Friday Update 11/17/2023

Dear Siwanoy Families,

This next week, as we head into the Thanksgiving holiday, I just want to take a moment to tell you how grateful I am for all of you. I know that I have said this before, but I feel like I am the luckiest person on the planet to have the opportunity to work with your children every day and to be supported by all of you in every way. Thank you.

Evacuation Drill on Wednesday November 22nd at Noon

We will be hosting our evacuation/ staging drill on Wednesday, November 22nd. We will NOT have lunch at school on that day. We will evacuate the building and then teachers and children will go to their regular dismissal spots. We will see you for 12:00pm pick up on Wednesday, November 22nd.

Comfy Cozy Day - 11/22

Please have your children come to school in gear that is the most comfortable and cozy to them! Pajamas, sweats, etc. are all welcome!

Veteran's Day celebrations

This past week we had some special visits from some of our local veterans and heroes. Our third grade class wrote letters to thank all of the veterans that they could. We heard from one veteran who was so touched by the letter that he received, he felt inspired to call and ask how he could respond to some of the students' questions. So sweet.

Parent/Teacher conferences

Our parent/ teacher conferences are scheduled for the evening of November 30th and during the day on December 1st. All parents will receive information from their child’s teacher on November 20th about scheduling your parent/ teacher conference. Please note that conferences will be 15 minutes in length, and families can choose whether the conference is in-person or virtual. It is also important to note that in the past, conferences were held after the first Trimester report card was posted to the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. This year, conferences will take place prior to report cards being posted to the portal. This adjustment was made to balance out the length of each trimester and allow conferences to be a holistic discussion about our students' progress prior to report cards being released. If you would like to have a conversation with any of your children's' specials teachers, please reach out to them directly.

Keith Maley, physical education, kmaley@pelhamschools.org

Marcia Bean, orchestra, mbean@pelhamschools.org

Emlyn Taveras, art, etaveras@pelhamschools.org

Rami Vamos, music, rvamos@pelhamschools.org

Andrew Dolgon, band, adolgon@pelhamschools.org

Christina Lavin, FLES, clavin@pelhamschools.org

Lauren Gobbo, FLES, lgobbo@pelhamschools.org

Anne Sullivan, library, asullivan@pelhamschools.org

Report Cards

The portal will be open to parents for first term report cards on December 14, 2023. Parent/Teacher conferences will be on November 30th in the evening and all day on December 1st. Please note that since report cards are coming out 3 weeks after conferences, you will receive progress information on the conference day. If you have questions about how your child may do on the upcoming report card based on their progress, please ask them during your conference time with your teacher. Scores on the report card should not be a surprise and our teachers are ready to answer any questions you may have during conferences.

Socktober at Siwanoy still going strong through thanksgiving week

Every night in the United States an estimated 600,000 people live on the streets. Socks are the MOST requested and LEAST donated item. We want to join forces to prove that even the smallest acts of love and kindness, like donating a new pair of socks, can make a BIG difference in the lives of our neighbors in need. Please donate a NEW pair of socks and place it in the bin in the upstairs hallway. Donations gratefully accepted through thanksgiving week.

Siwanoy Socktober

Coat Drive starting the week after thanksgiving

Right after thanksgiving break, our 4th grade classes will be spear heading a winter coat drive from November 27-December 8th. This is another amazing project created by our site based "Siwanoy serves" initiative. We will have collection bins set up on our main floors for gently used or new winter coats, new hats, new gloves in sizes Infant - Teen XXL. (We respectfully request that you wash all used coats before donating). Thank you, in advance, for your kindness and generosity.

Our next Siwanoy University - December 11th

I am happy to announce that Siwanoy University has been abuzz around the community. Our next topic will be about the MTSS process (Multi-Tiered Systems of Support). Ms. Asfendis (our MTSS chair and special education teacher) and myself will give you an overview of the process, it's origins that are based in the framework of response to intervention, and how it relates to how instruction. If interested, please sign up and mark of if you will need child care for the event. Child care will be provided through the PTA and Playful Wonders. This is a large part of our instructional process, so I hope to see you there! MTSS Sign Up

5th grade moving up ceremony - June 17th

Our 5th grade moving up ceremony will be on June 17 at 4pm. Mark your calendars. It will be here before you know it.

Word of the Month - Appreciation

To appreciate means to recognize the good qualities of someone or something. We can show appreciation for many things in our lives, including family, friends, health, and opportunities and experiences. Being appreciative also means being grateful and thankful.  Once again, we are incredibly grateful to our fearless bulletin board brigade. Pictured here Fabiana Fusco, Cristina Chianese and Danielle Ganpat. What would we do without you?

Upcoming dates:

11/20 - Day 2

11/21 - Day 3

11/22 - Day 4 - NOON DISMISSAL

11/23 & 11/24 - No School

When it comes to families, we got the best of the bunch. Happy Thanksgiving!

Farid Johnson

Principal, Siwanoy School

#everydayabetteryou