Weekly Update- October 23, 2026

Steven T. Siciliano, Ed.D., Principal

Monica Bermiss, Assistant Principal

Mallory McDonald, Assistant Principal

Kim Piccolino, Interim Assistant Principal

Frank Gizzo- Director of Guidance and Counseling

Christian McCarthy -Director of Health, Athletics, Physical Education, and Wellness.

Maria Modesto-Perez- Student Empowerment Coordinator

Main Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Main Office Phone: 914-763-7201

Late Bus: Monday through Friday@ 4:15 p.m. and Monday through Thursday @ 5:00 p.m.

October 23-30 - Red Ribbon Week

November 3 - Election Day/Professional Learning Day-No School

November 4 - Last Day for Senior Portraits (By appointment Only)

November 6 - Underclassmen Photos Retake

November 7 -SAT at JJHS

November 11 -Veteran's Day-No School

November 12- National Signing Day (D1 & D11)

November 12- Art Show Opening

November 12-14 - Fall Drama at JJHS

November 13- JJHS Regional Volleyball Tournament

November 16 - Winter Sports Begin

November 23 - National Honor Society Induction - 7PM

November 24 - Thanks & Giving Day (PTO Sponsored)

November 25 - Early Dismissal for Thanksgiving

November 26-27 -Thanksgiving Recess -No School

The Red Ribbon Campaign is the oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation. It encourages young people to take a stand against drug abuse and make healthy, drug-free choices. (PAC), the Prevention Awareness Club will host a variety of school-wide events which will be posted on schoology to celebrate the week. Any questions, feel free to contact our Student Assistance Counselor, Samantha Wagner (swagner@klschools.org).

Students and staff may wear costumes in honor of Halloween. Students will be notified via Schoology to not wear masks or anything that covers their faces. All outfits must be appropriate as per our Code of Conduct. Administration is the final arbiter.

Please email jjhsattendance@klschools.org

to report absences, tardies, early dismissals,

or call 914-763-7218.

As part of our ongoing commitment to student and staff safety, John Jay High School will be conducting emergency drills during the school year. These drills help students and staff practice district protocols, so they are prepared to act in case of a true emergency.

In accordance with our safety procedures, families will receive advance notice of each drill within the week before it occurs. Please note that specific dates and times for evacuation drills will not be shared in advance. Students and staff will be informed at the time of the activity that it is a drill.

Next week, we will be conducting two of these emergency drills.

We appreciate your partnership as we work together to maintain a safe and prepared school community. Thank you for your continued support.

Attention All Families:

Yearbooks are now on sale through the Yearbook Order Center.

Please visit www.yearbookordercenter.com and enter school code

4507.

WE HAVE A LIMITED NUMBER OF YEARBOOKS.

PLEASE LOCK IN YOUR PURCHASE BEFORE PRICES

INCREASE ON JANUARY 1, 2027.

If you have any questions, please email either Ms. Binns

(lbinns@klschools.org) or Miss Muschio (nmuschio@klschools.org)

Student IDs are critical to get in and out of the building and need to be scanned in the cafeteria to purchase food. Even though regular lunch is free, our food service team is still required to document meals that are distributed. For that reason, all students must use their ID cards when receiving food from the cafeteria. The card must be swiped for the transaction to be recorded. It also makes the lunch lines move faster so students are not waiting on line for excessive amounts of time. Please remind your children that carrying and using their Student ID every day is essential. Thank you for reinforcing this important responsibility with our students.

This is a reminder that personal cell phones and smart watches may not be used while in the building. Devices must be turned off and stored in your hallway locker throughout the school day, in accordance with KLSD Policy 5695. A second confiscation of a student's phone will result in parents needing to come to school to retrieve the phone.

Please help us maintain a focused learning environment by keeping personal devices out of sight and away during the school day.

If you are sick, please report to the school nurse rather than using your cell phone to contact home. A school telephone is also available in the dining room and main office for student use during lunch and after school.

Thank you for your cooperation.

To ensure a safe and organized campus for all members of our school community, all students who park on school grounds must ensure that their vehicles are registered with our main office.

• Senior Parking: Seniors have permission to park on campus daily. Designated areas include the senior lot, the middle school entrance near the contest field, and the lot adjacent to the baseball field.
• Junior Parking Lottery: Juniors who entered the parking lottery and were granted permission may only park on campus during their specific approved month. Juniors may park in lower Q-lot only.
• Registration Requirement: All students driving to school must register their vehicle prior to parking on campus. Registration forms and parking permits are available in the main office. To complete registration, students must provide their driver's license number, vehicle make/model/color, and license plate number.
• Parking Spaces: There is limited parking and students are required to park in designated spaces. Unregistered vehicles parked on school property or vehicles parked in undesignated spots will be subject to warning stickers applied to the window. Repeated violations may result in the loss of campus parking privileges.

