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Thank you to our Veterans! |
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Fostering Community in Honor of 9/11 |
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In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, people from all walks of life came together to help our nation heal. Today, with war raging in Ukraine and strong political divisions at home, Mahopac Middle School students are focusing on what unites us, rather than what divides us.
Through an event known as “Inclusion in Honor of 9/11,” eighth grade students on teams 8A and 8D are engaging with one another and their community. Students have completed six activities ranging from writing letters to elected officials to creating flags that represent their individual identities.
“I reached out to the Putnam County Legislature about addiction and mental illness awareness,” said eighth grader Cira Graap. “I got a letter back from them. They said that they were working to raise awareness. And they gave me contact information for someone who I could speak with to continue to help.”
Another student, Tyler Santos, said he wrote to town officials about the state of the roads in Mahopac because his mom said they needed work. “They wrote back to me and said that they were working on it and had sent my letter to the New York State Department of Transportation,” which also maintains some roads in the area.
Students also created flags to represent their unique interests and backgrounds. “I included my ethnic background and also my interests, like reading and baking,” student Yasenia Lewis said. “It’s important to show the diversity in our community and to celebrate our differences.”
The event, organized by science teachers Margaret Fox and Kelly Kischak, is in keeping with a national day of service in memory of 9/11. As they engage with their peers and get involved in their community, Mahopac Middle School students are preparing to enter adulthood as well informed and contributing members of society.
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Fulmar Road Students Learn About Magnets |
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Susan Chrisman’s fourth grade class filled with ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ at the mention of the word ‘magnets.’
The invisible forces that govern the universe can be challenging to understand, even for college students and adults. But Dan Novak, coordinator of the Center for Environmental Education at PNW BOCES, made it look easy.
“When you’re standing on the floor, is the floor pushing on your feet?” Novak asked the class. The answer: “It is!”
The Fulmar Road fourth graders were quick studies, and when Novak showed Chrisman’s class how he could magically stick a piece of paper to his shirt, a perceptive student named Siena was not fooled.
“Ok, so when you dropped it,” Siena said, “we could see the magnet on the back of the paper.”
Novak revealed the magnet that he was wearing on a necklace and pointed out that the magnets could exert force on one another despite the fact that there was a layer of fabric in between.
For the next part of the lesson, students had the chance to think creatively and problem-solve. Novak gave each table a plastic bin containing sand and some metal nails. It would be up to the students to use the tools provided to them to clean their ‘beach’.
Novak explained that beaches covered in refuse like nails were not good for wildlife like sea turtles that rely on beaches to lay their eggs.
When asked how they could make the beach safe for the turtles, several students spoke at once, saying, “We have to clean it up!”
Students cleaned the beach twice: once, using plastic forks; and a second time using magnets on strings. The students quickly discovered that the magnets were a more efficient way to collect the metal nails than the forks were.
“I think we’re done.” a student named Jordan called out.
But some students weren’t satisfied and as soon as they finished their second round, they began brainstorming about how they could clean the beach even more quickly.
“We had to drag the magnets over the sand,” fourth grader Siena said, “With the forks we could scratch the sand. Maybe we could combine the fork and the magnet!”
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Fulmar Road Students Visit the STEM Suite |
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As a part of Project Lead the Way, Tom Mellin recruited student volunteers from Mahopac High School to give Fulmar Road second graders a tour of the STEM Suite.
Students from Andrea Jones’s, Bernadette Krohomer’s, and Jen Conroy’s classes split up into small groups and toured 10 stations set up around the STEM Suite.
At the first station, the second graders designed their own “Robots of the Future” using markers on a white board.
“It has blasters on the bottom to make it fly,” said a student named Aurora as she pointed at her robot, “He mostly moves and talks, he says ‘Hi master’”
When asked when she would like to build the robot, she put her hand on her chin and thought for a moment before saying, “Hm, maybe in High School.”
During the tour, students saw a programmable robot, mousetrap cars, and even 3D printers churning out little plastic ‘M’s.
At one station, the second graders observed small devices with long pull tabs and plastic, helicopter blade like disks on top. The high schoolers showed the second graders that, by pulling the tab, the disks on top would spin and fly off into the room.
“It’s like a helicopter,” Fulmar Road student David said, “because the wings are kind of slanted and the slant makes it push the air down.”
For their part, the Fulmar Road teachers were as excited as their students were to see the ingenuity of the high schoolers.
“They invited us up and set this all up. It’s actually unbelievable.” Jones said.
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Congratulations to our student-athletes who committed to colleges on Wednesday: Emma Morretta, Jake Degnan, Riley Massett, Maya O'Keefe, Maddie Orsini, Marie Camastro, Lauren Beberman, Mike Rettberg. Stay tuned for a full story next week. |
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11/15 - Board of Education Work Session
11/17 - Community Connections
11/17 - Board of Education Meeting
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COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT:
On November 17th, Superintendent Christine Tona will host Community Connections with the Superintendent at the Falls School, PD Room at 11:30 a.m.
Community Connections will also take place at the Mahopac High School Auditorium Lobby at 6:00 p.m. prior to the Regular Board of Education meeting. Come have coffee, cookies and casual conversation with Mahopac's Superintendent. No appointment needed!
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November Spotlight on Mahopac Celebrates Our Fabulous STEM Program |
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Mission Statement
To prepare each and every student for college and career readiness, and
to educate all students to be responsible and productive members
of the global community.
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Mahopac Central School District
179 East Lake Boulevard, Mahopac, NY 10541-1666
Phone: 845-628-3415 Fax: 845-628-5502
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