FRIDAY FLYER

Dear Families,

As you know tomorrow is Earth Day, but today our students beautified our grounds by planting pansies in the front of the school, as well as a white dogwood tree in honor of the Class of 2023. In addition, we’ll be planting historic/native plant seeds throughout the grounds with seeds purchased in consultation with the Rockefeller State Park Preserve. We’ll also be reaching out to the Lenape Center of New York - the Lenape people were part of the Algonquin nation and originally lived here and throughout the Northeast woodlands. “Pocantico” is an Algonquin/Lenape name.

Today was also a big day for our 3rd graders who visited Arc Stages in Pleasantville this morning. Our kids saw the actors and actresses perform some of THEIR mini-plays they wrote in school as part of the “Visions and Voices” program. There were also additional skits performed that were written by 3rd graders in other schools as well, so it was a fun time indeed!

The other big news of the week was our 6th-8th grade state ELA testing on Wednesday and Thursday. First off, thank you for your support at home! We tested over 98% of our students - the experience was smooth and orderly, the kids worked hard of course (so proud of them), the school environment was peaceful, staff were positive and supportive, the testing platform was reliable and easy, and any glitches were few and far between, very minor, and easily solved by our fabulous tech department in literally minutes. The older kids set a high bar for our younger kids, but I’m putting my money on our 3rd-5th graders to show everyone how it’s done!

UPCOMING NYS ELA STATE ASSESSMENTS SCHEDULE

Tuesday, April 25 – Grades 3-5, Session 1

Wednesday, April 26 – Grades 3-5, Session 2

·

LAPTOPS WILL BE KEPT AT SCHOOL CHARGING OVERNIGHT BEFORE TESTING DAYS.

· We always start testing in the morning, usually by 8:45.

· Tests are UN-timed, so kids can take as long as they need. Generally, they take a little over an hour, but it could be longer if kids are taking their time (which isn’t a bad thing!)

· Yes, kids can go back and change answers or edit their writing! They can even bookmark questions to go back and review, make notes for themselves, and more.

· Even though the test is computer-based, kids still get paper and pencils to plan as they wish.

· We conducted a simulation this winter that allowed the kids and teachers to experience the platform and learn how to use all the “bells and whistles.”

· If you’d like to check out a practice version of the test platform, you can try it out here: NY Question Sampler (questarai.com) (answers are not saved, don’t worry) – I actually think it’s a great platform and the kids thought it was easy to use.

If you drive your children to school, PLEASE make sure they are on-time. Also, please make sure they get a good night’s sleep and fortifying breakfast. Any students who miss any of the testing days will be able to make them up until April 28 – we'll work that out at school scheduling-wise, so no need to worry.

NYS MATH TESTS: MAY 2-4

Next up after ELA is Math. Again, it’s two days. This year, only grades 3 and 4 will be testing math on the computer, while grades 5-8 will be in the traditional paper booklets for one final year.

· Grades 3-4: MAY 2 & 3 (yes, we celebrate with a Spring Concert that night!)

· Grades 5-8: MAY 3 & 4

SPRING CONCERTS ARE APPROACHING!

Please check the schedule below and email Mrs. DePaola if you have any questions!

May 3rd - Elementary Spring Concerts

6PM- First & Second Grade (“Just Sing!”)

7PM- Third & Fourth Grade (“Shake it Up with Shakespeare”)

Elementary students dress nicely, and there are no color requirements

May 10th - Middle School Spring Concerts

6PM- Fifth & Sixth Grade

7PM- Seventh & Eighth Grade

Middle School students dress in white tops and black bottoms

REPORT CARDS ARE POSTED

3rd quarter report cards are now posted to the parent portal. If you have any questions or concerns about grades, please first reach out to your child’s teacher.

PLANT SALE IS ONLINE

The online plant sale has become a new twist to a longtime Poco tradition, and we always appreciate your support. All proceeds will go to the Pocantico Hills Garden Program. The Garden Program gives students the opportunity to learn about where their food comes from, how it grows, and what it means to have access to fresh food. In addition to the Plant Sale, the garden hosts two main events during the school year, the Harvest Soup Festival in early October and Salad Day in June. All of the events focus on learning about food and community development. We would love to grow our program to offer more activities throughout the year!

https://go.rallyup.com/poco2023

GENTLY USED CLOTHING NEEDED FOR PK-3

Nurse Juliet would love to have any unneeded and gently used clothing that might fit children in grades PK-3. These would then act as “spares” in her office for children who are in need of an immediate change-out.

