News from the Mahopac Central School District

March 24, 2023

Dear Mahopac Families,

Happy Spring! While we had a somewhat mild winter, we did have a few school closures. Due to these closures, school will be in session on April 10th and May 25th. As long as we do not have any additional closures, school will be closed on May 26th and May 30th as “Weather Give Back Days”.

With the warmer weather and the later sunsets, many of our community members enjoy walking the track at the High School and using our fields. Please remember that the track and the fields are not available during athletic games and practices.

In an effort to emphasize the importance of the dangers of social media misuse, we will be holding assemblies for our students in grades 4 - 12 in mid-April. In addition, we will be hosting a session for all interested parents/guardians on Wednesday, April 12th at 7 p.m. in the High School auditorium. These presentations will be delivered by Tom Roidl. Tom has been speaking professionally since 2016, at which time he served as an Investigator in the New York State Police Computer Crime Unit. From then until his NYSP retirement in December of 2021, he presented to over 10,000 people. Topics that will be addressed include Internet safety, social media, and cyberbullying. Tom believes that the mission to educate and protect children is the priority in service to the public. Please mark your calendars for April 12th as we hope you will join us.

Sincerely,

Christine Tona

Superintendent

Visiting Colonial Roots at Westmoreland Sanctuary

Austin Road’s third grade class visited America’s colonial roots recently at Westmoreland Sanctuary in Mount Kisco. Students learned fascinating facts from conservation and wildlife experts about the way that people in America used to live.

“Maple syrup was valuable to Native Americans because they didn’t have many ways to get sugar back then. There was no chocolate, there was no ice cream,” Director of Conservation and Wildlife Steve Ricker said, eliciting a horrified gasp from his audience of third graders.

Westmoreland Sanctuary is located on the grounds of an old colonial farm, and students saw colonial-era saws and horseshoes and facilities. The third-graders participated in some of the day-to-day activities of colonists, including tapping maple trees and boiling sap to create syrup.

Students learned all about the process of creating maple syrup, starting with the maple trees. When asked what the trees do for us, a student named Elijah raised his hand immediately.

“They make oxygen!” Elijah said.

“They do make oxygen,” educator Patrick Carney said, “but they also use photosynthesis to take sunlight and turn it into glucose, sugar, which they store in something called sap.”

While Austin Road students tapped trees and tasted both sap and syrup, another group was inside the conservation museum, checking out the wildlife and exhibits. Students were enthralled to see and pet everything from an eight-pound European rabbit to a tarantula. Brave students were even invited to give the large spider a high five.

“It was so soft!” a student named Niamh said after touching the tarantula’s leg. “I definitely want a tarantula as a pet, I’d keep it right next to my bed!”

As Kerri Bilyeu and Marisa Hicks shepherded their students back to the buses at the end of the trip, the students were sad to be leaving the sanctuary, but intent on coming back.

This Week in Photos

MMS Students Perform

Beauty and the Beast Jr. Musical

Mahopac Middle School students have been hard at work rehearsing for this weekend's performances of Beauty and the Beast Jr.. MMS's finest are involved in every part of the production, from the stage, to the lights, to sound. As a Disney sanctioned production, the Mahopac Middle School Theatre Company has access to official music provided by Disney lending the show an authentic sound. The final two performances will take place on Saturday at 2:00 and 7:00 pm on Saturday March 25, 2023.

A Visit From an Illustrator

Students at Lakeview Elementary had a unique opportunity this week to speak to a professional illustrator. Ryan D. Beckwith, in addition to being an illustrator, is husband to Lakeview's music teacher Marcia Webb. The students had plenty of questions for Beckwith, which he answered with enthusiasm, inspiring both a love of books and illustration.

Mahopac Dance Company Dances for Charity

Mahopac's schools are fortunate to have so many talented and capable athletes among it's students, and this week, the Mahopac Dance Company showed off their skills in the second annual "Schooled in Dance" benefit show. Mahopac's dancers impressed in the name of charity, raising a total of $2,000 for Books for Kids, an organization which provides literacy resources to underfunded communities.

Celebrating St. Patrick's Day at the

Mahopac Central School District

Now that the winter is ending, the students at Mahopac's schools broke out their green attire to celebrate St. Patrick's Day on Friday last week. Students and faculty celebrated together, made crafts, and participated in educational St. Patrick's day themed activities all day.