February 28, 2022

Young Artists Thrive At Greeley

Congratulations to the eleven seniors who represented Horace Greeley High School at the Katonah Museum of Art’s 39th Annual Young Artists Exhibition, which ran from February 6th to the 27th. Student work ranges in scale and encompasses varying concepts, media and processes reflecting the diversity of expression utilized by these young artists.

The artists also had the opportunity to learn about, and participate in, every aspect of the exhibition process from creating the exhibit’s invitation in a graphic design workshop to writing artist statements. In addition, the Katonah Museum of Art’s education staff and installation crew introduced students to the concepts and skills involved in curating and hanging a professional exhibition, providing support to the students during their multi-day installation.

The following Greeley Students were recognized for their work:

Caroline Abella - Projection - colored pencil, acrylic paint

Molly Cashman - Heading Home - graphite, colored pencil, gouache

Charles Emanuel - Enclosed Freedom - photography

William Hollister - I-Beam Desk - 3D print (PLA & wood)

Adam Lupatkin - Crossing - 3D print (PLA)

Sydney Poser - Inner Demons - photography

Tanvi Prasad - Revival - photography

Taylor Quinto - Breath My Fresh Air - digital

Elisabeth Reddy - Hopeless - oil paint

Gwendolyn Toll - Protective Layer of Skin - chicken wire, paper-mache, plaster, acrylic paint, mirrors

Emma Zhu - Lash (Lady Fish) - digital

Over 350 students from 39 schools in Westchester, Putnam and Fairfield counties took part in this year’s exhibition.

YOUNG ARTISTS 2022 Graphic Design Workshop
In addition, three of our students were selected to participate in a full-day workshop led by graphic designers, which analyzed the elements of successful design as part of the YOUNG ARTISTS 2022 Graphic Design Workshop.

Greeley students Sarah Chen, Emily Jiang and Taylor Quinto were introduced to contemporary examples of graphic art preparation for their individual work. They then created their own designs for the Young Artist 2022 announcement. From the graphic design workshop, one piece was selected by the workshop participants and Katonah Museum Board, staff and volunteers based on originality of concept, execution of the idea and how well it represents the Young Artists exhibition.

Reading Buddies Are Back

A long-standing tradition at Westorchard, Reading Buddies is a fun way for students to engage in cross-grade collaboration focused on getting to know one another, making connections with peer students at all levels and participating in shared learning experiences.

Students expand their understanding of content while getting the opportunity to participate in peer reading experiences where they take turns sharing their writing with fellow students multi-directionally across grade levels. Both younger and older students collaborate through the process and engage one another as listeners, mentors and leaders.

As part of the culminating activity for the unit, students participate in a celebration of their work by sharing their writing and creating, and sharing gratitude turkeys and winter glyphs to teach others about who they are as individuals. Students engage in stations designed to build understanding and awareness through participation in instructionally relevant games or by interviewing their peer student buddy to learn about them.

Something’s Cooking At Bell

No cell phones; no lighters/matches; no one else in sight. Students in Mrs. Rubeo’s 7th-grade science class at Bell were presented with the problem scenario of cleaning the trails of their favorite national park before becoming separated from the group and lost in the wilderness.

To survive, park rangers were tasked with applying their science learning from a Matter and Energy unit to a real-world situation, which required them to fabricate a cooking device that uses the transfer of the sun’s thermal (heat) energy. All they had on them was what was in the bag of “garbage” they had been collecting (each group had different materials) as well as a few items from their knapsack. Following the Chappaqua Central School District Design Process--research, design, build, test, present--they needed to design a test and perform experiments to show that the temperature will rise and help heat food, melt snow or cook grubs, etc. One group’s thermal cooker reached a temperature of 120 degrees!

Once saved by the head park rangers (Mrs. Rubeo and Mrs. Sasso), students were then asked to share their harrowing stories of near-death and survival. To do this, they created an instructional and scientific “how it works” campaign by creating a brochure, commercial, webpage, or some other form of media of the students’ choosing to explain how their device works and assist other campers if they were to end up in a similar situation.

DG 4th-graders apply what they have learned in a reading history unit by using clips to make all about videos with their research team.

Valentine’s Day + STEAM = Fun! Engineers at RB dipped their toes into STEAM concepts like concentration gradients and structural integrity.

3rd-grade authors at WO work on their literary essays, using mentor texts from Peter Reynolds and Rukhsana Khan to inspire their thinking and writing.

After studying what makes for powerful public speaking, 8th-grade orators at BS share the arguments they’ve been working on and try out gesturing, using inflection and strategically making eye contact.

Thanks to a creative PE team, SB students get to experience the Olympics by competing in 10 unique stations including bobsledding, hockey and ski jumps.

HG musicians hone their sight-reading skills, which will enable them to focus on more advanced expression and storytelling abilities using their voices.

TRACK & FIELD

County Champs
League Champs
Boys Section 1 Champs

BOYS SWIM & DIVE

Undefeated Season
Conference Champs
Section 1 Champs

WRESTLING

League Champs

GIRLS SKIING

Section 1 Champs

Welcome To ParentSquare

We are excited to announce that we have adopted a new form of school-to-home communication for the Chappaqua School Community called ParentSquare. Over the next few months we will be sending you important information regarding the transition process, including an individual invitation to sign up for all District communications.

