Friday Update 2/3/2023

Dear Siwanoy Families,

Well another busy week is in the books. Our orchestra and band recitals were a big hit, winter lunchtime enrichment kicked into full gear and our teachers were able to catch up on some well needed grade level meetings at the professional development-1pm dismissal this past Wednesday. Thank you, as usual, for all of your support. We really appreciate it.

Student Government

Our Student Government hosted a "Wear Red for Heart Health" day today. Our Executive Board, including Anna Albarella, Miles Parker and Berry Seymour (pictured) ran some fun exercises over the loud speaker that we all did together right before lunch. These included arm circles, running in place and lunges. The perfect way to gear up for lunch and recess!

Celebration of Black History Month

Did you know that February is Black History month? This week we learned about Amanda Gorman, Katherine Johnson and Althea Neale Gibson. What legends!

Story Hour Celebrating Black Authors on Tuesday, February 7th

Pelham Public Schools is excited to participate in the National African American Read-In (AARI) campaign as part of the District’s celebration of Black History Month. Through this initiative, spearheaded by the National Council of Teachers of English, students will read the works of Black authors through read-alouds and read-ins featuring invited guest readers, including school administrators, older students and more. Dr. Champ, Dr. Thompson and Dr. Bowman all took the time out of their busy schedules to come and read "I Promise" by LeBron James to some of our students. They loved it and were happy to talk about their own promises. One included the promise to be as patient as possible on her long ride out to NJ for the weekend. The celebration will culminate in a community Story Hour event Celebrating Black Authors at 3:30pm on Tuesday, February 7 at Pelham Middle School at which middle and high school students will read to elementary students. Please register for the event here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePk0I3x3y5Glj-6Y9FHEND7c3ACUJYBNZHcNSZP1qDYZy35A/viewform

Siwanoy's Read-A-Thon is winding down

Our read-a-thon has raised over $26,000. Wow. I love how much Siwanoy loves to read. Thank you so much for your continued generosity.

Curricular Chess Program Q&A on Sunday, February 5th

This Sunday, there will be a parent Q&A session with instructor Mike Ellenbogen about Siwanoy's curricular chess program. Here are the details: Feb.5 @6:30pm (via Zoom). Recording will be made available afterwards.

Join Zoom meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82530328100

Meeting ID: 825 3032 8100

One tap mobile

+16465588656,,82530328100# US (New York)

+16469313860,,82530328100# US

Safety Reminder

Please drive safely. Especially with the colder weather upon us. Roads and sidewalks can get slippery. We really appreciate your attention in this matter.

CultureFest Planning Committee

We are looking for volunteers to join the 2023 CultureFest planning committee! We had our first CultureFest last June and it was a smashing success! We are hoping that we can build on last years momentum to make this year's event even better. CultureFest is an event of food, dance, music and art that celebrates the rich tapestry of families and cultures that make up our Siwanoy community. If you would like to help plan in any way (big or small), please reach out to siwanoydiversity@gmail.com. (CultureFest Date: Thursday, May 4 from 5pm-7pm. More details to come!)

Punxsutawney Phil or Staten Island Chuck?

Well, we were hoping for some weather guidance from our local groundhogs on groundhog day but Punxsutawney Phil predicts six more weeks of winter and Staten Island Chuck says spring is coming. My money's on Chuck. Ms. McGreal is betting on Phil. Let's see who predicts correctly this year...

Siwanoy Dance on Thursday, February 9th

We are excited to announce our first school-wide dance at Siwanoy! It will be on Thursday, February 9th. Due to capacity limits in the gym, we are splitting the grades as follows:

4:00pm-6:00pm - Grades K-2

6:30pm-8:30pm - Grades 3-5

Siwanoy Dads Club upcoming events

The Siwanoy Dads club is gearing up for their annual ski takeover on February 11th. Reserve at: https://siwanoy-at-thunder-ridge.cheddarup.com

Building Bridges program starts May 8th

Please see the link below about additional information on Building Bridges and on how to get involved.

Building Bridges Program

Upcoming dates:

2/6 - Day 5

2/7 - Day 6 AARI Story Hour @ PMS

2/8 - Day 1 Town Hall

2/9 - Day 2 Town Hall/Siwanoy Dance

2/10 - Day 3 Town Hall

Keep spreading the love! #everydayabetteryou

Farid Johnson

Principal, Siwanoy School