City School District of New Rochelle

Stay Connected 
with CSDNR
In This Issue
Like us on Facebook
View our videos on YouTube
Follow us on Twitter
www.nred.org
District Sets Public Budget Sessions
The City School District of New Rochelle has set its schedule of public sessions in March, April and May to learn more about and discuss the 2019-2020 proposed school budget.

Voters will decide on the measure on May 21.

The District is eager to hear community members' priorities, which will be integral in formulating next year's spending plan. It has planned the following meetings:

March 21, 7-8:30 p.m. at NRHS - Café-style School Budget Review Session - Several stations will be staffed by administrators and other District personnel to answer residents' questions and take input. Each station will focus on a different aspect of District spending. They will be: Special Education; Social-Emotional Learning/Clinical Support; Transportation; Facilities/Transfers to Capital; New Rochelle High School - New Initiatives; Middle Schools; and Elementary Schools.

Moving from station to station, community members will be able to speak with the District administrators and other personnel who have the highest levels of expertise in each topic.

April 9, 7 p.m. at NRHS Library - Budget Summary - Highlights of What's New and Different

April 11, 7 p.m. at NRHS Library - Community Input and Discussion - Residents will have an opportunity to share their thoughts on the budget with the Board.

April 23, 7 p.m. in Linda E. Kelly Theater, NRHS - Board of Education special meeting including adoption of the budget.

May 7, 7 p.m. at NRHS Library - Public Hearing on the Proposed 2019-2020 Annual School Budget.
Deputy Chief Postal Inspector Visits Forensic Science Students
David Bowers, Deputy Chief Postal Inspector  with the law enforcement arm of the US Postal Service, came all the way from Washington D.C. to speak to New Rochelle High School forensic science students on Wednesday.

He talked with the students about the anthrax mail cases from 2001 and the 2018 mail bombs targeting such politicians as the Clintons and former President Obama as well as major media outlets.

At the US Postal Inspection Services, Bowers is responsible for the Career Development Unit, Forensic Lab and Domestic and Global Security at National Headquarters. He played a significant role in the federal government's investigation into the anthrax mailings that killed five people, including two postal employees, and injured 17 others in 2001, just one month after the 9/11 attacks. He was instrumental in helping the agency design a high-tech, rapid response to dangerous substances found in the mail.

To prepare for Bowers' visit, students had researched the anthrax cases of 2001 and the mail bombings of Cesar Sayoc in 2018. When Bowers arrived, they were able to discuss the cases with him knowledgeably and on a professional level.
Holocaust Exhibit On Display at NRHS
Through March 22
The Rho Kappa chapter of the New Rochelle High School National Social Studies Honor Society is excited to bring the Courage to Remember exhibit to the school's Library Exhibit Hall.
 
Created in Los Angeles by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, the exhibit serves as a traveling tribute to the six million Jews - and millions more - murdered by the Nazis between 1933 and 1954. Included in the exhibit is a warning that the root causes of the Holocaust persist.
 
It features 40 individual panels which unfold four major themes: Nazi Germany (1933-1938), Moving Toward the "Final Solution" (1939-1941), Annihilation in Nazi-Occupied Europe (1941-1945), and Liberation/Building New Lives.
 
The exhibit, which opened yesterday, was brought to the school with help from the students in the Honors Society and teachers Tim Orlando and John Beck.

The panels will be featured until Friday, March 22.
Sports Schedule
For upcoming New Rochelle athletic competitions, check out NewRochelleAthletics.org*

* This link connects to an outside website
Dates to Remember
Saturday, March 16: 
Theatreworks Musical, NRHS, 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 16: 
Science Research - Westchester Science and Engineering Fair at Sleepy Hollow

Monday, March 18: 
Half-day All Schools - Professional Development - Dismissal at 11:10 a.m. for elementary, 12 noon for secondary schools

Monday, March 18: 
SEPTA General Meeting, New Rochelle Public Library, 6 p.m.

Monday-Thursday, March 18-21: Scholastic Book Fair, Webster

Tuesday, March 19: 
PTA Meeting, Webster

Tuesday, March 19: 
PTA Meeting, IEYMS

Thursday, March 21: 
Columbus and Webster Magnet Lottery, City Hall, 9 a.m.

Friday, March 22: 
School Spirit Day, Barnard

Friday, March 22: 
PTA Bingo Night, Barnard, 6:30 p.m.

