09/03/2024 Letter to the Community

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Families, looking for quick access to your top FAQs? Check out our families page for convenient links to schedules, lunch menus, and more!

Today, we welcomed back our students as they returned to school. We're looking forward to a year filled with learning and growth. See this photo album on Facebook with pictures from the first day.

As the new school year begins, we welcome and empower student voice. In some classrooms, this voice even shapes the theme and decor.

Watch the video on LoHud to see how Ms. Creary's students impacted her class theme.

State Sen­ate Ma­jor­ity Leader An­drea Stew­art-Cousins pre­sented a $350,000 check to the Pub­lic Schools of the Tar­ry­towns to sup­port cap­i­tal im­prove­ments to out­door class­rooms at Sleepy Hol­low Mid­dle and High School.

Read about here:

The Hudson Independent

The River Journal

One last hoorah before the new academic year!

Students Party In The Park As They Prepare For The New School Year

Announcing our exclusive Horsemen Spirit Wear, order NOW through September 15th to take advantage of FREE SHIPPING to the schools. Don't miss your chance to grab some awesome new designs and show off your school spirit! Every purchase helps support essential PTA programs and events.

How to Order:

1. Visit the Sleepy Hollow Spirit Wear Website [bit.ly/HorsemenPTA]

2. Browse our selection and choose your favorites

3. Items will be shipped to school - no need to pay for shipping!

Show your pride and support our schools. Go Horsemen!

Save the dates for our Back to School Nights!

• John Paulding (Pre-K & Kinder): Sept 5 at 6:00 p.m.
• WL Morse (1st-2nd): Sept 4 at 6:30 p.m.
• Washington Irving (3rd): Sept 11 at 6:00 p.m.; (4th-5th): Sept 18 at 6:00 p.m.
• SHMS (6th-8th): Sept 17 at 6:00 p.m.
• SHHS (9th-12th): Sept 19 at 6:00 p.m.

Save the Date: Join us on October 15 at 6 p.m. in the MS/HS auditorium for an in-person session on the latest updates to our Capital Bond Project.

We want to extend a special thanks to everyone who made our Back-to-School Bash a success! A big thank you to Dr. Brutus for organizing the event and to our students, families, staff, and community partners for their support.

We also want to extend a special appreciation to our community sponsors for their generous contributions.

We look forward to continuing this journey together. Enjoy event photos on Facebook!

The Westchester County Hispanic Advisory Board, in collaboration with Pace University, is conducting a new survey to assess the needs of the Latino community in Westchester County. This comprehensive survey, the first in over 20 years, will gather vital information on education, healthcare, employment, housing, and social services. Your participation is crucial in shaping future community support and services.

Survey link: http://bit.ly/hlcs-24

As a reminder, the Middle School and High School have new traffic patterns for morning drop off, from 8:15-8:30. As a summary,

• Route 448 Entrance: Drop off near the High School Auditorium and exit via Route 448. No right turns at the stop sign by the baseball field. Drop off at the auditorium, circle around, and exit through Route 448.
• Route 9 Entrance (High School): Drop off at the main entrance semicircle, then turn left toward Route 9. Right turns must follow the Route 448 drop-off traffic.

• Route 9 Entrance (Middle School): Drop off at the triangle island. Turn left toward the Route 9 light. After 8:15 a.m., avoid driving up the hill to the high school.

Please see the messages from Mr. Holland and Dr. Brand for more information.

We are rolling out a new six-day rotating schedule for specials across our elementary schools. Benefits include enhanced instructional time, increased programming for self-contained special education classes, and the addition of STEM programming to the specials rotation. This schedule will be aligned with the day rotations of our MS/HS schedules (135 are even, 246 are odd) to ensure consistency for families. The September schedule is attached.

Registration is now open for the Education United Afterschool Academic & Enrichment Program! This free program runs from October through May, offering students academic support and engaging activities that spark creativity. Join us Monday through Thursday for a fun and enriching experience.

To learn more call or text 914-214-7086 or email morse@unitedwaywp.org

The Family YMCA at Tarrytown is offering an early morning care program at JP, Morse and WI. Care will be provided onsite starting 1 1⁄2 hours before the normally scheduled arrival time, breakfast will be provided during this time.

