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Message from the Superintendent - Mandatory COVID Testing Update
Dear Families and Staff, As I shared in my letter on Saturday, as a school district in a designated Yellow Zone, we are required to administer bi-weekly COVID screening tests to 20% of in-person students and staff. These SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests will be provided to the District by the Westchester County Department of Health and are conducted using a simple nasal swab which will provide results in fifteen minutes. Over the past few days, we have been clarifying the testing requirements and scheduling of our testing plan. The first requirement is that parents complete the consent for testing form, which can be accessed at this form link. It is very important that we receive a high response rate for testing in order for our schools to remain open and ask that you complete this form immediately. We will randomly select the initial 20% of students to be tested from those who have submitted the consent form.
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COVID 19 Screening Attestation for Students and Visitors
Staff and Students: Please complete this short survey prior to coming to work or school https://entry.neric.org/tarrytown
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Weekly Math and Science Tutoring
The Sleepy Hollow High School Math and Science Honor Societies Tuesdays starting December 1st 5:00pm-5:45pm via Google Meet Open to all students in TUFSD Students, tutors, and Honor Societies advisors will meet together and then tutoring pairs will split off into breakout groups Interested students, parents, guardians, or school administrators should contact Jennifer Walsh at jwalsh@tufsd.org to confirm a spot Students will need to bring assignments or homework to work on with the tutor
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Cluster Zone Update 11/18/2020
Dear TUFSD Families and Staff, Governor Cuomo recently implemented a cluster zone strategy that identifies areas with rising infection rates and places restrictions designed to limit the spread of Covid 19. These areas can be designated as Yellow, Orange, or Red based upon the metrics outlined in the chart below:
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Kindergarten Students Get a Virtual Open Mic to Share Their Own Books
Like many kindergarten students, those at John Paulding express their love for cookies and ice cream, sports, and their family. At JP, students wrote their own books about who they are and what they like and then opened a virtual coffee shop, Starbooks, to share their stories. Last year, students presented their books to parents and administrators while serving up coffee and some delicious treats. This year, thanks to teachers Ms. Blueglass, Mrs. Mangiacotti, Mrs. Rodriguez and support from Technology Integration Specialist Jean O’Brien, Starbooks went virtual. The entire experience was delivered through an interactive slideshow in which visitors click on an icon to choose a treat before watching a video in which students read their book. Starbooks reflects the Teachers College Writing Project Show and Tell Unit.
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Message from the Superintendent
Dear TUFSD Families & Staff, Since I wrote to you yesterday, three Sleepy Hollow High School students and one employee have reported positive COVID-19 test results to the District. Additionally, while in session today, the District was informed that a Washington Irving student tested positive. The District has also been informed that a Morse employee and student have tested positive; however, neither has been in the building in the past several days. The students and employees are currently in quarantine and Mr. Dorn’s Office will notify those who were potentially exposed by 3:00PM today. If you are not notified by Mr. Dorn’s office, you or your child are not considered a close contact. As I have stated before, the District remains in constant contact with the Westchester County Department of Health (DOH), which is responsible for contact tracing and has been providing us with guidance and support. Today, Mr. Dorn and I participated in a follow up meeting with DOH Commissioner, Dr. Sherlita Amler, and clinical members of her staff, to discuss the positive cases of COVID-19 at Sleepy Hollow HS and our District. The DOH is conducting further investigation into these cases and reinforced the importance of SHHS remaining in an all-remote instructional model through November 19, 2020. Further, due to the shared staff, facility, and growing number of cases at SHHS, the DOH has also advised that Sleepy Hollow Middle School remain in an all-remote instructional model tomorrow, November 10, with plans to resume in-person instruction on Thursday, November 12, for Cohort B students. Due to the limited number of identified exposures, Washington Irving and Morse will continue in-person hybrid instruction for Cohort A tomorrow, November 10, 2020.
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Message from the Superintendent - SHHS/MS 11.5
This afternoon, the District was informed that two Sleepy Hollow High School and a Sleepy Hollow Middle School student tested positive for COVID-19. The District has notified the Westchester County Department of Health, who is responsible for contact tracing. Our District COVID Coordinator, Scott Dorn, is working with the Department of Health on the implementation of this process. The students are currently in quarantine and the District will notify those who were potentially exposed by 8:00PM today. If you are not notified by Mr. Dorn’s office, you or your child are not considered a close contact. Out of an abundance of caution, and to allow time for the proper implementation of the contact tracing process, all Sleepy Hollow Middle and High School students and staff will work remotely on Friday, November 6, 2020. All afterschool activities are canceled for today. The building will also receive an additional deep cleaning and sanitizing. We plan to resume in person instruction for Cohort A students on Monday, November 9, 2020. If any additional updates are required we will communicate them by Sunday afternoon.
