Tuxedo Talk
May 2023
Message from the Superintendent
Dear Tuxedo Community,
Welcome to May, and what will certainly be a busy month at the District! May 8 kicks off Teacher Appreciation Week, and let me be the first to say THANK YOU to the teachers at George Grant Mason Elementary and George F. Baker High School. The dedication you have to your profession and students is both inspiring and infectious. The families of Tuxedo are fortunate to have you at the front of the classroom.
The school budget and board of election vote will take place on Tuesday, May 16 from 2PM - 9PM in the GGM Multipurpose Room. In the coming days you will be receiving our annual Budget Newsletter containing the breakdown of comparative information regarding the 2023-24 proposed budget revenues and spending. Click here to review it now on the district website. Please exercise your right to vote!
Jeff White
District Highlights
Arbor Day
The average tree takes about 30 to 40 years to mature, about 12 more than the fourth graders at George Grant Mason Elementary. But thanks to this budding group of arborists, several young saplings are off a good start. To celebrate Arbor Day, the Rotary Club of Suffern donated baby trees to GGM, and it was the job of our teachers and students to prepare them for planting. Read More
Earth Day Cleanup
This Earth Day, a pack of Tuxedo Volunteers made their way on to Route 17 for a roadside cleanup. Led by the George F. Baker High School Interact and Environmental Club; students, faculty and families of the district put on their gloves, grabbed trash bags and picked up garbage along the north and south sides of the roadway. The cleanup route stretched from the campus to the Tuxedo Park entrance and back. Read More about the event.
Earth Day Lesson
The George Grant Mason Elementary Kindergarten class got in the Earth Day spirit, thanks to a little help from the Lorax. After reading the Dr. Seuss classic to her students, Ms. Rush explained the book’s central message of showing our planet the love and care it needs to thrive. Back at their desks, it was time for her environmentalists to work on a Lorax themed craft. Check out our Instagram post, which also recognizes "National Kindergarten Day."
National Poetry Month
How would you describe a feather? Would you start with the color of the barbs or the texture of the quill? Either answer would be correct, but how about thinking like a poet, and seeing the world in a fresh new way. George Grant Mason Elementary second grade teacher Ms. Blume used this exercise to kick off a National Poetry Month project with her class. Check out our Facebook post to see how students turned everyday objects into poetry.
Administrative Professionals Day
April 26 was Administrative Professionals Day, an opportunity to say thank you to the front office staff of the District working tirelessly each day to keep things running smoothly. It also provided us a chance to shine the spotlight on Mary Dixon and Matt Takeuchi, two vital members of the Tuxedo school community. Dixon, from George Grant Mason Elementary, and Takeuchi, from George F. Baker High School took the time to answer some questions.
April Character Trait
Patience was George Grant Mason Elementary's character trait for April. ENL Teacher Ms. Fowler began last month's assembly by discussing with students times they were patient; reminding them of one of the most important qualities of patience, “it is not just the ability to wait, but how we act while we are waiting.” All month students decorated "Patient People" pictures to be hung in the GGM entryway. Check out our Facebook post.
Walk-a-Thon
On a picture perfect day, George F. Baker Middle and High School students, and faculty, took laps around Circle Field the day after Spring break for the first of two food drive / fundraisers benefitting the Sloatsburg Food Pantry. Members of the Interact Club, National and Junior National Honor Society and Student Council collected, or donated, canned food and money for the PACE period walk-a-thon event. Read more about the fundraiser.
Community Art
Spring has sprung across Tuxedo thanks to a handful of our George F. Baker High School and George Grant Mason Elementary artists. Art teacher Mark Stankiewicz and three students added a bit of color and fun across town, painting windows up and down Route 17, between GGM and Hunan Gardens. Take a look, and don’t forget to visit these businesses and thank them for their support!
Family Crests
Take a moment to imagine you and your family were transported to Europe during the Middle Ages. What would be your occupations? What would you be known for? What symbols would represent you? For a reflective and insightful Global I assignment, Ms. Jones had the George F. Baker High School Freshman class fashion their own family crests, and write creative historical essays about them. Read more about the lesson.
Principal for a Day
The talent pool is deep over at George Grant Mason Elementary. Plucked right from the second grade, a familiar face was seen monitoring the hallways last month. Abigail Louissaint started her position as school principal on April 28, the first of two half days she will be filling the role. Louissaint, like former principal Thatcher Givens, got the job for the amount of minutes she read during March’s “Pick a Reading Partner (PARP) contest.” Check out our Facebook post.
