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Oc ober 2017

A message from the Superintendent

It is hard to believe that just a few months ago, I was standing in the Greeley auditoriumaddressing our District faculty and staff for the first time as your new Superintendent of Schools.I have enjoyed several opportunities to speak with students, parents, faculty, staff, administrators,

t e pe stituent groups of the District, and the ability to identify critical trends across the District toh ople and con

Board of Education members, and local community leaders to hear about the District’s proudestaccomplishments and most significant challenges. Engaging in this entry plan process hasallowed for a smooth transition of leadership, the development of meaningful relationships with

determine leadership priorities.One area of focus s emming from this summer’s Administrative Retreat, and borne out of the transition meetingswith various consti

ttuent groups, was the need to develop a short- and long-term plan for the District. As you

know, we already have two strategic questions and well-ar iculated goals attached to an overall vision for theDistrict. This year, we will begin the development of a Dis

ttrict strategic coherence plan. Think of this method as

being an organizational road map of sorts so that collectively, as an entire community, we all are on the same pageand heading in the same direction.The benefits of engaging in a strategic coherence planning process include:

Defining short- and long-term goals with stakeholder feedback.Communicating what we are aiming to accomplish to the broader community.Aligning our work with strategies to achieve our strategic objectives.Prioritizing our resources to align with our strategic goals.

••••• Measuring and monitoring our progress toward our targets.

We have been collaborating with Jonathan Costa, Assistant Executive Director of EdAdvance, to shape the strategiccoherence planning process in Chappaqua and he will present to the Board of Education on November 15, 2017at 7:30 PM.

In the winter, the strategic coherence p anning team will reach out to the broader community for feedback to help

Familiar faces and some new administrators complete leadership teams

Commit toPrinciples of

Coherence Planning Internal & External Identifying patterns Identify priority With Strategic

- Focus- Connect- Mission/Beliefs- Leverage Skills

Data Scan

Performance andalignment of

foundational andsupporting systemsof student learning

Results Analysis

and priorities

Defining the gapbetween desired and

current state

Focus Setting

strategic actions

Indicators of success

Aligning Actions

Focus

Actions- Outcomes

Timelines- Responsibilities- Innovation

ConfigurationMapping

Philosophy

Strategic Coherence Planning ProcessI II III IV V

Practice

shape and guide this process. We will allso continuously update the Board of Education on our progress. Our target

will be to present our strategic coherence plan to the Board of Education late in the spring or early summer.I look forward to our continued partnership and I feel privileged to be a member of this community.Sincerely,Christine

Congratulations to...GEORGE BENACK

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RAGANACus odian - Seven Bridges

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MARY FORD - Interim Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & InstructionMary is entering her 20th year with the District. She has served as a reading specialist, departmentchairperson and staff developer. Most recently, Mary has worked with students, teachers, and

arents as the Director of Literacy, K-12. For the past thirteen years, she also worked closely withpprevious assistant superintendents for curriculum and instruction and is poised to both continueand expand upon our work.

JOSH CULWELL-BLOCK - Director of Technology and InnovationThe District restructured this position to include professional development and curriculum workinstrumental to the success of our new active learning spaces. With the District since 2003, Joshis uniquely qualified for this revamped position having been a math/computer science classroomteacher, staff developer, Director of Mathematics, and the Director of STEAM, K-12. Josh also iscurrently an Ed.D. candidate in the area of Teaching and Learning at Hofstra University.

JASON SEMO - Director of Health, Physical Education, and AthleticsJason began his teaching and coaching career in 1999, and in 2006 he became the Director ofPhysical Education, Health and Athletics for the Liberty Central School District. He then joinedthe South Colonie Central Sc ool Dis rict in 2011 in that same capacity. Prior to coming toChappaqua, Jason served as t

hhe Direc

ttor of Athletics, Physical Education and Health for the

Newburgh Enlarged City School District.