Friday-Saturday, March 22-23: 
Model Congress Weekend

Friday-Saturday, March 22-23: 
Theater production Legally Blonde Jr., ALMS, 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 23: 
Chess Tournament, Columbus, 8 a.m.
NRHS Students to Help Lead Countywide Event
CODagram
When the Westchester County Department of Community Mental Health and the harris project hold their annual CODA  (Co-Occurring Disorders Awareness) Youth Summit at the Westchester County Center in White Plains next Tuesday, New Rochelle High School students will play key leadership roles. This year's theme is CODA Youth as Voices of Change.

The executive boards of the NRHS CODA and SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) clubs have been chosen to serve as co-facilitators for the summit.

The goal of the harris project is to raise awareness and advance prevention and treatment of co-occurring disorders, which describes the combination of one or more mental health challenges with substance misuse or addiction.

"New Rochelle High School has embraced the concept of CODA since it was launched by the harris project in November of 2016," said Stephanie Marquesano, founder and president of the harris project. "The members of the CODA/SADD clubs have been true leaders in raising awareness and creating opportunities to impact outcomes for their generation and beyond. They can bring valuable information to their peers from across the county."

The clubs' co-presidents, Grace Myron and Dara DiBuono, will host the day with Marquesano.

"Being chosen to be a part of this is such an honor," DiBuono said. "This is very important to me, considering how hard we work as a group to try and make a change in our school and community."

"It really hits home for a lot of the members, and for us to be chosen to host and recognized as leaders and examples for this cause is humbling," Myron said. "We work together on change for something all of us are wholeheartedly passionate about."
Rehearsing Legally Blonde Jr.  is a "Blast" For ALMS
Show Biz Kids
The Show Biz Kids at Albert Leonard Middle School were brimming with energy in a rehearsal for their upcoming musical, Legally Blonde Jr. 

"I think people are going to have a lot of fun with the show," said eighth-grader Carly Brennan, who plays Paulette in the play. "It's really funny. It was a blast to put together."

The show is the story of Elle Woods, a popular sorority president, who gains admission to Harvard Law with the goal of winning back an ex-boyfriend. Students were singing and dancing through some joyous numbers. The upbeat feel was driven, in part, by the main character. 

"She's very positive," said seventh-grader Maddie Vasch, who plays Elle. "She's very funny. She has this little spark, so you'll notice her in a room full of people because she'll be the only one wearing pink."

The students will perform the show in the school's auditorium next Friday, March 22 and Saturday, March 23, at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $8. ALMS is at 25 Gerada Lane. 

ALMS teacher Theresa Hedrington, who is producing the show, chose Legally Blonde Jr. for its positive messages.

"The performances have themes that deal with friendship, trust, confidence, love, appreciation and leadership, just to name a few," she said. "It causes you to think about your goals and aspirations in life."
Special Olympians Compete in Regional Basketball Tournament
The New Rochelle Pioneers - the City School District of New Rochelle's Special Olympics athletes - came out on top in last Saturday's regional basketball tournament at Albert Leonard Middle School, with one of the two District teams finishing first and the other third.

Just as important, they had a great time.

"I like to do my best," said athlete Kyle Fitzpatrick, a New Rochelle High School student. "It's important to have a good time and try hard."

Throughout the morning and into the afternoon, more than 100 players on a dozen teams from Yonkers to Carmel passed, dribbled and took their shots in the Special Olympics' Hudson Valley Regional Local Basketball South tournament. The event has become a tradition in New Rochelle with ALMS serving as the regular host. It is a highlight of the year for the players. New Rochelle fielded two teams, one in white tops (the first-place winners) and one in purple tops (the third-place winners.)

"This tournament is something the athletes talk about all year long, starting way back in October when the season starts," said New Rochelle Coach Rhonda Boychew. "I'm very proud of the athletes on both New Rochelle teams. All athletes did their very best and had a wonderful day. Win or lose they are all winners."
World Languages Discussed in Town Hall Meeting
The City School District of New Rochelle continued to explore the options for offering high-quality and meaningful world language options to students equitably at a Town Hall meeting on Tuesday.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Magda Parvey, Juan Mendez, chairman of the World Language Department at New Rochelle High School, and Columbus Elementary School Principal Michael Galland answered questions from the stage to an audience of about 100 community members and administrators.

Principally, the discussion centered on equalizing Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) in Spanish across the District. Under that option, Italian and Mandarin would be phased out of the elementary schools; most of which offer one of the two.