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Sleepy Hollow Middle School 2008-2009
News
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CAREER DAY AT SLEEPY HOLLOW MIDDLE SCHOOL
Career day at Sleepy Hollow Middle School was a complete
success. Our students had the opportunity to learn, hands-on, about
possible future careers. We had the pleasure of welcoming people from
around the community to educate our students on a variety of jobs. Some
students analyzed crime scenes with a lawyer, studied animals with a
Veterinarian and worked closely with a sports writer. It was special to
see the students' eyes brighten with joy and interest as they planned
possible futures. Sleepy Hollow Middle School students are determined to
work up to their highest potential to achieve their goals and become
successful participants in our community.
8th
Grade Recognition Night Dance
Any
8th grade parents that are able to donate refreshments, such as
brownies, cookies, water, are asked to please contact Ms. Ressa in the
middle school main office - 332-6275 or
cressa1@tufsd.org
(Posted
06/17/09)
Mr.
Garguilo, 7th Grade Science Teacher Receives NASA "Right Stuff"
Award/Honor
Mr.
Garguilo, 7th grade science teacher in Sleepy Hollow Middle
School, has received the “Right Stuff” honor/medal from NASA for his
outstanding contribution to the continued growth of Middle School
science students in the field of astronomy. This year Mr. Garguilo
hosted a NASA Space Seeds experiment where students grew basil seeds
flown into space. He also integrated concepts of space flight into his
classroom instruction, has taken over 15 hours of professional
development with NASA through online conferences, and has been a NASA
ambassador for two years. Students were given the opportunity to visit
the Moon and Mars through 3D labs, discover the importance of the Hubble
Space Telescope by role-playing the technology, use a NASA Lunarnautics
computer program, and watch two “live” shuttle launches this year. Mr.
Garguilo said, “Ever since I was given the opportunity to go to space
camp as an educator my goal has been to one day see a Sleepy Hollow
student become a member of the NASA programs and pursue their dreams. It
would be a real honor to teach in the future what one of my students has
achieved.” Congratulations to Mr. Garguilo!
(Posted
06/11/09)
Middle
School Math Regents Prep
"Almost 40 students from the 8th Grades Honors Integrated Algebra
classes of Ms. Albukerk and Ms. Voytovich came in to school on Saturday
afternoon, May 30th, to participate in a Mock Regents exam in prepartion
for their upcoming test on June 19th. For many students, this was their
second exam of the day after taking science that morning! Ms. Albukerk
and Ms. Voytovich were very happy with the turnout (up from previous
years). They graded the exams and students now have specific topics to
focus on as they review over the next few weeks.
Dates for Math Regents Exams:
Geometry - Tuesday, June 16th, 8:30am
Integrated Algebra- Friday, June 19th, 12:30pm
Math - Tuesday, June 23rd, 12:30pm"
New Microscopes at Sleepy Hollow Middle School
Sleepy Hollow Middle School
received 17 new Stereoscopes (Microscopes) from a donation by “The
Foundation for the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns”. The donation
of Microscopes has allowed the students at the Middle School level to
see into the microscopic world. Mr. Garguilo said, “The excitement and
motivation the students gain for the field of science by the simple use
of the microscopes has no price tag attached to it.” The creativity and
enthusiasm of the Middle School Science staff is being used to implement
these new tools into the classroom curriculum. Students will be given
the chance to see animals, plants, rocks, and other amazing things in
the microscopic world as they pass through the 7th and 8th
grade at Sleepy Hollow. The Middle School staff is confident that these
instructional devices will lead to a larger success on State Performance
Tests. Thank you to the “Foundation
for the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns” and the community members;
for the generous donation of microscopes that has expanded the young
minds of thousands of students that will soon pass through the walls of
the Tarrytown School District.
