The Middle Class STAR Rebate Program continues this year. Your rebate check provides property tax relief in addition to the STAR exemption on your school tax bill. Click here for more information. (Posted 8/21/08)

Join teachers, principals and administrators from your school on Thursdays at the Warner Public Library

Educators from the Tarrytown School District will conduct a read aloud of one of their favorite books every Thursday from July 10 to August 14 from 1:15 – 1:45 PM. Come and enjoy a Tarrytown teacher telling a tale – then stay afterwards for the library’s weekly craft table, and browse the shelves to borrow a book to add to your summer reading log. Escape the heat of the summer for a cool time in your air-conditioned public library.

The Warner Library is located at 121 North Broadway at Wildey Street (near the C-Town). Residents of Tarrytown, Sleepy Hollow, nonresidents of Westchester County who work or go to school in Tarrytown or Sleepy Hollow, may register for a free library card. Proof of your current address is required. Children may register for library cards in the Children's Room. Warner Library policy states that children under the age of 8 must be accompanied by an adult or responsible teen 15 years or older while in the library. Special thanks to the staff of the Children’s Room at the Warner Public Library and the teacher volunteers of the Teachers’ Association of the Tarrytowns for making this program possible. (Posted 7/7/08)

On Tuesday evening June 3rd, 40 students and faculty members from Sleepy Hollow High School attended a performance of Phantom of the Opera on Broadway in Manhattan. Phantom is currently the longest running show on Broadway. It is the story of a ghost-like figure that haunts the Paris Opera House, falling in love with the House’s newest leading lady, a woman he has taught to sing. However, his love is not returned, and the musical follows the course of their relationship. Phantom is known for its musical score as well as its elaborate costumes and stage sets. Prior to the show, everyone enjoyed a pizza buffet dinner at John’s Pizza and walked around Time Square. For many students on the trip, this was they first time they had watched a Broadway Show and had visited the Times Square area.

A portion of the trip’s cost was underwritten by a grant received from Target. Mrs. Sarina McGough Choi, a member of the English Department, applied for the $1,000 grant from Target in the Fall of 2007. The grant application focused on the importance of our high school students being given the opportunity to attend Broadway productions, which are so close to our community. Mrs. McGough Choi and Sleepy Hollow High School were awarded the grant in January of 2008. The grant allows for two trips to be underwritten, and she looks forward to organizing another trip to see a Broadway show next year.

When asked about the trip, Mrs. McGough Choi shared, “The generous grant from Target allowed me to take students to see a staged theatrical performance. A large part of the English curriculum focuses on the study of dramas and, although videos provide us with the ability to bring the written word to life, part of a student’s literary experience should include watching a staged play. With Broadway so close to us, I was pleased to create an opportunity for our students to broaden their education beyond the classroom with this experience.”

It was an evening enjoyed by all and, hopefully, the first of many such trips. (Posted 7/7/08)

On Thursday evening, June 12th, 13 members of Sleepy Hollow High School’s Interact Club gathered at the Tarry Hill Nursing Home to host a prom for the residents. The students decorated the common area with balloons and streamers. They then aided the staff in bringing the residents to the prom and welcomed them with flower corsages. With the assistance of a DJ, the students spent the next hour dancing with the residents, many of whom sang and clapped along with the music. At the end of the evening two of the residents, Viola and Frank, were crowned prom king and queen, and they danced for the crowd. The students then helped the residents return to their rooms and cleaned up. This was the second time students from the high school participated in the prom and all look forward to continuing the tradition next spring.

Mrs. McGough Choi would like to thank the following students for participating in the activity: Maddie LaRue, Charles Kress, Sydney Gaylin, Aimee Vachon, Tara Bonanno, Fiona McCabe, Alex Milhave, Jake Rosen, Alexis Giampiccolo, Beth Kejawski, Amy Curtin, Lauren Zallo, and Sarah Feigelson. She would also like to thank Cheryl Greene, Maureene Flemming, and Jason Choi for their assistance with this event.

The Interact Club is a community service club supported by The Rotary Club of the Tarrytowns. The Interact Club would like to thank the Rotary Club for their support and throughout the year. (Posted 7/7/08)

Don't let your brain take a vacation! Summer can't be all beach balls, swimming pools, and picnics! Research shows that students that are not engaged in any academic activities over the summer break regress and have a harder time catching up once school begins. This week, students in grades K-6 will receive a Summer Homework Activity Packet from their classroom teachers to help prevent any regression. The packet has one activity for each week of summer vacation, from reading to math and science to social studies. The packet also contains a reading log for students to keep track of their daily summer reading. Students who return their completed summer activity packet during the first week of school in September will be invited to a special celebration to celebrate their hard work, and will be eligible to win awards and prizes! The activities are similar across the grades, so siblings and friends in different grades can work together to complete the activities. If your packet has been lost or misplaced, you can download another one from the website. Have fun at the beach, pool, and picnics, but keep your brain engaged by keeping up with summer reading and completing your activity packet to start the new year off right! Click here to download a summer packet. For Horseman Club packets, click here. (Posted 6/26/08)

Summer reading lists, assignments reading records have been posted on the middle and high school websites for your convenience. Please be sure to follow the directions that are written at the bottom of each list depending on which grade and level of English you will be taking in September. Have a great summer and don't forget to do your summer reading!

The Tarrytown Union Free School District’s Summer School is designed to support students who have not been successful in a course of study or Regents examination during the regular school year. In preparation for the 2008 summer school program, we have attached a description of our course offerings and registration requirements. Our summer school program will run from Monday, July 7th to Tuesday, August 12th.

Mrs. Judith Hyman, a former Challenge and enrichment teacher at MorseSchool, thought that her wonderful experience at the southern tip of the world could enrich all the students in grades 4-6 at Washington Irving Elementary School. She shared her extraordinary experiences by showing the students pictures, a film of her boat trip, and had a discussion with them about Antarctica. With the help of Ms. Jean O’Brien she succeeded. The students saw pictures of wh

ales, seals, penguins, and icebergs. Mrs. Hyman discussed in detail why the ice is blue and taught the children about Cape Horn. They also saw pictures of the Andes and Ushuaia, the southern most city in the entire world. Mrs. Hyman had a wonderful time teaching and being with the children again. (Posted 6/23/08)

Washington Irving’s garden is expanding. Not only is it found in the greenhouse where these lovely tomatoes were harvested by Mr. Jacob’s class, but also outside in the fresh air. Several students assisted in planting the new medicinal herb garden located just outside the school’s south entrance. This is in addition to the beautiful planting bed located at the entrance to the school. Thank you to Liz Kaplan for her coordination efforts and the administration, parent volunteers and students for all their hard work on this worthwhile project. (Posted 6/23/08)

On Thursday, June 5^th, each Tappan Hill kindergarten class was treated to a presentation by children’s author Colleen Carroll. Ms. Carroll is also a former teacher and educational consultant whose clients include MTV, Bravo, the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History, Black Entertainment Television, CNBC, and the Edison Schools. Ms. Carroll, a parent of students in our district, is the author of the How Artists See series published by Abbeville Kids, a Division of Abbeville Publishing Group.

Ms. Carroll, a dynamic and captivating speaker, presented images from the annals of art history. She introduced prehistoric cave murals and explained how art can communicate through time; artists of the past can tell their tale to future generations with images that will exist through the passage of time. In addition, Ms. Carroll inspired the children to see with the eyes of an artist—to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. She asked them to look, think, and hypothesize about the art works that she presented. She also implored them to refrain from judgment in assessing artistic creativity.

One class was introduced to the art historical image of a dragon. Part bird, part mammal, and part reptile, the dragon was clearly a fanciful creature. In response to Ms. Carroll’s presentation, each student rendered a personal dragon of crayon and pencil on paper—each dragon drawing was a composite of many animals. These illustrations were accompanied by original writing that described the kindergarteners’ dragons. (Posted 6/22/08)

This p

ast Tuesday, June 10, the Washington Irving School held its fourth Math Olympiad celebration and awards ceremony. The fourth, fifth and sixth grade students performed very well this year, and has kept up our strong math tradition. Internationally there are approximately 150,000 students who compete in the Math Olympiads. This year we had 48 students scoring in the top 50%, 18 students finishing in the top 10%, and 9 students who scored in the top 2% of all the students world wide. This was an especially exciting year because we had one student who received the George Lenchner medallion for having a perfect score. There were only 81 students who had perfect scores this year. Our 6^th grade team scored in the top 10% of all the teams world wide. The families of our Olympiad students participated in Olympic Games, enjoyed snacks and cheered the students for all the hard work they put in this year. (Posted 6/19/08)

7^th Grade Science Teacher Mr. Garguilo trained to be an Astronaut for one week. During the one week program, Mr. Garguilo participated in astronaut-style training and simulations, along with activities designed to promote life-long learning in a classroom setting. One teacher reaches hundreds of students; that's why Honeywell Hometown Solutions created the Space Academy for Educators program at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. Mr. Garguilo was selected as one of three hundred educators selected for the camp this year from seventeen countries. All lessons and activities are correlated to National Science and Math Standards and are ready to use in the classroom. “The experience reminded me of why I love science. The enthusiasm for science will surely have a ripple effect through the students, other teachers and administrators.” says Mr. Garguilo. (Posted 6/18/08)

A month ago, 8th grade students from Sleepy Hollow Middle School visited 1st graders from John Paulding in order to interview the first graders for an 8th grade storybook unit. The goal was to survey the 1st graders' interests, current vocabulary, types of books they've read, and colors to appear in the illustrations. Recently, we went back with our final pieces and shared the results with the 1st graders.

On Tuesday, June 10th, 8th grade Writers' Workshop students from Mrs. Setness' class, Mrs. Linteau's, and Ms. Kula's classes visited Mrs. Salazar's 1st grade class at John Paulding, and Mrs. Larsen's Writers' Workshop class visited Ms. Fradkin's class on Thursday, June 12th; On June 18th, Mrs. Emmerich's class visited Mrs. Ferrari's class to share their hard work, as well.

Mr. Kennedy's Writing Workshop class visited Ms. Buckley's class on the 18th, sharing their storybooks with students they had interviewed during a previous visit. 8th graders Sarah Alfonso and Amelia Bonvento shared their books with the entire class, receiving an enthusiastic response from a very well-behaved audience!

These were truly wonderful experiences for all involved! It has been a pleasure spending time with the first graders, and we're looking forward to next year's publications!

The John Paulding After School Program students were the

recipients of a generous gift from Tiana, a girl scout, working on her Gold Award. Tiana, daughter of Evelyn Rivera, a teacher at the John Paulding School, has been working for a year and a half on her Gold Award Project requirements. Tiana decided that she wanted to give back to the Tarrytown community. Tiana created a program called “Bookworms” which took place at Warner Library. She spent eight Saturdays volunteering at Warner Library reading a story to the children and doing a craft related to the book. All of the students from John Paulding were invited to attend and the activities were also open to the children at the library. “Bookworms” was such a hit that by the last session at least 18 families were in attendance.

As a culminating project, Tiana collected donations of new and gently used books to continue to provide our John Paulding After School students with the love of reading and writing. All students received a bright red summer reading tote bag with books and a journal. Tiana and her fellow Girl Scout troop members recorded one special book for each child on CD and included it in the tote bag. The students were very excited to receive such a special treat to help them to continue developing their reading and writing skills during the summer. The John Paulding community is very grateful to Tiana for providing our students with such a unique and memorable gift. (Posted 6/17/08)

New York Times bestselling author Aimee Friedman paid a visit to Sleepy Hollow High School on Thursday, June 12, 2008. Ms. Friedman visited Mrs. Meyer’s 9^th grade Honors English classes to discuss the writing process, her work as an editor, and how she became a writer.

Ms. Friedman is the author of the popular young adult trilogy South Beach, French Kiss, Hollywood Hills, along with A Novel Idea, the graphic novel Breaking Up, and most recently, her first hardcover novel The Year My Sister Got Lucky. Her writing is also included in two short story anthologies, Mistletoe and 21 Proms.

Students were enthralled as Ms. Friedman shared her true-life inspiration for writing her latest book about two teenage sisters in her novel The Year My Sister Got Lucky. Ms. Friedman’s freshman audience asked questions about conquering writer’s block and what to expect when choosing writing as a career. Ms. Friedman treated her audience to a sneak-peak of her upcoming novel Sea Change by reading a bit of the first chapter to the class. The visit ended with students happily getting their books signed by the author.

After Ms. Friedman’s visit freshman Mary Dunwoody exclaimed, “I TOTALLY loved her. She was awesome! It was so nice to meet the person who wrote my book!”

Aimee Friedman is also an editor at Scholastic Publishing. For more information about her, visit her website at www.aimeefriedmanbooks.com (Posted 6/17/08)

Newly Tenured Teachers and Teaching Assistants

Congratulations to our newly tenured staff! They are an excellent group of individuals and we wish them a successful career here in the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns.

Tenured This Year:

Sylvia Brabham	Monica Meibauer
Vianney Remple	Lourdes Cellante
Carol-Ann Cristella	Lorraine Garcia
Michelle Gentile	Abbey Gilligan
Christine Groven	Elisabeth Hickey
Kathleen Jones	Xiomara Kluge
Christine Markey	Kathy McDermott
Maureen Salazar	Tawn Turnesa
Alia Yeater	Karen Cook
Julie Calderon	Carol Guzman

Poet Patricia Smith Visits Sleepy Hollow Middle School

On Thursday, June 12th, poet Patricia Smith visited all 7th grade English classes. Ms. Smith shared her published work with the students, read aloud her poetry, and gave students ideas to begin writing their own poetry with voice, style, and freedom.

She helped to illustrate the oral importance of reading poetry aloud, and she also demonstrated the melodic, singsong rhythm that poetry offers. Ms. Smith has written various anthologies of poetry, and she is currently working on a young adult fiction text. Thanks to all that participated! (Posted 6/12/08)

Sleepy Hollow High School Students Participate in White Plains Invitational Science Contest

Sleepy Hollow High School sophomores who are currently part of the Science Research Program presented their projects at the White Plains Invitational Science Contest. This contest was held at White Plains High School on Saturday, June 7, 2008.

Tara Bonanno and Jill Moshman placed third in the category of Medicine and Health; Sam Dilthey placed second in Mathematics; Adam Fry placed third in Environmental Science; Aidan Young placed second in Behavioral Science; Lauren Zallo placed third in Behavioral Science.

These dedicated and talented students will continue to work on their projects until 2010 when they will enter the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair (WESEF) in their junior year and the prestigious Intel science competition in their senior year. (Posted 6/12/08)

Tappan Hill Celebrated Spain

It was a festive occasion on May 30^th. The Kindergarten students participated in a cultural learning experience about Spain-- its artists, music and history.

Mrs. Sanchez-Zhu, E.S.L. teacher, presented a power point presentation about her culture. She showed the students various artifacts that were made in her country. The children were especially excited about the pictures that showed a “human tower” in the festival La Merce in Barcelona. This involves teams of people wearing traditional costumes trying to build the tallest human tower. Also, Mrs. Sanchez-Zhu showed the students a picture of her family dressed for Carnaval in Overa, Spain. They were wearing large paper mache heads and oversized clothing. In Spain, we call these costumes “gigantes”. In other words, giants.

Mrs.Sanchez-Zhu was also dressed up in a typical Flamenco dress. She even taught the students how to Rumba. Everyone clapped during the dance and had a great time!

During the slide show presentation, Mrs. Sanchez-Zhu showed paintings that were painted by Spanish artists. Goya, Velaszquez, Picasso, and Miro were among the artists. Mrs. Sanchez-Zhu even showed some of her paintings that she has in Spain.

The students at Tappan Hill enjoyed learning about Spain and culture.

Viva Espana! (Posted 6/11/08)

Family Science Night Thrills Elementary Students

The Sleepy Hollow Science Department along with the Elementary PTA hosted the first Family Science Night on Wednesday, June 4th in the newly constructed science wing of the high school. The high school science teachers enthralled the young elementary students and their parent with a series of engaging activities and demonstrations.

After the Family Science Night, a second grader commented that he "can't wait to go to high school so he can study chemistry. I love it!"

Ms. Leana Peltier and Mr. Eric Rinaldi thrilled the student using Glo-Germs and showing a fetal pig dissection. In the session titled “Operation” Ms. Janet Longo-Abinanti and Ms. Olga Fernandez-Cabrera challenged the students to identify internal organs and reassemble a model of the human torso. Mr. Carlos Franco introduced the students to forensic science by taking their fingerprints using magnetic dust in the session titled “CSI: Sleepy Hollow.” Ms. Chris Adamo showed the inner working of a volcano and then had the students build a model of a volcano. Ms. Leila Madani and Ms. Francesca Zimmer excited the students by helping them build their own simple circuit using copper foil. Mr. Hank Conklin and Mr. Jason Choi delighted the students by demonstrating the combustion of ethyl alcohol and making ice cream using liquid nitrogen. The teachers were assisted by student volunteers from their classes and from the Science Honor Society. A special thanks to Nancy Checchi, Rachelle Gebler, and Jason Choi for organizing this exciting event.