ALISON PORCELLI - Interim Principal, Roaring BrookAlison has been an elementary teacher, senior staff developer for the Teachers College Reading and Writing

Project, and an Assistant Principal at the prestigious Beekman Hill School in NYC. She has astrong background in literacy, numeracy development, and inquiry/pro lem-based learning. Inaddition, Alison is the author of Support ng Reasonable Rough and Tum

bble Play, and co-author of

Purposeful Play: A Teacher’s Guide to Igniiting Deep and Joyful Learning Across the Day and A Quick

Guide to Boosting English Acquisition through Choice Time.

t s to ce tC i y gath leb w field and tra kommun er ra e ne c

On September 8, the Chappaqua school community came together to celebrate the opening of the new turf andtrack at Greeley’s Competition Field.Sponsored by the Greeley Sports Boosters and the Chappaqua Central School District, the day featured families,face-painting, food trucks, and free sno-cones. One of the best moments, aside from watching students take aim atwilling dunk tank participants, was watching the JV and varsity athletes host activities for elementary students.Dr. Christine Ackerman, Superintendent of schools, and Jeffrey Mester, Vice President of the Board of Education,addressed the standing-room-only crowd and thanked those in attendance for coming to celebrate. To concludethe festivities, Principal Robert Rhodes introduced Student Council President Hannah Fenlon to cut the ribbonand officially open the community’s new complex. Past and present Board members, members of the Town’srecreational youth athletic programs, and other invited guests who played a key role and bringing this project tocompletion, joined her. Click HERE to read more.

t thO ober 26 ~ Knowledge Cafe on E tive Fun ti ic xecu c on ng

Executive functions is an umbrella term often used to describe a set of neurologically-basedmental control capacities. These mental control capacities include Self-Realization,Self-Determination, and multiple dimensions of Self-Regulation:

Attention (perceiving, focusing, and sustaining)•• Engagement (initiating and energizing effort, inhibiting, stopping and interrupting,

shifting and being flexible)Optimization (monitoring, modulating, balancing, and correcting)Efficiency (sensing time, pacing, sequencing, and using routines)Inquiry (anticipating, gaug ng, estimating time, analyzing, and comparing/evaluating)

•••• Solution (generating, assoc

iiating, organizing, planning, prioritizing, deciding)

Please join District administrators on Thursday, October 26 at 7pm in the Lower Commons of Seven BridgesMiddle School for a Knowledge Café on the topic of executive functions.At this time, guest presenter George McCloskey, PhD, will engage attendees in rich discussions that will helpattendees gain a deeper understand ng of executive functions and how deficits in executive functions can affectthe behavior and academic product

iion of children and adolescents. Attendees will gain state-of-the-art knowledge

regarding executive functions strengths and weaknesses, the relationship between executive functions andmotivation, and the most effective ways to help children and adolescents improve their use of executive functions.To facilitate the planning process, please take a moment to RSVP by Wednesday, October 25. Due to spacelimitations, we can accommodate only the first 70 registrants.We hope you will join us for this informative and interactive evening.

Hurricane Sandy no match for these girl scouts

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy decimated the nature trail at Westorchard Elementary School. Gone were the science andou

their Silver Award, the second-high

tdoor programs the trail provided for WO students.But, thanks to three enterprising9th-grade Girl Scouts (Troop 1029)Emma Terjesen, Eileen Trotta andStephanie Kasulka, the trail is now backin service and better than ever.The girls were looking for a meaningfulproject that they could undertake for

est award in Girl Scouts. They had fond memories of hiking the trail as studentsat Westorchard, but the cost of clearing the downed trees and accumulated debris--in excess of $30,000--provedprohibitive.Undeterred, they held bake sales and spoke to local civic organizations to get the money and donations necessaryo turn their dream into a reality. They convinced Keith Krepil, owner of Tree Monsters Land Clearing, to donatehe machinery and services necessary to clear the path. They also solicited Mike Velardo, of Velardo Landscaping,

ttto help them create an outdoor classroom; food donations from Rocky’s Millwood Deli; and they received anInstagrant from the Chappaqua School Foundation to support the volunteers who missed two days of wages whilehelping to clear the trail.The scouts held workshops to teach children how to make bluebird nesting boxes to help repopulate t e area’sbluebirds, which are being pushed out by non-indigenous birds. They installed the birdhouses along t

hhe trail and

the father of one of the girls built two benches out of a felled tree--long enough to fit an entire kindergarten class.As a tribute to Alison Guerra, a Westorchard teacher who passed away in 2016, the girls also created a kindnessgarden along the trail filled with over 400 rocks painted with encouraging words by community members.“Thanks to these resourceful young women, we have a beautiful new nature trail, bluebird sanctuary, outdoorlearning area, and kindness rock garden for the school and community to enjoy,” said James Skoog, principal ofWestorchard. “It’s a fantastic gift.”

