March 3, 2021

The Elementary School Learning Model

At the February 10, 2021 Board of Education meeting, our elementary school principals presented an update on the Elementary School Learning Model.

They provided insight into a day in the life of students and staff and touched on several topics including arrival, health and safety, use of spaces, the cohort model (in-person & at-home learning), service providers, special area classes, lunch & recess, use of technology, and professional development.

2021 All-Eastern Honor Ensemble Orchestra

Congratulations Jason Kang (Violin I) on being accepted into the National Association for Music Education (NAfME) 2021 All-Eastern Honor Ensemble Orchestra. He is the only student to have made all three orchestras this year--All-State, All-National, and now All-Eastern. 

He was selected out of a pool of 1,150 All-State applicants who were ranked by their state presidents to fill 5 ensembles. Those selected to perform in the 2021 All-Eastern Honor Ensembles are the most musically talented high school students in the Eastern region of the United States. With assistance from their music teachers and directors, these exceptional students will prepare complex musical compositions that they will perform under the leadership of prominent conductors.

The Eastern Division Honor Ensembles program will take place March 4^th-8^th. This virtual event will include keynote speakers, master classes with professional musicians, breakout rooms and rehearsals with the 2021 All-Eastern Conductors, and workshops with renowned clinicians.

Each ensemble will then create a recorded performance, which will premiere on April 23^rd at 8:30pm during the 57^th NAfME Eastern Division Virtual In-Service Conference.

Upcoming Dates Regarding The 2021-2022 School Budget

Development of a school budget begins in June of the previos school year. Through the thoughtful work of District administrators, program directors, and staff, the process is a collaborative effort that results in the thorough examination of our educational programs and practices as well as the operations and infrastructure of the District.

As part of the budget development process, input is received from community members who are either in attendance at Board meetings or who choose to write to the Board.

At the March 3rd Board of Education meeting, Dr. Christine Ackerman, Superintendent of Schools, will present an overview of the 2021-2022 proposed school budget. Subsequent Board meeting budget presentations will include a deeper dive into the components of the budget: Curriculum/Technology/Special Education/Athletics on March 17^th and Operations & Maintenance/Non-Instructional/Revenue, Tax Rates, Contingency Budget on March 24^th.

On Wednesday, April 14^th, the Board of Education will vote to adopt the proposed budget for the 2021-2022 school year, and on Tuesday, May 18, 2021, District residents will head to the polls for the annual Budget Vote and Trustee Elections.

Please click here for a complete list of all upcoming meeting dates related to the 2021-2022 School Budget.

2021-2022 Las Fechas de Reuniones del Presupuesto Escolar

Kindergarten Registration

Kindergarten Registration for the 2021-2022 School Year will take place during the week of March 15th-19th, at which time a completed packet can be returned directly to the zoned school.

District children who will be 5 years old by December 31^st of this year are eligible to begin kindergarten in the Fall of 2021.

Registration packets are being mailed this week (3/1) to those households that may have an eligible child according to District records.

If you do not receive a packet, please take a moment next week to pre-register your child by contacting Mary Marchionno, the District Registrar, at MaMarchionno@chappaquaschools.org or 238-7200 ext. 1007.

41st Annual Young Writers Contest

Sponsored by the Friends of the Chappaqua Library, young writers in grades 5-12 are encouraged to submit their work to the 2021 Young Writers Contest. The categories are:

FICTION (short story, drama)

NON-FICTION (essay, journalism, humor, descriptive prose)

POETRY

ONLINE SUBMISSIONS ONLY!
The deadline is Friday, March 26^th at 11:59pm. No late entries will be accepted!

The entries will be judged by a panel of professionals in the writing and publishing industries. The judges enjoy reading every entry and will look for creativity, style, originality, persuasiveness, voice, and many other elements of strong writing. Judging is always tough because so much excellent work is submitted.

Out-of-District Transportation Requests

Section 3635 of the New York State Education Law requires that parents who seek transportation for their children to Non-Public Schools must present their request to the Board of Education.

To be eligible for transportation:

• You must be a legal resident of the Chappaqua Central School District.
• Requests MUST be made no later than April 1, 2021.
• A separate request must be made for each student.
• A child must be five (5) years of age by December 31, 2021.
• A child must be attending grade K-12 in the 2021-2022 school year.
• You must live within 15 miles of destination.

If any of these requirements are not met, the District has the right to refuse your request, regardless of any past approvals. (Grandfather Clauses are no longer allowed.)

Please click HERE for the 2021-2022 Parentally Placed Out-of-District Transportation Request Form.

. . .Highlights From Around The District. . .
Precalculus students at HGHS enjoyed their “Circles & Pringles” activity. After building their own circle, students used Desmos, an online graphing calculator, to find an equation to represent it.	A hallway-history lesson at Bell included the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt, The New Deal, and how public work projects reshaped schools here in Chappaqua.	Through a one-person re-enactment, Chappaqua’s Grades 3 & 4 students learned a lot about what made Harriet Tubman such a critical figure in American history.
Student Valentine challenge! RB 2nd-graders pushed their thinking and perseverance when tasked to design, create and build a heart tower that could stand on its own.	Writing for an authentic audience! Using the Seesaw app and prompting charts, 2nd-graders at WO celebrated their writing by listening to, and leaving feedback for, their classmates.	What makes you, YOU? Artists at 7B created self-portraits using collages made from different materials and silhouette photographs...and they learned some new digital techniques along the way.
A Black History Month music project enters phase 2 for students at Bell as they research their chosen artist and collect data to include in their final presentation, which could be a podcast, slideshow, or musical composition.	Our Plant Science Leadership Team dives into the complicated work of syncing instruction with construction. Coming soon...the new sustainability center at HGHS.	WO 1st-graders loved their virtual visit with Dana from the Wolf Conservation Center. They learned many facts about the animal’s history, biology, and ecology.