All the participants – the teachers, the student volunteers, the parents and the elementary students - thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

The high school teachers had a great time and their efforts were rewarded by the smiles on the faces of their future students. (Posted 6/11/08)

The Foundation For The Public Schools Of The Tarrytowns Raises More Than $65,000 At Its Annual Dinner Dance And Auction

The Foundation for the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns annual fundraising event: the 2008 Dinner Dance and Auction, raised more than $65,000. The money that was raised at this event, will be used to support 2008-2009 programs for all students, pre-k through 12th grade.

The Foundation would like to thank the more than 60 volunteers who made this event so successful. Despite the hard economy that we are facing, 267 community members came out and supported our schools to participate in our annual event. We are also grateful to businesses in Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow who donated so many of the auction items. Proceeds from the dinner dance and auction came from advertising in the Dinner Dance Journal, the tickets to the event, the live and silent auctions, raffles and donations.

Please find out how you can help us with our mission to: encourage and enhance academics, athletics, the arts, technology and other programs of the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns.

Contact Shelly Colley at 366-8457 or email Foundation@tufsd.org, for more information. (Posted 6/8/08)

Sleepy Hollow Middle School Orchestra, Chorus, and Band ensembles net three excellent ratings!

Congratulations to the Orchestra, Chorus, Concert and Band for winning excellent ratings at the Trills and Thrills Music Festival, May 30!!! The Music Department is very proud of your hard work and dedication!! (Posted 6/10/08)

WordMasters

A student representing Washington Irving School recently won highest honors in this year’s WordMasters Challenge – a national language arts competition entered by over 230,000 students annually, which consists of three separate meets held at intervals during the school year.

Competing in the very difficult Gold Division, fifth grader, Jordan B. earned perfect scores in all three meets of this year’s Challenge. He is one of only ten fifth grade students in the entire country to achieve perfect cumulative year-end scores. Also, but competing in the year’s third and final meet of the Challenge, fourth graders Karthik R., Spencer S., and Nikhil S., fifth graders Heather B. and Austen P. and and sixth graders Katie C., Dhruv S., and K.T. T. all earned perfect scores. Nationwide, only 351 fourth graders, 130 fifth graders and 80 sixth graders did so in this meet.

Other students at the school who also achieved outstanding results in the year’s third meet of the Challenge included fourth graders Caleb G., Sere P., Julia S., Elizabeth S., Heather C., Mark J., Juliet L. and Dominique M.; fifth graders Colin A., Jason C., John C., Sara F., and Katy K.; and sixth graders MacKenzie H., Lily S., and Julia R.. The school’s students were coached in preparation for the Challenge by Karen Cook.

The WordMasters Challenge is an exercise in critical thinking that first encourages students to become familiar with a set of interesting new words (considerably harder than grade level), and then challenges them to use those words to complete analogies expressing various kinds of logical relationships. Working to solve the Challenge analogies helps students learn to think both analytically and metaphorically.

Congratulations WordMasters! (Posted 6/9/08)

Middle School Students Collaborate to Create Entrance Mural Where the Legend Begins...!

The new middle school entrance has been transformed by a colorful mural designed and painted by the Sleepy Hollow seventh and eighth grade students under the guidance of international artist Pedro Ospina. Pedro, who is a Sleepy Hollow High School graduate of 1982, has work with the students of Sleepy Hollow on two previous school art projects Totems and Cultural Mosaic. Born in Bogota, Columbia, but raised in New York City and the surrounding area, Pedro received his academic training in the US and then traveled to varied apprenticeships with artists in Wales, Mexico, Brazil and Columbia. Because he sees the importance of art and how it can impact individuals’ lives, Pedro is dedicated to working extensively in marginalized communities and in inner city schools.

Delighted to see the new construction and additions to his alma mater, Pedro was eager to work with the middle school students helping them design and paint their collaborative legend. Pedro had the students focus on their villages, culture, future goals and what they valued as individuals. All the middle school students participated by making sketches, refining drawings, transferring the images onto the wall and finally painting the entry hall wall. The final product is a mural of colorful imagery that helps instill cultural pride and dignity. The students are excited about their creation.

We are extremely grateful to the Foundation of the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns and the Art Boosters for sponsoring Pedro Ospina’s latest Sleepy Hollow Art Project. Come and see our Hudson River Town, New York City and all the many images and dreams of our middle school students. (Posted 6/8/08)

Egg to Chick Project

John Paulding School recently completed our annual Egg to Chick life cycle. Every class went to Stone Barns in April as a kick-off to the project. BOCES Environmental Education Funds helped to fund the trip. At Stone Barns, the children were able to see hens, roosters, eggs and baby chicks in their winter environment. In May, we received our eggs. Each class had almost a dozen eggs. The children made their predictions on how many of the eggs would hatch. It took 21 days for our chicks to grow and finally hatch! The week after Memorial Day Weekend, 77 chicks hatched! The children were excellent caregivers. They gave the chicks food and water and even were able to play with them. Sadly, our feathered friends returned to the farm on June 5, 2008. The Egg to Chick project continues to be a wonderful way for a life cycle to come to life! (Posted 6/8/08)

Summer Arts Camp 2008

The Summer Arts Camp 2008 is now accepting registration. The Multi Arts Camp will meet for three weeks, starting Monday July 14. The camp meets Mondays-Thursdays from 9am until noon for students grades K-4. You can sign up for 1, 2 or 3 weeks. Scholarships are available. Peter Royston will lead a theater camp from June 30-July 3 for students entering grades 4-6. Click here for flyer and registration form. (Posted 4/12/08)

Celebrating Poetry at Tappan Hill

On May 29, the Kindergarten students participated in a poetry celebration. The hallways were beautifully decorated and the classrooms were charming and inviting, welcoming the poets in the school. Throughout the month of May, students listened to, responded to, created and wrote poems. They wrote list poems, free verse poems, and cinquain poems. Each class also created a class poem together. These young poets gathered with one another from different classes and shared their unique poetry. The poetry celebration was a huge success!!! (Posted 6/8/08)

John Paulding Reading Partnership with Hitachi America

On Friday, May 30th, John Paulding School was invited to Hitachi America, Ltd. to celebrate our year-long reading partnership. Each class was greeted at the front door by the Hitachi employee who had been their special reader all year long. The children were then given a brief tour of the facility. The children were intrigued and excited by the large flat panel televisions in the lobby and the amazing video conferencing technology in some rooms. They were also impressed by the calm, professional working environment and the gorgeous views of The Tappan Zee Bridge. After the tour we gathered outside in the back for ice cream and photos of everyone. The children were given some very cool pencils and handmade origami-style hats made by Hitachi employees as souvenirs of the event. This reading partnership has been an ongoing success for a number of years. We look forward to our continued collaboration again next year! (Posted 6/8/08)

Author/Illustrator Aliki Visits Morse

On Monday, June 2^nd the hallways at W.L. Morse were abuzz with tales of dinosaurs, wooly mammoths, mummies, and much more! Students assembled into the auditorium to meet world-famous children’s author/illustrator Aliki! For the past couple of weeks, second and third grade classes did mini author studies on Aliki and her books. Thanks to the EPTA, every classroom was given a copy of Aliki best-sellers such as My Visit to the Dinosaurs, The Two of Us, and Milk from Cow to Carton. During the assembly, Aliki discussed the writing/illustrating process and used her picture book, How a Book is Made, to describe the stages of publishing. Students were in for an extra special treat because they were one of the first to see the final proofs for Aliki’s soon to be published book, Quiet in the Garden. Aliki spent the rest of the day at Morse holding intimate writing workshops and Q&A sessions with classes.

Aliki, who had traveled all the way from England to visit her family, made a special visit to her “other family” at Morse. Throughout the year she had been corresponding with the students in Ms. Cristella’s second grade class. Students gave the day rave reviews. One second grade student commented, “I’ll never forget it and now I am going to be an author just like Aliki when I grow up!” (Posted 6/8/08)

Middle School / High School Summer Reading Lists

Oceanographic Trip

This past week has been an exciting one for our 7th grade science students as they made three trips to The University of Connecticut's Project Oceanology Center in Groton, Connecticut. Our students boarded the Enviro-Lab III research vessel on the Thames River and sailed out into Long Island Sound.

The students set a fishing net in which they caught sea stars, winter flounders, lobsters, soft shell and spider crabs, fluke, sea robins, squid, shrimp, and windowpanes. Along with studying the marine life of Long Island Sound, the students using laboratory skills learned in class performed many experiments testing water quality, oxygen and salinity content, pH, and ocean floor sediments. The students enjoyed the experience of working in a floating classroom and studying the world of Marine Science. (Posted 6/4/08)

John Paulding's New Garden

This past Thursday and Friday the students of John Paulding School were working hard in their new garden. The results are amazing! Thanks to the coordination by Liz Kaplan and the staff and parent volunteers at John Paulding, there are 4 new planting beds in front of the school filled with beautiful flowers and plants. The children worked together as a team to dig holes and put these plants in the ground. They added their own touch by putting their names on paint stirrers that were then used to make a picket fence for their new garden. With help of volunteers and teachers at John Paulding and the support from the administration, this experience has given the children the opportunity to connect with their environment in a very tangible and meaningful way. (Posted 6/3/08)

Sleepy Hollow Jazz/Stage Band and Washington Irving Stage Band will perform at Pierson Park

The fifth annual Jazz in the Park performance will take place on Wednesday, June 11^th at 6 pm at Pierson Park. The Sleepy Hollow Jazz and Stage bands will perform alongside Washington Irving Elementary School Stage Band.

Food will be provided by Main Street Sweets and Hollywood Pizza North.

In the event of rain the concert will be held at Washington Irving Elementary School. (Posted 6/3/08)

Washington Irving's No Junk Food Week

Washington Irving will celebrate No Junk Food Week June 9th to 13th. Events to include: special menus in the cafeteria, special activities at recess such as fear factor, trade in you unhealthy snacks for a healthy one, and so much more!
Get rid of that junk food and take a ride on the healthy side. (Posted 6/3/08)

Tappan Hill Visits Tarrytown Lighthouse

On a bright, blustery mid-May morning students from Tappan Hill took turns receiving a guided tour from Mr. Miller at the Tarrytown Lighthouse. The lighthouse is a white, conical cast-iron tower on cast-iron caisson that sits just beyond the old GM parking lot. After crossing the grated bridge overlooking the Tappan Zee Bridge, Mr. Miller introduced us to the interior of the lighthouse to share historical insights. Students were interested to learn that this lighthouse was a home to families twice in history. In Mrs. Magliano’s class, Mr. Miller stated that the light house is cone shaped and asked if they thought the rooms would appear smaller or bigger as we climbed upstairs. The students used their math knowledge of cones to answer “smaller.” Since the visit, students have written both poems and stories about their visit and they have drawn pictures of this important landmark only a stone’s throw away. (Posted 6/2/08)

Upstanders Day Celebrated at Sleepy Hollow High School

Thursday, May 29 was Upstanders Day for Human Rights, celebrating the 60^th anniversary of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the use of UN Peacekeeping Forces.

Spearheaded by five 10^th graders who attended Human Rights Institute workshops on March 12 sponsored by the Holocaust and Human Rights Education Center located at Manhattanville College, and supported by Mrs. Heskestad’s Global 10 students, Ms. Graham’s Senior Contemporary Issues students, and members of the Model UN Club, posters were created to raise awareness about Human Rights issues around the world.

High School students were encouraged to view pictures and read information located in Upper West Hall and North Hall. Social Studies teachers were also provided with a Scavenger Hunt handout to motivate their students to seek pertinent information. All students were invited to “Be the Change” and get more involved in modern global issues. (Posted 6/2/08)

Hoofprints, the Sleepy Hollow High School student newspaper, was one of twenty Westchester high school newspapers honored at the 18th annual Journal News High School Journalism Awards ceremony at The Journal News headquarters in White Plains on May 29, 2008. Hoofprtints won three art and design awards- an honorable mention in Page Design for the Go Green layout, 3rd place in Overall Newspaper Design and 2nd place in Illustration for artwork accompanying a poem about Martin Luther King, Jr. The newspaper also won an honorable mention writing award for the article Conquer the Common Cold. This is the third consecutive year that Hoofprints has won awards in this prestigious contest. This year's four awards are the most ever achieved by SHHS. Link to the photo gallery of the event @ http://jukebox.lohud.com/photos/popup/index.php?gallery=Journalism%20Awards%202008&offset=21 . Link to the article @ http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008805300319

To view issues of the award-winning newspaper click on the link in the right column on the TUFSD home page. A year-end double issue will be arriving mid-June. (Posted 6/1/08)

As part of the School Districts Cultural Arts Program, the Children of John Paulding participated in a Dance Residency Program. Facilitated by Ms. Laura Danelski of the Tappan Zee Dance Group, this five-week curriculum took place from Monday, April 28, 2008 to Friday, May 30, 2008. The children participated in the program once a week during a regularly scheduled Physical Education class.

This program was made possible with funds provided through the District Elementary Arts Plan, which is funded by the school district, the Foundation for the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns and the EPTA. The residency reinforced the school’s academic curriculum through movement. Since every child learns differently, education through movement touches some students very deeply, driving home creative and academic concepts. Also, this dance residency was fun, physically challenging and a great creative outlet for the children. The students had the opportunity to explore movement and develop their confidence by participating in a positively structured experience. In addition, this residency taught students about the arts, how to view dance and how to behave as an audience of the arts.

The children had a wonderful experience and this productive program was a huge success. (Posted 5/28/08)

Mrs. DiNome’s general music students transformed into composers through a unit of piano composition.

Students in Mrs. D’s classes were taught piano introduction, form and composition. Ninety percent of the classes had never played piano before. Students performed their compositions in the lobby during homeroom for all to hear!

Please click here to listen to an example of their original work! (Posted 5/27/08)

Elementary Schools Receive Books from the Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation

On May 21st excited students across the district waited for the

Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation truck to pull up in front of their schools. The Foundation provides schools with the educational resources needed to address the needs of their population. Joined by members of the Westchester Community Foundation, Carolyn Oliver and Erinn Cosby of the Hello Friend/ Cosby Foundation delivered hundreds of boxes of books. The boxes contained an amazing selection of Scholastic books including hardcovers, Caldecott winners, non-fiction, fiction, and Spanish titles all will be incorporated into classroom lending libraries. Once the treasured deliveries were inside each building, Erin Cosby, the Hello Friend/Ennis Cosby Foundation members and members of the Westchester Community Foundation visited with teachers and took tours of the schools. At John Paulding, Ms. Cosby even treated the students to a read aloud of Go Away Big Green Monster. At Morse, Ms. Cosby read one of her favorite books, "Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?" At Washington Irving, Ms. Cosby eagerly embraced teachers and students as they came into the hall to meet her. Her eagerness to support education and educators was evident in her smile as she proudly told children how important it is to her parents that all children receive a good education and that they do well in school. Teachers and students from our schools are thankful to Ms. Cosby and the Westchester Community Foundation, Susan D. Edwards, its coordinator, and Scholastic, Inc. for making this possible. Click here for photo gallery. (Posted 5/22/08)

Twenty-six of Sleepy Hollow’s seniors embarked on individualized projects during their Spring semesters. All are invited to attend their presentations as they share their goals, experiences, and what they learned on this educational adventure. Presentations will take place in the Administrative Building boardroom on June 3^rd, June 5^th and June 10^th from 9:00am-6:00pm. Each student’s presentation is approximately 30 minutes, followed by Q & A, and feedback from community, faculty and student evaluators. If you would like to volunteer to be an evaluator, or if you would like more information on topics to be presented, please contact Jessica Hunsberger at jhunsberger@tufsd.org or 332-6228. Click here for the presentation schedule (Posted 5/22/08)

A five-day summer program for juniors who intend to pursue or may be interested in pursuing a career in accounting is being sponsored by the New York State Society of CPAs.

Additional information and details can be obtained from Don A. Kiamie at donalbert@optonline.net, or 212 213-2112.

A great community resource is Tarrytown’s own Warner Library. WI’s AIS reading teachers along with 4^th, 5^th and 6^th graders, took a crisp walking trip for a personal Warner Library guided tour given by the children’s librarian. The librarian shared the many offerings Warner’s Children’s Library has for our students. Summer programs abound. Prizes are available for those who keep a reading log; Spanish texts and tapes, videos, CDs and games are all part of Warner’s contribution to summer fun. We encourage all students to frequent the library, especially during the hot summer months when air conditioning is part of the reading fun. (Posted 5/22/08)

As part of their ongoing study of orchestral instruments, all 2^nd graders were treated to a special workshop on May 12^th. Musicians from the Westchester Philharmonic visited our school and demonstrated woodwind instruments. Students were able to see “up close” and hear a flute, bassoon, clarinet, oboe, saxophone and recorder. They learned about single reeds and double reeds and why a saxophone is really a woodwind instrument. They learned that flutes are used all over the world and even heard ones from India and Ireland. Seeing and experiencing these instruments “in person” is such a wonderful experience for the children. They are looking forward to next year in 3^rd Grade when they’ll study recorders with Mrs. Giuseffi! (Posted 5/22/08)

New York Times bestselling author Aimee Friedman will visit Sleepy Hollow High School on Thursday, June 12, 2008. Ms. Friedman plans to visit Mrs. Meyer’s 9^th grade Honors English classes to discuss the writing process, her background and how she became a writer.