Click on the center image below for a video of the ribbon-cutting ceremony held on September 15.

…and the 2016-17 CSPA Crown Award goes to…?

In just its second year in existence, the Seven Bridges literary magazine, 7BLit, was namedone of this year’s Crown Award Finalists by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.Congratulations to all of the literary club staff members, student submitters, and Clubadvisor Erin Ginsburg, on receiving this wonderful recognition.During Crown consideration, publications are judged in a head-to-head comparison oftheir excellence as shown by their design, photography, concept, coverage and writing.This year, a total of 1,100 publications were eligible for judging.Crown Finalists are actual winners, not nominees, and in March 2018, the CSPA willannounce which finalists receive Gold Crowns and which receive Silver Crowns.The 7BLit Magazine Club met once a week after school and was open to students in all grades. Each fall, studentsbegan learning about graphic design, and a little later in the year the publicity team kicks into gear spreading theword and soliciting submissions. Names were removed from submissions during the selection process to ensureobjectivity as the staff read and evaluated every submission as a group before the editors paired off and workedtogether to create the page spreads. They used industry-standard publishing software InDesign and imaging editingsoftware Photoshop to design and layout the magazine and then proofread everything one last time before sendingit off to the printer.Everyone was encouraged to submit as many of their best, most creative works as they would like to be consideredfor inclusion, and submissions just about tripled from 60 in the very first 2015-16 issue to 160 for the award-winning 2016-17 issue.Students can checkout the 7BLit Magazine at the school’s library.

Summer Academic Camps

Greeley Writer’s Camp Dr. Tom Romano, well-known writinginstructor and John Heckert Professor ofLiteracy at Miami University, facilitated ourstudent and teacher authors for the thirdconsecutive year. During the morning,students participated in a Writers Workshop,experiencing mini-lessons, giving andreceiving feedback on their work, writing

and revising each day. Teachers had a similar experience in the afternoon, along with some planning for their newclasses. Writers Camp is a great way to immerse yourself in the writing process and experience the joy of writing!

Bellevision When school ended, three teachers from BellSchool extended their work on Bellevision(Bell’s weekly news show) and ran a videoproduction camp for middle school students.The students learned all aspects of videoproduction, from filming to interviewing tovideo editing, resulting in the production of aprofessional quality news show.

Maker-Writing Camp Angela Stockman, author of Make Writing,facilitated a new Maker-Writing Camp for3rd through 6th graders. Students focusedon empathy and the design process toenhance their writing. Angela, along withseveral teachers and staff developers, workedclosely with students during the morningand facilitated professional development

sessions during the afternoon. Angela’s work has many implications for incorporating the design process into ourcurriculum and enhancing our curriculum with our new spaces. It was a very active learning environment.

STEAM Camp Led by Josh Culwell-Block, Director ofTechnology and Innovation, and a group of CCSDteachers, students in grades 6-12 participated in aSTEAM Camp. At the end of the week, studentscreated a large-size catapult and showed offtheir skills at a parent exhibition. The STEAMCamp was preceded by the work of the STEAMCollaborative, in which teachers worked onSTEAM curriculum and problem-based learning.

“Commit yourself to lifelong learning. The most valuable assetyou’ll ever have is your mind and what you put into it.” ~ Brian Tracy

Online and snail mail registration continues for the Chappaqua Continuing Education’s Fall 2017 Program.With 31 new classes, 38 one-day classes, and plenty of returning favorites, the Chappaqua ContinuingEducation Fall 2017 Course Catalog offers something for everyone.Whether you’re curious about digital photography, looking to learn a new language, would like to live a healthierlife, or want to improve your culinary skills, please take a moment to review the 75+ classes available in a widerange of categories.

Classes fill quickly so don’t delay!For more information or to register, please visit www.ccsd.ws/continuinged or call 914-238-7201 x2318.

We look forward to seeing you in class!

District administrator earns Ed.D.

