Irvington Union Free School District

Irvington Middle School students reunited with classmates, friends and teachers on April 12 the first day of full in-person attendance for all middle schoolers. Equipped with welcome back signs and balloons and donning their white and green attire, staff members enthusiastically greeted the students as they arrived on campus. Throughout the week, sixth through eighth graders will participate in mindfulness and social-emotional activities to reflect on their feelings and focus on breathing, movement and laughter. To ensure the health and safety of all, students and staff will continue to observe the recommended protocols, including mandatory mask wearing, hand-washing, sanitizing and physical distancing.

Updated International Travel Guidelines, Effective April 13, 2021 On April 1, 2021, the District advised the school community that New York State was no longer requiring quarantine for domestic travel if asymptomatic. Just this weekend, the state updated its travel guidelines for international travel. Below, please find the current New York State International Travel Guidelines: CDC and NYS recommends delaying international travel until the traveler is fully vaccinated.... International travelers must comply with CDC requirements (https://www.cdc.gov//testing-international-air-travelers.h), which currently include proof of negative test or recent COVID recovery in order to board airplanes headed to the US. Travelers must complete the NYS Department of Health traveler health form (https://forms.ny.gov//Welcome-to-New-York-State-Traveler-H). Currently the CDC does not require quarantine, work furlough, or testing requirements for asymptomatic international travelers. New York follows that recommendation with the following exceptions: Fully vaccinated individuals who have not recovered from COVID-19 in the past 3 months are recommended to get tested 3-5 days after arrival in New York from international travel. All unvaccinated international travelers who have not recovered from COVID-19 in the past 3 months are recommended to get tested 3-5 days after arrival in New York, consider non-mandated self-quarantine (7 days if tested on day 3-5, otherwise 10 days), and avoid contact with people at higher risk for severe disease for 14 days, regardless of test result." As always, before travel the District encourages the school community to check the NYS Travel Guidelines (https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory) to determine how your travels may impact a student’s ability to return to school. Should you have questions please feel free to contact the Department of Health.

COVID-19 Surveillance Testing This morning, the Irvington UFSD facilitated its first round of COVID-19 surveillance testing; wherein, just shy of 5% of those learning on site participated. The District is pleased to report that there were no cases of COVID-19 detected. The District extends its appreciation to the school community members who participated in today's testing.

More than 40 families participated in lively discussions about books during Main Street School’s Parent-Child Book Club, held virtually on March 25. Library media specialist Gayle Pulley and a team of parents selected the age-appropriate books for the fourth and fifth graders while the PTSA provided each family with a free copy of their chosen book. Families had a choice of reading one of five novels that included The Best Man by Richard Peck, Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu..., Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly, From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks and Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson. In addition to Pulley, a group of parents volunteered to help out as facilitators for the book discussions in each of the groups. Thank you to the PTSA for their continued support of the Parent-Child Book Club, Pulley said. We also couldn’t have this large book club without the wonderful efforts of our parent facilitators.

