THERE WILL BE NO RAIN ON OUR PARADE View images from 2007 Graduation and Project Graduation Now Under clearing skies, and after a twenty minute rain delay, 253 graduating Tappan Zee High School Seniors made final cap, gown and hair adjustments and proudly marched down the path from the gymnasium staging area to the TZHS field where the TZHS Concert Band was once again being directed by TZHS Concert Band conductor William Hughes.   As the familiar strains of Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance wafted through the cool evening air, a veritable sea of red and white streamed onto the field.  Once the seniors were seated, opening remarks commenced and the 2007 TZHS Graduation ceremonies went into full swing.   TZHS Principal Edward Bolan expressed his excitement and admiration for the students and his gratitude for having been given the opportunity to lead them as their principal in their senior year.  Greetings were delivered by Kelsey McCarthy, Senior Class President, and poignant addresses were given by Salutatorian Christine Oh, and Valedictorian Cody Ross.   School Superintendent Dr. Joseph Zambito then spoke to the students with pride and congratulations before officially releasing them from the protective arms of the SOCSD with instructions to move onward to meet and embrace the many yet unexplored challenges of the world outside South Orangetown.  He also reminded them that the Class of 2007 was the first to graduate from the state of the art TZHS athletic field which was dedicated this past September.  Amidst a thunderous applause Dr. Zambito turned the ceremony over to Senior Class Secretary Alexandra LaValle and Senior Class Treasurer Christa Panayotidis.   Names of the seniors were then read aloud as each stepped up, accepted their diploma and shook hands with both Dr. Zambito and Mr. Bolan.  Each then exited the stage with that undeniable smile of self-satisfaction.   Unfettered by the now darkening skies and the distant thunder claps, every single name was read aloud in a progressively quickening pace and with the second squall now upon them the seniors, unprompted, in an instant final act of unspoken but undeniable solidarity, collectively tossed their caps into the sky as if to shout "THERE WILL BE NO RAIN ON OUR PARADE!!"   And, no matter what the elements dictated, nothing could have dampened that evening for TZHS's Class of 2007.

 

Cottage Lane's State Fair Draws Huge Crowd Since the beginning of March, Cottage Lane's 5th grade classes under the leadership of teachers Evelyn Murphy, Sheila Schneider and Paul Doctor have been preparing to roll out the state red carpets.  In a math and science integrated project, the students have been writing to different state Chambers of Commerce and spending many hours on the internet culling pertinent information in preparation for a two day "State Fair".  The result was a colorful indoor/outdoor multi state display of mathematical games, scientific facts and general knowledge gleaned by the students regarding "their state".   "It is just so exciting to see the kids planning to do this kind of event, and then to see it actually happen", said Ms. Murphy. In walking around the Cottage Lane gym and schoolyard one could, among other things, have a Tea Party in Boston, touch California gold, sample salsa in New Mexico, take a putt at the Georgia Masters' Tournament, guess Abe Lincoln's height in Illinois, see the ducks of Connecticut, take your chances with King Kong in New York, take a chance on a Rhode Island Red, check out the races at Churchill Downs in Kentucky and still be home in time for lunch.

 

SOMS Students Win Award in Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest SOMS students, Emiko and Garielle, who are in Ms. Sorensen's gifted program came in first place in their age category in this year's Federal Junior Duck Stamp Contest. The Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program is sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It is a dynamic art and science program designed to teach wetlands habitat and waterfowl conservation to students. Using scientific and wildlife observation principles, the program helps students communicate visually what they have learned by creating an entry to the Junior Duck Stamp art contest. It is a nationwide contest which crosses cultural, ethnic, social and geographical boundaries to teach greater awareness of our Nation's natural resources.

 

South Orangetown Family Resource Center Hosts End of School Year Celebration It was sun, fun and food as the South Orangetown Family Resource Center celebrated the end of the 2006-07 school year.  Children and their families ignored the 90 degree temperatures in exchange for a chance to get together one more time this school year.  The Family Resource Center, under the direction of Margaret A. Umbrino, provides a central place where parents, teachers, child care providers and South Orangetown community members can find information and support in caring for young children in an effort to reach out to families to ensure optimal development for all children.  There was climbing, running, jumping, lots of laughing, smiling and tons of delicious food prepared and brought "pot luck" style by the families of the children.  Seven of the children took their place on the gazebo steps with Ms. Umbrino in a "moving up" photo op.  They will be attending Kindergarten at William O. Schaefer next year.   "It is a wonderful end to a magnificent year," said Ms. Umbrino, coordinator of the FRC.  "I couldn't have asked for anything nicer."

 

The Path to Carnegie Hall with a Stop at Cottage Lane Students at South Orangetown's Cottage Lane Elementary School were treated to a Spring Concert of Cottage Lane's own budding musicians.  The entire Cottage Lane music program performed in three groups.  The first year band, under the baton of teacher William Hughes, took the stage first with selections which included Old MacDonald's Farm and Ode to Joy.  Next up was the 5th Grade Band under the direction of teacher Charles Yassky with performances of Classic Bits & Pieces which included snippets of ten classical favorites, a selection from Beauty and the Beast featuring an oboe trio, and then a finale of Walkin' Cool.  The final group to take the spotlight was the entire 4th and 5th Grade String Orchestra under the leadership of teachers Mary Bish and Jonathan Rossi who divided conducting duties for the group.   Selections included Variations on Twinkle, Twinkle, Clair de la Lune, and a grand finale of country tune Bile Them Cabbage Down.  In his comments to the assembled audience, Principal Michael Fiorentino said, "There are approximately 300 students in the combined groups of performers in today's concert.  I am extremely proud of their accomplishments and the teachers who have helped make this concert possible."

