COVID Dashboard to Enhance School Notifications |
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The City School District of New Rochelle understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has affected many of our families in numerous ways. We thank you for your commitment to the well-being and health and safety of our students, families, faculty, and staff.
After considering feedback from our community, the school district is adjusting the process for notifications. They will be provided by each school’s principal via email, and will continue to be timely and transparent. Those notifications will be supplemented by a COVID data dashboard that launched today on our website at https://www.nred.org/o/nrps/page/covid-dashboard. This data will provide up-to-date tallies about cases at each school as well as district-wide. Please learn more at this link.
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Maintaining School Safety
a Shared Responsibility
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Providing our school district students, faculty, and staff with a safe educational environment remains a top priority of the City School District of New Rochelle.
This includes keeping our students, faculty, and staff safe from gun violence.
Even if you do not own a gun, your children may encounter one at the home of a friend or relative. Families have an important responsibility under the law to protect your children from guns. Children often know where their parents’ guns are kept, and they can't always tell the difference between real and toy guns.
Superintendent Jonathan Raymond sent an email to parents today regarding gun safety and the role families play in protecting our community.
The letter can be viewed here.
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Anonymous Reporting Available |
Suspicious activity, bullying, or other issues can be anonymously reported by clicking the “Anonymous Reporting” button on the school district’s main website, nred.org, as well as on the website for each New Rochelle school. The reporting system is monitored between 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the school year. A call to a building’s principal is another way to notify our school district about a situation that impedes learning, health, safety, or a proper educational environment.
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Busing Improvements Coming |
Transportation improvements continue to be introduced for City School District of New Rochelle students who use school buses.
The vendor that provides bus service for the district is hiring more drivers and monitors, cameras are being repaired, and new buses are being added to the fleet. The school district continues to address communication issues to ensure timely notifications when buses are running late. Members of the school district leadership team meet with the vendor each week, and daily conversations take place as well. All are designed to seek solutions and ensure that each student’s transportation is safe, smooth and on time.
The current bus contract ends on June 30, 2022. The school district, with its legal team, is developing a Request for Proposal (RFP) that will be released shortly. This will start the process to have a new busing contract in place for July 1, 2022.
For information about busing issues, call the school district's Office of Transportation at (914) 576-4230 or email [email protected]. For information on First Mile Square buses, call (914) 423-7777. For information regarding First Student, call (914) 668-2700. For information regarding Bee-Line bus routes, call (914) 813-7777.
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Personalized Learning, Support Ongoing at Huguenot Academy |
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A new classroom at the Monroe campus. |
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Huguenot students in temporary quarters at the New Rochelle Public Library. |
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Huguenot students on a recent field trip. |
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The recent announcement regarding Huguenot Academy and its planned move to Monroe College has spurred community conversation. The City School District of New Rochelle continues to look forward to the completion of renovations to the Monroe College space, and hopes to accommodate students, faculty, and staff there on a full-time basis very soon.
Please read this important letter providing comprehensive information about Huguenot Academy’s relocation, ongoing educational programming, transportation, accommodations at the New Rochelle Public Library, and more.
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New Rochelle High Senior Researches Cancer-Fighting Molecule |
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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: Andy Nunez, senior
Mentor: Casey A. Dougherty, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biochemistry, Iona College
When Andy Nuñez was in elementary school, he often found himself tuning the television to the Animal Planet channel — specifically the TV show “Monsters Inside Me.”
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“The show sparked my interest in the human body and science as it dealt with parasites and their effects,” said Nuñez. “I have become far more interested in cancer research. Both my grandparents have battled cancer in the past, so this topic is very close to my heart.”
That interest led Nuñez into New Rochelle High School’s Science Research Program. Nuñez has been engaged in a project focused on making a molecule that would allow for the creation of a drug that kills only breast cancer cells.
Nuñez’s goal in synthesizing the molecule was to use it to create a viable drug that would treat HER2 positive breast cancer by killing only cancer cells while keeping healthy cells safe. To accomplish this, several reactions were completed.
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To determine if the molecule was synthesized, a dye would become fluorescent. That would happen only if the molecule it was bound to also was synthesized. The molecule and dye would be mixed together and put into a fluorimeter to see if there was any light coming from the molecule.
While Nuñez’s study did not produce a properly synthesized molecule, he believes it is a step closer to finding the right formula, and he is eager to continue the work.
“My experience in this program is going to have a huge impact on me after high school,” he said. “After doing research for four years, I am extremely excited to continue this in college. I plan on entering either cancer research or neurotrauma research at whatever college I go to.”
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Self-Awareness, Mindfulness are Priorities at Isaac E. Young |
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Students demonstrated the "I am" exercise at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting. |
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In addition to academics, Isaac E. Young Middle School students are learning healthy practices -- self-acceptance, self-affirmation and mindfulness -- that will help them succeed both in school and in life. Attendees of Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting received a demonstration of these social/emotional learning activities during a presentation by the Isaac E. Young Middle School team.