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Youth Leadership Initiative
Local, state and national elections are excellent opportunities to educate students on the democratic process and increase civic engagement. At Sleepy Hollow High School, students have been participating in a nationwide mock election for two decades. Executed by the University of Virginia Center for Politics as part of its Youth Leadership Initiative (YLI), the mock election is the largest secure, student-only, online mock election in the nation. The program offers each school the ability to tailor the ballot to each student’s home legislative district
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Message from the Superintendent - SHMS/HS 10.25.20
October 25, 2020 Dear TUFSD Families and Staff, I am writing to provide an additional update regarding Sleepy Hollow Middle/High School. The Department of Health (DOH) has completed its contact tracing procedures and investigation. All potential exposures have been notified by the district, are currently quarantining, and awaiting guidance from the DOH. The building has, of course, received its scheduled deep cleaning and sanitizing. As a result, and in consultation with the DOH this afternoon, SHMS/HS will resume hybrid in-person instruction for all staff and Cohort A students tomorrow, Monday, October 26, 2020.
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Tips for a Safe Halloween
Halloween should be spooky, not scary! Governor Cuomo asks for your help to make sure everyone has a healthy and safe Halloween. Halloween celebrations and activities, including trick-or-treating, can be filled with fun, but must be done in a safe way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The best way to celebrate Halloween this year is to have fun with the people who live in your household. Decorating your house or apartment, decorating and carving pumpkins, playing Halloween-themed games, watching spooky movies, and trick-or-treating through your house or in a backyard scavenger hunt are all fun and healthy ways to celebrate during this time.
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Horsemen Happenings
Welcome to Horsemen Happenings! In this inaugural issue, hear from Board of Education President John Payne and learn more about our commitment to social emotional learning and equity, the start of the athletic season and students recognized for academic achievement. This newsletter will supplement Bridges, our quarterly print newsletter, to ensure the community is receiving news and information regularly.
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District Update 10.19.20
October 19, 2020 Dear TUFSD Families & Staff, Today, Mr. Dorn and I met with Westchester County Department of Health (DOH) Commissioner, Dr. Sherlita Amler, and clinical members of her staff, to discuss the positive cases of COVID-19 in the district in recent weeks. The DOH has advised that Morse remain on an all-remote instructional model through Friday, October 30 to mitigate the spread of the virus. Additionally, John Paulding will also remain on an all-remote instructional model through Friday, October 30. This is due to a large number of faculty and staff required to quarantine by the DOH, greatly inhibiting our ability to conduct in-person instruction.The hybrid model for Morse and JP is scheduled to resume on Monday, November 2.
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Hudson River Mural Unites Community
When you walk along the Hudson River in Kingsland Point Park, your eyes are immediately drawn to vibrant colors and words which touch your heart. The last remnant of the General Motors Plant – a barren wall- has been transformed intoThe Wishing Wall, El Muro de los Sueños. The mural spans 250 feet and represents the ideas and work of professional and volunteer artists, community groups, and students from the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns.
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Message from the Superintendent
October 18, 2020 Dear TUFSD Families & Staff, On Friday, October 16, I informed you that a Sleepy Hollow Middle School employee tested positive for COVID-19 and then yesterday, October 17, shared that an employee who was present at both John Paulding and Morse has also tested positive for COVID-19. In each instance, we immediately contacted the Westchester County Department of Health (DOH), who is responsible for contact tracing. Both employees are in quarantine.
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Message from the Superintendent
October 13, 2020 Dear TUFSD Families & Staff, Today, while in session, the District was informed that a Sleepy Hollow Middle School employee tested positive for COVID-19. Due to the timing, and the shared staff and facility, it was decided to dismiss both Sleepy Hollow Middle and High School at 1:00PM. The District has notified the Westchester County Department of Health, who is responsible for contact tracing. Our District COVID Coordinator, Scott Dorn, is working with the Department of Health on the implementation of this process. The employee is currently in quarantine and the District will notify all those who were potentially exposed by 6:00PM today.
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Message from the Superintendent
October 12, 2020 Dear TUFSD Families & Staff, Today, the District was informed that two Morse employees have tested positive for COVID-19. The District has notified the Westchester County Department of Health, who is responsible for contact tracing. Our District COVID Coordinator, Scott Dorn, is working with the Department of Health on the implementation of this process. The employees are currently in quarantine and the District will notify all those who were potentially exposed by 5:00PM today.
