PRSD Pulse

Greetings Pearl River School District Families and Staff,

As we reach the end of November, I reflect on the many things for which we are grateful as a school community. I extend my sincere thanks to all K-12 administrators, teachers, staff, faculty and clinicians for their hard work and dedication, as well as our families, for their support and partnership in ensuring that our children succeed. With the winter months rapidly approaching, I am confident we will finish out 2024 strong, and anticipate a new year with excitement and appreciation for all that we’ve accomplished together.

Throughout the past month, we spotlighted our Project Lead the Way courses offered at both Pearl River High School and Pearl River Middle School; celebrated El Día de Los Muertos (November 1-2) through the completion of Spanish research projects, Veterans Day (November 11) through meet-and-greet opportunities with local heroes, World Kindness Day (November 13) through collaborative efforts with our clinicians, National School Psychology Week (November 11-15) through spotlights on our incredible K-12 and District clinicians; National Native American Heritage Month through group activities and Music lessons, and Thanksgiving (November 28) through festive learning opportunities and feasts held at our elementary buildings; and, showcased continued STEM and literacy learning in action.

I wish all a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving spent with family and friends, and look forward to sharing more of our incredible work spanning all of our programs in December. Stay tuned for more in the coming editions of our monthly PRSD Pulse e-newsletters!

Sincerely,

Marco F. Pochintesta

Superintendent of Schools

The PRSD wishes all a very Happy Thanksgiving! While our school community gathers to enjoy meals all together, we express our gratitude and appreciation for our K-12 educators, staff, faculty and administrators for all that they do to ensure student success across all avenues of learning. Leading up to the Thanksgiving Recess (November 28-29), K-4 Evans Park Tigers, Lincoln Ave Lions and Franklin Ave Stars at each of our elementary schools excitedly enjoyed delicious dishes including turkey/chicken nuggets, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cornbread, corn, applesauce, gravy, cranberry sauce, milk, juice and sweet treats - thanks to coordination with our Food Services Department, facilities workers, and a helping hand from our PTAs and parent volunteers. Leading up to the big days, learners practiced festive Thanksgiving tunes led by music teachers Scott Louis and Sarah Gill, and explored the rich history and significance behind coming together in unity to celebrate in the company of one another. More on Facebook and Instagram.

If you're planning to tune in for (or attend) the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 28, consider this your inside look at the parade floats! Evans Park Elementary School students have been hard at work brainstorming, designing and finalizing their creations - beginning with sketching their ideas, cutting out templates, adding colorful and eye-catching details, and stuffing their balloons made from a variety of materials including aluminum foil and paper bags. Beginning with a read aloud of the book "Balloons Over Broadway: The Inspiring True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade", K-4 Tigers explored the history of the parade - and the inspiring story of the master puppeteer who invented the first balloons that debuted over Broadway - before delving into making their own. We stopped into various classes to capture the design process along the way leading up to the parade, and catch students' work in action - as well as Book Buddies' collaborative efforts. In addition, Literacy Support teacher Colleen De Maria's students designed phonics and morphology balloons that decorated the hallway for all to see. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Joined by PRSD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Marco Pochintesta and Principal Dave Wright, sixth grade students at Pearl River Middle School showcased their understanding of ancient Mesopotamia - presenting their investigations and research into an aspect of the historical region, and providing expertise on their chosen topic! PRMS Pirates in Social Studies teachers Lauren Bell's (her class pictured), Vivian Toledo's, and Annie Sullivan's classes selected from a range of project options including: building a Mesopotamian structure, designing Sumerian jewelry, producing a fashion magazine of the garments worn by civilians, crafting an interactive game or creating original artwork. Applying their knowledge of both class and curriculum material, sixth graders carried out their own independent research to complete their projects and prepare for an in-class presentation - sharing their work with Dr. Pochintesta! More on Facebook and Instagram.