 

2nd Annual Geography Bee The 2nd Annual Geography Bee of Mrs. Lane’s Social Studies classes was held on June 6, 2007. Students were able to demonstrate geographical facts learned throughout the year. Three winners were chosen from each of Mrs. Lane's three Social Studies classes to participate in the final round.  Shane F., Tobin M., and Vincent R. represented Mrs. Lane’s home base class. Representing Mr. McAuliffe’s home base were Katie K., Erin S., and Sean M.  Christine C., Rachael M., and Zack R. competed from Ms. Sorrentino’s class.   The winners were: 1st place: Zach R., Ms. Sorrentino’s class; 2nd place: Katie K., Mr. McAuliffe’s class; and Rachel M., Ms. Sorrentino’s class. Each winner won gift cards from Barnes and Noble bookstore.

 

Tappan Zee HS's Mu Alpha Theda Inducts 32 Into National HS Mathematics Honor Society Tappan Zee High School's chapter of Mu Alpha Theta, the National High School Mathematics Honor Society, inducted 32 new members on June 6.  These students met rigorous entrance requirements to qualify for membership, including a) maintaining either a 95 average for 2 years or a 90 average for 3 years in their mathematics classes; b) the completion of a minimum of 16 hours of peer tutoring and other math-related service to the school; and c} the completion of a research project on a prominent mathematician or math topic not normally taught in the curriculum.  In keeping with recent tradition, the inductees were addressed by a recent TZHS graduate, as Hunter Senft-Grupp '06 inspired them with words of wisdom gleaned from his first year as an undergraduate at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts.  Outstanding students on the TZHS Math Team (all Mu Alpha Theta members) were also honored.

 

SOMS GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT ROCKLAND COUNTY HISTORY Students in South Orangetown Middle School teacher Ms. Arlene Sorensen's Project-based class have been creating projects about Rockland County History.  In order to make this learning experience authentic, students took a trip to The Haverstraw Brick Museum on May 24th. SOMS Students Alexandra N. and Rachel L. wrote down their thoughts about this experience: "One of the highlights of project-based class this year was the trip to The Haverstraw Brick Museum.  Once inside the museum, we felt as if we had stepped back in time. Haverstraw, right here in Rockland County, was once the brickmaking center of the world.  Our guides were helpful and detailed, providing us with a glimpse into the life of an average brick maker. We learned that a tragic landslide changed the brick making industry here forever.  Our lovely guides also taught us how to make bricks!  Ours were made out of play-doh and clay, which we pushed into molds to form the shape of bricks. We learned a great deal from this experience."

 

Tappan Zee Elementary Trims Tresses for Love On June 4th, 22 TZE students accompanied TZE Principal Kerry Houlihan, school nurse, Riva Fisher, teacher Constance Shearer, and teacher's aide Valerie Anelli to the Vogue Hair Salon in Nanuet to fulfill a commitment made in the beginning  of the school year.  All of these ladies decided to let their hair grow to a length of at least 10 inches which would then be cut in June and donated to Locks of Love - a charity that makes wigs for children who have lost their hair for any of a variety of reasons.   There was much trepidation as everyone lined up for a final glance in the mirror at their soon to be sheared locks.  However, the excitement continued to escalate as, inch by inch, 405 inches of hair was cut and donated to the Locks of Love program.  " I am so very proud of the girls- they were wonderful", remarked Principal Kerry Houlihan, the original initiator and organizer of the challenge.

 

South Orangetown Students Go A-Sleuthing Saturday, June 2nd was the culmination of a four week reading challenge for the families of South Orangetown students in William O. Schaefer, Tappan Zee Elementary and Cottage Lane.  The Parents As Reading Partners Program, encourages parents and other family members to read with their children for at least 20 minutes a day.  Their aim is to involve parents in the essential task of helping their children become lifelong readers.  The program began on April 11th and ended on May 4th.  For every 1000 hours of reading cumulatively logged by each school a clue was distributed.  Each school could earn 5 clues by logging a combined school total of 5000 reading hours over the four week period.  On June 2nd each school took their clues to the five Orangetown libraries where the student/teacher "sleuths" interpreted their clues and retrieved puzzle pieces.  When everyone arrived at the Palisades Library, all 15 puzzle pieces (five from each of the participating schools) were assembled to solve the literary mystery.  The entire event was organized by School Media Specialist Patricia Eyer and was attended by the Principal, Assistant Principal, students and parents from each of the three schools.

