Superintendent's Update: May 19, 2023

May 19, 2023

Dear TUFSD Families and Staff:

On behalf of the administration, I want to thank you again for your support of the District’s 2023-24 school year budget and approval of the proposition to create a new Child Safety Zone. Throughout this year we have made significant progress on developing a Strategic Coherence Plan, which includes a Vision of a Graduate and engaging our DEI Task Force which is now partnering with the Equity Literacy Institute. We have also closely evaluated and made 

enhancements to our English as a New Language (ENL) program, including professional learning for our faculty and staff. The approved budget will allow us to provide necessary resources to these and other initiatives which support innovative and personalized learning in an inclusive environment.  

Of course the other significant news this week is the Board of Education's decision to name Dr. Ray Sanchez as the next Superintendent for the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns (pending final Board approval on May 30th). While this decision was made entirely by the Board, I want to say that over the years I’ve worked closely with Dr. Sanchez, as the District’s neighboring superintendent in Ossining, and have great respect for what he has accomplished there and high-regard for him as a person. I am confident he will provide steady, student centered leadership for our kids and school community. Welcome Ray!

Following are several important updates and information about the coming weeks:

Superintendent’s Conference and Memorial Days: Next Friday, May 26th will be our last Superintendent’s Conference Day of the year.  There will be no school for students on Friday, May 26th or on Monday, May 29th in observance of Memorial Day.  Classes will resume on Tuesday, May 30th.

Rivertowns Parents Event: Disordered Eating: The Rivertowns Parents and Irvington PTSA will be hosting a virtual presentation entitled, Eating Disorders: What to Know, What to Do at 7:30pm on Monday May, 22nd. Please see the attached flier (Spanish) (English)for further details.

Class of 2023 Yard Signs: Please use this Class of 2023 link to show your Sleepy pride. Other members of the community can purchase a sign or make a donation so that all members of the Class of 2023 receive a sign. Our goal is to give a sign to every member of the class of 2023. Signs will be distributed to seniors after the Rose Ceremony on May 25th, and delivered to other schools / elsewhere in the community after the Rose Ceremony. Thank you to the PTA for organizing this sale, and for helping offset costs to make it accessible for more families.  

Peabody Preserve Spring Programs: Peabody Preserve Spring Programs: The Friends of Peabody are pleased to offer the Spring Programs in the district’s outdoor classroom. Please use this link (English) (Spanish) to see all of the offerings coming your way, from learning from talented 8th graders how to make seed bombs to performing in a production in the woods of Alice in Wonderland! We are also looking for volunteers to assist with our Community Work Day.  SHHS students can get community service hours. See these links (English) (Spanish)  for further details.

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.

As I wrap up, I just wanted to share two special moments that I had recently - the kind that remind me why I love being an educator and what I’ll miss about my job. The first was a meeting with 4th and 5th grade students from Washington Irving who joined me, Assistant Superintendent for Business Brian Fried and Assistant Superintendent Orozco to share their experiences as members of the Superintendent’s Student Council. As with each of these meetings, our goal is to learn as much as possible from our students. We talked about what’s going well, and what could be better. These outstanding students aren’t shy about sharing their thoughts and ideas and I was very pleased to hear that they are excited to come to school and feel supported and encouraged to learn. When it came time to share concerns, my team took feverish notes to ensure we can improve on the feedback provided. The other experience was sitting alongside first graders as they saw the ducklings that hatched in their classroom just last week take their first swim. The look of awe on their faces and shrieks of joy is something that I will carry with me for years to come.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Christopher Borsari