Onativia. “It’s not just about reading for stamina, but reading by choice, for enjoyment.”

Students received writing journals and designed bookmarks and canvas bags to tote summer reading supplies. At the Polaroid selfie station, they dressed up with props and took a photo with their summer reading goals. Representatives from the Orangetown Historical Society, Books & Greetings, the DeWint House and local libraries’ Libraries Rock! Children’s Summer Reading Program shared exciting opportunities to boost literacy and SOCES PTA scooped up ice cream for all!

“It was a total collaborative effort by the staff, including reading specialists, library media specialists, building administration, and enrichment teachers!” Mr. Onativia reported. “There was a real sense of community, especially with the presence of our local museum, historians, book store, author and PTA! We are grateful for being part of such an amazing community.”

Missed the SOCES K-5 Summer Literacy Extravaganza? Reach out to Coach Joe for information and resources you can use at home to promote literacy this summer and be sure to check out the blogs by WOS Library Media Specialist Patty Eyer and CLE Library Media Teacher Kristine Wagner.

Cottage Lane Elementary School celebrated its Eighth Annual Earth Day on June 7 at Tallman Mountain State Park. The day-long, school-wide event, organized by Technology Teacher Jacob Tanenbaum, is a much-anticipated treat for students and staff alike.

Each year, Mr. Tanenbaum partners with organizations, such as Riverkeeper, Keep Rockland Beautiful, SUEZ Water and Orange & Rockland Utilities, as well as many scientists and educators from Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

“We had Pierre Dutrieux from Lamont share a drone that he takes to Antarctica to study glaciers; Carol Knudson, who helped the children create special nets to capture and study plankton; as well as Margie Turrin and Laurel Zaima who taught the students about the techniques used to study the Piermont Marsh,” notes Mr. Tanenbaum.”Additional centers were run by Department of Environmental Conservation, Cornell Cooperative Extension, and numerous parent and community volunteers.”

A big thanks to SOCSD parent and Tallman Mountain State Park Manager Clark Alexandre, and to all the volunteers, staff, and maintenance crew members, who worked so hard to make the day a success!

More photos on the district Facebook feed.

Congratulations to the four Cottage Lane Elementary School fifth-graders in Ms. Anne O’Brien and Mr. Phil Krump’s classes who were selected as winners of the Eleanor Burlingham Earth Day Essay Contest sponsored by the Rockland County Environmental Management Council: Cameron K., Valencia M., Jack N. and Jefferson R.! This year’s topic–“Why is water important?”–provided a great opportunity for students to draw on their knowledge of the Earth’s hydrosphere and express the need to protect precious fresh water through a connection to their greater community.

Pictured below: County Executive Ed Day with CLE winners Valencia and Cameron.

William O. Schaefer Elementary School second-graders had a blast visiting Cottage Lane Elementary School this morning! Students figured out riddles to determine their tour destinations and had a chance to meet some CLE VIPs, practice warrior pose with School Psychologist Linda King, watch a space walk with Technology Teacher Jacob Tanenbaum, get acquainted with third-graders who demoed their Wax Museum projects…and much more!

Grade 2 Parents: Be sure to ask your children about today’s visit and start following CLE on Twitter and Instagram at @CottageLaneES!

More photos on the district’s Facebook post!

The South Orangetown Central School District is pleased to announce that at the June 14 Board of Education meeting, Maggie Pilar White was appointed as William O. Schaefer Elementary School Assistant Principal, effective July 16.

Ms. White comes to SOCSD from the Harrison Central School District, where she has led and coordinated all elementary school initiatives related to professional development, curriculum and instructional practices as Supervisor of Elementary Education since 2015. Over the course of her 13-year career in education, Ms. White has gained extensive experience in bilingual education, special education, literacy, and differentiation for gifted and talented students.

Ms. White holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Latin American Studies from Wesleyan University, a Masters of Science degree in Teaching from Pace University, and a Masters of Education degree in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University. She holds certifications for School Building Leader and Childhood Education Grades 1-6 with Bilingual Extension.

