Holiday Schedule
Schools and offices in the City School District of New Rochelle will be closed from Dec. 24 through Dec. 31, and will reopen on Jan. 3. Next week's Newsletter will publish on Thursday, Dec. 23.
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Security Update from Superintendent Raymond
On Thursday, school district Superintendent Jonathan Raymond sent an email to families regarding the school district's commitment to school security. Please be sure to read the letter, which shares news about security enhancements and requests your help in keeping our students, families, faculty, and staff safe. The school district believes that misinformation on TikTok has spread only fear, and has contributed to unnecessary interruptions and stress.
As always, the school district appreciates the ongoing support and partnership of the New Rochelle Police Department as we work to enhance safety in our community. Read the Superintendent's letter here.
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Misty Copeland, Groundbreaking American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer, Visits New Rochelle High |
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American Ballet Theatre Principal Dancer Misty Copeland graced New Rochelle High School today, sharing her inspiring story of being the first Black woman to be promoted to that position in the company's 75-year history in 2015. The packed event featured a conversation with Copeland, and afterward, she signed autographs and met students and staff.
Copeland’s appearance was coordinated by the New Rochelle High School PTSA, always a vital collaborator in enhancing our students' educational experience. The PTSA is led by President Sing Lee Lathan.
Copeland, recently featured on “60 Minutes,” has portrayed iconic roles in classics such as Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote and others. She is a philanthropist, ambassador for several nonprofit organizations, and author of several books, most recently "Black Ballerinas: My Journey To Our Legacy.” The book, with a signed bookplate, can be ordered here through the PTSA: https://nrhsptsa.memberhub.com/store/items/625533
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COVID-19 Reminders and Updates |
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Vaccination Clinic for Ages 5-11 on Jan. 4 at Columbus Elementary |
Here’s your opportunity to vaccinate your child against COVID-19. The City School District of New Rochelle, in partnership with the Westchester County Department of Health, is providing a free Vaccination Clinic for children ages 5-11. Vaccinations are safe and research has shown that vaccinations are nearly 91 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 in this age group. The benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh the health risks of COVID-19 infection.
When: Jan. 4, 2022, 3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Where: Columbus Elementary School gym, 275 Washington Ave., New Rochelle
Cost: Free
Who can be vaccinated? All children ages 5-11. You do not have to be a Columbus Elementary School student to receive a vaccination at this clinic.
Requirements: Parents must accompany their children. After the vaccine has been administered, your child will be required to remain in an observation area for 15 minutes.
To register: Click here. Walk-ins are welcome.
To address inquiries about children’s vaccinations, Westchester County has created a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Answers. Please visit https://5il.co/128fk.
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Reminder: Bring Masks to School Every Day for Everyone's Safety |
The health and safety of City School District of New Rochelle students, families, faculty, and staff are paramount, which is why the school district offers several reminders regarding important COVID-19 safety protocols. A key message: Please remember to bring masks to school every day.
Mask use required in school buildings and on school buses: Universal mask wearing for all students and staff while indoors is required by New York State, regardless of vaccination status. It is students’ responsibility to bring masks to school each day, and the school district recommends that students carry extra masks. Indoor mask breaks of 60 to 90 seconds are permitted for individual students and staff, provided 6 feet of physical distance are maintained. On school buses, windows are to be kept open and social distancing observed.
Outdoors: Mask wearing is optional. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people who are not fully vaccinated wear a mask in crowded outdoor settings and during activities that involve prolonged close contact with others.
New York State requires that masks be worn during indoor physical-education classes. For outdoor physical-education classes, mask-wearing is optional for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals as long as 6 feet of social distancing are maintained. Mask-wearing is required for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals less than 6 feet apart.
During music education, vocal music and wind instrument playing can occur with 6 feet of physical distancing, and masks must be worn. Those playing string instruments must wear masks and ensure 3 feet of physical distancing. For students participating in band, specialized masks and wind-instrument bell covers are provided.
Learn more about school district COVID safety protocols and find future updates at nred.org. Click on the COVID Resource Center at the top right.
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COVID Dashboard Enhances Notifications; Caution After Holiday Needed |
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The City School District of New Rochelle’s COVID-19 notifications to our community are evolving.
Alerts about COVID cases are now provided by each school’s principal via email. Those timely, transparent communications are supplemented by a COVID data dashboard on the school district website at nred.org/o/nrps/page/covid-dashboard. This data, updated each Friday at 5 p.m., provides tallies about cases at each school and district-wide. Please learn more at this link.
In addition, it’s important for families to understand protocols for sending children back to school after the holidays. Refer to these helpful graphics prepared by the school district, in consultation with the Westchester County Department of Health, for guidance regarding non-vaccinated children and vaccinated children.
Thank you for your commitment to the well-being and health and safety of our students, families, faculty, and staff.
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Don't Miss High School's “12 Angry Jurors"; Concerts Return |
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The cast of "12 Angry Jurors" |
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After a nearly two-year hiatus, live performances are back at New Rochelle High School.
The concert season opened with a Winterfest Instrumental Music Concert that featured orchestral ensembles under the direction of Claire Stancarone and band ensembles under the direction of Mark Cooper. On Thursday, audience members were treated to the Winterfest Vocal Music Concert that featured vocal ensembles under the direction of Jeremy Barbaro and David Jutt.
In addition to Winterfest, TheatreWorks’ production of “12 Angry Jurors” opened Thursday in the Linda E. Kelly Theatre. This marked the school's first in-person theatrical performance in the last few years. It was also the debut production for Theatre Manager Abigail Epprecht, who joins the school district after years of regional and professional stage management. In her brief time with New Rochelle, she has supported several in-school productions, TheatreWorks, and the Performing & Visual Arts Department.
