Inside Yorktown CSD
November 2022
Welcome to the November 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.
- November 21 — Board of Education Meeting
- November 23 — Half-Day (Thanksgiving Recess)
- November 24/25 — Schools Closed (Thanksgiving Recess)
- December 1 — K-5 Parent/Teacher Conferences (Half Day for Students)
- December 5 — Board of Education Meeting
- December 5-9 — Hour of Code Week
- December 6 — Yorktown High School Choir Concert
- December 7 — Grade 5 Choral Concert (Crompond)
- December 9/10 — Wrestling Tournament
- December 13 — Yorktown High School Band Concert
- December 15 — Grade 4 Choral Concert (Crompond)
- December 19 — Board of Education Meeting (Year in Review Report)
- December 20 — Yorktown High School Orchestra Concert
- December 21 — MESMS Orchestra/Choir Concert
- December 26-January 3 — Schools Closed (Holiday Recess)
Winter Preparation
Please click here to read Dr. Hattar's Winter Preparation update for the 2022-23 school year. The letter includes important information on school closings/delays and how those announcements will be relayed to the school community.
Kindergarten Registration
To register a kindergarten student for the 2023-24 school year, please contact the Registration Office at 914-243-8016. Click here for more 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 this link.
Please know that all meetings will be uploaded to our YouTube channel the day following the meeting. The two most recent meetings are also airing on our cable channel (channel 18 for Optimum customers and channel 27 for Verizon customers).
ELA and Math Assessments
The District generally does not present this type of data, as it is just one of many metrics we use to review student achievement. However, in light of news reports about declining proficiency rates across the state and country in reading and math, we felt it was important to note that YCSD is not experiencing the same post-COVID trends.
Good News: Public Speaking at the Middle School
We also welcomed a wonderful group of highly skilled student speakers to our November 7 Board of Education meeting.
The students are part of a public-speaking course that is offered at the middle school. Under the tutelage of Ms. Fazio, the students said they learned necessary public-speaking skills, such as annunciating, projecting their voices, knowing their audience, making compelling arguments, and keeping listeners engaged. They even learned some proper breathing techniques!
One student said that the class “helped us grow confident and to be proud of what we were sharing,”
After gaining the confidence and skills to speak in front of an audience, the students wrote essays about topics that were meaningful to them. They selected their topics from the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.
At the November 7 meeting, the students took turns reading their speeches publicly as proud parents watched from the audience. Afterward, more students read their speeches in a one-on-one setting with administrators and board members.
Dr. Hattar told the students that he was extremely impressed by their public-speaking skills, particularly their confidence, poise, and posture.
Section Champions
If you missed it, a replay of the section title game is airing on our cable channel (channel 18 for Optimum customers and channel 27 for Verizon customers).
Holiday Donations to the Troops
Mohansic is partnering with a local charity to make the holidays a little brighter for active-duty military members. Our second-grade students prepared care packages that will be sent overseas by United for the Troops. Included in the packages are hand-drawn patriotic symbols and hand-written letters from the students. They also contain food and other necessities that the students collected.
Jim Rathschmidt, founder of United for the Troops, thanked the students.
"These [drawings and letters] are all going to go into boxes — like care packages — to men and women who are far away from home during the holidays, and when they open it up, your card is going to be right there on the top. They're going to read it, they're going to feel nice, warm, and fuzzy inside, and then they're going to be thanking everybody for what you did."
Publishing Party
On November 10, a third-grade class from Brookside celebrated the terrific accomplishment of writing a story. Mrs. Spiridigliozzi and Ms. Shulman invited the students’ family members to attend a Publishing Party, where the students proudly read their finished work.
You can see more photos here.
Signing Day
We are so proud of our senior student-athletes who have committed to continue their playing careers at Division I and II schools.
