Equitable Classrooms

We are excited to bring you this year's final edition of our newsletter, "Equitable Classrooms!" These newsletters are dedicated to sharing and celebrating teaching practices that foster uplifting all students within our classrooms, and school buildings within the Rye Neck school district.

Our monthly newsletter is dedicated towards a commitment to celebrate, explore, and amplify the richness that diversity brings to our Rye Neck community.

We invite your feedback and suggestions to make this a valuable resource for your classroom! Let us know if this is a publication you hope we continue next school year!

Best,

Tara Goldberg & Meegan Lawlor

RN Coordinators

Mr. Scarantino and the fifth grade teachers wrote about the Raising Awareness Walkathon Community Event Hosted by 5th Graders:

We are very excited to announce that our fifth graders will be hosting the first-ever Raising Awareness Walkathon on Tuesday, June 3rd, on our school field (rain date: June 9th). This event is the culmination of their “Dream Project”, a meaningful learning experience in which students have explored challenges that people face through reading, read alouds, writing, and research.

This fifth-grade journey began with a Take Action writing unit, where students developed strong arguments supported by various texts and articles about social issues. This unit sparked a passion for higher-level thinking and inspired them to delve into topics that impact their lives and the world around them.

As their awareness grew, students explored the lives of writers during our Author Study unit. They discovered how personal experiences shape both identity and writing style. A highlight of this unit was writing fan fiction in the voice of a chosen author, encouraging creative and sensory-rich storytelling.

Each class also read Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, a powerful novel told from the perspective of a young girl with cerebral palsy. This was followed by Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, our One Book, One School selection funded by the Susan Marks' RNSF Grant. This novel highlighted the challenges and triumphs of a child with dyslexia. These texts inspired deep discussions around empathy, perspective, and the importance of recognizing the diverse experiences of others.

During our Social Issues unit, students studied both fiction and nonfiction texts that addressed real-world challenges faced by children like themselves. These powerful conversations led to the creation of the Dream Project.

Over the next two weeks, during science and social studies, students will deepen their understanding of various challenges—physical, sensory, or learning-based—which they selected through a Google form. Each student will join a focus group led by a fifth-grade teacher and will also hear from guest speakers who bring personal and professional insights.

On the day of the Walkathon, all third and fourth grade students, along with fifth-grade parents, are invited to attend. Third and fourth graders will visit six interactive stations between 9:00 am and 11:00 am, each hosted by fifth graders and designed to provide hands-on learning experiences. Once the younger students have visited all stations, fifth graders will complete two celebratory laps (around 11:10 am) around the field and enjoy a special treat.

We are so proud of our students and their commitment to raising awareness and fostering empathy in our school community. We hope you’ll join us for this inspiring event!

Warm regards,
The Fifth Grade Team & the Fifth Graders

Students in Mrs. Campana’s Crafts class explored the history of tie-dye clothing as part of a creative, hands-on project. By learning about the cultural roots and evolution of tie-dye, students gained a deeper appreciation for the art form. They then applied principles of color theory to design their own vibrant and unique T-shirts, using harmonious color combinations to bring their creative visions to life.

A big shout out to Ana Crivorot who works thoughtfully with community partners to ensure all our students have access to summer programming. From tuition free and sliding costs, she has been a great resource for families navigating the summer.

Consider those students who lean on school connections and resources for ways we might provide support.

You may want to explore this website for tips, articles and videos about creating a welcoming classroom for English Language Learners (and all students)!

PRIDE Month: June is PRIDE month, a time when the LGBTQIA+ community celebrate achievements and honor their history. It is a time to reflect on the struggle for equal rights while advocating awareness, education an acceptance, promoting a more equitable and inclusive society for all.

Juneteenth: June 19th is recognized as Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day. This day marks the end of slavery in the United States.

Immigrant Heritage Month: June is also recognized as Immigrant Heritage Month, a way to recognize those who came to America in search of a better life.

This year, we have created a collection of tools that can help you on your inclusive practices journey, Feel free to examine the links in this "workshop" slide. Throughout the year, we will add resources to this slide. When you come across resources you think may help others, please forward them to one of us so we can add them.

ADL Education

Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility

Learning for Justice

NYSED DEI Resources

RN Inclusive Practices "Workshop"

We welcome feedback to help make this publication as resourceful and inspiring as possible, and tailored to your interests. We invite you to reach out to us if you have resources to share and/or questions to ask. 😊

Uplifting All RN Website

RN Inclusive Practices "Workshop" RN Inclusive Practices "Workshop"

Tara Goldberg: tgoldberg@ryeneck.org

Meegan Lawlor: mlawlor@ryeneck.org