City School District of New Rochelle
News & updates
January 31, 2020
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Preliminary 2020-21 Budget Includes Funds For Equity, STEAM, Exciting Programs
The District is very excited to share that the preliminary 2020-21 City School District of New Rochelle budget proposes funds focused on Excellence, Equity and Innovation . Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijóo believes that the three are synonymous and the backbone of any leading district.

Dr. Feijóo has chosen STEAM as the district’s 2020-21 school year initiative while continuing to
support and expand exemplary programs such as PAVE arts, the tremendous athletic department’s varsity boys and girls teams, and Science Research.

“These great initiatives will serve to further support the excellent programming in place in each school,” she said.

The spending plan will include slightly more than $2 million in discretionary funding, which will be equitably distributed between all schools in an approach called “Student-Based Budgeting.” The money will be apportioned to each school based on student population, weighted to support priorities the District developed from the schools’ recently completed Phase I reports, which were the first step in Dr. Feijóo’s entry plan.     

Those priorities include:     

  • Supporting English language learner (ELL) students      
  • Reducing success gaps for African American and Latin students
  • Supporting students who are economically disadvantaged   
  • Supporting special education students

“This is an important step toward achieving the goals we see as necessary to fulfilling our mission of providing a high quality education to all,” Dr. Feijóo said.

“This plan demonstrates our commitment to ensuring that New Rochelle emerges as one of the top districts in the country,” added Board of Education President Amy Moselhi. “I believe the district priorities as set by Dr. Feijóo help address the achievement gaps highlighted throughout the
Phase I process. The Phase I presentations can be found on our district’s homepage .” 

The District plans to expand STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) education with an allocation of $15 per student. The preliminary budget will also place a large emphasis on the continued support and expansion of successful programs such as PAVE (Performing And Visual Arts Education), athletics and Science Research.

Assistant Superintendent for Business Gregory Kern presented an early look at the spending plan at the Board of Education meeting in Trinity Elementary School on Tuesday. His presentation came one day after New Rochelle High School Interim Principal Joseph Starvaggi and other leaders of the high
school discussed their priorities for the next school year with the Board.

Community members will have an opportunity to offer their input and ask questions of leaders from all of the schools at a Budget Café in the library of NRHS at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 6. They will also be able to offer input during the public comment sections of Board meetings.

Incorporating that input, Dr. Feijóo will present the preliminary budget, tentatively scheduled for the March 3 Board meeting. The Board will adopt a final budget on April 21 and residents will vote on it on May 19.
Students at ALMS and IEYMS Ace Local GeoBee Round

Two New Rochelle students have emerged as champions of their middle schools in the annual National Geographic GeoBee, winning a chance to move on in a contest with a grand prize of $26,000 in a scholarship and cash and a trip to the Galapagos Island.

Eighth grader Samara Brecher won the Albert Leonard Middle School contest while seventh grader Rocco Sansotta aced the Issac E. Young Middle School round.

Brecher clinched her school’s competition with a final question about the land of kiwis.

“It was about Auckland, so I knew the answer was New Zealand,” she said. Brecher has traveled to several other countries and hopes to visit Germany and Amsterdam.

“I feel every place is really unique,” she said.

At ALMS, Mikey Rockoff came in second and Brendon O'Keefe finished third.
 
Sansotta won a competition that was so tough the proctors ran out of questions with 12 students still standing. (They had to return to last year’s questions to continue.) Sansotta doesn’t remember which question was very last; perhaps it was the one about a temple in Phnom Penh. The answer: Cambodia.

He has been a fan of geography for years.

“There is so much to know,” he said. “I could spend a few hours a day watching videos, reading and learning new stuff.”

The second place winner at IEYMS was seventh grader Uriel Galvan. Eighth grader Sebastien Monzo came in third.

The students’ taste for the topic prepared them well for a contest in which questions spanned the world and the ages, from the Caribbean to Jordan to ancient Greece. Learning about different lands helps students understand their histories in a District where students’ families come from around the world, said District middle school social studies chairman Christopher Francaviglia.

“They see how cultures develop over time around geography,” he said.

To continue competing, Brecher and Sansotta must take the state qualifying test online by Feb. 7. The top 100 students ranked in each state compete in the state GeoBee on March 27. State champions receive a medal, $1,000 and a trip to Washington D.C. for the national championship in May.

The grand champion wins a $25,000 scholarship, $1,000 in cash, a lifetime membership to the National Geographic Society – and that trip to the Galapagos.
NRHS Teams Build Strong Track Record

New Rochelle High Schools boys and girls indoor track teams did it again.