NYSSMA SOLO FESTIVAL THIS WEEKEND

We are so excited for over HALF of our middle school students to participate in this year's solo festival at Anne M. Dorner Middle School today and tomorrow. That is an unbelievable percentage – wish them luck!

POCO PTA: DINE-IN / TAKE-OUT FUNDRAISER – APRIL 28th

Mark your calendar, POCO, because our next POCO PTA Dine-In / Take-Out fundraiser involves Lucio’s Pizza in Pleasantville - Friday, April 28, 2023, from 10:00 am – 10:00 pm! Just give Lucio’s the POCO flyer and they’ll donate 10% back to Pocantico’s PTA – and, yes, you can make copies for family and friends! See Flyer in Attachments for Download & Printing.
Lucio’s Pizza, 76 Washington Ave, Pleasantville
Tel : 914-741-9200

POCANTICO HILLS SCHOOL FOUNDATION MUSIC FESTIVAL – MAY 20th

The 2nd Annual Music Festival is now slated for Saturday, May 20th, from 4:00-8:00pm at Kingsland Point Park! More details to follow, but make sure you save the date!

DO YOU HAVE THE POCANTICO HILLS APP?

Pocantico Hills CSD has an app for both iPhones and Androids – simply go to your app store and search “Pocantico Hills CSD.” Once you’re in the app you can go to Settings and select the District notifications you want and schools you want to follow. If you want push notifications, you should also go into your phone’s Settings, scroll down to the Pocantico app, and turn them on.

REMINDER: TRANSLATING THE FRIDAY FLYER AND THE WEBSITE

Please know that you can always translate the Friday Flyer and our website into just about any language! Look for “Translate” on the upper-right side of the Friday Flyer, and at the top of the website, then search/select a language.

CAMP REGISTRATION IS OPEN, BUT FILLING FAST

Summer camp online registration is still open, but some groups have filled, so please contact the camp office if you’re still hoping to enroll your child/ren! Please see the attached flyer, as well as our website, for more details.

YEARBOOKS STILL ON SALE

Our yearbook is created by our 7th & 8th grade yearbook staff with input from our 8th graders. It is an amazing full-color memory of the school year and is available for only $35.00.

Please use the link below to purchase online: Buy the 2023 Poco Yearbook

RECOGNITIONS AND DATES

Arab American Heritage Month

Bilingual/Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month

Autism Awareness Month

Poetry Month

Eid-al-Fitr – April 21

Earth Day – April 22

The Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr begins today, marking the end of Ramadan, so to our Muslim families, Eid Mubarak!

Have an amazing weekend!

Adam

APRIL RECOGNITION MONTHS

• National Poetry Month
• Autism Awareness Month

4/21/23

• Pocantico Online Plant Sale - See Friday Flyer for details

4/22/23

• Earth Day
• NYSSMA Solo Festival at Ossining High School

4/25 - 4/26/23

• NYS ELA Test - Grades 3-5

4/28/23

• POCO PTA: DINE-IN / TAKE-OUT FUNDRAISER - Lucio's Pizza (See details in Friday Flyer)

MAY RECOGNITION MONTHS

• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
• Multilingual Learner Advocacy Month
• Mental Health Awareness Month

5/2 - 5/3/23

• NYS Math Test / Grades 3-8

5/3/23

• Spring Concert Grades 1-2 ---- 6 PM
• Spring Concert Grades 3-4 ---- 7 PM

5/4/23

• Board of Education Meeting - 7:30 PM

5/5/23

• Early Dismissal for Students - 11:45 AM
• Professional Development for Teachers - PM

5/8/23

• Last Day Pocantico Online Plant Sale

5/10/23

• Spring Concert Grades 5-6 ---- 6 PM
  
• Spring Concert Grades 7-8 ---- 7 PM

5/16/23

• Annual Budget Vote and School Board Election: 7 AM - 9 PM / Gymnasium

5/17 - 5/19/23

• 8th Grade Trip to Washington, DC

5/18/23

• Board of Education Meeting - 7:30 PM

5/29/23

• Memorial Day - District Closed