 

Math Olympiads I would like to take this opportunity to thank and commend 4th and 5th grade mathletes who were among the nearly 150,000 students worldwide to participate this year in the Math Olympiad program.  They participated in a series of five monthly contests from November to March, and weekly practice sessions during the course of the year. A pancake breakfast and these certificates recognize each and every mathlete for accepting such a challenge with eagerness and enthusiasm.  There were 24 mathletes who won a national award for excellence within the Elementary School Division.  The following 4th grade students have earned an embroidered felt patch for being in the top 50th percentile of the competition:  Richard F., Jarred L., Eli R., Ben B. and Amit K.  The following 5th grade students have earned an embroidered felt patch for being in the top 50th percentile of the competition:  Louis C., Erin J., Christa B., Brandon H., Cassandra L., Aaron S., Tyler B., Thomas M., Keith C., Jake L., Flannan H., Rouhin G., Zachary R., Christopher S., Christopher B., Ryan S., Matthew B., Carolyn Q., Nicholas P. The silver pin is awarded to the following students for placing in the 90th to 97th percentiles: Carolyn Q. and Nicholas P.  A trophy is awarded to Carolyn Q. and Amit K. for receiving the highest score on their grade level team. I wish the 5th graders the best of luck in the Middle School and hope you will continue to participate in this program. To the 4th graders, I look forward to working with you again next year.  I am very proud of our Math Olympiad Teams at Cottage Lane. WordMasters   The WordMasters Challenge is a fun, mind-stretching competition for highly capable Language Arts students. It is a national competition for students in grades 3-8 which encourages growth in vocabulary and verbal reasoning.  Over 4,200 school teams, from 50 states, participated last year.    Over 40 fifth graders signed up to participate in this early morning program.  They learned a new appreciation for the wonderful diversity of English words and they were encouraged to think more logically, carefully, and critically as the year progressed.   Three timed contests, starting in November, were given during the school year to increase student interest and healthy competition. The following students placed in the top ten:  Chris B., Shane F., Carolyn Q., Zachary R., Nicholas C., Keith C., Elizabeth G., Brenna H., Nicholas P., and Camille S.  A special medal is awarded to Carolyn Q. for the highest scorer at Cottage Lane.   Congratulations to all WordMaster participants and I'd like to remind all students to read, read, read this summer! - Kerri McBride

 

TZHS "Acafellas" Win 1st Place in Barbershop Vocal Competition On Tuesday evening, May 29, the TZ High School "Acafellas" won 1st place for the second time at the Ken Dukes Memorial Barbershop Competition in New City.  They sang barbershop arrangements of the "The Old Hundreth" and "Nice Work If You Can Get It."  The vocal quartet consisting of members Raffi Chamessian (Bass), Charles Rightmyer (Baritone), Mike Fails (Lead), and Brendon Lucas (Tenor) each received medals and a $100 cash prize.  The "Acafellas" are one of three after-school acapella vocal ensembles at the high school directed by Russell Wagoner.

Bridging the Generations World War II Veterans representing New City VFW Post 851 from the Town of Clarkstown and participants in Bridging the Generations, an effort to keep children in communication with seniors, requested an essay contest for the students.  The theme of the essay was "Why should we honor America's fallen heroes?"  The contest was open to all SOMS students in all three grade levels and was promoted by the Language Arts department.  The judging was done by the veterans themselves, with three winners selected to receive a savings bond of $100 and to read their winning essays on May 25 at a Memorial Service held at Street Community Center at the Promenade of Heroes. The winners of the essay contest were: Soreya S. Nicole D. Chloe M.

SOMS Garners "Gold With Distinction" Honors On Tuesday, May 22, the SOMS Concert Orchestra and SOMS Chamber Orchestra, both under the direction of Mary Bish, attended the NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) Major Ensemble Adjudication festival held at Wallkill High School.  Both groups received the rating of "Gold with Distinction".  This is the highest rating that is given, and awarded only to those organizations who exhibit "an outstanding level of technical and artistic skill in all of the evaluative categories. The level of performance is exceptional." Approximately 5% of the groups from the entire State of New York who attend adjudication receive this rating. This is the third year in a row that Ms. Bish has prepared these groups and has come back with this rating.  She was the first to prepare and take performing groups from SOMS to compete in this type of state-sanctioned event.

South Orangetown Middle School Takes Home Math Olympiad Honors   Several students from South Orangetown Middle School were among the 150,000 students worldwide to participate in this year’s Math Olympiad program.  The students participated in 5 monthly contests from November to March, and explored new math ideas every other week through hands on activities under the direction of math teacher Jennifer Segaloff. All students were recognized with certificates of participation.  The following students won national awards for excellence within the Middle School division: Min J. was one of 76 students in the Middle School division to earn the prestigious Dr. George Lenchner Medallion, awarded for a perfect score of 25 points.  Min also earned the gold pin for scoring in the top 2% worldwide. The following students earned the silver pin for scoring in 90th to 97th percentile: David R.– 6th grade Molly O. – 8th grade Soreya S. – 6th grade The students above as well as the following students earned an embroidered patch for scoring in the top 50% of all participants. Kerry O. – 8th grade Emily R. – 6th grade Mike S. – 8th grade Hyo J.– 6th grade Daniel K. – 6th grade Jon A. – 7th grade Leon Z. – 6th grade The South Orangetown Middle School Math Olympiad Team was named to the National High Achievement List for its score.  A team must be in the 8th to 89th percentile nationally to win this award.

Video Conferencing Out to Sea First time from the Bering Sea and the Gulf of Alaska, Mr. Tanenbaum held a video conference with Ms. Nespoli's third grade class while on board the NOAA Miller Freeman. Mrs. Eyer, TZE's library media specialist, organized the conference.  The children were also able to speak with a few of the scientists on board the vessel.