Sixth-graders Diego Alvarez and Jesus Morfin shared what they’ve learned about the importance of self-confidence and loving oneself. Alvarez described a “chin up” activity designed to increase self-esteem. In order to love others, Morfin noted, people have to first love themselves. A short audio track was played to show how students, through brief meditative exercises called “mindful moments,” learn to focus and calm themselves. Social Worker Alythe Coley has spearheaded this important effort.
Principal Dr. Tawanda Robinson also explained how middle schoolers interact with an “Affirmation Station.” Kyani Lawrence has established this as one of her office practices as a psychologist. A student pulls a card from a box and stands before a mirror, reciting a word – strong, important, resilient, loved, etc. -- prefaced by “I am.” This reinforcement boosts self-awareness and self-esteem, while also providing a strong flow of positivity. In the photo, Alvarez is at left and Morphin is holding up the mirror, while, from left, Board of Education member Amy Moselhi, Superintendent Jonathan Raymond, and Board of Education President Julia Muggia Ochs watch.
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Highlights from Around Our School District |
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Mobile Pantry Distributes Almost Three Tons of Food to Families |
The Mobile Food Pantry returned to Isaac E. Young Middle School Wednesday, and distributed 5,600 pounds of food to the 84 visitors who came. Based on the size of attendees’ families, 408 people benefited from the distribution of produce, meats, dairy, potatoes, bread, and vegetables. A healthy, consistent diet can help our students both in school and with their quality of life.
The Mobile Food Pantry is sponsored by the City School District of New Rochelle’s Pupil Personnel Services Department and Feeding Westchester. This week’s event was significantly assisted by Isaac E. Young student volunteers: Analy Darragan, Etsa Castellanos, Destine Acevedo, I'nayah Bligen, Rianna Cousins, Lance Milton, Angelina Stamps, Dei Yanny Benitez, Kimberly Badet, and Tahjae Williams. The Mobile Food Pantry returns to Isaac E. Young Middle School on Jan. 12 from 4 - 5 p.m. All are welcome.
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New Rochelle High's TheatreWorks
to Present 12 Angry Jurors
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Save the date! TheatreWorks is back – and the troupe is performing in person. New Rochelle High School’s acclaimed TheatreWorks is presenting “12 Angry Jurors,” the classic courtroom drama about a jury deliberating a homicide case.
Shows are Thursday and Friday, Dec. 16-17 and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 18. Tickets are $7 for students and senior citizens and $10 for all other adults. Learn more and purchase tickets here.
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Holiday Treat: Planetarium Shows Coming Up at High School |
The New Rochelle High School Planetarium is back! It’s presenting its annual holiday show, “Season of Light.”
Click the flyer for more information about upcoming presentations.
Admission is free and reservations are not required.
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Strong Attendance at Columbus’ English as New Language Workshop |
As part of the school district’s ongoing community engagement efforts, particularly its focus on partnering with parents, Columbus Elementary held an English as a New Language (ENL) workshop this morning.
Led by ENL staff, the session attracted several parents interested in supporting their children’s education. Topics included using wordless picture books, strategies to help children elaborate while speaking, and website resources.
Superintendent Jonathan Raymond attended as part of his ongoing Listening and Learning Tour across the District.
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It's Coding, and It's the Future, at Trinity Elementary |
Trinity Elementary School students spent this week integrating coding as part of “Hour of Code Week.” Teachers facilitated a variety of coding activities to promote computer science.
Second-graders practiced coding with mouse robots with Maria Torres, a Mercy College STEM Ambassador who advocates the importance of computer science in the future. Third-graders got an introduction to coding, using ozobots, a color-coding robot using red, green, black, and blue markers. They created codes for different speeds and directions.
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Fourth-graders participated in geometry and coding activities using ozobots as well. They physically practiced what each special movement and speed looked like to review vocabulary before starting their Ozobot coding challenge. Teacher Meera Rajani, who is part of the Mercy STEM Ambassadors, had her fourth-grade students code a dance using a Code.org application. In addition, Terri Agravat’s fourth- and fifth-grade STEAM students used Scratch to create a space scene with characters that “emote” to share their thoughts or feelings.
Trinity provided several coding activities to show how coding” can be as simple as giving a person directions or creating a dance party.
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At Ward, Students' Strengths Harnessed as Gifts for Others |
For teacher JoAnn Lavelli’s kindergartners, gifts stretch far beyond the holidays. Those gifts, namely each students’ strengths, provide year-round benefits for others.
After reading "Be Strong" by Pat Zietlow, students discussed their strengths – including responsibility, fairness, kindness, helpfulness, honesty, generosity, and friendship – and how these attributes benefit others.
To create the wall presentation in the photo, students tore small pieces of green and blue paper and glued them to create the world, and each wrote what gift he or she would share with the world this year.
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City School District of New Rochelle | nred.org
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