Martin Fitzgerald, Principal at Robert E. Bell Middle School, successfully defended hisdoctoral dissertation and received a Ed.D. in Education Leadership from ManhattanvilleCollege.His interest was in understanding the implementation of the New York State Dignity forAll Students Act (DASA) in High Performing Middle Schools. The title of the study was,Intention and Impact: Implementing New York State’s DASA Policy in High PerformingMiddle Schools.

Findings on the effective implementation of New York States DASA in High Performing Middle Schools revealed:• Reciprocity in the relationships between best middle school practices and effective implementation of

DASA policy.• A knowledgeable, well informed, understanding of the middle school concept complements and supplements

implementation of DASA policy.• Effective implementation of DASA policy relating to a theory of adolescent development and developmentally

responsive practices.• The importance of teachers fostering relationships with their students and students feeling connected to

their school.• The importance of partnering with parents and the community.

Dr. Fitzgerald has over 33 years of experience in the field of education. He has been with the District since 1998.

Coding in the classroomMara Cohen, a 3rd grade teacher at Grafflin, has been teaching for twenty-six years. She is a life-long learner who isalways seeking to enhance her instructional practices. For the last two years, Mara was an Advanced TechnologyFellow and explored the concept of the Genius Hour--allowing students to explore their own passions andencourages creativity during a set period of time during school--in her inquiry work.Along with her 3rd and 4th grade colleagues, Mara has incorporated lots ofnew technology in her practice and is teaching coding lessons this year.Teachers begin with a paper and pencil lesson from www.code.org toensure that their students have a strong conceptual understanding beforemoving on to the use of Scratch, a coding program for students that wasdeveloped at MIT.Grafflin’s 3rd and 4th grade classrooms are just one example of places whereSTEAM and instructional technology are truly enhancing teaching andlearning all throughout the District.

~ ~ How We Spent Our Summer Vacation ~ ~ Megan Hughes, a World Language teachers at Seven Bridges, joined over 80 teachers from around the country fora 4-day teacher training on Comprehensible Input at Express Fluency in Brattleboro, VT. Comprehensible input is ahighly engaging, research-based method of instruction, which is shown to greatly increase language acquisition.“In the morning, I observed the Spanish language camp and participated in Latin classes,” Megan explained.“In the afternoons, I attended sessions on specifictechniques to provide this comprehensible input.” She felt it was a very well-run conference led byexpert teacher leaders from around the country, andshe left feeling very inspired, energized and excited tostart the new school year.

While Greeley Science teacher and wrestling coach Mike DeBellis was criss-crossingthe country visiting national parks, he made sure he stopped in Chicago. There, he metup with varsity baseball coach Frank Marino to see LHP/OF Brandon Neeck play in the2017 Under Armour All-America Baseball Game on July 29.Now a senior, Brandon was one of only 40 high school players from the US, Canada andPuerto Rico selected for this honor. Pitching for the National team, Brandon took to themound at Wrigley Field in the 4th inning and his line was 1 hit, 2 walks, and 1 strikeout.Brandon’s National team came up just short, falling 1-2 to the American team in the 11th

inning on a walk-off single up the middle.

Greeley’s Theater and Speech teacher Jonathan Gellert spent six weeks atthe French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts where he directed threeproductions--RENT, Women and Wallace, and a premiere of SamanthaSpade Ace Detective by the musical theater composer Georgia Stitt.In addition, Jonathan taught classes in Theater History, Directing, andActing Technique.

In July, Amanda Lifschultz, 7th grade Social Studies teacher at Seven Bridges, traveledto Cambridge, Massachusetts to participate in a Gilder Lehrman Seminar with ProfessorJohn Stauffer. The seminar focused on the tradition of protest literature in the UnitedStates from the American Revolution to the present.Over the course of a week, she explored the historical links between forms of protest,uses of literature, and social change. “The highlight for me was getting to work withoriginal documents from Harvard’s libraries, such as Paul Revere’s engraving of theBoston Massacre and an original copy of the Declaration of Independence,” Amandasaid. “I am looking forward to helping my students use a variety of texts as part of theirexamination of different protest methods used throughout American history.”