Kindergarteners in Joanne Martini and Tobi Breslaw's class at Evans Park Elementary School constructed three-dimensional geometric figures - using toothpicks, marshmallows and their understanding of core math concepts! Referencing shapes including a pyramid, cube, cylinder and hexagonal prism, students counted the number of sides and corners in order to determine the quantity of each materials they need to successfully construct their own creations. Through this sweet, hands-on activity, these #EvansParkTigers are honing their #STEM knowledge, fine motor skills and ability to effectively problem solve. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Inspired by artist Wayne Thiebaud's retrospective work focused on the art of dessert, student-artists in Erin Girling's Art 6 class at Pearl River Middle School began to craft their donut drawing projects! Beginning with a tutorial on how to sketch a realistic donut with its various features, sixth graders spent time drawing and mapping out their compositions - making sure to follow Mrs. Girling's directions: to include repetition (five or more donuts), emphasis (one needs to stand out more than the rest), and scale (all must be life size and consistent). Once ready for oil pastels, these #PRMSPirates work carefully to color and blend using a gradient. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Franklin Ave Stars in Emily Jamett's class at Franklin Avenue Elementary School are developing an understanding of ways to express their ideas and interests through drafting entries added to their Writing Folders during their Writer's Workshop period. Mrs. Jamett reminded students of the importance of 'checking' their writing - to ensure proper capitalization, punctuation and word spacing. Referencing their Editing Checklists, these 'Star' authors flipped through their writing pieces and carefully checked their work - making needed edits along the way, and noting ways they can improve their writing in the future! More on Facebook and Instagram.

Turkeys are in trouble as we approach Thanksgiving...they'll soon be the main course! But, what if they create the perfect disguise? Kindergarteners in Jacinta Winters's class at Evans Park Elementary School assisted Turkey in altering his appearance - using various digital tools through Seesaw software to select clothing and accessories in order to curate a unique look. Beginning with a read aloud of the book "Turkey Trouble", Evans Park Tigers worked with K-12 Instructional Technology Coaches Jess Kearns and Kim Ulrich to 'Disguise a Turkey' - choosing a background they like for their turkey, dressing their turkey, applying the pencil icon to draw additional features, and using the microphone feature to describe their turkey's disguise. Once finished, these little Tigers got to work completing an additional practice activity: 'Count Then Write' - serving as a review of their counting, number recognition and number writing skills. Through fun and engaging activities like these, learners are developing digital artifacts which provide a dynamic way to capture and showcase student learning progress! More on Facebook and Instagram.

Lessons and activities centered on Native American/Indigenous heritage take place inside our K-12 classrooms during National Native American Heritage Month - including inside our music classrooms! Guided by elementary music teacher Scott Louis, Franklin Avenue Elementary School students explored Native American origin stories about a number of star constellations and practiced celebratory tunes that will be performed during upcoming elementary school Thanksgiving Feasts. Franklin Ave Stars learned how Native American tribes often viewed stars as significant symbols with constellations interpreted as animals, people, or spiritual beings - varying by tribes and their beliefs. Using glow-in-the-dark pebbles (that students got to touch and exchange) to represent stars and their placement, Mr. Louis narrated tales of constellation figures and seasonal importance understood by the Navajo, Cherokee, Yakima and Ojibwe. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Inspired by the story of eleven-year-old Emerson Weber (who wrote a heartwarming letter of thanks to her postal carrier), elementary students expressed their gratitude for individuals within their school buildings following celebrations on World Kindness Day (November 13). At Evans Park Elementary School, we captured fourth graders in Laura Sheridan and Karlenna Donnelly's class in action as they excitedly penned letters detailing appreciation for their current/former teachers, librarians, support staff, clinicians, custodians, classmates, peers, and siblings. Ensuring that their letters are correctly addressed, sealed and stamped, Evans Park Tigers then headed to the mailbox drop-off for sending. School social worker Eric Borcherding then collected the outgoing mail and delivered it to recipients! More on Facebook and Instagram.

Planning is underway for Pearl River High School's Valor Society as they prepare for approaching fundraisers and community service efforts through a shared mission to give back to local veterans. Led by club advisor Jeffrey Michael, club members recently attended a meeting to discuss plans for an upcoming event - with all proceeds generated benefitting Rockland Homes for Heroes, a 501c3 charitable organization that builds homes for homeless veterans in Rockland County. Joined by PRSD Superintendent Dr. Marco Pochintesta and Principal Dr. Robert Zegarelli, students explored effective ways that they can spread the word and share details about their event, and their overarching values as an extracurricular club, with the community. The Valor Society is the high school's chapter of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and uses life lessons to help students develop a code of ethics, a sense of responsibility, an appreciation for our country and ways for young leaders to become caring, mature members of our American society. More on Facebook and Instagram.