Today and Saturday are your final opportunities to see “12 Angry Jurors,” the classic courtroom drama about a jury deliberating a homicide case. Friday’s show at the Linda E. Kelly Theatre is at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday’s shows are at 2 p.m., and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 for students and senior citizens and $10 for all other adults if you buy online by clicking here. Tickets are $2 more at the door. Come support our performers, who have worked hard for months to stage this production!
Video: String Orchestra playing Badinerie (from Orchestral Suite No. 2) by J.S. Bach
Video: Chorale performing Hodie, Traditional Latin, by Narverud
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Research Goal: Attain New Levels of Science through Algorithms |
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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: Nikhil Mukraj, junior
Mentor: Anthony Nesturi, Formulation Development Specialist, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Nikhil Mukraj always has been fascinated by science and, as he says, how it “builds on itself.” He looks at science and math as a unique, intricate puzzle.
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“Everything in science and math is based upon previous rules and then expanded into more and more complex concepts to explain all of the natural world,” he said. “If you understand the fundamental rules and logic of the game of science, then you are able to manipulate them into even more complex machines for your use, which then may in turn create more science to be discovered.”
This way of looking at science and math is what prompted Mukraj to get involved in the Science Research Program at New Rochelle High School.
Mukraj is working on a project in which he tested various algorithms to see how efficiently they can identify protein and silicon particles from data in images. The images are taken using an electron microscope. Protein particles can have harmful side effects in some drugs, so being able to quickly identify them could be greatly beneficial for the pharmaceutical industry.
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Consistent with his interest in scientific rules and logic, Mukraj used machine-learning algorithms to find out which could identify proteins in images.
He discovered he could achieve the greatest accuracy with a convolutional neural network, a type of algorithm that takes an image, assigns importance to objects in, or aspects of, the image and differentiates them from each other. However, he also found he could get data faster with a support-vector machine, a type of machine-learning algorithm that learns by example to label certain types of objects. He believes the support-vector machine method could be used as a good baseline for future particle-classification algorithms.
Mukraj is still working on the project. His next step will be to redo the convolutional neural-network analysis with a novel technique that combines meta data and image data to derive a new way of evaluating results.
Mukraj hopes to be able to continue his research after high school. For now, though, the Science Research Program continues to feed his interest in the field.
“Personally, the most rewarding aspect for me is researching in depth into one specific topic and actually being able to add research to that area,” he said.
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Spanish Lessons at Jefferson Foster Well-Being |
Jefferson Elementary School teacher Hilaire Escaladas is combining the teaching of Spanish with student-centered activities that promote social and emotional well-being.
One project, a “mood meter” outside her classroom, encourages students to identify their feelings, while a poem project encouraged appreciation of self-identity.
Escaladas said the mood meter is a visual reminder to students to be aware of – and manage – their feelings. Students are asked, “¿Cómo te sientes hoy?” (How do you feel today?) and they respond with “me siento…” (I feel …). The mood meter also was produced in a smaller format that students cut and pasted into their interactive notebooks. “Every time we use our notebooks, it’s an opportunity for students to do a quick check-in with themselves,” said Escaladas.
To support an introductory lesson in Spanish, Escaladas had fourth- and fifth-graders listen to a song called “Soy Yo” (“I am”), which centers around being proud and confident. After learning some vocabulary in Spanish to describe various personality traits, students described themselves and then named family members or friends who are similar. Students also identified where they are from, which provided recognition of various cultures.
These “Yo soy” sentences were used to create poems posted around the classroom, art-gallery style. After reading one another’s poems, students left each other feedback – fortifying stronger connections with classmates.
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Business Honor Society Launches at High School |
Two dozen students last week attended the first meeting of New Rochelle High School’s new Business and Marketing Honor Society. Affiliated with the Business Teachers Association of New York State, the chapter recognizes students who have demonstrated excellence in their business courses and provides opportunities for members to share interests and develop skills.
The honor society will help prepare students for successful careers in business by providing opportunities to apply classroom concepts to real-world settings, according to Gustavo Barbosa, chairman of Social Studies and Business at New Rochelle High School. One main goal for this year is for members to help fellow students prepare for a job fair at the school next March. To do so, they are conducting after-school workshops for those interested in landing summer employment.
To be eligible to join the Business and Marketing Honor Society, students must be in at least 10th grade, have completed at least two business courses, earned an average of at least 88 in those courses and have a minimum overall school average of 80.
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Superintendent’s Tour Visits
Culinary Program at Juliano's
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The latest stop on Superintendent Jonathan Raymond’s Listening and Learning Tour of our schools and community was at Juliano’s Caterers, the home of the school district’s culinary arts program for special-education students.
The program is in partnership with the Culinary Tech Center of White Plains, a nationally accredited vocational training school specializing in culinary arts and hospitality programs.
Juliano's gives students the ability to work with a licensed chef and team members to learn career-level nutrition, food preparation and culinary techniques in a professional setting.
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Albert Leonard Singers Serenade Starbucks Crowd |
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Several members of the sixth-grade choir at Albert Leonard Middle School provided a holiday treat to visitors at Starbucks today, singing an assortment of holiday songs including “Winter Wonderland” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. The Choir was led by Mary diTargiani and accompanied by Thomas DeMicco, music and chorus teachers at Albert Leonard Middle School. In all, it was an uplifting experience befitting the holiday season! |
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City School District of New Rochelle | nred.org
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