Stefanie Kandalaft, a Kindergarten teacher at Roaring Brook, and her familywent to Italy this summer. Her two boys, Zander (HG ‘15) and Willaim (HG ‘17)studied Latin with Michelle Ramahlo at Seven Bridges and Nicole Diamente atGreeley. “My husband and I were BLOWN AWAY by their knowledge of Romanhistory and culture, and by their ability to read signs in Latin,” Stefanie said.“Major kudos to Chappaqua’s fabulous Latin teachers!” Some of the many places they toured were the Colosseum, the Pantheon, Pompeii,the Forum, and Palatine Hill.

Mallory Chinn, a 7th grade Social Studies teacher at Seven Bridges, visited the WarmSprings Reservation in Oregon. Her husband grew up there and this was his firsttime going back with his family. While there, they participated in an honor ceremonywelcoming them to the reservation, and the childhood best friend of Mallory’s husbandwas among a circle of Native Americans who played drums and sang.Mallory teaches a unit on Westward Expansion and in years past her students have hadpen pals on this reservation, and they have read, The Absolutely True Diary of a PartTime Indian, by Sherman Alexis. She said visiting the Reservation was a transformativeexperience and she cannot wait to share it with her students.

Greeley’s World Language teacher Nicole Diamente received two grants this summer, onefrom the American Classical League and one from Fund for Teachers. Her goal in travelingto Rome was to provide students with a cultural context for learning about the ancientworld and establish interdisciplinary connections specifically focused on how Romaninnovations in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) affected the RomanEmpire and continues to affect modern society. The key questions that she wanted toexplore were:

• What were the most important STEAM contributions of the Romans?• To what extent do these contributions affect modern society?• How did the Roman legacy of advances in STEAM impact the lives and activities of the

Roman people?• How did these new technologies result in broader social change?• How did STEAM developments help the Roman Empire expand and maintain control of its territory?• How did STEAM advances help to unify a culturally diverse Empire?• How was Roman art and architecture used as political propaganda?

During the month of July, she stayed in an apartment in Trastevere and visited museums and sites, large andsmall, including the Capitoline Museum, Museo dei Fori Imperiali, Villa Borghese Museum, Palazzo Massimo(her favorite museum in Rome), and a special exhibit called L’Ara Com’ Era, a multi-media, 3D, color, augmentedreality view of the Ara Pacis.She rented an electric bicycle and rode thirteen miles on the Appian Way, and took two trips out of the city, oneto explore the excavations at Ostia, the other to the excavations at Herculaneum, the nearby Museo ArcheologicoVirtuale and the Archaeological Museum in Naples.In addition, Nicole participated in two workshops providing experiential learning which will be incorporated intolessons and projects with students. A sketching and painting workshop provided her with both an overview ofthe architecture and infrastructure of the city and the practical skill needed to execute projects and performancetasks with students. She then attended a workshop where she learned about the construction, conservation andrestoration of ancient mosaics and had the opportunity to create one. An hour after attending the workshop shesaw a mosaic at the Palazzo Massimo that incorporated the pattern she had just copied.“Back at Greeley, I am now creating new curricular and interdisciplinary units and projects incorporating PhotoSpheres--a string of images linked together to create a 360 degree view--of the places I visited,” Nicole explained.“My students will be able to experience virtual travel utilizing Google Expeditions viewers that the WorldLanguage Department obtained thanks to a grant from the Chappaqua School Foundation.” Due to the generosity of the two travel grants, Nicole will be going to Morocco in December to visit the Romansites of Volubilis, Sala Colonia and Lixus in order to continue this work.

When the clock struck 22:22. . .#TaubStrong

As many of you may know, rising junior Casey Taubbravely fought brain cancer over the past two years, butsuccumbed to it this past summer. Living a loving androbust life, with deep passions for friends and soccer,Casey had a profound impact on all who hold him intheir hearts.

At a varsity soccer game honoring #22 Casey Taub, the scoring openedin incredible fashion. With the crowd standing and clapping during the22nd minute, Matt Lafortezza launched one from long range over thekeeper. When the referee paused the clock. It improbably read 22:22.All cameras were panning the stands, but Sue and Jon Resnick weresavvy enough to capture Lafortezza’s goal during the special moment.Click HERE to read more from Yahoo! Sports, the Journal News, andNews 12 Varsity.