(Posted
05/27/09)
The Community Schools Initiative Summer
Programs
The
Community Schools Initiative Summer Programs would like to invite all
6th graders transitioning to 7th grade, current 7th graders and 8th
grade students of Sleepy Hollow Middle School to participate in their
FREE five-week Summer Workshops. The workshops will begin July 7th
through Aug. 6th, 2009. *Enrollment is on a First Come First Served
Basis* Click here
for the flyer.
(Posted
05/26/09)
Middle School Summer
School
Dear Superintendent, Principal and
Head of Guidance:
The Tarrytown Union Free School District’s Middle School Summer Program
is designed to support students who have not been successful in a course
of study during the regular school year. The program includes Social
Studies, English Language Arts and Math enrichment. Attached please find
our registration forms and requirements. Our summer school program will
run from Monday, July 6th to Friday, July 31st. The Summer school will
be in session five days a week, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Students not
residing within the Tarrytown School District are invited to attend on a
tuition basis.
Mail in registrations deadline: Friday, June 26, 2009.
Walk-in registration will take place at Sleepy
Hollow MS/HS on the following dates.
Tuesday, June 30th 8 – 12 pm
Wednesday, July 1st 12 - 4 pm
Sincerely,
Marie Horowitz
Summer School Principal
Mhorowitz@tufsd.org
Application Information and Material
Middle School Academic
Awards Assembly on May 12th
Details...
Sleepy Hollow Middle
School Concert Band Newsletter - May 2009 Issue
GOOD NEWS - A FEW EXTRA SLOTS HAVE
OPENED UP FOR THE 8TH GRADE WASHINGTON, DC. TRIP...IF YOU WOULD LIKE
YOUR CHILD TO ATTEND PLEASE BRING $409.00 CASH OR MONEY ORDER TO THE
MIDDLE SCHOOL OFFICE NO LATER THAN WEDNEDSAY, MAY 6TH. (Posted
04/30/09)
Sleepy
Hollow Cares about Birds!
Mr. Garguilo, Mrs. Linteau, and Mrs. Randazzo, with the help of Middle
School students, created a bird house for the Annual Tarrytown
Beautification Foundation's home-made bird house event. The bird house
creation coincided with the Earth Day celebration and the National
Environmental Education week. The bird house makes connections to the
continued progress toward a more sustainable and “go green” attitude
adopted at the Middle School. Mr. Garguilo said, “We decided to make the
bird house out of recycled bottle tops to show students the multiple
uses of everyday objects, we used sticks from nature to demonstrate the
renewable resources nature has for us, and a solar paneled roofing to
support the use of energy from the sun.” The bird house was entered into
the competition as “Sleepy Hollow Middle School’s 1st Home-made Bird
House.” (Posted 4/23/09)
Sleepy Hollow Middle School Guidance News
and Events April-June 2009
Middle School Guidance Department awarded grant from The Foundation
The Middle School Guidance Department was awarded a grant from The
Foundation for the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns for an Anti-Bullying
Resource Center. This grant will aid in providing the necessary
materials for the counselors to visit classrooms, provide lessons and
share experiences with students on a broad range of topics that relate
to anti-bullying and conflict resolution. The materials will be stored
and shared in the Middle School Guidance suite so that they can be
easily accessible to the entire school community.
Middle School Counselors visit 7th Grade Classes for Lessons and
Discussions on Anti-Bullying and Tolerance
Since the start of the school year, counselors Miriam Ocasio and Jamie
Steiner have visited all 7th grade classes to present lessons on
anti-bullying. The counselors recently facilitated a discussion about
teaching tolerance. These lessons are part of the Guidance Department
initiative to enhance students’ understanding and respect of others as a
vital part of life.
8th Graders Attend Middle School College Fair – May 4, 2009
As part of the middle school Guidance program, the counselors will be
taking the eighth graders to the Westchester Middle School College Fair.
The fair will be held at the Westchester County Center. Over one hundred
colleges and their representatives will be participating. This will be a
great opportunity for students to meet with college representatives,
obtain information and ask questions. Ms. Ocasio and Mrs. Steiner will
help prepare the students with ways to get the most out of the fair. We
will be leaving the building by 8:45 AM and returning by 12:30 PM.
