Inside Yorktown CSD

Welcome to the April 2024 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.

• May 2 – Brookside Art Show

• May 2 – Mohansic Art Show

• May 6-10 – Teacher Appreciation Week

• May 9 – Mohansic PTA Color Run

• May 13-17 – Crompond Living History Week

• May 13 – Board of Education Meeting / Budget Hearing / Tenure Recognition Night

• May 14 – Crompond ESTEAM Family Night and Art Show

• May 14 – YHS Band Spring Concert

• May 15 – YHS WISE Spring Symposium

• May 16 – YHS Choir Spring Concert

• May 17 – Brookside PTA Color Run

• May 20 – Crompond Orchestra/Band Concerts (at YHS)

• May 21 – Annual Budget Vote and BOE Election

• May 22 – Brookside Kindergarten Concert

• May 22 – YHS Science Research Symposium

• May 23 – Crompond Grade 5 Choral Concert

• May 23 – Presentation: "Understanding the Adolescent Brain" with Dr. Steven Dewey

• May 24-27 – Memorial Day Recess (Schools Closed)

• May 28 – MESMS Spring Choir/Orchestra Concerts

• May 29 – Mohansic Grade 2 Concert

• May 29 – YHS Spring Orchestra Concert

• May 30 – MESMS Spring Band Concert
  

• June 3 – YHS Tri-M Induction

• June 4 – YHS Senior Awards
  

• June 5 – Crompond Grade 4 Choral Concert

• June 10 – Board of Education Meeting / School Partner Recognition Night (at YHS)
  

• June 11 – Crompond Grade 4 Field Day

• June 11 – YHS Last Day of Classes for Students

• June 12 – Crompond Grade 5 Field Day

• June 12 – Huskers Sports Awards Dinner

• June 14 – Mohansic PTA End of Year Party

• June 17 – Board of Education Meeting / Retiree/Anniversary Celebration (at YHS)

• June 18 – Brookside Moving-up Ceremony

• June 19 – Juneteenth (Schools Closed)

• June 20 – Mohansic Moving-up Ceremony

• June 21 – YHS Graduation Rehearsal

• June 21 – Crompond Moving-up Ceremony

• June 22 – YHS Graduation

• June 25 – MESMS Commencement Ceremony

• June 26 – Last Day for Students/Staff

Athletic schedules can be found here.

For more calendar information, visit this link.

On Thursday, May 23, Dr. Steven Dewey will present “Understanding the Adolescent Brain.” A research professor at the NYU School of Medicine, Dr. Dewey will explore the science of understanding the neurological response of the adolescent brain to cellphones, video games, medications, vaping, drugs, and alcohol. This presentation empowers parents with the knowledge and confidence to guide their children through their adolescent and teen years.

This program is open to all K-12 parents/guardians. High school and middle school students may attend with a parent.

The presentation will begin at 7 p.m. in the Yorktown High School Auditorium.

Please RSVP by clicking this link or the flyer below.

At our Central Office, we remain hard at work on the development of our 2024-25 school budget. This has been an extraordinarily challenging budget to develop given the many external factors converging simultaneously in a single year. The rising costs of underfunded and unfunded mandates, state aid falling short of our expectations, the inflationary reality of today, and the increased costs in contractual services (most notably in the bus transportation contract) have created a challenging set of circumstances in developing the budget. We also recognize that funding streams are limited. This year, state aid has fallen short of our expectations based on the state’s aid allocation formula. Additionally, federal funding that has been used to support mental health support personnel and resources in our district is expiring. Thirdly, it is important to clarify that while residential and commercial real estate developments in our town may modestly lower a homeowner’s property taxes as the tax levy becomes spread across more parcels, the real estate developments do not provide a source of revenue to our schools nor do they raise our tax levy. Consequently, as we develop the budget, we are committed to putting forth a budget that balances the needs of our students with a profound sensitivity to taxpayers and the realities of today’s economic landscape.

Information regarding the budget and the budget development process is included below for your review. You may also visit our website for comprehensive information on the 2024-25 school budget.