Gifted & Talented Experience the NYSE First Hand Cottage Lane 5th graders are keenly aware of the world around them and can now use this information to make good investment decisions.   Mrs. Kerri McBride's gifted and talented students are using critical thinking skills to buy or sell stock in today’s market.  These young investors are learning to be business literate in order to get an early start on making their money grow. Students are learning about the history of Wall Street, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the economy.  They are experiencing hands-on activities, such as: looking up stocks, reading tables and reports, and writing tickets to buy and sell stocks.   On May 21st, students moved from simulated stocks in room 103 to the NYSE at 11 Wall Street.  Mr. Nat Wasserstein, President of X Shares, graciously invited a small group of students for a tour of the New York Stock Exchange.   These students, accompanied Assistant Principal Ms.  Stephanie Acito, and teacher Mrs. Kerri McBride had the opportunity to see their rigorous curriculum unfold in real life.

Tappan Zee HS Concert Choir Performs at Carnegie Hall On Sunday, April 22, 2007, the Tappan Zee High School Concert Choir, under the direction of Russell Wagoner, performed at Carnegie Hall.   Mr. Wagoner was contacted in late February by one of the executive directors of Mid-America Productions.  The concert included the debut of Floridian composer George Atwell’s “Mass for a New Millennium.”  The major work was thirty-five minutes in length, combining English and Latin texts and was accompanied by the New England Symphonic Ensemble conducted by Dr. Rebecca Bedell. The program also featured Vivaldi’s “Gloria” and Haydn’s “Paukenmesse.”  At the conclusion of the concert, the performers were met with an extended standing ovation.  Mr. Wagoner was congratulated by Executive Director Norman Dunfee who promised to have the choir back again soon. This was the second performance by TZHS ensembles at Carnegie Hall.  Four years ago, the choir appeared with the TZ Chamber Orchestra in a performance of the “Requiem” by Gabriel Faure.

Spinelli T-Shirts Make Their Debut At SOMS   The students of Ms. Morgan Deevy, Ms. Jill Jakubowski, and Mrs. Pamela Tarasco's ELA classes presented a Spinelli T-Shirt Party at SOMS.  Having just finished their author study unit on Jerry Spinelli, the project began with students making a choice of studying one of four selected Spinelli books to read.  Choices were: Stargirl, Wringer, Crash and Maniac Magee.  After deciding on a book, students worked in groups discussing the books, creating vocabulary lists and sharing connections with the characters, each other and the entire class.  As a final project, students were asked the create a t-shirt that would persuade others to read their Spinelli book.  A sea of colorful creations took over the SOMS hallways as the t-shirts were modeled by their creators.

SADD Students Against Destructive Decisions walk/run race results.   We thank all those that participated in this event!

 

Author Patricia Polacco Reaches Out to Cottage Lane Students It was difficult to compute exactly what was going on as one entered Mr. McAuliffe and Ms. McInerney's 5th grade class.  In actuality, every child in the class was dressed as a character from one of Patricia Polacco's many extraordinary picture books.  After studying the author and reading 28 of her more than 40 books, the students created an attribute chart listing and comparing title, copyright year, characters, settings, dedications, animals, themes, foreign language, and educational components.  They then chose one character from one of her books and assumed that character's identity in a presentation to the class.    Born in Michigan, Ms. Polacco, a prolific writer of children's books, was diagnosed in her youth as being dyslexic.  She learned to accept and overcome her disabilities and incorporated much of her private life in each of her books.  "The reason I love Patricia Polacco's writing so much", explained teacher Maureen McInerney, "is because she puts some thread of her own family history and prior experiences into everything she writes."   After giving the attending audience some background information regarding the presentations, teacher Mr. William McAuliffe closed his welcome comments with a quote from his great Uncle Olaf.  "My great uncle Olaf always said," continued Mr. McAuliffe,  "every day should be unwrapped like a precious gift."

 

South Orangetown Middle School Presents Storybox Projects   Students in Ms. Arlene Sorensen's 6th grade class presented this year's Storybox Project, a group of originally written vignettes, narrated and brought to life by the students as part of an interdisciplinary program which promotes a diversified, authentic, "hands-on" learning experience.  First they read and analyzed several short stories examining plot content, characters, theme, setting, conflict, climax and resolution.   The "journey to the box" began when the class broke up into teams of three to create an original short story.  They were told to keep in mind the story would come to life on a large, brown box.  Project requirements included the inclusion of descriptive language, a detailed story map and ten vocabulary words which had been studied during the year.  Computers were used to create a "mock box". The story was then sculpted into the box using postage tape, newspaper, water and scissors.  Markers and similar materials were allowed during the last two days only.  Finally, students perform the stories using the box as their main prop.  Story presentations included:  The Monotonous TV, The Royal Fall, Toy Town, The Mice of Pastry Palace and Candyland.  The audience was made up of Mrs. Eileen Griffith's second grade class who made the trip to the middle school from Tappan Zee Elementary.  Mrs. Griffith said, "The children really enjoy this kind of an opportunity to see what the older children are doing."   This year we have decided to do our own Storybox Project and Ms. Sorensen's class will come and see our presentation," concluded Ms. Griffith.  Ms. Sorensen, who has been doing Storybox Projects for the past 12 years, was previously awarded the New York State Program of Excellence Award for the project.   I meet former students outside of the school all the time who ask me if we're still doing Storybox Performances," said Ms. Sorensen. "I can't begin to tell you how good that makes me feel," she added.