November marks National Native American Heritage Month and across our PRSD schools spanning subject areas and curriculum focuses, K-12 students are exploring the history, culture and achievements of Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and affiliated Island communities. Inside fifth grade teachers Brianna Reale and Lauren Kane's classroom at Pearl River Middle School, PRMS Pirates are completing research during their Social Studies period on specific topics centered on the Inuit tribe. In small groups, students took turns presenting informative Google Slides while group members took notes as part of a jigsaw - a cooperative learning strategy that prompts learners to become 'experts' on different aspects of a topic and then share what they learn with their classmates. Throughout the remainder of the month, these fifth graders will focus on various other tribes - having recently completed this activity for the Taino tribe and preparing to focus on the Pueblo tribe. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Future engineers are developing their skills...in the classroom! Evans Park Tigers in Monica Price's second grade class at Evans Park Elementary School are honing their understanding of STEAM fundamentals as they begin to build a playground diorama featuring equipment made from materials including aluminum foil, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks, clay and tape. Beginning in the planning stage, second graders first brainstormed ideas for their playground layout - illustrating and labeling a diagram using their own outdoor playground for reference as they now transform their thoughts and ideas into a three-dimensional concept. This activity serves as a facet of the Putnam Northern Westchester Board of Cooperative Educational Services Science 21© curriculum - which incorporates minds-on and hands-on science tasks integrating practices of English Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies where they fit naturally through project-based activities. More on Facebook and Instagram.

The PRSD shined a light on the incredible work of our school psychologists in celebration of National School Psychology Week from November 11-15! Through our campaign, we celebrated the invaluable contributions of our school clinicians and the important role they play in schools and communities. Through this year’s theme, “Spark Discovery,” the District shared ways in which our school psychologists aim to help K-12 students, families and our community through their crucial work. Thank you: Krystina Kane (Evans Park Elementary School Psychologist), Samantha Telesco (Lincoln Avenue Elementary School/Franklin Avenue Elementary School Psychologist), James Calisi & Miguel Arias (Pearl River Middle School Psychologists), Andrew Binder & Dr. Samantha Turco (Pearl River High School Psychologists), and Jamie Martens & Dr. Rebecca Massa (CSE Chairperson/504 Coordinator and CSE Chairperson/District Psychologist). More on Facebook and Instagram.

Flexing their 'kindness muscles' in celebration of World Kindness Day (November 13), elementary students at our K-4 school buildings reviewed ways they can be kind through assemblies led by school clinicians, and by engaging in kindness songs and activities in their specials! School social worker Eric Borcherding partnered with school psychologists Samantha Telesco (pictured at Lincoln Avenue Elementary School) and Krystina Kane to read aloud "Sincerely, Emerson: A Girl, Her Letter, and the Helpers All Around Us" during kindness assemblies - using its message of expressing gratitude and recognition as the framework for a letter-writing initiative that will take place throughout the coming months. Learners then had the opportunity to pen thoughtful messages sent to chosen recipients within their school building - enhancing the value of appreciation and proving how easy, yet powerful, small acts of kindness truly are! (Story above: Students Pen Kindness Letters)

At Franklin Avenue Elementary School, Franklin Ave Stars sang and danced along to the "Kindness is a Muscle" song in their physical education class with the help of teacher Billy Donnelly, before completing a teamwork activity. Taking turns in groups, students were directed to turn over semi circle cones in order to collect tennis balls with letters spelling K-I-N-D, using their memory to avoid collecting repeat letters they already found. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Inside Vinnie Romano's Technology 2 class at Pearl River Middle School, students put the finishing touches on their paper roller coaster creations - as they worked in small groups to utilize their knowledge of Newton’s Laws of Motion to construct a coaster that can carry a marble for the longest period of time without stopping. Using card stock paper, tape and scissors, students planned, created, evaluated and tested their structures; analyzed how to best manipulate the forces of friction and gravity; calculated problems involving free fall; and, created tracks to better understand centripetal force. Through this Project Lead the Way Technology activity, learners built an understanding of conversions between potential energy (stored energy) and kinetic energy (the energy of motion). More on Facebook and Instagram.

