An Important Message from Superintendent Jonathan Raymond
Please read this letter about coming together in the aftermath of a tragic loss. Click here.
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24/7 Tutoring Assistance Launches Tuesday |
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The City School District of New Rochelle is partnering with Tutor.com, an affiliate of the Princeton Review, to launch free 24/7 tutoring for students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12.
This important supplement, designed to advance academic achievement, will provide unlimited, personalized access to live 1-to-1 tutoring and homework support in English or Spanish. Services begin Tuesday. More details will be forthcoming.
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Looking Ahead: Overview of City Housing Plans
and School District Budget Priorities
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Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting featured a variety of updates and presentations, including housing construction projections for the City of New Rochelle and an outline of how the school district is working to create its 2022-23 budget, which will be presented to voters in May.
City of New Rochelle Housing
City of New Rochelle officials presented an update on the 2015 Downtown Overlay Zone, outlining approved housing construction projects and potential impacts on the school district. The 2021 update provides for additional construction over the next 20 years.
Highlights:
- 3,000 new residential units have been added in the downtown zone, for a total of 10,000 residential units
- Approved projects (7,000 units) have more studio and one-bedroom units and fewer three-bedroom units than anticipated
- Impacts to individual school enrollments are reduced from 2015 projections. Only Columbus Elementary School is expected eventually to need additional capacity
The presentation is posted on the school district website, at this link.
Budget Planning
Superintendent Jonathan Raymond presented budget assumptions and expectations that will frame and guide development of the 2022-23 school budget. In line with his 100-Day Report and previous findings, the presentation set forth a few budget priorities and will focus on supporting needs associated with wellness and unfinished learning.
Highlights of the presentation:
Safe, Welcoming, Respectful, and Rigorous School Learning Environments
- Cultivate school climates and cultures where students feel physically safe, supported, and academically challenged with a sense of identity and belonging
- Promote wellness through social and emotional skill building and supports for students and employees
Equitable Opportunities Toward College and Career
- Continue to address unfinished learning and as such, each school will provide targeted interventions in reading and math for non-proficient learners
- Expand after-school and summer learning opportunities
- All 10th-graders will take the PSAT and students will take the SAT in their junior year, with the opportunity to retake it the following year
- Design a graduate profile with aligned pre-kindergarten to 12th-grade benchmarks
- Provide more career-focused opportunities
Family and Community Engagement
- Create a Family/Community Welcome Center
- Establish Parent University
- Begin parent/teacher home visits
Organizational Excellence
- Improve teacher and staff pipelines, especially for bilingual and special education teachers, and educators of color
- Create employee mentoring and onboarding programs
The presentation can be viewed at this link on the school district website, nred.org.
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Mask Mandate Remains in Effect |
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The City School District of New Rochelle continues to enforce New York State’s indoor mask mandate in school settings as a way to safeguard students, faculty, and staff. Thank you for your continued patience through this fluid process. Learn more in this email sent our community on Tuesday: https://conta.cc/3KJbFyP.
The school district continues to urge registration in the PCR Saliva-Testing Program, which is designed to help maintain vital in-person education in our schools. Please sign up here to participate in the program, or pick up consent forms in your school’s main office.
Did your child receive a COVID-19 vaccination at Trinity Elementary School earlier this month? Please be sure to return for the second dose Monday, Jan. 31, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Another clinic this past Tuesday, presented by the City School District of New Rochelle in partnership with the Westchester Department of Health, provided 126 vaccinations, including 120 recipients who received their second vaccine dose, and three each who received their first vaccination and a booster shot.
Vaccinations are an important technique to help keep our students safely in school for vital in-person learning.
Vaccinations for ages 5-11 also are available at Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital; (call (914) 701-1700, ext. 1, for an appointment) and Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital. Make an appointment here.
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Inspired by Those with Anemia,
New Rochelle Student Studies Red Blood Cell Production
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The students in New Rochelle High School’s Science Research Program explore a dazzling range of topics under the mentorship of experts from some of the top institutions of learning and exploration. Students’ projects will regularly be featured in this Newsletter.
Student: Julia Yang, senior
Mentor: Dr. James Palis and Dr. Kathleen McGrath, Palis Lab, University of Rochester
Julia Yang became interested in science after performing small experiments at home with her siblings, such as making vinegar and baking soda volcanoes and homemade lava lamps.
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That childhood fascination continued to blossom through adolescence and led her to the school’s Science Research Program, where her focus has been researching blood.
“I became interested in researching the human blood system when I realized that many people I know have anemia, which is a prevalent condition in which the body does not produce enough red blood cells,” said Yang. “There are many different blood disorders and cancers that can result from having anemia, and I wanted to research the different ways these disorders can be prevented.”
Two summers ago, she discovered a research opportunity on hematopoietic (blood) stem cells. Stem cells are, as Yang noted, the “foundation of all the different types of blood cells.” She pursued that opportunity, and last summer conducted research on the production of red blood cells (a process called erythropoiesis) and whether macrophages (a type of blood cell) enhance the process.
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“Although bone marrow is the site of efficient red blood cell production in the human body, it will be important to be able to generate blood outside the body,” Yang said. “Adding macrophages may enhance red blood cell production in a dish, because macrophages [can] stimulate the growth of immature red blood cells.”
A challenge is that little is known about which macrophages influence production of red blood cells, so in the study, Yang and her mentors focused on identifying and characterizing macrophage cells to determine whether they play a significant role in producing red blood cells. She used a data analysis software, IDEAS, to filter out the macrophages that had such an association, and found certain macrophages that were positive for specific antibodies were most closely associated in red blood cell production.
“I have learned a lot through this class and I have developed many skills that I believe will be helpful to me even after high school,” said Yang.