 

It was all hands on deck as Mr. Jacob Tanenbaum and Ms. Anne O'Brien herded twenty four of Cottage Lane's 4th grade future scientists on a high spirited half mile walk to the end of the Piermont pier to finally test the results of a project that began almost a year ago.   In August 2006, after Annie Richardson, an educational coordinator with NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, described to Mr. Tanenbaum her experience in constructing a drifter buoy with high school students using equipment from the French Space Agency, Mr. Tanenbaum and Ms. O'Brien decided to undertake a project with Cottage Lane students in connection with Mr. Tanenbaum's next Teacher At Sea trip.   After many emails and a few conference calls between California, New York and France, the Cottage Lane "team" received a drifter buoy shell and instructions.   A drifter buoy is a device that floats in the open sea.  This one, named Excalibur, will report its location as well as the temperature of the water around it back to land via satellite.  The data is used by scientists all over the world to study things like climate change, ocean currents and a host of other things.   Mr. Tanenbaum also made contact with Dr. Andrew Barklay in Lamont Doherty who advised on the project and also connected him with scientists and engineers who gave further assistance.  Dr. Andreas Thurnherr, from Lamont Doherty, came to Cottage Lane and worked with the students on the material they were studying.   After today's successful test launch Mr. Tannenbaum will now be able to release Excalibur in a few weeks into the Bering Sea when he goes out on a NOAA Research vessel as part of their Teacher At Sea program again this year.  Excalibur was constructed with help from people in Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, using some parts from the French Space Agency and some parts which were purchased with funds from the SOCSD Educational Foundation.   "This project was truly a collaborative effort between our South Orangetown students and scientists from all over the world", said Mr. Tanenbaum.  The exciting thing is not only have these children learned from this scientific technology, but once Excalibur is released they will actually be a part of it." The Cottage Lane drifter buoy website:  www.jacobtanenbaum.com/drifter Information on Mr. Tanenbaum's trip with NOAA, and his blog: www.jacobtanenbaum.com/noaa2

 

SOUTH ORANGETOWN FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER UTILIZES UNIQUE STORYTELLING SKILLS In a national education system with a major focus on achieving basic verbal skills, often overlooked is the importance of creative exploration within an organized group setting rather than through independent thought processes. The most recent Story and Drama Hour at the South Orangetown Family Resource Center began with the children's book Tacky the Penguin, by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger and read to the group by "Mr. Vince".  This is the story about a penguin ostracized from his peers because of his unwillingness to behave like he "should."   After hearing the story read aloud, roles were assigned, character traits were developed, and a performance was organized.  The goal was not to create something to be presented to an audience, but rather to give the children a chance to experience the story first hand from "within". They became active participants in the tale, engaging their knowledge of the story's theme and employing their verbal skills with one another to collectively retell the story.   The children shared a richly rewarding experience and were no longer merely passive listeners.

 

TAPPAN ZEE HS DECA NEWS Members of Tappan Zee High School DECA attended the State Conference in Rochester, N.Y. where they competed in a variety of activities ranging from role-plays to tests.   Katie B. was selected as a top ten finalist in her category, Entrepreneurship Participating.  The Entrepreneurship Participating event includes the development and presentation of various aspects of a plan to form a business.  The event provides an opportunity for a participant to develop and demonstrate mastery of essential skills as they apply to the analysis of a business opportunity, the development of a marketing/promotion plan and the development of a financial plan.  Katie’s proposal was for a children’s soccer clinic. Jason M. was one of eight national finalists selected in his category, Sunkist Challenge.  The Sunkist Challenge encourages students to seek beyond advertising’s traditional media and to develop a working appreciation of the potential of viral advertising (email, mobile [text, SMS]), instant messaging and/or social networking page/space via blogs or MySpace.  The contest sponsored by Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, has already awarded Jason a $500 scholarship.  Jason is now eligible for the grand prize of a $2,500 scholarship.

 

TZHS is Europe Bound The Tappan Zee High School Italian class with 38 students and four teacher/chaperones left one day ahead of the Tappan Zee HS French class with 40 students and five teacher/chaperones for their respective ten day European adventures.  The Italian class will visit Venice, Verona, Florence, Siena, Assisi and Rome while the French trip will take students to Paris, Normandy Caem and St. Malo. While in Europe, the students will get a chance to visit and observe the two countries, their people and their customs. They will also get a chance to sample the foods from different regions and practice their foreign language skills.

 

THE SOMS AMERICAN IDOL CLUB The SOMS American Idol Club, directed by Ms. Sorensen, was visited recently by a special celebrity guest.  This guest was Ms. Jessica Cannon, a former SOMS student who is currently performing in Broadway and Off Broadway shows. Jessica, a phenomenal singer, spoke to club members about how she started her singing career right here at SOMS in the "Kaleidoscope Kafe."  During her visit, Jessica brought the house down as she performed songs from "Wicked".  Jessica is truly a singing inspiration to all of the SOMS American Idol members!