Aimee Friedman is also an editor at Scholastic Publishing. For more information, visit her website at www.aimeefriedmanbooks.com(Posted 5/22/08)

Sleepy Hollow HS is proud of its standing Newsweek's recent ranking of the top high schools in our country. The article reports on the top 1300 out of 27,000 high schools, this year Sleepy Hollow HS ranked 388. Read the article to learn more ...

Congratulations to the following athletes from the Sleepy Hollow Middle/High School Pioneer team. They competed this past Saturday at the Special Olympics Spring Games at Mahopac High School in Track and Field.

Jesse– 50 Meter – 5^th place, 100 Meter – 3^rd place, Softball throw – 5^th place

Brenda– 50 Meter – 2^nd place, 100 Meter – 2^nd place, Softball throw – 1^st place

Byron– 50 Meter – 5^th place, 100 Meter – 4^th place, Softball throw – 1^st place

Tommy– 50 Meter – 2^nd place, 100 Meter – 2^nd place, Softball throw – 1^st place

Sleepy Hollow High School has been selected by the Magellan Foundation as one of five New York State high schools for a research project that focuses on programs and practices that lead to high graduation and low drop-out rates.

The Magellan Foundation is a not-for-profit group who seek to strengthen and improve the leadership of schools.

Out of more than 640 schools that were studied in New York State with similar challenges, Sleepy Hollow High School was among the top 40 in reaching benchmark graduation rate standards, and as such was included in a process for review of exemplary high schools, and ultimately chosen as one of the five high schools to be visited and researched in detail to showcase as a model school.

A team from RMC Research and a NYS Education Department Official will visit Sleepy Hollow High School on May 14th and 15th to learn about special programs and teaching strategies that have led to high graduation and low drop-out rates. They will conduct interviews with individuals and groups, collect and analyze materials used in the classroom and study how the school identifies and handles students in need of special assistance.

Photographs from the two day visit will be added to the Magellan Foundation website at www.magellanfoundation.org (Posted 5/21/08)

Picasso People at Washington Irving School
Picasso People is based on the well-known Modern artist Pablo Picasso. He was born in Spain in 1881 and developed a painting style called Cubism.

Picasso People is a one-man show performed by Carlton Van Pyrz. The show began with “Carlton the Curator” leading students through a gallery tour of some of Picasso’s most popular works of art. He then brought to life those various works using mime, mask, puppetry, narration, and music. “The inspiration of Picasso’s work is explored in a light-hearted array of clever stories and vignettes based loosely on his true-life experiences.”

Picasso People is an exciting way for students to develop an appreciation for art in combination with music and live theater. This program supports a unit taught on Pablo Picasso in Miss Gallo’s 5^th Grade art classes. (Posted 5/21/08)

6^th grade scientists in Mrs. Conjura’s classes became producers, researchers, directors, editors, musicians, and voice-over artists while developing movies about the planets in our solar system. Students used iMovie to put all of the components of their movie together and GarageBand to compose original musical scores to enhance the movies. The movies were premiered in class and students used Senteos, an interactive clicker, to answer quiz questions developed by each planet team after their movie was viewed. All the movies were put together like a feature film DVD. After viewing her movie on premiere day one student said, “I feel so proud!” Click to view the Jupiter clip ( 9 MB, please allow the project to load) (Posted 5/20/08)

On Wednesday, May 14 through Friday, May 16

, the eighth-grade class at Sleepy Hollow Middle School went on their annual trip to Washington, D.C. The students toured Arlington National Cemetery; the Lincoln, Washington, and FDR Memorials; the Smithsonian’s Air and Space, Newseum, and Holocaust Museums; and the Vietnam War, World War II, and Korean War Memorials.

At the Lincoln Memorial, the students and chaperones viewed the 10-foot marble statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting in his chair. At the Holocaust Museum, the 8^th-graders and chaperones were moved by the images and videos of the victims of such severe brutality. At the Vietnam War Memorial, everyone saw the huge wall with the engraved names of soldiers who were lost in the war. At the Air and Space Museum, the students learned about NASA’s aircrafts and the history of aviation. A highlight of our visit to D.C. was a 4-D movie at the Newseum, which awed our students with its realism. Our final night in Washington, D.C. included a cruise through Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Overall, the Washington, D.C. trip was an educational and fun time for all. The students would like to thank their chaperones and The Foundation for helping to make this trip so successful. (Posted 5/20/08)

The Sleepy Hollow Middle and High School Spring Orchestra Concert is Wednesday, May 21st at 7:30 PM in the Washington Irving Auditorium. Students should arrive at 6:30 PM to the W.I. cafeteria dressed in all-black, dressy clothes. All Middle and High School string players will be staying in the auditorium for the entire concert in order to show support for one another and to inspire each other! The concert should be about an hour long and will feature a wide range of music. Come and enjoy the show!" (Posted 5/19/08)

On Monday, February 4, 2008 and Tuesday, February 5, 2008 our school held an American Heart Association “Jump Rope for Heart” event. On these days, the children participated in a variety of jumping activities during their Physical Education class.

The goals of the program were for the students to have fun, practice jumping skills, experience intense physical exercise and learn more about their bodies.

The children had a wonderful time and performed admirably. For their outstanding effort, all participants received a sticker and certificate.

Thank you to Kelly Anniccherico, Sam Caccamise, Heather Campbell-Huston, Michelle Crepeay, Christina Clark, Corie Buonanno, Diana Edelstein, Lisa Filipovich, Virginia Lustyik, and Mark Taylor for volunteering their time and helping make the event so successful. Without them the activities could not have run so smoothly and the experience would not have been so much fun!

Special thanks to Tina Farlekas and Robin Pell for their invaluable efforts in the running of this event. (Posted 5/19/08)

Students from Washington Irving School have been invited to take part in the Children's Shakespeare Festival at SUNY Purchase on Tuesday, May 20th. Schools from around Westchester County come to this annual event. Students who participate enjoy watching expert actors on the SUNY Purchase stages perform scenes from Shakespeare, and they are even greeted by actors playing the Bard and Queen Elizabeth! During the festival our 4th, 5th and 6th graders will get the chance to perform scenes from A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, which was part of this year's YMCA after school theatre program, directed by Peter Royston and produced by Barbara Turk. To read more about this exciting event, go to http://www.artscenter.org/education/shakespearefestival.aspx. (Posted 5/14/08)

Hoofprints, the Sleepy Hollow High School student newspaper, has won awards in three different categories in the Journal News High School Journalism Contest. The student winners and specific awards will be announced at a reception at The Gannett Journal News on May 29th. To view issues of the award winning newspaper, click on the link in the right column on the TUFSD home page. (Posted 5/14/08)

On May 5th, the 8th grade was privileged with a visit from Dr. Henri Parens, a child psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor. Dr. Parens visited with each team, discussing his experiences during the Holocaust and the time he spent in a relocation camp in France before he escaped to the United States. The students also took part in a questions and answers session with this real life primary source. Dr. Parens also spoke about the dangers of prejudice and bullying. We would like to extend a very special thank you to Dr. Parens for taking the time to visit with us and sharing his harrowing experience. (Posted 5/13/08)

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
6:30pm to 8pm
(Registration begins at 6:15pm)
Sleepy Hollow High School
(Please make sure to use High School entrance – look for the balloons!)

The EPTA and the Sleepy Hollow High School science department invite you to a fun-filled night of discovery and exploration. Here is a sampling of what our scientists have planned for your enjoyment:

“The Electric Company” – learn about static electricity and build your own electric circuit

The Sleepy Hollow High School Photo Showcase will be held at the Warner Library from May 8th to May 28th.The exhibit features 60 art pieces including digital photography and imaging along with traditional black and white photos created by students enrolled in Studio in Media Arts and Photography classes.

The opening reception and awards ceremony will be held Monday May 12th from 3:3Opm to 5:00 pm. (Posted 5/11/08)

Can you tarantella? The 9^th grade global students can and with flair! Their mastery of the popular Renaissance dance was a spectacular sight of swirls and turns, accompanied by 14^th century instruments and Italian tunes. The 9^th graders visited Caramoor and participated in a day of Renaissance experiences: from falconry to an impromptu enactment of Don Giovanni, many of whom took part in the play, costumes and all. As they are currently studying the Renaissance, our visit to Caramoor on April 29^th and May 5^th was a perfect opportunity to become true “Renaissance men and women”, at least for a day. “Un ringraziamento speciale” to the Foundation’s Arts’ Council’s generous support, which allowed all our students to participate. Fare-thee-well fair mistresses and good sirs! (Posted 5/8/08)

The students of Ms. Cristella's second grade class left a green footprint this Earth Day! The avid readers collectively read over 100 non-fiction books in an effort to save the rainforest. In return, Scholastic Inc, in affiliation with the International Rainforest Alliance, sponsored 100 acres of the Choco Forest in Ecuador under Ms. Cristella's class name. The Choco Forest is home to more than 9,000 species of endangered plants, animals, and amazing natural resources. The class can now be found online under the Classrooms Care Green Hall of Fame. The second grade students hope they inspire the greater community to do their part to make a difference and protect the sacred rainforest. As one student so aptly pointed out, "EVERY day is Earth Day!" (Posted 5/7/08)

A lot of beautiful clothing was donated by district families, many of whom came to replenish their families’ wardrobes with “new to you” clothing. At $10 per bag of clothing it was a great bargain. The sale raised over $1400.00, which will be used to support the Green Committee’s efforts to create a student garden at Morse. We would like to thank all of the staff and families who helped with this project, especially Kristen Restivo and Elisabeth Hickey who planned the event. A special thank you also goes to Rachelle Gebler, EPTA President, who did much of the labor involved in the sale and organized members of the EPTA to help with copying, distribution of flyers, and other necessary tasks. Without everyone’s help, we would not have been so successful. Thank you!!! (Posted 5/7/08)

Thanks to the generosity of Cablevision, eight of Sleepy Hollow’s greatest minds, along with Ms. Hunsberger and Ms. Langston, had the good fortune of hearing former Vice-President and Nobel prize winner, Al Gore speak at Radio City Music Hall on Friday, May 2^nd. Gore’s talk was part of the Radio City Speaker Series that features prominent politicians and media figures sharing thoughts and opinions on today’s political landscape. Sleepy Hollow students were able to make connections with ideas discussed in the Advanced Placement Government and Politics class, and were inspired to take action politically and socially in the future. (Posted 5/6/08)

Joan Miro (1893-1983) was a Spanish painter and sculptor who produced vivid abstract works of art during much of the 1900s. His works often have very descriptive titles. Joan Miro's name is pronounced “hoän mro.“

We talked about Miro’s paintings as we looked at several reproductions of his work. Then, like Miro, third grade artists used lines and shapes to make abstract pictures that are filled with shapes that remind us of people, creatures and objects. We learned that a shape can look like more than one thing and that two people can interpret art differently and both have a valid point of view.

Students worked individually drawing and coloring Miro-style. We used many of the skills we learned earlier this year when we made Cubist paintings. Finally, we used the crayon-resist technique, coloring our shapes with primary colored crayons and then creating a background with watercolor and large wash brushes. (see gallery) (Posted 4/28/08)

Students from different classes shared their “Small Moments” stories with each other. Classrooms were beautifully decorated and classical music played in the background, while the young authors read to each other. Special guests included Ms. Milliam, Principal, Mrs. Schoenberg, Reading Teacher, Ms. Almogabar, ESL Teacher and Dr. Smith, Superintendent of Schools. Anyone walking around the school would have seen proud authors reading as well as active listeners. The publishing party ended with delicious snacks for everyone to enjoy. (Posted 4/28/08)

On April 15th, all 3rd graders were treated to a wonderful concert at Purchase College. In preparation for the trip, they studied and listened to music by Beethoven, Handel and Haydn with Mrs. Giuseffi in music class. Since this is Maestro Paul Dunkel’s final year at the Philharmonic, the theme of the education concert was “conducting”. Students prepared with Mrs. Giuseffi by watching and participating with a demonstration DVD created just for this concert. They also worked with a member of the Philharmonic who came to the school in March to demonstrate brass instruments and conducting styles. The concert was generously funded by the BOCES Arts-in-Education Program. Morse school has been fortunate to participate in the Philharmonic’s Education Concert for over 10 years. (Posted 4/28/08)

Congratulations to all who participated in the first annual Great

Sleepy Hollow Library Reading Contest! Middle School students have been burning the midnight oil for months, reading and summarizing books, trying to capture individual prizes and win the class prize. Mrs. Setness' 7th grade period 3/4 class earned first prize. Mr. Tejeda's 7th grade period 3/4 class was the Runner-Up. Annie Plotkin won the 7th grade first prize and Benjamin Tschan was the Runner-Up. Ranggy Tapia took the top 8th grade honor and Emily Eagan earned the Runner-Up prize. Individual winners received gift certificates for local businesses and an official contest certificate to proudly display. Reading not only makes you smarter, it inspires you to a world of possibilities-keep reading!!! (Posted 4/19/08)

Raul Colón is an acclaimed artist whose work has appeared in numerous publications including The New York Times, Time Magazine, The New Yorker, and The Wall Street Journal. The artist is especially renowned for his children’s book illustrations for which he has received many accolades. Some titles include:

Raul Colón presented to the 8^th grade writing classes of Sleepy Hollow Middle School about the process of writing and illustrating children’s books to launch a grade wide project where students will be creating books for the students of John Paulding. He brought to life the process, while introducing the research and knowledge it takes. Raul took the students through the sequence of steps truly involved in creating children’s books through presenting his own personal work. (Posted 4/16/08)

Terri Huntington, 4^th grade teacher at W.I., is currently embarked in a four-month hiking clinic, Hike for Discovery, to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Nearly every weekend approximately 35 hikers meet and hike one of the many trails found in Orange, Rockland and Westchester Counties. Hikes range from 4 to 11 miles and cover a varying range of difficulty.

The hiking clinic serves two purposes: training for a hike in the Rocky Mountains in June, and raising a minimum of $3800 to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Information regarding Hike for Discovery can be found on line by clicking on www.hikefordiscovery.org . You can get to Terri’s website to see how she is doing in her training by clicking on “Support a Participant” and entering her name.

Next year, Hike for Discovery will hike in the Smoky Mountains as the culminating activity. Terri has found that this is a great way to get fit and support a worthy cause at the same time. (Posted 4/16/08)

On Monday, April 14th Scientist from IBM provided all 7th grade science students with an opportunity to study Superconductivity. Using liquid nitrogen, the scientist demonstrated the chemical properties and behavior that takes place on different forms of matter.

The students were presented with a problem concerning the use of liquid nitrogen and its affects on a superconductivity plate. Using the scientific information and laboratory skills learned in class, the students accepted the challenge and provide many solutions to enhance the superconductivity process.

The students found the experience working with the IBM Scientist most rewarding and challenging. (Posted 4/14/08)

April is National Poetry Month.
This month students throughout the country study and celebrate poetry. Students at W.L. Morse are encouraging everyone throughout the district to join in the celebration by participating in “Poem in Your Pocket Day” on April 17, 2008.

To celebrate the imagination and creativity of poetry, children and adults of all ages are asked to carry a poem in their pockets to share with friends, classmates, teachers and families. Students will be given opportunities to read their favorite poems throughout the day. Join us in celebrating! Keep a poem in your pocket to share with someone! (Posted 4/12/08)

KEEP A POEM IN YOUR POCKET
Keep a poem in your pocket
And a picture in your head
And you’ll never feel lonely
At night when you’re in bed.
The little poem will sing to you.
The little picture it brings to you
A dozen dreams to dance to you
At night when you’re in bed.
SO...
Keep a picture in your pocket
And a poem in your head
And you’ll never feel lonely
At night when you’re in bed.

· Families can join in the County-Wide effort against global warming while having fun at Kensico Dam Plaza in Valhalla, Sunday, April 13 (11am-3pm, parking free). To learn more, visit www.westchestergov.com.

· Celebrate as a town on this month’s Third Friday (April 18^th) where the theme will be Earth Day.

Stay tuned to learn more about how our students and faculty will celebrate Earth Day this year! (Posted 4/11/08)

Sleepy Hollow Middle School was honored at the Pepsico Youth Leadership Conference, sponsored by Teen Life Associates, on April 9, 2008 with the “Choose to Lead” Award. The award was given for the “Food Drive for the Needy” project, which the students sponsored last Spring.