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Ingenuity on Display at Science Research Fair |
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Albert Leonard Middle School Principal Camille Edwards Thomas congratulates science fair students. |
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Congratulations to this year's Middle School Research Science Fair winners! Students from City School District of New Rochelle middle and elementary schools showcased a variety of creative science projects for a virtual science fair on Saturday, Jan. 22.
Daniel Webster Elementary School fifth-grader Carolina Pappalardi was one of several winners. She was honored in the “Best in Elementary Division” award for her project about urban greenspaces and how the COVID-19 pandemic increased the popularity of public parks.
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“I found out that trees can make you healthier, happier, and even kinder,” Pappalardi said. “The popularity of parks increased because no one had anything to do, so they went to parks to get out and do something,”
The presentation via Zoom included inspiring words from Board of Education President Julia Muggia Ochs, Board of Education Vice President Adina Berrios Brooks, New Rochelle High School Principal Dr. Dagoberto Artiles, Albert Leonard Middle School Principal Camille Edwards Thomas, Trinity Elementary School Principal Michael Hilderbrand, Middle School Science Chair Julie Verville, and New Rochelle High School Science Research Program Director Jeff Wuebber.
Winners are listed below; descriptions of their projects are linked further below.
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Elementary School Awards
Best in Elementary Division: Carolina Pappalardi, Daniel Webster Elementary School
Joyce Kent Young Scientist Award: Kayden Mullings, Jefferson Elementary School
Outstanding Research in Physics/Engineering: Benicio Perez, Trinity Elementary School
Outstanding Research in Chemistry: Eliana Johnson, Daniel Webster Elementary School
Outstanding Research in Earth Science/Astronomy: Adrian Abreu, Trinity Elementary School
New Rochelle United Science Educators Innovation Award: Maya Marrero, Trinity Elementary School
Excellence in Fundamental Research: Rawan Abdelqader, Jefferson Elementary School
Excellence in Science Communication: Julian Garcia, Trinity Elementary School
Excellence in Collaborative Research: Krishna Perez, Camila Lojano, Jefferson Elementary School
Exceptionalism in Experimental Design: Emma Wert, William B. Ward Elementary School
Exceptionalism in Research Curiosity: Andrew Chavez, Jefferson Elementary School
Excellence in Creative Approaches to Research: Suwaida Lawal, Trinity Elementary School
To learn more about each science project, click here.
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Friday is Pre-K Lottery Deadline |
A Pre-K registration clinic was held last week. |
There’s still time to enter the City School District of New Rochelle’s lottery for a pre-kindergarten seat and to rank preferences for programs and locations. But please move quickly; the deadline is Friday, Jan. 28.
The school district, in partnership with several community agencies, is offering residents pre-kindergarten options for the 2022-2023 school year.
Parents may choose from Universal Pre-Kindergarten or Magnet Pre-Kindergarten. Entries will be processed during the first week of February, and every effort will be made to accommodate families’ choices. Families then will be notified about next steps, including how to navigate the school registration process.
Presentations explaining the process are available:
Click here for the English Zoom presentation.
Click here for the Spanish Zoom presentation.
Click here for the English slide presentation.
Click here for the Spanish slide presentation.
Click here for the English tutorial on how to register.
Click here for the Spanish tutorial on how to register.
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Iona Offers Free Tutoring |
Need help with classes? Iona College’s drop-in online tutoring program returns on Feb. 7. Iona College Tutors Online offers sessions hosted by Iona faculty, staff, students, and alumni. The program is free; New Rochelle students in all grades can access assistance Mondays through Thursdays from 4 - 5 p.m. Click on the flyer for details.
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Close Out January with
a Planetarium Show on Monday
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It’s a new year and a new show at the New Rochelle High School Planetarium! The Planetarium is
presenting “Spend an Evening Under the Stars” on Monday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
For more information, click on the flyer.
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High School PTSA Hosts
College Board Executive, Who Outlines College-Planning Steps
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New Rochelle High School’s PTSA hosted the College Board’s Senior Vice President, Steve Bumbaugh, who provided advice on the transition from high school to college during presentations on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Each year, the College Board supports 8 million students through programs and services such as the SAT, the Advanced Placement Program, and BigFuture, the College Board’s free planning tool.
During the school day, Bumbaugh led information sessions with 10th- and 11th-graders. The Wednesday evening PTSA meeting, attended by Superintendent Jonathan Raymond during his ongoing Listening and Learning Tour, included Bumbaugh explaining his four pillars to college planning: taking Advanced Placement classes; completing the Financial Aid form during senior year; creating a list of prospective colleges as early as 10th grade; and the importance of taking either the PSAT, SAT, or the ACT.
Thank you to the New Rochelle High School PTSA, led by President Sing Lathan, for organizing and hosting the programs; Assistant Principal Rachel Cornelius for coordinating the information sessions with the students; the technology and the high school set-up team including Rob Johnson, Joe Trotta, and Armando Abundiz; and Stage Manager Abigail Epprecht.
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Take Broadband Access Survey |
Help New York State ensure equal access to high-speed internet connections. By participating in a survey, you will help the state understand more about issues relating to broadband availability in the region and statewide. The link also includes a way to test the speed of your internet connection. Visit empirestatebroadband.com.
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Help Frame Educational Priorities via NY State's Thought Exchange |
Our voices in New Rochelle matter! Give your thoughts to the New York State Education Department by participating in the Thought Exchange. Your perspectives can help the state shape educational priorities and ensure students are learning what is relevant to them, useful to society, and prepares them for college, careers, and civic engagement.
Thank you for contributing to the academic achievement of future students.
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City School District of New Rochelle | nred.org
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