• Jack Esposito, baseball, Mercy College
• Dylan Koch, baseball, Pace University
• William McCarthy, cross country, St. Bonaventure University
• Regan Mooney, swimming/diving, George Mason University
• Alexandra Scialdone, lacrosse, Clemson University
• Julianna Vano, soccer, University of New Hampshire
• Emily Ward, soccer, Virginia Military Institute
• Regan Mooney, swimming/diving, George Mason University
You can see more Signing Day photos here.
Coding Express
The “Coding Express” has pulled into station. Next stop: Crompond!
Students in Mrs. DeIngeniis’ class are currently learning about different types of communities — urban, suburban, and rural. On November 7, they used their Lego Coding Express kit to explore these areas, which they had built around the train track.
Using physical blocks of code, the students programmed the train to make stops at their various communities. District tech specialist Ms. Burns also taught the students how to send the train in reverse, sound its horn, turn on its lights, and other fun programs!
Please visit the following link to see more photos.
Former Student Donates to Music Department
We are so grateful to the Class of 2022’s Trevor Griffiths for his donation of 10 instruments to our District’s Music Department.
Trevor, who is now studying music education in college, is making the donation as part of his Eagle Scout Service Project. He also built shelving for the Yorktown High School orchestra room.
Trevor said he was appreciative of his experience at YCSD and wanted to give back, especially to his “amazing teachers.” He also saw it as a way to help out students who may not have instruments of their own.
After soliciting donations through social media, Trevor worked with Yorktown High School Band Director Emily Kluga to ensure that the instruments were functional.
In total, Trevor will donate three bell kits, two flutes, two trumpets, a clarinet, a drum kit, and a tenor saxophone.
Ms. Kluga described Trevor as “one of the most enthusiastic, well-rounded, and dedicated student musicians I have had the pleasure of working with.” She said his efforts will benefit YCSD music students for years to come.
Thank you, Trevor!
School Board Recognition Week
We recently celebrated School Board Recognition Week (October 17-21) by honoring the seven members of the Yorktown Central School District Board of Education. These dedicated volunteers have devoted years of service to the school community.
Throughout their tenures, the District has received national awards and honors, expanded programs and extracurricular activities, and made crucial investments in school facilities and grounds while maintaining a high level of fiscal responsibility.
You can read more here.
Students Learn About Drones
Flight School is in session!
Returning for its fourth year, the drone lesson plan started in October at Crompond School with a reading of “T-Bone the Drone.” After learning the rules of drone flying, the eager fourth-grade students in Ms. Byrnes’ class were ready to take to the skies. However, they first needed to create team names and design custom logos for their airlines.
With the help of District tech specialist Ms. Burns, the students took flight.
Drone technology incorporates student collaboration, teamwork, kindness, and empathy — all important aspects of the ESTEAM initiative at Yorktown CSD.
You can see more photos here.
Biomonitoring Trips
A decades-old MESMS tradition continued in October as sixth-grade students made biomonitoring trips to Hunterbrook Stream.
The students are in the middle of a “Save Our Streams – Stream Ecology” water quality unit. Within this unit, students learn about the impact humans have had on waterways, stream ecology, and ways to keep our freshwater streams healthy.
This hands-on unit, which includes the Hunterbrook Stream trip, has been an anchor to our sixth-grade science curriculum for more than 30 years and is a fondly remembered middle school experience for many Yorktown students.
You can see more photos from the trip here.
Red Ribbon Week
As part of Red Ribbon Week, School Resource Officer Brian Mundy met with all Crompond students for a presentation about peer pressure and the importance of digital citizenship.
You can read about Officer Mundy's presentation here.
Farm Fest
Crompond students enjoyed a day filled with vegetables, plants, dancing, and so much more at the school’s annual Farm Fest event on October 14.
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, syrup, and vegetables.
You can read more here.
The District is always looking for talented individuals to join our team. You may search open positions and apply by visiting this link.
You can read more District highlights by visiting our website and social media pages, which are updated regularly with stories, photos, and announcements.
Yorktown Central School District
Website: www.yorktown.org
Location: 2725 Crompond Road, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA
Phone: 914-243-8000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YorktownCSD/
Twitter: @YorktownCSD