Each year Middle School students who participate in the Youth Leadership Conference, are challenged to create a school/team project, in an effort to develop their leadership skills. Under the supervision of Dr. Burton, Great Potential Site Director at Sleep Hollow Middle and High School, the students determined that leading a food drive would be an effective way to meet a community need. Bins for the collection of non-perishable foods were place in Middle School classrooms and in the main offices at the middle and high schools. Middle school classes competed for bringing in the most items weekly for one and a half months. The process was monitored by the students of the Great Potential program for the duration of the project. The winning classes were treated to a pizza or ice cream sundae party; however, all of the students appreciated the opportunity to help those in need. At the end of the food drive, the students in the Great Potential Program, accompanied by Dr. Burton delivered the items to the Even Start Program in Tarrytown, and met with Sue Gitlitz, the Program Director, who taught them more about the program which provides support services for families with low income and low literacy skills.

Jahkeline Ascencio, Jennifer Naulasaca, and Carmen Medina attended the conference on April 9, accompanied by Dr. Burton. The award was presented to Sleepy Hollow Middle School by Kate Sullivan, co-anchor for the WCBS morning show, who will be announcing the school’s project on Channel 2 on Monday, April 14, 2008, between 5:00 a.m. – 7:00 a.m. (Posted 4/11/08)

On Thursday, April 3 John Paulding’s first graders were the featured school on WHUD (100.7fm) radio’s Pledge of Allegiance. The school tradition of saying the pledge each day together in the all-purpose room was taped by the station in early March. The airing took place during Mike & Kacey’s 8^th anniversary morning show. Despite a few errors in identifying the 11 classes of first graders that took part the students sounded great and made their teachers proud! Click here to hear our newest radio stars! (Posted 4/7/08)

The Parent Teacher Student Association of the Sleepy Hollow Middle/ High School is asking for your support for our Laptop Scholarship Fund for very deserving graduating seniors. Every year a scholarship committee gets to read applications from outstanding students at Sleepy Hollow High School and their journeys towards the future.

Since 2001 we have awarded 35 laptop computers. We thank you for your past support and since the pool of applicants continues to increase – we are once again asking for your help to award these well deserving students. Click HERE to see how you can support this wonderful scholarship fund. Please remember every little bit helps and no donation is too small!!! (Posted 4/7/08)

Children from Room 6 at the John Paulding School had an exciting visit t

o Kendal On-The-Hudson Nursing home. While they were there, each child decorated spring eggs with residents of Kendal. Students have been learning about egg decorating as an art form from around the world. This experience provided them with a wonderful hands-on opportunity to create eggs much like the ones they learned about in class. In addition, children started to form friendships with the staff and residents of Kendal. Before visiting day, students were taught how to pose questions to the elderly members of Kendal and carry on conversations. Some questions asked were “What was school like when you were my age?” “Did you ever attend John Paulding School?” “What did you do with your children during family holidays?”

The conversations were inspiring and several children remarked as they were leaving their new friends that “This was the best day ever!” (Posted 4/1/08)

Thanks to funding by The Foundation and a the EPTA, the students of John Paulding recently had the Poet, Ted Scheu, come to work with them. The students first met Ted with a whole school assembly in the morning. Ted introduced himself and shared his love of poetry with the students by reading them some poems he had written. He made the students laugh and giggle. He taught them that poetry can help you see the world in a different way and showed them that poetry can be both beautiful and fun! Then, he created a Spring Is… poem with the students.

After the school wide assembly, Ted spent two days going to individual classrooms and taught the students about poetry. He continued to inspire and motivate the students to the craft by sharing some more of his own work. He taught the students about similes and metaphors and how to create them. After teaching the students in a whole group, he had the students create a poem using similes. Their poems were titled, I Am... Ted had the students compare themselves to objects that they connected to. The students had so much fun experimenting and being creative with their poems!

At the end of the lesson, Ted had the students practice reading their poem out loud. Then, he went around the classroom and asked for volunteers to share their work. He gave each child constructive feedback and positive praise on a job well done. After Ted left, the students felt motivated and encouraged that they could revise their poems and continue creating more poems during poetry month in April!

Ted’s future endeavors include a K-2 collection of poems due to be published in 2009. This collection of poems follows the theme of his latest work that just came out titled, “I tickled my teachers” which includes poems that are geared more for students in grades 4-6. (Posted 4/1/08)

Wednesday, March 26^th, 2008 Washington Irving (WI) students visited their “Reading Buddies” at John Paulding for the first time. WI students read aloud self-selected picture books to the first graders modeling how good readers sound when they read aloud. The readers focused on their fluency and phrasing which in turn captivated their audience. All were well prepared as they took students on picture walks, activated prior knowledge, and asked comprehension questions.

The first graders were an attentive audience that impressed their older peers with meaningful text connections. They seemed enthralled as they rotated from reader to reader hearing various tantalizing stories. One first grader was overheard saying, “Wow! I want to read like that when I get big.”

It is our hope to continue helping WI students shine as they build their self-esteem and they get to re-visit their “Reading Buddies” in the future. (Posted 3/30/08)

On Friday March 14, John Farrell, singer, author and songwriter

entertained the students at Tappan Hill School. The children were completely captivated by his interactive approach that allowed the children to become an important element to the show using song, storytelling, and sign language. John Farrell was also impressed by the number of his songs that the children already knew how to sing. Throughout the year teachers play his CD’s and sing along with his music in the classrooms. We love his songs! Each song helps children explore important issues such as respect for oneself, community, and the earth in a fun and delightful style. Some of our favorite songs are: Library Song, Habitat, I Like Ants and Love Grows. John introduced us to his new book, Dear Child. It was an outstanding concert!

If you are interested in purchasing his CD’s for your child, the order forms are available in the main office at Tappan Hill School. (Posted 3/30/08)

Excitement filled the air as Mrs. Gonzalez welcomed everyone to the Eleventh Annual Black History Jeopardy Contest on Wednesday afternoon, March 19, 2008. As Mrs. Gonzalez introduced the eight 5^th grade contestants, the auditorium resonated with enthusiasm.

Proud parents, teachers and classmates were once again in awe of the talented 16 student contestants and the PowerPoint Black History Game Board. It was evident through the constant “buzzing in,” and the correct responses that the contestants spent hours preparing for the competition.

This year’s categories were African American Firsts, Arts & Entertainment, Black History Brain Quest, Education, Picture This, Science and Technology, and “Quotable Quotes.” The Arts and Entertainment audio clues included: Georgia by the soulful Ray Charles, Take the A Train by the incomparable Duke Ellington, The Entertainer by the Ragtime genius Scott Joplin and No One by the talented, multi-Grammy winner, Alicia Keys.

The four highest scoring teams secured a golden opportunity to compete in Final Jeopardy. This year’s semi-finalists included the following: Imani from Mr. Adams’s class along with her partner, Jojo of Mrs. Conjura’s class as our fourth place winners. Austen of Mr. Jacobs’s homeroom and partner, John from Ms. Creary’s class were the third place winners. In second place were Henry from Mrs. Gonzalez’s class and his partner Ellis of Ms. Leveille’s class. Demetri from Mr. Dietz’s homeroom and Dominic from Ms. Carty’s class triumphantly captured first place. Each semi-finalist will receive a Baskin Robbins gift certificate, a Barnes & Noble gift certificate and a 2008 family pass to sites of the Historic Hudson Valley. The grand prize winners, Demetri and Dominic, will also receive a $50.00 savings bond.

In her closing remarks, Mrs. Meghan Fitzgerald, Assistant Principal, congratulated all the participants and staff for their participation. Last year’s 5^th grade semi-finalists who returned to help with this year’s program were judges, Ben and Manisha, and technicians, Meghan and Ramon. A special thank you goes to Neal Spitzer and Jean O’Brien for their invaluable support, and kudos to Gabrielle Carty and Linda Elmore for a job well done. (Posted 3/27/08)

The district will once again offer its MULTIARTS CAMP for children this summer. The program will meet for three weeks, July 14-17, July 21-24 and July 28-31. The program meets four days a week, Monday-Thursday, from 9am-noon. Each day children K-grade 4 will enjoy three arts activities, a lively mix of visual art, dance/creative movement, music including African drumming and dance, and theater games. A flyer will be sent home with students in early April with registration and contact information as well as with news about Peter Royston’s Open Call Drama Camp. (Posted 3/27/08)

Tappan Hill’s Abstract Collages Are Visual Melodies!

Tappan Hill’s kindergarten artists have been considering the relationship

between art and music. Studying the work of Russian-born abstract master Wassily Kandinsky, the students created watercolor responses to various classical music selections. Exploring the techniques and work of collage artist Romare Bearden, the children created multi-colored painted papers in response to jazz music. In a culminating project, celebrating African American History Month, the children created watercolor paintings based on an American jazz composition. In order to highlight and develop these images, the students cut out inventive free-form shapes from their decorated papers. These shapes were strategically placed and fastened to the abstract paintings in order to create a sense of balance and movement—indicative of a musical experience. While creating these sophisticated abstract works, the children learned specific watercolor techniques to develop brightly colored paintings. These pieces were carefully executed and painstakingly crafted. The children learned how to wait for things to dry and they were dazzled by the results! (Posted 3/25/08)

John Paulding’s first grade artists took on the challenge of collage! Creating all of their own materials, the students designed patterned papers as well as solid-color papers that could be used for skin tone, sky, plant life, and other natural elements. Colors were selected and mixed in order to best represent those found in our world. Creating images that present the illusion of depth, the students had to develop background, middle ground, and foreground components. In order to do this, the decorated papers were cut into representational shapes that became part of a believable interior space or outdoor landscape. Once the scenery was finished, main characters and other captivating elements could be adhered to the surface. Studying diverse collage artists including Pablo Picasso, Romare Bearden, and children’s book illustrator Eric Carle, the students worked hard to create their own pieces. Each work is a whimsical exploration of color, line, shape, balance, pattern, and depth. (Posted 3/25/08)

Please join us for the Foundation’s Dinner Dance on Saturday, May 10^th at the Westchester Marriott; help bring exceptional and enriching programs to all of our students, Pre K -12^th grade. Click here for the invitation.

If you have auction items that you would like to donate, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Shelly Colley by calling 914-366-8457 or email foundation@tufsd.org.

Or take out an advertisement in our Dinner Dance Journal! We are honoring Bill Burnette and The Warner Library.

If you would like to take out an ad in the Dinner Dance Journal for that special someone such as a teacher, coach, or graduating senior, please send ad and payment to Julie Clayton, Foundation Journal, 200 North Broadway, or email: foundation@tufsd.org

AD Rates (deadline April 12)
Special message           $25
Business Card 2x3.5      $75
Quarter Page 4x5          $125
Half Page 5x8               $250
Full Page 8x10              $400

Please check our listing of auction items each week. Click here for auction items. The list that you currently see is just the start -- we will be adding new items each week. By the end of April, we hope to have as many as 230 auction items!

Look For New Items Next week -- Something Special from the Castle of Tarrytown, beautiful art work, gift certificates to local restaurants and so much more. (Posted 3/20/08)

From March 17thto 28th, reproductions of Leonardo da Vinci’s murals will be decorating the lobby of WI. The traveling exhibit of three paintings by the Renaissance Genius includes his most prominent works; Mona Lisa. The Last Supper; and a copy of some of his inventions, (circa 1942). Leonardo da Vinci is renowned for his inventions, knowledge of Science and paintings.

The exhibit will enrich all WI students as well as enhance the learning of the students in Dr. Bernard’s 6th grade Italian classes who will be studying Italian artists. (Posted 3/21/08)

Fourth grade artists at Washington Irving School studied the life and work of American artist Georgia O'Keeffe. Georgia O’Keeffe worked in many styles and painted many different subjects over her long career as an artist. For our work, we focused on her large scale, cropped images of flowers, shells, bones, and other natural objects. O’Keeffe painted her subjects BIG so people would notice. She once said, “No one notices a flower because it is so small and they haven’t the time. To see it takes time.” Working from small objects such as flowers, leaves, shells, and insects, students created large scale, close up oil pastel drawings. These colorful student creations focused on small details and value changes. (Posted 3/17/08)

Three students representing Washington Irving School recently won highest honors in this year’s WordMasters Challenge – a national language arts competition entered by over 250,000 students annually, which consists of three separate meets held at intervals during the school year.

Competing in the very difficult Gold Division of the Challenge, fifth grader, Jordan B. and sixth graders MacKenzie H. and Lily S. earned earned perfect scores in the year’s second meet, held in February. In the entire country, only 69 fifth graders and 122 sixth graders achieved at this level. Other students at the school who also achieved outstanding results included fourth graders., Sere P. and Dominique M.; fifth graders Jason C., John C., Heather B., Mikey F, Sara F. and Joey G., and sixth graders Dhruv S, Johnny K., Katie C. and Tomas C. The school’s students were coached in preparation for the Challenge by Karen Cook.

Saturday, March 1 and the W.I. auditorium is turned into a movie theatre! About 100 people attended the first ever EPTA Movie Morning featuring the movie Surf’s Up. Thanks to the wonderful sound system provided by the Foundation, the popcorn machine provided by Main Street Sweets and the help of some very dedicated EPTA volunteers, this Movie Morning was a huge success. The EPTA would like to thank all of the families who came out on a snowy morning to support this event and we would especially like to thank Mr Neil Spitzer and Ms Jean O’Brien for the generous gift of their time and talents. (Posted 3/12/08)

The Math and Science Honor Society of Sleepy Hollow High School will be hosting a variety of events on Friday, March 14th, 2008 in celebration of Pi Day. Students can wear a white t-shirt with their favorite math formulas, facts and figures on it in order to receive extra credit in their math classes. Students can compete in a Rubik's Cube Challenge, a Suduko Challenge, a Tetric Challenge or the A-Bomb Challenge (a math contest against Mr. Alterbaum)! After school there will be a pie sale to benefit the Honor Society's Earth Day Events. Contact Mr. Jason Choi (jchoi@tufsd.org) or Mrs. Jennifer Walsh (jwalsh@tufsd.org) for more details. (Posted 3/11/08)

On Wednesday evening, March 19th, 2008, at 7:30pm The Math and Science Honor Society will induct its second class. The Induction will take place at The W.L. Morse School. Contact Mr. Jason Choi (jchoi@tufsd.org) or Mrs. Jennifer Walsh (jwalsh@tufsd.org) for more details. (Posted 3/11/08)

Art and Music go hand in hand when looking at the colorful paintings of the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky (1866-1944). Kandinsky had grown up in a musical family and was also a talented musician. He believed that painting and music were directly related, and that each could represent emotion. “Music,” he said, “expresses itself by sounds, paintings by colors.” Through this lesson, 5^th grade artists at Washington Irving School had the opportunity to experience just how music can influence art, as well as learning about important elements and principles of design.

We started this project by discussing the life of Wassily Kandinsky, and took a close look at a selection of his non-objective paintings. Students learned that Non-Objective means there is NO recognizable subject matter. It is art purely made up of shapes, lines, and colors where the artist had NO intent for it to look like anything. We then began to create a connection between art and music by discussing a principle of design called Rhythm. Rhythm in art is when the artist repeats certain visual elements, which causes the viewers eye to actually “move” through the work. After discussing this, students did a “sketch to music” exercise and created four different drawings to different genres of music, such as Jazz, Classical, and Dance. Using these pencil drawings and new ideas, we created these final drawings you see. Students learned the importance of certain aspects of design such as Cropping and Balance. They also learned specific blending techniques and how to create visual texture using oil pastels. (Posted 3/10/08)

Martin Luther King was the subject of many discussions and activities in schools throughout our great nation in January. Students of the John Paulding School joined a special project started by Dr. King’s son, Martin Luther King III, called: “Do Something: Kindness and Justice Challenge.

Dr. King believed that kindness and justice are the foundations of a noble life and that individuals can change the world. “Young people across America are putting into practice the ideals to which my father devoted his life.” stated Martin L. King, III. “If students can commit to one day of kindness and justice, then…it may become a week, a year, or a lifetime.” With this worthy purpose, children at John Paulding created lovely gifts for area nursing homes that were delivered on Valentine’s Day. Tarry hall Nursing Home, Kendall-On-Hudson, Senior Citizens at Neighborhood House, Tarrytown Senior Nutrition Program, and the Orthopedic Rehab Floor at Phelps Memorial Hospital were all recipients of the efforts and thoughts of John Paulding children. In addition to the work and creativity of our students, school parents, Tina Clarke, Christina Kareem, Francesca Spinner and Rich Chulla became our very special delivery people of these “Kindness packages.” Each year John Paulding hopes to continue participating in this project. By turning our beliefs into action, we continue to make our community a better place for everyone. (Posted 3/9/08)

The Public Schools of the Tarrytowns’ Dual Language program will be accepting applications for children entering Kindergarten in September of 2008. The Dual Language program provides students in Grades K-5 with the opportunity to learn a second language while continuing to develop their native language proficiency. Dual Language classes include a balance of students from Spanish language and English language backgrounds who participate in instructional activities together.

