Inside Yorktown CSD

Welcome to the November 2023 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.

• Nov. 17-18 — YHS Drama Club Performance

• Nov. 20 — Board of Education Meeting

• Nov. 22-24 — Thanksgiving Recess

• Dec. 1 — Crompond PTA Holiday Shop Fundraiser

• Dec. 1 — Parent-Teacher Conferences (Half day for K-5)

• Dec. 2 — YHS Big Chill Track Event

• Dec. 4 — Board of Education Meeting

• Dec. 5 —YHS Choir Winter Concert

• Dec. 5-8 – Mohansic PTA Holiday Shop Fundraiser

• Dec. 6 — Crompond Grade 5 Choral Concert

• Dec. 7 — Parent-Teacher Conferences (Half day for K-5)

• Dec. 8 — Brookside PTA Movie and Gingerbread Cookies

• Dec. 8-9 — YHS Wrestling Tournament

• Dec. 12 — YHS Band Winter Concert

• Dec. 13 — MESMS Band Winter Concert

• Dec. 13 — Brookside Grade 2 Holiday Concert

• Dec. 14 — Crompond Grade 4 Choral Concert

Athletic schedules can be found here.

For more calendar information, visit this link.

Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES is hosting a virtual “Internet Safety for Parents” presentation at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, December 13. 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. More information about the event is available here.

If you are interested in working as a Certified Teaching Assistant (CTA), Substitute Teacher, Substitute Nurse or Teacher Aide in the Yorktown Central School District, you may use the following link to submit an application. Employment Opportunities.

At the second Board of Education meeting of each month, we will be providing educational reports to the Board and community. The presentations are available for viewing on our website.

At the November 20th meeting, we will be delivering a presentation on our school and district data teams as well as our new Data Dashboard which will provide us with a more efficient and effective way of analyzing data to ensure that we are appropriately meeting student needs in a most timely manner. All are welcome to attend these informative presentations. The meeting will be in the middle school cafeteria at 7 p.m.

Our planning for a capital project continues to progress. We have been providing comprehensive updates at Board of Education meetings, and we will continue to do so. We encourage you to attend the December 4th Board of Education meeting for another comprehensive presentation on the proposed capital project that is under consideration.

If you would like to view any of our past presentations, you can visit our Facilities Needs Assessment website, which will continue to be updated regularly with new information.

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

Please know that all meetings will be uploaded to our YouTube channel the day following the meeting.

We are proud to announce Julia Whalen as Valedictorian and Sofia Lam as Salutatorian for the Yorktown High School Class of 2024. Please join us in celebrating these two exceptional students and their remarkable achievements!

In addition to being scholars, Julia and Sofia are involved in many extracurricular activities at YHS. Julia performs in the high school band, runs cross country, belongs to many clubs, and volunteers as a Writing Center tutor, while Sofia is a member of the Science Olympiad, Math Honors Society, and varsity ski team.

Learn more about their journeys on the YCSD website.

We're thrilled to introduce Christine Kane, our new Supervisor of Special Education at the Yorktown Central School District.

Ms. Kane's career began with a deep passion for speech-language pathology, eventually becoming a dedicated speech-language pathologist in the New York City Department of Education for over a decade.

She has been in Yorktown for just a few months, but Ms. Kane said it already feels like a second home.

“What’s rewarding is knowing that the work we’re doing is making an impact on the students and helping them to succeed.”

You can read more about Christine Kane on the District's website.

On November 15, Mohansic's first graders wowed an audience full of parents with a wonderful concert directed by Mrs. Peters. They treated everyone to a medley of catchy Thanksgiving tunes in their performance titled "'Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving."

More photos are available here.

The concert video is available on our YouTube channel.

November 8 was Signing Day at Yorktown High School!

Congratulations to our eight senior lacrosse players on their commitments to continue their playing careers at Division I and II schools.

Standing:

• Drew Weissman (Marist College)

• Nicolas Bucello (Florida Southern College)

• Chris Constantine (Lehigh University)

• Conor Duncan (Monmouth University)

Seated:

• Ryan Cane (Loyola University Maryland)

• Reileigh McEnroe (University of Maryland)

• Reese Bruno (Binghamton University)

• Ryan Vogel (Siena College)

We are so proud of your hard work and dedication. We can't wait to see what you accomplish at the next level!

New month, new innovations!

The Yorktown Central School District is proud to continue its support of cutting-edge educational initiatives through our monthly Innovation Grants program, which recently announced the winning submissions from October.

Teachers are invited to apply for iGrants each month, each valued at up to $1,000, to support inventive curriculum-based projects. These grants are a testament to the pioneering spirit of educators driving positive change within the District.

