Inside Yorktown CSD

Welcome to the March 2025 edition of “Inside Yorktown CSD.” This newsletter will take you inside our schools by sharing photos, stories, announcements, upcoming events, and more — all with the goal of creating a more connected school community.

• April 1-30 – K-12 Art Show at JV Mall
• April 3 – YHS Faculty Feud
• April 4 – Mohansic PTA K/1 Dance
• April 7 – YCSD Board of Education Meeting
• April 7 – K-12 Art Show Opening Reception
• April 9 – Mohansic Kindergarten Concert
• April 10 – MESMS International Night
• April 14-18 – Spring Recess (Schools Closed)
• April 21 – YCSD Board of Education Meeting
• April 22-24 – Brookside Spring Book Fair
• April 23 – Brookside Math/ESTEAM Night
• April 24 – YHS National Honor Society Induction

Athletic schedules can be found here.

For more calendar information, visit this link.

If you have not yet registered your child for Pre-K or kindergarten, please do so at the following link: Student Registration

We are well along in our budgetary planning for the 2025-26 school year. We have delivered three budget presentations to date. The next presentation will be on March 3.

If you are not able to attend any of the presentations at our Board of Education meetings, please know that our meetings are recorded and uploaded to our YouTube channel the following day. Additionally, all budget-related materials can be found on our budget website.

Important budget dates are below:

• January 13, 2025 – Budget Presentation: Budget Overview & Tax Cap, State Aid, and Debt Service & Reserves
• January 27, 2025 – Budget Presentation: General Support, Facilities, Benefits, & Transportation
• February 10, 2025 – Budget Presentation: Athletics & Co-Curricular
• March 3, 2025 – Budget Presentation: Instruction, General Ed, Special Ed, & Technology
• March 24, 2025 – Presentation of Superintendent’s Budget
• April 21, 2025 – Budget Adoption
• April 21, 2025 – Deadline for Filing Petitions for Trustee Candidacy
• May 12, 2025 – Public Budget Hearing
• May 15, 2025 – Deadline for Voter Registration
• May 20, 2025 – Budget and Trustee Vote at French Hill School, 7:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

Throughout the month of April, we will celebrate our talented artists with a K-12 art show at the Jefferson Valley Mall.

The select display, located on the second floor of the mall, features roughly two-dozen pieces from each our five schools: Brookside, Mohansic, Crompond, MESMS, and YHS.

We look forward to celebrating our artists at an opening reception on April 7!

Learn about the trades and enjoy food, music, and entertainment at a Career & Technical Education Regional Union Information Event hosted by Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES. The event will run from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2, at the Walden Gym, 200 BOCES Drive, Yorktown Heights.

Explore a wide range of careers represented by union partners, including boilermakers, bricklayers, carpenters, electricians, insulators, iron workers, laborers, plumbers, painters, roofers, steamfitters, and more!

Please register at the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1uvZAs7Y7GSOY-bb0LcQpA3sKK3HZQAWVTheR1Lz3uWQ/viewform?edit_requested=true

Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES is hosting a virtual “Internet Safety for Parents” presentation at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 8. The presentation is free but registration is required. The Zoom link will be sent to the email provided during registration. The event's keynote speaker will be Thomas Roidl, a retired state police investigator.

YCSD's Board of Education held a regular meeting on Monday, March 24. A video replay is available on the District's YouTube channel.

The board will hold its next meeting at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, April 7.

Unless noted otherwise, all Board of Education meetings will be held in the middle school cafeteria. You can find agendas and upcoming meeting dates by visiting the following link: BOE Agendas.

You can visit the District's Communications website to keep up with the latest news and to read archived stories.

Congratulations to our young authors at Mohansic Elementary School!

As part of their nonfiction writing unit, second graders explored the animal kingdom, researching habitats, diets, and unique traits to create their own books. Some students added hand-drawn illustrations, while others built dioramas to bring their subjects to life.

Families joined the celebration in the classroom, where students proudly read their work aloud, showcasing their impressive research and storytelling skills!

Please click here for more photos.

On March 7-8, Yorktown High School’s Drama Club thrilled audiences with their spring musical, “Footloose.” This much-anticipated production came to life with vibrant music, impressive dance numbers, and the remarkable talent of our students, offering a fresh take on a beloved classic.

Please click here for more photos.

The 16th Annual YHS Band Swing Dance Concert on March 1 was a night to remember!

Our gym transformed into a vintage dance hall, complete with live big-band music from our talented student musicians, a swing dance lesson, and even historic displays from Yorktown’s past.

This event isn’t just about music. It’s a celebration of jazz history, improvisation, and community! This year, we were honored to welcome a local WWII historian and reenactors, adding a special historical touch.

A huge thank you to our dedicated students, staff, volunteers, and community members who made this night possible!

Mohansic’s “One School, One Book” journey began on March 7.

Every student and staff member received a copy of "Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters," kicking off a three-week reading adventure.

The opening assembly set the stage with excitement. Throughout March, students engaged in special activities like trivia contests, a book-themed dress-up day, and a Read-A-Thon to support the creation of a Storywalk at Mohansic.