Seventeen members of Irvington High School’s Science Research program each earned an award at the prestigious Westchester Science & Engineering Fair (WESEF), held virtually. The fair featured 564 students from 42 schools across Putnam and Westchester counties. We are extremely proud and impressed with all our students, said Nadia Parikka, who co-advises the program along with fellow teachers Amy Ma and Stephanie Schilling. This is the first year that every student from Ir...vington who competed won an award, Schilling said. This truly speaks to their hard work and determination, especially in such a challenging year. Congratulations to the following students on earning WESEF awards for Best in Category: Brooke Dunefsky first place in Engineering. Katharine McLaughlin first place in Plant Sciences. Isabella Berger second place in Animal Science. Allison Lyubomirskaya second place in Plant Sciences. Pearl Chalsen second place in Medicine and Health. Lara Greene third place in Behavioral and Social Sciences. Camryn Scott third place in Medicine and Health. Reinesse Wong third place in Plant Sciences. Eesha Thaker fourth place in Computer Science. Esha Shenoy fourth place in Medicine and Health. Alex Bjorgvinsson fourth place in Physics and Astronomy. Congratulations to the following students on earning specialty awards: Aviv Markus American Meteorological Society Award and Stockholm Junior Water Prize for Environmental Science. Henry Demarest Mu Alpha Theta Award for Computer Science. Reinesse Wong Society for In Vitro Biology Award for Plant Sciences. Brooke Dunefsky Yale Science and Engineering Association Award for Engineering. Emelyn Juenger Innovations in Biological Sciences Research Award for Neuroscience. Madeline Monness Excellence in Medical Research Award for Medicine and Health. Anshuman Das Expanding Knowledge in Science Award for Neuroscience. Katharine McLaughlin Office of Naval Research for Plant Sciences. Isabella Berger Teatown Young Environmentalist Award for Animal Science. Sofia Perrone Teatown Young Environmentalist Award for Environmental Science. In addition, Dunefsky earned a Grand Prize in Engineering for her project. She was one of 15 students whose projects were selected to participate in the virtual GENIUS Olympiad, an international competition at Rochester Institute of Technology. At the GENIUS Olympiad, WESEF students typically compete against 1,200 students from 75 countries and 39 states. Also earning a Grand Prize in the competition was Demarest, who was named as a Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) finalist. He was one of the top 20 overall scoring students whose projects were selected to compete in the virtual Regeneron International Science & Engineer-ing Fair from May 3-6. He will compete against more than 1,800 students from more than 75 countries.

Important Irvington UFSD Phone Communication We are aware that some mobile service carriers flag phone calls from the Irvington UFSD main phone number, 914-591-8500 as potential spam despite school attempts to whitelist the number. Depending on settings and the type of phone you have, your phone may actually silence these potentially urgent calls and you will never know that a call was made to you. Calls made for an emergency, weather-related delays or closings, and calls ...from administrators, teachers and other staff generally show up on caller ID as 914 591-8500, which is the District’s main number. While the District’s telephone service provider works with cell carriers to resolve this issue, we suggest that you add 914-591-8500 to the contacts list on your cell phone so you can receive all calls made to you from an Irvington UFSD phone.

Dows Lane Elementary School kindergartners created structures out of Legos after they selected their own activity during choice time. The hands-on activities and exploration allowed students independence and some control in their learning. Students in all seven kindergarten classes have the choice to select the materials, inquiry and focus of their work, as well as build, cut, glue and create things during the week.

Dows Lane Elementary School kindergartners in teacher Laura Lane’s classroom had pure fun in their literacy unit. The students used shaving cream to write letters and learn sounds.

Third graders have been learning about engineering in Project Lead the Way teacher Gwenn Carney’s class. The students recently created wedges with individualized materials and focused on their math, thinking and planning skills.

Catch up on this weeks Irvington School news. Irvington PRIDE!

First graders in teachers Corinne Daniels and Julie Giacomantonio’s class worked on their math skills, snowmen art and craft skills. They created their own paper snowman to solidify their addition and subtraction knowledge in math.

Main Street School has been awarded the inaugural Super Ambassador School award and plaque from the Be A Friend Project. The school was recognized for its longtime, schoolwide dedication of administrators, staff and students as ambassadors in support of victims of bullying and its commitment to prioritizing kindness in education. Under the leadership of Principal Joyce Chapnick, fourth and fifth graders at Main Street School have been participating in Be A Friend Project’s F...riend Mail, which brings peer support to young victims of bullying through deliveries of letters of hope, since 2017. In addition, for three consecutive years, the students have selected the Be A Friend Project as a recipient of their national antibullying month fundraising. While the program has awarded schools nationally with Super Ambassador Certificates, the award represents an extraordinary status for Main Street School from 2021 in perpetuity.