If you are the parent of an incoming Kindergarten child and are interested in receiving additional information on the Dual Language program, please click here. If you have additional questions please contact Bessy Martinez at the Dual Language office at (914) 332-6319 or Mrs. Milliam at Tappan Hill School (914) 631-9252

El distrito escolar de Tarrytown estará aceptando solicitudes para el programa de lenguaje dual para niños que comenzarán el jardín de la infancia en septiembre del 2008. El programa de lenguaje dual provee a los estudiantes del jardín de la infancia hasta 5to grado la oportunidad de aprender inglés, y a la misma vez continuar desarrollando su lengua materna. Las clases de lenguaje dual incluyen un balance de estudiantes que hablan inglés y estudiantes que hablan español por lo cual participan juntos en actividades instructivas.

Si su hijo/a comenzará el jardín de la infancia en septiembre y usted está interesado en recibir información adicional sobre el programa de lenguaje dual, por favor toque aquí. Si tiene alguna otra pregunta por favor llame a la Señora Bessy Martinez en la oficina del Lenguaje Dual al (914) 332-6319 o a la Señora Milliam en la escuela de Tappan Hill al (914) 631-9252. (Posted 3/6/08)

The Senior Government and Contemporary Issues Honors Classes participated in DarfurFast, a fundraising program sponsored by Genocide Intervention Network. Ms. Graham’s students did an extraordinary job of raising money for women and children driven into unprotected refugee camps in western Sudan and Chad. The funds provide propane for cooking; so women and children are not forced to leave the camps in search of firewood. A gift of $1.00 will prevent one woman or child from having to face violent attack outside the camps for one year. Within two weeks, Ms. Graham’s dedicated and generous students raised over $2,100 for DarfurFast. (Posted 3/6/08)

WHAT: YMCA Theatre, in conjunction with Sleepy Hollow Middle School, presents FRANKENSTEIN, a theatrical adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic HORROR tale about a mad scientist who creates a monster on the laboratory table. The Creature rises up to confront its creator with the ultimate question: “Why am I here?” Full of compelling characters, breathtaking set pieces and special effects, FRANKENSTEIN is an unforgettable theatrical experience!

WHEN: Auditions: March 18 & 20 after school on the South Side of the Cafeteria. Rehearsals: start after the SHHS Spring Musical is over. Performances: _May 7 & 8 (4 performances; 3 daytime, 1 evening).

WHERE: Rehearsals will take place at SHMS, Mondays Tuesdays, Thursdays & Fridays after school. (Posted 3/6/08)

The students at Tappan Hill School celebrated the Chine

se New Year in many different ways this year. On February 12, Mrs. Sanchez-Zhu spoke to the school during an assembly about some Chinese traditions. She also included some of the traditions of Korean and the Philipino cultures. Ms. Corea, Mrs. Garibaldi and Mrs. Praino’s classes created props, including the Dragon’s Head and marched in a Dragon Parade. The entire school cr

eated rattles and tamborines to make noise and ward off “bad luck” as the parade marched by. This year we celebrate the year of the Rat. Children learned how to say Happy New Year in Mandarin and Cantonese. Follow up activities included Mrs. Garibaldi’s class cooking dumplings and Ms. Corea’s and Mrs. Praino’s classes experimenting with chopsticks for the celebration. Other classes read books and learned how to write, using “Chinese” characters. (Posted 3/3/08)

On Wednesday, February 27^th John Paulding Elementary School

held its annual Family Math Night for first grade students and their parents. Family Math night is designed to reinforce math concepts while fostering an enjoyment of mathematics in a non-threatening and entertaining environment. The evening was a well attended, collaborative effort between parents, teachers, administrators and students. Over one hundred parents and children braved the cold winter temperatures to come to this event, and were we ever glad they did!! Everyone had so much fun -- playing together, laughing together and learning together.

Families joined together in the gymnasium for an exciting evening of math games, which offered both practice and enrichment in an entertaining way. More than twenty activity stations ranging from domino games to chain races, were devised and set up by the John Paulding faculty who provided activities which reviewed the NY Core Curriculum Content Standards in Mathematics. The faculty helped to man the stations, introduce games and activities and provide assistance with the completion of tasks when needed. All of the games and activities were put into place to encourage communication and learning as students and parents worked together at math stations sharing and clarifying their understanding of mathematics.

Parents

and students spent an hour and a half playing with tangrams, geometric shapes, icky sticky trap subtraction webs, measuring lizards, and playing time BINGO, among many other math activities. The stimulating games and activities enticed kids in playful ways to master math concepts. Parents realize that learning math can be combined with fun and educational activities that challenge their children’s problem-solving skills. The children were able to communicate and actually show their parents the activities they are exposed to in the classrooms with the “Growing with Math” curriculum. Parents went home with activities to encourage and further math at home. The evening truly was a fun way for families to discover hands-on math together! (Posted 3/3/08)

Second grade artists combined African textile designs with a

traditional African folktale, “The Hatseller and the Monkeys.” The border around the illustration was created by combining Kente textile designs from West Africa with our own carefully designed patterns. The paintings on the inside of the project were created after we read the African folktale, “The Hatseller and the Monkeys.” When we created these illustrations, we experimented with a technique using the idea of batik (a method of dyeing textiles). Drawings were traced on top of a special wax paper leaving a secret wax version of our drawings on the bottom sheet of paper. Then we painted with watercolors. The wax kept the paper white where we traced. We used mixed media—pastels and markers—to finish decorating the details on our pictures.

Examples of this art work will be on display at the Warner Library from March 5th until the end of April. Students and faculty are looking forward to our visit from the Ishangi Family Dancers and their presentation, “A Journey to Africa,” on March 12^th. This performance will be a wonderful culmination to our study of African Art. The art and culture of West Africa will come alive for students as they enjoy the Ishangi family’s program that is rich in stories, dance and music. (Posted 3/3/08)

The students in Ms. Jones’ first grade class at

John Paulding Elementary School have been involved in a weekly music therapy group, learning about music, about themselves and about their peers. It is a program funded by the Westchester Arts Council, which distributes funds set aside by the County Legislators directly earmarked to increase music therapy services in the county. Children with differing learning abilities find themselves successful in the group and are eager to try new ideas and motivated and supported by the music to express themselves.

For the past two years music therapists, Lisa Sandagata and Carter Thornton from The Music Therapy Institute at the Music Conservatory of Westchester have worked hard to establish a weekly program that addresses and integrates multiple skill sets. The students are provided opportunities to interact with their peers in a fun creative manner while they work on expressive communication, sequencing, patterns and impulse control. Each weekly session begins with a simple “introduction/hello” song, and concludes with a similar “good-bye” song; not only giving each student a sense of group inclusion, but also one of independence and personal contribution. Listening skills, appropriate social behavior, turn-taking, and cooperation are areas of significant emphasis. Students are presented with activities involving musical instruments as they negotiate skills such as problem solving, sharing and turn taking. Individual choice is encouraged and is highlighted through instrument and song preference.

The Institute’s music therapists use many different instruments to facilitate the group (specifically guitar, keyboard, and drums) and utilize a range of musical techniques to allow students a wide range of exploration and exposure, in addition to addressing the various levels of auditory/tactile discrimination quite often associated with this population of students. The number of smiles, laughter and fun exhibited by the students is quite evident. Students look forward to the weekly music therapy sessions with great anticipation; a clear sign that both Lisa and Carter have developed a positive learning environment, and a special rapport among the students. We sincerely appreciate their contributions! (Posted 2/25/08)

There was a dazzling display of jumping skills at the Washington Irving High Jump Contest held on February 14^th. Approximately 40 students took part in the contest this week. A grand display of talent was showcased in both the girls and boys events. Sixth grade student Christine G. came in second place with a jump of 3’11”. Two sixth grade students, Callie B. and Marina P., tied for 1^st place with jumps of 4’0. In the boys event, sixth grade student Will S. jumped 4’4” for third place. The surprise of the contest was fifth grade student, Peter J., who jumped 4’6” for second place. The star of the event was sixth grade student Dominick O., who jumped 4’8”, and came within a fraction of an inch of setting a new WI record. The announcer of the contest was sixth grade student Ben P.. (Posted 2/15/08)

The TUFSD Green Committee has developed a new web site that students, parents and educators in our district can visit to learn about how our district is going green. On the site, you'll also find tips and resources to help students, educators and families go green. Please click on any of the articles to share your thoughts, ideas or favorite go green resources. The committee is thrilled about how our community is joining in this effort and look forward to making this site a powerful tool in our work. Click here to visit the Go Green site. (Posted 2/14/08)

The students in Mrs. Bakala's class have worked very diligently to publish their memoirs. From start to finish they were busy using the writing process in order to get to their final goal of publishing. Thank you goes to The Morse Publishing Center for making it possible to cover the books. The next step was now to read from their published book and record their memoirs. A special thank you goes to Liz Golden, our dedicated recording assistant, for helping the students record their work during our Writing Workshop sessions and to John Calvert, our Technology Specialist, who is always available to make projects like this one possible for all our students. Enjoy reading Memoirs from Mrs. Bakala's Class. Click here to read our Memoirs. (Posted 2/14/08)

In celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and Black History Month, the children in Ms. Fradkin and Mrs. Annicchiarico’s class collaborated to write this acrostic poem entitled DREAM. We have been using a variety of non-fiction resources including books, magazines, poetry and technology to learn more about the important words and work of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Please enjoy the creative artwork of MLK Jr.’s “Dream” through the eyes of some of our talented first graders. (Posted 2/14/08)

Is Pluto a planet? How long does it take light from the sun to reach us here

on Earth? These are some of the questions that students in Mrs. Conjura’s science class have been pondering using their interactive response devices. Students use these handheld clickers to answer the questions posed by their teacher and their results go immediately up to the SmartBoard in their classroom. “The Senteo is a great tool for students and teachers. It gets all students to respond to questions. I am able to quickly check for understanding and the students get instant feedback on how they did and what they understood,” says Nichole Conjura. Mrs. Conjura recently used the clickers as a pre-assessment to gauge her students understanding of astronomy before a science unit on this topic. Students enjoy using the devices and it gives them the freedom to engage with the curriculum and answer questions without worrying about if they have the right answer. In a sentiment echoed by others, one student said, "I like the Senteo because it is private and nobody knows what you are answering or voting."

The clickers are flexible and can be used in a variety of subject areas. In fact, with the state math tests coming up soon, several teachers will be using the Senteos to help students prepare for the multiple choice component of that test. (Posted 2/8/08)

Eighty students selected from four middle schools come together for first annual concert

Band students from the Sleepy Hollow Middle School Band were chosen to join others from Irvington, Ossining, and Croton in the first Rivertowns Honor Band. Twenty students from each middle school participated in a two-day festival culminating in a concert on Saturday, February 9th in the Ossining High School Auditorium.

The concept of bringing together talented students from four neighboring schools along the Hudson River for a band was the inspiration of Bradley Morrison, band director at Anne M. Dorner Middle School in Ossining. He and Micah Sprague, band director at Sleepy Hollow Middle School, initially collaborated on the project, and then invited their colleagues from neighboring schools to participate. Andrew Brunson of Irvington Middle School, Lisa Sable of Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School in Croton, and Tamara Caputo of Anne M. Dorner Middle School were quick to accept.

The rivertowns band festival planning began 6 months ago. It was designed for enrichment and to give students an opportunity to meet other musicians and play outside their own school.

Mr. Brunson, from Irvington, conducted the 80 piece concert band. The selections included Encanto, In Heavans Air, and Cartoon Symphony. The success of the festival can be attributed to the collaboration of the band directors, the support of their administrators and communities, and the outstanding students that participated.

The fourth grade celebrated Colonial Day on February 7, 2008.

The first floor of Washington Irving School went back through time as our social studies curriculum came alive with the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of a colonial village. Students strolled down the "village street" where each room was transformed into a colonial shop.

Crafts and activities, highlighting daily colonial life, spilled out into the hallways. Children paraded down the street to the beat of the fife and drum. Students dipped candles, made pomanders and mob caps, fashioned rag rugs, and wrote with a quill and ink. They also played quoits, crafted Bilbo catchers and whirligigs and learned the art of paper quilling. The bakery, managed by Harriet Bettman, overflowed with cornbread, pound cake and cider.

We were fortunate to have Sara Mascia, from the Tarrytown Historical Society; Lynda Fassa, from Green Babies; and Eric Clingen, from Tarrytown Woodworks, share their special talents. Our hallways were decorated with beautiful murals of colonial life drawn by teaching assistant Maureen Considine.

The fourth grade team would like to thank all those who participated. It is truly a collaborative effort between parents, community and school personnel. (Posted 2/8/08) .

Our class has written and recorded their very interesting how to books. Listen and you can learn how to make brownies, how to do a cartwheel and even how to get tested in case you have a peanut allergy! You can even respond to the author from the comfort of your own home!

Barack Obama and John McCain were the winners today at the Sleepy Hollow polls! Election buzz could be heard in the classrooms and in the hallways as students talked about who to vote for in the primary election. Tabulating separately for middle school (who did not declare a party) and the high school, the results were as follows: Middle School - Obama 63% , Clinton 29% , McCain 5%, and Huckabee 2%. High School - Obama 79% (of Democrats) Clinton 20% (of Democrats) McCain 48% (of Republicans) Romney 19% (of Republicans) and Huckabee 14% (of Republicans). Congratulations to all of our voters and a special thanks to the students who helped by working at the polls, putting up signs, and counting the ballots. (Posted 2/5/08)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare
El Sueño De Una Noche De Verano

WASHINGTON IRVING SCHOOL AUDITORIUM
Wednesday, February 27 at 8:30 am & Thursday February 28 at 9:15 am and 7:30 pm
Evening performance tickets $10 adults, $5 children 4th grade and up. (Posted 2/5/08)

We've integrated our Blogs into the website by giving them a permanent home on our Navigation Bar. If you are looking for your favorite TUFSD blog, you can now find it under Site Sections on the left. (Posted 1/28/08)

Morse library has a new addition – actually quite a few. The EPTA has donated over 40 books to the library’s collection. Titles range from The Mitten to The Island of the Blue Dolphins and include the many different levels and interests of the children at Morse. This is only the first step in the EPTA’s plan to continue to bring quality literature to our school libraries. Mrs. Ann Marie Murphy, principal at Morse, Mr. Stephen Cobb, librarian, and Ms. Keri Beloise, teaching assistant assigned to the Morse library, were the driving force behind this very worthwhile project. Thanks to them for their hard work and the EPTA for their generous donation. (Posted 2/4/08)

We are very excited to announce the arrival of The Daley News Blog. Our first podcast is our Winter –ing Books. You can hear them on our podcast and/or read them outside our classroom on our bulletin board. You will be able to post comments for the children. Keep in mind that Tom B. can receive comments in Brazil!!! Look forward to our next podcast of winter poems that will be read as well as posted on The Daley News Blog before the February Break. Enjoy! (Posted 2/3/08)

Washington Irving’s Black History Brain Quest is a school wide activity patterned after Channel 7’s popular game show, Jeopardy. During the month of February, the Black History Brain Quest “Answer” of the day will be read during the morning announcements.

Students may participate in Black History Brain Quest by placing a re-cycled entry form (WI is going Green!) in the Question Box located outside of the main office. The student’s entry must be in the form of a question and placed in the Question Box within two school days. In researching the “answer” students acquire knowledge of the many significant contributions of African Americans to this country.

Each day five respondents will be selected to receive a Baskin Robbins gift certificate. The names of the winners will be posted on the Brain Quest Answer Board.

The answers from Brain Quest will be used as a category during the Washington Irving’s Eleventh Annual Black History Jeopardy Contest. The Jeopardy Contest is the culminating activity for Black History Month. The entire school community is invited to cheer and encourage the 5^th and 6^th grade contestants during this assembly on Wednesday March 19^th at 12:30pm in the school auditorium. We hope to see you there!
Click here for questions students frequently ask (Posted 1/31/08)

Every January, after studying masks from around the world, third grade students each cast, design, decorate and title three-dimensional masks. In our American culture, we use masks at Halloween. Special protective masks are worn by athletes, doctors and soldiers. In other parts of the world masks are used for many different reasons. The third grade has studied some of these masks and created their own designs. Special attention was given to African masks in anticipation of an upcoming visit from the Ishangi Family Dancers from West Africa on March 12^th. The masks are currently on display on the first floor at Morse School. Click here to view the gallery of third grade masks.(Posted 1/31/08)

The students at Tappan Hill School are excited about books! Starting this month, the students will begin to take books home each night. The books selected are based on the independent reading levels of the students.