College Rep visits will continue this week. Please check SCOIR daily for schedule and room assignments. You MUST be signed up via SCOIR, 24 hours prior to the visit to be excused from class. Attendance will be taken.

Please go to your Student Dashboard, scroll down to the Register for Office Hours & Visits tile, then click the Register button underneath the college visit you would like to attend. This will then show Registered if you did this successfully. You will receive an email, as well as a notification in SCOIR, the day before the visit reminding you of the visit date and time.

In person visits are scheduled during school hours. For In-Person visits: ALL missed work MUST be made up, and attendance will be taken at each visit. Students are limited to two (2) in person college visits per day. If you have an interest in visiting more than two (2) college representatives on any given day, please visit your guidance counselor for permission.

Don’t miss out on a great opportunity to meet the college counselor who might be the first to read your application!

The following schools will be visiting the week of October 26th:

SUNY Buffalo (10/26)

Texas Christian University (10/26)

Mitchell College (10/26)

Rivier University (10/26)

Vassar College (10/27)

University of New England (10/27)

Caldwell University (10/27)

Hampden-Sydney College (10/28)

Lasell University (10/28)

University of Denver (10/28)

Stonehill College (10/28)

Hofstra University (10/29)

Rochester Institute of Technology (10/29)

James Madison University (10/29)

Rutgers University (10/29)

Wesleyan University (10/29)

SUNY Potsdam (10/30)

SUNY Purchase College (10/30)

You can also check the Counseling Center’s calendar on the JJHS website or by clicking HERE to view all upcoming school visits.

Transcript Requests

Please remember that all transcript requests need to be placed in SCOIR at least two weeks prior to the college application deadline.

Remember: If you are submitting ACT or SAT test scores, you will need to log into your ACT/College Board account and request that your scores be sent to the school(s) you are applying to. Questions? Please stop into the Counseling Center.

Letters of Recommendation

Please be sure to request your teacher letters of recommendation through SCOIR as soon as possible. Before submitting your request in SCOIR, please make sure you have spoken with each teacher directly and asked if they are willing to write your recommendation.

October 19th through November 2nd , you can get five FREE SUNY applications using either the ApplySUNY Application or the Common App. No special code is needed if you submit an application for admission during the free application period.

· If using ApplySUNY: when you get to the payment page, it will show the first five campus application fees as waived (they are paid by SUNY).

· If using Common App: you will need to apply campus by campus. On each SUNY school’s member page, there will be a question that says, "It is free application week with The State University of New York through November 3rd! Would you like SUNY to pay your application fee?" If you select "Yes", your fee will be waived for that SUNY school. You can do this for up to five SUNY schools.

*SUNY waives 60% of application fees year-round. Please go to www.suny.edu/feewaiver for additional information.

Which SUNY Are You?

The 2027-2028 FAFSA Form is NOW AVAILABLE!

To start a new form, click here 2027-2028 FAFSA FORM

AN EMAIL WAS SENT OUT FROM THE DIRECTOR OF GUIDANCE & COUNSELING REGARDING PAYMENT FOR AP EXAMS.

Just a reminder: While AP Exams do not happen until May 2027, AP Exams must be ordered with the College Board by November 13th. Without full payment, your child cannot take the exam or receive AP credit on their transcript. If payment is not made and the exam is missed, a $40 cancellation fee per exam will apply. This is the fee we are charged by the College Board for exams ordered but not used.

Please find the attached instructions to access MyPaymentsPlus as well as the AP Exam calendar for May 2027.

Please reach out to the Counseling Center with any questions.

Thank you!

MyPaymentsPlus Instructions

2027 AP Exam Schedule

We are excited to announce an expansion of our SAS Counseling Center with more accessibility to our students and families.

What is the SAS Counseling Center?

It is a school-based mental health treatment program exclusively available to John Jay High School families.

How are services delivered?

Services are provided on-site during the school day or before/after school. Telehealth is also available.

What days are the SAS Counseling Center therapist at JJHS?

Tuesday, Thursday and Friday

Who is the new therapist?

Kathryn Keiling, LP-MHC

How do I contact the SAS Counseling Center?

914-874-1660

Frank Gizzo

Director of Guidance and Counseling

John Jay High School/John Jay Middle School

Phone: 914-763-7203

Fax: 914-763-3731

Attention Senior Parents:

Please complete the Graduation Name Verification Form for your senior child. If you have any questions, please reach out to Miss Muschio (nmuschio@klschools.org).

2027 Graduation Name Verification Form – Fill out form

Please see the updated attachment for the information about Senior Portraits, Yearbooks, Ads, Baby Photos, Senior Quotes and Then and Now Photos.

