Chappaqua Central School District
February 2, 2021
Community Update: Antiracism & Social Justice Education
At our January 27, 2021 Board of Education meeting, members of the District’s leadership team reviewed our collective pedagogical and social emotional equity work from this fall. The District’s leadership team outlined adjustments to the Strategic Plan and shared the focus areas of the District’s Community Advisory Committee on Antiracism, Equity and Social Justice (C.A.R.E.S) with the community. We highlighted updates to our humanities curriculum, policy decisions made to further protect our students, and new ways we are supporting our BIPOC faculty. At this meeting, Mr. Phillip Marcus, our Director of Equity, Inclusion and Wellness also shared an overview of data from the Panorama Equity and Inclusion survey, which was recently administered to students in grades 6-12.
Please see our full presentation or watch the video below.
After viewing the full presentation and/or watching the video, please take a moment to provide us feedback as we continue this important work together.
“The Show(s) Must Go On”
Theater, and acting, are all about connections; connecting with your scene partner, being present, connecting on an emotional and mental level, and connecting with, and feeding off the energy of a live audience. That is the hallmark of a pure, genuine, and truthful performance; but is any of that even possible during a pandemic?
Our aspiring thespians rose to the challenge and pulled off the unthinkable. One fortuitous result of COVID-19 was that Bell and 7B students were able to join forces and appear together in this year’s production of Elf. Jr. In just two short weeks, they rehearsed and filmed their parts in preparation for the December 19th virtual premiere.
While at Greeley, students faced a few additional logistical hurdles. Students were able to first audition using breakout rooms, but the licensing agreement for Almost, Maine did not allow for the use of pre-recordings or editing. Needing to stage a live production, the Theater department turned to the company Showstream, which was able to pull together all the video feeds into one virtual live performance with students able to switch “cameras” and control the screen view for the home audience. And with this being the case, all the props for the show had to be duplicated so if they were to be passed from one character to another, the transition was seamless.
Although not the most ideal circumstances for live theater, the students and all those involved did an amazing job!
DRAFT 2021-22 School Year Calendar
The DRAFT 2021-2022 School Year Calendar was presented for Board of Education consideration on January 27, 2021. The Board is currently scheduled to adopt the 2021-2022 School Year Calendar on February 10, 2021. Please email any comments on the draft calendar to the Board of Education or Christine Ackerman.
Teaching Transformed: Voices from the Field
Sharing innovative teaching practices with regional colleagues has remained a priority as we reimagine education in our current hybrid learning environment. Recently, seven Chappaqua staff members were invited to present the aptly titled, “Teaching Transformed,” at a regional conference attended by educators from throughout the Hudson Valley. On January 27th, this team presented an abridged version of this experience to our Board of Education and community. This presentation features educators from all three levels and illustrates how our teachers are redesigning lessons as they learn how to thrive in our current hybrid teaching model, and imagine a post-COVID future.
In The News. . .
“In order to help both parents and students stay informed about evolving plans related to the COVID-19 pandemic, some school districts are attempting to find new and improved ways to communicate.”
The Chappaqua Central School District was featured in the Center For Digital Education’s November 9, 2020 article entitled, “Schools Up Communications Game During Pandemic.” View the full article here.
2021 Regeneron Scholars
Congratulations ALEXANDRA FITZGERALD and LORI SAXENA. Greeley’s two Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars were selected from 1,760 applications received from 611 high schools across 45 states, Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, and 10 countries. They were chosen based on their exceptional research skills, commitment to academics, innovative thinking, and promise as scientists.
The Regeneron Science Talent Search provides students with a national stage to present original research and celebrates the hard work and discoveries of young scientists who are bringing a fresh perspective to significant global challenges. This year, research projects cover topics from bioinformatics to public health and energy efficiency.
“The remarkable drive, creativity, and intellectual curiosity that each one of these scholars possesses represents a hopeful outlook for our future and our collective wellbeing,” said Maya Ajmera, President and CEO of Society for Science, Publisher of Science News, and 1985 Science Talent Search alum. “At a time when many students’ educational experiences are being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, I am incredibly humbled to see gifted young scientists and engineers eager to contribute fresh insights to solving the world’s most intractable problems.”
Click here to learn about our Semifinalists and their research.
Construction Update
The 2016 Capital Projects Bond is scheduled to be completed this spring. Both at HGHS, the Lower L Building Instructional Center is currently scheduled to come online for student use on February 22, 2021, while the STEAM Center (new construction) is currently on target to be ready for students on May 31, 2021.
Lower L will feature both smaller and larger conference rooms and versatile workspaces with advanced mobile technology which will provide areas for in-depth research and collaboration, both face-to-face and virtually. This space will be equipped with flexible furniture and emerging technologies that will give teachers the ability to facilitate instruction across a wide range of modalities.
The STEAM Center will give students the opportunity to use advanced machinery and digital equipment to explore, prototype, sketch designs, create and test products, and present their professional-quality work. Projects will be developed around multi-disciplinary learning with an emphasis on inspiring students to be innovators in the areas of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics.
Honor Our Custodians Submit Your Personalized Videos
We are delighted to share that our custodial and maintenance staff are being honored by the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund at their annual (virtual) gala on March 19, 2021.
To prepare for the event, the District is compiling a series of videos about our wonderful staff to be shared before and during the event, and we need your help.
Parents, students, and staff please consider highlighting one of the members of our team. Clips should include your (or your child’s) first name, school building, the name of the staff member, and why you believe that they are amazing members of the team.
Video clips (preferably shot in landscape) should be 30 seconds or less and will be shared on social media by HGSF and CCSD. Submissions can be emailed to David Hayes or uploaded here.
District Mailings - We Need Your Help!
During the fall semester, the District mailed two pieces of information to all members of the community. The first was a letter from the Board of Education (mailed 11/25/20) regarding the Town of New Castle’s proposed Form Based Code. The second was a postcard (mailed 12/23/21) announcing changes to our website domain and email addresses (from @ccsd.ws to @chappaquaschools.org).
We recently learned that a number of our households did not receive one, and in some instances, both documents. Please let us know if you did not receive one or both of our two mailings by clicking here.