Dear Nanuet Parents and Community,

Welcome to our inaugural e-newsletter, The Nanuet News! This monthly update is designed to share the amazing things happening in our schools and feature students working in their classes and engaging in extracurricular activities. Our Nanuet schools are alive with innovative teaching and learning and we are excited to offer this “peek” into our classrooms - both inside and out.

Each month, we will share a “featured video” and lots of photos and stories with connections to curriculum, school events and activities. You’ll also see teachers and administrators hard at work creating opportunities for all students to excel and succeed. The Nanuet Schools family is a busy bunch and we anticipate lots to share over the school year.

We hope you enjoy this newest addition to our school district communications!

Sincerely,

Dr. Lisa Brady

Interim Superintendent

Welcome to the Golden Spotlight! Each month, The Nanuet News will shine a spotlight on a unique program or activity in Nanuet Union Free School District. In this inaugural edition, we visit the Outdoor Education Center (OEC) where our AP Environmental Science classes have spent the month conducting studies to measure carbon in trees. We hear from students about their work and Director Nancy Galdi about what makes the OEC such an important part of our District.

STEM met SEL at Miller earlier this month. STEM teacher Mary Rose Palumbo has been teaching first graders the power of the phrase, “not yet.” By saying those two simple words, learners young and old can overcome the stress that is built in to the “productive struggle” of learning something new. When it comes to STEM, things aren’t always easy, and Palumbo’s lesson was designed to remind students it's okay if you struggle at first, you will get it, just “not yet.”

The Nanuet Fire Department visited Miller in October during #FirePreventionWeek. Before getting a tour of the pumper truck, students learned the importance of memorizing their address, knowing when to dial 911 and the proper way to check if a door is hot. Every student left with the same homework assignment: design a fire safety plan with their family members and ask an adult to test the smoke alarms! Read more in our Instagram post

The Highview RULER Family Engagement Night will be held on Thursday, November 16 from 6 - 7:30pm. For the past few weeks, class ambassadors have been collaborating with School Counselor Melissa Lipson and Social Worker Rebecca Weiss to organize this hands-on event being held for Highview students, parents, guardians and caregivers. Check out our Facebook post to read about one of their planning sessions.

When Math gets hard, stick with it! Highview Elementary fourth grade teacher Tim Nye unraveled a lesson on tape diagrams to wrap up Global Math Week, which takes place every October. The Eureka Math concept of the tape diagram is a visual tool to help students understand the part-whole relationship of addition and subtraction equations. Check out our Instagram post for more on the lesson.

Barr marked its first Red Ribbon Week at the end of the month. Every October, school districts across the country unite together with the mission of “nurturing the full potential of healthy, drug free youths.” Theme days and activities serve as a way to remind students the dangers of substance abuse. This year, Barr SRO Tony Culianos joined forces with health teacher Sue Travaglino to follow the footsteps of the High School and curate a Red Ribbon Week at the Middle School.

October 18 was Wednesday was National Unity Day and our Barr students are U-Knighted against bullying! ‘Unity Day’ was created by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center (NBPC) to “unite for kindness, acceptance and inclusion” and spread the message that “no child should ever experience bullying.” Read our Facebook post to learn about the activities students took part in and more about the District's efforts to support students social, emotional, and behavior needs from a strengths-based perspective.

Senior Arnav Mehta has been named a Semifinalist in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program! Recognition is given for outstanding academic promise demonstrated by a student’s performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. “Over 1.3 million juniors from nearly 21,000 High Schools entered the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program and Arnav is one of only 16,000 to be named a Semifinalist,” notes Principal Michael Mahoney.

Five seniors have been named 2024 National Merit Scholarship Commended Students. Recognition is given to students for exceptional academic promise demonstrated by their outstanding performance on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Congratulations to (from left to right) Dahlia Kordit, Kimberly Cheung, Jonathan Diaz, Samantha Dow and Sineli Bombuwala (Not pictured).

We love hearing this! The Nanuet Senior High School Music Department will be well represented at the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) Winter Conference and Area All-State Music festivals in November. Junior Maren Savino, who plays viola, has recieved an All-State selection while 16 members of the school chorus, orchestra and band have recieved All-Area selections. Find out who in our Facebook post.

The OEC hosted several A. MacArthur Barr Middle School team days over the past month. Team building stations spread across the OEC provided students the opportunity to work together, be mindful and taste some of the amazing produce the OEC has to offer. Check out our Facebook post from the eighth grade's team day. The fifth grade class held their team day in September.

The OEC was a hive of activity this month. Highview Elementary fourth graders got to visit the OEC for lessons on honeybees, led by Director Nancy Galdi. Students learned about the parts of the bee before studying the insects up close under the microscope. Honeybees play an integral part in our environment, especially at the OEC which has honeybee hives on site. Click here to check out our Instagram post.

Meet Geoff Gaiss, the newest member of the Board of Education! Gaiss was appointed and sworn into the position at the start of the October 3 board meeting. Gaiss works in the financial tech field and is the parent of a student at George W. Miller Elementary. He is a dedicated member of the Nanuet community and has most recently served on the Board’s Safety Advisory Committee, which presented its findings and survey results to the Board during his first official meeting. Read more in our instagram post.

The third week of October was School Board Recognition Week. To honor our Nanuet Board of Education, the PTA organized a special performance from the Nanuet Music Department. “The Nanuet Board of Education works tirelessly on behalf of Nanuet children and families,” said Interim Superintendent Lisa Brady. “Every decision is made with a commitment to 'children first' while being strong fiscal stewards for taxpayers in our community.” Read more about the October 17 meeting.

Mark your calendars for our November Performances!

• Little Women (Nanuet Senior High School): November 3 and November 4 at 8pm in the Auditorium. Buy Tickets
• Suessical (A. MacArthur Barr Middle School): November 17 and November 18 at 7:30pm in the Barr cafeteria.

Reminder, Nanuet Schools will be closed Tuesday, November 7 (Superintendent's Conference Day) and Friday, November 10 (Veteran's Day Observed). Schools will also be closed Thursday, November 23 and Friday, November 24 for Thanksgiving Recess.

There will be a half day schedule on Wednesday, November 22:

• Barr Middle School – dismissal at 10:45 am
• High School – dismissal at 11:29 am
• Miller and Highview Elementary Schools – bus dismissal at 12:00pm; please see school backpack flyer for walker dismissal times.

Always a Golden Knight! Nanuet Senior High School Principal Michael Mahoney and Athletic Director Phil Carbone welcomed back several alumni in October. Members of the Nanuet Senior High School classes of 1973 - 1975 returned to campus at the beginning of the month as part of their 50-year reunion celebration, and alumni from the classes of 1968 - 1970 visited on October 21. While many things have changed and been upgraded since they walked the hallways, Nanuet’s most important traditions are still in place.