2024-25 School Budget Update

We believe that the 2024-25 budget successfully achieves the necessary balance between providing the educational experience that our students deserve and a deep sensitivity to taxpayers. Most notably, the 2024-25 school budget includes the hiring of teachers and support staff to meet our enrollment needs as well as the specific needs of our students. The budget maintains class sizes at, or below, Board of Education guidelines and keeps all of the outstanding programs currently offered to students intact.

To continue to elevate the opportunities afforded to students, we are also making strategic investments in various areas of our instructional program by:

• Adding staffing to our orchestra and chorus programs;

• Adding science staffing to offer new middle school programs (including engineering);

• Adding new special education programming to meet the needs of students;

• Adding a school psychologist to support student needs;

• Adding modified sports to our middle school (boys volleyball, girls field hockey, and boys/girls cross-country); and

• Adding American Sign Language (ASL) to our middle and high schools.

We believe that we were successful in our goal to provide students with the high-quality of education that has become synonymous with Yorktown while also demonstrating fiscal responsibility and sensitivity to taxpayers. Overall, our budget is within the tax levy cap, and reflects a budget-to-budget increase of 2.97%. This results in the following:

• A tax rate increase in Yorktown estimated at 2.07%

• A tax rate increase in New Castle estimated 2.95%

• A tax rate increase in Cortlandt estimated at 0.02%

We extend our deepest gratitude to the Board and our administrative team for their tireless effort in putting forth a budget that reflects an appropriate balance between providing our students with the well-rounded education that they deserve and maintaining a genuine sensitivity to taxpayers.

The budget vote and trustee election will be held on Tuesday, May 21, from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m. in the French Hill School.

–Dr. Ron Hattar

Superintendent, Yorktown Central School District

If you intend to register your child for kindergarten for September, please begin the process immediately. Kindly review this document to begin the registration process. You may contact Patty Sauber (psauber@yorktown.org) or Val Biberaj (vbiberaj@yorktown.org) for additional information.

We have received incredibly positive feedback throughout the first year of our new Pre-K program. With the New York State budget only approved last week, we are looking forward to another wonderful year of Pre-K in the Yorktown CSD! Please reach out to Patty Sauber (psauber@yorktown.org) or Val Biberaj (vbiberaj@yorktown.org) to register as seats are limited.

We continue to update our website with various job opportunities — both instructional and non-instructional. If interested, please click here for a list of vacancies.

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.

Here are some key Board of Education dates to remember:

• May 13th's meeting features the Budget Hearing and Tenure Recognition Night,
• June 10th's meeting celebrates School Partners, and
• The June 17th meeting honors retirees and celebrates anniversaries.

All of the above meetings will be held in the Yorktown High School auditorium.

This year marked a significant milestone for the Yorktown Central School District. Recognizing the importance of a safe and secure learning environment, the Board of Education made the strategic decision to add School Resource Officers (SROs) to all five schools. This resulted in the 2023-24 school year marking the first with full-time police presence in every building.

School board members were delighted to see the results of that decision at last week's meeting, as Mohansic celebrated SRO Danny David and discussed the positive impact he has had on their school.

School Resource Officers go beyond providing safety and security. They are valuable members of the school community, regularly interacting with students in classrooms, offering safety education, and building connections during lunch and recess. By all accounts, Officer David has seamlessly integrated himself into Mohansic, exemplifying the traits of an ideal SRO.

In honor of National SRO Day, students across all grade levels collaborated on a creative project for Officer David. They created a “hero sandwich,” with each layer representing a different aspect of his role and positive influence.

• “Lettuce” Get to Know You: Kindergarteners drew a picture of Officer David and described him in a sentence.

• A “Slice” of His Duties: First graders tackled the question: "What does an SRO do?"

• Let's “Meat” Our SRO: Second graders highlighted Officer David's personality traits, using words like kind, brave, and friendly.

• Feel Good and Say “Cheese”: Third graders expressed their appreciation for having Officer David in the school.

