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
#WHYITEACH
The Board of Education's Bond Steering Committee will meet at 8:30 am on Friday, Oct. 19 in the library of Pelham Memorial High School, room 105E at 575 Colonial Avenue, Pelham, NY 10803.
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.
Representatives from KG&D, the District's architectural firm, presented the schematic designs of the new Hutchinson School to the Board of Education on Sept. 25. This presentation reflects approximately 30 percent of the overall design and the architects, as well as Triton Construction, which is serving as the District's construction management firm, will continue to provide the Board and community updates as the plans become more detailed. Please view the KG&D presentation slides here.
Elementary School parents are invited to attend one of two Pelham Public Schools Parent Math/Literacy Nights on Thursday, October 11 (Gr. K-2) at Siwanoy School and Thursday, October 18 (Gr. 3-5) at Colonial School. Each event will run from 7-8:15 pm. Please read more about these events or view the flyer for more information.
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.
Architect Russell Davidson of KG&D provided the Pelham Board of Education with an update on the schematic design of the planned new Hutchinson School that was approved in the 2018 capital improvement bond.
The community is also invited to a meeting on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 7:30 pm in the Hutchinson School gym at which Mr. Davidson will share information on the design and status of the new school, as well as the other projects included in the bond.
Please read more about Mr. Davidson's update and view the slides from his presentation.
The Pelham Board of Education announced on August 23 that John Brice and Vincent Mazzaro will be appointed as Trustees to fill two vacant seats on the Board. Please read more about their appointments.
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
See the attached document for the 2017-18 school supply list.
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
9 am
7 pm
Please RSVP by sending an email to jliebersohn@pelhamschools.org or bfinkelstein@pelhamschools.org
8:30 am
6 pm
8:15 pm
9 am
8:45 am, HS Library
Siwanoy Spotlight: The Student News Site of Siwanoy School
