The Lanyard is Now Mobile-Friendly
Welcome to Hen Hud’s first mobile-friendly version of The Lanyard e-newsletter! The newsletter is now easier than ever to read on hand-held devices, so you can get your news on the go, without having to resize the pages as you navigate. We hope you enjoy this change and all the great stories about our district!
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Acclaimed Educator Features Hen Hud Students in New Book on Writing
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When renowned educational expert Carl Anderson wrote a follow up to his first groundbreaking book on student writing (How’s it Going, published in 2000), he featured the district’s very own Buchanan-Verplanck Elementary School students in the book’s many photographs and video links. However, the connection between Anderson and the district goes beyond the excitement of seeing Hen Hud students on the new book’s pages.
Through a partnership with Putnam | Northern Westchester BOCES, Anderson has worked with teachers and students at all three Hendrick Hudson elementary schools for the past few years, and the results have been impressive. “Since Carl’s involvement, we have seen continued improvement in our students’ writing,” said Buchanan-Verplanck Principal Josh Cohen. “Our students and staff are using mentor texts, peer review and self-assessment to improve writing skills and strategies.”
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Four Hen Hud Seniors Named National Merit Scholarship Semifinalists
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In September, four Hendrick Hudson High School seniors were named Semifinalists in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Competition: Kathleen Mahoney, Haley Merchant, Rachel Moon and William Wohlers.
Approximately 16,000 Semifinalists were named in today’s announcement. These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $31 million that will be offered in the spring.
More than 1.6 million juniors in about 22,000 high schools entered the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT), which served as an initial screen of program entrants. The nationwide pool of Semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest scoring entrants in each state.
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FGL Students Create Pinwheels for Peace
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September 21 is International Day of Peace, a holiday created by the United Nations in 1981. In recognition of this special day, students at Frank G. Lindsey designed pinwheels as part of the Pinwheels for Peace Program, Pinwheels for Peace was started by two art teachers in Florida in 2005 to create a worldwide visual statement about peace.
Students in grades 3-5 designed and built their own pinwheels and helped students in grades K-3 to build the pinwheels they designed. “We emphasized working together as a community and helping each other out in order to achieve the goal of successfully completing this project,” said FGL art teacher Sandra Feirman.
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Mittens in October? If they are solar mittens, yes! Greta Sieverding's second graders have been learning about the sun and how it drives our weather, and today they went outside to learn how different colors hold onto heat from the sun differently. The experiment was part of the Next Generation Science Standards’ unit on weather.
Before heading outside, Sieverding made sure everyone understood that they should not look directly at the sun. She demonstrated how they should hold their “mittens” up toward the sun, while tilting their faces downward.
When a student questioned the exercise, Sieverding responded immediately: “We are doing an experiment -- because we are scientists!”
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Launching into STEM Learning at Blue Mountain Middle School
Rob Molfetta’s eighth grade Technology students took to the school’s playing fields last month to launch rockets constructed out of recycled materials such as packing tape, corks, balsa wood and straws. The students, who are immersed in pre-engineering, STEM-based learning in Molfetta’s class, used an altitude tracker to measure the rockets’ distance into the overcast sky.
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Celebrating Kindness at BMMS
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During a week in October, BMMS students and staff stopped by a counter in the cafeteria to write positive and kind messages on pumpkin and leaf shapes. The activity, which took place at lunchtime, was part of a month-long celebration of kindness and unity at the middle school. The decorated pumpkins and fall leaves then became decorations for the school’s Halloween dance.
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Senior Pamela Loh Named Con Edison
Athlete of the Week
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Hen Hud senior volleyball standout Pamela Loh was named a Con Edison Athlete of the Week for the week of October 1, 2018.
Pamela is currently the captain of the Varsity Volleyball team, as well as captain of her club team. During the 2018-19 school year, she earned All-League, All Conference and All Section awards.
“Pamela Loh is the youngest of three outstanding volleyball-playing sisters,” said coach Diane Swertfager. “With over 1,000 digs and the most ace serves in our program’s rich history, Pamela is undoubtedly the best Libero we have ever had.”
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High School Teachers Focus on Creating High Impact Learning Environments
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Teachers are all too familiar with the scenario: students watching the clock, losing focus in the subject matter being discussed, and basically just biding time until the bell rings.
Traditional classroom layouts and teaching methods no longer apply to today’s students, according to representatives from MeTEOR Education, an educational consulting company working with the district to improve student engagement through collaboration, inclusion and dynamic learning spaces. Teachers are discovering that when students work together and feel they have more choices in how they interact with their physical classroom space, their engagement -- and therefore learning -- increases.
Collaboration was the name of the game at a recent professional development session held at Hendrick Hudson High School after students had departed on an Early Release day.
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At the October 10, 2018 Board of Education meeting, KSQ Design and Savin Engineers, the district’s design consultants, provided an update on the $18.5 million capital project. The district has been meeting with its consultants since June to develop various design options.
Armand Quadrini, managing principal at KSQ design, explained how the project will be completed in two phases.
Click on the following link to watch a video of the Capital Project update:
Click on the link below to access the Capital Project Update (PowerPoint presentation):
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Hen Hud Mobile App Available Now
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Don’t forget to download the free Hen Hud Mobile App and access all the latest news and information from the Hendrick Hudson School District on your smartphone! The mobile app will offer a constantly updated feed of district news and events with photos and links to the district’s website. Users can customize the app by selecting the schools they are most interested in for news and updates. Users may also choose to receive push notifications to get breaking news, updates about school closures, calendar changes, or even sports updates.
Download the free app at the following links:
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Hendrick Hudson School District, 61 Trolley Road, Montrose, NY 10548
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