Happy reading, Mohansic!

On February 28, Mrs. Brennan's fifth-grade class put their creativity — and their persuasive skills — to the test with their own version of Shark Tank. Teachers and administrators took on the role of “sharks,” evaluating the innovative ESTEAM prototypes designed to tackle real-world winter challenges.

But this wasn’t just about inventing — it was about problem-solving with empathy. One team designed a heated shelter to provide warmth for people experiencing homelessness during the harsh winter months, while another created an adaptive snowball launcher, ensuring that differently abled individuals could fully participate in the joy of a snowball fight. Other inventive solutions included a windshield defroster for icy mornings and specialized shoes designed to improve traction on slippery surfaces.

These young innovators didn’t just develop solutions; they learned how to communicate their ideas effectively, using videos, brochures, and persuasive pitches to convince others of their value.

A huge thank you to tech integration specialist Mrs. Burns for guiding students through this incredible learning experience, where creativity, empathy, and entrepreneurship came together in a powerful way!

Please click here to see more photos.

Brookside first-graders performed two excellent “Americana” concerts on March 19!

Please see the links below for photos and videos:

• 9:30 a.m. photos

• 9:30 a.m. video

• 10:30 a.m. photos

• 10:30 a.m. video

Yorktown’s Science Research students continue to shine!

Seniors Chinmayi Goyal and Willa Olson took home first place in their categories at the New York State Science and Engineering Fair (NYSSEF) on March 24 — and Chinmayi was named Best in Fair! Their outstanding achievements have earned them a spot at the prestigious International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Columbus, Ohio, where they will represent Yorktown on the global stage.

Their success follows an incredible showing at the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair (WESEF), where 39 Yorktown students presented their research and won nearly two dozen awards across multiple categories (listed below).

At NYSSEF, Max Paul earned honorable mention, and Vaishu Ravindranath won third place in her category.

This has been a remarkable season for Yorktown’s Science Research program. Congratulations to all our students and teachers, Mr. Paul Rubeo and Mr. Justin Seweryn!

WESEF Award Winners

• Melanie Pujols-Beltran, 1st Place in Category

• Saarth Desai, 1st Place in Category

• Sonia Eddolls, 2nd Place in Category

• Domenick Fedele, 2nd Place in Category

• Johan Kavanal, 2nd Place in Category

• Aryan Shenoy, 2nd Place in Category

• Chinmayi Goyal, 2nd Place in Category

• Siddharth Nair, 2nd Place in Category

• Mikino Ishikawa, 2nd Place in Category

• Emma Howard, 3rd Place in Category

• Gabriel Iavarone, 3rd Place in Category

• Max Paul, 3rd Place in Category

• Akhil Bollimpalli, 3rd Place in Category

• Elizabeth Kratenstein, 4th Place in Category

• Selma Lyons, 4th Place in Category

• Srinatha Duri, 4th Place in Category

• Victoria Guzman, 4th Place in Category

• Saarth Desai, International GENIUS Olympiad

• Saarth Desai, David M. Holmes WESEF Engineering Innovation Award, 4th Place

• Amani Gupta, Visionary Engineering Award

• Karen Yang, Visionary Engineering Award

• Vaishnavi Ravindranath, Innovations in Biological Science Research Award

• Eleanor Clark, American Psychological Association Award

Our annual Bandapalooza and String Fest events are in the books! It’s always amazing to see music students from Crompond, MESMS, and YHS come together for these special performances. Congratulations to the hundreds of musicians who filled the YHS gymnasium with amazing music. A special shoutout to the Crompond 5th graders on their first live performances! Please see the links below for photos.

• Bandapalooza Photos

• String Fest Photos

Congratulations to our talented middle school students, who put on two performances of "Shrek Jr." on March 21 and 22. Please click here for more photos.

Welcome to The Yorktown Minute!

On Mondays throughout the school year, Dr. Hattar will update the community on important information and preview the week ahead. Videos will be posted to our Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook accounts (@YorktownCSD). Videos are also being archived on our YouTube channel.

We continue to update our website with various job opportunities, especially teacher aides (no certification required) and certified teaching assistants. If interested, please click here for a list of vacancies.

• Yorktown News – Yorktown's Brian White Stars in Track Nationals

• Yorktown News – Arts Spotlight: Emily Tian

• Yorktown News – Arts Spotlight: Joe Longo

• Yorktown News – Arts Spotlight: Bella Baker

• Yorktown News – Arts Spotlight: Marina Bowen

• Yorktown News – Arts Spotlight: Elley Ishikawa

• Yorktown News – Athlete Spotlight: Ryan Duffy

If you are not a District parent but would like to stay connected with our School Community, please fill out this form to receive our monthly newsletter.

You can read more District highlights by visiting our website and social media pages, which are updated regularly with stories, photos, and announcements.

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Website: www.yorktown.org
Location: 2725 Crompond Road, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA
Phone: 914-243-8000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YorktownCSD/
Twitter: @YorktownCSD