Every student will have a special “bag” to keep the precious books clean and safe! On each “bag” there will be a list of activities that parents can complete at home with the child and inside the “bag” is a list of reading strategies. Reading is a complex skill and having the opportunity to practice this skill with leveled books is essential. The Book-in-a Bag program is just one more way that the students at Tappan Hill School are developing their literacy skills! (Posted 1/31/08)

The students have been doing lots of writing and are ready to share it with the world (wide web, that is.) We have most recently posted our Important Poems written with inspiration from Margaret Wise Brown’s, The Important Book published in 1949! This was a not only lesson in learning about attributes, and writing poetry but the timelessness of books as well. We will be posting both students work and their narrations as often as possible. Check back often to see just we’re up to in first grade! Click here to read our poems. (Posted 1/29/08)

Click here for spring sport offerings and important information for medical clearance. (Posted 1/27/08)

The Kindergarten students at Tappan Hill School attended a performance of the Nutcracker Ballet at the Tarrytown Music

Hall in early December. The children were very familiar with the story and the music before the trip. Each classroom teacher discussed the characters in the story and played the music by Tchaikovsky during rest time. They also learned about many different types of “nutcrackers.” Some students brought their own nutcrackers from home to share with classmates. The children were able to actually see ballet dancing on the Smartboard. The children were able to learn the five basic positions. Teachers were able to also show the children other ballets on other internet sites. The actual performance by the Ballet Atlantic Company was beautiful. The costumes and the scenery were so colorful. A favorite part of the story was the falling of the snow on the Snow Queen and her attendants. It was magical. The Christmas tree that grew as tall as the parlor at the stroke of midnight was magical as well. If your family has not seen this holiday tradition, make sure to see it next year.

Students will continue to learn about ballet during our Enrichment For All program and also through our dance residency, which will take place in early Spring. (Posted 1/24/08)

In celebration of National Library Week coming in April, Middle School students have launched the Great Sleepy Hollow Library Reading Contest. Seventh and eighth graders will read and review books and submit entries, hoping to capture the top prize for their English class: a very "literary" party hosted by the Library. See the special displays of good books to read in the Library and ask the staff for further suggestions. Good luck to all and READ ON!!! (Posted 1/23/08)

According to Gillian Berger,“It’s really helpful to get different

perspectives on the issues in genetics.” On Monday, January 7, Ms. Jackson’s Living Environment classes enjoyed just such a unique perspective. Guest speaker, Dr. Robert Marion, delivered a lecture that he usually gives to medical school students. Dr. Marion is a Professor of Genetics at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the Director of the Center for Pediatric diagnosis and Development of the Einstein Medical Center. His very engrossing lecture concerned three US presidents and a bit of genetic speculation. Dr. Marion led the class through the steps of differential diagnosis. Dr. Marion was impressed with the breadth of knowledge displayed by the 8^th grade students, lingering to answer their questions after his talk. “These kids have a terrific grasp of concepts. This material is tough for my med students,” he remarked, “I’d really like to come back next year.” Sophie Parens agrees, ”He should come back next year. Hearing from someone who works with kids with genetic differences gave me a much better understanding.” The students always benefit from “real world” visitors revealing the worth and applications of the material they are just learning. Great thanks go to Ms. Doran, who was instrumental in bringing us such a distinguished lecturer. (Posted 1/21/08)

IBM Mentor Place gives students the unique opportunity to communicate online with an IBM employee. Each student will have weekly interactions with experienced female scientists and engineers as mentors. These mentors will be available throughout this academic school year. Only ten students will be given the opportunity to receive one-on-one online mentoring. In the exchange of electronic messages, both student and the IBM e-Mentor are encouraged to work together on online activities and discuss career interests.Students will not meet with the mentor outside of class. A teacher appointed by the school will monitor messages regularly for content. The fulfillment of this commitment, (including weekly attendance and participation) during this school year will determine their admission into the IBM EXITE Camp starting July 28th until August 1st, 2008. For more information email DBenedict@tufsd.org or Ms. Sandy Ocasio, CSI Director socasio@tufsd.org. (Posted 1/17/08)

UPDATE: 7^th Grade Students Receive Letter From Adopted 64^th Armored Unit, 2^nd Platoon (click here for original article)

Students from the 7th grade collected and prepared five care packages to be sent to the 64th Armored Unit, 2nd Platoon back in December 2007. The members of 2nd Platoon have written back to show their gratitude and appreciation. Additionally, Sergeant First Class Miles gave a brief description of what the men and women of his unit have been asked to accomplish. Again, a thank you goes out to everyone who helped bring a little bit of home to the soldiers stationed in Iraq this holiday season. Please read the attached letter and see the positive impact that our students’ efforts have had upon our military personnel as they serve far from “home” in Iraq. (Posted 1/16/08)

Congratulations are in order to three outstanding Sleepy Hollow Horsemen athletes who all have made First Team All State honors.

Jackie Mottola, an outstanding field hockey player, was honored by being placed on the NY State Class B field hockey team as a forward. Jackie, who led our team in scoring with over 20 goals, was the main cog in the Sleepy Hollow offensive attack. As captain, she led our team to sectional playoffs in the last 2 seasons. The Sleepy Hollow senior had a tremendous career and is deserving of this outstanding honor.

In football congratulations to Steve Amaro

and Jamel Lyde for receiving 1^st Team All-State honors by the New York Sportswriters Association (NYSSWA).

Steve, a senior, received his honor for playing inside linebacker for the Horsemen. Steve led the team with 87 tackles, 1 interception, 4.5 sacks, and 22 tackles for losses. As a middle linebacker, Steve was a force in the middle that not many teams could deal with his presence. Steve led the Horsemen to a 7-2 record.

Jamel, a senior, received this honor for his play as a defensive back for the Horsemen. Playing on both sides of the ball, Jamel also led Section I by rushing for 14.2 yards per carry. His defensive ability has been recognized by many coaches, both at the high school and college level, who have seen him play. Jamel, an outstanding athlete in all sports., is certainly deserving of this great honor.

Congratulations to all three student athletes for receiving this prestigious award

The Sleepy Hollow community is very proud of all of you! (Posted 1/16/08)

Karthik a 4^th grade student at WI won the school-level competition of the National Geographic Bee on January 16, and a chance at a $25,000 college scholarship. The school-level Bee, at which students answered oral questions on geography, was the first round in the 20^th annual National Geographic Bee. The Bee is sponsored by the National Geographic Society. Jordan B. came in second after a tension filled championship round. Elizabeth S. was the third place winner.

The Bee included international questions such as, “Which sea, shared by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, has lost more than 70 percent of its volume since the 1960s as a result of diversion of water irrigate cotton and other crops?” and also questions about U.S. geography such as, “Brown v. Board of Education, the 1954 Supreme Court case that helped end racial segregation in public schools, focused on a school in what city in eastern Kansas?” All of the contestants who participated did a wonderful job. It was a very exciting afternoon. (Posted 1/16/08)

The Mercy College Upward Bound Program at Sleepy Hollow High School is happy to announce that Nadra Walker has been appointed as Upward Bound Academic Coordinator. Ms. Walker’s experience ranges from interning and serving as a leave replacement in the Counseling Department at Sleepy Hollow to working as an Admission Communications Coordinator at Nyack College. Her experience assisting students as they prepare for the demands of college will be an asset to the Upward Bound participants.

Upward Bound has been very proactive in providing participants with an opportunity to learn about the college process beginning in the ninth grade. Annual services include academic instruction through a six-week summer program, tutoring, counseling, mentoring, cultural enrichment, and work-study programs. Additionally, Upward Bound provides opportunities for students and their parents to visit colleges, meet with admission representatives, explore career possibilities, gain an understanding of the financial aid process, and learn about various college possibilities available to them. The federally-funded program is now in its ninth year at Sleepy Hollow and serves 50 students annually. (Posted 1/16/08)

Tappan Zee Dance Company Visits WI

Washington Irving students are on the move, dancing, with our local Tappan Zee dance instructors. The residency provides general music students the opportunity to learn a different dance genre at each grade level. Through movement, students will experience how dance relates to the elements of music as well as develop an understanding that dance is an important art form.

Tappan Zee dance instructors will present a dynamic performance Friday January 25, 2008 at 1:20 pm for all to experience!

Thanks to the Tarrytown K-6 Arts plan and Foundation for funding this wonderful residency. (Posted 1/15/08)

We learned how to write HOW TO pieces of writing. We learned that we need to use key words in our writing to tell what comes first, next, then and finally. So, First click on our site. Next read our writing. Then listen to our voices. Finally make a comment on how we did! We can't wait to hear from you! Click here to go to our page (Posted 1/15/08)

Two students representing Washington Irving School recently won highest honors in this year’s WordMasters Challenge – a national language arts competition entered by over 230,000 students annually, which consists of three separate meets held at intervals during the school year.

Competing in the very difficult Gold Division of the Challenge, fifth grader, Jordan B. and sixth grader Katie C. both earned perfect scores in the year’s first meet, held in December. In the entire country, only 163 fifth graders and 172 sixth graders achieved at this level. Other students at the school who also achieved outstanding results included fourth graders Elizabeth S., Sere P., Zachary K., Zoe K., Nikhil S fifth graders Jason C., Heather B., Colin A., Mikey F; and sixth graders Lily S., MacKenzie H., Sam V. and Dhruv S. The school’s students were coached in preparation for the Challenge by Karen Cook.

The NYSUT annual food drive, sponsored by the Teachers Association of the Tarrytowns, will run from January 22^nd to February 8^th. Donations will support the Food Bank of Westchester County. Local food drive coordinator is Stephen Pitz. Click here for list of most needed items. You can reach Stephen Pitz at: spitz@tufsd.org. (Posted 1/14/08)

Ms. Cristella's class invites you to embrace the wonders of winter by visiting our class blog. In Writing Workshop we have been using revision strategies to enrich our writing. We’ve learned that the phrase “I’m done!” does not actually exist to a writer, because good authors can always go back and make their writing more interesting. We did just that and revised our winter poems using writerly devices such as dialogue, sound effects, sensory details, and strong adjectives. We hope that by reading the final products you can see, hear, smell, taste, and touch all of the wonders of winter! We also invite you to spend some time perusing our fun adaptations of The Polar Express. As authors of creative fiction, we imagined what it would be like if the Polar Express stopped at OUR doorstop! So, curl up with a mug of hot cocoa and enjoy "The Wonders of Winter..." (Posted 1/14/08)

Prior to the New Year, Mrs. Osnow's class was asked to reflect upon their conception of an "Ideal Holiday". By choosing a topic with such universal appeal, the students were motivated to create captivating stories with vivid descriptions and rich vocabulary words. The most gratifying aspect of this assignment was observing students' progress as they successfully applied their acquired writing process skills (prewriting, drafting, revising, editing and publishing) in their stories which can be viewed by clicking here. (Posted 1/11/08)

The 2nd grade students have been studying the characteristics of different communities in social studies. At the conclusion of the unit, the children individually created poems describing the community of their choice. They each worked through the writing process to complete this assignment. The students in Mrs. Richardson's class typed, illustrated and recorded their poems to share with the world. We hope you enjoy reading and listening to our work! Click here to read our poems. (Posted 1/10/08)

Last month, our class used sequencing words to write

“How to” stories. Here is an example “How to” about our process. First reading fiction and non fiction “How to” stories. Then, we discussed the differences and similarities between fiction and non fiction. Next, we learned about why someone would write a non fiction “How to” story. We learned that non fiction “How to” stories give people information and facts about how to do something. After that, we learned about different ways you could write “How to” stories and realized that all “How to” stories are written in a sequential and logical order step by step. We also talked about “sequencing” words and used them in our writing. Then, we brainstormed all the different things that we know how to do and practiced writing many different kinds of “How to” stories. Finally, we selected one to revise, edit, and publish and now we are sharing our published pieces with you! Click here to read our "How to" stories. (Posted 1/9/08)

The Kindergarten children at Tappan Hill School took a trip to

Lyndhurst Castle recently to enjoy the Holiday Fairytale Exhibit. Before the trip, the students were taught the various features of fairytales as a literature genre. Teachers read some familiar and not so familiar fairytales to the children. Children noticed that many of them begin ‘Once upon a Time’ and end ‘Happily ever after.’ It was also noted that most fairytales have a “mean” or “bad” person in the story. Many of the fairytales take place in castles and that many of the main characters are kings, queens, princes and princesses. Lyndhurst is Tarrytown’s very own castle. The exhibit was so magical. One could look at each of the over 10 rooms and feel that they were a part of each story. The children all had a favorite, which we graphed when upon returning to school. The children also drew pictures and wrote about their favorites. Many of the classes did a comparative literature study with the many versions of Cinderella. If your family was not able to attend the exhibit, be sure to see it next year. (Posted 1/8/08)

What do Jacob Burns Film Center, Stone Barns at Blue Hill, Phelps Memorial Hospital, CBS News, Open Door and Sleepy Hollow Animal Hospital have in common? They are all involved in the Sleepy Hollow High School W.I.S.E. Program.

W.I.S.E. (Wise Individualized Senior Experience) gives graduating seniors the opportunity to clarify career interests while they experience working independently in an adult world. The W.I.S.E. class starts on January 28th, 2008 with internships beginning in March.

Do you have a special skill, hobby or interest? Be a Resource! You can help by being interviewed by a student. It’s a fun, easy way to support a vital program in our school.

Be a Sponsor! Provide an internship opportunity to a student while he/she is completing the project. Our most immediate needs this year are in the areas of Graphic Design, Web Design, Marketing, and Music Recording.

We will be hosting an opening reception at Sleepy Hollow High School, which will be held February 26^th, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. (Posted 1/8/08)

Mrs. Garibaldi and Mrs. Sanchez Zhu, E.S.L.

teacher, collaboratively taught Mrs. Garibaldi’s Kindergarten class a comparative literature study during the month of December. The students studied the likes and differences between the many different versions of The Gingerbread Man. We then read some other variations on the same theme. We read The Gingerbread Baby, The Gingerbread Boy, The Gingerbread Cat, The Musubi Man, and Stop That Pickle. Stop That Pickle was similar to The Runaway Rice Cake, which we will be rereading for the Chinese New Year. There are other “runaway” versions such as The Runaway Latka and The Runaway Dreydl. These are good books to read for Hanukkah. The Matzah Man is a good one to read for Passover.

A lot of the vocabulary had to be reviewed first when reading a version that took place in another part of the country. The children looked at the similar characters, settings and plots. Sequencing was very important. The children participated in ‘turn and talk’ and contributed to the creation of various Venn diagrams. The children then graphed their favorite

stories. As a class we also went on the internet to discover other existing versions of the story. To the delight of the girls in the class, we discovered during our research, that there are several books about a gingerbread girl. This was an enjoyable, exciting and an enriching experience for the children!

The children were delighted by the activity of decorating and eating of the gingerbread people (limb by limb,of course!). Their most favorite activity was decorating the Gingerbread Houses with Matthew Burnette’s mom on one day, and being able to eat a piece of candy from them every day after that.

We are now going on to an author study of Jan Brett because her book, The Gingerbread Baby, was a favorite of the children. (Posted 1/7/08)

What happens when you mix a group of violins, violas, cellos,

bases, high school students and happy first graders? If you guessed a magical morning music treat presented by the talented Sleepy Hollow Orchestra at the John Paulding School, you are correct.

Upon arriving at school, the children of JP were met with the vibrant sounds of over 25 string musicians. Under the direction of Mrs. Brittney Trenczer, the High School orchestra played several pieces to entertain and inspire these young students. Every day this semester, John Paulding was the location for all the high school and middle school orchestra rehearsals while construction was taking place in their buildings. The sounds of these aspiring musicians were not only enjoyable, but served to set a wonderful example to the children of JP. The comment of one child really summed up the experience for the whole student body: “I can’t wait until I can learn to play just like them!” It won’t be long before this child gets her wish, because when Mrs. Mercado-Belvin asked the Orchestra, “Who had attended John Paulding?” almost every orchestra member’s hand went up. (Posted 12/26/07)

Eighth Graders Visit Sagamore Hill and the Dolan DNA Center

The eighth grade classes of Sleepy Hollow Middle School recently enjoyed a full-day field trip to Long Island to visit Sag

amore Hill, President Theodore Roosevelt’s home, and the Dolan DNA Center, a world-renowned center for genetics research. At Sagamore Hill, students walked through the 26^th President’s home, which is preserved as it was during his residency from 1887 to 1919. The visit to the Sagamore Hill Museum gave students a glimpse into TR’s life before, during, and after his presidency. The experience at the Dolan DNA Center offered our eighth grade students an opportunity to experiment in the wonderful world of molecular biology in a genuine laboratory. Students genetically engineered bacteria with the GFP (Green Fluorescent Protein) gene for bioluminescence. A great time was had by all. A special thank you to Ms. Virginia Jackson for organizing the trip for the entire grade and to Mr. Cy Hughes for his assistance in transportation! (Posted 12/19/07)

Mrs. Moiron models a new digital book, Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. The Sleepy Hollow Library has a new collection of digital books available just in time for winter vacation. Just plug in your earbuds and you're good to go! Help us grow our collection-tell us what titles you'd like to hear. (Posted 12/17/07)

Mrs. Conjura is at it again with her 6th grade social studies class with the latest edition to her student created Vodcasts, also known as video podcasts. Students studied ancient Mesopotamia and took a little extra time to study writing and food. While working in small groups students researched the food of ancient Mesopotamia and combined this research with their knowledge of cuneiform writing to create an ancient Mesopotamian menu written in cuneiform. They added a modern twist to this by creating commercials for a theme restaurant that could be found today. When you walk through the doors of these theme restaurants they will bring you back in time to experience a meal like an ancient Mesopotamian. The restaurant "owners" hope their commercials make your mouth water for a taste of the past. We have included our Vodcasts from this event. You can also download this into iTunes so it can be played on a video iPod.