Students are required to obtain parent permission in order to attend.
During the month of June, the Middle School Counselors will be visiting
current 8th grade classes for a transitional activity using the
Naviance system to help prepare students for high school. 8th graders
will receive their own logon information and password in order to begin
their portfolio on the Naviance system. This system enables the middle
and high school Guidance Department to offer a comprehensive program
that students and their families can use to help in making decisions
about colleges and careers. The Naviance system is also used in the
Guidance Department to track and analyze data about college and career
plans that provide up-to-date information that’s specific to our school.
For more information about the Naviance System, please contact the
Guidance Department at 332-6207 (Posted 4/22/09)
Ms.
Herrnstadt, HS/MS Library Media Specialist, happily announces the 2009
Great Sleepy Hollow Middle School Reading Contest winners: Mr. Tejeda’s
7th grade period 6/8 class was the winning class overall, receiving a
framed certificate for the classroom and a fabulous pizza party on April
3rd. 7th grade winners: First place, Deborah Feliciano; Runner-up, Jojo
Thayer. 8th grade winners: First place, Maddy McGovern; Runner-up,
Benjamin Tschan. First place winners received a gift certificate to
Barnes& Noble and the Runners-up won a gift certificate to Main Street
Sweets.
Thank You
Thanks to
all who participated in the 8th graders coffee sale and supported our
8th graders in their trip to Washington DC this year. Thanks to your
support, student raised over $900 in scholarship money for this year's
trip. When we add this money to the generous scholarships provided by
the Foundation, every
student who wants to go on the trip will be able to attend!
(Posted
4/2/09)
The SHMS Incoming 7th
grade parent orientation scheduled on the District calendar for April
16th at 7:30 has been canceled. However, if any parent was unable to
attend the orientation meetings that were held in March, please contact
Ms. Lopez (elopez@tufsd.org) to schedule an appointment for an
orientation overview and tour.
Elizabeth Lopez
Principal
Sleepy Hollow Middle School
Public Schools of the Tarrytowns
Carol Ressa, the
Middle School Principal's Secretary Has New Email Address (cressa1@tufsd.org)
Middle School
Transition Meetings

See the
PowerPoint
7th
Grade Science Teacher Mr. Garguilo Hosts NASA “Space Seed” Experiment
On Monday March 9th, 7th grade science teacher Mr. Garguilo hosted a
NASA sponsored program to determine if space flight will have an effect
on plant seeds. Normal Earth basil seeds were planted as a control while
basil seeds flown on the Space Shuttle Endeavour, sent to Mr. Garguilo
by NASA, were used as the experimental factor to see if space flight had
an effect on seed health. Mr. Garguilo said, “It was great to give the
students the opportunity to be part of an important experiment which
they may see the end result (colonization of the moon) in the future of
their lives. It helped confirm for many students the desire to work in
the scientific field in the future.” NASA sent a note to the Sleepy
Hollow students along with the seeds stating, “basil in space is
cutting-edge research. Astronauts on future missions to the Moon and
beyond are going to need to take plants along for the ride--for food,
oxygen and even companionship. It's important for NASA to learn how
these seeds endured space conditions.” Students and Mr. Garguilo will
grow the plants and record the data through the remainder of the school
year. The results of the experiment will be reported to NASA after the
Summer growing season.
Team Lucas Fundraiser Dance
On
Friday, March 6th, students and staff from Sleepy Hollow Middle School
joined “Team Lucas” in his fight against Cancer by participating in a
special fundraising dance, bake sale and Team Lucas bracelet sale. A
special thanks goes out to the students from both grade levels who
donated an enormous amount of baked goods for the bake sale. Students in
both 7th and 8th grades danced their hearts out,
enjoying the music, the food and the Team Lucas bracelets. Many thanks
to our terrific DJ, Desmond Turner, who donated his time, equipment and
talent! Special thanks also to Heidi Larsen, team leader and Team 8A
for coordinating the dance and bake sale. It was truly a team effort,
with such a wonderful turn out, to support Lucas and his family.