 

South Orangetown Middle School Brings Home the Science Olympiad Medals On March 3, 2007, teams from 18 Rockland and Westchester middle schools met at Scarsdale Middle School for the Regional Science Olympiad Competition.   At the competition, pairs of students from each school competed in 22 different science and technology events. By day's end, the SOMS Science Olympiad team took home 18 medals, finished FIRST in Rockland, and finished FOURTH place overall!   Medal winners from SOMS were: John M. and Sheila K. – 3rd place in Anatomy Neal P. and Febin T. – 1st place in Balloon Race Neal P. and Joval M. – 4th place in Waves Sheila K. and Shruti R. – 1st place in Disease Detectives Febin T. and Neal P.l – 2nd place in Metric Mastery Evan N. and Steven N. – 5th place in Road Scholar Saeun Y. and Sheila K. – 1st place in Rocks and Minerals Joval M. and Neal P. – 5th place in Science Word Nora T. and Zoe F. – 2nd place in Wheeled Vehicle SOMS congratulates coaches Mrs. April Biggs, Ms. Deena Bollinger, and Mrs. Mei Yip-Chen and also Christine Mathew, Bianca Waffenschmidt, and other members of the SOMS Science Olympiad Club who helped the team prepare.

 

A Star Speller at Tappan Zee Elementary Ms. Denise Healy is very proud of an accomplishment made by one of her second grade student's.  Her student entered the NY Regional Spelling Bee for children in Rockland/Westchester counties.  There were about 18 second grade students competing for the title. First the word Early was needed to be spelled correctly, followed by the winning word Photo.  On April 28th she competes in Weedsport against other second grade students in the New York State.

 

South Orangetown Schools Fare Well in National History Day On Saturday March 10, 2007, the Lower Hudson Valley National History Day competition took place at St. Thomas Aquinas College. This year's topic was TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY. National History Day is an educational program devoted to improving the teaching and learning of history in American schools.  NHD is a meaningful way for students to discuss historical issues, people and events by engaging in historical research. Students entered one of four categories for the contest: Historical Papers, Exhibits, Performance or Documentaries. Winners included: From SOMS: Hannah L. and Nicole B. took 3rd place for "The Triumph and Tragedy of Marie Antoinettein in the Performance Category From TZHS: Ricky A. and Erik H. won 1st place in the Documentary Video Category for "In the Ring With the King"- The Triumph and Tragedy of Muhammed Ali.  They will go on to the state level in Cooperstown, New York in April! Kathleen F. won 2nd place for her Senior Historical Research Paper Women and World War II.  She is also eligible to compete in the state competition in Cooperstown, New York. Michael K. and Bradley S. won 3rd place in the Documentary Video Category for The Triumph and Tragedy of Ernest Hemmingway.

Mu Fest at TZHS There were no calculators in sight today as the TZHS Math Honor Society - Mu Alpha Theda - challenged their classmates as well as Cottage Lane's 5th graders in an all day math face-off.   Members of Mu Alpha Theda turned challenges into games and set them up table by table in the HS Library to test them out.  Some examples of the offerings were, Mu Tic Tac Toe, Mu Flip, Mu-lan and others.   “This is a great opportunity for Cottage Lane students to be challenged in games based on math as practice for the State games in June.  Today the denominator is learning and the numerator is FUN”, said Cottage Lane Social Studies teacher Evelyn Murphy.  “It’s a great way to connect the high school students and the elementary school students”, added Sheila Schneider 5th grade Science teacher.   Buses ferried the Cottage Lane hopefuls and some of their teachers in optimistic anticipation of solving the numeral nemeses.  Many were victorious in their trials. “I enjoy watching the interaction between the HS and Elementary School students”, said Marissa Primus TZHS Calculus teacher.  “This is the high point of the season for the Math Honor Society”, chimed in event coordinator and TZHS Math Team Leader Nick Megdanis casting an approving eye over the happenings of the moment.   Mu Fest, an annual event at TZHS, is currently in its fifteenth year.

 

TAPPAN ZEE HS CLASS OF 2009 RECEIVE RINGS "The tradition began at West Point when class rings were first given to the cadets." explained Cael Lewis of Herff Jones, ring jewelers.  He went on to explain to the assembly of TZHS Sophomores, "the ring is worn on the ring finger of the right hand with the school name facing the wearer.  On graduation day, the ring is turned around so that anyone looking at it can read the name of the school".  Lewis then told the students of the long standing tradition which guarantees a lifetime of good luck.  Since they will be graduating in 2009 the ring must be turned a full turn on their finger, toward their pinky, 109 times by individual family and friends.  Each turner then signs the card which they were given with their rings on the corresponding line number. The last person to sign the card, #109, must be a VERY special person in their life and must turn the ring in the opposite direction (toward their heart) which seals in the good luck.   After the ring distribution the students enjoyed pizza and soda while comparing rings and enjoying the evening.

   

We The People - A Celebration of Ethnicities It was color, costumes and pageantry at SOMS today as the annual We the People celebration took on a life of its own.  Twelve nations were represented this year in a day-long reaffirmation, reconnection and commemoration of the  melting pot of cultures and diversity that make up the town of South Orangetown.  The sharing of traditional foods, crafts and music & dance performances gave children and families a chance to reestablish ties to their ethnic roots and to share long held traditions with their friends.  There was face painting, mask making, singing & dancing and much eating on a festive day of cultural reconnection.