In honor of Veterans Day (November 11), Pearl River Middle School hosted a Veterans Meet and Greet - inviting all PRMS students and staff, as well as District administrators, to speak with a number of volunteers who've selflessly served and sacrificed to protect the freedoms of our country. Veterans in attendance, many of whom are students' family members, friends or hailing from local veterans chapters, spoke with PRMS Pirates about their experiences in varying branches of the military - sharing stories, insight and wisdom. New this year, PRMS also welcomed several active military members who are currently stationed/working at West Point! Each and every day, the PRSD honors our veterans, shining a bright light on our local heroes, and expresses our gratitude for their bravery and dedication to the United States. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Pearl River High School students are developing an understanding of artificial intelligence (AI) literacy - exploring its potentials, drawbacks and best strategies for training/testing data in order to achieve a desired output. English classes have the opportunity to attend engaging lessons led by Library Media Specialist Diana Nicaj, providing PRHS Pirates with the ability to navigate the AI landscape - interpreting information they see on their algorithms, and how generative AI can serve as a helpful tool in society. Students discussed various examples of AI technologies - like the iPhone's Face ID function, Siri/Alexa, GPS/navigation systems, self-driving vehicles, and robots that can assist in tasks. Working in groups, learners noted pros and cons on each AI technology example's poster located around the classroom. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Seventh grade students in Rosann Whipple's and Deb Passman's Science classes at Pearl River Middle School conducted an investigation to provide evidence that living things are made of cells - observing both plant and animal cells under the microscope! As these PRMS Pirates work to develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways the parts of cells contribute to the function, they're also practicing proper microscope use - adjusting light intensity, positioning the sample, using the coarse focus knob, and calibrating the eye pieces. Using their microscope skills, students are able to view plant cells and animal cells (their very own cheek cells from a swab) - drawing and documenting what they observe. Through an understanding of planning and carrying out investigations, as well as structures and processes of molecules and organisms, these scientists are meeting Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) which will help to prepare them for the NYS Science Assessment. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Each month, the PRSD is sharing the multi-faceted work of our five Instructional Coaches (K-6 Instructional Coach Katie Gruffi, K-4 Instructional Coach Regina Zito, K-12 Instructional Technology Coaches Jess Kearns and Kim Ulrich, and Gr. 5-12 Literacy Coach Dana Silver) with our #CoachToClass campaign! Throughout the starting months of the 2024-25 school year, our Coaches have worked to ensure that K-12 educators across the District understand their key roles as partners, collaborators and teammates who aim to support and enhance curriculum and instruction focuses. Recently, all Coaches hosted workshop sessions for new staff hired this academic year, engaging teachers in developing effective strategies for designing lessons, assessing student learning and preparing for meaningful parent-teacher conferences. Throughout the sessions, Coaches delved into Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) and Tier I in order to meet the needs of a wide range of learners, prevent and/or address academic and behavioral deficits that may require more intensive intervention, and sustain a healthy school-wide core curriculum program. Coaches also discussed Digital Fluency and Inquiry Learning - allowing students to navigate digital technologies and information effectively and ethically, and encouraging them to explore academic content through high-level questioning. Setting district-wide and school goals, teachers developed planning pathways and tools that work best for their objectives. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Spanish 3 students at Pearl River High School created altars (ofrendas) to honor departed family members, friends and famous public figures in celebration of Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) from November 1-2. Caitlin Rosa's and Beth Kurzawa's classes visited Pirate Cove to put the finishing touches on their brief descriptions and decorated altars adorned with traditional offerings like marigold flowers, photos, sugar skulls, favorite items and candles - all which are believed to encourage visits from those who have passed on to join in celebrations. Leading up to the days, PRHS Pirates penned detailed biographies of their selected individuals' lives and memories in Spanish. Once finished, other Spanish classes had the opportunity to stop by each ofrenda to pay their respects and honor the lives of those who've left us. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Sixth graders at Pearl River Middle School were posed a Pumpkin STEM Challenge - to build the tallest supportive stand for the cheapest price! Beginning with a lesson on the history of pumpkins and how they came to be a renowned symbol of the autumn season, PRMS Pirates were tasked with constructing a pumpkin stand with minimal expense using items like masking tape, index cards, popsicle sticks and cups (each worth a price for purchase). Aiming to ensure a low cost and a tall structure, small groups strategically built their stands with the materials at hand - first beginning with brainstorming and sketching their ideas. The goal: the stands must hold a pumpkin for 30 seconds or more! Student teams then tested their finalized structures and class finalists were determined based on effectiveness and cost. More on Facebook and Instagram.

Pearl River High School students enrolled in Project Lead the Way Human Body Systems are developing an understanding of muscles and motion - using moldable clay to build muscles on a Maniken® skeletal model! These PRHS Pirates (pictured: Kara Afanasewicz's class) are learning the rules that govern skeletal muscle attachment, function and action - demonstrating how the orientation of a muscle relates to the role it plays in the body, and how a patient's muscles are impacted in injury or illness. Throughout their unit, Road to Rehabilitation, learners join a team of biomedical professionals dedicated to helping patients progress through rehabilitation as they explore the human skeletal and muscular systems, and gain the knowledge and skills they need to design a solution for their assigned patient. In addition, they'll gather medical evidence and information about their patient, and use what they learn to help them develop an outpatient comprehensive health and wellness plan. More on Facebook and Instagram.