Seventy-two accomplished Irvington High School juniors and seniors were recently inducted as members of the National Honor Society. They were selected for demonstrating a commitment to the attributes to which the National Honor Society subscribes, which are scholarship, character, service and leadership. Adviser Diana Cassidy reflected on how proud she was of the chapter and the students’ compassion, honesty and kindness. She encouraged all members to continue to strive to be... role models in everything they do. The new members started participating in the chapter in December, after receiving their certificates. The 2020 NHS inductees are Chloe Banino, Maria Teresa Bazdekis, Marta Bazdekis, Amanda Berg, Sydney Birkhahn, Eadin M. Block, Oscar Bowring, Isaiah Boyles, Marco Buglione, Andi Bushati, John Carron, James Cecere, Joshua Chang, Mary Cuff, Jack Cusick, Andrew D’Aiello, Tess Davidowitz, Alexandra Downes, Brooke Dunefsky, Thomas Flanagan, Dor Frechter, Walter Fried, Kira Gabriel, Sara Gavagan, Masaki Goda, Rudolf Gouchoe, Edward Hanlon, Danielle Heller, Aliya Huprikar, Lucas Jacoby, Karli Johnn, Emelyn Juenger, Jack Kerner, Melissa Kim, Susan Kostelny Nunez, Emily Krzemienski, Anosuya Kundu, Ariel Lau, Katherine LeBuhn, Alexander Lee, Samantha Levin, Zachary Levitan, Jack Lobel, Liam Lyons, Allison Lyubomirskaya, Eliav Malone, Aviv Markus, Ella Marly Rimland, Iain McGiffin, Kevin McLaughlin, Mitchell Milun, Ryder Mollo, Sydney Monness, Jake Ourman, Justin Rodnick, Sophie Rofé, Alicia Sang, Liam Sawian, Milo Schutz, Max Shevrin, Michele Sivere, Yoseop Song, Danielle Stassa, Rebecca Strauss, Devin Topman, Hannah Tuckett, Connor Vincent, Eva Waguespack, Scarlett Whitney, Reinesse Wong, Antonia Zandel and Hannah Ziluck.

Irvington Virtual Halloween Party with Rooney Tunes DJ. Send your favorite Halloween photos! Saturday 10/31 7pm-8:30pm Details: http://ow.ly/boT950C3UWU

Dows Lane Elementary School first graders learned about sound waves as they created plastic cup telephones in Project Lead the Way/STEM instruction with teacher Alyssa Fisher.

Dows Lane Elementary School kindergartners got creative and decorated their own pumpkins in a fall art activity.

Main Street School students and staff logged onto their computers to observe Unity Day, the signature event of National Bullying Prevention Month, on Oct. 21. They celebrated their tight-knit school community to raise awareness for the prevention of bullying. We all wore our orange and white shirts celebrating kindness, friendship and our community, joining others around the country also wearing orange uniting together against bullying united for kindness, acceptance and i...nclusion, Principal Joyce Chapnick said. As part of the campaign, the students raised $250 for PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center and Be A Friend Project. Throughout the school year, fourth and fifth graders will participate in the Be A Friend Project, which brings peer support to young victims of bullying through deliveries of letters of hope. We strive for a kind, respectful and inclusive environment at Main Street School, Chapnick said. It is our hope that our daily efforts to embed character building, as well as our special events related to character building, will foster a positive environment in which children can learn.

Irvington UFSD Director of Physical Education, Health and Athletics John Buonamano was a special guest on Westchester Talk Radio’s The Sports Report with host John Marino. Buonamano discussed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on Irvington High School’s athletics program and provided an overview of the protocols the district has implemented to ensure a safe competitive environment for student-athletes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jg4sF7ZG-s

Dows Lane Elementary School first graders used counting strips to help them think mathematically. The individualized number strips helped foster students' confidence with addition and subtraction fluency.

Students and the PTSA at Dows Lane Elementary School created posters and gifts for our incredible custodians for National Custodian Day. We appreciate them every day, but now more than ever with their intense COVID cleaning of the building.

In recognition of National Principals Month, the Irvington Union Free School District celebrates its dedicated administrative team for providing outstanding learning experiences for every student, every day. New York State Education Department Interim Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said she is grateful to the principals for everything they do throughout the school year to help students grow and thrive. I know that principals are working tremendously hard every day to support schools, teachers and students, especially now as they rise to the challenge of providing a high-quality education to all students during the pandemic, Rosa said. I am inspired by the resilience that all educators have shown, despite the many challenges they face. We are so lucky to have such dedicated school leaders here in New York State.