Classmates celebrate Casey on the first day of school.

Upcoming Events Click HERE for instructions on how to synchronize the District

and/or school calendars to your personal electronic calendar.

2017-2018 School Year Calendar

www.ccsd.ws

HGHS has 42 Commended Students and 13 Semifinalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program

Forty-two seniors were recognized by the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program as Commended Students onthe basis of a nationally applied Selection Index score that may vary from year to year. Congratulations to:

They were among the 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation were recognized for their exceptionalacademic promise.

In addition, thirteen seniors have been named Semifinalists in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Program.Congratulations to:

These students scored among the top 5% of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2018 scholarshipprogram by taking the 2016 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test and were among the16,000 Semifinalists selected nationwide to receive this distinction.

Emily AshikariScott Bass

Olivia BloomgardenHannah Bolen

Paul BuetiKevin ChangKelsey ChenChelsea Chia

Kathleen ConnerJonathan Fischer

Wesley Ford

Sam FuquaDavid Garcia

Eleanor GarellJackson GautreauAmanda GlasserBhavya Gopinath

Leila GrantMalcolm Hanchet

Sydney HerzogZachary Jacobus-OseroffIrini Kanaris Miyashiro

Benjamin KochWilla Kuhn

Jack LinEmily Lo

Joshua McMillanJoshua Medway

Joshua MillerMatthew ParkKevin PhillipsJason Platkin

Theodore Rader

Jessica RosendorfWilliam Seidman

Jack SkupskiHaley Stein

Dylan TodtfeldDanielle TomerMichelle Tong

Jiyuan WuLucas Zhao

Eric DoppeltViolet Gautreau

Amanda KlepperJennifer Luo

Kevin McAfeeSamantha Meakem

Bopaiah Paruvangada

Sophie SaremskyColeman SmithWilliam Soule

Matthew TempletonRebecca Thrope

Robert Ye

Ira Sleeps Over at RBS

Every October, second graders at Roaring Brook gather to celebrate their Social Studies unit on Friendship.Together with their teachers, the children spend several weeks reading books and poetry about friendship, andworking collectively to create a caring, supportive and friendly community in their classrooms.

On October 13, students paraded into the RBScafeteria wearing cozy pajamas, with theirfavorite stuffed animals in tow. The studentscame together as a community of learnersto hear Mrs. Porcelli, Mrs. Eidem and Mrs.Jaynes read Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber.The guest readers made this famous bookloved by all come to life. Afterward, thechildren enjoyed a delicious breakfast servedby the cafeteria workers and parent volunteers.A great time was had by all!

Summertime construction and capital improvement projects

Thanks to the hard work of the Buildings and Grounds Department, students and staff returned this September tofacilities that are more energy efficient, secure, and aesthetically pleasing. In addition to routine maintenance andrepairs such as shampooing of carpets, waxing of floors and painting of hallways and classrooms, summertimeimprovements ranged from sidewalk, curb and masonry repairs to dead tree removal, roof replacements, and theaddition of a new innovative learning center at Westorchard and Seven Bridges. Many projects were completedin-house by the skilled custodial staff.Here is a partial rundown of some of the major work completed in preparation for the start of this school year.

DISTRICT-WIDEAs required by law, backflow preventors were installed at each school except Seven Bridges, which already hasthem. The devices prevent waste from flowing back into the potable water supply during situations of low waterpressure. Also, the District has undertaken the ambitious project of replacing all classroom, hallway and officelight bulbs with LED bulbs. The more efficient LED bulbs will save the District money in the long run, reduce theDistrict’s carbon footprint, and perhaps most important, provide consistent lighting throughout the buildings.The changeover at the elementary schools was completed this summer, and the changeover at the middle andthe high schools will take place throughout the year and into next summer. In addition, all cafeteria univentsand ductwork were cleaned and inspected, and this fall all uninvents will be replaced and converted from allpneumatic controls to computer controls.