In Physical education class the students at Tappan Hill get into the spirit of the holidays and winter weather by creating snow people. Their creation is a team effort. This allows every student to practice in both fine and gross motor skills while being creative and having fun!

Brief description:
Four Students match up in relay lines. A piece of construction paper

and a magic marker are placed about 15 feet in front of each line. When the music starts the first child from each line runs to the paper and creates the beginning of the snow person

, the head & face. Then they put the marker down and run back to tag the next child in line, who then runs down to create the second part of the snow person, the body and arms. This continues until the last child of each team has a turn. To display the pride that the children have in their work, they are also asked to sign their names. Every picture and each team wins for their effort! (Posted 12/16/07)

Morse Artists Study the Art of the Middle Ages

Second grade artists learned that most people did not read and write in the Middle Ages and practiced telling stories with pictures. Each student created his or her own hand-colored story-telling picture. Students were careful to include a setting and main characters in their work. We used the legendary tale of George and the Dragon as a theme for our work. We even explored three-dimensional art in “Dragon Workshop” each student sculpted and painted a dragon figurine. dragon

Third graders learned that books were made and illustrated by hand and created their own “decorated letters.” First, students selected a letter. Then, we began decorating the letter with imagery from the period. Crowns, knights, dragons, castles and medieval flower designs were all used by Morse artists to decorate their work. They then transferred the drawings onto black and gold metallic scratchboard and etched their beautiful designs in gold.

Also in keeping with the medieval theme…the third grade worked collectively to create simulated stained glass windows. The designs are modeled after the rose windows of Notre Dame de Paris in France. Students used a polymer paint which dries to a transparent finish.

The work can be seen on display on the first floor of Morse School. Please come take a look! The Middle Ages are between ancient and modern times. The Middle Ages began with the Fall of Rome (500) and ended with the Renaissance (1400). This period is associated with many beliefs and practices that now seem out of date, for example, the belief that the sun revolves around the Earth, and a host of popular superstitions. The early Middle Ages are sometimes called the Dark Ages.

The later middle Ages, however, saw many notable human achievements. Among these were the building of modern nations, such as England and France; expanded trade and the beginnings of the Age of Exploration, some remarkable works of literature and the building of magnificent churches. The period saw major technological advances, including the invention of printing, gunpowder, spectacles, and greatly improved ships. (Posted 12/16/07)

Henry David Thoreau once wrote: “Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations.” This past week, John Paulding was host to a treasure trove of books during its annual EPTA sponsored Book Fair. Children were able to take a taste test of hundreds of books from all genres and make a “Wish List” of the ones they would hope to receive as gifts from their families. It was a heartwarming sight to watch as books were clutched tightly to the heart of each child in the hope that they would be theirs to keep. Seventeen children were given books through anonymous donations. This successful and happy event was brought to life at John Paulding through the coordinated efforts of co-chairs Carol Kelly and Vera Zamdmer as well as many parent volunteers. Funds raised by this event support general PTA initiatives such as cultural art presentations and teacher grants. (Posted 12/12/07)

Where can you have children read in both English and Spanish, telling stories to Kindergartners and first graders?

On November 2^nd and 6^th the fifth grade Dual Language students visited both Tappan Hill and John Paulding and became facilitators of storytelling in both languages. The English dominant students read in Spanish and the Spanish dominant students read in English. What a wonderful way of empowering students to read in both languages! The fifth grade Dual Language students became role models and encouraged future bilingual story tellers.

Please stay tuned for our spring visit to the second and third grade Dual Language classrooms at Morse. (Posted 12/12/07)

John Paulding students in Ms. Ferrari and Ms. Franco’

s class were treated to an interesting cultural lesson on the Hindu Festival of Lights called Diwali. This was one of the many presentations given to students of the various Fall/Winter cultural events celebrated in our richly diverse district. Pictured above is Mrs. Vinki Makhijani, whose daughter, Amrita, was among the many children who listened to stories about this happy celebration. Children learned that Diwali is a time to come together as family and friends and hope for a year of happiness, good health and prosperity. Diwali is also a time when sweetmeats and gifts are exchanged. When Mrs. Makhijani completed the story of Diwali, all the children in class were treated to a delicious bowl of homemade rice pudding. (Posted 12/11/07)

Tappan Hill School is making a concerted effort to recycle all paper and plastic goods within the school. Merry Thomas and Alia Yeater, two of the kindergarten teachers in the building, have volunteered to head the district-wide clean-up project at the kindergarten level. Plastic bins are being utilized to collect the recyclables throughout the building. The entire staff at Tappan Hill is teaching students the importance of going green. The children will be involved in picking up and proper placement of recyclables to make it more manageable for the Village to pick up. Parents and friends of Tappan Hill School please join us in celebrating the importance of going green!! (Posted 12/9/2007)

The Foundation for the Public School of the Tarrytowns will be hosting its largest fundraiser: the 2008 Dinner Dance at the Westchester Marriott on May 10.

At last year’s event, the Foundation raised more than $80,000, which goes directly back into our school and provides meaningful and enriching programs for all of our students, pre-k though 12^th grade.

Big or small, there is always something you can do to help us organize this event. We rely on our wonderful volunteers to help put this large event together, so please do not hesitate to contact Shelly Colley in the foundation office at 366-8457 or email her on foundation@tufsd.org. Not sure what you want to help with? Shelly will help you figure out what is needed. Volunteering for this event is a wonderful way to meet new people who share the same interests that you do: our children! (Posted 12/9/2007)

Three Sleepy Hollow High School students and Physics teacher

Leila Madani were invited to participate in a day-long physics workshop , “Getting a Charge Out of Light”, at Cornell University’s Center for Nanoscale Systems on Saturday, December 1, 2007 in Ithaca, New York.

At the workshop, which focused on renewable solar energy, the students and Ms. Madani participated in activities including discovering how gravity of black holes work with the “Spandex Universe”, experiencing 3-D imaging, and touring the Cornell Center for NanoScale Science & Technology Facility.

Ms. Madani also participated in several teacher activities including a program on how solar cells work and “Electrical, Light, Heat Energy Conversions”, a workshop covering the conservation of energy, one of the most fundamental principles of physics. Madani plans to use the knowledge shared from the workshops in her AP Physics classes. The students had the opportunity to tour the campus and meet with admissions counselors from Cornell University to obtain information about how to apply to the prestigious college. (Posted 12/5/2007)

Students from the 7th grade Red Hot Legendz Team

collected and prepared four care packages to be sent to the 64th Armored Unit of the 3rd Infantry Division, currently stationed in Iraq. Additionally, the students created holiday cards, postcards, and some wrote letters to help maintain or boost the spirits of our American servicemen and women during this holiday season. A plethora of items were donated to help benefit the 64th who is at the forefront of the Iraqi War. A big thank you is extended to all the students and parents who helped make this a successful endeavor. This event proved to be extremely valuable to the students who really showed the true meaning of the holiday season. Go Red Hot Legendz!! (Posted 12/3/2007)

Teachers Mrs. Hull, Mrs. Linteau and Mr. Choi, avid readers all, whose recommended novels are showcased this month in the Sleepy Hollow Library. Featured are Miracle’s Boys by Jacqueline Woodson, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini for Middle School, High School and adults, respectively. The Library’s new Readers’ Advisory Service will highlight teachers’ and students’ recommended “good reads” throughout the year. (Posted 12/3/2007)

On Friday November 16^th, the Washington Irving faculty football

took on a formidable opponent in the 6^th Grade students. It was a highly anticipated meeting between the elder staff and the more youthful students. The Students, with high expectations of shutting down the highly potent Staff offense, had a successful game plan of intensity and fun. In a highly spirited game, the Staff defeated the Students by a score of 35-21. At the end of the game, it was obvious that the score did not matter. It was the sportsmanship, fun, and memories that we will all take from that cold November Friday. Congratulations to all participants, fans, and chaperones for a job well done! (Posted 11/29/2007)

Members of the Model UN Club of Sleepy Hollow High School held a bake sale on Family Conference Night to benefit the victims of the cyclone in Bangladesh. Parents, students and staff members donated generously and purchased homemade baked goods and beverages. The Club will be able to contribute $100 to the United Nations World Food Program which oversees relief through the Friends of the World Food Program. This U.S. based non-profit organization works to increase awareness of global hunger and raise funds to support WFP operations around the world. For the past two years, Club members have participated in the Walk the World, Walk for Hunger march in New York City scheduled in May. (Posted 11/29/2007)

The annual fall college trip was held, this year, on Thursday, November 1^st. Forty 11^th and 12^th graders took the day long trip to visit three colleges in New York State. Two schools in the Albany area were visited, Siena College and Rensselear Polytechnic Institute. The Sleepy Hollow students attended general information and financial aid sessions in addition to going on student guided tours of each of the campuses. They enjoyed lunch while visiting Rensselaer. Before returning to the high school, the students also visited St. Thomas Aquinas College in Rockland County. An overnight college tour for juniors will be scheduled in the spring. Interested students should speak directly with their counselors for additional information. (Posted 11/29/2007)

Last week, the 8th grade class took a trip to Ellis Island as a culmination of their study on Immigration. Even though the weather was cold and rainy, the students still had a great time. After completing a scavenger hunt which took them through the Great Hall, Reception areas, Baggage Room, Dormitory, and Medical Ward, a number of children were even able to find relatives on the Wall of Honor. (Posted 11/28/2007)

A financial aid information session for high school seniors and their families will be held at 7:30 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2007 in the Sleepy Hollow High School cafeteria. The Guidance Department, in conjunction with Education Funding Consultants Association, will address a variety of financial aid topics, including how to plan for college with or without financial aid, how to determine whether or not one qualifies for financial aid, and what to do if not enough financial aid is granted. Workshop attendees will hear ways to pay for their children’s education without changing one’s family’s financial future. The workshop will also review instructions on filing financial aid forms and how to qualify for more aid, key ways to reduce a child’s college tuition, dozens of helpful tax strategies designed to preserve family assets, and how to pay for college without jeopardizing one’s retirement. This workshop is a wonderful introduction to the financial aid process. High school seniors and their families are encouraged to attend. (Posted 11/28/2007)

Little Hawk, a member of the Mohawk Nation, came to Tappan Hill to teach ou

r students about some of the cultural traditions of Native Americans. Among the many things that he taught the children were some dances. He explained how the Smoke Dance got its name (It was danced only by children … and they can kick up a lot of dust!) He performed a Challenge Dance in which the person challenged must pick up a feather with his/her teeth and the ONLY part of the body touching the floor are the feet! (on the right) That was very difficult, as a few students found out! He finished the program with a hoop dance in which he used 18 hoops to dance in and out of. While dancing he made the hoops into a snake, an eagle and finally Mother Earth! (Posted 11/28/2007)

On Friday, November 16^th over 200 members of the sophomore class attended the annual BOCES Career Fair. The purpose of the Career Fair was to help 10^th graders start to explore the different careers choices that are available to them. The Career Fair, which is open to all school districts in Southern Westchester, provided students with the opportunity to attend small workshops in which individuals from a variety of professional fields spoke about their chosen careers. In addition to the workshop speakers talking about the personal and academic requirements of their professions, they also shared anecdotes from their experiences. Students were also given an opportunity to ask the presenters questions, including how to begin to prepare for a given career while in high school, a particular profession’s working conditions, the advantages and challenges of a given career, and compensation and benefits within a given field. Overall, the day was extremely successful, as students found the fair very informative and helpful in getting them started in thinking about future careers. (Posted 11/28/2007)

TARRYTOWN SCHOOLS EMERGENCY SCHOOL CLOSINGS AND/OR DELAYED OPENINGS

The decision to close school or have one or two hour-delayed openings is a very important one. When it becomes necessary to close the schools prior to the start of the school day or delay their opening due to heavy snow or other hazardous weather conditions, announcements will be made on the following television and radio stations:

In addition, notices will be posted to the district website, sent out via the automated K-12 call alert system, and an outgoing message will be placed on the main district number 914-631-9404.(Posted 11/27/2007)

Public Schools of the Tarrytowns Recognized for Being at the Forefront of Foreign Language Instruction in the Elementary Schools

The education editor for the NY Times wrote an extensive article in the Metro Section of the November 14 edition of the NY Times describing the benefits of the approach that our school district is taking in teaching both Spanish and English as a second language to our elementary school students. Click here to read the article: Building a Nation of Polyglots, Starting With the Very Young (Posted 11/14/2007)

Nine law students from Sleepy Hollow High School

participated in the first annual Westchester County Human Rights Moot Court Competition. Under the guidance of teacher, Jessica Hunsberger, the prepared a legal brief in which they represented a school district that was accused of violating a student’s 1^st and 14^th amendment rights. On November 14^th, Sleepy Hollow student litigators presented their oral arguments, and responded to difficult questions posed by Westchester County attorneys (posing as judges) and justices at the Westchester County Courthouse. Sleepy Hollow advanced to the semi-final round and received a medal for “best runner-up brief.” Opening event remarks were presented by County Executive Andy Spano, State Senator Andrea Stewart Cousins in addition to several county legislators and judges. The experience was an excellent opportunity for the students and they are already looking forward to competing again next year. (Posted 11/19/2007)

Lion’s Club International Peace Poster Contest is a contest that encourages children ages 11-13 to creatively express what peace means to them. The contest allows students to share their unique image of peace with others, so that we may all have a greater tolerance and international understanding. The contest was available to Ms. Gallo’s sixth grade art students at Washington Irving School. The winning poster was judged on originality, artistic merit, and expression of the theme “Peace Around the World.” The winning poster was created by Caitlyn from Ms. Mullin’s class. Her poster now has a chance to win the multiple district level and national level of the competition. Congratulations and best of luck from everyone at Washington Irving School. Thank you to all of the students who participated! (Posted 11/14/2007)

The Hitachi Reading Partnership at John Paulding had its kick off last week! Every year a committee comprised of teachers from John Paulding research and prepare a list of interesting children’s literature to enrich the First grade curriculum. This year’s books will enrich our science program and social studies units. The Hitachi Corporation purchases the books and matches an employee volunteer reader with a classroom from John Paulding. Every first Friday of the month, the Hitachi reader comes into the assigned classroom to read a story to the children. The book is then donated to the class, including a copy for the library and our learning centers. The Hitachi Reading Partnership is a wonderful opportunity for our children to get to know other members of the Tarrytown community who work in our lovely town and to enrich their reading experiences in the classroom. (Posted 11/11/2007)

Just like children all over the district, the Kindergartners at Tappan Hill School practice writing during “Writers Workshop” every day. This month, each child in Mrs. Blueglass’ class wrote a card to Ms. Milliam, our Principal, for her birthday. Although the children write every day, practicing a new word wall word, or a new writing strategy, this day they had a really special reason to write. Making a birthday card for someone that you care about is indeed a “real reason to write”! (Posted 11/11/2007)

One of the challenges in any school district is finding ways to make sure that information gets to everyone who needs it, and feedback reaches the district leaders. In an effort to improve communication within the Tarrytowns school district, the Board of Education will host a series of “community coffee breaks” in the coming months at locations throughout the district.

These gatherings will provide an opportunity to sit down informally for conversation with our Superintendent, Dr. Howard Smith and Assistant Superintendent, Dr. Barbarann Tantillo, and members of the Board. The purpose of the meetings is to increase the public’s knowledge of our programs, and for the district’s leaders to hear directly from residents. Topics will come from participants; please bring your observations, questions, and ideas and take part in a dialogue.

The first “coffee break” will take place on Monday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Warner Library. It will be open to all members of the community. Advance registration is not necessary, but in order to plan for seating and refreshments, it would be helpful to know how many people are planning to attend. Please email Nelly Valentin nvalentin@tufsd.org or call her at 631-9404 to let her know you are planning to attend. Additional sessions are being planned – watch Channel 77 and our web site for more information. (Posted 11/4/2007)

4^th Grade artists in Miss Gallo’s art classes created these kaleidoscopic designs. Each student started out with an 11” X 11” square and transfer paper. The square is f

olded into eight triangles and the student’s first name is then drawn within one of the triangles. Students had to use specific lettering techniques and modify basic letterforms to fit the space. Then, using their transfer paper, students had to fold and refold the paper tracing their name to eventually fill each of the eight triangles. When each student was finished we all shared our artwork in amazement of the beautiful shapes and patterns that had been created. The last step was to inventively color their designs with the option of using patterns. Through this lesson students learned the meaning of Radial Symmetry. Radial symmetry is any type of balance based on a circle with its design extending from its center. A star, the iris around each pupil of your eyes, a wheel with spokes, and a daisy are all examples of radial symmetry.( Posted 11/4/2007)

On Thursday, October 25^th John Paulding held its s

econd annual Literacy Night. Parents were invited to attend four reading workshops to learn more about how first graders learn to read and how parents can support their child’s learning at home.