Program runs Mondays – Fridays when school is in session. Fee: $189 per month

$50 deposit required to reserve your spot. Send your completed form with payment to Gabriela Rivas, Billing Administrator gabrielar@ymcatarrytown.org 914 631-4807 ext. 100.

Sleepy Hollow Middle School (in collaboration with FSW)

Grades: 5-7

Description: The program offers FREE age-appropriate after-school activities to improve the social, emotional, and academic competencies of participating youth in grades 5 – 7 at SHMS. We will also offer homework help for the ENL students in grades 5 - 7. We are looking to help the 5th graders transition to Middle School and there will be transportation provided from Washington Irving Intermediate School to Sleepy Hollow Middle School.

Schedule: Monday - Friday 3 PM - 6PM

Cost: Free

The UFSD of the Tarrytowns is offering free school meals to all students this school year! Our goal is to continue providing free meals to all students beyond the upcoming school year, but we need your help!

All families need to submit a Household Income Form application, which is being sent home to all families. The form can also be found here: (English & Spanish). By applying you also help your child's school qualify for additional funding that directly benefits their classroom!

Based on the information provided on the Household Income Form, if your family qualifies, your child may be eligible for:

• Fee waiver for college applications and exam fees (SAT, ACT and AP)

• Summer EBT Food Benefits

• Discount on district activities

As we begin another exciting school year, I want to take a moment to share with you our current approach to cell phones and personal computers:

Elementary School

• Phones and smartwatches are not allowed in school and must be kept in the child's backpack and turned off for the entire school day.

Sleepy Hollow Middle School

• Only district-issued Chromebooks may be used by students during the school day. Personal devices of any type that are brought to school must be kept in student lockers.

• Mobile Phones must be kept in lockers and turned off for the entire school day.

Sleepy Hollow High School

• Mobile phones must be stored. They are not to be used by students during class periods unless directed to do so by the teacher.

Please take some time to review these guidelines with your child.

As we get ready to welcome our students back to school I want to share our commitment to improving school attendance as a district. Every day of school is an opportunity for learning, social interactions and personal growth. When our students miss school, they miss out on these vital experiences which impacts their academic performance and overall development. By ensuring your child attends school regularly, you are helping them stay on track, stay connected and achieve their potential.

We as a district are committed to helping support getting our scholars to school every day. Should you find yourself in need of support to get your child to school on time or consistently, please feel free to reach out to us as we have staff to support you.

As we head into the new school year, I want to share the process for communicating changes to the daily school schedule due to inclement weather. Adverse weather conditions involve more than just ice and snow concern; our protocol is designed to address all problematic weather events quickly and effectively.

Decisions for school delays, early dismissals, or cancellations are announced promptly. We closely monitor weather patterns to anticipate days when inclement weather may be a concern. In most cases, final decisions are made early in the morning of the affected school day when the situation is best understood.

The timeframe for decisions to delay or cancel school is as follows:

• 4:00 a.m. - 5:15 a.m. – Road and campus conditions are checked from various sources. I consult with the Director of Facilities, Director of Transportation, the local Police Departments, a regional Meteorologist and local superintendents.

• by 5:30 a.m. – I decide on a school delay or cancellation. Communications to staff and families commence immediately. Staff/Parents/families are notified by approximately 6:00 a.m.

• Under extraordinary circumstances (i.e., rapidly changing weather), a decision to delay or cancel school may be made later than 5:30 a.m., resulting in a slight lag in our notifications.

We communicate decisions in multiple ways:

• Emails and text messages will be sent to all families and staff

• Our robo-call system will send a message

• Our district social media pages will have a message posted

• Local news outlets will be informed - Channel 12, LoHud

Please Note: We will only communicate when the school schedule has changed. We will not communicate when school is in session as scheduled.

Dive into the ultimate school experience with our TUFSD app! Stay connected with school news and calendars effortlessly. Search "Tarrytown Public Schools" on the App Store or Google Play to download and have the most important school information right at your fingertips!

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