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Superintendent's Update: February 17, 2023

February 17, 2023



Dear TUFSD Families and Staff:

As we head into our Winter Recess, I’m happy to share with you examples of the work happening across the district, including opportunities for class trips and hands-on experiences. One such example this week is that our middle school students took the short trip to the new David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center on the grounds of the Rockefeller Preserve where they got a preview of The People's Theater Project group’s performance of The Diamond. The play brings forth important topics such as assimilation, freedom of speech/religion and equality and is headed to Manhattan for its opening in April.

Throughout February, our schools celebrate Black History Month. Although we are committed to teaching about a wide variety of cultures throughout the year, we believe it is important to highlight the achievements and recognize the central role Black Americans have played in U.S. history - past, present and future. For example, students at Morse are learning about famous Black Americans in their classes each day in a variety of ways from read-alouds, to videos to writing, while they highlight a famous Black American each day on morning announcements. Similarly, at WI, images and brief biographies of influential Black figures have been posted in the hallways and then students have discussed the character traits, such as perseverance, integrity and responsibility which they exemplify.

At John Paulding, kindergarten students not only learned about astronaut Mae Jemison, the first African American in space, but took on an imaginative STEM project to think how they could help her build a parachute to safely return to earth. Finally, our middle and high school students have been delving into lessons in classes ranging from computer science to art to history focused upon the significant influence that Black people and culture have had on our country. 

Following are a number of important updates and information about the coming weeks:

Winter Recess: Our schools will be closed for Winter Recess beginning this Monday, February 20th through Friday, February 24th. They will reopen on Monday, February 27th.

2023-24 Incoming K Registration: Our second Kindergarten registration evening will be held on Thursday, March 2nd from 4:00 to 6:00PM in the multipurpose room of John Paulding Elementary School.  Please click on this link for more information regarding Registration.  

March is Kindness and Inclusion Month: During the month of March, the district will be participating in its annual Kindness and Inclusion Initiative. The kick off will be on Wednesday, March 1st with Spread the Word: Inclusion Day. This day is a national celebration to promote inclusion for all people with differing abilities. To participate, students district wide will be brainstorming ways to spread kindness and inclusion within our school community. They will also have the opportunity to sign a kindness pledge during their lunch period. Tuesday, March 21st students will celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Day. Individuals with Down Syndrome have an extra chromosome. (3 - 21 chromosomes - which is why we celebrate on 3/21). Since chromosomes can look like socks - we will be having a district-wide crazy sock day to raise awareness. Friday, March 31st will be our district-wide Autism Acceptance celebration. We urge all students and staff to wear rainbow and/or tie-dye to school to celebrate the beauty in the diverse spectrum of the human mind and autism spectrum. 

Science Research Students Need Help:  

WESEF Practice Night - Tuesday, March 7, 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

  • This event will be at Sleepy Hollow High School in Room 301N

  • The audience will be asked to listen to presentations, ask questions, and offer feedback.

  • Please email mzielinski@tufsd.org to RSVP.

WESEF - Saturday, March 18, 8:30 am - 3:00 pm

  • This event will be hosted at Somers High School

  • We are recruiting judges for this event.  

  • Judge qualifications can be found at wesef.org

  • Information on how to register as a judge is included on the attached flier or at wesef.org

Future Engineers Wanted: On Sunday, March 26th, White Plains High School will be hosting the Tri-State Engineering Expo. This free event aims to inspire young people to pursue an education and career in engineering.  There will be interactive displays, panel discussions, robotics competitions, and more.  Please see this flier and link for further details and to register.

Challenge Summer Camp:  We are excited to let you know that the Challenge Camp is finally back this Summer!  Challenge camp is a two-week day camp on the Washington Irving campus for students going into grades 2-7.  We meet weekdays from 8:45-2:30.  Students select 3 courses from a variety of choices.  The courses are high energy, fun and learning-focused.  We would like your help planning this year's Challenge Camp. Please tell us your ideas, so we can make the camp the best fit possible for our community!  Please complete the following survey to aid in our planning.  2023 Challenge Camp 2023    Challenge Camp (Spanish/Español)

Respiratory Illness Information: We wanted to share this information regarding the signs and symptoms of various respiratory illnesses which are impacting our region. As always, if you or your child become ill, please contact your medical provider.

COVID+ Reporting: Please report any COVID positive cases to your building principal and school nurse.

Rapid COVID Tests: If you are in need of additional tests for your child, please complete the following Google Form and we will be able to provide you with additional tests.

With Winter Recess comes the recognition of President's Day when our country pays tribute to all those who have served as President.  I wish you all an enjoyable break.

 

Sincerely,



Christopher Borsari

Superintendent of Schools