December 7, 2020

TestingCOVID-19: ZONE DESIGNATION & QUARANTINE UPDATE

On Monday, November 30, 2020, Governor Cuomo held a press conference during which he shared adjustments to the testing requirements for schools designated in orange and red zones.

The New York State Department of Health issued new school district guidance on Friday 12/4. While you can review the Governor’s full comments here, in summary, schools may stay open if designated in a red or orange zone, provided they engage in weekly testing over the course of a month. As of today, we have no schools designated in yellow, orange or red zones. More information on the logistics of how we will test, if we are required to do so, will be shared in the near future. 

I also understand that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention may make adjustments to COVID-19 quarantine recommendations. I wanted to share with you that we do not have language reflecting any such adjustments from the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) or the Westchester County Department of Health (WCDOH). If the NYSDOH or WCDOH issue new guidance to school districts regarding quarantining, I will share this with our families and faculty as well. 

Finally, this is a reminder that if your child has a pending COVID-19 test, they must access instruction remotely. To clarify further, if your child has a negative rapid test and a PCR is ordered and pending, your child is not permitted onsite until the PCR result is known.  

Thank you for your patience as we continue to navigate this challenging health crisis together. 

Christine Ackerman 
Superintendent of Schools


NISWNational Inclusive Schools Week
  
December 7-11, 2020

The Chappaqua School District is committed to providing equitable opportunities for students with disabilities to receive effective educational services, with the needed supplementary aids and support services, in age-appropriate general education classrooms in their neighborhood schools.

This first full week in December is celebrated as National Inclusive Schools Week (NISW). NISW provides an important opportunity for educators, students, and parents to come together to celebrate students with all needs, build empathy and understanding and work toward the common goal of successfully educating and including children with a range of needs. In partnership with the Chappaqua PTA, our staff and students will have multiple opportunities this week to engage in curriculum that emphasizes All Are Welcome in our school community.

What's Happening This Week

Elementary Schools
Children will be introduced to a puppy named Piglet! Piglet is a disabled puppy who helps kids understand inclusion, empathy, and perseverance. Click HERE to learn more. Elementary teachers will also have activity choices for their classrooms throughout the week! Our K-2 students are invited to join the Chappaqua PTA and the Chappaqua Library for a read-aloud on Wednesday at 2pm via Zoom!

Middle Schools
The middle schools will be kicking off a community read this week!  Every student will have a virtual copy of the book,
Out of My Mind, by Sharon Draper. Students will first watch the book trailer and then have chapter 1 read aloud to them by our amazing Bell & 7B Assistant Principals! During the following weeks, this book will also be incorporated through planned activities and support by both the PTA and school staff. Read more about the book HERE.

Greeley
A Greeley student created a welcome video, and many students also created amazing videos highlighting what inclusion means to them that will be shared throughout the week. Later in the school year, the Greeley PTA Special Education Committee will host a guest speaker to talk to Greeley students about inclusion and being true to one's self.


Professional DevelopmentTeaching Transformed: Voices From The Field

On Friday, December 4th, a team of Chappaqua educators, led by Professional Developers Mary Devane and Justin Olive, presented at the Regional Virtual Learning Conference hosted by PNW BOCES. Their presentation, “Teaching Transformed: Voices From the Field” showcased four powerful examples of teachers adapting to hybrid instruction across the District.

As educators adjust their practices to more effectively teach in the hybrid classroom, they find themselves moving along a continuum of adaptation. Initially, teachers enter a triage phase to find stability establishing routines and integrating new technology into their lessons. They progressed to a transition phase where they adjusted lessons that they had previously taught so they fit the hybrid environment. Ultimately, they entered a transformative phase maximizing the many benefits of a hybrid instructional model.

For Example...

Westorchard Library Media Specialist Andrea Schaber has transformed her library lessons through the use of inquiry and the researchers workshop model.

Seven Bridges Science Teacher Alex Lichorat has transitioned collaborative 8th grade engineering projects to the Hybrid setting.

Greeley Social Studies Teachers James May & Elizabeth Mazzini Chin have transformed simulations & Socratic seminars with innovations like Caucus and Fishbowls.

Greeley Math Teacher Libo Valencia has transformed the teaching of mathematics with authentic real world activities in Desmos & Geogebra.


Art Show#WeArtChappaqua

The Chappaqua K-12 Art Department is committed to providing a creative and challenging hybrid learning environment for students as we progress through this unprecedented year.

Chappaqua's artists and designers spent the fall expressing themselves as they created pieces that communicated different ideologies and celebrated life through different artistic mediums.

With this in mind, the K-12 Art Department has created a Fall Virtual Art Gallery using Padlet, curated by the students themselves.

 

 


Spanish 5Virtual Classroom Exchange

Our Spanish 5 capstone course has leveraged hybrid learning and branched out far beyond the walls of Greeley by connecting with students who attend Liceo Experimental Bilingüe de Turrialba in Costa Rica.