Parents rotated through school to hear John Paulding teachers discuss the nuts and bolts of reading. The four workshops included Spelling and Word Study, Comprehension, Guided Reading and Phonemic awareness. In each workshop, parents got to experience the strategies used to help their first graders continue to grow as a reader.

In Spelling and Word Study and Phonemic Awareness Workshops parents were able to actually do some of the activities their children do in the classroom. Parents were given the opportunity to understand the importance developing oral language and its relationship to reading, spelling and writing. They were also given games and activities to play at home in order to strengthen basic language and spelling skills.

In the Guided Reading workshop, teachers modeled how reading is done in small groups in order to maximize each student’s decoding and comprehension ability with a book specific to their reading level.

In the Comprehension Workshop the importance of understanding what is read was discussed. Parents had the opportunity to make a story string, a braid with pictures of story elements they could use after a reading a book with their child to encourage retelling the story.

The girls' volleyball team, for the first time in the history of Sleepy Hollow high school, has won its way to the Section One Class B Semi-Finals with a big win over Our Lady of Lourdes high school with a score of 27-25. We are going to advance to the Sectional Semi-finals on Thursday, November 1st at Pelham high school at 4:30pm.

The boys' soccer team won the first round of post season play , defeating Eastchester 2-1 on Sunday afternoon. They are advancing to play Lakeland at 4pm on Tuesday, October 30th at Lakeland.

Ms. Kelly Cronin's field hockey team improved tremendously all year. After beating Nyack 1-0, they lost to one of the top teams in the state of New York with a score of 3-0. Rye has been averaging 9 goals per game, so only scoring 3 against our team shows that the Horsemen really played a competitive game. Our Lady Horsemen had a great year and they should be very proud of what they have accomplished. With a young team, the future can be very bright.

The football team had another outstanding game on Friday night. With a big win over the top seeded team, Pleasantville high school, the Horsemen will be playing Rye high school for the Section One Class B Championship. The game will be this coming Saturday, November 3rd at 6:30pm at Mahopac high school. We hope all our fans will be able to come up and support our team as we win the first Section One Championship maybe ever, but definitely in a long, long time. The admission price for all tickets will be $7.00, a fee that is set for all Section One finals. Once again we are thrilled with the accomplishments of our student-athletes and we are so thankful for the support that we get from our community, our parents, our faculty, and especially our cheerleaders under Coach Cindy Brand. Sleepy Hollow Spirit and Pride is on the Rise.

Directions to Mahopac high school can be found on the BOCES website: Sign on to our home page, then on the left hand sidebar click on the Sports Schedule section under Athletics. Click on Directions to Schools and using the drop down arrow choose Mahopac HS and click GO.

There has been some recent media attention regarding “staph” infections; in particular a type of infection caused by a bacteria known as MRSA. While a few cases have been reported in our region, there have been NO DIAGNOSED CASES in our school district. However, we are taking preventative measures through additional disinfectant cleaning in our buildings and education of our students in order to minimize the likelihood that students will come into contact with bacteria that could cause a staph infection. The following links provide access to additional information: letter to parents, State Dept. of Health Fact Sheet, Student Guide for Control and Prevention. Hands on Health (Posted 10/26/2007)

Middle School Students Visit The Madden Outdoor Education Center Madden Center

During the week of October 2, the Sleepy Hollow Middle School students visited the Madden Outdoor Education Center in Kent Cliffs, New York with their instructional teams. Each team enjoyed a full day at the center participating in organized recreational activities emphasizing teamwork and cooperation. Groups were challenged with such tasks as scaling a 12-foot wall with the help of a dangling rope on the reverse side, using only each other for climbing assistance. Other groups were faced with the task of moving everyone from one platform to another several feet apart using only two planks, neither of which spanned the distance between the platforms. The Spider’s Web, See Saw, and Barrel Climb were among the other obstacles groups faced. Throughout this exciting day students on all four teams were challenged to work together, communicate effectively, and rely on the help of teammates to overcome challenges. Students will draw upon this experience to help them work together effectively in school. The middle school students wish to extend a great big thank you to Mr. David Benedict, Sr. for organizing the trip for all four teams and to Mr. Cy Hughes for helping with transportation! (Posted 10/23/2007)

The Community Schools Initiative Programs would like to invite all Sleepy Hollow Middle School students to explore different career options and fields of study in our Career Exploration workshops. This year students will gain hands-on experience that will turn into life long skills that they will need for the 21st Century. The activities planned will reinforce academic lessons, while allowing time for self-expression and becoming effective leaders. Click here for flyer.

The workshops will begin October 24th through May 28th, 2008.
*Enrollment is on a First Come First Served Basis* (Posted 10/19/2007)

Sleepy Hollow Middle School is proud to announce the Horsemen Herald, our very own school newspaper. The Herald will be focusing on the the inner workings of our school and is being facilitated by Ms. Angel Linteau and Ms. Audra Emmerich. Aiding in our publication, our fine student journalists will be covering a variety of topics and events. We are excited to get the journey started and look forward to our first official publication in November. (Posted 10/19/2007)

Police sirens blazed, the hook and ladder truck fired up its engine and Morse second graders watched on in wonder. SH firetruck

There wasn’t any emergency. All the fuss indicated it was time for the annual trip to the Sleepy Hollow Police and Fire Departments. Second graders have been studying Community Service Workers in Social Studies. Students were experts on the services the workers provide, their importance in our community, even how tax money helps to benefit the departments!

It was time to wrap up the unit by meeting our heroes- the firefighters and police officers! At the police department, Detective Checchi gave classes a behind the scenes look at the inner workings of the police department. Students marveled at all of the computers in the communications room, they beamed as they got to handle handcuffs, police binoculars, and other important tools. In the booking room, students imagined an arrest and saw the fingerprinting machine, scanners, and cameras. Undoubtedly, the highlight of the tour was visiting the jail cells and evidence room! At the fire department students saw firsthand the many tools firefighters use to save lives. We saw the forty year old Sleepy Hollow fireboat that has helped in many emergency situations throughout the years- from floods to rescues. The hook and ladder truck saluted us by raising its ladder. Students even got to witness the “Jaws of Life,” and gasped when they heard it could lift a car several feet off the ground!

A HUGE thanks to our community heroes, the Sleepy Hollow firefighters and police officers, who keep our community safe. We salute you! (Posted 10/14/2007)

At John Paulding, the month of October began with our yearly visit to the Sleepy Hollow High School for the Rose Ceremony, Part 1. The event was held in the gymnasium of the high school. The construction did not stop the event. It was a full house of proud parents attending on behalf of their child. Whether they were parents of a senior or a 1^st grader, there were lots of tears. First graders’ names were called by their teacher and they nervously walked toward the senior who presented them a rose as a welcome into the world of formal education. For some, it was scary being surrounded by strangers and walking up to someone they didn’t know. Others were excited, perhaps because they knew the senior and big hugs were given. Many of the students, both young and old, clearly loved being in the spotlight. It was a joyous event and we all look forward to The Rose Ceremony, Part 2 in May. (Posted 10/11/2007)

Along with the crisp air of autumn and a rainbow of leaves beneath their feet, fall has brought a harvest of wonder to the chi apples

ldren of John Paulding. Yes, it was apple picking time in the Northeast and there were no better apple pickers than our very own students!

Early in the month of October each classroom of children at JP boarded a big, yellow school bus bound for the abundant orchards of Stuart’s Farm in Granite Springs, New York. Upon arriving, students were taught all about harvesting apples, cleaning and separating apples, cider pressing, cold storage and just how many apples could fit into a plastic bag without it bursting at the seams! There were many taste tests of these juicy treats, along with exciting views of teaming pumpkin patches, and mounds of husked Native Corn.

The actual apple picking adventure was a delight to watch. With parent volunteers on hand to guide groups of eager students and teachers snapping gigabytes of photos, the children embarked on what appeared to be the search for the “best apples in the world!” Some chose Golden Delicious apples, others searched for the few remaining McCoun apples. Groups hunted for Granny Smith, McIntosh and Red Delicious apple trees. Who knew that the trees were just their size and the apples would be so easy to reach?

An interesting fact is that when an apple is cut across its diameter there is a star inside. In the fall, when an orchard is opened up to a school of children it just follows that every child feels like a star inside too. Happy autumn! (Posted 10/11/2007)

Prejudice. That was the word that sixth grade students were asked to keep in their minds during the presentation by Dr. Henri Parens, world renowned psychoanalyst and holocaust survivor. Throughout his presentation, Dr. Parens kept referring back to the concept of prejudice and what happens when prejudice becomes violence. Dr. Parens was living in Poland when the Nazi forces came. His mother and he were able to escape to France for a while, but when Nazis began rounding up Jewish people in France, both Dr. Parens and his mother were sent to a concentration camp.

Dr. Parens went on to tell the students about his escape and eventual journey to the United States. The sixth grade students were awed by his story. Though they had been studying the holocaust in anticipation of his arrival, to hear a first hand account from a man who lived through it was spellbinding.

In the end, Dr. Parens again spoke of the tragedies that can occur when we let prejudice overtake what we know is right. The sixth grade students and teachers will never forget this experience. (Posted 10/10/2007)

Every September third graders begin their year in the art studio by

designing and executing Cubist paintings. The work will also be on display at the Warner Library Children’s Room beginning October 24th.

Cubism was an early-20^th century school of painting and sculpture in which the subject matter is portrayed by geometric forms without realistic detail, stressing abstract form at the expense of other pictorial elements. The Cubist style emphasized the flat, two-dimensional surface of the picture plane and rejected traditional techniques of perspective. Cubist painters used geometric shapes to create abstract paintings. Unlike other styles, abstract art does not concern itself with creating realistic representations of the world.

Cubists used geometric forms in different ways. Robert Delaunay and his spouse Sonia believed that color and shape alone could create beautiful art. They worked together for many years making paintings that looked like fragmented rainbows. In the spirit of the Delaunays, the third grade used templates to create designs filled with overlapping shapes and then colored their work with cake tempera paint and fine nylon brushes.

Along with our discussions of art history and shapes, students were able to develop their understanding of color theory. While painting, each child was challenged to mix his or her own colors discovering firsthand how to make particular shades and hues. Students eagerly shared their discoveries with their classmates and answered each other’s “color questions.” Please stop by the Morse Museum (on the first floor) to see the student’s work. The work will also be on display at the Warner Library Children’s Room beginning October 24^th. (Posted 10/10/2007)

The new Middle Class STAR Property Tax Rebate program is expected to provide significant tax relief for many residents of our community. According to school district estimates, any household with a combined federal adjusted gross income for all resident owners of the property of less than $175,000 in 2005 and a school tax bill of approximately $8400 or less in 2006 will be eligible for a rebate that will equal or exceed their school tax increase for 2007. In our community, rebate checks will range from approximately $600 to approximately $1200, depending upon the property owner’s income. Property owners MUST SUBMIT AN APPLICATION BY NOVEMBER 30, 2007 to be eligible for the rebate. Application forms were scheduled for mailing to property owners in Westchester County during the week of September 17. The fastest way to receive a rebate is to apply online at www.nystax.gov and provide the information displayed on the rebate application that comes in the mail.

We encourage all teachers to put together creative ideas for classroom enrichment!

We offer up to $1,500 for grants submitted by individuals, and up to $5,000 for collaborative grants.

Creative collaborations are also definitely encouraged, and need not be limited to other teachers in your own school.

We’ve accelerated the process – earlier submissions mean more time for you and your students to use the grant funding.

The annual MAX Awards recognizes the best of the best uses of Adobe software for creating engaging experiences. The Adobe MAX Awards are a global competition. Sleepy Hollow students Multimedia Production Team’s products: the 2007 Digital Yearbook on DVD and the www.sleepyhollowhits.com website won the Adobe 2007 MAX Awards Honorable Mention designation in the Public Sector category.“The submission received high accolades from the judges.” Sleepy Hollow students will be featured in the MAX Awards area of adobe.com and will be announced at MAX North America in Chicago.Thanks to the Foundation of the Tarrytowns, Mrs. Conklin and Dr. Smith, Mr. Mormile will bring Alex Berger and Jesse Ovalles, multimedia team representatives, to Chicago for the MAX North America Conference from September 30th to October 3rd, 2007 (Posted 10/3/2007)

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Salvador Dalí traveling exhibit will be displayed in the hallways of Washington Irving Intermediate School. Salvador Dalí, a 20^th century Spanish surrealist painter, is renowned for his striking and bizarre images in his surrealist work.

The three painting exhibit will include one of his most famous works, Persistence of Memory, circa 1931. Persistence of Memory, also known as Melting Clocks, introduced the surrealistic image of a melting pocket watch to debunk the assumption that time is rigid and fixed.

The paintings will be on display from September 27^th-October 11^th, 2007. This exhibit will foster the learning of the students in Mrs. Molina’s 6^th grade Spanish classes who are currently studying Spain. Students will learn about the featured artist and the art of collages turning the classroom into their own museum. (Posted 9/27/2007)

The reopening of our schools appears to have proceeded smoothly. Buses are running on schedule, buildings are clean and well maintained, class sizes are well within district guidelines, student schedules are nicely balanced, and new staff members are settling into their roles. Students have returned to school prepared to conduct themselves appropriately and actively engage in their classroom activities. Click here to view notes from the "Back to School" presentation at the September 20th school board meeting. (Posted 9/21/2007)

Throughout the summer I have hiked some of the most beauti

ful and grueling trails in the Hudson Valley with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Hike for Discovery program. In addition I have worked hard to raise over $6,000 of my $10,000 goal which will be used to fund life-saving cancer research and important patient programs. I continue to train rigorously in preparation for my descent into the Grand Canyon next month on October 6th! This is no “walk in the park’! I will be taking a very narrow, steep wilderness trail that is not maintained by the park carrying 7 liters of water in my pack! Special thanks to all of my district friends who have made donations to this important cause. Anyone interested in learning more or lending their support can visit www.kathymcdermott.com. (Posted 9/11/2007)

Dual Language Blog
This trimester the third graders learned to write persuasively. The children in the

Dual Language Program chose to write about two causes. The first was a project in the orphanages of NY called the Pajama Project. This program provides pajamas for orphans . The second project is called Room to Read. Their primary intention was to provide books to poor schools in Nepal. It has grown so much that they have even built new schools and libraries. Here, you can read and hear the work of the students. http://tufsdblogs.org/kdelrosario Although it may not be perfect, it gives a picture of the progress they have made. They worked very hard and their hearts are perfect! Click here http://tufsdblogs.org/kdelrosario to listen to their persuasive essays.

Durante este trimestre, los niños del tercer grado aprendieron a escribir para convencer. Los niños de la clase del Programa del Lenguaje Dual decidieron escribir sobre dos causas. La primera fue un proyecto en los orfanatos de NY llamado "The Pijama Project" Este programa provee pijamas para niños de los orfanatos. El segundo proyecto se llama "Room to Read" Su primer intención era proveer libros para las escuelas pobres de Nepal. Ha crecido tanto que han construido escuelas nuevas y bibliotecas también. En esta página, puede leer y escuchar el trabajo de los estudiantes.http://tufsdblogs.org/kdelrosario Aunque no es perfecto, muestra el progreso que han hecho. Han trabajado mucho y sus corazones sí son perfectos.

Para saber más sobre estos proyectos, visite
http://www.oprah.com y haz unabúsqueda para Room to Read y The Pajama Proyect.

The Foundation for The Public Schools of the Tarrytowns Will Hold Its First Fun Walk September 30 To Benefit All The Students in Our School District(Raindate October 14).

WHEN & WHERE: September 30 (Sunday) from 10 am- 12 pm at the Sleepy Hollow High School Track and Football field. Registration starts: 9:30am.

WHAT: Join us for our first ever school-wide Walk-a-Thon to raise money for new initiatives in the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns. 100 percent of the money raised will go to all the schools, pre-K-12, for student enrichment programs. 50/50 Raffle onsite Music Food!

The more donors you find, the easier and faster you will be able to raise money for the walk!

Fill out the form (click here for form) and bring your pledge money to the Walk-a-Thon.

For more information call: 366-8457 or email Foundation@tufsd.org (Posted 9/10/2007)

Come bring your dirty cars September 29^th From 8am to 2pm
All Cars and donations welcomed!!

It was wonderful to see our school buildings filled once again with students and staff. A great deal of work was done during the summer to prepare the buildings for another year. Click here to read a letter to middle and high school parents about the status of the middle/high school building following the extensive renovation work that has been completed. Regular maintenance and cleaning needs in all of our other buildings were addressed as well to ensure that they would meet our usual high standards for readiness at the beginning of the year.

Many of our faculty members were involved in summer curriculum projects as part of our ongoing efforts to provide the highest possible quality of instruction to our students. Click here to read an excerpt from a letter that was sent to staff outlining what to expect in the year ahead. We are privileged to serve a rich mix of students from many different backgrounds who all share the common goal of achieving academic success and we are committed to making sure that happens!

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