 

Children's Book Author Visits Tappan Zee Elementary Helen Furbush, author of Lying Awake visited with over 200 Tappan Zee Elementary students to share her experiences and motivations for writing her book.  She told of recalling memories of her favorite things and her love of boats and the water and her "love of cracking codes".  She explained to the group that the book contains clues, using semaphore flags, with each one representing a letter of the alphabet, as well as a cookie recipe.  She also told of "cool animal facts" interspersed throughout.  After reading the book with the students, Ms. Furbush treated the entire assembly of students, parents and faculty to a booksigning.

 

Cove Students Get a Taste of the Chinese New Year Rose Ngai, SOMS Secretary, spoke to the Tappan Zee HS COVE students about the Chinese New Year and how she and her family prepare for the week-long holiday celebration which marks the lunar New Year.  She talked about Chinese culture and tradition and explained that this is the year of the Pig.  Ms. Ngai shared Chinese traditional food such as shrimp chips and assorted Chinese candies and cookies with the students.

 

Cottage Lane Future Inventors Show Off Their Stuff Cottage Lane Elementary was the setting for the next generation of inventors when 5th grade students from Ms. Murphy and Mrs. Schneider's science classes displayed their visions at this year's Invention Convention. As part of their unit on Models & Designs students follow the five phase engineering process of design, construct, test, evaluate and redesign.  The Convention is divided into two teams of three classes and three teachers each.  Projects are displayed in different classrooms at different times during the month.    Some of the inventions included: Cereal Organizer, solar powered coffee maker, shopping bag handler, mini snow saucers, the full length body umbrella, candle skin, ball buddy storage caddy with drainage holes for possibility of foul weather, and a "Mail's Here" mailbox system.   "Each and every year the students work hard and very enthusiastically", said their teacher Ms. Murphy.  "They love to share their work.  It's a wonderful experience to get them ready for the future, and I can say, I knew them when!"

 

SOCES/SOMS PTA Reflections Results 2007            The National PTA Reflections Program, an arts recognition and achievement program for all students, provides opportunities for creative expression and recognition nationwide.  This year the SOCES/SOMS PTA announced 375 students in South Orangetown registered for the program and 116 submitted entries. Winners are picked from each school and entries are chosen to represent the district at the regional competition which includes over 50 schools and over 500 entries covering Rockland, Orange and Sullivan counties.   South Orangetown had 11 entries chosen for the regional's and have announced that three SOCES entries made it to the State level.  Results of the State competition will be known in the spring.   In March, all of the works submitted by SOCES and SOMS students will be on display in the Middle School in the Board of Education Gallery space in the main corridor.   Community members are invited to stop in and view all of the work created by South Orangetown students. To learn more, and view titles that will be representing SOCSD at the Regional PTA Reflections competition later this month click here.

 

Poetry Collage Exhibit "ala Joan Miró" For this project, I asked my 6th grade Language Arts students to cut out shapes of a favorite subject which interested them.  After watercoloring a background, students placed their cut out shapes on the watercolored space.  Students then composed a poem for their collage using specific criteria including the use of literary devices. Joan Miró was a Spanish surrealist painter whose work has been characterized as an expression of the subconscious free form.  He was known for paintings which used interesting, colorful backgrounds with shapes layered over them. Thank you to Ms. Stephani Chisholm, a parent, who is a professional artist for helping me and my students design this exhibit.  The exhibit is presently displayed in the hallway in front of the old board room at SOMS - Arlene Sorensen

 

Asset or Liability ? - Ask Mr. Moretti's Students! Ever wonder what's the difference between an asset, a liability and a Doodad?   Ask any one of Mr. Lou Moretti's 5th grade homeroom students and they'll gladly let you know that and much more.  Mr. Moretti's class looks forward to his innovative, hands-on introduction to the grown up world of finance on "Finance Fridays".  It was important to Mr. Moretti "to give to the kids a necessary and critial life skill that they need as they move into adulthood".  He is teaching them the concepts of money value, finances, basic economics, banking, etc.  Ask one of them to write a check and a sea of hands go up to volunteer.  It is done perfectly.  Mr. Moretti uses the technology of Smartboards, the fun of board games and the curious and inquisitive minds of his students to teach concepts generally taught in High School finance classes.  Observing the class is quite a remarkable experience.

 

A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On January 17th the classes of Mrs. Yelin, Ms. Carr, Mrs. Kuhn and Ms. Leavey put on a performance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  The children recited poems, sang songs, and performed a skit about the Montgomery Bus Boycott.  The children learned about this great man who was a leader, a speaker, and a man of great courage.  The children worked really hard on this performance and the children and parents really seemed to enjoy the show!

 

Tappan Zee Elementary's Third Grade Puts on The Mask ! For the past two weeks, all third grade students in Tappan Zee Elementary School have been working with Ms. Lois Bohevesky, Artistic Director of the Vagabond Puppets.  They have been busy creating masks representing the three cultures now being studied in their Social Studies unit: Mexico, Inuit and Japan.  The masks will be used later in the term in performances by the entire third grade representing the folklore, beliefs, social customs and history of the three target areas.  This project is funded in part through the Rockland County Arts Council.