HORACE GREELEY HIGH SCHOOLThe Ed Center and Greeley entry was re-constructed to ease traffic into the campus. It is now three lanes wideand shifts by the Senior Lot from 1 lane in/2 lanes out, to 2 lanes in/1 lane out. There also are new, additionalspeedbumps to ensure pedestrian safety, particularly for seniors walking to the main buildings. Some landscapingwork will continue and the District will assess the need for any additional trees/shrubs as necessary. While thisentryway work was being done, ConEdison was able to run a new gas line from Roaring Brook Road to the HighSchool. This will allow the building’s dual-fuel boilers to operate on either natural gas or oil, whichever is lessexpensive at the time. The final piece of the entry project--a traffic light at the intersection of Roaring Brook Roadby the Education Center--will be completed next summer.The Competition Field turf and track projects were completed this summer. The only item remaining is to linethe renovated track surface. Also in this area, renovations to the concession stand (including a new patio area) aswell as improvements to the observatory were completed, and bathrooms will be installed this fall, along with newcomputer controls for the tennis court lights.In the auditorium, the floor was stripped, the stage was painted, new seats andcarpet were installed, and upgrades were made to the house lights, riggingsystem and stage lights.Another project done with in-house staff was the renovations to the guidancedepartment; a new college area and outside patio were constructed. Nextsummer, it is anticipated that the reception area will be redesigned to make thearea more inviting.

ROBERT E. BELL MIDDLE SCHOOLThe south parking lot was repaved and new curbs were installed. One sectionof the back roof was replaced, the building’s cupola was repaired and restored,and the roof of the porte-cochère also was replaced. Inside, the courtyard wasrenovated, improvements were made to the Bell Learning Lab, and the backgym ceiling was painted before the gym floors were sanded and refinished.

SEVEN BRIDGES MIDDLE SCHOOLThe Upper Commons was converted into an innovative learning center, andboth the lower and upper field received sprinkler system upgrades including theaddition of computerized controls. Routine painting and floor stripping andrefinishing took place along with tree trimming/dead tree removal and gymfloor resurfacing, which were completed by in-house personnel.

DOUGLAS GRAFFLIN / ROARING BROOK / WESTORCHARD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLSThe three elementary schools saw routine work including classroom and hallway painting, replacing stair treads,floor stripping and refinishing, ceiling tile replacement, parking lot line painting, dead tree removal, and thescreening and refinishing of gym floors. Also, playground areas were resurfaced and new playground equipmentpurchased by the PTAs will be installed.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~Remaining projects that are part of the 2016 Capital Improvements Bond are in various stages of the biddingand/or NYSED review/approval process. Here is an updated time line as to when projects are anticipated to becompleted.

Estimated Completion Date: June 2018Global Learning Centers at all elementary schoolsThe library/computer lab space at each elementary school will be repurposed into 21st-century libraries withwork spaces intentionally designed to address how students learn and collaborate in today’s world. Flexibleand adaptable spaces will support varied instructional techniques, promote student collaboration and research,and enhance virtual and face-to-face communication. These centers will have spaces where students can workin individualized research stations or collaborate in either open areas, smaller breakout rooms, and outdoorinstructional spaces (elementary schools only).

Estimated Completion Date: August 2018Side Field at Bell Middle School / C Field at Horace Greeley High SchoolThe C Field at Greeley will be an environmentally-friendly turf field with lights, and the Bell field will remainnatural grass and receive drainage and sodding improvements along with the addition of a walking path. Bothfields should be ready in time for the start of the Fall 2018 sports season on August 13, 2018.

Estimated Completion Date: October 2018STEAM Learning Center at BS, SB and HGSTEAM (science-technology-engineering-art-math) learning centers typically include a design studio and labsfor fabrication, robotics, and 3D modeling and printing. Students across grade levels will participate in multi-disciplinary project-based learning allowing them to explore, prototype, sketch designs, create and test products,and present and reflect on their work leading to a deeper understanding of academic content.HG Global Learning CenterHG STEAM Learning CenterHG Instructional Center (Phase 1)Instructional centers are deliberately designed learning environments that promote the development of criticalskills and will feature new, larger flexible environments containing both classroom spaces and common areasthat are designed to allow for multi-disciplinary project-based learning across all subjects, from the humanitiesto the sciences.Chappaqua Public LibraryThe Chappaqua Public Library site opened in 1978 and not much has changed structurally since. The Bond sup-ported the community’s public library and its Master Plan by providing an adult quiet area, expanded children’sarea, meeting/study rooms, enclosed teen zone, café, more instructional space, and family bathrooms.