Irvington High School science teacher Michele Dunne has been selected as a University of Chicago Outstanding Educator. The award recognizes excellence in teaching and honors educators who are exceptional in their field and serve as role models for students. Ms. Dunne is a dedicated teacher who challenges students to work hard, think critically and dream big for themselves as learners, Principal Juliet Gevargis-Mizimakoski said. She facilitates opportunities for students t...o work collaboratively, test their hypothesis and make connections to the world beyond the classroom. Dunne was nominated for the award by a former student who was accepted into the University of Chicago, Class of 2024. She was described as a caring teacher who is loved by her students and prepares them well for college. According to the awards program, each year, newly admitted University of Chicago students may, after reflecting on their time in high school, nominate an educator who played a significant role in their education, made a positive impact on their lives and whose influence has brought them to where they are today. The award program has existed for more than three decades. All award winners receive a commemorative award, certificate and letter that includes details from the student they were nominated by. Dunne was recognized during a virtual event celebrating this year’s winners on Oct. 21.

The Irvington Board of Education has declared the week of Oct. 19-23 as Irvington Schools Employee Recognition Week in honor of all faculty and staff for their tireless dedication to their students and school community. Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kristopher Harrison said the Board is traditionally recognized for its commitment to the school district during the annual School Board Recognition Week, which is designated by the New York State School Boards Association, but Bo...ard members wanted to extend their gratitude toward district employees. The Board made the declaration of during its Oct. 20 meeting. The Irvington Union Free School Board acknowledges that while public school employees deserve recognition for their commitment to public-school children year-round these unprecedented times require additional acknowledgement and appreciation for the invaluable work and daily efforts of all those who work within our schools to make sure all children succeed, the resolution read in part. Board members recognized that the district has been able to reopen and maintain the reopening of its schools for in-person and remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic thanks to the hard work, enthusiasm and dedication of district employees. These essential employees all working together to support IUFSD public schools are committed to serving their school communities and are essential to the critical functions of the village, county, state and nation during the pandemic despite the rapid intensification of the daily lives of all working to support IUFSD public schools, the resolution read. We honor IUFSD employees in every role and at every level for their dedication to promoting the success of our children and our community. In addition, the Board was recognized for its commitment to the district by Dr. Harrison, Mayor Brian Smith, Irvington Faculty Association president James Groven, IAA president David Sottile, PTSA president Delina Codey and Irvington Education Foundation president Neerja Patel. Thank you for all you have done for our school community and that which you will continue to do over the balance of the school year, Dr. Harrison said. Our Board, like our staff and the parent community, goes above and beyond and will always be sure to provide the best for our students.

Main Street School Community Health Notice October 21, 2020 Dear Main Street School Community,... Today, we learned that a member of the Main Street School community tested positive for COVID-19. Following a careful review of all facts associated with the individual, including health, testing dates and attendance at MSS, with both the Westchester County Department of Health (WCDOH) and the IUFSD School Physician, it has been determined that the chronology of this individual’s contagious period does not have an impact on other members of the Main Street School community. In making this determination, all applicable New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines were followed. Therefore, Main Street School will remain open and will follow its established school schedule. However, the individual who tested positive will be isolated for the appropriate period of time. While it is understandable that parents and staff members may wish to receive more information about this matter, due to privacy requirements, we are unable to provide any further information at this time. Should you have any questions regarding your personal health or that of your child, please contact your family physician. As always, let’s continue to be reminded of the proven methods of protecting your health and that of others: wear a face mask, social distance and wash or sanitize your hands regularly. Additionally, stay home when displaying COVID-like symptoms, which are listed in the Daily Health Screening Questionnaire that you complete each morning. Thank you for your partnership in helping to ensure the health and safety of the Irvington community. Take good care, Dr. Kristopher Harrison Superintendent of Schools

Dows Lane Elementary School kindergartners have been working on their literacy and math skills in teacher Izabela Swiecka’s class. They practiced holding a book with care and kindly turning its pages. They also discussed the book’s characters and setting and identified the beginning and end of a story, using picture cues and visualizing. During their math lessons, the students learned about patterns before creating their own colorful collages. As a conclusion to the project, they described what colors they used and counted how many different shapes they incorporated into their designs.