Both teams captured their respective Westchester County Indoor Track and Field Championships last Friday at the Armory in Manhattan. This marked the 12th consecutive county title for the girls and the third in the past four years for the boys. Those wins came a week after both squads won their respective league championship.

“These are impressive achievements for both teams,” said District Director of Athletics Steve Young. “I want to congratulations the teams and their coaches, Andy Capellan and Joe Intervallo, and to wish them well in the championships next week.” 

Both teams will next compete in the Class A Championship at the Armory at 5 p.m. Wed., Feb. 5.

Among the place winners last Friday were:

Girls:
  • Chiamaka Odenigbo took second in the 55 Hurdles with a time of 8.7 seconds. She also won the Triple Jump at 36' 10 ¼” and the High Jump at 4'9"
  • Ariana Crosswhite took second in the 55M (7.308)
  • Ilenn Soto won the Shot Put with a throw of 38' 5.5". She took second in the Weight Throw with a distance of 45' 8 1/2"
  • Kaitlyn Casas won the 1000 with a time of 2:59.46. She took 2nd in the 1500 at 4:49.88

Boys:
  • New Rochelle took the first four spots in the Triple Jump:
  • Jaden Crisp took first in the triple jump at 43'9"
  • Isaiah Amir-Townes took second at 42' 1/2"
  • Abdul Keshinro was third with a jump of 41'7"
  • Caleb Evans took fourth at 41'6 3/4"
  • Tristan Marine ran a personal best in the 1000 winning in a time of 2:33.58.
  • The 4 x 400 Relay Team of Isaiah Amir-Townes, Jason Vargas, Tristan Marine and Nolan Smith took first place (3:35.24) edging Mount Vernon (3:35.44) 
Members Sought
For Transportation Committee

The City School District of New Rochelle is looking for community members to serve on a committee being established to help design student transportation for the coming years.

The Board of Education directed the administration to conduct a transportation study earlier this school year in response to complaints about late buses and pick-up times. As part of the study, the District will review all transportation options available to ensure that students arrive at and depart from school in a timely, safe and cost-effective manner.

“The committee will guide us as we seek to transport our students in ways that are more effective and efficient,” said Assistant Superintendent for Business Gregory Kern.

Yellow buses transport elementary school students under a contract that expires June 31, 2021. Middle and high school students ride Westchester County's Bee Line buses.

The committee will include two or three community members and will meet three times between now and May 31. Meetings will begin 6 p.m. in the Central Administration on the second floor of City Hall, 515 North Ave.

The email address nrtransportationstudy@nredlearn.org has been set up for community members to request a seat serving on the committee or to submit any comments about transportation in the District.

If you are interested in serving on the committee, write “Interest” in the subject line and include information on your background and why you want to serve in the email. If you are a submitting a comment, write “comment” as the subject.
Webster Cast of Dozens is Off to See the Wizard(s)
The magical land of Oz will become a bustling berg tomorrow when a cast of dozens fills the stage at Daniel Webster Magnet School to perform the classic story of a girl from Kansas who becomes very, very lost.

Eighty-five students will perform The Wizard of Oz in a production that asks them to share the major roles. Each main character – Dorothy, the Scarecrow and so on – is played by several students who take turns a few minutes at a time.

The students, in turn, play multiple parts. Fourth grader Kayla Woodley, for instance, plays a poppy flower, a Munchkin and an Ozian (resident of Oz), as well as taking a turn in the marquee role of the Wicked Witch.

“I’m usually a nice little girl, but when I’m the Wicked Witch, I’m on a whole other level,” she said after a dress rehearsal this week.

KJK Productions of Shrub Oak, N.Y., is producing the show, aiming to pique children’s interest in theater and the arts.

“We’re bringing a whole new element into their lives,” said Suzie Hepker, the show’s director from KJK. “If I can get one kid to buy a ticket to a show somewhere else, I feel like I will have achieved my goal.”

This is Webster’s first show with KJK. Performances take place tomorrow (Saturday) at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., in the school, 95 Glenmore Drive.

“As an Arts and Humanities School, our goal is to offer as many opportunities as we can for students to explore their creative interests,” said Principal Melissa Passarelli.

Having students share in the major roles allows any student who is interested to be part of the show. It also breaks down the larger roles into smaller stretches that are easier to commit to memory. That’s key, considering they put together the entire 70-minute show in two weeks.

Students worked hard at their roles. Fifth grader Amanda Collins watched the 1939 movie version over and over to prepare for her turn as the Wicked Witch.

“You have to be in the witch’s shoes,” she said, describing her approach to acting.

Most of all, the schoolmates were enjoying the experience. So said fifth grader Jordin Taylor, who ends the show as Dorothy, that Kansas native who kicks off the story when a twister sweeps her away to the wondrous place.