Estimated Completion Date: October 2019HG Instructional Center (Phase 2)

Students meet with a representativefrom Johns Hopkins University

Lunch lines move faster as more students prepay for meals

Tired of deciding what to make for lunch, searching for lunch money or never getting back any change? Consideropening a prepaid school meal account.Through mySchoolBucks.com, parents have a fast, convenient and secure wayto create an account and add money, check their child’s account balance, receive a low balance email alert, andmonitor what items have been purchased at school.Please click HERE for more information or to open an account.

2 minute video on the CCSD Elementary SchoolLunch Program.

Click HERE for the Food Services Webpage.

Students advocate to allow bus drivers to administer epinephrine

On Tuesday, October 10, the Town of New Castle honored a group of incredible students (and their parents) whowent to Albany and lobbied for new legislation that allows school bus drivers across New York State to administerepinephrine to a child having a severe allergic reaction.Teachers and other school personnel are already allowed to administer epinephrine to students, but up until now,bus drivers were not included since many school district contract with independent companies.“This legislation was sponsored by Senator Terrence Murphy and Assemblyman David Buchwald, and will ensurethat children, especially those who are very young, have additional adults that will be able to intervene should achild experience a reaction or anaphylaxis while on a school bus,” said Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein.The children also received proclamations from Senator Murphy, Assemblyman Buchwald and the Town of NewCastle.At a September 13 press conference held at Grafflin, School Superintendent Christine Ackerman commented,“This extraordinary effort by parents, their children, Senator Murphy and Assemblyman Buchwald will notonly shape student’s experiences in our district, but in schools throughout the state as well. Because of theirdetermination, we will be able to provide an environment that is more safe and nurturing for our students.”

In Albany At Town HallOn The News

ICYMI -- Ty Sells: Creating Connections that Count

Thanks to a partnership between New Castle UnitedFor Youth and the District, motivational speaker andyouth leadership and prevention specialist Ty Sells metwith students in grades 8-12 to talk about the power ofacceptance and creating connections that count.Then, on October 2, over 50 parents were in attendanceto learn the importance of building positive connec-tions with students so that they feel safe, secure, lovedand accepted. They also heard how these connectionscan help adolescents have a sense of purpose andmeaning in life and can reduce the likelihood that theywill engage in unhealthy, misguided or risky behaviors.

(Password = NCUFY)

This year’s goal is $35,000Click HERE to Donate!

Turn your purchases into renewable energy

Money For Schools ProgramLast year was a great year for the Green Committee’s Money for Schools program, which generated additionalrevenue for the District.These funds will be used for energy saving initiatives, with the Green Committee choosing to pursue projects suchas wind turbines and LED parking lot lighting.With this in mind, we are reminding the Chappaqua community of four different ways to turn purchases intorenewable energy sources for the Chappaqua Central School District.

1) Box Tops For Education:Clip and periodically deposit box tops in collection boxes located in all 6 schools, the SeniorCenter, Town Hall, and the Chappaqua Library. (It helps if the box tops are clipped and packagedin groups of 50.) Please visit www.boxtops4education.com for a complete list of products, a list ofparticipating stores so you can earn cash for our schools when you shop at their websites,and monthly bonus offers to earn a little extra for Chappaqua schools.2) Amazon Smile:When shopping Amazon.com, simply sign in at www.smile.amazon.com instead and selectChappaqua Central School District. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of eligibleAmazonSmile purchases to the District. Remember, you will need to enter the smile.amazon.com site, rather than using www.amazon.com.3) Shop Rite:Link you Price Plus courtesy card and automatically generate box top revenue.(Box Tops is a K-8 program so Greeley isn’t shown.)4) Stop and Shop:Link your courtesy card to their A+ School Rewards program and assign one of the 6 schools. If you are aPeapod shopper, that counts, too!

For more information, please visit www.ccsd.ws/sustainabilityor contact Lucille Rossi at lrossicomm@gmail.com.

One of the latest innovations in renewable energy are solar-poweredumbrella charging stations. Completely funded by the Money ForSchools Program, a set of four umbrellas were recently installed in theoutdoor learning area and courtyard at Horace Greeley High School.