Here is a glimpse at the five innovative projects that earned grants in October:

• Flexible Seating (Yorktown High School): Embracing a modern approach to learning environments, this project at Yorktown High School seeks to introduce flexible seating arrangements. By creating a comfortable and adaptable classroom setting, the initiative aims to enhance student engagement and foster a welcoming atmosphere conducive to learning.

• School Garden (Mohansic): Mohansic Elementary is set to blossom with an outdoor classroom and garden. This thoughtful project integrates nature into learning experiences, allowing second graders to engage in hands-on lessons about plant life, environmental awareness, and the interdependence of living organisms.

• Playground Communication Board (Crompond): Aiming for inclusive play, Crompond Elementary proposes installing communication boards on playgrounds. These boards, adorned with symbols paired with words, will facilitate communication for students with verbal communication difficulties or those learning English, fostering interaction and understanding among peers and supervising staff.

• 15 for Life Mental Health Awareness Project (MESMS): This initiative at Mildred E. Strang Middle School is dedicated to destigmatizing mental health discussions among students. Through classroom activities, guest speakers, and a schoolwide commitment, the project aims to empower students to recognize, understand, and address mental health challenges.

• Coffee Cart (Brookside): Brookside Elementary unveils a unique life skills program centered around a coffee cart initiative. This project not only imparts essential skills like financial literacy and teamwork but also integrates students into the school community, fostering responsibility and a sense of accomplishment.

You can also read our story about the September Innovation Grants here.

Mohansic Elementary School is partnering with a local charity organization to make the holidays a little brighter for active-duty military members.

In the weeks leading up to Veterans Day, our second-grade students worked with Ms. Yates and Ms. Roper to prepare care packages filled with handwritten letters, hand-drawn patriotic symbols, and donated items, which will be sent overseas by United for the Troops, a local charity.

Jim Rathschmidt, the organization’s founder, stopped by Mohansic on November 7 to collect the care packages. He told the students that the soldiers will be delighted to receive their items. “You don’t know where it’s going and they don’t know where it’s coming from. But they know it’s coming from someone in the United States who cares about them.”

The Veterans Day assembly was then turned over to Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 21, whose members shared stories about their time in the military and answered questions from curious second graders. The students made sure to thank the veterans for their service!

You can see more photos on the District's website.

The November 6 Board of Education meeting featured a wonderful presentation from sixth-grade students about their recent hands-on biomonitoring trips to the Hunter Brook stream, where they entered the water, studied local wildlife, and learned what it means for the stream’s health.

The trips were the culmination of a Stream Ecosystems/Water Quality unit, in which the students study how freshwater is essential to life, how the quality of freshwater is determined, and how can we improve biodiversity and reduce human impact on the watershed.

You can read more about the trip on the District's website.

Crompond students enjoyed a day filled with vegetables, plants, dancing, and so much more at the school’s annual Farm Fest event on October 19.

Started in 2016, the themed event has fourth and fifth graders learning about good nutrition and sustainability in a fun and interactive way from farmers, vendors, and volunteers.

For two hours, the students moved between 10 stations, where they participated in hands-on lessons about nutrition, fitness, soil, compost, bees, maple syrup, and vegetables. The students also sampled fresh carrot soup that was made using produce from Crompond’s own garden!

You can read more about Farm Fest and see more photos on the District's website.

On October 18, second graders from Brookside had a fantastic field trip to the Westmoreland Sanctuary in Mount Kisco! They explored the outdoors, conducted a hands-on pond study, and learned about the diverse ecosystem that thrives there.

The students also had the opportunity to make bluebird and bat houses. These hands-on activities allowed them to connect with nature and learn the importance of conservation in a practical and engaging way.

You can check out highlights from the trip on the District's website.

A beloved character from one of their favorite books came to life through the magic of ESTEAM!

Some of our fourth graders at Crompond recently dove into the world of "The Wild Robot," starring Roz the robot. Using Lego Education Spike kits, they recreated their own versions of Roz and then, with MakerSpace resources, crafted captivating scenes, wrote original dialogues, and coded Roz's movements.

Amazing job by the talented students in Ms. Chiara, Ms. Esteves, and Ms. Kayser's class for using their ESTEAM skills to bring Roz's adventures to life!

No football game at Charlie Murphy Field is complete without the sounds of the Yorktown High School band. Their melodies set the stage for each play and boost school spirit, leading to an electric atmosphere on Friday nights.

Please visit the District's website to read more about the high school band.

What if bullying prevention was practiced as regularly as fire drills? This intriguing idea came alive at Mildred E. Strang Middle School, where our remarkable students discovered that heroism doesn’t require capes or superpowers!

Members of Sweethearts & Heroes, a “student empowerment and empathy activation team,” came to Yorktown on Monday, October 16, as part of National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month.

You can read more about this engaging assembly on the District's website.

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

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