Scholar-Athletes
Congratulations to Chima Oparaji and Anastasia Vishnevskaya! The George F. Baker High School seniors have been named Scholar-Athletes by the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA Sports). Each year the awards are given to high school seniors “who have distinguished themselves in the classroom and in the athletic arena.” Read Full Article
Athlete of the Week
Brooke Bower and Gabriel Ogden
Brooke Bower, a seventh grader on the Modified Softball team, was nominated by Coach Dowling for her “hard work and commitment.” Dowling singled out Bower’s performance against the Spartans, when she hit a single into left field and played “great” defense. Gabriel Ogden is an eighth grader on the Modified Baseball Team. Coach McKenna says Ogden is a team leader with a positive attitude who comes up big when the team needs him.
Evangeleen Ortiz
Evangeleen Ortiz, a freshman at George F. Baker High School, plays centerfield for the Girls Junior Varsity Softball Team. Coach Jenna Park calls Ortiz a “positive leader at practice” who “hustles on and off the field.” Park also noted how Ortiz takes the time out during practice to help others when learning new drills. Way to go Evangeleen!
Student Spotlight
OU BOCES Career and Technical Education Students
For our May student spotlight, we caught up with three George F. Baker High School juniors enrolled in the Orange Ulster BOCES Career & Technical Education program in Goshen. Joseph Hubert, Daniela Gonzalez and Emaan Malik (Pictured L-R) are currently taking classes in the BOCES Culinary Food Trades program, which prepares students for careers in the food and beverage industry and in the hotel and restaurant business. Read More.
Faculty Spotlight
Sue Rota, Fourth Grade Teacher
How do you spot George Grant Mason Elementary fourth grade teacher Sue Rota? Just look for the headband. Rota, who has been with the District for eleven years, is a dedicated teacher who keeps coming up with new ways to engage her students and keep them learning. Rota is our May Faculty Spotlight. Click here to read about a teacher who loves her job but loves her students even more.
OU BOCES Humanities Honoree Awards
Congratulations to Grace Donnelly and Chima Oparaji! The George F. Baker High School students are 2023 Orange-Ulster BOCES Humanities Honoree Awardees, which recognizes students for their "outstanding accomplishments in the fine arts, performing arts, and the humanities." Grace and Chima were two of 34 students, from 17 school districts, celebrated during an April breakfast and award ceremony at The Country Club at Otterkill in Campbell Hall. Read More
Junior Leadership Orange
Congratulations to Zyaire Valez, Emilia Kainatsky and Hamza Imran, graduates of the Junior Leadership Orange Program! The Junior Leadership Orange program is a collaboration between the Orange County Youth Bureau and Leadership Orange for eighth grade students that attend school in Orange County. Leadership Orange calls JLO (Junior Leadership Orange) a “youth empowerment program designed to provide leadership skills, life skills, career exposure, and preparedness to youth who will potentially become the business and community leaders of the future.”
At the Board
Budget Vote
The school budget and board of election vote will take place on May 16. Please mark your calendar for the Budget Hearing being held on Wednesday, May 3 at 7 PM in the George Grant Mason Elementary Multipurpose Room. The event is open to the public. To review the BOE approved budget, please click here. To view our annual budget newsletter, please click here. Also available on the TuxedoUFSD website is important information for voters.
2023-2024 School Calendar
The 2023-2024 School Calendar was approved by the Tuxedo Union Free School District Board of Education during their March 15 board meeting. The first day of school will be Tuesday, September 5. In addition to winter recess, there will be a mid-winter recess from February 19 - 23 and a spring break from March 25 - April 1. To view the full calendar, click here.
Board Agenda
For the full agenda and documents pertaining to all previous Board of Education meetings, please visit the Tuxedo Union Free School District Board of Education section of BoardDocs. The next meeting will be held Wednesday, May 17 at 7PM in the George Grant Mason Elementary Multipurpose Room.
Before You Go...
Spring Concert
The George Grant Mason Elementary 2023 Spring Concert will take place on Tuesday, May 16 at 1:30 PM in the George F. Baker HS auditorium. Come hear choral selections from Pre-K through Grade 5 students, along a performance from our 4th and 5th grade band! Doors open at 1:15 PM. Parents who wish to sign their children out after the show, must do so at GGM. And while you are there, head to the Multi-Purpose room and exercise your right to vote! The School Budget vote begins at 2PM.