Officer David, who joined the Yorktown Police Department in 2018, shared his enthusiasm for his first year as an SRO. “Everyone has been incredibly welcoming.” He stated that his focus is on building relationships and ensuring students feel safe.

Police Chief Robert Noble echoed these sentiments, highlighting the “special partnership” between the Yorktown Police Department and the Yorktown Central School District.

Please click here for more photos.

We had a wonderful time celebrating senior Emily Gnerre at our Pioneer League team’s final home game of the year. We are so proud of you!

Please click here for more photos.

MESMS students wowed judges on April 12 with their tasty treats and incredible food truck designs!

This hands-on Home & Careers project challenged students to think creatively while honing their culinary, design, and marketing skills. They were tasked with conceptualizing their own food truck, selecting a theme, preparing a dish, and designing menus, flyers, and t-shirts.

Staff members and visiting senior citizens stopped by Mrs. Gannon’s classroom throughout the day and judged the teams on presentation, design, theme, and taste. Great job by all!

Please click here for more photos.

On April 11, Mildred E. Strang Middle School celebrated cultures from around the globe with the return of International NIght.

The event featured delicious food from local restaurants and spectacular performances from our students. A huge thank you to everyone who made this event a success!

What a ”lights out” learning opportunity on April 8!

While some of our high schoolers got a front-row seat to the total eclipse upstate, many more students across the district had a chance to witness the partial eclipse right on campus!

Thanks to an iGrant, all schools were equipped with special glasses, allowing students and staff to safely experience this awe-inspiring astronomical event.

Please click here for more photos.

“Music brings me joy and makes me happy.”

“Music is fun and helps me express my feelings.”

“Music takes me out of my comfort zone.”

“Music calms me down and helps me focus.”

“Music lifts me up from a bad day and makes me feel important.”

Music clearly holds a special place in the hearts of Crompond students, as evidenced by their heartfelt testimonials shared during last month's Board of Education meeting.

As part of “Music in Our Schools Month,” Crompond showcased its vibrant performing arts programs, featuring performances by chorus, band, and orchestra students. Ms. Salustri then provided insights into the school's general music curriculum, and board members had the delightful opportunity to join in the musical experience, trying their hand at the glockenspiel alongside enthusiastic students.

Dr. Hattar thanked Crompond for their outstanding presentation, emphasizing the profound impact of music on our lives.

Please click here for more photos.

History made at Yorktown High School!

Kaitlyn Judge has been named the first flag football player to ever win the Con Ed “Scholar-Athlete of the Week” Award. Congratulations to Kaitlyn, Coach Rescigno, and the entire flag football program!

Mrs. Statler's fourth-grade class went above and beyond to celebrate Earth Day! They hosted a “Trashion Show” (get it?) where they modeled incredible outfits made entirely from recycled materials. We were so impressed by their creativity and their message of sustainability.

Amazing job by Mary and Ella -- fourth-grade students from Mrs. Kayser and Ms. Esteves' class -- who raised $57 for BluePath Service Dogs through a lemonade sale fundraiser. Way to go!

On April 11, the YHS Choir took a “Wicked” amazing trip to New York City.

The first stop was Pearl Studios, where they had a classroom workshop with a music director from Broadway. The class learned the song and choreography of “One Short Day” from the musical “Wicked” and then watched the cast perform it live at the show!

Brookside second graders showed off their tech-powered writing skills at the April 29 Board of Education meeting.

The young authors from Mrs. McGarvey’s class tackled non-fiction writing through an animal research project, in which they learned about their favorite Arctic creatures, uncovering facts about habitats, diets, and more. They then crafted informative texts, focusing on attention-grabbing introductions and smooth transitions.

After peer review and editing, students used an online application to develop their books, complete with glossaries, formatting, and creative touches.

Thank you to YCSD tech specialist Mrs. Arroyo, who worked with Mrs. McGarvey's class on this wonderful writing project!

Please click here for more photos.

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.

• Website
• Facebook
• X (Twitter)
• Instagram

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