(Posted
3/16/09)

Science Experiment at the Bowling Alley a Success
7th
grade students went to “Lucky Strike Lanes” bowling alley at the
Palisades Mall on Thursday. They performed a physics experiment
using bowling balls. Mr. Garguilo said, “We have been working on physics
equations all year and this finalized the application of those equations
in the real world.” Many students got to experience bowling for
the first time. One student is quoted saying, “It was fun and I
liked bowling with friends and we got to use our knowledge we learned in
school.” The teachers hope that the success of the lab and field
trip motivates students to continue to work hard throughout the year.
Middle School Fundraiser to Support Washington DC Trip
Please support the fundraiser for 8th grade students going to Washington
DC which helps to defray the cost of that trip for some of our students.
We are selling coffee again this year from
a company called Grounds for Change -- it is organic, shade-grown and
fair trade. The coffee
comes in 12 oz. bags. It costs $12 a bag. The attached
menu gives you the varieties available.
Place your orders through Bridget McGraw at
bmcgraw@tufsd.org through
February 26.

Congratulations to 7th grader, Dhruv Suri, who
competed Saturday, February 7th at the Regional MathCounts
Competition at Pace University against students from 16 schools across
the county. Dhruv placed 36th out of the 104 competitors
representing the best mathematical minds from Westchester. MathCounts
is a national
enrichment, coaching, and competition program that promotes middle
school mathematics achievement through grassroots involvement in every
U.S. state and territory. It is open to every student in the middle
school. The MathCounts competition in which Dhruv competed on Saturday
has written and oral rounds, as well as individual and team components.
Dhruv is looking forward to competing again next year. Dhruv’s
MathCounts coach, Ms. Albukerk, says “Dhruv’s accomplishment as a 7th
grade competitor is extraordinary. I’m proud of his hard work and I
look forward to what he will achieve at next year’s competition.”
Congratulations, Dhruv!
Sleepy Hollow Middle
School Concert Band Newsletter - February
2009 Issue

Slime
Lab -
Local
College Professor Performs Science Lab with 7th GradeProfessor Garguilo, Westchester Community College science teacher, and
wife of Mr. Garguilo 7th grade science teacher worked together to
present a field trip experience in the classroom. The 7th grade students
got their hands dirty as they created slime on Friday. The lab was
titled “Slimy Yet Satisfying” and the excitement and motivation it
created for students in the field of science was definitely satisfying.
The slime lab fit nicely into the chemistry unit being covered in class.
“We are lucky to have so many great educational institutions like
Westchester Community College nearby which can lend support to
motivating the students of Sleepy Hollow” says Mr. Garguilo. The
students thank Professor Garguilo for her time, interest, and expertise
in the field of science.
7th Grade Science Students Help Save the Last Wild United States Jaguar
They
call him “Macho B” and he is unique. Macho B is the only wild jaguar
living in the United States. Macho B’s land is in danger of being
destroyed and Mr. Garguilo’s 7th grade science classes wanted to help
prevent this from happening. Mr. Garguilo and his students raised $10 in
an effort to help “The Nature Conservancy” save Macho B. Mr. Garguilo
promised to match any contribution made by the students in a classroom
donation box. The students donated a total of $10 of their personal
money over a two week span. Mr. Garguilo matched the donation with his
own money for a total of $20 dollars raised. Mr. Garguilo says, “The
students were given 100% freedom to give or not give to the cause…it was
amazing the passion they had for the future of our planet. It is
important to give students a chance to contribute toward a cause they
believe in. Sleepy Hollow students proved that they are a part of a
community that cares by giving any spare change they had to an
environmental cause.”
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