“Ms. White impressed the entire selection committee with her depth of knowledge concerning early childhood education,” says Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Pritchard. “We are excited to have her join the team at William O. Schaefer Elementary School.”

On June 13, SOMS students participated in a virtual debate with sixth-graders from Byram Intermediate School in Stanhope, NJ, about whether reptiles should be kept as pets. The event marked the culmination of a weeks-long collaboration between SOMS Library Media Specialist, Research and Debate Teacher and Debate Club Advisor Kimberlee Landgraff and Byram sixth-grade teacher Bonnie Spring.

“IDE consultant Rowena McNulty introduced me to Byram sixth-grade teacher Bonnie Spring,” explained SOMS Library Media Specialist, Research and Debate Teacher and Debate Club Advisor Kimberlee Landgraff. “Mrs. Spring was interested in incorporating debate into her classroom.”

Mrs. Landgraff shared debating strategies and formalities with Mrs. Spring to prepare her class for a virtual debate. Seventh-graders Tommy F., Matt T. and Dylan H. were the SOMS participants on June 13; Ailish M., Charlotte H. and Sean M. (also seventh-graders) competed in the second virtual debate on June 15.

“We look forward to a long lasting collaboration!” said Mrs. Landgraff.

The South Orangetown Central School District is moving to BoardDocs, a web-based board management system that provides an easy-to-use platform for school districts to enhance communication, transparency and productivity while reducing costs associated with a paper-based system. Members of the public are able to access Board policies, agendas, minutes and meeting materials 24/7 through SOCSD’s BoardDocs portal. Agendas and presentation materials will be available on BoardDocs the day before a scheduled Board meeting.

To access BoardDocs:

• Log on to www.socsd.org.
• Click on “Board of Education” and then select “BoardDocs” under Quick Links.

Meetings

• Once you enter the public site, click on the Meetings tab.
• A list of meeting dates appears in a scroll pane on the left side of the page. Click on a date to choose a meeting.
• Next, click on either “View the Agenda” or “Print the Agenda” button.
• If you choose “View the Agenda,” the agenda will appear in the scroll pane on the left side of the page.
• A document icon to the right of an agenda item indicates that there is a viewable, printable document attached. To view or print the document, click on the agenda item. A new screen, with details about the agenda item and a link to the document will appear. Click on the document link to view or print.

Policies

• To access policies, simply click on the “Policies” tab.
• In the scroll pane on the left side of the page. Select a section to view policies or enter a search term at the top of the pane and click the magnifying glass to find policies pertaining to that term.

South Orangetown Middle School students in Emily McKay’s class held their first-ever Poetry Cafe this morning, which drew a crowd of fellow students, teachers, administrators and families.

The student-produced event incorporated ELA, math and project management skills and showcased students’ creative talents. “We spent the past month working on this,” said Ms. McKay. “Poetry is one of our ELA units and students also applied their math skills to create the party budget and determine supply quantities for purchasing.”

“I liked that we could write our own poetry about ourselves, our families and our friends,” explained Brigette, one of the featured student-poets. Her favorite part of organizing the celebration: “Having teamwork.”

Samples of student work posted on the District Facebook page.

As the school year comes to a close, we see an abundance of emotions in our families and students.  We always strive to maximize the joy of success and minimize those regrets that are associated with missed opportunities.  With few exceptions, our graduating TZ High School seniors are happy and excited to be entering into the next phase of their lives.  The guidance team at the high school has played an important role towards assisting these students on their journeys.

While joy is abundant at graduation, there are those rare instances when a student or parent expresses confusion or regret that the student was not accepted into a desired college… Continue reading Dr. Pritchard’s blog post.

For the past few weeks, South Orangetown Middle School COVE students have been busy creating special Father’s Day gifts, with help from sixth- and eighth-grade partners, Technology Teacher Kerry Beckmann and Enrichment and Technology Teacher Andrew McIntosh. The COVE students were very proud of their hard work, which included choosing message designs for their wood plaques, observing the laser engraving process, working with Ms. Beckmann to create decorative elements using a router, sanding smooth edges, hammering on hanger hardware and staining their finished products.

More photos on the district Facebook post.