This unified communications platform is designed to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with the Chappaqua Central School District. This new communications platform provides a safe way for District administrators, school principals, teachers, staff, and parents to:

• Receive messages and alerts about important District and school events and activities
• Receive newsletter updates from the District
• See calendar items

This communication is the first of several that will assist you in transitioning from our existing communications platform to ParentSquare. We expect to begin piloting the new platform in small pockets in all buildings throughout the spring months with a full rollout and the switchover happening at the end of June. Once this transition has been completed, all District and school information will be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text through the Parent Square platform.

4th Bi-annual Unity Day

Unity Day has become a significant part of the culture and practice within our school community. It is envisioned, sponsored, and organized by Horace Greeley High School’s BIPOC Student Union (BSU) who, along with several other student organizations, worked tirelessly to bring a full day of events to secondary students.

On February 16th, the high school and two middle schools affirmed their commitment to creating a community in which everyone feels supported, heard and welcomed. Unity Day symbolizes our collective effort as a District to become better allies for ourselves, our peers and for our community. Faculty, staff and students engaged in activities that included inspirational speakers Cornelius Minor, author of We Got This, and children’s author Kyle Lukoff. In addition, several students and faculty facilitated workshops related to important topics on diversity, equity and inclusion.

Events such as Unity Day support our aspiration to be an identity-affirming community and furthers the District's strategic goal of Cultivating Equitable, Affirming and Culturally Responsive Learning Environments while at the same time supporting the New York State Education Department’s guidance on Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Education.

Kindergarten @ RBS

It’s all about the Kindergartners! RB students have been learning, growing and exploring. Science 21 was a big hit for one class as they learned the value of force and motion in the Pushes and Pulls unit. For this science activity, students were tasked with determining how to journal an observation based on a strong or gentle push. A chart labeled with numbers served as the testing ground for this experiment. Students recorded how far a top was pushed. So much fun!

The TCI social studies program introduces our youngest learners to positive ways to resolve conflict! Students are learning the strategies and language needed to manage challenging times. The language suggests the following; stop and calm down, listen and talk, think of solutions, vote on a plan and try it. This learning will translate into the early building blocks to developing conscientious RBS citizens.

Phonics First and learning to read go hand and hand in Kindergarten. Students are reviewing and identifying letters/sounds all while working to understand word families. Spending time immersed in literature and working to identify red words continues to engage and excite our students.

RB kindergartners are flourishing academically and socially. GO RB K!

Pursuing Their Passions

During the first semester, Greeley students in History I.S. (Individualized Study) engaged in independent historical research into topics of their choosing. For the two seniors and nine juniors, the course culminated in the writing of papers on topics as varied as China’s Great Leap Forward, the birth of the FBI amid Prohibition, the relationship between the White House and the Press, and the death of King Tut.

These students were drawn to the course by a desire to pursue a passion, sample college-level work, and strengthen their skills in every phase of the research process. When asked why she took the course, Morgan O’Malley said, “I thought it would be interesting to take a deep dive on something I was interested in.” For Morgan, that turned out to be the origins and appeal of true crime. At the end of the experience, many of these researchers expressed appreciation for the freedom they had to plan their time and shape their research and confidence in their ability to gather, evaluate and document substantive sources. For Bryce Bernbach, the course allowed him to build on volunteer work he has been doing with the League of Women Voters by studying voter suppression. Now, he says, “When I see coverage on the news that used to go over my head, I understand it.”

Some students who take History I.S. opt to submit their papers to The Concord Review, a national journal dedicated to publishing the academic work of high school students. At least one student this fall has set that as a goal. Even though the semester is over, Ethan Kuperman intends to continue revising his paper tracing the work of Copernicus and challenges to Church authority in Poland-Lithuania in hopes his work will be published.

Students interested in personalized, in-depth research are welcome to speak with their Social Studies teacher to learn more.

Upcoming Dates Regarding The 2022-2023 School Budget

Development of a school budget begins in June of the previous 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 while maintaining the high quality of 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 2nd Board of Education meeting, Dr. Christine Ackerman, Superintendent of Schools, will present an overview of the 2022-2023 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 15th and Operations & Maintenance/Non-Instructional/Revenue, Tax Rates, Contingency Budget on March 23rd.

On Wednesday, April 6th, the Board of Education will vote whether or not to adopt the proposed budget for the 2022-2023 school year, and on Tuesday, May 17, 2022, 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 2022-2023 School Budget.

2022-2023 Las Fechas de Reuniones del Presupuesto Escolar

Chappaqua Continuing Education
Spring 2022 Hybrid Program - Registration Is Open

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” ~ Thomas Huxley

For over 40 years, the Chappaqua Continuing Education program, offered through the Chappaqua Central School District, has provided enriching courses for residents of Chappaqua and the surrounding communities who are 18 or older.

We are happy to announce that CCE has another exciting line-up for the spring. Our program will be a hybrid of in-person classes, which will meet at Horace Greeley High School (unless otherwise noted), and online classes via Zoom, which can be taken from the comfort of your home! We have added many new and interesting classes to the spring schedule while continuing many of the favorites from years past.

• Register early to ensure your spot - Many classes do sell out
• We offer plenty of one-day classes
• We do cancel classes for lack of enrollment, so don’t delay in expressing your interest.

Please visit www.chappaquaschools.org/cce for course descriptions and to register, or call 238-7201 ex. 2318.

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, 2022.
• A separate request must be made for each student.
• A child must be five (5) years of age by December 31, 2022.
• A child must be attending grade K-12 in the 2022-2023 school year.
• You must live within 15 miles of the 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 2022-2023 Parentally Placed Out-of-District Transportation Request Form.