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Message from the Superintendent
It was great to have our schools resume their schedules this week, with in-person learning occurring at all buildings. I’ve been very proud of how our teachers and administrators have managed necessary changes these past few weeks and appreciative of our families and students for their flexibility and understanding. Following are updates for this week: Schedule for Week of October 12: On Monday, October 12, the district will be closed in observance of Columbus Day. School resumes on Tuesday, October 13 with Cohort A in school on Tuesday and Wednesday and Cohort B in school on Thursday and Friday. Looking ahead to the week of October 19, we will begin ‘Flex Wednesdays,’ which will allow for an additional day of in-person instruction. The week of October 19 Cohort A will be in school Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and during the week of October 26, Cohort B will be in school on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Reminders will be sent to families and you can always refer to this calendar as a reference. The cohort and remote days can also be found in the 2020-2021 District Calendar which was mailed to your home.
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Message from the Superintendent
Dear TUFSD Families and Staff: This week our district faced some challenges as we were forced to shift Morse and Washington Irving Schools to three days of all remote learning. While not unexpected - all districts have been planning for potential temporary closures - it is a reminder that we must remain vigilant in our safety protocols. At the same time, I am very appreciative of our teachers, administrators, and families who quickly adapted to the situation and ensured that our students continued learning. Also of note this week was that members of our Board of Education, administration, faculty, staff, and community participated in an Equity Team meeting to flesh out recommendations in the identified areas of focus which include: curriculum, professional development, hiring practices and the development of student equity leaders. This effort is a top priority for our district and the members of the team look forward to presenting its recommendations to the Board of Education at their meeting on October 22.
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NYSSMA Virtual Ensemble
Two Sleepy Hollow High School seniors have been chosen to perform in the 2020 New York All State Virtual Ensembles presented by the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA).
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Message from the Superintendent
Dear TUFSD Families and Staff, I am writing to provide an additional update regarding Morse and Washington Irving Schools. The Department of Health (DOH) has completed its contact tracing procedures and investigation. All potential exposures have been contacted and either informed that they can resume their normal activities or have been required to quarantine. As a result, and in consultation with the DOH, both Morse and Washington Irving will resume hybrid in-person instruction for all staff and Cohort B students tomorrow, Friday, October 2, 2020.
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Safe Crossings
Please follow the link for more information about safe crossings in our school district.
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Message from the Superintendent
Dear TUFSD Families and Staff, I am writing as a follow up to my September 28, 2020 letters regarding an employee testing positive for COVID-19 at both Morse and Washington Irving. Scott Dorn, our District COVID Coordinator worked with the building administration and the infected individuals to identify any potential close contacts. This information was shared with the Westchester County Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, and each potential close contact was notified by the District and told to quarantine until the DOH completes its investigation through the contact tracing process. As of the writing of this letter, the DOH has not completed its investigation. Out of an abundance of caution and to allow families and staff to plan, Morse and Washington Irving will both remain on remote learning for all students and staff, tomorrow, Thursday, October 1, 2020.
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Students Recognized with Academic Awards with Test Scores Among the Top in the Nation
The Public Schools of the Tarrytowns is proud to announce that two students have been named National Merit Scholarship semi-finalists for 2020 while a third received a College Board Special Recognition.
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Message from the Superintendent
Dear TUFSD Families & Staff, The District has confirmed that a Sleepy Hollow High School student has tested positive for COVID-19. The District has notified the Westchester County Department of Health, who is responsible for contact tracing. Our District COVID Coordinator, Scott Dorn, is working with the Department of Health on the implementation of this process. The student is currently in quarantine. They have not been in school and will not return until cleared by the Department of Health. Should you have any questions, please contact Mr. Dorn at 914-332-6253.
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Message from the Superintendent
It was wonderful to see our students return to the buildings as our orientations were held this week. Many thanks to our faculty, staff, and administrators for their organization and hosting of these important events. As I heard one parent say as she and her son entered Washington Irving Intermediate School, “It’s been so long and it feels great to be here!” At the same time, remote learning has begun with an abbreviated day and students are getting acquainted with their teachers and the current expectations. Whether remote or in our buildings, we are committed to ensuring each student is engaged in learning. We anxiously await the start of hybrid in person learning beginning this Monday, September 21 for Cohort A and on Thursday, September 24 for Cohort B.
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