If you have any questions about this information, please email Miss Muschio.

(nmuschio@klschools.org

Students interacted with NY Jets Executives representing Sales, HR, Marketing, Customer Service, and Community Relations. Messages from the day included encouraging students to stay open-minded, ask questions, take advantage of opportunities, and the ever-important development of soft skills. We had the opportunity to tour the stadium, VIP suites, locker room, and go on the field! The field was actually set up for Bon Jovi who was due to the stadium later in the afternoon to film promo for his 2027 tour! Mike and Courtney were terrific chaperones as usual 🙂

Building a business model starts with understanding how all the pieces connect. AP Business Scholars at JJHS began by highlighting key information in a case study and examining how customers, products and markets connect within an existing business. They will use these insights as they develop their own Business Model Canvas throughout this new course, offered at only a few high schools.
#vision2030 #knowledgeandskills

From October 26 through November 3, students are invited to participate in our Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration by contributing to a collaborative ofrenda (offering). Together, the display will explore the traditions, history, and symbolism of this important cultural celebration while highlighting themes of culture, identity, family, memory, and storytelling. Please email Mrs. Maria Modesto-Perez for details (mperez@klschools.org.

Upstate Images will be here on Friday November 6th to retake underclassmen photos.

If your child was absent for the first round of photos, please be sure they get their picture taken.

Keep in mind that all students are required to get their picture taken for updated school ID cards.

There is absolutely no obligation to purchase photo packages. Order forms are available for

student pick-up in the main office and cafeteria.

Pictures will be taken during the child’s free period or during class. If the picture is taken during

class time, please be sure your child gets a pass from Ms. Binns in the Main Office. Photos will

be taken in the B Commons. No pictures will be taken during the common lunch between

10:55am and 11:55am

We are excited to announce that registration for the upcoming winter athletic season is open. Please see the registration dates below and plan accordingly to ensure all required forms are completed within the recommended timeline.

We look forward to another exciting winter season and appreciate your continued support of our student-athletes, coaches, and athletic programs.

High School Sports: Varsity, Junior Varsity (JV), and Freshman Levels

• Athletic Registration: Monday, October 19th!

o Final Forms will open on Monday, October 19th for winter sports registration.

o To ensure your student is eligible to try out on November 16th, please be sure to complete the Final Forms registration process no later than November 13th .

• Tryout Dates for Varsity, JV and Freshman Winter Sports:

  • Monday, November 16th

There’s always something new to discover in the library! This week we added a fresh selection of new books to our collection, with something for every reader—from exciting fiction and compelling mysteries to thought-provoking nonfiction and popular new titles. We encourage students to stop by the library and check them out!

Students are are also invited to stop by the library for a little trick-or-treating—library style! Students can choose a free book to keep from our No Tricks, Only Treats display. Whether they’re looking for a new favorite, something fun to read, or just want to add another book to their shelf, there’s a treat waiting for them in the library!

Juli Hoffman

Library Media Specialist

John Jay High School

Visit the library online!

We are continuing to accept games/activities donations for students to use during Common Lunch. Click here to view the wishlist.

Also the new JJHS Library Craft Bar could use some additional items for their make & take crafts! Check out the Craft Bar Wishlist here.

Please also save the dates to come into school and volunteer during the lunch hour for the PTO’s Thanks & Giving Day on 11/24, and our ‘student-favorite’ Winter Wonderland on 12/22. More details to come!

Thanks as always for your support!!

Parents - have you been receiving the PTO's emails about events, volunteer opportunities, and other JJHS news? If not, log in and confirm your contact details here! The district does not supply parent emails to the PTO, so we need your help.

Any questions or concerns, please email the PTO at johnjayhspto@gmail.com

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This is a reminder that 11th grade physicals records are mandated by New York State law, and the deadline has passed. Any physical report dated after September 8th, 2025, is acceptable. Dr. Corsaro, the school district physician, will be here in November to see all students who have not been able to meet this requirement privately.

Please call the health office with any questions and thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

With Regards,

KLSD ArtsAlive is the arts booster club for the KLSD! We have promoted arts in education programming in the Katonah-Lewisboro School District since 1997 and has been a district-wide arts booster club for all KLSD schools since 2018. We believe that promoting the arts in our schools unifies our entire community. By supporting arts-related events and programming, we give everyone the opportunity to celebrate our talented students and teachers.

Through fundraising efforts (and thanks to your support), KLSD ArtsAlive has been able to contribute funds in recent years to the the Art Gallery, Pottery Wheels, the Sound Booth, Bandshells, and participate in Arts in Education programming for Student Workshops and Field Trips at John Jay High School.

To find out more about us and see how you can become involved, please check out our website: https://klsdartsalive.org/