 

Culture and Tradition Celebrated at Tappan Zee Elementary Students in Ms. Colleen Morahan's 2nd grade class ended their Social Studies unit on Cultures and Traditions with a multicultural luncheon honoring the many ethnicities that make up the class.  Some of the facts learned of the 22 in the class included:  12 students are first generation American, 10 students are fluent in other languages, families represent 14 different countries and 4 different continents.  The students wrote of and read aloud their favorite family traditions.   The entire celebration ended with a luncheon of representative ethnic dishes prepared by parents and enjoyed by everyone on Monday, December 18th.

 

SOMS PARTICIPATES IN "WORLD'S LARGEST CHILDREN'S READ-A-THON" In Scholastic's 8th annual reading celebration - Read For 2007:Read For Life - every South Orangetown Middle School ELA class joined the global community of readers, teachers, librarians, parents and friends in an around the world daylong reading fest.  The challenge was to take the time to read for 2007 seconds (33 1/2 minutes) in a renewal of a commitment to reading.   SOMS ELA Teacher and Event Coordinator for SOMS participation Morgan Deevy said, "It is exciting to see how enthusiastic our students get when asked to share their favorite books with each other.  Every teacher in our school worked hard to organize their theme and reading activities.  It is an incredible feeling to be a part of a world wide reading event such at READ 2007:Read for Life, sponsored by Scholastic".  Classroom themes ran the gamut from characters, camp-outs, slumber and beach parties to multi-culturalism, winter wonderlands and a poetry cafe. "The kids are so excited about reading and they are constantly taking books out of the school library," said Stephanie Coronesi 7th grade SOMS ELA teacher.  "They were very excited to be taking part in this wonderful project."

 

SOMS Student Named Runner-Up in National Poster Contest A 6th Grade SOMS student in Mrs. Lacker's class has been awarded one of the top honors in the nation for 9 -11 year olds in the Reading is Fundamental/Charlotte's Web poster competition.  The student was named a runner-up in the art contest which included hundreds of entries.   Awards included: A $50 gift card to Barnes and Noble A RIF Reading Planet T-shirt, mouse pad, and magnet A set of special edition Charlotte's Web books from HarperCollins Children's Publishing

 

Wee Deliver Comes to Cottage Lane Cottage Lane Elementary joined over 25,000 schools nationwide on Monday, December 4th, when 27 5th graders were sworn in by Blauvelt Postmaster Andrews Cherian as "postal workers" in conjunction with the Wee Deliver Post Office Program.  Students applied for jobs as Sorters, Nixie Clerks and Carriers by filling out job applications and writing essays explaining why they would like the position.   Cottage Lane Postmaster (and teacher) Bernard Connaughton made the final "hiring" decisions. Each hallway in the school will become a Street, Drive, Blvd., etc in the name of a children's author.  Classroom numbers will become "house" numbers.  Each grade will have their own zip code. Cottage Lane has virtually become a city.  "This adds an extra dimension to the letter writing we do in the school already," explained Michael Fiorentino, Cottage Lane Principal."   Students will write letters to each other using the new postal address system and will deposit the letters in the post boxes mounted on each classroom door.  The Postal Workers will pick up the mail during the day, sort it and deliver it under the guidance of Cottage Lane Postmaster Connaughton.

 

SOMS Students Unveil Their Mystery/Fantasy Artwork Projects Students in Ms. Morgan Deevy, Ms. Jill Jakubowski and Ms. Pamela Tarasco's 6th grade ELA classes unveiled their secret self-selected project based on a mystery or fantasy book. Students were given three options from which to choose.  Option 1 was to create a life sized model of a character in the book, option 2 was to create a sculpture of a character from the book (students had a short writing piece that accompanied both of these artistic projects), and option 3 was to write a 10 question/answer page that incorporated "deep thinking" interview questions. "The children enjoyed this project because they got to choose the book and the option," said Ms. Deevy.   "Their project results exceeded my greatest expectations", she quickly added.

   

 

Tappan Zee High School Italian Club Honored The Tappan Zee HS Italian Club was awarded a trophy for Best Ethnic Organization by The Rockland County Columbus  Association at an awards dinner hosted by the Association on November 2.  The Italian Club received the honor after having marched in the Haverstraw Columbus Day Parade

 

 

Step Up and Sign Up Please! Students at Tappan Zee HS attended the annual introduction and invitation to join any of the co-curricular activity clubs available to them within the school. Many of the clubs exhibited posters and flyers while students manned sign-up tables and answered questions posed to them by potential new members. Tappan Zee High School offers students a diverse choice of co-curricular clubs and activities.     All students are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities to enrich a personal interest or talent.

   

On a balmy end-of-summer evening, The Early Childhood Program PTA hosted its first "Welcome Back" family picnic. Returning families, new families and perspective families joined together to meet, exchange experiences, information, hugs and phone numbers and to just "hang out" and have a great with old and new friends.   The South Orangetown Early Childhood Program offers a full complement of programs for children ages 2 - 5 with special needs at the William O. Schaefer School in the Pre K - grade 1 building. This county funded program is open to resident and non-resident students.         "This is a very special evening", said Catherine McCue, program director.  "It's not only for the children who attend the program, but also for their older and younger siblings, their moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas.  It is here that friendships are made and sealed for years to come.  It's just a wonderful thing"