“We’re having fun and we’re singing together,” she said.
NR BID Donates Virtual Reality Equipment to NRHS

New Rochelle High School students now have two cutting-edge virtual reality chambers to create unparalleled 3-dimensional works of art with augmented and virtual reality equipment that the New Rochelle Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) has donated.

Donning a pair of goggles, students are transported to a limitless number of settings, including empty space, where they use intuitive controls to draw, paint and streak in any color they can imagine. Once created, an artwork remains suspended in the virtual space for a student to walk around or through, until it is erased.

The two virtual spaces use just some of about 130 pieces of equipment the BID donated for both augmented reality and virtual reality.

“We are so thrilled to receive the AR-VR equipment,” Interim Principal Joseph Starvaggi said at an inaugural event Monday attended by officials of the District, BID and City of New Rochelle to introduce the new opportunities for students. “It is the perfect technological vehicle to expand our students’ imaginations and creativity. I am confident that with the help of our skilled and dedicated teachers, our students will impress us with their inspiring creations. I just can’t wait to see what greatness comes out of this.”

District and school leaders thanked the BID for the equipment.

“I can’t express how much the BID’s support, donation, and presence here today means to the City School District of New Rochelle,” said Superintendent Dr. Laura Feijóo. “Students who have come through our PAVE (Performing And Visual Arts Education) program have gone on to accomplish incredible things in the performing and visual arts. This AR/VR system will open up a new world of possibilities.”

BID Board Member Al Tarantino said the organization donated the equipment as a way of building the relationship among the District, the city and BID.

“It is so important that the public sees our schools, our city and our private businesses working together to improve the quality of education for our students,” he said. “This is a fine example of the city, schools and the Business Improvement District working together to bring our students another tool to use in deciding their future careers.”

The equipment is based in the high school’s art wing where it will first be used to expand the possibilities for creative expression. Starting in September, the school will offer a half-year elective, Virtual Reality Sketchbook.

“This will provide our students with a great opportunity, access to this cutting-edge technology, where they can experience the act of creating art through virtual reality as a new medium,” said art teacher Amanda Tarantino, who was instrumental in arranging the donation. “It will engage students in an interactive learning experience and give them exposure to immersive learning and will improve technological literacy."

Students who have already worked with the equipment in a previous program offered by the BID said they appreciated the system that literally gives them new perspectives on their artwork.

“It’s different from a computer screen because you’re able to walk through it and get different views on it,” said sophomore Sydney Relkin. “You’re able to see it from different points of view, even from above or below.”

Freshman Emma Farley said the equipment could capture the interest of a student who otherwise might not be interested in art.

“Maybe you’re not good at drawing or doing realistic sketches but you’re really good at creating designs with this,” she said.

Eventually, it will be incorporated into other areas of instruction. Dr. Alex Marrero, the District’s new Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, sees uses for virtual and augmented reality for all subjects.

“In world languages, imagine taking an instant trip to Barcelona,” he said. “That’s true immersion. In social studies, instead of talking and reading about what happened, let’s take a trip to the Colosseum.”

As the officials introduced the equipment, Dr. Marrero said teenagers seem to have a more intuitive grasp of how to use it -- and that’s a good thing.

“The fact that our students have one step up on us is great, because we are preparing our students for careers and fields that do not exist yet,” he said. “With this, we’re ahead of the game.”
Sports Schedule
For upcoming New Rochelle athletic competitions, check out the Athletics Calendar.

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Dates to Remember
●        Monday, February 3: Half Day, All Schools. Professional Development Day

●            Monday, February 3: All-County Chorus Rehearsal. Sleepy Hollow High School, 3:30 p.m.

●            Tuesday, February 4: Extended Day Classes Begin

●            Tuesday, February 4: All-County Band & Orchestra Rehearsal, Seven Bridges Middle School, 3:30 p.m.

●            Tuesday, February 4: BOE Meeting, Columbus Elementary School. Public portion, 7 p.m.

●            Wednesday, February 5: All-County Chorus Rehearsal Snow Date, Sleepy Hollow High School, 3:30 p.m.
●         Wednesday, February 5: NRHS Grade 8 Parent Orientation, 6:30 p.m.

●           Thursday, February 6: All-County Band & Orchestra Rehearsal Snow Date, Seven Bridges Middle School, 3:30 p.m.

●            Thursday, February 6: NRHS PTSA Meeting, NRHS Room 207

●            Thursday, February 6: Ward PTA Meeting, 7 p.m.

●            Friday, February 7: Davis School Spirit Day

●           Friday, February 7: Ward School Spirit Day
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