October 31, 2022

We are excited to share this month’s edition of What’s Happening in Chappaqua’s Schools. Please enjoy these highlights from our schools and classrooms. For more news from the District, visit our website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Happy Halloween!
Our students and staff showcased their creativity and had fun dressing up this Halloween.
Enjoy the photo gallery below featuring some highlights.

Facilities Improvements & School Safety Bond Vote
   Tuesday, November 29th

On November 29th, 2022, we are asking our community members to vote on two bond referendums. The support of this bond will enable us to complete critical repairs, upgrade our facilities and technology infrastructure, and address safety concerns throughout the District.

To learn more about the bond proposal, please visit our bond website at www.chappaquaschools.org/bond2022.

PUBLIC FORUMS
For more information and any additional questions you may have, we invite you to attend one of our public forums. All meetings are open to all community members.

You can also watch the October 13, 2022 Bond webinar here. Upcoming public forum dates include:

• November 3, 2022 -- 9:30am at Roaring Brook
• November 9, 2022 -- 6:30pm at Greeley
• November 10, 2022 -- 9:30am at Grafflin
• November 28, 2022 -- 7pm (Zoom Link)

Please come out to vote on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 between 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM in the Horace Greeley High School Gymnasium. You must be a registered voter in order to vote. Learn more about voting registration and absentee ballot information here. If you have any questions or would like to share feedback about the bond, please click here.

2022 Cum Laude Society Inductions

At a ceremony on October 25th, 166 Horace Greeley High School seniors were inducted into the Cum Laude Society, which is an academic recognition program for members of the Senior class. Cum Laude honors are awarded early in their senior year to students who have earned a 3.8 and higher GPA after the completion of six semesters.

This year’s faculty speaker, Dr. Patrick McAuliffe, shared lessons from the psychology of happiness with those in attendance. “Close relationships have a powerful impact on longevity,” he said, encouraging students to build positive relationships, make new connections, and persevere through life’s ups and downs. He then referenced the work of Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert, reminding students that happiness is a choice, and to “please surround yourself with happy people, and make sure your life is filled with fun.”

For more information about the Cum Laude Society, and to see the full list of inductees, photos and video, please click here.

Authors McCann and Freeman Visit CCSD

On October 16, 2022, Horace Greeley High School hosted internationally acclaimed authors Colum McCann and Ru Freeman. This event was made possible thanks to the generous support of the Chappaqua PTA. Throughout the day, McCann and Freeman met with students, faculty, and the District’s administrative team, followed by a PTA community event in the evening.

McCann facilitated learning sessions with students who had read his novel, Let the Great World Spin, and discussed the power of storytelling. Both McCann and Freeman shared the importance of hearing others’ personal stories in order to become more empathetic individuals and to elevate their voices.

For more information about their visit, please click here.

Field Trips Are Back!

Whether it’s visiting the Horace Greeley House, the Jacob Burns Film Center, or the Katonah Museum of Art, our elementary students have been excited to participate in field trips in our community.

Jacob Burns Film Center
With support from the Chappaqua PTA, all third grade students visited the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville to explore narrative storytelling and visual media. Students watched short films about children their age with inspiring stories. They learned about filmmaking strategies and how to apply them to their writing.

Horace Greeley House & New Castle Historical Society
Second graders visited the Horace Greeley House to see how our Chappaqua community has changed over time and learn about artifacts and replicas from the past. They were fascinated by the Horace Greeley House and excited to see his tools, learn about the school houses, and more!

Katonah Museum of Art
At the Katonah Museum of Art, fourth graders learned how to deeply look at art in their Museum Thinking Through ART program. At the end of the workshop, students chose a piece of art from the museum that inspired them and wrote about it.

Adjustment to Central Office Staffing

Mr. Phillip Marcus, Director of Equity, Inclusion and Wellness, has accepted a new position that is slated to begin after the Thanksgiving holiday, so he is planning to leave the District at the end of November.

We are deeply grateful to Phillip for his support and guidance over the last two years, as we worked together to create equitable, affirming and culturally responsive classrooms.

We look forward to working with our community to determine how to move forward with our social justice work and our staff structure to support this work.

Homecoming 2022

Homecoming weekend featured the Greeley Zone and athletic competitions, a return of the Homecoming Dance, and the PTA Fall Diversity Family Gathering. These events were well attended by students, families, and the community. Our student-athletes triumphed and represented our District admirably and collaboratively. Special thanks to the Greeley Sports Boosters for all of their support across the landscape of Greeley athletics. The PTA Gathering was also an opportunity to come together to celebrate our diverse community, and featured many student groups, delicious multicultural foods, and authentic musical performances.

RESCHEDULED: The Annual Spelling Bee

The Bee has been rescheduled to Monday, November 7th at 5:30 PM in the HGHS Gym.

Every year, SHARE and the Horace Greeley Scholarship Fund team up for the HGSF Spelling Bee, with 100% of the proceeds going toward scholarships to Greeley students in need who are pursuing higher education.

There will be prizes for each round as well as a grand prize, a raffle prize and, of course, costume prizes.

Chappaqua Continuing Education
   Fall 2022 Hybrid Program - Registration Continues

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

We are happy to announce that CCE has an exciting line-up for the fall. Our program is 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 fall session while continuing many of the favorites from years past. . .with plenty of one-day classes from which to choose.

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

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