Students have had numerous blended sessions where they support each other in their understanding and refinement of both the English and Spanish languages. Lessons have extended well beyond linguistics, as students discuss culture, global issues and their common connections as high school students and teenagers.

“For me, it's been such an amazing experience and I hope the students will continue to build different perspectives to practice their Spanish language skills and just really be excited about making connections and doing whatever they can during this time, which is a little bit different,” said faculty member Isabel Irizarry.


Anna ZhangGreeley In The News. . .

Horace Greeley High School alum Anna Zhang ('19) recently made the Forbes.com 30 Under 30 list in the Art & Style category. The photographer, designer, and creative director is currently pursuing a bachelors degree in computing and the arts at Yale University. As a photographer, she has shot ads for internationally renowned brands including Keds and Fujifilm. Her work has also been featured in publications like Glamour, Vice and Porter.

In 2019, she designed Brightlove, a mobile game that encourages players to be kind and to take action, rather than be bystanders. She served as the creative director in collaboration with Google Play as part of its Change the Game initiative to make the gaming industry more inclusive. The game has over 10,000 downloads and is currently being showcased at the National Museum of American History.

In addition, Zhang is the founder and creative director of Pulse Spikes, a nonprofit media company for and by youth. To date, it has published over 100 stories and reached more than 200,000 readers in 190+ countries, in addition to garnering 15 million+ impressions on social media.

(source: https://www.forbes.com/profile/anna-zhang/)


Emma Wasserman

Also on Forbes.com, the November 24 article “Why Covid School Schedules Are Better For Some Students,” by Sarah Hernholm, included an interview with Greeley freshman Emma Wasserman.

Emma spoke about the school’s hybrid model and how the extended transition break affords her the time to, among other things, work on her business, The Sweet Project, which provides COVID-19 protection and encouraging messages to the homeless in NYC.

“Originally, I had planned to include baked goods in these little packages with the masks and notes, but after talking to a couple of shelters, it became clear that baked goods were not going to help them right now,” Emma explains on her website. “So, since I had already planned to bake, I figured that I could just sell the baked goods to people in my area, and have the proceeds go towards funding what the shelters did need.”

 


Field HockeySection 1 Putnam-Northern Westchester Large School Champs!

Greeley completed a dominant regular season outscoring their opponents 70-3 and posting 9 shutouts on their way to a record of 10-1.

This gave them the #1 seed and a first-round bye heading into the Covid-created Putnam-Northern Westchester Large School regional division playoffs. Greeley faced Mahopac in the semi-finals, where a scoreless first half ended in a 3-0 victory and a date with #3 seed Carmel in the finals.

With Greeley up 2-0 at the end of the first half, the team continued to dominate in the second half and earn the win. We are excited to share that our Greeley Quakers were able to cap off an incredible season with a strong finish and take home this year's championship plaque.

 


OperooOperoo - Our New Daily Health Screener For Students

The District is transitioning to a full-service health screening platform called Operoo, which is an automated check-in process to help ensure that anyone with COVID-19 symptoms is identified quickly in order to mitigate risks and maintain a safe school environment.

This tool will expand our ability to collect, report, and analyze information from daily health screening surveys. Our staff has already transitioned to this platform and are using this new application seamlessly each morning.

You can complete the Operoo screener by downloading the mobile app, CareMonkey, or by logging on to the Operoo website. Here is a link to FAQs and support from Operoo.

If families are experiencing difficulties using either medium, or did not receive login information, please email operoo@ccsd.ws, and a member of our team will promptly reply with support.


Policy Update - #5085 Student Records

The Chappaqua Central School District recognizes the importance of keeping accurate and complete student records. Parents/guardians and eligible students may request, in writing, to inspect and review educational records maintained by the District. 

The Board of Education has approved an adjustment to Policy 5085 to support our families by ensuring that we are providing a clear process to follow for when information is requested so that we may best meet the requestor's needs.    

Please note the following: To access records, parents can choose to (1) make an appointment to inspect student education records or (2) receive a copy of such records for a fee of 25¢ per page.  

Requests for inspection and copies of records must be made as follows to the following personnel in writing:

  • For Special Education and Section 504 student records – to the Director of Special Education and 504 Services.
  • For English Language Learner (ELL, ENL) student records – to the Director of Literacy 
  • For all other student records – to the Building Principal of the school the student attends.

Please direct any questions regarding our new procedures to the District Clerk, Liisa Elsner, lielsner@ccsd.ws.


CCSD Winter LogoChappaqua Continuing Education
  
Winter Session

Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable asset you'll ever have is your mind and what you put into it.” ~ Brian Tracy

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

This winter is all about staying connected with your hobbies and interests, with your community, and with your friends! Chappaqua Continuing Education has an exciting line-up of online classes that can be taken from the comfort of your own home via Zoom!

  • Some classes begin as early as January 5th
  • Register early to ensure your spot
  • Many classes sell out
  • We do cancel classes for lack of enrollment, so don't delay in expressing your interest

Please visit www.ccsd.ws/ContinuingEd for course descriptions and to register, or call 238-7201 ex. 2318.