Welcome to Siwanoy School. Here you will find information about us as a learning community, including academics, expectations and procedures, school calendars, newsletters, and much more!
Sincerely,
Susan
WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL
From the Principal
The steamy, hot and humid summer we have had plays tricks on the mind and we think the summer will go on and on! However, the shortening days, the turn of the calendar and the Back-to-School flyers and posters filling mailboxes and store fronts remind us that the cool days and changing leaves that signal the start to a new school year are coming soon. The first day of school is just around the corner.
My summer was filled with family and friends, plus time spent with grandchildren and, therefore, filled with delight. As I think about the new school year about to unfold, I think about our children. About their education. About the relationships we will forge, and the partnerships we will create with you in the service of their education. This summer I saw a movie that inspired me deeply, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” about Fred Rogers and his long running show, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood on Children’s Television Network. I am reminded of some of his messages that make this a beautiful day in our neighborhood.
The Neighborhood.
Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood is a place where everyone is welcome, everyone is unique, and everyone is considered. Siwanoy is a small neighborhood school. Our school community is our neighborhood. We nurture it, informed by our commitment that everyone is welcome and everyone belongs. Siwanoy’s PTA, Site Based Council, and Diversity Committee are active parent/staff groups that carry on this work. During the school day we nurture our neighborhood through our classroom teaching, our Town Meetings, and through our student government. It is the partnerships we form with each of you that allow us to create this neighborhood. Please know that we want to hear from you, both when things are going well or when there is work to be done.
Look for the helpers. Mr. Rogers’ mother told him that when things weren’t going right he should look for the helpers, there would always be helpers. Our goal is for each Siwanoy student to have at least one trusted adult, someone at school whom they trust to share their worries, questions, or problems. I know that many children will wait until being tucked in at night to share, with a parent, their concerns. While it is always better to address issues when they happen, please let us know if your child has shared something that we need to address. Help your child identify their helpers at school. A neighborhood can have disagreements. There will always be conflict when there is a diverse group of people, in close quarters, with different opinions, and different ways of approaching life.
Accept and expect mistakes. “The most important learning is the ability to accept and expect mistakes, and to deal with the disappointments that they bring." You may have heard the research by Carol Dweck on growth and fixed mindsets. Teaching our children that learning comes with failure is critical to their academic, social, and emotional growth. We, the adults in their lives, will be there to take care of the hurt and the disappointments. These are huge growth opportunities.
What do you do with the mad that you feel? Mr. Rogers treated children as fully formed humans capable of the full range of human emotions. He said, ”Children have very deep feelings just the way parents do, just the way everybody does, and our striving to understand those feelings and to better respond to them is what I feel is the most important task in our world.” Pelham’s Strategic Plan’s third pillar is to “foster the social and emotional development of all students to...support every learner’s growth and success.” Mr. Rogers clearly recognized that children have feelings that need to be heard, that need an outlet, and the children need tools for problem solving. At Siwanoy, our teachers, our support staff, and I continue to strive to understand each child, to listen in a way that helps them talk and work through the issues that concern them at any moment. Children learn best when their social and emotional needs are met.
Be kind. Mr. Rogers believes this is at the heart of how we treat each other. At Siwanoy, we instil in our students the principle of “choosing kind.” It may be the most important message of all.
The last verse of Won’t You Be My Neighbor begins “Let’s make the most of this beautiful day.”
Well, let’s make the most of this beautiful year. Happy 2018/2019!
Sincerely, Susan
Over the course of Thursday and Friday, November 8 and 9, Siwanoy students got a chance to experiment aboard the BioBus parked in the back of the school. On board the bus and guided by scientists, students got to experiment with different kinds of microscopes and make notes about their observations. On one side of the bus, students observed Daphnia, a living microscopic crustacean, making note of its characteristics and hypothesizing different functions of its organs and cells. On the other side, students used a digital microscope to take a close look at their hands, hair, shirt sleeves, etc. as well as insects and other items. In doing so, the students saw things that are not visible to the naked eye, such as fine hairs on their arms, different shades of color in their air, and patterns in the fabric of their clothing.
See more pictures on the Pelham School District Facebook Page.
#WHYITEACH
The Board of Education's 21st Century Oversight Committee will meet at 1 pm on Monday, November 19, 2018 in Room 013 of Pelham Memorial High School, 575 Colonial Avenue, Pelham, NY 10803.
The District's 21st Century and Professional Learning Committee will meet at 10 am on Monday, November 19, 2018 in Room 013 of Pelham Memorial High School, 575 Colonial Avenue, Pelham, NY 10803.
The Board of Education will meet at 8:15 pm on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 in the Pelham Middle School Library, 28 Franklin Place, Pelham, NY 10803.
Prior to the public meeting, the Board is expected to meet in executive session for board development at 5:00 pm in room 105E of Pelham Memorial High School, 575 Colonial Avenue, Pelham, NY 10803.
At the regular business portion of the meeting the Board is expected to receive updates on the Every Student Succeeds Act and the new school accountability report card.
In addition to Dr. Champ's Superintendent's report, the agenda may include updates from each School Board committee, as well as reports on 21st Century Learning and Professional Development, Networks of Support and Social-Emotional Development, and Finances and Facilities.
The full agenda will be available for viewing 24 hours before the meeting.
Congratulations to Dr. Steven Garcia, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Personnel who was recently named the recipient of the National Network for Early Language Learning Award for Outstanding Support of Early Second Language Learning. Please read more about Dr. Garcia's Award.
The Pelham Board of Education approved a resolution advocating for fair treatment of contributions in support of public education under IRS regulations while also joining a consortium of other school districts and municipalities sharing that opinion. Read more.
The Board of Education recently sent a letter to the New York State Department of Transportation and elected officials opposing the proposed site of a telecommunications tower across the street from Ingalls Field. Please read the letter for more information.
Dear residents
Please be advised that the Pelham Union Free School District has been granted a waiver for temporary employment Susan E. Lockhart as Interim Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services under Section 211 of Retirement and Social Security Law and section 80-5.5 of Commissioner's Regulations from June 28, 2018 to December 31, 2018. Mrs. Lockhart will be paid on a per diem basis during her employment with the District and will continue to receive her New York State pension during this time.
We are pleased to announce the appointments of Susan Lockhart as Interim Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services and Sean Llewellyn as Interim Assistant Principal of Pelham Middle School.
Please read Dr. Champ's letter announcing their appointments and join us in welcoming them into their respective new roles!
Please sign up for email blasts from the Pelham Public Schools to learn more about District events, the upcoming bond referendum and important announcements.
Click Here for Meeting Agendas.
Click Here for Meetings Live online or watch on Cablevision 77 and FiOS 42.
Click Here for Archived Board Meetings and Other Events.
Please read this important info about the flu.
Attention teachers and students: A new way to access your network files from home using FILR - View
The Pick A Time Parent / Teacher Conference Scheduler will open on Wednesday, November 14th @ 8:30 pm, and close on Tuesday, November 27th @ 8 am. Follow this link, or copy and paste it into a new browser window to access Pick A Time (not before 8:30 pm November 14th): https://pickatime.com/
Check out the 2016-17 class supply lists!
Reminder: All snacks (not lunches) need to be peanut and tree nut free (This includes Nutella)
Welcome to Whitsons, the new food service provider for the Pelham Schools. Read about their goals, sign up for online payment, and more. View
8:15 pm, MS Library
8:15 am - 12 pm and 1 pm - 3 pm
8:45 am, HS Library
Siwanoy Spotlight: The Student News Site of Siwanoy School
